Estylwen

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

“A hidden corridor - 30 feet long - has been discovered close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza…”

Was the printout in a TOP-SECRET folder slapped on the table, the kitchen already charged with an archeologist’s passion in the de Villiers' household.

What was initially going to be a family trip to take care of the Louvre’s request to look into this ‘Void of the Great Pyramid of Giza’ would instead turn into the de Villiers’ greatest discovery, and worst fears. The Great Pyramid of Giza had been well-trodden by tourists around the world, but none knew if the secrets it held just out of sight, buried behind granite stone for over 4,000 years…

This family trip with the head of the household, Thierry Claude de Villiers, his wife, Sabrina Lennox-de Villers, and his three children, Aurélie, Theo, and Cosette, would shake the very foundations of what it meant to be a family.

With evil lurking just out of sight, the feud between the Louvre and HiveMind would be born out of this excavation, the lure of treasure and secrets untold too much to bear for the world’s greatest ravenous seekers of knowledge.

Would the family make it home in one piece? Or would this close the chapter on the tragic tale of the dark, untold story of the de Villiers family?

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The story of ‘Adventures in Candyland’ exist 7 years before the events of ‘The Dark Beyond’. The current state of the world is spiraling out of control, where air pollution is on the rise, and the demand for cleaner energy sources is pulling the world apart in a heated debate against coal and oil sources, to other alternatives. At this point in time, the existence of dark energy is not universally known.

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Organizations / World:

Organizations

TBA

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Events Thus Far

TBA

TBA

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Spots available:

0/3 spots available.

Posts will go in a rotation after the GM's post. If it is your turn, you must post within 48 hours of a previous person's post. Failure to do so will require that you be skipped, which may result in a removal from the roleplay.

The CS

Sheet

(Maximum 5 characters per player.)

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance: (An anime-styled picture or thorough description will do.)
Augmentation: (Though expensive, minor augmentations are becoming more mainstream. Do they have cybernetics that allow them to see in the dark? A chip implant that gives them AR vision? A smart earpiece that’s connected to the eyes that allows an AI companion to provide real-time directions and advice? Get creative here. (Optional.))
Personality: (How does your character act in any given situation?)
Defining Trait: (In one word, describe how your character is. Are they stubborn? Placid?)
Backstory: (How have the sky-high energy bills affected them? Have they hoped on the train like so many to ‘hamster-wheel’ energy for a price, or have they devoted their life to pursuing the unknown?)
Skills: (What can they do, whether physically or mentally, that is of merit?)
Inventory: (What are they bringing with them on this exploration?)

Iris Ascendis

Next round!!! //bouncing off the walls

Iris Ascendis

Whoops, @Sifr hasn't been online for 3 days. :<

The Dark Beyond

Y'all are too kind. :>

@Days I love your post! (Check your DMs!)

The Dark Beyond

@Days@Estylwen
Are you guys actually interested in joining me and @WhiteAngel25 in our prequel? I ask so I can figure out were to make the thread at. If you guys don't join, it will be a 1x1. '>>

@Lexisheeps

I'm interested, and I think I have an idea! Let me sleep, and I will share in the morning.

---

New post is up! Apologies for the slight rush on this one, I didn't want to make y'all wait another day. :)

The Dark Beyond

HiveMind Underwater Research Facility, Hallway Outside the Contained Lab

@Lexisheeps

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The rocket aimed true, and the crocodile groaned in pain as it fell, half of it burnt away from the excessive blast. As the unresponsive Nick and Thierry backtracked through the maintenance room and the air ducts, a low chuckle echoed over the intercom.

"Well, well, so the prey wants to play?"

It was none other than Director Von Galloes, watching through the security cameras.

"Monsieur Thierry, I seem to recall a certain meeting I had scheduled with you. How fortuitous it is that you're here. Now I don't have to chase you down."

As Thierry carried Nick through the hallways past Nick's old contained lab, something would... happen. A command sent from Von Galloes to Nick's central nervous system: Subdue. A program would kick in, giving the blank slate purpose. If Nick didn't fight the programming taking over his system, he would do everything in his power to overpower and subdue Thierry with the goal of detaining him.

---

HiveMind Underwater Research Facility, Sealed Section, Armory

@WhiteAngel25, @Days

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"How did they get you to move out of the vents, 3? I still had time left before you needed to get to the submarine,"

"I... I was in the vents, but," Subject #3 pursed her lips, trembling as she remembered. "There were all these... 'snakes', cutting off every route and cornering me. That drone, the one with the red eye, grabbed me. I'd never been so scared..."

She took a steadying breath. "You know what happened after that. You saved me, Stella."

Subject #3 smiled despite herself, fiddling with the new up-do Stella had given her. These little things made Subject #3 feel more than just a number. More than just the memories of being strapped to a padded table. More than being Director Galloes' failed experiment.

She felt... whole. Like a real person, almost.

With the crocodile half-destroyed, and Thierry taking Nick back into the upper parts of the facility, Subject #3 couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. Was this the feeling of worry for another human? She wasn't sure. The doctors had never taught her how to regulate anything like this.

She turned back just in time to see Star return from the depths, and she held up the oxygen takes. "I don't know how to use these..."

One way or another, Star, Stella, Aaron, Ramses, and Subject #3 took turns using the oxygen tanks to navigate the submerged depths of the sealed-off section of the facility. They safely navigated the research room with its ethereal tubes and went through the second steel door, coming up to the platform where they could breathe. Past the platform, down a long, dark hallway, was another steel door.

Opening the door would reveal an armory of sorts. Or what remained of it. Scattered within it on steel shelves were small handheld devices, opaque, made of plastic with an outdated look. Any archeologist or researcher versed in dark energy would recognize them off the bat: handheld TRUMPET devices. There were also a few oversized rods that gave the appearance and functionality of glow sticks, except when snapped, they produced deep purple radiation that repelled dark energy: Anti-dark energy rods. There were a few other miscellaneous items, like riot shields, rope, and tempered glass containers with anti-dark energy properties.

On the far wall was a row of bright yellow hazmat suits, dusted with age. Beside them was a door marked in hazard symbols, with a pressurized decontamination room before one final door led to... whatever this door kept contained. Beyond the weathered paint of caution symbols, there was a small window in the center top of the door that displayed thick, swirling purple smog.

Iris Ascendis

A sneak thief? She was clad in full plate.

Crossing my fingers lightbulb girl has no idea there were two guests around her post office for a moment.

It'll mess up plans.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

My weakness. o_o;

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Alizée Altieri

∀ןızéǝ ∀ןʇıǝɹı

"I've been like this since I can remember."

_______________________________________________ Alizée Viola Altieri She/Her | 25 | French/Caucasian | 64 in. | 99.5 lbs. _______________________________________________ Night-stalker _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "If you see me, it’s already too late." ___________________________________ [+] Trailing ⫻ Once she has settled on a Blind target or weak Apparition she likes, she can follow them at a distance all night. This includes staying out of sight, stalking, and blending into the environment around her. She can also pick up on subtle cues that give an indication as to where her target goes, especially if spooked. For example, she can see a window shutter waving in the wind and deduce that her prey has lept inside. Silence ⫻ She is able to move with the least amount of noise possible, placing her weight carefully so she doesn’t shuffle her clothing or disturb creaks in the wood of the floor, or scatter stones. This enhances her ability to trail a target. Parkour ⫻ The city is her oyster when she takes to the rooftops. Able to maneuver in front and back flips, rolling falls, careful foot placement, and hoisting herself over a ledge, she can navigate the maze of structures like a dancer.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Do I look normal?" Stands at 5’4 feet with a slim, leaning on thin, build. Her skin is ivory and freckled, like she doesn’t often see the sun. There’s endurance in her muscles, but it doesn’t show much in her build. This endurance allows her to leap from structure to structure when scaling the city’s skyline. There are a series of scars starting from her right collarbone down to her hip in the shape of bite marks, with scars mirroring on her back. Theses scars are from when she was bit by the Stygian Snake. She has silver rings in her pierced ears. Depending on her mood, she prefers hoodies and casual wear to obscure her face when trailing. When she’s not trailing, she dresses well in silk blouses and slacks.

