Jinxer

Darkness Visible

@Flagg

I've updated a few bits in my post recently, I should be able to complete and polish it off tonight.

Darkness Visible

I'm still working on this CS (bits like appearance/equipment/skills which I have planned out but not had the presence of mind to write up still missing and others needing some tweaking) but I thought it was worth just posting my progress so y'all know I'm not fading away!

Elaeria Fendril

Name: Elaeria Fendril
Age: 153 (barely an adult in the eyes of her race)

Race: Elfin Seelie

Nationality/Nation description:
Seelie Court of the Ghostlight Forest

The Seelie are split up into individual 'Courts' and adhere to a belief of belonging to a single nation, one that encompasses all land where Seelie live as well as everything in between. Within this grand 'nation' each group of Seelie operate a 'Court' which oversees the running of their particular surroundings. Most will be found in forests, mountains or caves where nature is abundant and far away from other races and civilizations as the Seelie are not overly fond of involving themselves in the struggles of less cultured nations. Within these enclaves they will adapt to leave as little a footprint on the environment as possible. As such it is often difficult to locate a Seelie settlement and most will stumble across the Courts by accident rather than by design.

The Seelie Court of the Ghostlight Forest, named for obvious reasons and located far to the South in an area of a temperate climate and swathes of woodland, is predominantly made up of Elfin Seelie who can be found in their greatest numbers in woodland areas. According to ancestral lore they are descended from the huntress Brindel Fendril whose name the leaders of the Ghostlight Forest court bear and to whom they can trace their ancestry directly. Within this Court, Brindel is honoured as a veritable deity even by those who do not claim direct ancestry due to her woodland craft which is still observed rigorously by the Elfin Seelie.

Now the Ghostlight Forest is almost empty of its Seelie caretakers. All but the very young and injured left to aid a Seelie Court within a country neighbouring Aldebaran threatened by the encroaching forces of the crazed Emperor. Now they remain to fight alongside those survivors of that Court, their homes destroyed and most of their clansmen dead from the crushing defeat they suffered in the initial defence. Even the Chief Fendril has been terribly wounded and many suspect that his days are numbered, looking to any potential successor.

Naturally that would be his daughter, the only surviving clan member to bear the name Fendril. However, with exposure to heavily patriarchal practices in other races and the perilous situation they face, many have begun to question whether such a young woman could lead the combined Courts better than a male. This would mark a break from an aeon old tradition with an indirect descendent of Fendril usurping the position of a direct, main line family inheritor. The divide between the two sides is hidden but behind closed doors and in the shadows plots and schemes are conjured and before long it will no longer be a conflict that can be contained, concealed or delayed.

Occupation: Chief's daughter/heiress

Religion: Ancestor worship

Unlike most other races, the Elfin Seelie do not practise a Monotheistic or Polytheistic religion. Rather, they turn to their long and meticulously recorded family histories for guidance. Prayers for guidance, protection and strength are offered to famous members of their dynasty or the most celebrated of deceased leaders from aeons past. Songs and dances are attributed to their ancestors and form an integral part of their worship; celebrating in the accomplishments of their ancestors and commemorating the feuds long since ended.

When the first leaf falls for Autumn the Elfin Seelie gather to toast their predecessors and many believe it is the time in which it is easiest to commune with their ancestors; seeking guidance and wisdom from those whose name echo down the aeons.

A consequence of this religious adherence to their ancestral lines, and to maintain their diversity, is the avoidance of all inter-marriage amongst the Elfin Seelie. Instead, to maintain their ancestral identity, they will take mates from other, compatible, races (often humans) but rarely will they choose a lifelong companion. As such the families of the Seelie will not mix and lines are only lost through infertility or premature death. The children will almost always show traits specifically of the Seelie rather than the other races but there are occasionally those born displaying traits of the mate's race; these children are disowned by the Seelie.

