Estylwen

Estylwen's Master List

Ciara Ventura (The Hunger) - 2023 Iris Ascendis

Ciara Ventura

5’2 | Human | Female | 16

Appearance:

Alignment: Neutral Good

Personality:

Being treated a bit harshly in her early years caused Ciara to be somewhat of an empath. Without much regard for rules or society, Ciara is more inclined to help someone in a vulnerable position because she was there once upon a time. She has a slightly mischievous nature, being the type to break curfew just for the sake of it. Her Hunger sometimes causes her to question her own morals, but she has promised herself she isn’t what people might think she is, and she condemns any notion of Umbrialism.

Backstory:

It’s not a long shot to say Ciara had a tough upbringing. Thrown out of her home at a young age at the thought of her manifested Ethos having anything to do with Umbralism, Ciara was pushed from one orphanage to another in Vaal Kastrix. This caused CIara to be somewhat of a recluse, finding more company in the essence she could feel around her than the other unwitting children.

This gave the Voices in her head more free reign, and she eventually conceded to her Hunger, tasting the essence of a plant. It was delicious, though the shriveled husk of the plant that remained… left something to be desired.

When she was old enough, she supplemented her studies with a part-time job, offering her services to clear away excess plant life that plagued residents’ homes at a fraction of the cost of official essence eradication treatments. This allowed her to move out of the orphanage and into her own run-down apartment at the ripe age of 12. Yes, she had to forge an ‘adult’s’ signature to get the place, but the landlord didn’t ask questions for someone to fill his vacant suite with holes in the roof, finally.

At the age of 14, she had evolved her part-time job to also include package running. She could manipulate and hop from shadows at break-neck speed and deliver packages faster than horses. This made her skills heavily sought after. She used these extra funds to move to the big city, Vaal Shakta. This city's overwhelming amount of essence caused her to lie quietly on the floor of her new apartment for some days before her Hunger adjusted.

It was soon after, at the age of 16, she received an auspicious letter of invitation from Wingram Academy.

Prime Essence: The Hunger

Ethos: Ciara’s Ethos can be broken down into fragments.
- The Voices
- The Light
- The Shadows
- The Night
- The Visions

The Voices

A voice in her head was one of the reasons Ciara discovered she could eat light and essence. It almost continuously comments in the background like a child, reminding her of her hunger. It gets terribly excited when she comes across significant sources of light that are within consumable distance (i.e., being able to ‘breathe’ it in.)

She thinks it is these voices in her head that emerge in physical form when she uses the Shadows.

The Light

A person, place, and thing all exude a bit of essence. Some have more than others. The essence, or light of people, can be especially eye-catching, appearing to Ciara as a warm, radiating, mouth-watering glow. The better a person is, the more light they naturally carry. If a plant is like warm buttered toast to Ciara, a person rich with essence and light is like a lobster or steak meal, with a dash of addictive qualities. Until now, Ciara has never given in to her Hunger cravings for prime essence from a living person.

Too much light can overwhelm Ciara. Standing under the sun is something she can manage. However, she doesn’t like it. She also can’t stand purifying magic due to its high amount of light.

The Shadows

Her own shadow can come to life when she embraces her Ethos, manifesting black tentacles or shapes that can reach up to 10-20 feet. They have enough strength to knock a horsedrawn carriage over on its side. However, they have nerve endings and can't be used as a shield with which to hide behind.

Any shadow that she can see can also be brought to life. She hasn’t yet figured out how to manifest tentacles or create shapes of other shadows. However, she can use her own shadow as a portal and hop from one shadow to the next as a type of shadow manipulation/teleportation technique.

Her emotions, unbridled, can cause strange reactions. Emotions like extreme agitation can cause dark mist to rise off her. Fear can cause her shadow to quiver visibly. Her Ethos may also react and manifest to a subconscious will, such as the repressed desire to strangle someone.

The Night

All shadows blend into one during the night, especially a New Moon. By extension, Ciara’s shadow becomes one with everything she sees around her, allowing her to create tentacles and shapes from further away.

The Visions

On occasion, whether she's walking through city streets or slumbering fast asleep, she'll get hit with vivid, unexplainable visions that usually leave her pondering in silence, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Magic: Primal

Miscellaneous Skills:

- Nimble dexterity
Ciara can move up and across buildings in a nimble, stealthy way that she developed during her years of package-running. This includes safe landings, such as breaking her fall with rolls.

- Silent movement
From the dislike of being seen when she came to and from the orphanage, she can move quietly, knowing how to feel out the quietest parts of the floor and how to keep her clothes from shifting noisily.

- Daggermanship
Ciara knows how to manipulate short daggers as a means of self-defense, which she has needed to use a number of times in the rough-and-tumble streets of Vaal Kastrix.

Inventory:
- Two leather-handled short daggers tucked away in the sheathes on her hips, hidden under her jacket.
- A small satchel of dried grass she keeps on her person to stave off her Hunger. She uses it as an emergency stash, preferring other, more rich sources.

Iris Ascendis

The Hunger

Ciara Ventura

5’2 | Human | Female | 16

Appearance:

Alignment: Neutral Good

Personality:

Being treated a bit harshly in her early years caused Ciara to be somewhat of an empath. Without much regard for rules or society, Ciara is more inclined to help someone in a vulnerable position because she was there once upon a time. She has a slightly mischievous nature, being the type to break curfew just for the sake of it. Her Hunger sometimes causes her to question her own morals, but she has promised herself she isn’t what people might think she is, and she condemns any notion of Umbralism.

Backstory:

It’s not a long shot to say Ciara had a tough upbringing. Thrown out of her home at a young age at the thought of her manifested Ethos having anything to do with Umbralism, Ciara was pushed from one orphanage to another in Vaal Kastrix. This caused CIara to be somewhat of a recluse, finding more company in the essence she could feel around her than the other unwitting children.

This gave the Voices in her head more free reign, and she eventually conceded to her Hunger, tasting the essence of a plant. It was delicious, though the shriveled husk of the plant that remained… left something to be desired.

When she was old enough, she supplemented her studies with a part-time job, offering her services to clear away excess plant life that plagued residents’ homes at a fraction of the cost of official essence eradication treatments. This allowed her to move out of the orphanage and into her own run-down apartment at the ripe age of 12. Yes, she had to forge an ‘adult’s’ signature to get the place, but the landlord didn’t ask questions for someone to fill his vacant suite with holes in the roof, finally.

At the age of 14, she had evolved her part-time job to also include package running. She could manipulate and hop from shadows at break-neck speed and deliver packages faster than horses. This made her skills heavily sought after. She used these extra funds to move to the big city, Vaal Shakta. This city's overwhelming amount of essence caused her to lie quietly on the floor of her new apartment for some days before her Hunger adjusted.

It was soon after, at the age of 16, she received an auspicious letter of invitation from Wingram Academy.

Prime Essence: The Hunger

Ethos: "Fames". The activating phrase meaning "Hunger" in Old Rekordian.

Ciara’s Ethos can be broken down into fragments.
- The Voices
- The Light
- The Shadows
- The Night
- The Visions

The Voices

A voice in her head was one of the reasons Ciara discovered she could eat light and essence. It almost continuously comments in the background like a child, reminding her of her hunger. It gets terribly excited when she comes across significant sources of light that are within consumable distance (i.e., being able to ‘breathe’ it in.)

She thinks it is these voices in her head that emerge in physical form when she uses the Shadows.

The Light

A person, place, and thing all exude a bit of essence. Some have more than others. The essence, or light of people, can be especially eye-catching, appearing to Ciara as a warm, radiating, mouth-watering glow. The better a person is, the more light they naturally carry. If a plant is like warm buttered toast to Ciara, a person rich with essence and light is like a lobster or steak meal, with a dash of addictive qualities. Until now, Ciara has never given in to her Hunger cravings for prime essence from a living person.

Too much light can overwhelm Ciara. Standing under the sun is something she can manage. However, she doesn’t like it. She also can’t stand purifying magic due to its high amount of light.

If she consumes any amount of light, her eyes change to a deep scarlet surrounded by black sclera for a short time. This appears to be a cosmetic change.

The Shadows

Her own shadow can come to life when she embraces her Ethos, manifesting black tentacles or shapes that can reach up to 10-20 feet. They have enough strength to knock a horsedrawn carriage over on its side. However, they have nerve endings and can't be used as a shield with which to hide behind.

Any shadow that she can see can also be brought to life. She hasn’t yet figured out how to manifest tentacles or create shapes of other shadows. However, she can use her own shadow as a portal and hop from one shadow to the next as a type of shadow manipulation/teleportation technique.

Her emotions, unbridled, can cause strange reactions. Emotions like extreme agitation can cause dark mist to rise off her. Fear can cause her shadow to quiver visibly. Her Ethos may also react and manifest to a subconscious will, such as the repressed desire to strangle someone.

- The Shadows Manifest

When Ciara wills, once every 24 hours, her Voices can manifest themselves apart from her through shadow manipulation, becoming their own forms. They can attack on her behalf. However, one strong hit can render them obsolete, and they will dissolve, becoming a Voice once more.