_{Psychology
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"I don’t think it’ll ever get better."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ She hopes to understand more about her apparition and how she can protect herself so she doesn’t have to night-stalk at its bidding.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ She believes it’s better to be feared than loved.

SECRETS ⫻ She hides her insatiable thirst for entropy. She tries to blame it all on her apparition, but somehow, the thirst has become her own.

SEXUALITY ⫻ She is innocent, without thoughts of the such.

FEARS ⫻ She fears being alone and being trapped.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ When it became known that she had fallen into the habit of night-stalking, she wasn’t well-liked. It often led to heated arguments when she refused to change her ways. It is likely that her inability to find an agreement with the heads of the Coven played a part in the dissolution.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ She gripped the Snake in her phantom hands and sapped it of its strength, helping aid the battle and weaken it.

FLAWS ⫻ Her indecisiveness. She doesn’t want to give in to her thirst or her apparition’s demands wholeheartedly, yet she also doesn’t stop herself or seek help.

_{Backstory
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"Being banished was the worst day of my life."

She was very young when she had dreams of walking through a dark place, what she would later learn was the Void. One of the times she walked, a being approached her, dark and smothering in its presence. It held out a phantom hand, and she, unknowing of the consequence of her action, held it.

When she awoke, the same apparition, albeit in a smaller form appeared before her. Ts voice was in her mind, and its desires were grappling with her own. They fought, and she managed to draw a figurative line between them, keeping control of herself and her body. However, its incessant thoughts and whispers continued to try and mold her to its will as time went on.

She was the only daughter of a father who was a wealthy businessman, and her mother had passed from illness early on. With a business opportunity presenting itself in St. Portwell, her father moved the family from Paris to St. Portwell. The change was difficult for Alizée, which her Void Heart took full advantage of.

During one particular night, she was battling with her apparition after she refused to use Void Entropy on a young girl, a similar age to her, who was lost in the city. The battle became rather violent and chaotic, with buildings getting knocked out and glass shattering. Luckily, Ashley Stone and a few others found Alizée before the police did, and managed to subdue both her and her apparition before things got out of hand. That was how Alizée made her first introduction with the Coven, and was soon inducted after that.

During the battle with the Stygian Snake, she sapped it of its energy and worked with her Coven to defeat it.

Tensions raised in the time after the great battle, as Alizée slowly changed. Despite being in a supportive environment, the whispers of the Void Heart were getting stronger and stronger. It was the 12th night in a row she had gone night-stalking when Ashely Stone followed her and uncovered her dirty little secret: Alizée was preying on the Blind, harming them, and causing them weeks in the hospital to recover from Void Entropy.

When Ashley confronted Alizée, she merely dismissed her accusations, trying to gaslight her. As Alizée continued to deny Ashley’s accusations, the room became more heated, and eventually ended in a physical fight where everyone intervened, holding the two girls back.

Ashley banished Alizée from the Coven, telling her Alizée wouldn’t be welcomed back until she stopped preying on the Blind. In hot, angry tears, Alizée swore she'd never return, and stormed out of the room. Little did she know those were the last days of the Coven before dissolving.

In the dissolution of the Coven afterward, more angry tears were shed. The Coven had been the one place where she felt she had family, despite their differences. And now, she was left to wander alone, with the apparition’s will crushing her at every given opportunity.

Without much to go off of, she returned to her father’s side and began learning his trade as a businessman. He owned a factory, producing different kinds of products based on the market demands in their city. She began learning more about how to run his business, even going as far as to become his official Junior Vice President when she turned 23. He had said many times he hoped to entrust her with the family business when she was ready. And if her life would be mundane and Blind, this was likely where her path would lead her.

Alas, life for the paranormal was never so cut and dry. Just a few years later, after her 25th birthday, Auri’s call reached Alizée in the form of a sealed letter, stamped in red wax with the seal of the Sycamore Tree Coven. When Alizée read the contents of the letter, she was in shock. Who was targeting them? Why? And how would the remaining Coven protect itself?

Yes, old wounds never healed, and she still held many grudges. But many of the people who were the source of her grudges, namely Ashley Stone… were dead. And death had a funny way of healing old scars, or at least numbing them, near-instantly.

Regardless, it went without saying that, despite their differences, she knew where her loyalties lay and made her way to the Coven’s meeting place, the flower shop.

_{Abstraction
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"It’s not just me in my head, you know."

TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Adjoined)

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Void Light: The seams of the Void that yearn for entropy, sapping strength away.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ A purple and dark, smoky light that appears around her being whenever she uses her abilities. Also the main color of the Void Hands. If phantom hands are summoned, there is enough strength in the Void Light to bend steel rebar, which she uses to suppress the struggles of her victims. Both she and the apparition can use Void Light.

Subcategories:
- Void Eyes: Appears as purple irises with a red ring around the pupil. Cosmetic when she uses her Void Hands.
- Void Heart: Her apparition from the Void, usually floating a couple of inches above her shoulder. A ball of void light with Void Eyes. Has a thirst for entropy. Is able to use the Void Hands on a whim, and has been known to use Void Hands on Alizée on occasion when it doesn’t get its way. Being chained to her soul, the Void Heart can immediately take in and absorb any energy she siphons off using Void Entropy. This is how it eats, and it’s always hungry. Being connected to the Void, it has a special affinity for being in the in-between places of things, like dreams. The last time it dream-walked was when it was haunting Alizée before their souls became adjoined. Its haunting desire translates to Alizée’s continuous night-stalking as she ‘haunts’ her victims before siphoning off their energy.
- Void Hands: Claw-like phantom hands, made entirely of Voild Light. Can change in size from regular human-sized hands, to as large as a refrigerator, allowing her to grip humans and smaller apparitions with ease. To be touched by physical Void causes an immediate weakness in the body. Prolonged exposure saps all the energy of the target. Eventually, this is enough to slow and stop the heart, however, due to Emotional-Fields, it does not allow her to stop the heart outright, only bring it near.
- Void Entropy: Any strength that is sapped away by being in contact with her void light causes her to instantly absorb said energy, which can be used to sate the desires of the Void Heart. She must be in physical contact with her victim to sap its strength and energy. This is why her normal attack is to enlarge her hands and hold a victim by their torso with a death-like vice grip. She enjoys it when they try to struggle, but soon enough, white light in the form of energy is siphoned from their being, drawn past the hands, and coalesces through Alizée before being sucked into the cragged jaws of the Void Heart. Due to the nature of their entwined souls, the apparition’s sated thirst translates to her own phantom thirst’s satisfaction.

LIMITS ⫻ Being able to sap a person or thing of its energy does not mean she can outright kill them. The Emotional-Fields prevent her from doing so.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Accessing the Void Light opens Alizée's eyes to the Void itself... and over time, by utilizing the Void Light, she will begin to see hallucinations of the horrors of the Void. Eldritch abominations and people lost to the Void will appear alongside the mundane universe that Alizée is used to, attacking her mental state and making her doubt what is real and what is fake. The more Alizée (or the Apparition she's adjoined to) uses her abstraction, the worse this effect gets so that she will be functionally blind if she goes all out (as she'll see into the Void). This effect wears off over time, but its effects on her mentally will not. However, sapping away someone else strength and energy also begins to drain away at her - it won't be as dramatic as on the victim, but if she does this a lot, she can stop her own heart. An Abstraction like this will unnerve others and make it difficult for people to trust her.

^{Other
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"I just want to feel in control sometimes, you know?"

- TikTok Tribute
- She also speaks French.

