Krauxis

Night Kiss

She was frightened to go into the city. It had to be done. Of course it had to be done. Cities frightened her. Forests were sparse of people. Temples too. At least, her home had been. Too many people makes too much mess. Eats all the food. People were full of greed. Greed was not her territory. It was not written into her code. Greed was for people who were fortunate enough to experience luxury. Rosa DeLune was not fortunate. Not in any way. Her home had been a place of peace, yes, but not of plenty. There was little food to be had in the Spine of Léva, and much of it was too tough, even for her. She could live off of stolen energy for a long time, but it could not sate the gnawing in her gut that did not let her sleep, and willed her toward death.

As of recently, she could not call herself by name anymore. No, now she had a title. She was Rose, the Thorned One. She could not be touched, for her touch was dangerous. Her name, too, was dangerous. It was not an alias, truly, because nobody knew her name anyway. But it was her oath to Selene. An oath that demanded action tonight. Action, of course, in the city.

Dwarves in the city were friendly enough, but they sneered at her. Perhaps they had a grudge against humans, or maybe elves. Rose was sure they had a grudge against mutts like her. Everyone did, in the end. The city folk had welcomed her in, but judged her with their gazes whenever she was around. She could feel it on her back.So she had spent time in the forested areas outside the city, feasting on whatever game she could find. But the city lights were impossible to miss. That's what it said in the note, something about a light. Rose had received the note when she swore her oath. Apparently there had been a plan in the works for some time. A plan that would be set into action when the white moon and the blue moon hung in the sky together. Tonight was that night, and she could not avoid the city any longer. Its lights flicked on, and Rose was already walking toward where her contact would be waiting.

Are you prepared, Rosa? Her soul whispered inwardly. When Manos spoke, it felt as though she was talking to herself - such was their symbiotic relationship. Maybe it would feel strange. Supposedly it was supposed to be frightening. But it seemed completely natural to her. Tonight is the first night of the rest of your life. Of our lives. We will learn about the underbelly of the world now, and with time we will incorporate it into ourselves. You'd better not screw everything up.

Rose shook her head quickly. No, she would not make any mistakes. Manos always spoke dramatically, but he was right. Her past life was over, and nothing would be the same after tonight. In what way, she was not sure, but if these people could help her fight off the ticking time bomb that was her own starvation, that would be enough. She could promise her loyalty to people like that... That went without saying though. She already had promised that very thing. Like snapping a twig under too much pressure, Rose's mind reverted to her usual hunter's mindset, and thoughts fired quickly, like arrows aimed only loosely at a target. Manos' influence calmed her mind and allowed the formation of longer thoughts, but since that was not necessary for survival, it only seemed to happen when he wanted it to. Usually Rose's own mind worked in short bursts.

The city was a bright shade of white. Not what she expected. Was this the signal to light the way? The way was indeed quite light. Perhaps something had gotten confused? Maybe something went wrong. What was she supposed to do if it did? Run? Hide? Attack? Too many options meant that she continued at pace. No way but forward. Priests used to say 'If you move under your own convictions, you will find the strength to pull through.' Rose followed this creed. She was strong. She could make a way. Tonight, she had to make a way.

The meeting is not called off, I am sure of that. We must simply look harder. Use your senses, Rosa. Your hunter's eyes and ears.

All was quiet, and all was strangely bright. Down the road a bit two people were talking. Nothing out of the ordinary. There were people in cities, and they talked together.

Hold on... Her partner stopped her train of thought in its tracks for some reason.

Everything was night. Would all the lamps be on? Maybe. Would people be standing on the street? Maybe. Conversation, then? Maybe... But maybe not.

It was easy. Risk free. She was looking for an inn. Lost girl. Arrived in city late. Could force normal speech for a while. She did not know what she was looking for, but maybe someone was looking for her instead? She knew little about the group she had just joined. Would have to bank on chance. Chance, senses, and skill.