The Night

All shadows blend into one during the night, especially a New Moon. By extension, Ciara’s shadow becomes one with everything she sees around her, allowing her to create tentacles and shapes from further away.

The Visions

On occasion, whether she's walking through city streets or slumbering fast asleep, she'll get hit with vivid, unexplainable visions that usually leave her pondering in silence, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Magic: Primal

- Timber
Ciara is able to summon a quickling tree through essence or materials like plants or sticks. The tree grows up to about eight feet high and lives exactly six seconds.

- Puff
Ciara is able to breath out allergenic pollen in front of her from uttering 'Puff' in Common, or 'Allergen' in Sylvan. This causes irritated eyes and runny noses, and sneezing.

- Deep Breathing
Uttering 'Deep Breathing' in Common, or 'Lungs' in Sylvan would cause Ciara to be able to hold her breath for about three minutes without any adverse side effects, or gor however long her mouth remains closed. This also bars most airborne toxins.

Miscellaneous Skills:

- Nimble dexterity
Ciara can move up and across buildings in a nimble, stealthy way that she developed during her years of package-running. This includes safe landings, such as breaking her fall with rolls.

- Silent movement
From the dislike of being seen when she came to and from the orphanage, she can move quietly, knowing how to feel out the quietest parts of the floor and how to keep her clothes from shifting noisily.

- Daggermanship
Ciara knows how to manipulate short daggers as a means of self-defense, which she has needed to use a number of times in the rough-and-tumble streets of Vaal Kastrix.

Inventory:
- Two leather-handled short daggers tucked away in the sheathes on her hips, hidden under her jacket.
- A small satchel of dried grass she keeps on her person to stave off her Hunger. She uses it as an emergency stash, preferring other, more rich sources.

Theme:

Iris Ascendis

Here you go! Please let me know how it looks. :>

The Hunger

Ciara Ventura

5’2 | Human | Female | 16

Appearance:

Alignment: Neutral Good

Personality:

Being treated a bit harshly in her early years caused Ciara to be somewhat of an empath. Without much regard for rules or society, Ciara is more inclined to help someone in a vulnerable position because she was there once upon a time. She has a slightly mischievous nature, being the type to break curfew just for the sake of it. Her Hunger sometimes causes her to question her own morals, but she has promised herself she isn’t what people might think she is, and she condemns any notion of Umbrialism.

Backstory:

It’s not a long shot to say Ciara had a tough upbringing. Thrown out of her home at a young age at the thought of her manifested Ethos having anything to do with Umbralism, Ciara was pushed from one orphanage to another in Vaal Kastrix. This caused CIara to be somewhat of a recluse, finding more company in the essence she could feel around her than the other unwitting children.

This gave the Voices in her head more free reign, and she eventually conceded to her Hunger, tasting the essence of a plant. It was delicious, though the shriveled husk of the plant that remained… left something to be desired.

When she was old enough, she supplemented her studies with a part-time job, offering her services to clear away excess plant life that plagued residents’ homes at a fraction of the cost of official essence eradication treatments. This allowed her to move out of the orphanage and into her own run-down apartment at the ripe age of 12. Yes, she had to forge an ‘adult’s’ signature to get the place, but the landlord didn’t ask questions for someone to fill his vacant suite with holes in the roof, finally.

At the age of 14, she had evolved her part-time job to also include package running. She could manipulate and hop from shadows at break-neck speed and deliver packages faster than horses. This made her skills heavily sought after. She used these extra funds to move to the big city, Vaal Shakta. This city's overwhelming amount of essence caused her to lie quietly on the floor of her new apartment for some days before her Hunger adjusted.

It was soon after, at the age of 16, she received an auspicious letter of invitation from Wingram Academy.

Prime Essence: The Hunger

Ethos: Ciara’s Ethos can be broken down into fragments.
- The Voices
- The Light
- The Shadows
- The Night
- The Visions

The Voices

A voice in her head was one of the reasons Ciara discovered she could eat light and essence. It almost continuously comments in the background like a child, reminding her of her hunger. It gets terribly excited when she comes across significant sources of light that are within consumable distance (i.e., being able to ‘breathe’ it in.)

She thinks it is these voices in her head that emerge in physical form when she uses the Shadows.

The Light

A person, place, and thing all exude a bit of essence. Some have more than others. The essence, or light of people, can be especially eye-catching, appearing to Ciara as a warm, radiating, mouth-watering glow. The better a person is, the more light they naturally carry. If a plant is like warm buttered toast to Ciara, a person rich with essence and light is like a lobster or steak meal, with a dash of addictive qualities. Until now, Ciara has never given in to her Hunger cravings for prime essence from a living person.

Too much light can overwhelm Ciara. Standing under the sun is something she can manage. However, she doesn’t like it. She also can’t stand purifying magic due to its high amount of light.

The Shadows

Her own shadow can come to life when she embraces her Ethos, manifesting black tentacles or shapes that can reach up to 10-20 feet. They have enough strength to knock a horsedrawn carriage over on its side. However, they have nerve endings and can't be used as a shield with which to hide behind.

Any shadow that she can see can also be brought to life. She hasn’t yet figured out how to manifest tentacles or create shapes of other shadows. However, she can use her own shadow as a portal and hop from one shadow to the next as a type of shadow manipulation/teleportation technique.

Her emotions, unbridled, can cause strange reactions. Emotions like extreme agitation can cause dark mist to rise off her. Fear can cause her shadow to quiver visibly. Her Ethos may also react and manifest to a subconscious will, such as the repressed desire to strangle someone.

The Night

All shadows blend into one during the night, especially a New Moon. By extension, Ciara’s shadow becomes one with everything she sees around her, allowing her to create tentacles and shapes from further away.

The Visions

On occasion, whether she's walking through city streets or slumbering fast asleep, she'll get hit with vivid, unexplainable visions that usually leave her pondering in silence, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Magic: Primal

Miscellaneous Skills:

- Nimble dexterity
Ciara can move up and across buildings in a nimble, stealthy way that she developed during her years of package-running. This includes safe landings, such as breaking her fall with rolls.

- Silent movement
From the dislike of being seen when she came to and from the orphanage, she can move quietly, knowing how to feel out the quietest parts of the floor and how to keep her clothes from shifting noisily.

- Daggermanship
Ciara knows how to manipulate short daggers as a means of self-defense, which she has needed to use a number of times in the rough-and-tumble streets of Vaal Kastrix.

Inventory:
- Two leather-handled short daggers tucked away in the sheathes on her hips, hidden under her jacket.
- A small satchel of dried grass she keeps on her person to stave off her Hunger. She uses it as an emergency stash, preferring other, more rich sources.

---

@EstylwenNice to see you too, but also, remind me of where we've RPed together before? If that happened at all.

@ERode

I'm sure it happened, but unfortunately, I can't remember the name. ^^;

Iris Ascendis

Sweet, then I'll get started. :>

(Good to see you again btw, @ERode.)

Iris Ascendis

I'm interested if you still have a spot available! I can have a CS ready for approval within 24 hours.

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

We have a new post! Ah, I'm so excited for this round.

I haven't mentioned Ellie, Rainsinger, or Dream on purpose, as I imagine they may be making their way to Merahin as we speak.

Let me know what you think! :D

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

Enemy Yacht
Coastal Waters, Tenebrae
Time: Morning
@Shu

After a final sweep of the cargo hold, the clean-up crew located their target. When they began securing the cargo, however, they caught a snag.

"Sir, I think you need to see this." said one of the officers. He was toeing the small crate warily with his rifle as if it were a hornet's nest.

The commander turned. "What is it, officer?"

"Sir, I think..." he gingerly exposed the back of the crate, revealing a mass of wires, white paste, and a timer, "We got a problem."

The commander cursed, pulling on his walkie. "I need the bomb specialist down in the hold. Now."

Tension-raised seconds ticked by while the crew's bomb man sat in front of the crate, teasing apart wires.

"We're gonna run behind schedule at this rate, EOD," the commander said, "Can you get a handle on it?"

Just as the specialist was about to respond, a loud crash reverberated near the back of the hold. The commander immediately raised his hand, signaling, and the team split up to sweep the hold. The commander heard bullets peel off to his right. On the floor, blood pooling out of fresh bullet wounds lay a man with a white mask, dressed in a suit and tie.

The commander's eyes landed on the officer who took the shot. "What the hell is this, officer?"

"I don't know, sir. We did the sweep, every inch was accounted for. He just appeared out of thin air."

"Well, whoever this guy was, he wasn't planning on sticking around," the commander mused. "The crate was clean when it entered the hold. He must have placed the bomb, and tried to make it out without being caught."

The commander sighed. "Sweep the entire yacht again, just to be safe. Once we disarm the bomb, we're out of here. And for the love of God, be quick. The Titan is falling behind schedule."

A chorus of voices. "Yes sir!"

---

Valkyrie HQ
Unknown, Tenebrae
Time: Morning

The frantic ruffling of files, and over the thrumming of her heart, the Valkyries' cleaning girl failed to hear the door open to Lady Hel's office. She was in a place strictly off-limits, but with a broom shoved in the crook of her arm, she was sure she could convince anyone she was simply doing her job.