Appearance:

Lithe, tall and toned from two lifetimes of hunting and arms training, Elaeria walks with the stalking nature of a panther. She is light on her feet and has an air of perpetual grace as if every movement is to a rhythm audible to her alone. Her limbs are largely in proportion with nothing especially notable although she is very slightly long-legged but this is more apparent in her stride length than in an aesthetic sense.

In the traditional style amongst Seelie, especially those Courts based in woodland areas, her glowing red hair has grown exceptionally long to rest barely above the back of her knees. In a more formal setting this might be braided painstakingly in whatever fashion is currently in favour by one of the branch families charged with the care taking of the head family but in these troubled times it is usually pulled back into a carefully tied ponytail (or one long braid when there is the time to do so).

At all times she will be found with her long hunting spear, an heirloom said to have been wielded by Brindel herself and often only used as a ceremonial item due to its unwieldy nature. However, Elaeria has fallen into the group of those few of Brindel's descendants who had a natural affinity for utilising the spear as it is: a deadly weapon suited only for a master in spearcraft. Along with this she will almost always be found in hunting leathers dyed a deep green, perhaps with a royal blue cloak when she is acting in an official capacity or is on the battlefield.

Personality: Despite her many years, Elaeria is young in age for her kind and this is partially reflected in her manner. She is cheerful in a manner only the young are capable, seemingly unperturbed by the horrors of war. Fond of celebration, dancing and singing with others given even half a chance, Elaeria is one who will take the spotlight at any festival. Her other love is of men. Specifically human men. She revels in their company and enjoys their determination to make a mark with their short lives, in sharp contrast to the cautious manoeuvres of the Elfin Seelie One should not be fooled by this carefree exterior, however. Raised to lead the Court from birth she has a mind for politics and is both cunning and strong-willed, the steel of her conviction something those attempting to subvert her birthright will find unexpected.

Biography:

Born to her Seelie father and human mother whom she knew only 'briefly', Elaeria was raised exclusively in the Court with an education fit for a leader. War and conflict were far away events, the Seelie not involving themselves in other conflicts unless requested by another Court to join their fight, but this was not a reason for relaxation in her father's eyes. As such she has been trained relentlessly in the art of hunting, both animals and sentient species. Constant training has left her with a lithe frame and toned body and she will be rarely found without her elaborately carved hunting spear, an heirloom from several generations past.

The spear had seen plenty of conflict before it came to Elaeria and has seen much since. When the Court responded to the plea for aid from another under threat from Dagon, Elaeria accompanied the warriors and most of the Court to battle. They arrived late to find most of the threatened Court dead or missing and instead evacuated those left and beat a fighting retreat from Dagon's forces, eventually meeting up with the Scarred King and his forces by sheer coincidence. Now Elaeria, and the Court, accompany the Scarred King, but the situation is fraught due to her father's wounded state. There are rumblings within the Court of choosing a more battle-hardened warrior to lead them during the conflict before allowing Elaeria to resume her father's position but few see this as nothing more than the power grab that it is.

Partly due to her status as the heiress of the Court, partly due to her natural charisma, Elaeria has a strong cohort of friends and companions of her generation who hunt and revel together. For decades she has built lasting connections with almost every family in the Court and so, whether by deliberate action or not, has ensured that any attempt to deprive her of right to lead the Court would not pass easily.

Equipment:

Skills:

Motivation:

Darkness Visible

@Flagg

Shiny, I shall work on a character sheet immediately!

Darkness Visible

This looks interesting - I noticed that it was intended for a small group and there were a fair few respondents in the Interest Check. Might I be able to join or was I a little late to the party/fellowship?

The House of Powers

@banjoanjo

Arthur Ragnarson

Irina's rebuttal of Arthur's analysis was somewhat comforting. Although she had not perfected her power it was still good to know that, from her experience at least, their new instructor's power was not the invasive nightmare that he had imagined. He could see that she was both struggling and experimenting with the new applications of her ability but exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.

Arthur made a note to himself to put in a request for the power nullifier to be put on, or at least to question its inactivity at night time and the potentially dangerous consequences of leaving it so; asking for things at this stage would only increase their captors' confidence in the control they exercised over the inhabitants of the facility.

