Freyja - A light spear to hold off enemies that get too close. It's blade is too thick to penetrate particularly wellmade chainmail, but it's effective against weaker chainmail and leather.
Armor - A cloak and hat with occasional bits of silver, designed to allow fluid movement and unimpeded casting.
Abilities
Dark - A ball of dark energy that causes an explosive blowback once it hits an object. The blunt force is useful against enemies with a strong defense.
Wind - Generate razor sharps winds that tear enemies apart. Not very strong, only able to damage enemies in leather at it's peak.
Cure - Heal minor wounds and get rid of light negative effects. Cuts and bruises are easy. A deep gash is a challenge. She could set a bone, but completely healing it is out of her skill level.
Rat Physiology - Though Rat Beastmen are weaker than humans, they're faster, and have better vision in dark places.
Talents
Decent Spearfighter - Though she's by no means a master, Kait is above novice level when it comes to using her spear. Still, she prefers to use her Lapi.
Aspiring Magus - Though she hasn't mastered any Lapi, she's certainly on the road to doing so. That is, if she could pick one and stick with it.
Personality: Curiosity is definitely the driving force in most of Kait's actions. Always observing, studying, asking questions, and being inquisitive. This is bolstered by her ambitious nature, mostly towards becoming a world class Magus. Despite how much she asks about others, she doesn't share much about herself, even if she's very casual. In fact, she's a bit too casual, it's hard for her to take much but her own dreams seriously. She's also quite materialistic, having been robbed of the finer things in life as a child. She's even been known to steal, though she's a good person at heart.
Biography: Kait was the middle child in a long list of children of the two beastmen parents, Kain and Kulain. The two lived in a city near the castle, Eorza. The two of them worked terrible paying jobs in an attempt to support their large family, meaning they weren't home often. This meant that Kait's siblings raised her, and she was always asking them what they did. They obliged by attempting to teach her their trade. The eldest was going to enlist in the army and was squire to a knight, and so whenever he had a chance, taught her basic spear fighting techniques. Her closest sister, in terms of age, taught her how to cook to lighten the chore load. But most importantly, her third brother, Kaiden, showed her what Lapi was.
Kaiden was apprentice to a Lapi shop owner. One day, he showed her around the shop when the owner wasn't around, and Kaiden even showed her the effects of a fire Lapi. Kait was absolutely astounded by this, mesmerized even. At this moment she knew she wanted to be a Magus. She even stole the Lapi as the two were walking out of the shop. Her parent's low paying jobs and large family meant she never really had anything to call her own, and so, when she saw this opportunity, she took it.
A few days later, as Kait was wandering around the city, a man came up to her. Quickly, she hid the stone from the man but he saw it, most definitely. He asked her what her name was. She told the truth. He asked her where her brother was. She told the truth. At that, he simply smiled and walked away. Kait was confused and unnaturally afraid, and decided to rush home. But it was too late. Kaiden's corpse was wrapped in a cheap sheet.
Kait was incredibly ashamed and saddened, and instantly threw the Lapis into the gutter. She refused to tell her siblings, couldn't tell her siblings. She could achieve her dream. Her brother had confided in the eldest brother that he thought none of them were going to be anything when they were older, and Kait had heard. She owed it to him to follow her dream, become something, even if he never got the chance to.
For three years Kait gathered money, doing odd jobs, begging on the streets, and finally she was able to get her hands on some Lapi. Every day she practiced with them just outside of the city. Eventually, it was time for her to leave the nest, since Rat Beastmen matured quickly, but instead of staying in the city, she left, opting to try and find a Magus to apprentice, and because, admittedly, she'd never left the city herself.
@Pathfinder I'll go ahead and say yes. Not all of the crystals could have come out perfect, though the land around the crystal will have to be all but uninhabitable.
If any of you have ideas on how your characters could have come together, feel free to share them. I'm gonna go ahead and post my WIP CS so it can stop clogging up my notepad.
Aren't you all lucky? I just so happened to create the OOC right before bed! Go ahead and move on over there, and if I've accepted your character sheet, place that in the character tab. Tomorrow I'll congregate all the info in this thread into the OOC and begin writing up some important NPC stuff.
Intel: Me, you're fearless commander. Fearless doesn't mean powerful though, so you guys will be doing all the heavy lifting. Luckily, I know just about everything that goes on in Lucumbro, so you're in good hands.
Strategy: Why would you fight me? I don't even know fencing. I just know how to play the lute.
Sardiel's life was well documented, by an advisor of some kind. I've transcribed it here.
