Pirouette

The Crazed Kingdom, Gabaras

~

The Crazed Kingdom, Gabaras

Firefly

Name : Lottie "Firefly"
Appearance/Description :
Gender : Female // Race : Human // Age: 17

Personality :
Lottie is a street child through and through. She'll always try to keep her guard up around others, lest she be stabbed in the back as a fact of her life growing up. It is a caution that has rewarded her well, and she sees no reason to change. Although she has never been given a serious reason to change, only painful lessons when she became a bit too trusting. Naturally the lack of any intimacy or trust has weighed on her considerable and while she'll never admit it, she yearns for a life where she doesn't have to keep one eye open in her sleep. She is ever the dreamer and hopeful that the day will come. Her ambitions are a manor being waited on hand and foot by others and the ones she can trust! Of course, she blames constant spells of bad luck...

Background :
Her story is different every time someone asks her as she doesn't like telling it. She believes her past isn't interesting compared to what she wants to be. However, her stories all roughly align with the true story as she believes it. Her parents were deadbeats as she would call them, but they were probably never in a position to care for a child. She was given away sometime after being nursed by her true mother to a shady goods' dealer, Pops. She and the other orphan children under Pops never really knew him and he probably did not care much for them anyway.

All the children were put to work in the backroom of one of his shops to make handicrafts and to those that could, make cheap magical applications. Lottie remembers making almost everything she'd see at the stalls: toys, fake relics, dysfunctional machines, and everything else in between. Perhaps Pops might be praised for his genius, but it was cruel with how he pitted the children against each other rewarding the ones that managed the best craft sales from the month. Of course since the counts were based on the money raised, Pops was easily bribed by money from his own children. They always did get the best room or a full supper every night. Lottie never got the chance to win.

Pops was very short-sighted, however. He only cared about profits and when disease would finally take him early, his stores crumbled from neglect. He never trusted anyone let alone someone to marry or foster an heir in. With his death, a group of nineteen orphans found themselves suddenly with nothing. Instinct took over and the older children turned to the habits that rewarded them, stealing and scamming. The other children as part of the family were invited, of course, but some of that had to be the value of cheap manpower.

The Poppers might have started as a small inconvenience at first but soon grew into a real thorn eventually. From top-to-bottom every child had to earn their keep in the group. They were a family and while initially they were quite forgiving for each other, the harsh lessons of dwelling in the streets made them toughen up. They had to scrap for survival and skills learned by Lottie in this time were very roguish. She had never really been that good at anything, blaming her poor luck on everything. She was never one to give up, mind you, and it was her persistence and perhaps her "unluckiness" that had gifted her an opportunity that her siblings did not have.

By chance, she attempted to rob a magical scholar but was caught in the act by the man. Quite a generous person, he learned of Lottie's lot in life and offered to teach her magic. She was never quite good at being studious but was never into quitting believing magic would surely give her an edge in life, maybe wipe away the bad luck. However, because of her lack of ability to study, the scholar instead took a lesson out of the page of a magical system he had studied. The Nimble Runes system was something he had realized appealed to many uneducated people because they didn't have to learn anything other than hand signs. It was simple, and he could test this magical system out with an eager volunteer.

Lottie was given her choice on aspects to focus on. Manipulating luck was out of the question but she always thought that the shadows when stealing were always privy to luck. Having the guard pass you by without noticing you in the shadows or if you're unlucky, casting the light right into your direction... She believed it was related and chose those aspects. She received her first eight markings and was trained simply to start with.

Of course now she believes she has all the luck in the world and nothing could stop her.

Magic :
Deft fingers make for deft magic, at least that is the belief some have. Nimble Runes is a bit of an underground magic craft where masters carve partial magical runes into each segment of their fingers. Then by manipulating the position of their fingers during a cast, they can activate those runes to cast spells. Each finger, aside from thumbs, can hold two partial runes and the thumbs can pick up an additional one each meaning that twenty partial runes are what a practitioner of this magical vein system is limited to. As a result there is a general focus on one or two aspects of magical manipulation for any user in Nimble Runes. However, the variety of ways you can position your fingers can create a considerable arsenal of spells within those aspects of control.

Lottie has focused on the aspects of light and dark. As a trainee, she only has a total of 8 runes carved on each of her fingers with nothing on her thumbs. It is important to start slow with this craft to make sure you don't overwhelm yourself with the number of finger positions and spells at the start.

Right now, Lottie has memorized the following:

• Torchlight (Full extension of right ring and pinkie fingers), creates beam of light from her fingers
• Snapflash (Full extension of right primary, ring, and pinkie fingers) creates sudden bright flash of light
• Deluminate (Full extension of left primary and middle fingers) weakens any light source within an eight meter radius
• Shadowmeld (Full extension of left middle, ring, and pinkie fingers) allows Lottie to meld into a strong shadow
• Cat's Eye (Full extension of right pinkie and left pinkie fingers) enhances Lottie's vision to see through the dark

Equipment :
Lottie does not have much. The clothes on her back, ragged as they are, have always been able to keep her warm on chilly nights. A collection of knives and shivs strapped to her person have always been useful. A lockpick, though she has never really been good at using one.