"You really think you're slick, hm?" said a dark, cool voice.

The girl stiffened, slamming the cabinet shut and whirling around. "I-I'm just"--Her heart dropped, recognizing the voice--"...cleaning, ma'am."

Lady Hel strode across her office, regal and immaculate. She sat against the edge of her mahogany desk, eyes intent on her intruder. A single porcelain hand reached up, grazing the girl's cheek before tearing off her hat, revealing long, jet-black hair tumbling down past her elbows.

The wet, tearing sound of red eyes blinking open in every shadow of Lady Hel's room drew a heavy, oppressive weight, choking the very air. Lady Hel watched the girl freeze up, savoring the fears rolling around in her, before giving the command.

"Reveal yourself, Corva."

The red eyes drew teeth, diving like crows on prey, pulling apart the mental illusion, shedding the skin of a small Valkyrie cleaner, and revealing the tall shadow of the former Queen.

She shook off the rest of the eyes with a withering psionic aura, dusting off her shoulders. Her hand rested on her hip. "How did you know?"

"Your fear. It didn't fit a cleaning girl who never lived through the Dark Nights." Lady Hel said simply, slipping behind her desk, one leg folded over the other in her leather swivel chair.

"Now, my dear, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you this very second," she paused, "and tell me what you're doing in my office."

Corva stared plainly, watching the thoughts flicker around in Lady Hel's mind. "I see time hasn't changed you. Those girls you lost... they still haunt you, don't they?"

Lady Hel's eyes narrowed. "Corva, I know more about you where it counts, and I swear I'll push you over the edge of insanity this time. Don't push me."

"You may know my fears, but I know your every thought. Talking with the lost Alpha, I see?"

Lady Hel's hand cracked the wooden desk as she lunged across the desk, the other hand balling the hem of Corva's cloak in a fist, pulling her into a vampirish glare.

Her words were a slow, dangerous whisper. "Get. Out of my head. And talk."

Corva watched her for a moment before her eyes closed, raising her hands in compliance as she pulled a file out of her cloak, tossing it onto the table. 'Top Secret: Operation Phantasm' was written across the top.

Corva's voice was soft, barely hiding the anger lacing her tone. "You call me a monster, but I've never manufactured an heir by killing her own family, Hel."

Lady Hel's eyes softened, guilt flashing across her face as she read the file's title. Numbly, she let go of Corva's cloak, stepping back.

"This is bigger than her. Then me, or you." Lady Hel said, eyes snapping from the file back up to Corva. "This is about metas not waking up to their homes being broken into, not fearing the streets in the daylight. For that future, I'd sacrifice anything, including an heir that will carry my vision."

"Did you ever consider that you were part of the problem? Why metas have such a bad rep, hm?" Corva said, hand gesturing to the file.

"Better than stealing children from their beds and destroying them for a little 'pickled power', innit?" Lady Hel said bitterly.

Corva scowled. "It's necessary."

Lady Hel stared, then laughed, a harsh, staccato sound. "How is it any different from what I've done? I've sacrificed to save our way of life here, to save the people, my people, that you've taken."

"It's. Necessary." Corva made her words firm.

Lady Hel gestured to the room. "How?"

"By doing something you never could do, were never brave enough to do," said Corva. "We will save everyone now, today, on the front lines."

"I may have ruined one girl's life, but you... you've really eaten the bloody cake on this." Lady Hel paused, eyes leering. "How many metas, Corva?"

Corva's eyes widened. "..."

"Hm? Can't remember how many you've subject to a fate worse than death?" she said, "All due to your vision, no, your lust for ultimate power."

Lady Hel placed her hands on the desk, leaning toward Corva, watching the fear build up in her. "You're not doing this for some noble cause, little Queen."

Lady Hell shook her head. "You're doing this because you're scared. Weak. You forget everyone else; It's you who needs ultimate power to sleep at night. Innit?"

Corva started. "That's not--"

"And when the world burns while someone hands you a bloody crown, then maybe, you'll finally find the 'peace' you seek. But at what cost? A world where metas have been so tortured that they can't even bring themselves to live in the perfect world you've brought on by the hands of their fallen brethren?"

Corva stepped back, hands balling into fists. "Shut up!"

"You know I'm right."

"I said shut up." Corva's words echoed with power, telekinetic power seeping from her body.

The room began to shake, walls and floor peeling up from the unbearable weight of telekinetic power. The same power that caused the numerous hospitalizations during the Dark Nights. Lady Hel watched carefully, holding her ground as shadows swayed in her aura, ready to puncture Corva's fears.

Lady Hel's voice was soft. "I'm right, and you know it. I can see your fears, Corva, shifting pitifully between fear of weakness and a fear of doing the right thing."

Corva snapped, and with a scream, she lunged at Lady Hel. But the moment her fist reached the Valkyrie, Lady Hel burst into a murder of crows, disappearing into the office's shadows.

Corva glowered, shaking her head. "Why... why are you holding back?"

Silence.

Corva's voice hitched. "Why not just end me now, and finish the Knight's Queen once and for all...?"

Standing in the darkness, Corva trembled, clenched fist raising to smash the desk before she de-materialized, disappearing from the room.

---

ACE Chemicals, Shadow Knights HQ
The Loop, Tenebrae
Time: Morning

A hand flicked the switch in the Knight's observation tower.

The lights flickered on.

Corva, who was bent over the desk, whipped around. Astra, standing casually at the door, had black smoke seeping off him in an attempt to barricade the telekinetic hold crushing his lungs.

"Corva," he said softly, seeing the tears streaking on her face. "You can let go of me."

Corva blanched, hastily wiping her face, and turned away. Astra sighed as the telekineses faded, and he stepped into the room, eyes staring curiously over Corva's form.

"I haven't seen you like this for a long time, my black rose," he gave her a keen sideways look, "I take it Operation Phantasm was a drop?"

Corva sniffled, eyes him accusingly. "How did you-- wait, no, you knew it the moment I left the building."

Astra gave her a look. "It's literally my job to know everything going on in this HQ, Corva. Come on."

Corva stood up a little straighter. "I did what I had to. You can punish me as you see fit."

"No..." Astra said thoughtfully, gloved hand tapping his chin in amusement. "No, I think the personal torment I'm seeing is enough." he shrugged. "Your side-step of my authority is forgiven."

His eyes gazed at the screen, feeds of data pooling down in sheets. GPS signals followed by long, encoded strings of data pulsed on a map.

"We have metas to contain and Phase II to start. I expect all the black boxes to be fully online and operational by the end of the day, Corva."

Corva's eyes hardened. "You mean..."

Astra nodded tragically. "Yes, the heart is unusable. Whatever Code Solaris did, it completely wiped out the capacitors in the heart's neural centers. We will have to do this a little more traditionally now."

"And you're okay with it?"

Astra stopped, turning to face her, eyes an intense, heart-crushing stare. "Are you questioning mine and Eos' authority, Corva?"

Corva looked away. "No... no, my king."

"Good." He said, nodding.

Staring at Corva out of the corner of his eye, Astra smiled, "Don't cry, my black rose. You will lead us into a bright tomorrow, where all our sacrifices will see fruition and peace. You'll see."

Corva refused to meet his eyes. "...Of course."

Satisfied, Astra nodded. "Good. I expect a report by the end of the day."

As Astra exited the tower, the door shutting behind him, Corva stood in the silence, hands wringing her cloak.

---

Valkyrie HQ
Unknown, Tenebrae
Time: Morning

Keys jingled in a lock as a large wooden door swung open, revealing the place Phantasm stayed during her 'grounding'. A traditional bedroom, large, with plush velvet carpets and a curtained bed. Phantasm stood at the window, turning to stare sideways as Lady Hel entered her prison.

Yes, a prison it was, for as innocent as it looked, it was completely inescapable. The bars across the windows were electrified, and a thin metal sheet was sandwiched within the walls, ceiling, and floor, charged with enough voltage that she had successfully burnt her hand more than once.

Phantasm pursed her lips, resolutely turning back toward the window. "Have you come for more answers? I told you everything."

"No, Phantasm. I need you."

Phantasm turned, eyebrow raised. "Ma'am?"

"Circumstances have changed, necessitating my ace. Follow me, I'll brief you on the way."

Phantasm blinked in surprise, carefully hiding her relief behind a mask of indifference as she stepped forward. "Tell me everything."

---

MCC, Tenebrae
Heart of The Loop, Tenebrae
Time: Afternoon
@Blizz

Deep within the spiraling corridors of Tenebrae's high-security prison, hidden away in the 'Classified Zone' sat a man who was forgotten to the world. His cell was a feat of technological advancement with three layers of heat-proof glass and heat-resistant steel with a casing of water-coolant in the walls. It had the ability to plummet the room into sub-freezing temperatures in the case of an emergency: the dreaded code purple.

Of course, to Carver's personal guard unit, the last code purple was 19 years ago, when Carver went all out in an unexplained rage.

