Hierophant

God Neon

Reserved - interested.

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP) [CLOSED]

I've posted my character, Wormwood.

Upcoming character sheets:

Lukas Weber and his partner Hobbes.
Wen Shao Ling and her partner Loki.
Belphegor, the Prince(ss) of Sloth.

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP) [CLOSED]

Wormwood

Name: Wormwood, the Star of Bitterness, Blasphemy of Despair

Species: Fallen Angel

Alignment: Light/Dark

Partner: Multiple - see "Abilities"

Faction: The Infernal Legion

Sex: Sexless

Age: 5961 years, 2 months, 14 days, 19 hours, 44 minutes, 35 seconds

Appearance:
"Human" Form: Wormwood appears in this guise when attempting to go incognito, or deceive foolish humans into making a Soul Pact with him. He appears as a decrepit old man with a wide forehead and a gimlet eye. Wrinkles, liver spots and other signs of old age cover his face. The rest of his body is swathed in clothing; in olden times, it has been rags, a cloak, a plague doctor's suit. Now, it is a wide black cloak that flares outwards, with large obsidian buttons. An old, rusted pocket watch, filled with glimmering green liquid, hangs from his belt, along with an assortment of vials and syringes.

True Form: When Wormwood adopts his true form, his skin cracks and splits open, and his black coat merges with it, turning into flexing bracket fungi that flare out from him, webbing over his body and acting as plate armor. His toadlike eyes widen, turning into blazing suns of radioactive white. Where the light from his eyes falls across his body, his fungi dissipate like shadows, revealing beautiful pale flesh underneath. More fungi threads through his bone and muscles, artificially reinforcing them to become thicker and stronger, changing him from a hunchbacked old man to a wrathful demon covered in both shadow and light. His lips bubble with an endless waterfall of glowing acid, spilling out constantly from his mouth. His pocket watch vanishes in a flash of mana, reappearing as a fluid, shifting water clock tattoo upon his broad chest, extending tubes down his arms, drawing intricate patterns onto his arms. They even extend partially onto the gruesome stumps of what were once angelic wings, still trickling thick ichor centuries after they were severed. Finally, his cracked fingernails sharpen and elongate into claws of polished bone, stained dark with poison.

Aura: Wormwood's aura is best described as a cycle of life. As he uses his magic, his aura flares into a bright, poisonous green that seems to flood the area around him, acidic and malicious. Over time, it swirls and dries and decays into a bitter gray, growing smaller and smaller. As this happens, it starts to develop black spores, spiralling around and through him, more and more appearing every second. When the spores finally take over the gray fluid, it shrinks into a tiny black core before exploding out into bright green again.

Personality: As in the Bible, the main defining trait of Wormwood is bitterness. The bitterness that caused him to turn away from the Celestiarchy is still festering and rotting within him. He can't bring himself to completely shed his angelic form; no matter how many times he tries to eradicate his wings, he always stops himself at the last second. Stuck, like in a hopeless abusive relationship, Wormwood directs his anger and hate towards the enemies of the Infernal Legion, clawing his way up the ranks of the demons in the hope that he can find solace in comfort - solace that he has so far failed to find. Perhaps his obsessiveness with old age and the notion that all things must die is what keeps him from falling off the cliffs of madness - it anchors him, keeps him grounded. Wormwood keeps time with a clockwork device gifted to him by Belphegor - over time, he has made it into his soul shard, and disruption of its steady beat destabilizes him, causing him to explode in a fit of uncontrollable rage and hate until it's recalibrated.

Biography: As an angel, he was Mariel. A quiet, scholarly angel, he was sent as a missionary to preach the word of God. It is not known where he was sent, save that it was in a climate "harshesst ande moast revulting to Manne" - speculation ranges from scorching deserts(perhaps the very same desert that Satan attacked Jesus in) to barren icelands, or even to more alien locations, like a desolate wasteland, an empty place void of mana or magic. Regardless, it's indisputable that his assignment there changed him. For centuries he preached, for centuries he tried to save everyone, and watched them die instead, inexorable and inevitable.