"I'm really not sure I want to be testing my powers out with others..." Arthur muttered to himself. As far as he could tell, the only way to put his abilities to the test was to be injured in some way or other and then see how long said injury took to repair. Thankfully there was no one in their group likely to blow a massive hole in his chest or something drastic like that; the young Brit seriously doubted his 'Accelerated Healing' power covered gaping chest wounds and the like.

When Nilin announced his first pairing he was mildly pleased. He and Uriel got on well, both being from somewhat advantageous backgrounds; although, Arthur had a feeling that Uriel's early life had been more pleasant than his own. That, or the Aussie dealt with it very well. Looking around the small gaggle of adolescents, Arthur located Uriel and shot off a mock salute when his partner had spotted him.

"Looks like we're up first. I'm not sure how you want to go about this but... my power is pretty much entirely passive." He grimaced a little before continuing. "And... the only way I can see us 'training our abilities together', as our new coach/chief scientist/warden has commanded, is if you... y'know, hurt me. And then we see how long it takes me to recover. Fun, right?"

The House of Powers

@Gonzo@banjoanjo@HellHoundWoof@Lillium@Thundercrash@SheriffLlama@wolverbells@HecateProxy

GM Post

Nilin looked over the group, the wary faces trying their best to hide the blossoming hope underneath. Irina's attention was elsewhere, as it might be when one has several voices sounding off inside one's mind. By and large, it seemed that they were now prepared to listen, or move on. At the very least, they were less suspicious and resistant than before her display so it had been the correct choice to display it in such a vivid manner.

"The first group session will involve everyone and from there we will assess you and divide you into smaller groups more applicable to your individual ability types. Training in groups alongside your individual sessions has yielded rapid results in the past and should enable you all to develop and control your abilities faster."

Nilin strode up one of the aisles and through the auditorium doors, turning left and taking the door at the opposite end of the corridor to where the residents had been going for their individual sessions. There was no need to tell the group to follow, they simply did so obediently although with some quiet conversation as they followed their new instructor with some small degree of hope.

After a few turns past the previously locked door Nilin came to a large set of double doors and pushed through them without pause, the group following her into a massive but empty room. The walls were shielded with metal plates and there were none of the fake-windows in here, just an array of lights in the ceiling that were behind a fine mesh gauze, presumably for protection.

"This is the main training room used for group activities. For now I'm going to split you all into pairs and you're going to work out a way to train your abilities together. Then you'll rotate partners and experiment with each other to find what works and what doesn't." Nilin had no pad or list from which to read, there was no need, so familiar was she with each of the individuals and their respective abilities.

"Your starting pairs are as follows: Irina and Stasya, Mara and Nikolai, Arthur and Uriel, Lucie with Christian. As we have an odd number Abel will join Irina and Stasya. I'll tell you when to switch partners. Discuss where your powers overlap and test them against each other. One thing though: don't do anything unnecessarily dangerous." A slight, wry smile briefly flittered across her lips before promptly disappearing. "It's still early days for that."

The House of Powers

Arthur Ragnarson

Auditorium

Their new instructor, Nilin, worried Arthur. She was constantly on guard and, at least as far as he could tell, was committed to whatever programme they were involved in despite having been through it herself. He liked to think himself a good judge of character; a perceptive observe of human nature and emotion due in part to the lack of it in himself. However, this Nilin was unreadable. Even with the other scientists Arthur could sense something under their polished behaviour and upbeat-but-still-serious demeanour, something that did not mesh with their state aims. It wasn't quite animosity, it wasn't so direct and almost moderately disinterested disdain.

Arthur was one who liked to arm himself with knowledge. Whether that be researching extra material before an academic test, watching videos of various formations and tactics used in team sports or even just observing emotional reactions of others before he invested in any meaningful relationship with them; Arthur felt that holding information gave him an advantage and made him feel safe, in control. Now he was wary, unsure of how to proceed. Nilin shrugged off his question with a perfectly adequate response but that was all. There was nothing extra, no little verbal slip that he had been hoping for.

