Everything I learnt about NFTs have been non-consensual
2
likes
5 yrs ago
while(inDream=true) {otaku.salary()+=}
5 yrs ago
I don't know who this Boltzmann fella is but he owes me a physics test and a whole lotta trouble
5 yrs ago
Can someone please explain why my discords are on fire about this forum right now? I just woke up and I don't have enough coffee to read a bazillion status updates
Ciel separated from the main crowd as soon as possible, quickly diverging through the crumbled alleyways and weaving through people to keep distance before he got migraines from the sheer number of people. The walls were decayed and mossy from the age, but stable enough for Ciel to scale a fallen building along the main inroad. From on top of the walls, Ciel slowed down to watch the procession of people meandering through the gates. Most of them looked like adventurers from the plains, much like those he had escorted. But mixed in were still more from foreign countries with exotic clothes and strange looking get-ups, even with someone trying to wrestle a horse through the packed crowd.
None from Praxim.
Tch. It was a shame. Ciel had no qualms with the Praxim people, but he had seen a hint of the accursed black and red uniforms of the Crown... No. Ciel had lagged behind, and with the number of adventurers and merchants alike, it was probably adventageous for him to pull ahead. But as Ciel turned to scout out another route without people, he saw a pair of explosions ring out from the distance, towards the interior of the ruins. Like a muscle spasm, panic jolted through the procession and erupted into chaos. Within seconds, the air was saturated with bolts and spells mingling with screams.
The Naravinan acted quickly, being familiar with city riots. He had heard far too many confused cries as people unwittingly got caught up in battle, seen too many panicked spells rip through buildings without reason. Ciel reflexively cast his camoflaging spell, all but disappearing from view. He didn't care if anyone was targetting him, as he knew no-one DID care if anyone was targetting anyone. It didn't matter who or what caused the whole panic, or even if there was any point or sense of it all; the only thing that mattered was that Ciel had to keep calm and get himself out of this vortex of insanity.
Ciel ducked under a fireball that spat embers at him as it crashed into a nearby limestone wall as he tried to navigate his way past the battlefield, adrenaline pumping as he squinted to see the source. Ciel couldn't spot them from the smoky debris before he had to scamper away from another firebolt, which instead hit an Imperial guard behind him. Arrows were pouring in from the outer walls, and as much as Ciel would like to get away from the ruins, he doubted that his camoflague will be enough to keep him from being pin-cushioned by saturation fire. So there was only way out - in. As Ciel narrowly dodged flak from the ground and paused to retie his bindle, he spotted a set of adventurers taking refuge in an alleyway. Oh, and there was even the horse lady with them. They looked strangely calm compared to the others, one even trying to get through self-introductions through the din of battle right next to them.
Ciel dropped down from the safety of the second levels and crept up close to the group. They clearly managed to hold onto reason, at least more than those who were blindly kneecapping anyone who came near (or was trying to introduce oneself in the midst of a riot a sign of insanity? Ciel would have to debate that later). Perhaps they were the instigators, or perhaps they knew more about how to get out of here than he did. Either way, Ciel leant into the opposing wall to eavesdrop their conversation.
There should be a character sheet in the Character tab, unless I messed up. Or is that not what you're referring to?
Also, it's more just a basic guideline, you don't have to stick to it, as long as you get the important information across in a way that I can easily read it.
Oof, sorry. I'm so used to seeing character sheets in the OOC that I forgot to take a look in the characters tab.
With a short and thin stature and blank look, December looks like a doll with too little stuffing. Her body is covered in old scratches and bruises, especially down her forearms. She is rarely seen in neat clothing, although she sometimes does grudgingly tidy up. Her movements are slow and flowing, like she is permanently inebierated.
Age: 19 Gender: F Element: Darkness
Personality: Air-headedness or thoughtfulness? Apathy or stoicism? For December, it's probably both. December is quiet and aloof, often hanging back from action and avoiding confrontations. She is a follower type who goes along with whatever seems to be the most convinent at the time, but often gets lost in her own thoughts and blanks out. She is hard to excite but easy to please, being content with the most frugal conditions as long as she gets a plenty of sleep and doesn't get pushed around too much. However, behind her mask of indifference, December is surprisingly bitter and cynical, especially against her family. She feels lonely and helpless, but feels compelled to help others in worse positions. She is troubled by doubt and low self-esteem, and she often goes day to day living on pure spite against herself.