Mariel did not have words for the feeling that nestled within his heart then, but we now know it as Despair. Not two weeks after he returned to Heaven dejected and depressed, Lucifer visited him. At length he listened to the Shining One talk, and over the course of time his heart grew harder, and that despair twisted into hatred. When Lucifer finally declared war against the Celestiarchy, Mariel was one of the first to join Lucifer, taking the name Wormwood and rallying behind him, believing that Lucifer could quench the bitterness in him.

But when the followers of Lucifer abandoned Heaven rather than fighting, that despair only grew stronger. Wormwood saw himself as exiled to the pits of Hell, cast aside like garbage. It was in Hell that his bitterness rose again, and Wormwood declared that Lucifer had abandoned him, cursing the world and all its angels. He dedicated the rest of his life to spreading his bitterness and despair to others, in the hopes of emptying his heart of those traits, but they seemed endless, and he could not rest.

And so Wormwood turned to the Blasphemies, the terrifying enforcers of Hell. There, he is able to unloose his poisonous mind upon the enemies of the Legion. He currently walks the human world, a loyal servant of Hell, seeking to find every place in the world that is good and beautiful and transform it into that barren climate where he once preached the Word of God.

Skills:
Long-Lived: After living for nearly six thousand years, Wormwood has an extremely large collection of knowledge, from technical skills to magical lore, as well as combat ability. Although he scoffs at knowledge and seeks only destruction, a certain amount has soaked into him from simple experience, over the years. In general, if it is reasonable for an average human to know or be able to do, Wormwood almost certainly knows it as well.

Forked Tongue: Although not nearly as proficient as the Prince of Lies, Wormwood is adept at squirreling out people's insecurities and fears and using them as weapons. His whispers and hisses have driven many mortals to suicide or self-harm. Not for nothing does his maw brim with poison.

Abilities:
Infestation: Wormwood can order the fungus that grows on his body to infect an area with microscopic spores. These spores take root in all living things and extend tiny roots into them, feeding off their magical energy. Over a period of two or three hours, the spores grow into more fungi. The land will be blanketed in black fungi, while any living things foolish enough to remain in the area will have their flesh torn apart by roots and spores. Even worse, the excess magical energy absorbed by the fungi is fed into Wormwood, making him stronger as he infests more areas.

Wormwood also uses the Infestation ability to sustain his presence in the mortal world without a spirit partner - after forcefully forging a Soul Pact with magically dense individuals, he simply covers them with spores and extracts their magic. He usually keeps a few dozen infected slaves locked up in order to maintain the large amounts of magical energy needed to engage in serious combat.

Poisonous Cascade: An endless waterfall of green and black poison flows forth from the stumps of Wormwood's wings and from within his mouth. This extremely lethal poison is absorbed by touch - any dirt that touches it becomes barren, trees are blackened and shed their leaves, humans are paralyzed and slowly die in a growing pool of toxins or spores. This ability makes Wormwood increasingly difficult to fight as battles grow longer, for he has more time to flood the area with poison.

The Chernobyl Disaster: The light emanating from Wormwood's spotlight eyes is extremely radioactive, orders of magnitude above even the worst nuclear disasters known to mankind. It is enough to kill ordinary humans more or less instantly, and will produce strain on magical shields. Everything touched by the light is soaked in radiation, and will be inhospitable for centuries, barring magical intervention. Wormwood may control the amount of energy chanmeled into his eyes at will, or turn them off if he so chooses.

Seeds of Darkness: The "fungi" that grows on Wormwood's body and spores are actually more accurately described as parasites made of solid darkness. As they are made of his energy, he can control them, flexing them, sharpening them into razor blades or hardening them into armor. Although he cannot change their state(eg. into liquid) without disrupting their mana structure, he can retract or extend them, change their shape and fling them out violently.

Star Wormwood: Wormwood can transform his body into that of a blazing comet, allowing him to accelerate at supersonic speed. It also grants him extreme maneuverability, allowing him to make sharp turns at full speed, and blasts radiation in a massive aura around him, though at a reduced intensity. Upon a hard impact, the comet explodes, loosing a large cloud of nerve gas and transforming his body back into his regular demon form.

Curse of the Third: Wormwood can turn almost any substance into a glowing acid, bright green and highly concentrated, upon touch. The acid is always liquid, regardless of the form of the substance that was touched. Substances magically powerful enough to resist Wormwood's deconstruction will not be affected. There is no limit to the volume of matter this ability can affect, save Wormwood's mana supplies - he has been known to acidify entire rivers.