"Thank you, that clears it up a little for me." Arthur replied, smiling as if he were satisfied while his inner self struggled to retain its strict discipline. Their new instructor carried on responding to questions in turn before speaking directly to Irina. From the stunned look on her face, Arthur suspected that she had been trying something out with her power. Maybe trying to read Nilin's mind? It was a good plan but for whatever reason, Arthur found it easy to believe that Irina would be unsuccessful despite accidentally reading everyone else's thoughts at most times.

Careful, Irina. She seems sharper than the others.

Arthur was half talking to himself, half communicating with the telepath before he clamped down on his thoughts and smoothed out his shaken mind. He ceased listening to Nilin and her interactions with the group as he tuned out any influences upon his mental state and returned to his emotional base line. The young lad managed this just in time to watch Nilin's display.

At first he thought that she had some kind of pyrokinetic power but the nature quickly changed. Arthur found himself leaning forwards, like most in the room, watching in fascination at the display of a power than could only be described as near-magical.

So, an illusion? But is it merely optical or has she planted it in our minds? Assuming that it is, in fact, an illusion. He briefly glanced over at Irina. If it's the latter then we might have a problem. If we were wanting to leave, that is.

The House of Powers

@wolverbells@HecateProxy@banjoanjo@HellHoundWoof@Jinxer@Lillium@Gonzo@KahleenCuthald@SheriffLlama

Arthur Ragnarson

Auditorium

One by one everyone filtered into the room and one by one Arthur greeted them with a nod or a brief verbal communication. Over the past week he had made a point of learning everyone's name and a little about them, mostly to try and work out who might be trusted if this scenario ever spun into the horror show it was so close to, and partly because there had been a lot of time to speak to people.

Sure, the facility had masses of entertainment opportunities and Arthur loved a good, long swim but it was easy to lose oneself in those chances and forget what was going on around them; where they were and why they were here. The young Brit somewhat suspected that was probably the aim of the organisation running the facility and his stubborn stream had him trying to resist that at every corner, without bringing undue attention to himself.

Now, with the arrival of this beautiful young woman and her alleged history aligning herself as 'one of them', the story so far was taking a predictable turn.

So we get accustomed to the place we're in, begin to acknowledge that we're not leaving any time soon and that maybe, just maybe, it's better for us to be in here. Then they present a potential ally, say 'Look, it's one of you!' and promise there is light at the end of the tunnel. It all sounds a bit orchestrated to me.

Arthur glanced over at Irina with a quiet smile, catching her tired gaze.

Right, Irina?

Uriel was speaking now. Chipper, slightly over the top but so very charming Uriel. Bombarding her with questions in his usual manner, making Arthur smile. If nothing, he was very consistent which was hard to keep up in this place.

"If you don't mind, I too have a question." Arthur said, raising his hand as well. It was difficult to work out a question that might yield useful information without clearly revealing that he was angling for something he might use. He considered his words carefully and then spoke smoothly.

"I understand that having group sessions might help us understand our powers through observing others' but surely certain types of powers might not benefit from this? For example, my power appears to be passive and I have no control over it so I'm not sure how much we'd all learn from my being present."

The House of Powers

@wolverbells@HellHoundWoof

Arthur Ragnarson

Pool to auditorium

Looks like they've got a schedule.

Arthur was, as was his custom every morning, in the pool. He had already spent an hour in the gym well before the normal morning announcement to get moving. After that he would shower and warm down by swimming a few dozen lengths. Only then would he feel ready and awake for the day. For as long as he could remember he'd had a similar routine, although it had become considerably more intensive in recent years when working out properly would no longer stunt his growth.

When the announcement was made he finished his final cycle before heaving himself out of the pool, enjoying the heated sensation of his muscles calming after their exertion. His regulated breath slowed down as his body calmed and so he showered again, washing away the sweat and chlorine water clinging to him, and then changed into the new set of clothes he had brought.