The footfalls of a guard change sounded in the hall, but today, there was no guard approaching outside Carver's glass viewing port. Instead, curiously, there was a woman in a tattered cloak, skull mask clipped to the side of her head as she spat out a breathing device, catching her breath as she leaned an arm against the viewing port. Her eyes sized up Carver, and she picked her next words carefully, as Lady Hel instructed.

"How long you wanna stay in there, taking the fragile peace Rhea enjoys for granted?"

She pulled a phone out of her pocket, tossing it so it quantumly slipped through the wall and into Carver's hand. "Check the video on that thing. See what your friends have been up to after all this time."

A fuzzy video was playing from the vent with a bird's eye view on Rainsinger and Sunny in a platform shaft with more enemies than friends, a glowing device in Ellie's hands, and a lot of guns.

"That device she grabbed is just one of the pieces that will mark the end of Tenebrae as we know it. Sure, she destroyed it. But these guys have a backup plan. Our spy network picked up on black boxes around the city set to go off as soon as tomorrow, turning the entire city into a heart generator, siphoning bioenergy to power their doomsday device. Normal humans will last a few days at most, metas, maybe a few weeks."

"Your family is up there, blissfully unaware," Phantasm said, pulling away from the window. "But you're not going to let them get hurt. And we know how to help you."

"We need to get into their facility. You're the only one who can break-in, and if you're successful, we'll give you the means to keep your family safe."

---

Boardroom 21, Titan Division
Below City Hall, The Loop, Tenebrae
Time: Afternoon
@Shu

"Another successful mission, Titan. I'm impressed." the Director said, tucking a strand of purple hair behind her ear as she studied the cargo's schematics on the holographic table.

"This opens up so many questions, like how this intruder materialized on the ship, and why they put an easily diffusable bomb on the prototype." She said, hand running across her chin in thought.

Her hand raised in a positive gesture. "We've been able to narrow their organization. These masks belong to the Shadow Knight's goons." she sighed, "Which is disturbing, given the political developments--"

A call buzzed from the Director's pocket, which she picked up and put on speaker, "Yes?"

"Director, we have a situation."

"I'm listening."

"Well, uh, we have an intruder."

"This is the highest security government facility in all of Tenebrae, how did someone get in?"

"We uh, we just figured out the bomb... wasn't a bomb after all. It was a GPS signal."

The Director paused, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "Explain yourself."

"W-well ma'am, the signal just spiked, and then, uh, this woman just appeared in our forensics room. We've identified her as the Shadow Knight's former Queen. B-but we have her barricaded in, she can't leave, there's a whole squad of security with their guns on the door."

Her hand pressed her temple. "You idiot, she doesn't want to get out, she wants the device."

A frantic shuffle on the other side of the line. "We can storm the room, ma'am."

"No," she said, eying Artemisia. "There's only one person in this whole division I trust with the former Queen handling a highly classified item. Stand by for the Titan."

"Yes, ma'am."

The phone snapped shut, and the Director clicked her heels, hands clasped behind her back.

"Well, that answers that. Titan, I'm sending you to the lower level forensics room 19B. Secure the prototype and apprehend the intruder for questioning. Do whatever you need to contain the situation efficiently. And make sure, whatever happens, the prototype is not used."

The forensics room 19B was closed off to the outside facility for good reason, as it had safety measures in place for handling dangerous items. There was only one point of entrance, the high-security clearance door. The inside of the room was spacious, filled with smaller rooms that were used as storage rooms, blast-proof in case an item was, for whatever reason, explosive. The hallway with branching storage rooms led to a larger room filled with an empty floor and movable tables, examination equipment, and tubes of power sources from floor to ceiling in case something like a heart needed to be siphoned off.

At the back of the room, behind the lines of tables and power tubes, Corva crouched stealthily, prototype in her hand and telekinetic power suffusing the room, creating weight in the air.

Estylwen's Master List

Dream - 2021 TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows

Codename: Dream

Malyn Epherel | 24 | Female

Hero/Villain Role: Vigilante

Appearance:
She has an average height of 5’3 and is set at 130 pounds. She looks like someone who exercises frequently enough, with strong arms and legs. A slight curve to her, not too much and not too little.

Without the black-out contacts, her irises are grey and the pupils a shining white. Arched, thin eyebrows, moderately high cheekbones, a slight dimple in the chin, and a strong jaw. When she smiles, her lips are full and relaxed. A beauty mark can be seen below the lower lip, closer to the right. Wavy brown hair frames her face, styled short in an inverted bob. The ends of her hair, more noticeably at the back of her head due to the layered style, glow with a soft light.

Her hands have old scars and nicks from her light jump wipeouts.

Outfit:
Her suit is a mix between formal and practical, wearing a white dress shirt, black ribbon brooch attached at the collar, and a black suit coat with a hood. The inner side of the hood is a gold colour while the sleeves of the coat are leather. A black mask is worn on her eyes and a thin black bonnet can be seen under the hood. The pants are black slacks with a leather strip two inches wide running down the front and back. There is a small utility pouch strapped to one thigh. She wears light black leather boots with a reinforced ankle to protect herself from falls. Fingerless leather gloves also help protect her from scraping her palms on concrete.

Dominant Trait:
Determined

Personality:
If she feels she is in a position that will cause her regret, her will kicks into high gear. This rage in her system can make decisions that years down the road, are still going strong. Her determination covers up a terrifying truth that she refuses to acknowledge—she ran away from those who needed her, and she is always under threat that she could do it again.

Her determination seeps into her work, as she puts every ounce of strength into her daily business and her nightly fights. She doesn’t normally let herself take a break, but when she does, her high energy cuts off and she drops like a sack of potatoes.

Backstory:
Growing up on the edge of Tenebrae, she always struggled between complacency and speaking her mind in a home where her father never gave her importance. The years leading up through high school graduation compounded this, and she ran away. Technically, she moved out to complete her college degree. But when she did, her connection with her family, including her mother and brother, greatly weakened.

That was when news reached her that her mother passed away in a tragic accident.

The news shook her severely, upsetting the fibre of her soul. That night, between the tears and grief-stricken wails, a new power birthed itself from the darkness. She felt herself open up, power pouring out from a well previously untapped. A white light came unbidden from her eyes, ends of her hair, and fingertips. It shook her but also alleviated some of the grief.

The new power came with its own struggles, such as hiding in public. The light from her hair and eyes became a continuous stream she lacked control over, so she purchased black-out contacts and began covering her hair with scarves and hats. Her hands, however, became incredibly responsive, allowing the light to come and go, and fly off in any direction she willed. At that time, it was nothing more than a flashlight beam. But she noticed, with more power of will, it would condense into hardened light.

When she worked up the courage to show her remaining family, they seemed to approve at first. But shortly after, they scattered from her life. The regret she felt leaving her mother became compounded as she was left alone again. Her brother became a great source of guilt, the one whom she hurt the most by running away. She vowed to never cause herself regret like that again.

It was at a time where she began watching the news and taking more of an interest in the people around her. The crime rates were going up, the civil unrest, and the crackdown on errant powers terribly weak in execution.

Seeing an opportunity to redeem herself, she trained in silence in the rural areas outside of Tenebrae; She ran a small perfume shop by day and pushed her skills by night. After three years, she felt a cap on her powers. Practicing alone wasn’t enough anymore. She would have to up the stakes, and that meant catching destiny with both hands.

She moved her shop to an area in Near North Side and began listening to a second-hand police radio fervently. It took every ounce of courage to get in costume and confront her first criminal, but as her small successes grew, her confidence increased. She went after higher and higher risk criminals, pushing her skills until finally, after two years of failures and successes, she heard her name from the cheering bystanders as she ‘got down to business’, as they say.

In a Japanese village just off of Noble Square, the streets were aflame with the wreckage of their battle, her toughest foe yet—a fire-type meta with a knack for exploding cars. Backed up in a corner, she thought it was the end for her until she heard a young voice ring out.

“Don’t give up!”

She could see the terrified eyes of the young girl, hands around her mouth, staring terrified at her. It stirred something inside, reminding her of her family, of the regret she told herself she’d never let happen again. White light exploded as her power forcibly threw off the contacts and bonnet from her head. She became a shining beacon that, in one last push, knocked back her adversary and laid him out flat on the ground.

As she stood over the captured criminal, her light dimming with exhaustion, she heard a single voice from the growing bystanders. Then more, slowly increasing until the whole street chanted her name.

At first, she didn’t understand why they chanted the word Yume. Then, the younger voices took over and yelled out the translation.

Dream.

Not that it made any more sense to her. Perhaps it was the way she looked from a distance, all lit up and determined, that gave her her first nickname.

Goal: Power to protect.

Superpower:
Light Manipulation

Power Description:
Her specialization is currently Hard Light/Cold Light manipulation, where she is able to summon white light in her hands and shoot it out in balls that, when they reach impact, feel similar to hailstones or small rocks. The trajectory is almost never a straight line, as she finds more satisfaction in watching it circle. So usually, balls fly out on a curved trajectory with the ability to boomerang once before dissolving. Currently, she can send out about ten bullets at a time.

She can also focus the light into a single beam, or create a small wall within arm’s range.