Soulshards:
Belphegor's Pendulum: A magical clock that appears as either a pocket-watch or tattoo of a water clock, Belphegor's Pendulum was originally a gift from the demon prince Belphegor as a reward for Wormwood's loyalty and competence in serving the Infernal Legion. Although it has no particular combat purpose, it synchronizes Wormwood's mind and heartbeat with the sway of an internal pendulum, keeping him from having psychotic episodes, fits of rage or otherwise becoming emotionally and mentally unstable. It also grants him hyperprecise knowledge of time - he can recite the timing of events down to the microsecond level, for example.

Possessions: None.

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP) [CLOSED]

@Bloodtypesuper

So can soulless beings use magic?

Yes.

If so, where would they store mana? Would they be more reliant on their bodies mana circuitry to store mana and preform magical feats?

They could also store mana in outside objects.

If a deities soul is a stable structure without the need for a body, could there theoretically be a sufficiently powerful mind capable of similar feats? A network of pure psionic energy existing without body or soul?

Would have to be a very powerful mind.

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP) [CLOSED]

Records: Arasciel’s Personal Notes
185 Days, 2000 Anno Domini
Praise to the Lord. It seems that all of Heaven is obsessed with the Millennial Seal being unbound. Of course, it is all for the glory of God that this should happen, and it is more undoubtedly a joyous event, but it appears unseemly to still be discussing it six months after the event. Angels should not spend such time involved with secular matters; that should be the domain of the High Command and those selected to deal with the mortals. Of course, the younger ones seem to cheerfully ignore Scripture any time they find something better to do.
At least Project Eden is still going well. It would ordinarily have been unproductive, for Barachael’s older brother has contracted with one of the humans, and she spent more time talking about it than assisting me in my final adjustments. Luckily enough, we managed to calibrate the Sacred Stone connection to be in the optimal state for a power transfer of that magnitude, so perhaps today wasn’t a total waste of time. Uracchus informs me that the completion ceremony has been scheduled a month from now, and that most of the High Command will be in attendance. We should need half that time to finish up Project Eden, but it’s always better to have a buffer in case we’re forced to delay the project.
Moriphael is still trying to get me to marry. He won’t leave me alone, no matter how many times I tell him I have too much work to worry about finding a wife. Perhaps after Eden is completed.
In the Name of the Lord,
Arasciel

216 Days, 2000 Anno Domini
To-Do List:
Confirm time with Uracchus [x]
Submit final report [x]
Supervise experimental setup [x]
Retrieve Specimens A and E from Containment [x]
Get Specimen E ready for transfer [x]
Put Specimen A in stasis [x]
Ensure power cores are stable [x]
Confirm circuits wired properly with Barachael [x]
Final prayer for success [ ]
Praise to the Lord. I stayed in the laboratory later than usual today, double-checking everything. All must be in perfect order for the completion ceremony. The machinery has already been set up and put in place – all it will take is the entering of the password and the press of a button for the magical transfer to begin.
It would be better if I had more time to enter in my final thoughts for the archives, but that can wait for tomorrow. If I don’t hurry, I will soon be late for the group prayer, which should last until dawn.
For now, I’ll leave these words behind: this project will be a success. I can feel it; I’ve worked too long on this to see it fail. The Lord’s favor will be with us, and we will cleanse away the stain of the Original Sin.
In the Name of the Lord,
Arasciel