Sardiel was born a long while ago, to parents who had recently taken the throne; back then, the culture was noticeably different from how things are in the present day. Most notably, there was a significantly-reduced presence of elven nobles in the court of Lucumbro, as many such families had yet to achieve the success and wealth that centuries of experience helps to catalyse without strictly guaranteeing either. Many of those present at the time were instead human, and Sardiel soon noticed that the older humans in the court, servant and noble alike, would sometimes disappear permanently with no warning. Though his parents gave reasons for their vanishing during his childhood, such as "we removed them from their position for doing a bad job" and "they're taking an extended rest in the next country over", maturity brought with it an ever more unhealthy awareness of the concept of death, and the fact that even elves were not immune to their lives ending, a point hammered in quite roughly when Sardiel was unfortunate enough to have one of the eldest elves in court expire of heart failure right in front of him.
Naturally, this shaped much of his future mindset, most notably the permanent fear that he too would eventually die. He desperately did not want to die. What would happen if he died? Maybe his soul would be taken to an afterlife of grand scope and high adventure, as the religion of the time dictated... and then again, maybe he'd just be permanently incognizant, save if a necromancer drew his soul back into the realm of the living. Or worse, subjected to some impossible nightmare for no good reason, other than that he'd failed to survive beyond his time. For two hundred years, these ideas plagued him, leaving him despondent and insular day-in and day-out, and he even considered hiring a necromancer to resurrect him as some form of undead entity just to ensure he would not die of old age.
And then, one day, he had an inconceivable stroke of luck. Two decades or so ago, a minute stockpile of Lapis had been acquired within Lucumbro- no more than a few gemstones overall- and its effects tested in secret by a significant mage group at the time, and it had been discovered back then that upon the performance of certain rituals, this Lapis would do something or other. The "something or other" in question had recently been revealed as slowing the aging process, for several of the older users had yet to pass on, whilst the younger users seemed to be very similar in age to how they had been years before. Naturally, the mages of the guild saw this as a form of minor miracle; just as naturally, upon Sardiel's discovery of the substance, he demanded as soon as possible that the group give him one of those stones and the instructions for how to use it, though he offered a quite handsome sum of money in return. Since one does not refuse an order (or payment) from royalty without good cause, even as a guild of mages, they agreed to his terms, and granted him the stone and the information on how to use it.
His first anti-aging ritual was performed that very night, and paved the way for him to progress further into the realms of magic and Lapi use over the course of his life. With each ritual, his aging slowed more and more heavily, and he was ever vigilant about ensuring he performed these regularly. At three hundred, he appeared to be two hundred and sixty; at four hundred, upon the deaths of his dear parents and his coronation as king, he seemed merely two hundred and ninety; and at six hundred, after the birth of his third and final child, he looked to be no more than three hundred and ten. This pattern continued accordingly for hundreds more years, until Sardiel finally mastered the anti-aging Lapis completely, and his appearance ceased to advance from an apparent three hundred and thirty five years or so, even though by then he was more than a millennium old, his wife deceased and his eldest child approaching a quite elderly state.
So, too, had the people of the land begun questioning the state of affairs of royal progression: whilst many of the shorter-lived races were unaware of how unnaturally youthful Sardiel was, many longer-lived beings such as elves, and indeed plenty of nobles in a court that was by now already beginning to shift toward elven monopoly, were beginning to ask exactly when Sardiel would perish and pass his crown on to his children. As well, a lot of people were not necessarily content with his ruling style, his tendency to consider the long term gain over the short term loss, the many over the few, the kingdom's expansion over mere local customs and fears. And so, as both self-protection and assuaging of fears, Sardiel developed a plan to fake his own death.
The next day, King Sardiel rode off for a distant land, escorted by a small batallion of guards. Eight days later, the guards returned with a corpse, announcing that the king had unfortunately expired of some rare illness in that land, and that the throne would now belong to his eldest, or his eldest if he should expire before coronation.
The day after that, Sardiel returned to the castle in secret, undetected by anyone, and ensconced himself in the castle's inner sanctum. There, he handed a false crown to his (frankly surprised) eldest child to be declared king with, for though he might be king in name, Sardiel's continued semi-mortal existence meant he was naught but a figurehead. The power remained with his father alone, and if he and his descendants wanted to prove themselves loyal, they would comply with the true king's orders, and take this secret to their graves save for telling the truth to their own children. Some time later, it occurred to Sardiel that perhaps not all of the current "king"'s children would need to be informed, but by then all of his grandchildren and even some great-grandchildren knew. He supposed it wasn't entirely bad form; after all, he'd need informants to tell him the current state of affairs beyond and within the walls of the castle.
Another millennium or so passed. Sardiel's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, passed into and out of life; Sardiel continued to live unaging in that time, his descendants bringing him food, drink, and interaction. After a time, one of them brought in a few servants to assist Sardiel's life and personal interaction; though he was furious at first, especially after learning about discussions early on of how similar each new king's ruling policy had been to Sardiel's own, evolving into a semi-myth about some vastly-powerful demon called "The Eternal King" who controlled each monarch of Lucumbro (which over time was growing into a full-blown empire spanning multiple countries) into doing its bidding, it transpired that none broke the secret of his continued existence to the world at large, and he eventually adapted to the change in circumstance, even managing to convince some of them to sneak Lapis stones of various sorts into the inner sanctum to let him continue practicing his magical abilities as needed.