She can also collect it at her feet, discharging to send her flying up into the air. The light jump does require a solid surface below her feet in order to work, so she mainly uses it to leap from one area to the next quickly or evade. She has to be careful though, as the light jump can be too high or fast without a way to cushion her fall. Her hands bear the scars of past failed jumps.

Power Drawback:
Encasing her hands in a strong material, such as metal, effectively stops her offensive attacks. She also requires a half-second to charge her ability, so her hands or feet will glow before any attack is unleashed. This delay can be a critical weakness in close combat, so she will keep combat long-range as much as possible.

Hard Light/Cold Light, as it is a condensed version of light, does still listen to some basic laws. Her balls of light have a habit of refracting as they smash through glass panes, and bouncing back when smashing mirrors. If someone were clever enough to create a mirror made of steel or titanium, or a material that could absorb the impact, they could effectively launch Dream’s ability back at her.

This power is a mix of light around her and light surging off her own soul, so she draws strength in sunlight, moonlight and streetlight, but her strength decreases in the absence of light.

Fatigue sets in faster using her powers in pitch black, however, regular overuse of powers creates physical tiredness, lack of ability to focus, a decrease in accuracy, and weaker light. Eventually, she just won’t be able to move and may pass out.

Estylwen's Master List

Collection of Characters

Cora Rishaw - 2014 Elementals: Void Assault

Name: Cora Rishaw

Age: 18

Element: Lively Ice
Cora can convert water in the air to ice with such precision, it's possible for her to animate the ice. Example: Emerging from a burst of ice, the Ice dragon looks fluid and lively as it swims through the air, snapping its jaws and blowing shards of ice. But its intelligence is artificial as Cora controls it like a puppet on strings. But it definitely looks more formidable. She usually sticks to only a few animations; it's easier to think creative when there's less going on. Using her power too much results in a ripe migraine. 

Appearance: Cora is way too skinny, you can count her ribs. Scavenging for food when there is none leads to malnourishment. Her skin has a constantly clammy, cold feel to it. She's pale, almost sickly so. Other than the dark circles under her eyes, her skin is smooth and unmarred. Her hair is a chocolate-brown, messy and layered short; it barely reaches the bottom of her neck. She parts it from the side, letting her feathered bangs sweep across her eyelashes. She typically wears a thick, black hoodie and mask scarf around her neck. Ripped jeans cover her legs, and she has tattered shoes on her feet. 

Personality: She's insecure, and will do backflips (literally) for warmth and comfort. Those who have done a kindness to her she never forgets. She seeks happiness in other people, and in what little nature there is left. Though occasionally she is ruled by high emotion, and easily upsets herself if 'it's not fair.' People have called her a 'survivor' of sorts, she is well at adapting to her situation. Smart with her tongue, Cora is a decisive girl that can talk her way out of plenty of things. 

History: Off and on throughout her childhood Cora had instances she couldn't explain. Like waking up to her window covered in frost on a summer day. Or breathing mist in a warm room. The cold never bothered her, so it struck her weird when people told her how cold she felt. But she brushed it off as nothing.

Cora and her boyfriend attended Kung Fu for three years before the dojo shut down due to bankruptcy. Occasionally they took advantage of their complex roof and sparred each other, just to keep sharp. But they practiced less and less when they started skipping dinner.

Ever since Cora lost her job being a house cleaner for one of the rich snobs of the city, she had to turn to scavenging and stealing to live. There were no other jobs to be found, and her boyfriend, Jesse, couldn't support them both with his miner's paycheck. For almost two years she's gone out every day, but old food from before is hardly good anymore, food stamps are hard to swipe, greeneries are guarded like the holy grail. Plus, other scavengers are merciless.

One evening she actually did manage to break into a greenery and sneek away with as many plants as she could carry before security even knew. Jesse came home that evening to their small flat spruced up with so much green, he was speechless. "...Cora, you know this is illegal." 

"I did it for love." She smiled, offering him a carrot. "We're not going hungry tonight."

Presently, only a few plants remain in their secret garden flat. Food and water run thin once more.

Feel for element: Cora considers herself the closest thing to an ice cube--cold, solid, icy. But in the right arms she loves that feeling of warmth, melting her slowly. It's that philosophy that nothing's permanent, it's a destructive beauty that disappears when you glance away.   

Enchanted item: 
--Twin daggers that act like elemental conduits. The inscribed blades have a coat of frost patterned across the metal. 

Guardian: Irys, ice spirit
Irys is made of crystalline ice that has a faint glow, she can change her size and bioluminescence easily, sometimes pulsating light to communicate. She hovers effortlessly with subtle movement similar to a jellyfish. She speaks telepathically only to Cora. And although Irys has no combat skills, her sixth sense allows her to feel the location and emotions of living beings in a 20ish foot radius.

Citrine - 2014 Obsidian: Wyverns

[ Katherina Ady | 22 | Female ]

Codename: Citrine 

Power:

-- Causality Vision:

"The ability to perceive and understand all cause and effect relations." ~SuperpowerWiki. The user is able to see several steps into alternate futures depending on what actions are taken. They are able to know what's goings to take place seconds before it happens, and can take the best course of action since they already know all the effects of a cause.

In combat Citrine can adapt to all variables before they even appear. This makes her ability in a fight almost flawless since her efficiency in offense, defense and strategy is at its highest level. If there is slightest chance for success, she can make the correct steps to get there. 

Citrine's vision is constantly filled with translucent golden paths/shapes that objects and people in real-time eventually catch up to. She takes great satisfaction in knowing what will happen, and what could have happened in the next twenty seconds. She likes to think the other possibilities she sees happen in parallel universes. 

Limits: Citrine's ability is vision-only. A blindfold would nullify it. She can constantly see up twenty seconds ahead of her of all possibilities, but nothing more and nothing less. She certainly can't predict the future, and she can't manipulate luck. If there is zero chance for the desired effect to happen, then she won't get it.

-- Empathy:

The ability to sense emotions and temperament within other people or animals. In Citrine's case, not only can she feel these things, she knows the exact location this emotional broadcasting is coming from, and she can pinpoint living emotions around her like dots on a radar. 

Due to her curiosity, Citrine tends to turn this ability on and off repeatedly to 'read' one person here, one person there. That way it doesn't take up too much energy. In combat she'll try to have this ability on high for the most part as its excellent for pin-pointing locations of enemies.

Limits: She can sense only as long is she's aware. It takes energy to to be so emotionally receptive to feeling those around her, so she can turn it off at will (by not thinking about it.) She can keep it up for hours if she wants, but the mental downswing after can be quite the headache. The radius of how far she can feel can be anywhere between 10 to 32 feet. 

Personality: She likes cat videos. If you were that kind of person she'd give you that wink, as if she knew you were in on the guilty pleasure too. Citrine's personality flows like water, always in harmony with conversation. Her disposition is naturally good-natured, and she's often charming with a hint of humor. She's a curious old soul who enjoys talking about her ex-con adventures, and jokes she'd get back into the biz in a heartbeat. Her ability to see cause and effects has increased her tendency to ponder, and she enjoys sharing her ideas. She's incredibly open-minded. Although she shows genuine emotion, she does not attach herself to people, likely an old habit from conning. Sometimes her own apathy worries her. 

Strengths and Weaknesses: Her speech and persuasive skills are very enchanting, and she knows how to read a person's body language. Her powers compliment these as she uses them to be confident of her situation at all times. She's curious, she picks up on things quickly and considers her eyes her largest asset. She can pinpoint the location of emotions in people around her. 

Becoming a slight insomniac after the Procedure, Citrine has a developing fear of closing her eyes at night. Sometimes she struggles for hours trying to fall asleep, and is occasionally sleep-deprived. Her distaste of dampening collars edges on a quiet fear, even though she's never worn one. She's also consistently aware of the microchip kill switch floating around inside her veins, and she stresses on her clashing philosophies with giving someone the remote to extinguishing her life. 

History: Growing up into a family of con artists, it was encouraged of her at a young age to be perceptive of people. Her father said it wasn't what came out of their mouth, but what their eyes, their hands, and everything non-verbal said. That was the stuff you had to see in order to gain your target's trust. 

As she gained experience and grew up some, her morals began conflicting with the business. She knew what their family did was wrong, but it was the one thing that brought them together and she considered them too important to leave. So, over time she started ignoring that nag inside her, until it was no longer there and she could clinically detach herself from her target. 

Several years ago Citrine and her brother devised a glorious plan that scammed hundreds of people out their investments in a phony marketing business. But after they withdrew the millions of dollars and drove to a safe house, Citrine found herself at gunpoint. 

"I won't kill you," said her brother. "But consider this the end of our dealings. Put your share down slowly, and walk away."

Hurt with feelings of betrayal, Citrine left. The money didn't mean much to her, but family did. At that point in her life she wasn't in contact with her father, mother, and now her greedy brother didn't want anything to do with her. He even took it a step further and pointed the police in her direction in an effort to get them off his back. 

Ever since then she was on the run, doing little street cons here and there to pay for cheap rent. That's around the time the Recruiters approached her. She didn't like the agreement, but she had no direction in her life and thought, "What the hell. Might be fun."