Layla Hyacinthus

"Always a pleasure to meet you."

_______________________________________________ Layla Veronica Hyacinthus She/her | 20 | Caucasian | 63 in. | 50 lbs. _______________________________________________ Haunted _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "Strange what you’ll do to survive." ___________________________________ [+] Hyper-vigilant ⫻ Due to always having to be on guard from void entities, Layla is hyper-aware of her surroundings. She will notice subtle footsteps or a glint in the darkness. Fast reflexes ⫻ Dealing with the hungry mouths of the void entities, Layla is used to dodging attacks, finding an escape, and running out of harm’s way fast. Survivor instincts ⫻ Layla can identify, more often than not, the solution necessary to survive in a given situation. This causes her to be unreliable in team fights, as she will turn and run to save herself if the fight goes south. Tormented Soul ⫻ With her history, her world is very black and white. It’s either ‘you suffer’, or ‘others suffer’. She knows how to exact her will to appease the void.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I like to look clean. It’s about all I got." Layla has soft features, like a porcelain doll. Ivory skin that nearly matches her white hair. She’s very thin, leaning on malnutritioned. You can count her rib bones. She eats, of course. However, the stress causes her to be unable to gain any weight for her small height. Her body is marred with strange bite marks of varying sizes along her arms and legs. Her hair is wispy, a bit curly, with the color of the full moon. She often likes to braid parts of it with flower accessories. Often, a blue fabric rose will be woven in her hair. She likes to wear summer dresses.

_{Psychology
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"I’ve cried so many tears. I fear one day I’ll run out."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Since meeting the Void Heart, her goal has become to absorb as much energy as possible so Void has the strength to open the gates of heaven, so she can see her loved ones.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Loneliness will kill me before the entities do. Is it so bad to still want a friend, even if they might die? I’ll burn the entire world to feel a little comfort, a little warmth.

SECRETS ⫻ She continues to give ‘sacrifices’ to the void to save her own skin.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Too innocent.

FEARS ⫻ She fears the events of her childhood happening again, living every day on a fine wire, fearing the entities that play on her with puppet strings. She fears attracting the wrong attention due to her ‘sweet blood’ and causing a friend, if she had a friend, to perish.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Mainly unnoticed. She was known to be sweet, kind, and not speaking much. When there was violence or a disagreement, she usually kept quiet, fearing anyone’s anger on her. She was one of the last members to leave.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ She tried throwing white crystal roses at the snake in an attempt to get entities from the void to attack it. However, not many dared to attack such a fearsome foe, and she hid behind Stormy most of the time.

FLAWS ⫻ The belief that she’s right to be vindictive and heartless to her ‘sacrifices’ since the world was heartless to her. The stubbornness and refusal to drop her guard and let someone in, which would resolve a lot of her internal conflicts.

_{Backstory
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"Can we maybe change the subject?"

She figured a long while back, at least a few generations, she had some Greek in her lineage. Hence the poignant name. Always got teased for it. However, she’d take the teasing over what… happened. What… she did, any day.

The Hyacinthus family was known to be a family of brooders. Dark colors, dark home, dark expressions. This was many due to one thing, and one thing only. A secret the family kept hidden.

Other families would talk about ‘boogeymen’ and ‘monsters under the bed’. In the Hyacinthus home, these fantasies came to life. Every night, when the lights went out, in the wee hours, the quietus would be disturbed by bloodcurdling screams. Often, the lights would flicker on to expose Layla or her sister half dragged out of bed, a dark creature chewing on their arm.

‘Sweet blood’, it was called. That’s what her father said, anyway. It was a curse of the family, to have blood so sweet so as to attract the denizens of the night.

Layla was given an antique pendant containing a family portrait for her 12th birthday, had a frightening nightmare of being consumed by flowers, and ever since, she discovered she could manifest crystal flowers at will.

They had a unique quality to them, white in color, softly glowing, fragile, and easy to break. What was more interesting was how they changed the behavior of the denizens that would come to visit them - the entities she would one day discover came from the void.

Her sister had been balling from the pain of the bite a monster had given her the night before. Thinking it might help, Layla laid a crystal flower at her sister’s bedside that night. In the morning, her sister… was gone. In her place, a bloody mess, ripped flesh, a near-unrecognisable body.

The mourning in the home continued for days.

Layla blamed herself, and a few nights later, she thought she would join her sister. She created a crystal flower, and laid it at her own beside that night. After a few hours of blissful sleep, she awoke to smoke, fire, and the sound of ripping flesh.

She escaped her burning house. The report from the fire department and police later that night explained how two bodies were discovered, marred beyond being identified, before being set on fire, the fire spreading to the rest of the house.

The entities didn’t touch Layla for an entire month. That’s when she discovered, in a horrifying way, how the roses worked. Every time the denizens started to get antsy, she only had to give someone a rose, and she would be left alone. Little ‘sacrifices’ to appease the entities that haunted her.

When she was a few years older, she was walking the streets alone at night, before she heard screaming and fighting. She came across two girls fighting in the streets, whom she would later learn to be Alizée and Ashley. This was her introduction into the coven, after she tried to offer Alizée a rose, judging her to be the source of the conflict. The voidly being with Alizée immediately bit down on the rose and shattered it, spitting it out and telling Layla to ‘get lost’. Ashley was intrigued, however, and offered to meet with Layla again.

In the battle against the snake, Layla mainly hid behind Stomy and his shields, throwing white crystal roses at the snake to get as many entities to attack it as possible. Only a few showed up who were brave enough to risk it all against such a foe, and unfortunately didn’t do as much damage as Layla would have hoped.

After the fight, there were more and more arguments. Layla was never the source of any. She kept herself very private, you see. She was one of the last members to leave, and did so with a heavy heart.

After the dissolution of the coven, she began experimenting with the white roses. She started kidnapping people no one would miss, and watched the entities tear them apart. If she did this, the length of time the entities would leave her alone lengthened.

Preferring to be awake at night instead of the day, she took a nighttime job at a local gas station to pay for her studio apartment. With the Hyacinthus assets all liquified and life insurance wired to her bank, she essentially took a dead-end job to cover rent and her expenses as she continued her experiments with the white roses and what the entities wanted.

When she heard Auri wanted to bring the coven back together, she told herself she had a night shift to get ready for, and couldn’t possible attend. She didn’t want to get discovered, after all these years. Prolonged contact with people who once knew her could very well put the puzzle pieces together.

However, in her nap before her shift, a certain someone or something came to her in a dream. A flowering white field stained with darkness. A crooked grin, albeit sad, on an orb she recognized from long ago. And a dark hand, outstretched, waiting.

Of course, she took it.

What happened afterward was interesting, to say the least. She lost the ability to make crystal roses. In its place, she gained the powers of the Void Heart.

_{Abstraction
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"I don’t know… I don’t really like talking about it."

TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Adjoined)

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Void Light: The seams of the Void that yearn for entropy, sapping strength away.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ A purple and dark, smoky light that appears around her being whenever she uses her abilities. Also the main color of the Void Hands. If phantom hands are summoned, there is enough strength in the Void Light to bend steel rebar, which she uses to suppress the struggles of her victims. Both she and the apparition can use Void Light.

Subcategories:
- Void Eyes: Appears as purple irises with a red ring around the pupil, black sclera. Cosmetic when she uses her Void Hands.

- Void Heart: Her apparition from the Void, usually floating a couple of inches above her shoulder. A ball of void light with Void Eyes. Has a thirst for entropy. Is able to use the Void Hands on a whim. Being chained to her soul, the Void Heart can immediately take in and absorb any energy she siphons off using Void Entropy. This is how it eats, and it’s always hungry. Being connected to the Void, it has a special affinity for being in the in-between places of things, like dreams. The last time it dream-walked was when it was haunting her before their souls became adjoined.

