Luminosity

Escaping The Faewoods - A Survival Horror RP

Freya Carstensen

We're quite the little group, aren't we?

Freya was an attentive listener, but even for her picking up bits and pieces of information from the rest of the unfortunates stuck here was difficult. Two different people were looking for someone they'd lost; that was easy enough to understand. Freya hadn't lost anyone, being alone when she passed out. She just hoped her friends wouldn't go back looking for her. Would her car still be there? Her things?

Her things. Freya's hands went to her front pockets, finding her phone there. Good, still over half battery. Bad, no signal. She immediately turned it off and slipped it back into her pocket. Otherwise, just car keys without a car to go in, and some useless hair ties.

Back to people-watching. Two of the boys seemed to know each other. She caught one name, Brent. The twin girls were Aina and Hannei, the boy that helped them Marcus... were there more? It was hard to tell if they were missing anyone in the tall grass.

Brent's story seemed similar enough to her own. "Yeah, I... I'd pulled over, I was driving behind some friends of mine but I lost them. Tried to figure out where I was, and then it's like you said: light-headed, and then faint. I've never fainted before in my life."

Freya didn't like the thought of staying here long, wherever here was, but she wasn't the type to take charge of a group this big, especially when all of them were complete strangers to her. She went back to people-watching, lingering on the edges of the group and the clearing, but she couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her, and before long she was more interested in peering into the depths of the woods than listening to everyone else. They all seemed just as confused as she was.

Escaping The Faewoods - A Survival Horror RP

Freya Carstensen

Dark memories swirled in Freya's sleeping mind.

At the sound of someone's voice calling out, she stirred, like trying to swim to the surface from the depths, nearly drowning on her way up. When she broke the surface and came to her senses, it was with gasps and panted breaths. Damn nightmares. She sat up, bare hands feeling thick undergrowth in the forest floor she'd been unconscious on.

Wait... am I still dreaming? It sure didn't feel like it. She blinked rapidly, trying to slow her breathing, and she finally realized there were other people around, some asleep, some awake, and suddenly Freya felt self-conscious for the panicked state she awoke in. She awkwardly brushed loose hair out of her face, her forehead damp with sweat.

"I'm... I'm okay," she finally answered, looking up at the boy who'd asked from her seat on the ground. She tried to rise, only for a bout of dizziness to come over her, forcing her back to a knee. "At least I think I'm okay."

Nothing about her surroundings looked familiar, like nothing she'd ever seen before, like... not even earthly. She'd seen her fair share of nature documentaries, and nothing like this place ever came up.

"I'm Freya, by the way. Does anyone know what's happening? Anyone remember anything?"

Into The Depths!

Fiona de Valencourt

---

Today's the day...

Fiona de Valencourt took a deep, steadying breath. Not the first of the day, and likely not the last. She was eager to put her skill to use, to make the years of difficult training worth something, but that didn't stop the fluttery feeling of butterflies in her stomach. The abyss isn't as it seems, she'd been warned. She'd heard that a few times now, others telling her sister Sophia the same before she took her sword off to Zion, while Fiona still had to finish her training. It was the path that all de Valencourts took now, ever since the fortress on the edge of the abyss had begun.

She wished she could spend more time in the city. Fiona visited the de Valencourt house first, seeking out her sister. Her uncle had a fair amount of power in Zion, and commanded troops in defense of the city. Sophia was one of them, long since assigned to combat the flow of demons that tried to emerge from the darkness each and every day.

"I can't believe you're getting to take the fight to them before I do," Sophia complained, as they walked the streets together. The first order of business was making sure Fiona was well-stocked for the road ahead, though a bit of sightseeing was in order as well. "I think I'll be stuck defending the walls of this place forever."

"You'll get your chance," Fiona assured her. "Most likely they'll need to send you in next, to rescue me." She was mostly joking, but Sophia didn't seem to find it amusing.

"You haven't seen what comes out of that place, Fi. People die defending this city each and every day." She hesitated, noticing Fiona's concern. "Not me, though, obviously, no demon's going to cut me down, just... look. Watch your back, okay? You can't count on God to do that for you. And don't feel like you have anything to prove, okay?"

"I have to do my part," Fiona argued. "It's what I've been training for. I won't let others take all the risk, especially if I can make a real difference." She got the sense that wasn't what her big sister wanted to hear, so she backpedaled. "But... I'll be careful. Okay? Happy?"

"Sure. Peachy." Sophia sighed, and hugged her, before she held her by the shoulders and glanced up and down her length. "Hey, you make the family colors look pretty good, you know?"

Fiona rolled her eyes and groaned. "Ugh, please, let's just keep going."