After she helped blow up Obsidian and realized the world thought them as terrorists, Citrine bunked down in Portland, Oregon. She couldn't risk going out and doing street cons, so she got a legitimate job. For two years she made minimum wage at a cafe, keeping her nose clean and occasionally changing her address. The government and their agencies have yet to discover her hiding spots. 

Other: Her weapon of choice is a sword and a Glock, at least most of the time. She picked up on the training quickly once she had her eyes. 

It's due to her golden-laced vision that she chose the codename Citrine, (and the fact Citrine's a quartz.) The sudden beauty of seeing more around her in such an artful way really stuck with her. Citrine doesn't believe she could ever give this ability up, and just thinking about seeing in plain, unyielding vision again gives her the chills.

Evelyn Keove - 2014 Tales of Eryseum - The False King

Name: Evelyn Keove 

Age: 41 (appears young 20's)

Gender: Female

Race: Eruikan Wood Elf

Weapons:
--An elvish sword at the side of her hip, an ornate conduit of magic, the blade is able to adapt and take on characteristics of any type of destructive magic the wielder so chooses.  

Equipment:
--Black and embroidered gold mage robes fitted to compliment the body. It also comes with three fashionable layers of hoods. She typically wears two out of the three. 
--Leather belt with pouches. 
--Black slippers. 

Inventory:
--Ring of keys. 
--Leather notebook.

Appearance: 
Evelyn didn't take on any characteristics of her human mother. She looks elf, through and through. Her hair is a feathery silver, parted at the side. She layers it short, ends barely meeting her collar bone. Grey eyes, pointed ears, smooth and pale skin. Her smile can light up a room. Elves don't need a lot of muscle to be powerful, such as Evelyn's case. She's slender, maybe a bit short for an elf. There are old scars on her wrists, reminding her of times she drowned in her sadness. 

Background:
Born to an elven father and human mother, Evelyn started life in strange circumstances. Magic had brought her parents together, and they abandoned their old lives in the name of love. Marriage between races wasn't common at all, and the townsfolk loved to talk. Their family didn't venture out much until Evelyn's mother passed away from sickness. To lighten the grieving heart of his daughter, Ilrune showed her his old books of lost treasures deep underground, of legendary creatures across the sea, and the history of Ravenfell. He gave his private collection of spell books, teaching her how to read it once, and remember it forever in a Mind Palace. After a taste of knowledge, Evelyn knew she couldn't stop there.

As soon as she could, Evelyn traveled abroad, searching for the secrets of the land. Money ran thin, so she turned to the Thieves Guilds hidden among the sewers of Ravenfell's great kingdoms. They taught her how to blend in, how to wield blades, how to speak. In return, she completed the jobs they offered. 

The first time she killed someone, it was simply a case of 'wrong place, wrong time'. A vat of mead needed to be poisoned before the town officials arrived. The plan was to put the meadery out of business so another company could gain profit from the monopoly. Evelyn had successfully snuck in, poisoned the tank, and was about to leave when the owner himself came down the steps. Before he could call the guards, she incinerated him on the spot. It was the first time she ever set fire to a living being with magic. The rush was intoxicating, but seeing the charred remains of his body made her vomit. 

Seeking a better life and a more permanent home, Evelyn ventured to Arthroyeaux. The Court Mage had recently passed away, and she leaped at the opportunity. She requested an audience and was soon before the King and his court. Evelyn claimed she was a noble who had traveled to great lengths to serve His Majesty, and she told him of her heroic tales in magic, war, legends, and ancient relics. 

Ten years after the passing of the Queen, King Vertreaux made Evelyn his new Court Mage, and she served happily until he too, passed away. Somehow, along the way, another one of the nobles of the court found out Evelyn's true past. They blackmailed her into working strings of the crime empire in Arthroyeaux, and she was right back in her old life of deceit and underground power struggles. She didn't loathe this turn of events -- she missed it. The thrill of inspiring fear in those who would cut into the kingdom's profit was something she loved terribly. Destroying the lives of strangers, however, sank heavily in her mind. She rationalized that her actions helped His Majesty. Of course, if he ever knew her treachery she'd be hanged. 

At the change of Kings, Evelyn had her hand in who was chosen next, bribing individuals of the court for their cooperation. When the former King wrote his will, she advised on DuRant, saying he'd lead the people right. Her true reasons she kept to herself. It had taken her a while to unravel this secret -- the noble who blackmailed her wanted DuRant in by any means. He was close associates with someone, and it was they who found the information of her past. She had yet to identify the true mastermind, but it would only be a matter of time. 

When the court was reformed, Evelyn was one of the few who stayed, not just by coincidence. 

Personality: It depends on who you are. Evelyn's personality is very diversified given the different types of people she may or may not be inspiring fear in. Typically she can't contain her excitement about new secrets, and she's a lover of beauty. In the King's court, she is graceful in her words, modest, and the face of loyalty to her King. In the city's underground, her demeanor does a 180-degree spin. She's cunning, persuasive, intimidating. And after the day's sins are counted up, Evelyn sits by herself at the edge of her bed, feeling her heart die. Not that elves really sleep, anyway. 

Job: Court Mage, Advisor 

Skills:
--Magic (Destruction and Restoration she's an expert, knows a few spells of the other classes.) 
--Knowledge (Has a Mind Palace, a visual database of information in her head.) 
--Swordplay 

Traits:
--Keen senses.
--Less sleep is needed.
--Elven stamina.

Magic:

Destruction:
--Firebolt
--Flames 
--Chain Lightning 
--Sparks (Can induce temporary paralysis.)
--Ice Spikes
--Frost

Restoration:
--Healing Hands
--Lesser Ward
--

Mysticism:
--Clairvoyance (Can find anyone.)
--

Alteration:
--Candlelight

[Plus other menial spells.]

Talent: 
Silver Tongue -- With a voice as sweet as hers, persuading people to do what she wants comes easy. 

Strengths: Evelyn feels secure when she's aware of everything going on in the kingdom. Knowledge is her high, and she'll go to great lengths to uncover a secret. Legend and lore are like candy. Magic is her edge in a battle and feels that's one of her largest strengths. 

Weaknesses: She loves feeling powerful, and sometimes her arrogance can be her downfall. She also dislikes unpredictability and easily panics when things aren't going as planned. The biggest mystery is how tied to the crime empire Evelyn is, and how much it keeps her up at night. 

Theme:
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark -- Fall Out Boys
(Correlations: 'my songs know' means 'my theives told me', 'light 'em up' is her magic's destruction)

Quote: "The thieves are my eyes, the beggars my ears. Mouths open with a little coin. Nothing goes on in this city without my knowing."

Aislin Rose - 20?? Baybridge: Academy 218 / 2016 Baybridge: Era of the Old/New Gods

Basic Information

Name:

Aislin Rose

Nickname/Alias/Etc:

C.T. (Short for Curiosity)

Gender:

Female

Age:

27

Height:

5’4

Weight:

125 lbs.

Home District:

Lower South Royer Town, Prince Ed-Field

Appearance

Hair Color:

Light brown, pale green highlights

Eye Color:

Caribbean blue

Ethnicity:

Caucasian

Physical Appearance:

Aislin keeps her hair quite short for minimal upkeep. It’s parted to the far side, bangs gracing her forehead, and back layers tapering at her collar bone. It’s cut to follow the curve of her head, with layered strands gently sweeping along her jawline. Aislin’s face maintains a round, youthful-look, save for the crow’s feet at the edge of her eyes. Her high cheek bones bring some welcomed angles to her face. A small beauty mark sits at the side of her lips. Besides the taut appearance around her eyes and the freckles scattered across her skin, she is moderately blemish free. There is, however, a single blade scar arced near the bottom of her jaw, an inch or so from the chin. Having graduated to C’s, Aislin boasts a body that’s curvy yet athletic. Years of training has given her a small powerhouse, capable of running for miles.

Attire:

On most days, Aislin’s go-to outfit is a plain shirt under a leather jacket with wool sleeves, and square aviators. She wears dark, fitted slacks that have some stretch in the material. The outfit is ideal for most anything, like going to town, being inconspicuous while eavesdropping, or doing minor field work.

To get real casual, Aislin wears pink flannel pyjamas. Doesn’t matter where or with who. She usually has her stuffed penguin in tow.

Personality

Outward Personality:

Being very much a high-energy individual, Aislin tends to fill her conversations with enthusiasm. She is kind to her associates, listens well, and has near mastered the art of giving advice. Although she’s popular at the office and other social circles, Aislin maintains one best friend. She’s isolated herself over the years; she finds it hard to relate to most people, especially if they’re non-meta.

Aislin is a curious soul and tends to run her mouth by asking personal questions. What she lacks for tact she makes up in empathy and big smiles. She is completely turned off by those with aggressive personalities and tends to remove anything dark in her life. She’s very sensitive to other people's personalities, even more so since she sees auras. She also tends to be very private about her personal life.