- Void Hands: Claw-like phantom hands, made entirely of Void Light. Can change in size from regular human-sized hands, to as large as a refrigerator, allowing her to grip humans and smaller apparitions with ease. To be touched by physical Void causes an immediate weakness in the body. Prolonged exposure saps all the energy of the target. Eventually, this is enough to slow and stop the heart, however, due to Emotional-Fields, it does not allow her to stop the heart outright, only bring it near.

- Void Entropy: Any strength that is sapped away by being in contact with her void light causes her to instantly absorb said energy, which can be used to sate the desires of the Void Heart. She must be in physical contact with her victim to sap its strength and energy. White light in the form of energy is siphoned from their being, drawn past the hands, and coalesces through her before being sucked into the cragged jaws of the Void Heart. Due to the nature of their entwined souls, the apparition’s sated thirst translates to her own phantom thirst’s satisfaction.

- Void Thirst: A burn in her throat, gnawing emptiness in her stomach. She is continuously hungry and thirsty for the energy, the life essence, of another person. The only way this pain is sated is by draining a person of their energy until they are near death.

LIMITS ⫻ Void Light: Being able to sap a person or thing of its energy does not mean she can outright kill them. The Emotional-Fields prevent her from doing so.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Accessing the Void Light opens her eyes to the Void itself... and over time, by utilizing the Void Light, she will begin to see hallucinations of the horrors of the Void. Eldritch abominations and people lost to the Void will appear alongside the mundane universe that she is used to, attacking her mental state and making her doubt what is real and what is fake. The more she (or the Apparition she's adjoined to) uses her abstraction, the worse this effect gets so that she will be functionally blind if she goes all out (as she'll see into the Void). This effect wears off over time, but its effects on her mentally will not. However, sapping away someone else strength and energy also begins to drain away at her - it won't be as dramatic as on the victim, but if she does this a lot, she can stop her own heart. An Abstraction like this will unnerve others and make it difficult for people to trust her.

_{Abstraction
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"Never thought I'd see these damned things again."

TYPE ⫻ Afflicted

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Haunted Rose.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻

Layla's curse comes in two parts: the entities, and the roses.

The entities who are attracted to her sweet blood come and go whenever they please. However, their presence sticks to Layla like a disease, where she has the ability to ‘call’ them whenever she wants. This calling ability comes in the form of self-manifesting crystal roses.

These crystalline roses are grown in her hands. They are fragile and faintly glow. It takes a few seconds to grow a single rose, while creating more than one can take up to several minutes.

Once summoned via the scent of the crystal rose, the entities that have cursed Layla can fight on her behalf. However, they are often fickle and unwilling to fight unless Layla sweetens the deal, such as offering the Teacup Sacrifice. They much prefer outright eating a weaker target.

The rose changes meaning, much like how a fan is held, depending on where it is placed. These are mentioned below:

Gifted Rose - A crystal rose that is given to her target. The target doesn't have to accept it, the rose only has to touch them briefly. This will summon the entities.

Held Rose - A crystal rose that is held onto by Layla. This summon will cause everyone and everything around Layla to be targeted. The entities don't discriminate between friend and foe. More targets also mean a more diluted attack.

The teacup sacrifice is an important move for Layla, and is used when the entities don't want to fight. Layla will allow the leading entity(ies) to take one teacup's worth of blood from her in the form of a bite to sweeten the ‘deal’ and make them more excited to fight for her.

There are three leader entities that follow and bother Layla, known as the Riil siblings: Kipnu, Bahlok and Bahlaas. Each leader has a following of ten or so minions. These minions come in the shape of hellhounds, the size of mid-sized dogs. They bite, scratch, have a keen sense of smell, and know a few tricks.

The three leader entities:

Kipnu Riil

Kipnu.Riil

320 | Kipnu Riil | He/him [hr//]"I've found a goldmine, and its all mine."

Description:

A masked eldritch horror that takes on the form of a shadowy man. He is the eldest of the Riil siblings, and for the better part of his life has been harassing the Hyacinthus bloodline for their sweetness. For him, the Hyacinthus sweet blood is like liquid gold, precious and intoxicating. He has been known to spend days at a time drinking the Hyacinthus bloodline to near death. He is known to be cunning and manipulative. He demands that he is called Mr. Riil instead of Kipnu, even by his siblings.

He can sometimes be seen playing with the Riil minions, which consist of thirty mid-sized hellhounds shared between the siblings.

Abstraction:

Tincture Horrors

Is able to create different combinations of poisons that have different effects on a mortal or apparition form. These are spawned from smoke and are children abominations of the Void. Vials and needles are also created when a poison is brought forth.

The effects of these poisons range from paralysis, vomiting and fever, hallucinations, manipulation of emotions, and near-death weakness.

Bahlok Riil

Bahlok.Riil

121 | Bahlok Riil | She/her [hr//]"I can smell your fear."

Description:

Bahlok is the second-oldest Riil sibling, always seen wearing a barb-wired hat with a wide, glowing smile under that makes up her face. She was spawned after the great-great grandmother of the Hyacinthus family took her life due to the torment of Kipnu. Bahlok is especially sensitive to suffering, and relishes every moment of it.

There is an appendage of tentacles and eyes that grows out of Bahlok's right shoulder that is the source of her abstraction.

Abstraction:

Eldritch Appendage

The red and black appendage that grows out of Bahlok's shoulder is covered in glowing eyes and tentacles. It is fully flexible, acting like a third arm, and can reach up to 15 feet. The tentacles have a vice-like grip, and can easily carry the weight of one or two grown adults. It can morph its shape entirely, becoming thin like paper, or thick like an anvil.

Bahlok’s signature move is to shoot out the appendage and have it wrap around a limb until the skin turns puffy and blue.

Bahlaas Riil

Bahlaas.Riil

12 | Bahlaas Riil | She/her [hr//]"It's the end of the world and I'm just so excited!"

Description:

Bahlaas Riil is the youngest of the Riil siblings. She was spawned the moment Layla's sister was torn apart by Kipnu and Bahlok. She doesn't remember much of her previous life and neither have figured out that Bahlaas is a fragment of Layla's long lost sister. Bahlaas was the one who happily set fire to Layla's home the night the rest of her family passed away.

Bahlaas is the most impulsive and childish of the Riil siblings, admiring her brother the most and often argueing with Bahlok. She likes to dig her teeth in a bit more roughly than the other siblings when feeding on Layla, less concerned with the ‘Riil Goldmine’ and more concerned about making Layla's life miserable. She is often seen threatening Layla with setting fire to various things.

Abstraction:

Embers

Has the ability to create sparks, flames and embers on a whim from her fingers and palms. These embers can be sustained to create light, or thrown to set flammable items ablaze. They can be thrown as far as Bahlaas can see like a small fireball.

Wet hands or a soaked environment can cause the flames to be less effective or not able to light anything.

LIMITS ⫻ Layla can only summon entities attracted to her sweet blood. If the rose is shattered before it is given or held, it nullifies the summoning. Layla cannot force the entities to fight for her.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ The entities are inhabitants of the Void, and their mere presence fills Layla with an overwhelming dread that can not only distract but paralyze her. The creatures feast on her blood and lose significant amounts of blood quickly...? Yeah, that's not a good idea, and she can pass out or possibly die if they take too much blood from her. The Entities are fickle and will cause untold and unfortunate destruction, which can be detrimental to Layla. In addition, as beings of the Void, they are like Anti-Matter to the land of reality, and just being in the world will gradually weaken them. They are susceptible to magical attacks as they do extra damage to them.

_{Abstraction
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"This will help me enact my revenge."