Unfortunately, the scope of the cover-up eventually became too grand to hide. Sardiel still has no clue who revealed that he was still alive and ruling from the shadows to the court and world alike, be it one of his younger descendants or a newer servant who had yet to establish how extreme the consequences of their actions might be. However, it stood that the current "king" was the one to inform him of his rediscovered existence, and that in light of "the miraculous discovery about his ancestor's continued existence", as it was put to the court with no indication that he'd known about him beforehand, he had abdicated from the throne entirely in favour of his maniple-great-grandparent, who after all was "far more qualified to rule kindly and fairly thanks to their experience and wisdom".
Sardiel found it hard to be angry or scared about this turn of events, mostly because he was rushed into his "re-coronation" almost as soon as the prior "king" announced his abdication to Sardiel. It quickly became clear that opinions in the court (now very heavily populated by elves) were mixed about his return and/or hiding in the shadows - some saw it as the same miraculous discovery it had been pitched as, and others believed it might be good to have an experienced warrior in charge; some were relatively indifferent, whilst others still were enraged at apparently being lied to, either about his continued existence outright, or else that he'd possibly been pulling the strings for far longer than he had any right to in their eyes. Some even attributed the name of the non-existent demon that myths had been built about to Sardiel himself, in praise and in mockery alike. And of course, Sardiel knew full well that these sentiments would be emulated in the empire at large, with much more dire results than simple anger: civil war was surely on the horizon.
Quickly, he arranged his affairs to prepare for the inevitable. The smiths and enchanters were ordered to construct a new set of equipment- armour, shield, mace, and swords- for "the ruling monarch both present and future", though he fully intended this ruling monarch to be himself for the rest of time now that the truth was known, "and the family of the same". He hired individuals of a mildly unscrupulous nature to burrow through the court, up to and including the King's Guard, to determine who if any were disloyal to him, and purged from their positions of power and wealth anyone who it seemed was even slightly opposed to the crown, replacing them with others who he could be sure would not turn against him; once again, he sacrificed short-term gain for long-term benefit, as he knew this move would surely be seen as draconian in nature and accelerate the oncoming storm's arrival, though he believed it utterly necessary to ensure he would survive to see the storm pass.
And finally, funds were invested into the military: soldiers, knights, and generals were hired and trained as needed, combat equipment was produced at a rate unseen since the conflict against a neighboring empire three hundred years ago, military outposts were set up in the most important areas of Lucumbro's rule, and guard patrols became more frequent throughout the land of Lucumbro. All to help combat what by then was beginning to present itself as a rising movement, in the form of the so-called Glanz Empire, the start of a legacy that Sardiel was sure would prove to be a corrupt and rotten hulk throughout. Power, after all, is a force that corrupts many, indeed an end rather than a means; if he himself wasn't evidence of that, he didn't know what was.
He prays he will have the courage to relinquish the excess of power he has built up once the war is over. Moreso, he prays he will have the option to begin with.
Strategy: Though the king prefers not to fight, when cornered, he's still a foe to be reckoned with. He's armed with a mace, two blades, a heater shield, and a unique set of armor that hardens when struck, allowing both defence and mobility. He's also mastered a lightning Lapis, as well as a Lapis that let's him generate and manipulate plant matter. There have even been reports of a giant treant fighting by his side. I doubt we'll ever even meet him, let alone fight him, but just in case, stay on your toes.
Intel: There really isn't much info on the Firebird's Commander, but here's what I have; Born 117 years ago and cursed with the seed of a demon, her life was hell until her home burned down and she joined with the rebellion. She was trained personally by the previous commander before he was killed in battle and she took his place. Under her, the rebellion became a full scale war, with her impassioned speeches on revolution and power. Ever since, she's lead the Firebird Legion in their fight against the King. No one knows how she's stayed alive for so long. Some suspect her demon's blood, some suspect Lapi, and some suspect she has died, since she now refuses to make public appearances beyond the battlefield.
Strategy: Gennisi is incredibly powerful, both as a general, and as a combatant. She destroys any men that fall before her with her spear and her sunlight Lapi, and her shield is useful for both deflecting hits, and can be thrown as a weapon, always returning back to her. She also possesses power over gravity, able to root enemies in place or drag them in a certain direction. It's even been rumored that she's immortal, for no matter how many times she's been struck down in battle, she's come back again. Avoid at all costs.