CODE: "You eva' go 'ungry at night? Ain't fun innit?"

I guess Firefly here can come from any major city, but I was thinking of a city in Amber Grove? I didn't see any city names, though.

I also hope you are okay with the bit of liberty taken on making my own bit from the magic system.

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/185455-the-aphelion-event/ooc

I will consider all applicants. First IC post I plan to issue by the end of this week. So get your characters in before then.

The Aphelion Event

~reserved~

The Aphelion Event

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The Anomalous

"Someone once told me that if you imagine our universe imprinted on a piece of paper, it'd be entirely two-dimensional. Then imagine a person were capable of sticking their hand through that paper without tearing it. Wherever they placed their hand, that portion of the paper would be covered by the hand. It would be like it doesn't exist, yet we know it is still there. The anomalous effect is like the hand covering the portion of that paper. It'll distort that portion of the paper, our universe, because something is passing through it. If you live as a two-dimensional paper person, you don't know what that something is, but you know it is doing something to our world."

Anomalous Objects(AOs) are the classification for objects that are manipulated by a force beyond the bounds of our world. With our limited understanding we can't really know what it is, but we can see and study the effects of it. These objects will defy the conventional logic of our reality because they come from a different reality where the rules of our logic do not apply. The object passing through the paper analogy is the best explanation the Bureau has for explaining it. For example an AO could be like a thin wire passing through to cause a small anomalous rubber duck to float unconnected with any other anomalous object, or it could be a school bus driving through manipulating whole towns all similar in their manipulations of our reality.

Most AOs will be unconnected and fairly insignificant in their manipulation of our world. The Bureau fears the effect of a large object passing through. The tips of the manipulating small portions of our reality in coordination before the main body of it passes through, causing a widespread distortion of reality. One that we might never come from. These get a special classification: Catalyst Class.

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The Bureau

Officially the Bureau of Unusual Incidents(FBU), or simply called the Bureau by its members, exists as a splinter unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigations(FBI) as a cold case unit. A cover team exists to officially represent that Bureau, but most of the agency works undercover from the public eye. The operations of the agency are centered around supporting in-field agents and teams of agents as they investigate AOs. The agent of the FBU is trained similar to the Secret Service in physical operations and investigational skills comparable to that of an average FBI agent. During training, agents are exposed to the power of some well contained AOs to experience the phenomena firsthand.

Agents are the most basic but crucial part of the Bureau. Most AOs are investigated and contained by individual agents or teams of agents dispatched. There will be events where AOs need additional resources and where agents are the open hand, Reactionary Task Forces (RTFs) will be the closed fist. They are the more militaristic portion of the Bureau. Individuals who are recruited due to military or SWAT performances will be typically assigned to this duty. Events that present increased danger of exposure, violence, or volatile reality bending the RTFs will be dispatched ahead of agents to quell dangers until a containment procedure can be enacted.

Clinical and researching staff that operate out of Bureau sites are considered Operators. This division contains Agents or RTF members who have proven their excellence and offered a promotion as an Operator. It is due to their experience with the AOs that they are more adept at developing methodology of testing, containment, and if required, destruction of AOs. While they do consider one site their homebase, they may be required to join agents and RTFs in the field to lend their expertise. Operators will typically remain as such since few positions exist above Operators. There are a few site directors, but they all answer to the Council.

The Council is the enigmatic leadership for the whole Bureau. Very little information other than direct orders passes down from the Council, but there is some information available. Aside from the Director who is a special case, each member of the Council represents a certain expertise in the Bureau, much like cabinet members in the executive branch. Thus, the members of the Council are: The Director, Head of Medical, Head of Investigations, Head of Containment, Head of Operations, and Head of Public Relations. All are considered equal, but the Director is the one with the final say.

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Creating an Agent

The Bureau is selective on bringing new individuals into their ranks due to the very sensitive nature of what they work with. However, accidents happen and casualties need to be replaced. Thus, the Bureau must always be mindful of potential recruits. Most prospective agents are US citizens but under Council review, non-US citizens can be offered a position within the Bureau. Typically, all prospective individuals are recruited following one of these as a basis:

[1] They are safely anomalous and deemed too valuable by the Bureau to not utilize,
[2] They have encountered an anomalous event and have proven extreme valor in that event,
[3] Or have been in law enforcement or military career at any level with distinguished career and have little to no meaningful relationships in their life. This means you aren't married, have children, etc. As the nature of this work requires secrecy, it is easier to promote individuals who don't have intimate connections.

Prospective agents are then subject to several rounds of interviews and secretly, the Bureau will manipulate circumstances elsewhere in their lives to further examine the individual in situations that the interviews won't cover. The agent will never really know just how far the Bureau went to examine them, but the result is worth the price of admission for the Bureau. The individual might disagree. Applicants can submit candidates for review with the following forms:

Agent Dossier

AGENT DOSSIER

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Height:
Entity: Normal or Anomalous?