TYPE ⫻ Adjoined

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Tincture Horrors, the ability to create and deliver poisons through needles. Master of the Hounds, the ability to call and command the hellhounds subservient to the Rill siblings. Smoke's Crossing, the ability to come and go through the Void at a moment's notice.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Layla's abstraction can be broken down into facets:
Tincture Horrors
Master of the Hounds
Smoke's Crossing

Tincture Horrors - The ability to form, summon and create poisons in vials and needles. They are shaped from what appears to be smoke, but they're really sourced from the Void.

Besides being summoned from nothing, there seems to be no other obvious difference between these needles and ordinary needles.

Almost any type of poison can be created to affect apparitions and humans the same. Effects include dizziness, hallucinations, fever, vomiting, numbness, paralysis, and near-death sickness. Emotional-fields prevent these from being outright lethal.

Master of the Hounds - The ability to summon hellhounds, the size of mid-sized dogs, from the Void. There are about 30 hellhounds in total. If injured, the hellhounds will despawn and return to the Void. They can bite, claw, and listen to basic instruction from their masters. If more than one master gives them instruction, they may become confused.

Smoke's Crossing - The ability to cross from the Shimmer to the Void, and back. This is done through the appearance of smoke. The travel itself is instant, but limited to four crossings per day as Layla's mortal form is not able to handle Crossing like apparitions can.

LIMITS ⫻ Tincture Horrors - Emotional-fields prevent the poisons from causing death automatically.
Master of the Hellhounds - If more than one master gives them orders, they will become confused. Emotional-fields prevent their bites from being lethal.
Smoke's Crossing - Layla's mortal form can only handle four Crossings a day.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Having such an Apparition adjoined to her gradually saps away at her lifespan and lifeforce as it weakens the girl longer they are adjoined. She will constantly feel tired, sickly, and far easier to wound/injure. The vials are fragile, susceptible to magic, and if broken open, they can splash on Layla and get her sick. As beings of the Void, the Hellhounds are like Anti-Matter to the land of reality, and just being in the world will gradually weaken them. They are susceptible to magical attacks as they do extra damage to them, and Layla doesn't directly control them. Finally, the Void is a perilous place full of horrors, and crossing into the Void is incredibly taxing and straining on Layla's body.

^{Other
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"I’ve always liked music boxes."

Theme: Mephisto's Lullaby

The Void Heart

"You a meal, or a toy?"

_______________________________________________ Vul Bahlok Grah-Zeymahzin (aka: ‘The Void Heart,’ or ‘Void’) He/him | ??? | Apparition | 7 inches | 3 lbs. _______________________________________________ Haunter _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "I can see right through you." ___________________________________ [+] Predator Gaze ⫻ He’s always watching, sizing up the next potential victim, trying to guess how tasty a person is based on their look and manners. Battle Strategy ⫻ He is the reliable number two to his haunted in a fight. He can identify and seize opportunities, or fill the gap. Voidly Knowledge⫻ He has knowledge of the Void, its legends, and its denizens.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Don’t stare too much - you might get nightmares." He’s a dark, purple-tinged orb surrounded in a voidly purple aura. His mouth is massive, able to crack open to the sides of his eyes to reveal sharp, jagged teeth. He’s often seen smiling in a predatorial manner. His eyes are cold, always displaying the power of the void in them - black sclera, purple irises with a ring of deep red around the pupil. Touching him is similar to touching his void hands - cold, with an immediate weakening in the body.

_{Psychology
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"I'd do anything to see her again."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ There’s a legend that says, “Enough souls will unlock the gates of paradise.” Void has interpreted this to mean that there’s a path from the void to wherever souls go, and aims to devour as much energy as possible to become strong enough to open the gates.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Cut and dry. You are either food, or a passing whim - a toy.

SECRETS ⫻ He covers the pain of losing his wife with his predatorial nature and bloodlust.

SEXUALITY ⫻ N/A, tends to fall in love with his playthings. They remind him of his wife.

FEARS ⫻ Fears the deeper, darker parts of the void. Fears anything happening to his playthings.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Was disliked, along with the late Alizée.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ Aided the late Alizée in grabbing ahold of the snake and absorbing some of its energy.

FLAWS ⫻ Can become so focused on his own goals that he puts others at risk. The late Alizée is an example of this.

_{Backstory
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"I see her all the time, in my mind. The day it happened."

Void lived peacefully in the darkness of the void dimension with his wife. Or at least, as peacefully as one can in the land of nightmares. One day, a war broke out, and his wife got caught by the enemy. He had to watch as the void denizens larger and more fearsome in power as compared to him tore, ripped, and shredded apart his wife.

He was never the same after that.

He sought power, and he sought solace. He knew of a legend passed down by past generations within the void realm revolving around the gates of paradise. Anyone with enough power, and enough energy from souls could open the gates and see those who had passed on. Moved by bitter grief, he began seeking a conduit, a hauntee to tether him to the Shimmer so he could enact his will.

That’s when he found her… the late Alizée. He chose her almost immediately simply because she reminded him of his late wife.

He was the whispering voice in her mind, pushing her to fulfill his agenda. Sometimes strangling her when she was fussy. He tolerated the coven when they showed up and, out of necessity, helped with the battle against the snake. He refuses to admit it to himself, but the camaraderie was… nice. However, that quickly vanished when they interfered with the late Alizée’s night-stalking. It made him furious, and he was happy when Alizée blew up at Ashley and was banished. Less interference with his plans.

The reunion was… surprising, to say the least. He kept an eye on the late Alizée, but it clearly wasn’t enough. His heart was broken a second time when Alizée fell at the battle against the Wolfpack. Losing his tether to the Shimmer, he was left alone in the void to weep, and to wander.

He remembered, a distant memory, of the girl who stumbled across the late Alizée while she was fighting the late Ashley. He peered into the Shimmer, and found her… Layla.

She would do… Yes, she would do splendidly.

_{Abstraction
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"These hands have thrown down a lot."

TYPE ⫻ Apparition

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Void Light: The thirst for entropy.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Void’s abstraction covers his entire person, but he affects the world with the hands he summons. Similar to the late Alizée’s, his hands can change in size, can bend rebar, and absorb energy, or life force.

Dimensional Portal: Void is able to create a portal between the Shimmer and the Void under specific circumstances.

1) Tethering/Adjoining - Void moves from the Void to the dreams of the target he wants to adjoin to, then to the Shimmer. He is unable to go back or stop the process of tethering to someone.

2) Severing Tether/Adjoinment - In the event a hauntee dies, the tether is shattered, and the Void opens up a portal meant to reclaim Void. He is unable to resist this process, as he is not strong enough to survive in the Shimmer without getting knocked back into the Void when he is not adjoined.

3) Travel - For the purpose of traveling between dimensions, Void can open a portal. This is how one day he will fulfill his promise to Layla to let her see the 'gates of paradise', only accessible from the Void. The limit to traveling is that opening a portal takes at least 2 rounds of posts before it opens.

LIMITS ⫻ He is unable to kill a person outright by siphoning off their energy due to the emotional-fields.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Accessing the Void Light opens his eyes to the Void itself... and over time, by utilizing the Void Light, he will begin to see hallucinations of the horrors of the Void. Eldritch abominations and people lost to the Void will appear alongside the mundane universe that he is used to, attacking his mental state and making him doubt what is real and what is fake. The more he uses his abstraction, the worse this effect gets so that he will be functionally blind if she goes all out (as he'll see into the Void). This effect wears off over time, but its effects on him mentally will not. An Abstraction like this will unnerve others and make it difficult for people to trust him.

^{Other
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"When does the reason become the blame?"

Insight: Just a Man

Void’s song to Layla as he struggles to come to terms with Alizée’s death. Alizée is the ‘son’, and Layla is the one Void is referring to when he says ‘I look into your eyes’.

Theme before Alizée

Theme after Alizée

[

Tsukino (Luna) Inoue

"It’s good to see you."