The sisters carried on through the city, chattering about lighter things the rest of the way. It was overwhelming in so many ways: the buildings, the people, the heat, the activity. Fiona had never seen anything like it in her journey from the north, from the homeland of the de Valencourts. The sight of the sea had taken her breath away, but nothing compared to this city. If only she had more time...

But the call to arms for the recruits put an end to that, and set the butterflies to action yet again. Reluctantly she parted from her sister, and made her way to the imposing castle in the distance: a testament to the strength of those that had come to this place before her.

Fiona took another deep breath, and made her way inside, her head held high. Her ancestors were watching her, she knew. She had to make them proud.

Escaping The Faewoods - A Survival Horror RP

Freya Carstensen

Name: Freya Carstensen
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Appearance

Likes:

• Creating art
• Music
• Writing
• Nature, especially small animals

Dislikes:

• Coffee
• Hot weather
• Bossy, stubborn people
• Whispers make her deeply uncomfortable

Skills:

• Drawing and writing
• Climbing, specifically rock climbing
• Archery, if she could find a bow and arrows

Fears:

• True, complete silence, especially in darkness
• Nightmares

Inventory:

• Her phone
• Car keys
• A few hair ties

Personality: Freya's quiet on the surface, and not the easiest girl to open up. She'd much rather listen to others than talk about herself, and at times can seem secretive or sly. She may enjoy writing, but she's not the best with words when put on the spot. She's never made friends easily, something she's actually quite hard on herself about.

Despite her enjoyment of archery, Freya is not violent at all, practicing it at first as a way to spend time with a friend and later as a way to find some inner peace. She'll resort to violence only if she feels she has no other choice. Bravery is not something she lacks, though, and she'll jump at a chance to help others, so she can make ties with actions rather than words.

Freya has been looking for a fresh start around new faces for a while now. This is not exactly what she had in mind.

History: Freya grew up the younger of two children in a fairly well off family, spending most of her childhood in a moderately sized Pacific Northwest town. She had a stable, normal life for the most part, finding her interests in school in things like art and writing, and beyond it in activities like archery and rock climbing. Freya wasn't the most popular or outgoing girl, but she had a steady circle of friends and a healthy home life.

Her world was turned upside down at the age of 16, however, when she and her best friend were hit by a drunk driver while Freya was behind the wheel. She made it out with only a broken bone in her arm, but her friend was killed. The trauma from that is something she still hasn't properly dealt with, and over her senior year of high school is proceeded to deteriorate several aspects of her life, the social parts more than anything.

She withdrew into isolation for a while, but near the end of her senior year her friends convinced her to skip school on a Friday and take a camping trip. It proved to be just what she needed, and started the process of turning her spirits around before she heads off to the east coast for a fresh start at a university.

But she never made it home. Freya got separated from the others on the road back, and pulled over to look up directions. That was when she felt the dizziness set in, and a few seconds later she slumped back in her seat. She woke up somewhere completely different.

Escaping The Faewoods - A Survival Horror RP

For your consideration, here is Freya. Planning to stick to one character for the moment, if that's alright.

Freya

Name: Freya Carstensen
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Appearance

Likes:

• Creating art
• Music
• Writing
• Nature, especially small animals

Dislikes:

• Coffee
• Hot weather
• Bossy, stubborn people
• Whispers make her deeply uncomfortable

Skills:

• Drawing and writing
• Climbing, specifically rock climbing
• Archery, if she could find a bow and arrows

Fears:

• True, complete silence, especially in darkness
• Nightmares

Inventory:

• Her phone
• Car keys
• A few hair ties

Personality: Freya's quiet on the surface, and not the easiest girl to open up. She'd much rather listen to others than talk about herself, and at times can seem secretive or sly. She may enjoy writing, but she's not the best with words when put on the spot. She's never made friends easily, something she's actually quite hard on herself about.

Despite her enjoyment of archery, Freya is not violent at all, practicing it at first as a way to spend time with a friend and later as a way to find some inner peace. She'll resort to violence only if she feels she has no other choice. Bravery is not something she lacks, though, and she'll jump at a chance to help others, so she can make ties with actions rather than words.

Freya has been looking for a fresh start around new faces for a while now. This is not exactly what she had in mind.

History: Freya grew up the younger of two children in a fairly well off family, spending most of her childhood in a moderately sized Pacific Northwest town. She had a stable, normal life for the most part, finding her interests in school in things like art and writing, and beyond it in activities like archery and rock climbing. Freya wasn't the most popular or outgoing girl, but she had a steady circle of friends and a healthy home life.