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_{If you are anomalous please fill out this section. Write N/A if inapplicable.}
Nature of Expression: What is your anomaly? How does it work? How does it react? Please describe in detail.

Containment: The Bureau has procedures to alleviate the dangers of anomalies. What procedures are you expected to follow for containment? (NOTE: complete control of anomalies is impractical given the irregular nature of these. Therefore the following is considered:

Risks: Degree of your control? Does it react violently with certain conditions? There are dangers to all anomalies. List your dangers.

---

Test Scores:
Strength: -/10
Intelligence: -/10
Psychology: -/10 (Degree of resilience to anomalous effects. If you are anomalous you will naturally score lower here)

Remarkable Skills: You will be trained up on all relevant Bureau abilities to be passable. However, are there any you excelled at? Are you an excellent shooter? Skilled lock picker? Tactician? Mathematician? Anything can be considered if you are a maestro.

---

Personality: Briefly describe.

Social Liabilities: Are there significant people in their life? A friend? Mother? Significant Other? The Bureau must know. Past and present.

Service Record: Why were you considered for the Bureau? How has your performance been since joining? Also, if there are any note-worthy events in your life before the Bureau please also describe them in here. A summary of where you were before the Bureau took interest can also be important.

CODE

[h1]AGENT DOSSIER[/h1]
[indent][indent][indent][img]IMAGE HERE[/img][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[quote][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Entity:[/b] Normal or Anomalous?

---

[sub][i]If you are anomalous please fill out this section. Write N/A if inapplicable.[/i][/sub]
[b]Nature of Expression:[/b] [i]What is your anomaly? How does it work? How does it react? Please describe in detail.[/i]

[b]Containment:[/b] [i]The Bureau has procedures to alleviate the dangers of anomalies. What procedures are you expected to follow for containment? (NOTE: complete control of anomalies is impractical given the irregular nature of these. Therefore, the following is considered:[/i]

[b]Risks:[/b] [i]Degree of your control? Does it react violently with certain conditions? There are dangers to all anomalies. List your dangers.[/i]

---

[b]Test Scores:[/b]
Strength: -/10
Intelligence: -/10
Psychology: -/10 (Degree of resilience to anomalous effects. If you are anomalous you will naturally score lower here)

[b]Remarkable Skills:[/b] [i]You will be trained up on all relevant Bureau abilities to be passable. However, are there any you excelled at? Are you an excellent shooter? Skilled lock picker? Tactician? Mathematician? Anything can be considered if you are a maestro.[/i]

---

[b]Personality:[/b] [i]Briefly describe.[/i]

[b]Social Liabilities:[/b] [i]Are there significant people in their life? A friend? Mother? Significant Other? The Bureau must know. Past and present.[/i]

[b]Service Record:[/b] [i]Why were you considered for the Bureau? How has your performance been since joining? Also, if there are any note-worthy events in your life before the Bureau please also describe them in here. Any deep connections with other people? A summary of where you were before the Bureau took interest can also be important.[/i]
[/quote]

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AO Encounters

A section dedicated to highlighting all the anomalous objects encountered by the cast of players so far. I will add to this as we go along.

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Staff Directory

For all the Bureau staff that the cast of players have met. I will also add to this as the story progresses.

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What to Expect

You as players will join in as I lead the adventure into the unknown. The scope of this RP will accomplish several acts of story that will be later titled The Aphelion Event. If everyone has fun, I will look to do another RP covering more detail about this. You are free to propose ideas for AOs, characters, and plot points to me. I will think about how best to include them if we think it would be fun. However this will be mostly a narrative driven by me. I'm always open to talk about stuff, however.

Please post your characters here. I have slightly updated to the Character Sheet so please make adjustments. I will be open to up to eight players. Not all players will be with other players at all times but as GM, I will be writing the encounters for each player.

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

Sorry everyone, it ended up being late by the time I could leave Friday. So I ended up staying overnight and have gotten back only recently. I'm a bit tired so I'll put off the thread until tomorrow.

The Crazed Kingdom, Gabaras

I'm currently in the process of world-building and should only take a few days. Then I will start working on a timeline of the following story and thereafter we should be able to start next week (Monday) for those who are interested!

@DesperatePerson

I'll be watching ;)

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

@Infinite Cosmos

Yes. I could fit you in.

With that I think we are at or pretty close to the required player count.

My plan is to have a thread this weekend. I've been messing around with formatting stuff, trying to make it look fun but I might just be wasting my time since I am my own critic.

I would be ready now but a family friend passed away this week so I kind of have a long road trip ahead of me tomorrow. Maybe extending overnight, but I'm not fond of the idea of having to find a place to stay so hopefully not.

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

<Snipped quote by Pirouette>
So more like a casting call for a Netflix series than an anime. Got it.

@TGM

I have another RP idea for anime if you wanted to hold out for that.

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

But can I use weeb pictures? Very important.

@Asura

Just kidding don't shoot me.

A more realistic portrait is preferred here, though.

Also as some have already done so and to my surprise that I actually like, please PM me your characters when you feel they are about finished. Anomalous especially but even if not, I would like to take a look at them. Just to see what's up.