_______________________________________________ Tsukino (Luna) Inoue She/her | 29 | Japanese | 63 inches | 101 lbs. _______________________________________________ Spite _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents ”Eh, I know a couple things." ___________________________________ [+] Taekwondo Blackbelt ⫻ She has attended a local Taekwondo dojo for the past eight years, earning a black belt. Her classes also cover how to handle a sword. Firearms ⫻ She knows how to aim, reload and use firearms from her dealings in the criminal world. Criminal Connections ⫻ She has criminal connections, able to find her way into near any VIP booth and make those shadowy dealings with the criminals of St. Portwell.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I just count myself lucky." She's slightly short at 5’3, and built thin with lithe muscle. A runner's body with similar endurance. Taking Taekwondo classes twice a week gave her trim muscle and shaped abs. Due to her abstraction, her eyes slightly glow white, with burning irises. She hides this behind gray contacts. Her hair is dyed white and carefully cared for, often straightened. The bangs often cover her eyes. She has scratch scars across her back and chest from when she fought in the battles against the Stygian Snake. She has a tattoo of the House of Cards Mafia's skull on her left shoulder. She has a date tattooed on her wrist surrounded in the branches of a Sycamore tree. The day she joined the Sycamore coven. She is often seen wearing dresses and formal wear.

_{Psychology
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"There's nothing more important than family."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ She's doing what she was told to do so by her boss: keep an eye on the movements of the coven. Her own goal, however, is to spy on her own terms. She dreams of being friends with the Coven once more, and is slowly working towards being what she was ten years ago - the spying friend.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ If she wants something, she'll get it. She keeps her head held up high, honored by what she has earned in her life. She only lowers her head to her father and her boss. It's okay to gently brush others aside if there's an obstacle in the way of what she wants. Brush, or get someone else to violently shove them away. She is used to fighting for her own opportunities, and believes anything can be done with a little luck and hard, bloody work.

SECRETS ⫻ It's the nature of the mafia to have one's hands dirty, and Luna is no exception. Beyond this, she is somewhat addicted to Mother Cards eyes, and tries to keep this under wraps.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Too innocent.

FEARS ⫻ The disappointment of her father, or her boss. Of failing her family. Of really amounting to be nothing other than a ‘snake’ in the eyes of her covenmates.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Sweet, humble, kind and charismatic. At least, until it was discovered that Luna was trying to steal coven members for her mafia. Then she was regarded as a bit of a snake, and an outcast.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ She fought side-by-side with her covenmates, attacking the snake and its minions with bullets and sword swipes.

FLAWS ⫻ A messed up moral code where the taking of a life can be commonly justified by any means. Blind loyalty to her family, even at the cost of her friends and coven.

_{Backstory
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"It makes sense if you've been in it your whole life."

Luna's known the mafia her whole life. Family ties were always tight, as her father was specially asked by the House of Cards Mafia to oversee the accounting and management of the casino before it burned down.

Growing up in St. Portwell, there was a night she suffered in a drive-by shooting, killing her mother as she protected her father. The anguish Luna suffered as a result attracted the attention of an apparition known as The White Suit. Faceless, freakishly tall, spindly, and wearing a suit with impeccable taste, the White Suit took pity on the young girl and gave her power for revenge.

Luna was 15 when she spent her years clashing against the opposing mafia who sought the life of her father, and was responsible for her mother's death. She earned her place as a made member of the House of Cards, despite her age.

It was shortly after the conclusion of the war that a new threat permeated the streets of St. Portwell. The Sygian Snake. To protect her family, and serve her boss and her father, Luna headed out to try and stop the snake. It was in one of these clashes against its minions that Luna met Alizée and Void. It was through this connection that Luna was inducted into the Sycamore Coven.

Luna tried to keep her ‘business’ and her coven separate, but the congregation of paranormal abstractions attracted the eye of Phantasia Vorpal, who began asking Luna to spy on them, and learn from them. So she posed as a friend as she made notes of everything.

After the defeat of the Stygian Snake, the coven was falling into quick disrepair. Upon being told this, Phantasia (Mother Cards) asked Luna to see if any coven members would be interested in being hired. Luna tried to be discreet as she asked coven members. However, word got out that she was trying to drag people off into ‘dirty business’, and she was quickly exiled.

Before she left, she managed to entice Alizée, who worked with the House of Cards Mafia as hired muscle for a few years.

Without the coven, Luna focused herself on serving her mafia, keeping her father and her boss happy. When she turned 25, she was rewarded with the status of Captain.

At Auri's invitation to return, after 10 years of the coven being disbanded, Luna disregarded it. Instead, she's been taking orders from Mother Cards to resume spying on the coven once again, except this time from the shadows.

_{Abstraction
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"My source of power is my strength."

TYPE ⫻ Adjoined

ABSTRACTION ⫻ White Suit's Power

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻

Luna's White Suit's Power can be broken down into facets:

White Wings - Made of white energy, these wings sprout from Luna's back, faintly glow, and allow Luna to take flight.

White Construct - Any small, handheld construct that's simple in form can be created from Luna's white energy. This includes swords and guns, which are some of Luna's favourites. However, she has been known to simply create balls of light to see, or rope to type up hostages.

White Armour - Made of white energy, Luna can conjure plate armour from head to toe, including a helmet. It is strong like steel, and packs a punch when she throws down. This protects from physical and apparition attacks. If the attack is strong enough, like a bullet, it can shatter her armour, causing Luna to need to recreate it, which is physically taxing.

LIMITS ⫻ Piercing attacks like bullets can shatter her armour. It takes energy to recreate the armour, which can quickly exhaust Luna.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ The primary weakness of the White Suit's power is the color black. Against anything black colored - whether magic or mundane - the constructs will crumble and warp against it, and anything colored black will shred through her constructs like it's nothing. Creating the constructs puts a strain on her, and larger constructs, or after a prolonged period of fighting, will cause intense headaches, nausea, vomiting, and other fun things.

^{Other
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”Collection? What do you mean?”

She has a photo album of all the instances she has spied on the coven. This includes a photo when Alizée was shot. Bird's eyes shots of the Temple's outsides, of Dairy Queen. The gazebo. The burning church…

She also speaks Japanese.

Her themesong

Aislin Rose

"They say I got my head stuck in the clouds."

_______________________________________________ Aislin Seraphina Rose She/her | 25 | Caucasian | 64 inches | 125 lbs. _______________________________________________ Idealist _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "It just needs a splash of color." ___________________________________ [+] Creative Application ⫻ She is able to think creatively in how she uses her abstraction, which can benefit her in situations. Artful World ⫻ She is talented as an artist, able to create poetry and art with appearing minimal difficulty. True Friend ⫻ She is sincere, and that comes across when she speaks, increasing the chances of Aislin becoming a true friend to those around her.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "I like my hair, lil’ mousse and it's good to go." She has always felt she is a bit on the shorter side. Naturally curvy a bit, with long slender fingers. Light skin, warmed by the sun on occasion. Her hair is dusty brown, styled in a wavy bob, parted on the far side. It's unruly, but she likes it like that. She has a few cuts of scars on her arms as a reminder of her fight with the Coven against the Snake. She is often toting her own graphic tees, sweaters and leggings.

_{Psychology
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"Oh, I'm definitely what you call a dreamer."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ She just wants to sell her books and be an artist in peace. She wants her friends close, and she wants to forget about the sadness and horrors of the Snake and the coven's troubled past. She wants everyone to be safe, and for the serial killer plaguing them to be caught, so she can get back to doing what's important - finishing her next poetry book for the publishing office.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Live and let live, peace and be peaceful, do good unto others as you would like them to do good unto you, increase your good karma and good things will happen. She is an extreme idealist with a pure heart.

SECRETS ⫻ She feels guilty about her weed habit and occasional graffiti rampage around the city.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Too innocent.