Quietly, and outside of direct contact with the light, Rose approahed the pair. The woman offered the man a large sum of money in such a way that it would not be obvious to onlookers. But Rose had been looking for a sign. Something almost exactly like that. This boosted her confidence.

This was it. She didn't know why she knew, but she knew. Maybe Manos figured it out. Maybe he knew what to look for. Either way, this was the man she was supposed to meet. She approached slowly and non-threateningly, though she would be ready to strike if she was attacked, like a snake. She had nothing to say, so she didn't speak. But she looked directly into the larger man's eyes with her own blazing red ones. Something she rarely did. If he was expecting her, he would know what her look and those eyes meant. If he had not been expecting her, he would not. Her eyes would frighten him away. And she would have revealed nothing. For the elf he was interacting with, she spared not a look, nor even a thought. Surely she would be condescending the poor girl with human blood. Perhaps both of the pair were. But it wasn't worth talking to someone who didn't like you. If they were in the same boat, Rose could grow to like her. But if they were not, it was not worth the effort.

Night Kiss

I love the dice system already. Some of my best tabletop moments were had trying to think of something on the spot to salvage a bad roll, or finding a creative way to embellish a good one. I'm more than happy to see something like that in an RP that promises to be as deep as this one.

Night Kiss

I like that we have a balance of combat and non-combat characters so far. Hopefully we get some good opportunities to flex our teamwork (or maybe a dysfunctional lack of teamwork?)

Night Kiss

Alright, edited my post. To summarize my changes, other than balance changes (which you're free to add dice or something to as the situation demands, but I left that out of the CS) I added the bit about being found at one of Himlan's Temples of Myth (I'll PM you about the details a bit later when I collect my thoughts a little more on that.) I changed the demon around, but decided to keep her power the same as I had originally envisioned in my head, and added the scientific principle I based the power around in hopes that it would clarify things a little further. I also added clarity about the differences between her human food consumption and her demonic energy and mass consumption.

Lastly, I decided to take out the anime picture and add a short text description.

A lot of the nitty-gritty details are things I didn't put in the CS, for brevity's sake, and because they'd be expanded upon more in IC, so if you have any concerns about that, PM me or bring them up and I'll gladly clarify some more.

Edit: SirBeowulf, I wouldn't mind having a connection, but since a lot of Rose's time was spent in seclusion or entirely in the wilderness, I'm not sure how such a connection would have come about, especially with a more city-dweller type character like yours. Keep in mind that my character is a new recruit, so they wouldn't have known each other from the Night's Kiss in the past either. You may have to settle for getting to know each other ICly :p

Night Kiss

I'm about to head to bed, so I'll think on your suggestions a bit more and come back to it tomorrow after work. I'll definitely clarify her combat ability and tweak her power, and I'll change the demon around. I fell back on common things because I wanted to get something down on paper more than I wanted to expand the world at that time, so I'll make some edits for sure.

One thing I can clarify right away is that, while I like the idea of sucking a person's mass and making them gaunt, etc, the idea I had in mind was more of a magical idea, where it would almost affect their molecular density or something rather than their actual body mass. Like, making them lighter and me heavier without altering our forms too much. I may change that to more of what you said, for the realism factor, and less of a loose metaphorical idea, but I'll think on it more. I'll also come up with separate terms for her need for human food with nutrients and vitamins separately from her need to consume energy due to her possession.

I may PM you a few things, since I don't want to load up the CS itself with a whole lot of unnecessary information (like building the whole Temple, if that's the route I decide to take) and we'll take it from there. Otherwise, I'll come back with more thoughts and edits when I get the chance. Thanks for your extensive input, I wasn't expecting so much criticism, but there's no doubt it'll make everything better in the end :D

As a last footnote, I realize my picture's anime-styled too, but I wouldn't get my hopes up of me finding another picture if I were you. I have no idea how to get good pictures of any other kind, at least ones that suit my tastes and needs. I'm open to direction, and it's not like I'm completely attached to the design, but I'd sooner be able to write five pages of text than to find a suitable image. It's just beyond my usual realms. If it becomes necessary to change up, then I'm open to direction of course, just like anything else. Of course if text is the better option, that's definitely within my expertise.