Her world was turned upside down at the age of 16, however, when she and her best friend were hit by a drunk driver while Freya was behind the wheel. She made it out with only a broken bone in her arm, but her friend was killed. The trauma from that is something she still hasn't properly dealt with, and over her senior year of high school is proceeded to deteriorate several aspects of her life, the social parts more than anything.

She withdrew into isolation for a while, but near the end of her senior year her friends convinced her to skip school on a Friday and take a camping trip. It proved to be just what she needed, and started the process of turning her spirits around before she heads off to the east coast for a fresh start at a university.

But she never made it home. Freya got separated from the others on the road back, and pulled over to look up directions. That was when she felt the dizziness set in, and a few seconds later she slumped back in her seat. She woke up somewhere completely different.

Don't step in the toadstool rings

Escaping The Faewoods - A Survival Horror RP

Interested!

Into The Depths!

Fiona de Valencourt

20 || 5'6" || 134 lbs.

Official Appearance

She's a little on the slim side for a fighter, but Fiona's plainly in excellent shape, with a poise and grace in motion only achievable through years of training. Her skin is fair and mostly unblemished or scarred, giving her a very "green" appearance as far as warriors go. She wears her strawberry blonde hair mostly loose, but partially braided behind her head into a ponytail.

"Generations are counting on us. I have to see this through."

Personality

---

Fiona feels the pressure to carry on her family's legacy, even if that's somewhat self-inflicted. She's eager to prove herself, and can be reckless at times, but it ultimately comes from good intentions. She doesn't want future generations of her family to need to sacrifice like the past ones have, and quietly dreams of a peaceful life in a world she's helped heal. She doesn't enjoy battle, but she'll dive into it head first if it needs to be done. She's quite hard on herself for her failures, particularly if it was someone else who paid the price for her mistake.

She can be a little too serious at times, always focused on the task at hand, but with a little persistence she responds well to the personalities around her, and adapts well to social situations even in tough times.

Biography

---

The de Valencourts have won great renown in the wars against demons. Fiona's grandfather was among the first to make use of God's Gift for warfare, and his descendants have carried on his work, one after the other accepting the gift and devoting their lives to the struggle. The weight of expectation was always on Fiona and her older sister Sophia, and they both accepted their fates without much in the way of hesitation.

They had more advantages than most growing up, as the de Valencourts earned a significant amount of power in multiple northern nations for their work, which meant Fiona was able to devote her time to training and preparation as a teenager. Never able to match her older sister, she nonetheless grew skilled and capable, all while the crusades raged on, up to the creation of the fortress at the edge of the abyss.

Times have changed, and now warriors are preparing for a new Crusade, to descend into the abyss, to battle demons and face the complete unknown. Sophia has spent two years in Zion already in defense of the city, now it's Fiona's turn to make the trip. Optimistic but nervous, she hopes she can make a difference in the grand scheme of things, and carry on her family's tradition of service to the future of humanity.

In Battle

Gift Spiritual Passives de Valencourt training || +1 Power, Skill, Resistance Fiona doesn't have much experience to speak of, but she has had some of the finest training a young warrior could ask for, and it has helped prepare her for the hard road ahead. Physical Attributes Power: 8 (Base 7, +1 from passive) Skill: 14 (Base 13, +1 from passive) Resistance: 6 (Base 5, +1 from passive) Spirit: 1 Action Points: 3 Health: 70

"I fight with Heaven's fire in my heart. I'll never give up!"

Spells and Feats

---

Blessed Smoke || 1 AP

Upon spell activation, white smoke wafts from Fiona's body. While the spell is active, she can briefly shift into an entirely-smoke state and move very rapidly a short distance in any direction, even up. Used to dodge attacks, quickly reposition, escape an enemy's grasp, or slip through very tight spaces.
Effect: Skill +6 (+4 spell, +2 vessel) on dodge attempts (ignored by certain magic attacks), lasts 3 turns.
Does Not End Turn

Angel's Fire || 1 AP

A swing of Fiona's sword launches a thin projectile of fire at a target. In addition to dealing damage, the fire rends through armor, making enemies more vulnerable to further attacks.
Effect: Power +3
Effect: Seared Armor, -4 Resistance (+2 spell, +2 vessel) for 2 turns.
Ends Turn

Heavenly Pierce || 2 AP

Fiona's strongest attack. After a brief moment to focus, she lunges forward behind her flaming sword in a straight line at high speed, taking smoke form and piercing through anything in her path, inflicting high damage. If the attack misses or is blocked, Fiona crashes to the ground, and is knocked Prone.
Effect: Power +12
On Miss or Block: Prone applied to Fiona.
Ends Turn