FEARS ⫻ Death by serial killer, death by brutality, anything involving pain or extreme lengths of pain, scary situations where she doesn't have any control.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ She was considered to be nearly everyone's friend. Those that didn't like her saw her as somewhat of a dreamer and weedaholic. Those that did, well, she supposed they saw the same thing.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ Aislin used the environment, like power cables, to electrify and deal damage to the Snake.

FLAWS ⫻ Her idealism turns into naivete, which can make it hard to see when she is being taken advantage of or is in a dangerous situation.

_{Backstory
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"Nothing is ever perfect."

Aislin had a conventional childhood. At least, as conventional as one could have within the walls of an orphanage. She spent most of her free time drawing on whatever she could get her hands on, sometimes the walls. The pristine white walls. No matter how many times the woman of the orphanage tried to discipline her, she just couldn't shake the habit, and couldn't give it up.

Despite her free spirit, Aislin attracted the attention of her adoptive parents, Mira and David Rose, who found Aislin's talent for art endearing. At the age of 7, she was adopted into a household of two business executives. They showered her with love, yes, but being the only child of two very busy parents left Aislin with lots of time alone. She had to learn how to bear the silence by herself.

It was then, at the age of 14, that her world shattered and changed forever. She had gotten separated from her parents at a late-night fireworks festival, wandering alone in the dark. A girl with white hair, strange orb hovering around her, reached out and pulled small Aislin into a dark alley. None other than Alizée, using the phantom hands on Aislin's struggling body while lifeforce was sapped.

This attack caused Aislin's Kindling event. Being unable to defend herself, it wasn't until Drake Blackmore stepped onto the scene and chased Alizée away that Aislin was saved. The two stayed in touch, and Drake was the first to hear of Aislin's abstraction development. Drake invited Aislin to the coven, promising Alizée would stay away. Aislin simply shrugged, said it was all under the bridge, and became the newest Sycamore member.

This was at the beginning of the war with the Stygian Snake.

Aislin discovered a lot about her new powers during the war with the snake, and cheered with the rest of the coven when the snake was finally defeated.

It was a bit awkward yes, seeing Alizée again. But Aislin told herself that everyone was on the same side now, that she could forgive and forget. Start over fresh. Yes. Even become friends. Alizée was just behaving naturally anyways, right?

She became fast friends with many coven members, including Alizée, Layla, and Kali Mahendra. She was usually the voice of reason when people got into arguments, and she tried her best to keep everyone together as coven members began to fight more and more amongst themselves.

Alas, it wasn't enough, and she eventually left along with the rest as the coven dissolved. It was a few years later that she really started getting into her art phase, and she did what any sane paranormal artist would do in St. Portwell - join up with the 317. The next few years passed peacefully through artworks, printed t-shirts, books of poetry, and other printed memorabilia with her art on it. She has managed to earn almost six figures a year through royalties, online store space, and attending festivals with her own booth. And when she feels devious, she takes her spray paint to the streets and leaves beautiful graffiti on the buildings of St. Portwell.

She was content to spend her time as such, happy to forget about the shadow of the Snake. However, the call from Auri changed everything again. Aislin didn't attend the first few meetings as she was in denial. There was nothing wrong. She was safe.

But when Kali ended being one of the murder victims, Aislin knew she could ignore this no longer. When Alizée became a victim in a street brawl, Aislin had to question just how safe the paranormal of St. Portwell were.

Empowered by a love for her coven, and an urge to protect so no one else would have to die, Aislin has decided to return once again.

_{Abstraction
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"Watch closely and I'll show you something fun."

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Animation. The ability to give life to inanimate objects. Red/Gold Lux, channeler is a worn stuffed penguin.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ The ability to give crude life to inanimate objects. This means that anything that Aislin creates a mental connection with, she can give a program, or a set, to follow. For example, she can connect with power cables, and cause them to snap at one end, with the cables spinning and dancing in the air. This wound use Set 1, Play, as its not meant to hurt anyone. However, if an intruder charged Aislin in the next moment, she could change that set to 4, Attack, and the power cable would try to restrain the intruder. Emotional-fields make it so no animation can deal immediately lethal damage to an intruder.

Each animation gains its own bit of sentience for a short period of time.

She has learned to program animations with various sets, which are listed below.

Set 1 - Play - This is the default set given to animations when they are created without purpose other than to amuse. They will appear harmless, curious in nature, and innocent.

Set 2 - Watch - This set makes the animation act like a sentinel, doing rounds where Aislin is and keeping watch. If the sentinel notices anything amiss, it will alert Aislin right away.

Set 3 - Defend - This set makes the animation defend Aislin in every which way possible from an intruder. It will even sacrifice its own life to ensure the safety of its maker.

Set 4 - Attack - This makes the animation attack in every possible way against an intruder or offender. It will sacrifice its own integrity and life to deliver damage.

Set 5 - Listen - When the need changes on the fly, Aislin will program an animation with Set 5, where an animation will have no directive except for the thoughts going on in Aislin's mind. The most risky, and most versatile type of set in Aislin's arsenal.

LIMITS ⫻ Emotional-fields prevent animations from immediately killing an intruder. Emotional-fields also prevent people and living things from becoming animated. The heavier or larger an object is, the more energy it takes to animate it. She cannot animate corpses. Animations require focus - if Aislin were to fall asleep while an animation is running around, the animation would become inanimate. She can only animate 1-2 animations at a time.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ By animating objects, Aislin donates a bit of her life force to animate them and keep them alive. By doing this, she makes herself weaker and weaker; the more significant the animating, the more life force is required, and thus, the weaker Aislin will get. By willingly dispelling the animation spell, she can return her life force to her and return to normal. However, if the Animation is suddenly destroyed, the life force goes with it. If she uses too much of her life force, she may kill herself using her own magic. Her animations are weak against Elemental-Magic, such as fire, electricity, ice, etc., and are far easier to destroy by it.

^{Other
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"Care for a toke?"

Her theme song

Alizée Vul

”My name was Alizée. Is Alizée."

_______________________________________________ Alizée Sken (Chain) Vul (Dark) She/her | 0 | Apparition | 77 inches | 55 pounds _______________________________________________ Bound _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents ”I’m like a hunter. I was a hunter?" ___________________________________ [+] Phantom Menace ⫻ Alizée can achieve perfect stillness, and without feet to touch the ground, can follow any target completely silently. Zero-Gravity Maneuverability ⫻ Alizée can use her ability to float to pass over obstacles that would hinder anyone else, such as the ability to cross over water. Void Speaker ⫻ Alizée knows how to speak the old tongue of the Void.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ”Haven’t I always been like this?” She's tall at 77 inches, just a little over 6 feet. She's usually a little taller than that due to her preference to hover a few inches off the ground. Her build is thin, without a lot of the appearance of muscle. Her body itself is an interesting spectacle. The ivory skin is marred in two places: Both of her hands, mainly the fingers. They are elongated, grotesque, boney and gray, like they are under some type of sickness. Alizée doesn't know why they're like that. Besides that, her appearance of skin could be considered unblemished and quite normal. White hair flows down in loose curls down to her thighs, often seen slightly floating around her. Her face, which is actually a dark, faceless void, is covered by a broken metal skull mask with red eyes. Matching the battered look of the iron mask, she wears double sets of iron cuffs and chains on her wrists and ankles. The chains aren't linked to each other, they simply float around Alizée. She appears to wear a white silk dress shirt and a white, flowing skirt.

_{Psychology
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”I swear these chains have a mind of their own."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Alizée has three main goals: 1) Find Vul. She doesn't remember much, but she does remember getting separated. She remembers desperation, a burning need to reunite.

2) Vengeance. Anyone who harmed her and Void must be destroyed. She remembers leather, and the roar of motorbikes.

