Mokley

The Zephyr Extinct

Holy crap it's Drew! 😂 It's been an age and a half!!! Can't wait to see your character!!

Grimtooth

@Polybius THIS is the thing you call for reboot?! THIS?! 😂

The Zephyr Extinct [Full]

Still way open for new characters! 💖

The Zephyr Extinct

@Grey Omen I love Cedar!! I think he and Fluke might get along fantastically. (or hate each other's guts, depends on how it goes!)

Please do copy his sheet over to Characters, for he is approved! 💚

The Zephyr Extinct

Not to double-post, but I'm rethinking exactly what Horrors and the Nox are.

Nox can take many forms, but mostly they're flickering shadows or skittering insect-ish things on the ceiling with no definite form. They're ghosts, spirits, poltergeists. As long as they exist without a host, their energy decays rapidly. If you catch a Nox and contain it overnight, it will starve and dissipate into nothing.

The Nox, therefore, need a host. They beeline for the first warm body and possess it, and feed off that person's (or animal's) life force until there's nothing left, which sometimes takes a week or more. In the meantime, the possessed body slowly turns into a Horror.

You know those parasites that latch onto ants and control the zombie bodies? That's kind of what's happening here. The original mind takes a backseat to the Nox, who becomes the new owner of the body. What happens next really depends on the individual Nox: most of the time the person goes mad. Other times they're catching and eating rats in the sewer. Sometimes they're inexplicably bloodthirsty and dangerous.

You can tell a Horror by the gray film over their eyes; they don't really focus on anything, like there's a lost connection. If a host is possessed long enough, a dark oil starts to film their skin. Horrors that have gone untreated for weeks could end up looking like the monster from the black lagoon: a disgusting oily creature that attacks anything in sight.

Unless the ZE capture the host and safely extract the Nox, the host eventually dies. The original Nox flees to find another host, and another Nox is born out of the dead person's soul.

Even when the Nox is extracted, the host is rarely the same. There's probably a safe harbor in Rig exclusively dedicated to the care of people who were hosts, who have lost their minds or developed peculiar instabilities. The oil stains their skin a bruised color, and their eyes are permanently gray, among other less common features.

When someone mentions "hunting horrors" they usually mean possessed animals, which are considered monsters and are killed on the spot. To call a possessed human a "Horror" is considered derogatory though it is technically true.

The Zephyr Extinct

Archer

Archer

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WHAT WAS YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME? WHAT IS THE CODENAME THEY NOW GO BY AS A ZE?
Names aren't important. Archer, or The Archer, is all there is now.

DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER'S MASK AND APPEARANCE.
Archer's mask was a gift by a passing motorcycle tribe: it's molded and etched out of tarnished old machine parts to resemble a deer's head, with its own built-in solar panels that power its scanners and green illumination. Archer wears practical clothing, mostly long and loose browns and greens, with a little light armor when the situation calls for it. Most of the time she looks like she just arrived out of the woods.
(Inspiration!)

WHAT IS A STRANGER'S FIRST IMPRESSION UPON MEETING THEM? HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER SEE THEMSELVES?
From a distance, a stranger would first question whether Archer is a robot or a person, because of the convincing lights where her face should be. Then she speaks in her lilting, smiling way, and almost anyone is put immediately at ease. She carries herself like a puppet with the strings loose, fluid and always moving in a slightly unbalanced way.

How she sees herself isn't anybody's business but her own, really. And anyway it doesn't matter.

WHERE DID THEY GROW UP? WHERE DO THEY FEEL AT HOME?
Whoever she was before has no bearing on the present. Home is Rig. Home is the Blinking Fortress. Home is the tops of the trees and the shelter of roots. Home is wherever she is right now.

WHO ARE (WERE) THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES?
Let's not get into that. It's boring.

WHAT IS THEIR PROFESSION, SKILL OR LIFESTYLE? WHAT DO THEY THINK THEIR STRENGTHS ARE? WHAT ARE THEIR ACTUAL STRENGTHS?
Professionally, Archer is a leader. She keeps track of what's wrong and who's most qualified to help. Her best skill is that she knows things and discovers things, both about situations and about people. She's got a sense for people, and a keen trust. She has a few thoughts about herself, but isn't likely to tell you that.