Bio: Born into relative wealth, December was a trouble child. Not because she was disobedient or rowdy, but quite the opposite. Although the Inanis family was in a prestigious service position and had served the Council for several years, December's parents were secretly ardent opposers against the Council. They wished for a spirited child destined to take down the Council. Instead, they would often find their child lying around, completely still and staring into nothingness. She was silent, anti-social and reserved to the point that she was mistaken for being a mute. She received frequent beatings both from her parents to try and "toughen her up", with little success. December learned to bury her emotions deeper under her usual guise of blankness, as well as try and take care of herself in face of neglect and isolation (neither of which truly worked). December often befriended birds in lieu of human interactions, her favourites being ravens.
December's troubles did not stop there, however. At her Awakening, the crystal didn't function at first. Actually, December was spitefully suppressing her magic, no matter how many times her parents would try to "convince" her. So December's apparent inability to conduct magic was buried under bribery, and her official element was noted as 'Fire'. As a punishment, her parents poisoned the ravens in the park and forced December to bury them. When December attacked her parents in a fit of uncharacteristic rage, they had her restrained and forced to go through the Awakening once again. Darkness. A writhing, chaotic and powerful aspect of Darkness, kept in control underneath December's calm surface.
Suddenly her parents were very, very interested. In terms of raw potential, December was unlike many had seen. But due to December both conciously and sub-conciously supressing her magic, combined with December's habit of skipping regimen in favor of naps, it had rarely surfaced. December was then given a choice. Continue to pretend to be a Fire mage and be sent off to serve a Count, or foster power within the Academy. Seeing a lesser of two evils, December decided to attend the Academy. Perhaps she would find relative peace and quiet there.
Habits: December tends to compulsively scratch her scars when she is nervous, leading to even more scarring. As such, she tends to wear several layers of clothes as a preventative measure. She is also very self-concious about her scars, and rarely wears anything short of winter attire to cover them, even in hot weather. December tends to leave things unfinished, especially in terms of cleaning. December washes her clothes, but leaves them lying around. She sorts her belongings, but tends to leave a majority of it as 'Other'. December finishes most of her sentences, but December's few personal belongings include a hairpin that doubles as a lockpick. December picked up a strange habit of trying to absent-mindedly lockpick whenever possible, but so far has only been able to successfully unlock her mother's jewlery box. Her other belongings include a pouch of bird seeds, preserved raven feathers, and two suspiciously expensive rings.
Ciel's malnutrition at birth made him look much younger and much shorter than his age, and other's attitude to treat him like a child annoys him. Ciel still hopes that drinking enough milk will make him grow taller and look more imposing. Alas... Ciel's preferred attire is usually tough leather and nearly fully covers him from head to toe, although most of the times he just wears whatever is given to him, which is just plain cloth.
Personality
Defeatist and shy, Ciel has a strict line between his friends and his enemies, acting quiet and aloof towards those he does not know. Unless Ciel has an especially strong stance in terms of morality or decision making, Ciel will act conflict avoidant in terms of decision making. He has trouble speaking and will stutter a lot, which is partially why he stays silent for most of the time. However, this does not mean that Ciel is not expressive or cold, as Ciel will do his best to help others he views as friends. Ciel is easily flustered and although he will appreciate compliments, doesn't actually know how to handle attention. Ciel is industrious and gets restless if there isn't anything to do, even if it is menial tasks. Most of the time, this means scouting nearby places or eavesdropping on others to see if he can help them without being noticed.
However, Ciel is surprisingly vengeful and will viciously hunt down all those who betrayed him, the Crown and the Lalunes alike, and especially those who came from his original town of Naravini. When enraged, Ciel's usually calm disposition will turn into a clinical cruelty, aiming to tear enemies apart both emotionally and physically. Personal morality mostly hinges upon trying to find the best for the people he has decided to care about, even if it means he has to do morally questionable actions to reach that end. Ciel is painfully aware of his amorality, and beats himself up over his need for vengence; but in the spur of the moment, he can't help but let his suppressed temper rise.
Ciel longs to feel like a part of a group, even if he tries to convince himself that he's better off alone. He has a complex about his skin condition that makes him difficult to feel tactile sensations and pain in general, and will pretend that he is able to feel things more than he really can. Ciel is good at keeping up appearances and insist everything is fine, but deep inside he knows that something fundamental died within him.
Ciel's hobbies usually involve going up to the highest vantage point and gazing out at the landscape or the stars. He's heard that apparently the stars were supposed to represent tales of epic battles and flawless heroes, but has never gotten a chance to hear them. Perhaps out here Ciel would be able to find someone who does know.