3) Gates of Paradise. She's seen them with her own eyes, and knows it's where she wants to be. But she is not strong enough to open the gates. She needs energy for that. And she knows where to get it.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ You are bound by what you love. The chains on Alizée are a manifestation of her love for Vul. And through her bindment is her liberation, as her chains are the main source of her power. Alizée's heart, if apparitions had a heart, is open to love and friendship, but they must cross through a yawning expanse of distrust to get there. If Alizée finds another thing she loves or befriends, she will add another chain to her ensemble.

SECRETS ⫻ Is it fair to be bound? Where is Alizée's freedom? Is she a glorified slave, bound by love and friendship? Alizée has a doubt she repressed in the value of being bound. This secret, if pressed, can cause Alizée to doubt so much she loses her chains, and a large part of her power.

SEXUALITY ⫻ N/A

FEARS ⫻ Being eaten or destroyed by Voidlings larger or more powerful than she. She fears anything happening to her bindments, her connections, such as Vul.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ N/A

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ N/A

FLAWS ⫻ She is typically blindly loyal to whatever she is bound to, unlikely to critically think when it comes to making a decision about them.

_{Backstory
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”I was alone… When normally I’m not, I think."

A ring of a gunshot.

Then, darkness.

It took a long time to discern darkness from herself, but eventually, Alizée woke in Void, with only burning feelings, a few flashes of images, and scrapes of information, like names.

At first, her chains were heavy, and she couldn't move. But as she learned the chains weren't actually physical, but instead a representation of something inside her, they slowly got lighter and lighter, until eventually they floated weightlessly around her.

She only remembered a few things, as she wandered the shallows of the Void. Her name. A name of someone special - Vul. The red eyes of her mask would shine every time she thought of Vul, the scrapes that she remembered.

She remembered that she died, whatever she was before, trying to protect this Vul character. She remembered the sound of steel, a thunderclap in her ear. The tinkle of a casing falling to the ground. The smell of leather. The roar of metal machines - she knew the word, ‘motorcycles.’ She didn't know exactly who or what they were, but they were at fault, and she kept her eyes vigilant in the Void.

She remembered there were Gates, and it took a little time to figure out how to get there. But eventually, she was able to form a pathway through a circle of her chains, and saw the pantheons-wide Gates of Paradise.

They didn’t open to her, despite her yearning to enter.

Thus began her descent into the depths of the Void, picking off denizens that she could handle. She continued on like this, slowly drawing in strength and power, getting used to her skills.

It's unsure how long this went on, but there was one fateful moment in the Void where she felt a tug on her chains, in her heart.

This was the same time Vul (the Void Heart) was sealed at the Temple. Alizée felt this sudden spike in energy, before it disappeared almost entirely.

She knew that energy. And, moving her chains together to create another portal, she entered the Shimmer to seek out the whispering threads of Vul’s energy.

_{Abstraction
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”Just let go, your life will be so much easier once you’re a ghost.”

TYPE ⫻ Apparition

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Dark Binding: Chains that bind, expend, or facilitate.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Alizée's abstraction can be broken down into several facets:

The Chains
Chain Binding
Chain Exchange: Ki Blasts
Chain Pathway
Chain Connection
Chain Seeker
Chain Doubt

Chain Binding

These chains float in nature, and are connected telepathically to Alizée's ‘mind’, though one could say these are simply a type of extension for Alizée.

When these chains, with a thought, bind around someone or something, their physical essence is slowly absorbed. As it is absorbed, the body or thing that is bound begins to slowly fade into a spectral form. This spectral form is like the equivalent of a ghost, unable to be seen by those who aren't magically adept. It can't interact with the physical world of wherever its from, be it the Shimmer of the Void. It's also very weak. There are ways to reverse this spectral form if a healer knows how to do it.

These chains appear to be physical iron, and do not affect Alizée if they are burned or shattered.

Chain Exchange: Ki Blasts

Alizée is able to sacrifice links in her chain. This sacrifice causes the link to convert into energy, which is then redirected out through her mind to an exchange site she can see. Once chosen, the link disappears and ki blast explodes at the designated site. The blast is so strong that it has the ability to blast away concrete and earth. However, it will never kill someone caught in the blast - it will only impact them and send them flying, with or without broken bones, depending on the situation.

If she runs out of links, she can no longer bind or perform exchanges. Instead, she has to go to the source of connection with her links, and build them up over time. Forming genuine connections takes time, so she could be unable to fight for hours or days.

Chain Pathway

By forming her chains into a circle, a portal opens up within that can take Alizée anywhere she wants to go across dimensions. She mainly uses this to go between the Void, the Gates of Paradise, and the Shimmer.

Chain Connection

When Alizée has a special bond with someone, a cuff with a chain appears on her arms or legs. There's a few things that need to happen before a chain connection can be made. First, the connection must be a long one. Alizée must have frequented the person or apparition many times. Secondly, Alizée must be a part of the person's secret world. People have three worlds: exterior, what everyone sees; interior, what close friends and family see; and secret, where only a select few ever get to see. A good way to get into the secret world is by having the person or Apparition share a secret. Thirdly, Alizée must trust them explicitly.

This new cuff and chain, when formed, give strength to Alizée's person all over. She's faster, can bind and absorb energy faster, and can create stronger blasts. She also has more links with which she can create ki Blasts from.

Chain Seeker

Through Alizée’s chains, she can sense the approximate location of the one she's connected to through the chains. For example, in the case of Vul, she only realized she could sense him when he experienced a dire situation, and was sealed. When sealed, her ability to detect is much lower.

If a connection is in a dire situation, she will notice her chains and her heart tug painfully.

Chain Doubt

As stated in the Secrets section, Alizée's chains need faith and subjugation to work. She has to allow herself to be bound. If she decides that she has had enough of being bound, and wants to be free, the chains will start to disappear, as well as her power.

The Body
Cursed Hands

Cursed Hands

Perhaps from a previous life, Alizée's hands became cursed. This is more of a visual cursing, without much effect except being immune to mental and essence control.

LIMITS ⫻

Chain Binding - Alizée can never kill someone outright by robbing them of their energy and essence, only turn them into a specter that needs powerful healing to reverse.
Chain Exchange: Ki Blasts - If someone is in the center of a ki blast, it will never kill them. At max, it may break bones or fling them far.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Alizée’s chains are susceptible to magical disruption. Magical attacks can temporarily break her chains, rendering her unable to use her abilities until she can re-establish the links. If Alizée is physically restrained or immobilized, she cannot mentally control the chains effectively. This means binding or trapping her in a way that restricts her movement can neutralize her Abstraction. Using her Abstraction extensively drains Alizée’s magic and stamina. Prolonged Chain Binding or repeated Ki Blasts can leave her exhausted, weakening her overall magic, including her Emotional-Field. Suppose an opponent manages to break a chain while it is binding them. In that case, the backlash can cause a psychic shock to Alizée, disorienting her and causing excruciating pain for a short period.

Her Chain Connection relies on strong emotional bonds. If these bonds are severed or if the person betrays her, the chain not only disappears but also causes emotional and mental turmoil for Alizée, weakening her overall. In certain environments, such as places with extreme elemental conditions like high heat or corrosive atmospheres, her chains can decay rapidly, losing their effectiveness and becoming easier to break. Strong emotional or mental interference, such as illusions or psychic attacks, can disrupt her connection with her chains, making it difficult for her to control them.

^{Other
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”I don't have a lot of memories. I’m fine with that."

It's important to clarify that Alizée being bound to something or someone is different to being adjoined. She can be bound with her chains to multiple things. The chains act as a representative of a psychic connection of trust, love, loyalty and friendship. She currently has eight chains all representing her connection to Vul. Vul would be unaffected by this representation, as it's only a manifestation on her side. Even if Vul didn't love her or want to be her friend, he can't change the chains. Only Alizée can do that.

Theme: Kaleo - Way Down We Go

The Dark Beyond

Absolutely splendid posts. I think we've hit a record for the fastest round yet! I will have a post up tomorrow, and we will start the next round. I'm very excited. :)