WHAT ARE THEIR FEARS, FLAWS AND SECRETS?
This is the kind of question that can get people killed.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST? WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED?
Archer wants to understand everything and everyone. She wants to save everyone from everything that makes them miserable. What she needs is ... well, again, not your business.

WHY DID THEY JOIN THE ZEPHYR EXTINCT?
Doesn't matter. What's important now is the choices she makes going forward. Maybe she'll make better ones this time.

Fluke

Fluke

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WHAT WAS YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME? WHAT IS THE CODENAME THEY NOW GO BY AS A ZE?
Born Miss Jinnow Arthur, which was scrapped for awhile in favor of Arthur Arthur as a lark. Now he goes by Fluke.

DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER'S MASK AND APPEARANCE.
Fluke's mask is made of metal scrap and pipes, and changes occasionally depending on how bored he is. Sometimes he tries to build a miniature city on his face, but takes it apart again when it gets too heavy. He's short and skinny for his questionable age, usually disheveled and dusty in secondhand clothes, shorts, sneakers or sandals. He likes to draw on himself, but can't commit to a tattoo.
(Inspiration!)

WHAT IS A STRANGER'S FIRST IMPRESSION UPON MEETING THEM? HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER SEE THEMSELVES?
Strangers tend to be slightly unsettled by Fluke's presence. He's quiet, stands a little too close, and doesn't ever seem to catch social cues to leave. He mostly communicates by tapping and slapping and nudging people, which doesn't always work in his favor. He is generally tolerated, ignored, and overlooked. Fluke thinks of himself as someone who fits in the little gaps between what people expect and what they see. He spent much of his life feeling like a ghost-- invisible and unimportant --but now has embraced his ghost-ness as an asset.

WHERE DID THEY GROW UP? WHERE DO THEY FEEL AT HOME?
Fluke was born and raised here in Rig, specifically the tree huts high up in the branches. He grew up swinging through the leaves and breaking bones, learning to hang-glide and chase squirrels and build pulleys and bridges and suncatchers. Fluke is still most comfortable in high places, but recently has grown fond of the high catwalks beneath the stained-glass ceiling of the old feasting hall. He's collected a little nest in a sunny corner, where he goes to read or listen to storytelling podcasts or watch the weddings and parties from above. (And eat his fill when no one's looking, of course.)

WHO ARE (WERE) THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES?
Fluke's parents were (are) around but not really, so he never thinks much about them. The Archer is definitely the most important person in his life. Archer was the first person to really see Fluke, to trust him with important jobs, to teach him real lessons about life and give him a sense of purpose. Fluke trusts Archer more than anyone.

WHAT IS THEIR PROFESSION, SKILL OR LIFESTYLE? WHAT DO THEY THINK THEIR STRENGTHS ARE? WHAT ARE THEIR ACTUAL STRENGTHS?
He's an inventor, a builder, and a problem-solver. While everyone else is bickering or debating options, Fluke is the one going behind their backs to quietly solve the issue on his own. He thinks he's smarter that most people, free to come up with solutions that no one else can see because he doesn't care how others might react. His truest strength is his willingness to take risks, to take the blame for whatever happens even if it's not his fault. He can let it all wash over him, but he knows other people are not so resilient.

WHAT ARE THEIR FEARS, FLAWS AND SECRETS?
Fluke is afraid of the dark. He's afraid of causing harm to other people, so much that he keeps his emotional distance. He doesn't speak: not because he can't, but because he feels it isn't worth the effort of trying to be understood. He never trusts anyone to do anything right, but he will wait for them to mess up before he steps in. He keeps all of his thoughts-- his past, his dreams --a secret. He feels that if he tells someone, they might empathize and relate. He won't be special anymore.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST? WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED?
Fluke hates attention and the spotlight, but more than anything he wants to be the unsung hero. He wants to save everyone, and watch the world get better because of him, as long as he can remain anonymous. He needs someone to believe in other than himself: he needs to feel equal to someone else, and to put forward the effort to understand another person instead of dismissing them.