History
Naravini was a sprawling economic powerhouse during its prime. The city itself grew initially over a cave system within a frigid sea crag as a measure of safety from bandits. Initially a city-state, it joined with the nearby Kingdom of Praxim in exchange for their powerful arcane knowledge and alliance. When trade started to flow through from West to East, the city's tight control over the few safe roads that passed through the surrounding mountain ranges became powerful economic assets. Along with the merchants and annual fairs, mercenary security troupes formed to accompany those who sought safety from the inevitable bandits that patrolled the old roads. But as travellers started to search easier ways to pass through the mountain ranges, Naravini's economic center was threatened.
The lord of Naravini, Baron Teshmire, came up with a 'solution'. In secret, he hired the most dubious troupe of Naravini, a family-run guild of the Lalunes. With a wealth of hush money, he ordered them to strike down every adventuring party that ventured the mountains. As the legend of the ghosts of the 'haunted' mountains grew, so did Naravini's wealth and Teshmire's greed. The Lalunes became a staple for Teshmire's operations, some of which included abduction of children to indoctirnate them at a young age. With a shadowy force to enforce his might, Teshmire ruled over Naravini unopposed.
But sure enough, the Lalunes could not stop the adventurers from progressing entirely - and soon a breakthrough was found that allowed safe passage across the previously uncrossable mountains and crags. With power slipping away and vengence on his heel, Teshmire's growing paranoia made him take the rest of his still-vast reserves of wealth and flee deep into the Naravini cave systems, never to be found. The Lalunes, now without a sponsor, warped into an autonomous criminal group of contract killers.
Naravini fell into disrepair and in place of merchants and seafarers, pirates and bandits seeking refuge from prosecution within the sea fortress-like city of Naravini filled the streets. Even the most foolish adventurers seeking to find 'the lost gold of Naravini' came to fear the madness of the rotting city. When it became clear that the once proud city of Naravini was turning into a haven of criminals, the Praxim Crown sent a force of elite magi and knights to crack down. Although it initially seemed like the Crown would take the city through sheer might, the criminal underworld mainly spearheaded by the Lalunes used the city's labryrinthine caverns and streets to their advantage. The city became stagnated in a gruelling quagmire - fights between the Crown forces and gangs were constant, and every day seemed like a miracle that the city remained somehow standing.
Some argue that the war that wages within Naravini is a waste of resources, others believe it is a necessary means to root out the criminal underworld for good. Only those who pull the strings from behind know the true nature of the battle for Naravini.
Ciel was born into one of the most turbulent times of port city of Naravini, stuck between the war between the Crown and the criminal underbelly. Perhaps had he been born into a kinder environment, his natural talent for arcane magic and curiosity could have been fostered; but instead, it became a curse that painted him as a candidate for the Lalunes. Abandoned at birth due to the dire cirumstances, he was inducted into the Lalunes as a responsive measure against the arcane attacks of the Crown magi.
Dropped into a world of desperate competition but naturally disposed to concede than fight, Ciel grew up being content with the smallest share and instead seeking affirmation and belonging. Ciel was blindly loyal to the guild, throwing himself into the most dangerous attacks against the Crown forces in service of a guild that had apparently saved him from the streets. He didn't care how cruel or how degenerate his actions were, as long as there was a clear distinction of 'us' and 'them'.
However, when his group was ambushed during an attack against a Crown stakeout, he was trapped within a cave and blockaded by the Crown forces. At first he awaited rescue as he had ensured a message was relayed back to the Lalunes. But when a message of a blank note was returned to him, it became apparent that the Lalunes had abandoned him. Ciel realized that the Lalunes were never the saviors that he had fantasized, nor was he any better for serving them. Ciel was just a pawn and a disposable blade now past its usefulness.
Heartbroken and betrayed, Ciel quietly allowed himself to be captured by the Crown forces. The judge took pity on Ciel and instead of an execution sent him to nearby quiet cities to serve his peonage. Recently released early for his good behavior, Ciel doesn't quite know what to do. Ciel was aware of his past crimes and was aware that he can't ever go back. Naravini was still in gridlock and there was little Ciel could do to exact vengence on anyone either. Ciel has been serving menial jobs in local military troupes, as well as help out local farmers in penance. But the walls of Naravini were always in the back of his mind, daring him to enter again.
Stats: Strength (STR): D Vitality (VIT): C Dexterity (DEX): B Intellect (INT): B Wisdom (WIS): E Charisma (CHA): F
Resistances: - Pain, especially tactile senses - Minor Cold - Minor Darkness (nightvision to a limited extent, can't see past artificial darkness)
Equipment Fey & Fel: Twin daggers Ciel received from a local blacksmith when he helped them get rid of bats from a cave. They're plain daggers with casting ambers in their hilt, doubling as arcane tools. Aside from occassional rust and wear, the blade is relatively well-kept.