Night Kiss

My Oath

I am fate's strike unexpectedly come, I come too soon and am before their time, I am reaper, predator, and I swear this Oath before Selene. I, Rosa Eclaire DeLune of Sweet Night, One Faint Kiss. Amongst Night's Chosen, I shall be The Thorned One, Rose.

The Chosen are my kin, I am servant to Selene for She is my patron, my Divine. Through my kin, I offer my skills to Selene. I offer my highly trained martial prowess and proficiency with my fists; my ability to siphon mass from my victim; and my trained knowledge of Chakra. I submit my greatest flaws: my insane stubbornness, which often leads me to even physical conflict with my allies; as well as my endless, life-threatening hunger for energy, so that my kin might aid me in my time of need. I recognize the Sweet Night knows no politics and declare mine openly to shed temptation. I despise 'pure' races, primarily elves and dwarves, as they look down on me and my kind. However, I sympathize endlessly with half-breeds like myself, even if they don't like me in return. May my kin aid me should I stumble as I shall do so for them.

Openly I declare with neither pride nor shame-- for Sweet Night knows neither-- my past as kin may know. I am a Half Elven orphan from Nebel, who became host to the Demon Manos (who presides over Gluttony) at the early age of 7. Exile and wanderlust drove me to the harsh terrain of Himlan so that I would be separated widely from other people. Manos gave me the strength and guidance I needed to survive those harsh climates, and the ability to steal a target's mass, and thus their energy. This meant that even if I could not hunt and kill prey, as long as there were living organisms, I could stay alive... even if I was malnourished. And indeed, true nourishment was scarce, and the hunger in my stomach drove me to the edges of sanity. I still have yet to fully recover.

After years of wandering and training my body, I was found at one of Himlan's hidden temples (about which I have been sworn mostly to secrecy.) I couldn't tell you how I got there, but as I worked with the monks and priests, I came to terms with my possession, and honed my martial training even further. I was taught much about the ways of the world, and the ways of Lef. And while I am still naive when it comes to social customs and subjects such as history and politics, I am well-versed in the ways of the human body, and I am far less feral than I was before.

I pledge my oath to Selene at Manos' bidding. He promises food without limit and a chance to sate my loneliness at the same time. My Lord wishes to gain knowledge about the darkness of this world, and I am happy to oblige him. As of this oath, I serve only Selene above Him, and together they are my Father and Mother.

I do not hide from the gaze of my kin. My power works as follows: Manos' posession carries with it an endless hunger, but also the tools to sate that hunger. Eating food nourishes my human body in the same was as anybody else's (which I refer to in the typical sense of 'nourishment,') but offerings to Manos are also necessary, in the form of a victim's mass. Upon contact with my foe's Chakra Points (and conscious thought that 'I want to eat') I am able to siphon a fraction of the target's mass though Corrupt Lef (which varies depending on the hit,) and add it to my own. This practice I call 'Feeding' or 'Siphoning.' However, Manos is always hungry, whether I have hunted and Fed or not. My own body mass is constantly drained as tribute to Him, and I must Feed to keep up with that hunger. As a balance, this power aids me well in combat, I am slight of frame, but with enough stolen mass, I become like a mountain rooted to the earth. If the enemy has enough mass stolen (or if I go without nourishment for long enough) they become anemic and very ill. However, this effect is only temporary, as the victim's body will absorb energy from the environment over time to return to their usual state. This can take as little as a few hours, or as long as a week, depending on the amount of energy that needs to be replenished. Likewise, when Rose accrues extra mass from Feeding, that energy is quickly drained until she is back to her regular weight, and is held in reserve to stave off Manos' hunger for a short time.