Her mischievous side has married her curiosity ever since becoming a field agent. It’s something that she’s not always comfortable with as she occasionally has to fight people. But she’s never taken a life, and never will — she made that very clear to Hallmark, her employer. Her fighting style has adapted with her personality, specializing in quick, non-lethal takedowns (preferably at a distance).

Innate Personality:

Born with the heart of a child and a great love for life, Aislin is over-emotional. She has zest in her actions and words, although on the flip side, she is prone to hissy fits. Aislin is playful, not one to take life seriously. She doesn’t usually clue into the direness of her situation until it’s too late, which may also be due to a small form of arrogance. This is accentuated by her carefree nature.

After years of meditating and self-reflecting, she is patient and perceptive. Aislin has only become more of a dreamer over the years as she continues to see life through a different lens. There is magic in the world, this she knows. Her personal beliefs are not high on the popularity scale, but instead of conforming, Aislin rose above it. She is a free spirit, disliking any forms of authority or control. This does not mean she’s vindictive, though, as her nature is peace-loving. In a situation where she has no power, or she loses the position of power, Aislin is fearful.

Hobbies/Interests:

Her interests haven’t changed too much over the years. Aislin still loves a dank toke every now and again. Her fascination with Taoism has expanded to include Buddhism and Hinduism. Having said no to take-out a long time ago, Aislin knows how to make a tasty meal with her own hands. She loves music and nature and tends to enjoy both at the same time. Mainly, her days are consumed with pushing the limits of her power, and meditation.

Skills/Talents:

Aislin has taken up sculpturing, but not in a way most would think. She can take certain ‘loose’ material, like ice, and animate it into a shape. If done correctly, when she disconnects from the material, it will retain the new shape. She’s become quite good at it and has several swan sculptures chilling in her freezer.

Meditation has brought Aislin a refined level of focus. This is a necessary skill due to the nature of Animating. It has also helped Aislin better see subtle energy and auras (more info in the Power section).

Having spent roughly five years at Hallmark’s training facility, Aislin’s collected several courses under her belt. The big one, though, is Basic Combat Training, where they teach physical skills and mental discipline. Her aerobatics is on the lacking side, as she can’t do a backflip to save her life.

Goals/Motivation

If there was a way, she’d want every person to experience what it’s like to be a meta-human, so she’s curious about the science behind meta powers. Aislin also wants to have great stories to tell when she’s in her 50’s, so she’ll continue to put herself in unique situations.

History/Bio:

From a quiet orphanage, Aislin was adopted into a well-off household with preoccupied parents. They were a business couple that wanted a quiet, polite daughter without the hassle of raising a baby. Aislin was adored by her parents but was often left to her own devices for long periods of time. This created a form of isolation that Aislin eventually came to accept, and was catalyzed by the birth of her powers. They developed at a young age, and to her, appeared to be magic. Rippling walls, walking cutlery, and other strange occurrences became commonplace. Her friends, however, quickly rejected her.

Aislin’s parents couldn’t have been prouder and sent her to Academy 218 to harness her potential. The school had a peaceful appearance, but as the year unfolded, things became more and more chaotic. Aislin was nearly eaten by a monster meta named Jaska who triggered his Beast Mode by a near-fatal wound. Hilariously enough, it was Aislin’s fault he was injured. Without planning or preparation, they ventured into the dark caves outside the school grounds. Before Jaska transformed, Aislin caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned woman.

After the incident, Aislin boldy (or naively) entered the caves again to find the blue meta, only to come across a terrifying man named Luis. After a life-threatening chase, Luis was shot by a masked individual. Aislin escaped the caves and confided in her friends, wondering if anyone knew what was going on. Eventually, the unwelcome guests on the island became known school-wide as the ‘Changeling Unit’, and strategies were formed to remove them. Every staff member that could fight, and many bold students partook in an intense battle. It eventually led to the Unit being forced to flee the island, and nothing more was heard.

Aislin completed the rest of her years in the Academy in moderate and very welcomed peace. This was roughly when Rhea and Aislin bumped into each other and began a glorious friendship. Nearing her graduation, Aislin was approached by a certain company that said they paid well for meta spies, and would continue her training in Canada. Aislin thought she’d give it a try, and quickly found she loved the work.

While collecting incriminating data in Italy, Aislin hit a rough patch with a mafia member who specialised in metal manipulation, specifically blades. This was where she received her scar, but she came out on top and extracted a briefcase that contained 1.2 million dollars worth of intel for Italy’s government. Shortly after, she heard about the tragedy that befell Verthaven, and the Devil. She noticed people looked at her and her animations differently. Again, the isolation gap widened.

After the Overload Crisis in Baybridge, Aislin was relocated to an apartment in Lower South Royer Town for ‘some needed R&R’, according to Hallmark. With time to sit and think, Aislin tried contacting Rhea for the hundredth time. After they both graduated, Rhea just… disappeared.

Currently, Aislin does small contract work for Hallmark, mainly involving politicians.

Relationships

Family:

Mira Rose - Adopted mother
David Rose - Adopted father
Biological parents unknown.

Dynamics:

| Rhea Harlow |

| Bad | Ex-Best Friend | ”She just up and left. Was it something I said? |

Having close ties since their time in the academy, Aislin was sure the two of them were inseparable. But Rhea hasn’t bothered contacting her for the past two and a half years.

Abilities

Power Class:

Other

Power:

Animation

<Snipped quote by SuperpowerWiki>

Essentially, Aislin works on something like Wifi. The objects in her vicinity, and what she can see, are candidates for her puppet strings. It all works through a mental connection. After 5-7 seconds of creating a link with an object, Aislin programs it with a command. The object wakes up and completes the command it’s been given all on its own, giving the illusion of self-thought. If an animation does not have an order, it will do nothing if Aislin is keeping her attention on it, else it’ll die. Over the years, Aislin has refined her connection to being stronger, quicker, and more precise. This has come at a cost, as the connection is so tight it must be gently released.

Creating a link and waking up an object is the only step in which eye contact is required. Animations can be out of her sight and still work fine. Not that Aislin would intentionally send them far away, but animations can only go so far before the Wifi connection is lost, and they die. Aislin’s range, roughly, is about 50 feet.

To change the shape of the material once Aislin purposefully disconnects with it, she has learned to slowly extract herself. This pulls the atoms together at a slower rate, and they’re more likely to find permanent spaces in this new shape. That is how Aislin turns an ice cube into a butterfly.

Animation Logic

Animation works because it mimics the flexibility of life, of carbon-based bodies. Atoms stiffly packed together, like a wood chair, would normally never be able to kick up on its back legs and pretend it's a stallion. But if the animator gives the material energy through attention, these atoms pull away from each other minutely. The atoms have space to move and bend, and this gives the animation the flexibility it needs.

Aura-reading

Having grown up with a very bendable, pliable reality, AIslin has opened herself to the possibility of something existing beyond what one normally sees. This thought eventually developed into perceiving static energy in the air, and the electrical discharge on people. Aura-seeing is as follows. If Aislin cares to look, and you’re within 5 feet, she can tell if you have a good or bad intention. A haze appears an inch off the skin. Colours change depending on the intent someone presents, and Aislin has seen her fair share of beautiful and ugly auras.

Limits:

Animations demand a varying level of attention on them at all times. They do not require eye contact, just thought. This limits Aislin to 1-2 animations at a time, depending on how intricate the commands are that she gives. As long as Aislin focuses her awareness, the animations can live near indefinitely. In a moment of say, sleep, pain, or distraction, the animations die.

Swarm animations work as one, are treated as a single animation, and have predictable flight paths.

The heavier and denser the object, the harder it is to animate. Anything that exceeds the weight of a microwave is considered to be too heavy. Anything with a density higher than silver is too compact to animate. This includes alloyed metals like steel, or pure metals like platinum. The durability of animations is in direct correlation to what material they're made of. Silver is the strongest, whereas paper, ink drawings, or cotton material are weak.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Organic material, living or dead, cannot be animated. This includes people, animals, and plants. Since animations are so tightly intertwined with her mind, a sudden disconnection can hurt. Only by gently releasing their link can Aislin avoid any backlash, and this takes anywhere from 5-7 seconds.

Backlash has several levels of intensity. On the low end, her lack of attention would kill an animation and she would feel a mild shock. If someone were to absolutely destroy the material making up the animation, leaving a pile of ash, the backlash would be equivalent to a mental spike shoved in her brain. Repeated offenses lowers Aislin’s tolerance, giving the backlash the illusion it’s getting worse.

Other:

• Aislin still holds onto her stuffed penguin, Tao.

• Hallmark made Aislin a custom gadget for field work. It’s a cotton-filled black cat covered in synthetic hair, made to look realistic. There’s a voice box in its throat, audio recorder in its ears, and a camera in its eyes.

Theme:

Rhea Harlow - 2016 Baybridge: Era of the Old/New Gods

Basic Information

Name:

Rhea Harlow [pronounced: ray-ah]

Nickname/Alias/Etc:

Aegis

Gender:

Female

Age:

24

Height:

5’6 ft.

Weight:

132 lbs.