WHY DID THEY JOIN THE ZEPHYR EXTINCT?
Fluke was immediately attracted to the idea of becoming someone else, especially the mask and the codename and the opportunity to be seen as other by the general population. There's a sense of freedom that comes with anonymity. Saving people from the Nox, and the opportunity to learn magic, sealed the deal. The ZE is everything he could ever want. So when Archer-- after weeks of sending him on minor errands --invited him to initiation, he cried with joy. He's never looked back.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS CHARACTER CHANGE AND DEVELOP?
Fluke needs to understand that everyone is human, including himself. He's taken on a persona of Something Else, viewing other people like a naturalist studies a strange species. He sees their happy lives as something that's simply not meant for him. If he can let other people in, let himself acknowledge that they're all the same in the end, he might also let go of his fear.

PITCH A SMALL SUBPLOT THAT WOULD BE PERSONALLY MEANINGFUL TO YOUR CHARACTER.
Something as simple has having someone depend exclusively on Fluke for an extended period of time could significantly alter his point of view. A child, or someone elderly or sick, who trusts him completely and needs him, would go a long way to soften his heart. He also has never really felt the pain of loss: he never lets himself get close enough to anyone to significantly feel their absence. To lose someone he cares about would be a significant lesson.

The Zephyr Extinct

Rig is a city of color and sunlight and nature. Stained glass windows, stucco walls sculpted and engraved with sweeping artistry, enormous trees whose roots and branches shelter clusters of homes and catwalks. Hang-gliders, hoverbikes and drones weave overhead while children play in the spotless streets. Everything is hung with lush vines and blooming flowers; the city consistently smells like potpourri and turned soil. The sun burns bright and hot most days, and the nights are cool.

ART INSPIRATION

• Ismail Inceoglu
• Jessica Woulfe
• Ihor Tovstohan
• Felix Riaño
• Nicholas Baum
• Marina Ovchinnikova
• Arturo Gutierrez
• Álvaro Fernández
• Logan Turner
• N Z

SOUNDS

• Indian music styles

MOODS

• Wakanda
• The Inland from 3%
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

The Zephyr Extinct

Woohoo! Thanks Plank, good to see ya!! I hope this'll be a good distraction from the global nightmares right now. 💚

The Zephyr Extinct

Honestly, I didn't really have anything in mind for non-humans. Would gene modification and the like be a thing? Maybe even just cosmetically. Also I understand the bit for detailed backgrounds, but I wouldn't get too into it. Keep it very open, you know?

@Lucky

Sure, gene modification could totally be a thing! Especially if it's tech/science combined with something organic, I'm down for it!

Any vague/open/simple backgrounds for outsider characters would work! :D

The Zephyr Extinct

@Mokley Mind if I shoot a few questions before I settle into a character?

1. Are characters exclusively Human?
2. Is magic part of this fantasy or only tech? If tech only, are we talking about equipment that can do some pretty crazy stuff (compared to today's standard tech)?
3. If we can't create new locations outside of Rig, to what extent can we make them "outsiders"?
4. What is the likelihood of infection or death for a typical civilian?

Whatever the answers, I'll work with!

@Lucky

Good questions!!!

1. I'm willing to entertain non-human characters as long as there are no excessive advantages. What do you have in mind?

2. Magic exists, but it comes from outside sources and is generally only used by Zephyrs and Ravels. Since you are all new recruits, no one should know magic -- yet! Tech exists, and biotech exists, and some crazy stuff is feasible. When it comes to tech, I'd lean more toward Ghibli and Star Wars, not Blade Runner. If you're not sure, ideas are welcome.

3. You could just be vague, or propose a new idea for an outside location that would fit with the general theme. I've had a couple instances of characters with detailed backgrounds set in the player's own pre-made cities, which inhibits my ability to GM because the player knows more about the location than I do. This rule is just to avoid that situation.

4. VERY good question that I should've answered in the description but neglected! About a year ago, there were Nox hiding in every dark corner. Everyone knew someone who went mad before they collapsed and died. 1/10th of the population were host to Nox: 20 people died, while the rest were never the same. Most of the casualties were pets and livestock. The Zephyr Extinct saved a lot of lives but were overwhelmed -- but then, after about 5 months, it just stopped. No one's seen a Nox or a Horror in a long while. People are starting to finally relax and let their guard down.