Minor Herbalist Kit: Tools and small bandages to allow basic salves and poutices to be made from scavenged herbs. The toolkit itself is mostly improvised from various tools from other kits.
Shortbow w/ Arrows: A plain wooden shortbow with a handful of arrows for long range combat.
Lalune guild badge: A small copper badge with a flying owl. Has no uses since Ciel was effectively disavowed by the guild, but he has since kept it for sentimentality purposes.
Blank messaging paper: A grubby, little scrap of paper used by Lalunes to message each other. Similarily kept for sentimentality purposes, in spite rather than fondness.
Skills & Spells Mark: Single out a target and set a corrupting Mark on them. Gain armor penetration and critical hit multiplier against a Marked target. Marks persist until the marked target disengages, either the user or the target is defeated. A maximum of 3 Marks can be maintained. This skill has a Mana cost.
Vanish: Disappear from detection with a camoflaging spell. This can be used out of combat to increase stealth effectivity, disappearing nearly entirely from visual detection for the user only. This can be used in combat to disengage an enemy and escape combat. Fails against enemies with high detection skills, and is ineffective against arcane or thermal detection. This skill has a Mana cost and Cooldown.
Execute: Attack with the intent to kill, targeting existing wounds to ensure a kill. Deal bonus damage against opponents under 50% HP, scaling with critical hit multiplier. If used against a Marked target, consume the Mark to recover large amount of stamina, and immediately reset cooldown of Vanish. This skill has a Cooldown.
Silence: Within a small field, suppress hostile magic. Completely negates effects of weak magic, but has reduced effectivity against magic stronger than the user. The user may completely concentrate on Silence to increase effectivity at the cost of continuous Mana drain and inability to react to incoming attacks. This skill has a Mana cost and Cooldown.
Hidden Fangs (passive) : The user deals bonus damage when attacking from stealth or when using concealed weapons against unaware targets. Against Marked targets, deal additional armour piercing damage and recover mana.
Dynamism (passive): The user is especially focused against their Marked targets, and gains increased dodge chance against attacks from Marked targets. Becomes more effective over time, but is reset when attacking unmarked targets or when focus is disturbed via status effects.
Yeah, Ciel is here on a whim and doesn't really even have full scale enough if it becomes a longer expedition. Unless he gets roped in by some inescapable circumstance, he's probably just gonna wander off somewhere.
Ciel roused slowly from sleep as the sound of adventurers got louder, crawling out groggily from underneath his makeshift shelter of a stick and a sackcloth against the ruin walls. Ciel squeezed his eyes and with a tired squint, surveyed the growing cluster of tents toward the plains. He had propped up his sack against one of the outer ruined walls, partially because he only had one branch and needed the second support, but also to stay away from the influx of eager adventurers that seemed to grow ever time he looked at them. Safety in numbers, sure - but Ciel was much more wary of the inverse.
Ciel took inventory of his few belongings. Daggers. A couple day's rations. Some rope tied to a harpoon's hook. Stick and sack. Oh, and the bounty note. Ciel scanned the notice again, tracing the number of coin that was offered. He didn't have to count the number of zeroes, but Ciel knew that it was far beyond his specs. He was only here for a supporting role, not the ruins itself.
Ciel had just finished his last days on the farm, herding animals and harvesting crop to learn coin enough to sustain him until he found another job. He was in the store stalking the notice boards for new jobs when he found a note emboldened by the adventurer's guild. They were looking for scouts who knew the plains, as they were looking to beat their competition to the Ruins. Ciel barely had much experience with the plains - but when he offered to work for free in exchange for a couple week's lodgings, he was in.
And now here he was. Dropped off by the guild party, who gave Ciel rations and money as a reward for a job well done (and perhaps in compensation for that one knight who liked to pat him on the head one too many times). As he fumbled to reorganize the sack to head back to the towns, he looked back towards the stoic walls of the ruins, then down at the bounty note left on the dusty ground.
That was a lot of zeroes.
...
Ciel cautiously picked up the bounty note and scanned the cracks along the walls, hand holds, crawl-throughs. Okay. Just a day in, day out. He would still have more than enough with the extra supplies from the guild party.
Ciel stuffed the note in the sack, and tying it to the branch, remade his bindle to sling over his shoulder. When he approached the wall, Ciel saw a tall woman (huntress?) trying to fit through one of the cracks. Ciel silently stared with his characteristically dead eyes, barely moving as he blankly awaited his turn.