((Though the science may not be present in Leva, in our world this power is based off of a scientific principle called 'Mass-Energy Equivalence,' which is the equation E=mc^2. In other words, an object's mass and energy are always in a certain proportion. Thus, taking away the energy of an object also affects its mass, and vice versa. When Rose Feeds, she absorbs energy, and gets heavier due to this principle. Though there is no change in the shape or size of the victim, nor Rose herself, the proportion of energy gained and lost does change.))

Truly as I am The Thorned One, Rose, and amongst Night's Chosen, I seal my Oath. Of Sweet Night, One Faint Kiss. Autumn, 415 of the 4th Era.

My Portrait

Rose is a small girl, though only small for a human or elf. She is slight of frame, but well proportioned, and muscled more than an average girl of her size due to her intense physical training. Her appearance resembles an albino, though this is due to possession rather than genetic mutation. Her hair is snow white and her eyes are a fiery red. Her natural hair and eye colour is unknown, as this change is irreversible. Her clothes are often dark, loose-fitting, and subtle, often going so far as to even resemble rags. Her skin is dark from sun exposure and rough from weathering the elements, hearkening back to her feral upbringing. Her expression is often either spaced out or else completely disinterested, even when she is paying attention. She frequently glances around at her surroundings as a carry-over from her hunting days, and this habit has a tendency to make people nervous or angry, even if they don't realize it's happening.

Night Kiss

Sounds good to me. It may take me a few days to get a CS in due to my work schedule, but if you don't hear from me in a few days it doesn't mean I've lost interest, just as a heads up.

Night Kiss

Everybody's asking questions and I'm just sitting here enjoying as the answers turn out the way I hoped they would :D

The Adventures of the Greywood Company: A Tale of Heroes and Lost Legends

Posted. Venom, you can meet me on the way back to the camp, if you want. That way we can rejoin everybody shortly and not just be off on our own :p

The Adventures of the Greywood Company: A Tale of Heroes and Lost Legends

Maria blushed sheepishly as the long-haired man helped her to her feet, and was about to stammer out a response when Aventus burst in to claim the potential recruit.

'Maria, do you think you could fetch our guest here some refreshments?'

She was a little sad to be away from the newcomer so soon, but Aventus seemed to have the situation under control. She hadn't caught the man's name, but hopefully he would stick around, at least until she came back to the tent.

Brushing her rear end free of dirt clumps, she made off toward the last place she thought she had seen the barrel of ale, which was near the stables. This was convenient, since she wanted to check up on Domino, to make sure the wyvern wasn't causing too much trouble. She passed the regular familiar sights on the way: people travelling, working, or even just exploring the area, which was always rich in things to see and do. In such a poor area of town, everything was always bustling. While Ostia Martin proper was a giant city with grand architecture, Maria loved the outskirts just as much. She had lived in a lot of cities throughout her military and mercenary career, and this was one of her favourite spots in the country. The bustle of the city with the fresh air and hard-working aura of the peasantry. And of course, this was where her home was.

The ale barrel sat right where she remembered, outside the rickety stable. Whoever cleaned and stocked the place (usually Maria herself) would sometimes sneak a bit of the stuff, but other than that, it had laid untouched for a while. After a quick check up on her friend, who was sleeping peacefully, Maria returned to her work.

"Well, here it is, although... Did Ven say he wanted some ale for himself...? Or was it for the both of them? Maybe Ziria wanted some too?" The poor girl flustered easily and was naturally terrible at making decisions.

"Ooooh, I don't know.... This is too hard. I'll just bring the whole thing!" Dejectedly, and to the complete surprise of the people passing by and watching her, Maria grabbed the keg with both hands and with a small grunt, hoisted it above her head and behind her, carrying it on her back. It was an impressive... no, a ridiculous feat of strength for such a small girl, but it didn't seem to be giving Maria much trouble at all as she hummed a chipper tune and walked steadily back to the tents.