Minor Feat - Desperate Strength || 1 AP

Fiona focuses her inner spirit on her physical strength, gaining a boost to power while suffering a minor penalty to her toughness. If she's heavily wounded, her courage grants her even greater strength.
Effect: Desperate Strength (Power +2, Resistance -2) for two rounds. If at half health or below, power bonus is doubled.
Does Not End Turn

Inventory

---

de Valencourt Sword || P: +2 S: +3

A thin, one-handed straight sword, double-edged. An elegant, well-balanced, finely made weapon, it serves both as Fiona's tool for slaying demons and as a symbol of her family's relative wealth and power compared to much of the world. It was a gift from her mother, upon the completion of her training, and serves as a vessel for her magic.

de Valencourt Spellsword's Attire || S: +2 R: -3

Fiona wears a personalized uniform in her family's colors, clean white and solid red, the fabric thin and light and comfortable, well suited to the hot southern climate. The material and the expert tailoring mark her status somewhat, as does the gleaming, polished steel breastplate she wears. It serves as her only piece of real armor, leaving her light and fast in battle, but also more vulnerable to damage.

Miscellaneous Supplies

Basic medical supplies
Rations
Bedroll

Combat Notes/Roll Quick Reference

---

Notes

Basic Attack
Skill: 1d20+5 (14 Base = +2 mod, +3 weapon mod)
Power: 3d6+2 (8 Base = 0 mod, +2 weapon mod)
w/ Desperate Strength: add. +2 or +4 mod

Basic Defense
Skill/Dodge: 1d20+4 (14 Base = +2 mod, +2 armor mod)
w/Blessed Smoke: add. +6 mod
Resistance: 1d10-3 (6 Base = 0 mod, -3 armor mod)
w/Desperate Strength: add. -2 mod

Angel's Fire
Skill: 1d20+5 (14 Base = +2 mod, +3 vessel mod)
Power: 3d6+5 (8 Base = 0 mod, +3 spell mod, +2 vessel mod)
w/Desperate Strength: add. +2 or +4 mod
Effect: -4 Resistance mod on enemy, 2 turns

Heavenly Pierce
Skill: 1d20+5 (14 Base = +2 mod, +3 weapon mod)
Power: 3d6+14 (8 Base = 0 mod, +2 weapon mod, +12 spell mod)
w/Desperate Strength: add. +2 or +4 mod

To The Depths

Interested! I'm afraid I dunno that much about stat/dice systems, so I'm not sure how to answer your questions, but I'm interested to see where this goes.

Fog of Torvelt

Tentatively interested!

Into the Shadow

Iseldis slipped in and out of consciousness, the world spinning violently every time she managed to open her eyes. The witch's magic was intense in the pain that it caused, heavy in the toll that it took on her stamina, but in a fortunate twist of fate, it didn't defeat her utterly, and when she felt some semblance of stability returning to her senses, she felt some hope along with it. The worst of it was over, and the rest was something she could fight through, if only barely.

From the ground she reached blindly for her staff, unable to find it, and she soon gave up the effort. She was going to need more than the staff to win. Slowly but surely she rose, as though she'd joined the ranks of the shambling draugr they'd fought through the whole way. But by blocking everything else out, Iseldis was able to find a sort of center; she slowed her breathing, relaxed her body and her stance, felt the comforting touch of magic at her fingertips. She still had power to call upon.

The witch faced Roland, a few long strides away from Iseldis. The priestess had never been perfect in any part of her training, but she knew she'd need to be perfect now. One mistake would lead to her end, and probably Roland's alongside her. She wasn't about to let that happen.

Iseldis moved forward smoothly, calling into her hand a long, thin sword of light, elegant and deadly. The magic wasn't silent, and even over Roland's battle roar the witch heard it. Iseldis anticipated her opponent's response, sidestepping to cleanly avoid the stabbing attack from one of the few spider legs the witch had left. She saw a brief moment of uncertainty in the witch's eyes when they were face to face, right before Iseldis plunged the light blade into her gut.

It pierced cleanly through, burning as it went, with a magical fire that caught all through the witch's body, the cleansing force consuming with an almost alarming hunger. The witch shrieked in agony, twisting and contorting and swinging blindly with her clawed fingers at Iseldis. She ducked the swipe nearest to her throat, pulling her blade free. With one motion she spun about and sliced for the witch's neck, lopping her head off. The charred body fell to the floor, and suddenly the room was silent once more, all save for the sounds of their exhausted breathing.

No sooner had she finished it than the sword vanished from her hands into thin air, and a tidal wave of exhaustion washed over Iseldis. She wobbled, wavered, and then collapsed to her knees in front of her kill, needing to plant her hands on the dusty floor to keep herself from falling further.

"It's... it's over."
@POOHEAD189