You live in the Kingdom of Lucumbro. Maybe you haven't for a majority of you life, but for now, you reside here. It's the year 2235, and things look like hell here. The countryside is ablaze, the castle is full of backstabbers, and towns are being raided. It's been like this for almost a century now, this war that's consumed the Kingdom. 94 years ago Sardiel, the Eternal King, revealed that he had been puppeteering the crown for over 1000 years. Up to that things had been shaky, but workable. Other than the poverty and issues with the political system, the Kingdom was at peace. Once the truth was out, the rising tensions exploded.
A half-demon girl by the name of Gennisi would lose her home soon after this, and become the face of the rebellion. Once the original leader died, she became Commander of the Firebird Empire at only 23 years old. Her fervent attitude and impassioned speeches on revolution gathered many to her side, and forced the small rebellion into an all-out civil war. The King, out of touch but still wise, erected military outposts and demanded a higher rate of production of weaponry and Lapi, unparalleled since nearly 300 years ago. But the Firebirds would not let up, and Sardiel was forced to play the long game, again sacrificing his citizens short-term well being for the longevity of the kingdom, and himself.
Ever since, neither of the two sides have let up. Sardiel is still ruling king, as youthful as the day he had revealed himself, while Gennisi seemed to have not aged either, and indeed has survived many grievous wounds. The war shows no signs of stopping, but you've had enough. Whoever you are, you have joined with six others in an effort to end the war. You may be just a motley crew now, but you've all got skills beyond a commoner, and an ally who seems to know just where to point you all. With luck, you might just be able to pull through.
Magic is used through rocks that can provide passive buffs, enchant weaponry, or be activated to launch spells. Basically Materia. A more detailed explanation is below.
Magic is generally only used through small crystalline rocks called "Lapi." Said stones hold magic power, and by stimulating it with a fraction of your own energy, you can use its effects. These range from healing, to manipulation or generation of certain elements, to temporary alterations of your physical form. Some effects activate without having to activate them, and some almost unheard of ones are even stranger. Lapi are both amazing and odd, and scientists, scholars and alchemists alike can't figure out what makes them produce such outlandish affects, only that they form from even larger crystals deep underground. This makes Lapis production a challenge to all but the most high ranking of the Khint Alchemist Clan, who have excavated a crystal of their own and have found a way to force it to create Lapis at an accelerated rate, though even they aren't sure how to manipulate any other factors of production like strength or ability.
One can recreate a Lapis's ability without actually having said Lapi, but without much practice, familiarity, and experience, it's a dangerous game. Only the most skilled of Magi have even a few Lapi mastered, and even fewer have learned how to manipulate said ability once learned. Another unfortunate side of Lapi is it's effect on humans. If one is around or uses Lapi a lot during pregnancy, a human child can "absorb" its effect, coming out deformed or with uncontrollable magical abilities. Occasionally, one may escape physical alteration and self destructive magics, leaving only useful abilities. Why this happens only to humans, no one seems to know, though studies have been done and this may be linked to humans' propensity to mastering Lapi. It also seems to be happening more often, as more Lapi is used in war time, and the Khint have upped production, putting more Lapi into the hands of commoners.
Though only humans may be mutated by Lapi, other races are blessed with abilities, though this phenomena decidedly different to Lapi magic and is regarded as "Extranatural Talent" by scholars, ET for short. These are generally given to most if not all members of a race, and allow them a leg up on the competition. Demons seem to be the only exception of this rule, who seem to have completely random ETs. They also are unable to master Lapi, though they can use it just fine.
@Pathfinder I'm not super sure about that Wyrdstone stuff. I'll let you finish up describing it before I give a straight yes or no, but I'm not sure.
As for Rakeesh, I'm very interested in their origin, because the character I was writing up is a Rat Beastman. I was thinking some sort of sister species, maybe a more domesticated Rakeesh? But yeah, very interested in the concepts in your sheet.
@BCTheEntity I can't tell if making a weapon only you could ever possibly use is a good idea or a bad one... Either way, I'd say go for it purely based on that idea being interesting.
@Orion Just a little too powerful. The main reason I say that is because I'm not sure of the limits of Gaia's Strength or how long it takes for it to start harming him. Also, maybe Stoneskin should slow him down? Or maybe all these mutations have had an effect on his stamina?
@Dragonbud Seems good. Hopefully I'll get my character up soon, just having some issues with the backstory.
EDIT: @BCTheEntity I personally don't think it's a horrible idea, but the inventors of Lucumbro probably couldn't make a spear/blade/rifle hybrid. You'd have to have her carry all three separately. Magnetism, as a Lapis, totally works though.
@Pink Snorlax Of course there's space for one more, but he seems just a bit weak, like just barely below Izerk maybe another weapon, something that would help him against armored foes? Or a ranged attack of some kind, throwing knives maybe?
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