218 Days, 2000 Anno Domini
Praise to the Lord. These records have been terminated.
REASON: Death of author
ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Arasciel passed away during the Paradise Lost incident. For operational security, further details of his death may not be released at this time. Condolences may be sent directly to his family. His funeral will be held during the Paradise Lost Memorial at 225 Days, 2000 Anno Domini.
May he find peace with the Lord.
This entry was added automatically. Queries, feedback or complaints should be sent to the Heavenly Archives, Mechanized Branch. These records have been locked and may no longer be updated.
-
Records: Special Containment, Maximum Security (Classification Alpha-I)
TRUE NAME: Unknown
SECULAR NAME: Paradise Lost
THREAT LEVEL: Omega
Additional Notes: There is only one known way to pacify this being, and terminating it is prohibited under Secret General Order Comet Kabbalah. All servants of the Lord, with the exception of [REDACTED], are instructed to finalize their last will and testament, including any farewell letters or messages to their family, before interacting with this being.
APPEARANCE: A humanoid with straight black hair and alabaster skin, displaying a striking similarity to [REDACTED]. Displays a lack of wings, lungs, heart, horns, kidneys, magical sacs, liver, and other vital organs. Insides appear to be hollow and filled with an unknown shimmering substance. Skin is spiderwebbed with large cracks with blinding light spilling out. Frequency, energy and saturation of light match the Original Light(see [REDACTED]). Is surrounded almost completely by a large sphere comprised entirely of the unknown substance that fills Paradise Lost’s insides. Observers have reported seeing images of extreme beauty flash across the surface of the sphere, typically scenes from a lush, flowering landscape. Given the nature of the being, this is suspected to be [REDACTED].
Paradise Lost’s appearance remains constant, and it has not exhibited any ability or inclination to shift shape or otherwise change its appearance.
WEAPONS/MAGICAL ABILITIES: Gathers a sphere of “shimmering [REDACTED]” around it. Sphere seems to possess several [REDACTED] properties, namely [REDACTED] as well as expanding in proportion to the rate it “consumes” matter. All but the strongest [REDACTED] that comes into contact with it are apparently assimilated and lost forever. [REDACTED] “starry skies” as well as other sights, representing some sort of distorted version of [REDACTED].
WEAPONS/MAGICAL ABILITIES additional notes: All non-specialized personnel are advised to flee on sight and make no attempt to approach Paradise Lost or come into contact with the “shimmering”. Do not underestimate the speed of the sphere’s expansion – fly as fast and as far as you possibly can.
Specialized personnel will have extra information of their own regarding what to do against Paradise Lost(see Harachiel’s report, Appendix IV), but are reminded to keep teleportation or beacon spells on stand-by at all times and, once again, never to underestimate the speed of the sphere’s expansion.
CONTAINMENT/SECURITY PROTOCOLS: Stasis(extreme inertia). Secured within the inner workings of the Divine Clock, which has the necessary magic to keep Paradise Lost contained. When transported, placed under a short-term binding and portalled to target location with all haste. [REDACTED]. Other angels are barred from accessing the Divine Clock in the meantime.
ADDITIONAL SECURITY PROTOCOLS: The Guardian of Eden. [REDACTED]
ADDITIONAL SECURITY PROTOCOLS additional notes: The identity of the Guardian himself seems to be more important in subduing Paradise Lost than his sword. Additional tests are being performed regarding this phenomenon at the moment; it is hoped that we will be able to understand Paradise Lost better though this.

-

Records: Paradise Lost Incident(Audio)
Excerpt(0300 Hours)
ARASCIEL: [garbled]...Thanks be to God, I’ve found it...
[Muffled noises, then silence. Video records confirm this to be the deaths of 5 angels – Barachael, Arasciel, Neunimael, Tichael and Raguel.]
End Excerpt

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP)

No Norse god players? Loki interactions are always fun.

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP)

There's a difference between "Anubis"(the mantle) and Anubis(the person holding the mantle). In this case, you'd be "Anubis", as is your right as the holder of the Anubis mantle. You'd also have the (unnamed) mantle of Anubis, who's just a really powerful spirit who gave away his old mantle. To put it in a clearer way:

Alice is Anubis. She has the mantle of Anubis. Alice gives her mantle to Bob.

Alice(no mantle), Bob(Anubis)

Now Alice's mantle regrows. She has a mantle called the Mantle of Alice. NOT the Mantle of Anubis, since she's not Anubis any more.

Alice(MoA), Bob(Anubis)

Then Alice dies and Bob recovers her mantle.

Bob(Anubis, MoA)

So Bob doesn't really have two mantles of Anubis, he has a mantle of Anubis and a Mantle of Alice.

EDIT: It's also of some note that the Mantle of Anubis and the Mantle of Alice are pretty similar, since Alice, the unique person, imprinted her unique identity on both of them. So, like JS said, it's pretty pointless for Bob to collect her mantles unless he has a personal obsession with Alice.

The Seven Seals (modern mythological mega-crossover RP)

That's not possible - Anubis' mantle wouldn't regrow, since he already gave it to you. It would be plausible for an apprentice to take the mantle from his master's dead body.