Over the past week he had grown accustomed to the daily schedule of the facility; repetitive and not particularly taxing. Clothes that he had discarded in the appropriate laundry basket in his room were always returned freshly washed and pressed by the afternoon of the following day although he had never seen who went about doing all these chores.

I suppose there'll be time for some breakfast.

Arthur made his way back through to the cafeteria where his breakfast (ordered the day before) sat on a plate in the heated glass display cabinets. A small card, upon which was written his name, was set alongside it to denote it as his own. Wolfing down his traditional English breakfast (bacon, scrambled eggs, baked beans, fried bread, sausages, mushrooms, tomato and black pudding), he left his plate on the counter and headed back to his room.

After brushing his teeth and freshening up a little, he went straight to the auditorium. Others were beginning to get ready as well although few got up as early as he did. Although difficult to tell the time of day in this place, he got up at the equivalent of 05:00 every morning to start his exercise routine. He nodded to the others he saw, greeting those by name when he saw them. There were fewer of them now, but the last few days most people had remained in the facility.

The auditorium was empty, Elisa and her fellow scientists always choosing to arrive once the majority of inmates had sat down. This alone had convinced him they had cameras in every room of the facility although there was little suspicious activity to be done, so full proof was the security.

The only other people in the room were Irina, who sat in a daze, and Nikolai, one of the Russian contingent. Some of the others hadn't acclimated well to the place and it was difficult to blame them. While their physical needs were very well catered to, the mental and emotional strain was significant and it would be surprising for anyone to cope well. Thankfully, the scientists had put his resistance to the change down to his healing ability, calling it part of a preemptive healing process. Arthur wanted to keep his nearly sociopathic nature a secret for now, it was the only weapon he really had.

"Good morning, Irina." He said slipping into a seat next to her. He had wanted to ask whether she slept well or how she was but the vacant look on her face showed him enough of the strain she was feeling. Arthur tried to keep his mental state as empty as possible now, especially when near her as he doubted having half a dozen other voices in one's head would help with the coping with the situation. "Mornin', Nikolai." He nodded to the Russian, one of the few he saw before breakfast as they were both early risers. "So, I hear we're starting group sessions today. This is probably where we have to all come up with a presentation about how it feels to have powers and present to the rest of the class. That or we're going to play Quidditch. Personally, I'm down for the latter."

The House of Powers

@Gonzo@banjoanjo@HellHoundWoof@Lillium@KahleenCuthald@Thundercrash@SheriffLlama@wolverbells@HecateProxy

GM Post - Everywhere

One week later - breakfast period

As with all mornings in the facility, the first few hours were given over to private leisure time. The inmates would gather together, or go solo, and do any number of things. Some would continue to explore the facility and its various rooms, each top of the range and seemingly brand new. Some would eat breakfast immediately, others would stay in their rooms sleeping or merely relaxing. Still others would visit the gym or the pool for a morning workout and maybe visit the games room afterwards for more laid back leisure.

It was towards the end of this morning 'free' period, before the first of the bi-daily sessions the inmates had with their coaches, that the first non-standard announcement came. By now they had all become used to hearing Elisa's cheery voice blaring through the hallways of the facility to remind them of the time.

"Wakey wakey all! It's time to start a new day!" or "Your sessions are about begin so make sure you grab something to eat in the next couple of minutes!" and at the end of the day "Time for lights out, people! Remember which rooms are accessible overnight and start getting a shift on to them!"

This one, however, was different. The usual ding-dong announcing the beginning of an announcement sounded, and went largely unheeded. The adolescents all knew the system by now, after all. Then Elisa's voice sounded.

"Good morning all! To celebrate the successful completion of your first week in the facility we're going to start some group sessions! We'll be mingling this in with your individual ones to help you work alongside others with abilities. Please make your way to the auditorium instead of the coaching rooms for the morning session. I'll catch you all there!"

Ding-dong and the announcement was over.