Home District:

Old Raygate

Appearance

Hair Color:

Dark auburn

Eye Color:

Gray-blue

Ethnicity:

Caucasian

Physical Appearance:

Rhea has easy-maintenance hair. A mop crop, messy with many layers and tapered to end at the jaw-line. It’s parted to the side with light bangs curling across the forehead. Her face is symmetrical and smooth with high cheekbones and bright, curious eyes. She deceivingly appears to be around 18 years old, given her youthful look. Not a single scar or wrinkle can be seen on her skin. Sure, she has a few freckles here and there, but she is mainly blemish-free. Her build has the look of someone who runs quite a bit. Her muscles are moderately defined (as in she has the muscle to do small bicep flexes). Her frame is slender and hardly an hour-glass. There's no extra fat anywhere on her body, which has caused Rhea to consider drowning in ice cream to gain some weighty breasts.

Attire:

Since Rhea doesn't have her own shower, her hair is typically hidden under a dark gray ballcap with gold accents. She wears dark-coloured, breathable track clothes with running shoes. It's more of a decoration piece, but Rhea does have a neck scarf on her in the off-chance she needs extra anonymity. Scuffed, leather fingerless gloves protect her hands from grabbing sharp concrete. A shoulder bag slung across her chest holds many batteries, a baton and a cell phone.

On lazy days to herself, Rhea loves wearing sweatpants and tank tops under loose, lacy sweaters. The sweaters need washing after one wear, so Rhea finds herself at the coin laundromat frequently.

Personality

Outward Personality:

Calm, civilised, and good-natured. Rhea prefers to keep most of her dealings brief and to the point. She isn't one for small-talk, but enjoys sharing conspiracies. Due to her line of work, Rhea has limited the amount of people in her life. This has caused her to be somewhat attention-starved, but she's had the time to reflect and refine herself in the solitude.

Sitting down at a cafe for a coffee isn't Rhea's style; she becomes easily bored. It would be far more in her interest to peruse places she’s not allowed to be. Not that she would intentionally break or steal anything, but she’s curious about the going-ons. It baffles her how many loose mouths are out there to eavesdrop on.

Rhea will use whatever means she can to remove herself from a fight when it’s just her in trouble, as her Empowerment makes for a damn good chase. Her powers are non-violent, and so too are her preferences. Having said that, it’s against her nature to leave someone in danger, or turn a blind eye to suffering, and so in these instances, she will fight something fierce.

Innate Personality:

Rhea is brave. She has fear for certain things but knows how to overcome it and keep moving. She does not allow evil or darkness to scare her. Despite her courage, Rhea is also cautious. Stealth is her preferred means of going about intense situations, and she tests the water with her foot before jumping in.

Having spent some time alone, Rhea prides herself in being a thinker. She considers the global events going on around her, reads up on breakthroughs in technology, and studies space. Surface topics like celebrities, who-said-what, or latest trends exhaust her. This contributes to her being easily bored.

Rhea is charitable and soft-hearted. She gives change to beggars and sneaks into hospitals with the express intent of healing a few patients. There is so much hate and suffering, however, that Rhea simply does what she can then disconnects from it all in her safe house.

Born with a strong curiosity, Rhea has the passion for knowledge. This curiosity, more often than not, gets her in trouble as it puts her in places she shouldn’t be. Rhea is also stubborn and does not easily change her mind once it’s been set.

Skills/Talents:

Having spent 2 and a half years learning at a training centre, Rhea completed the basic and intermediate courses in parkour and self-defense. She mastered a moderate level of discipline on her body movement, becoming a confident tracuer. As opposed to hand-to-hand, Rhea honestly prefers the edge a collapsible baton offers and took extra classes on it.

Healing comes naturally to her as she’s honed the ability her entire life. Rhea knows how to tackle most trouble areas and has great pride in what she can fix.

As more of a side-project, Rhea littered a patch of dirt by her safe house with peat moss and seeds. She quickly discovered her green thumb and quite enjoys digging her hands in the dirt. It’s a jungle of a garden, and Rhea barely touched it with her powers.

Playing lots of Hide and Go Seek as a child had its uses, and grew into a knack for spooking people from behind. Rhea knows how to move with the least amount of sound and in a quick fashion. Her being sneaky is a skill that’s frequently used.

Goals/Motivation

Rhea wishes to see long-standing peace, equality and prosperity around her. Eventually, when there is less demand for package running, Rhea will open her own healing clinic (however, she's worried she may tire of it.)

History/Bio:

"We want nothing to do with you. Go live your life elsewhere." Were the last words exchanged between Rhea and her parents.

After years of hiding her White Lightning, she was discovered. Her family, being without powers and rather anti-metahuman, called someone immediately to take Rhea away to Academy 218. Hurt and confused, Rhea did poorly in her grades for the first couple years. She was often found sneaking into the restricted areas after hours, or outside academy grounds.

In her third year, she befriended a junior named Aislin Rose. The two became inseparable quickly, spending their time after class together. Rhea learned Aislin's philosophy of 'letting that shit go', and discovered the benefits of thinking for herself. This created a positive change in her life, and by the time she graduated Academy 218, Rhea turned her grades around.

A small company approached Rhea a month after her graduation, offering a means of employment with her particular skill set. They alluded that the business was rather risky, but she would be very well paid. Intrigued, Rhea spent two-ish more years learning at a training facility near the coast, gaining skills in parkour and self-defense.

When Rhea finally discovered she would be a courier for illegal and highly sensitive goods, she was livid. If someone had told her up front what the deal was, she'd have never gone for it. The company made a compromise with her: she wouldn’t run for the truly corrupt clients, and they created a 'safe list’ just for her.

Sure, it put a dent in how much money she made at the end of the month, but Rhea was soon thrilled with her job. Running on rooftops, blending into crowds, and learning the secret door knock - there was never a dull moment. Rhea ran packages for almost all the big, semi-okay organisations (like White Spider, Allegiance, RAVEN and DOVE.)

Her company relocated her to Baybridge three months ago, but Rhea has quickly become familiar with the city layout. She currently lives at a safe house in Old Raygate, an abandoned train container near a power plant. It’s outfitted by her company to look like nothing on the outside but have the comforts of home on the inside.

Relationships

Family:

Hider

Gregory Harlow — Father
Maddison White — Mother
Jake Harlow — Brother

Rhea hasn’t been in communication with her family for many, many years.

Dynamics:

[Will fill in once Rhea has made friends/enemies]

Abilities

Power Class:

Elemental

Power:

White Lightning Manipulation

The light properties of electricity can be harnessed by Rhea to enhance, heal, and increase vitality in herself and others. She needs to be in close proximity (10 ft), to interact with and sense electrical fields. Using say, batteries as an external source, Rhea can sap power from them without physical contact (one typically lasts 18-32 hours). Black manipulation or powers of a natural darkness can be tangibly harmed with White, and vis versa.

Electrical Empowerment

The ability to gain strength from electricity. Speed, endurance and strength are all given a boost. This allows Rhea to be very agile for a moderate amount of time. It also lessens her need for sleep and slows the ageing process. Rhea’s empowerment could be compared to a speed moderately faster than an Olympic runner, taking greater jumps, packing more of a punch, and able to keep up the pace for hours. Empowerment’s appearance is like taking a wool sweater off in the dark — fine, white static ripples across the body.

Electrical Healing

By giving the body a small jolt, electrons stimulate the cells to replicate and repair at incredible speeds. This can heal broken bones, deep tears in the skin, and brain damage. Also acts as a defibrillator to restart the heart. Healing can take anywhere from 2 minutes (minor cuts) to 25 minutes (repairing broken bones).

Electrical Manipulation

The skill to move and direct electricity at will. Rhea can absorb the energy stored in say, a battery, and unleash it as a bolt of lightning. Rhea can freely move curents across her skin, channel it into a ball in har hand, and generate blinding white bolts. She tends to be statically charged a lot.

Life-Force Augmentation

The ability to give energy/electricity to any living thing and increase its vitality and health. This is an excellent way to overcome all flus, headaches, soreness, and to balance emotions. The power can electrically reset the body so all cells are working in tandem with the brain, reversing a lot of diseases like cancer. Has the appearance of micro-gravity water, a shimmering, transparent energy.

Limits:

Lightning can only be thrown in a straight line. Individuals with severe enough wounds may still die as they’re being treated. Cannot bring people back from the dead. Requires outside sources for electrical empowerment as the body’s electrical current can’t sustain the power needed for longer than a few minutes.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Rhea can’t hurt a single thing. Her power doesn’t have the ability to burn or cause harm. At most, it causes tingles and minor shocks, maybe a lack of feeling in the skin.

Without an external source, Rhea has to use her own electricity and that can be very taxing. It’s the quickest way to become fatigued. Minor cuts and scrapes are no problem, but after repairing a severe injury Rhea would feel light-headed and sluggish. She can only maintain an electrical current with one person at a time.

Other:

Her shoulder strap bag is the same item used to transport illegal packages.

Theme:

TENEBRAE: The Rebellion of Shadows (Ladies Only)

New post is up! This wraps up chapter two and starts chapter three. Let me know if there should be more added, or if there are any loose strings needing addressing.