Queen Arya

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

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The Raven

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The night must've been a particularly violent one for Gotham, Rachel found herself musing quietly as she ducked down yet another decrepit alleyway. As she grew closer and closer to the blessed oasis of the night that could only be provided by free tacos, her mind was continually assaulted with the same emotions and surface thoughts. Fear, pain, anger, and then... silence. She knew what those emotions meant, she'd felt them all before too many times in this cursed city. Somewhere nearby, people were losing their lives. Snuffed out by the cruelty that ran in the city's veins, likely more innate to the way Gotham operated than anything else in this damnable place. A long sigh left her lips as she shook her head, eyes closed for the briefest of moments. A couple more streets, that was all she needed to make and then she could forget about all this tragedy for a little bit. Well, not really, but she'd be able to push it to the back of her mind at the very least.

"Sure about all that?" Came the specter's voice again, earning itself an ancient gesture using only Rachel's middle finger by way of a response.

"Seems pretty endemic to this place. I could silence it all, you know." The voice said again, causing Rachel to pause her walk.

Closing her eyes, she dove deep into her subconscious. Reaching out for that serenity she'd longed learned to hold deep within herself, to form a cage for the monster currently haunting her every step. As she did, Red threw a variety of inappropriate curses and threats her way amidst a series of demands to not be locked away. Yet, after only a few minutes, Rachel's mind was quiet once more. The technique was useful but temporary. Often times more of a hassle to perform than the temporary respite it provided from Red's constant attempts to seduce her into a more demonic way of seeing things. Giving a little shrug, Rachel then turned her attention to the path ahead to finish off her trip to the shelter. As she approached, not even five minutes later, Rachel immediately knew that something was horrifically wrong. The typical line out front was missing, and the door sat closed. The volunteers who usually were outside with a smile on their features, welcoming any into the building, were missing. Slowly, Rachel made her way closer as another key detail registered with her.

The Silence.

In a swift move, Rachel yanked open the front door and stepped into the shelter. As the heavy door slammed itself shut behind her, Rachel froze in place with eyes wide in horror. "W-what..." Rachel stammered out, taking a step back as she looked about the cafeteria-styled central lounge. Yet, instead of the typical bustle of hungry people tucking into their free food... only chaos filled the room. The scent of blood and death reeked all about, with bodies littering the floor and tables. Sitting amidst drawn-out circles and makeshift alters, the killings were clearly part of some twisted ritual. Rachel slowly pieced together that the thoughts and emotions from before were those of the homeless and volunteers who now lay lifeless on the floor. In a fraction of a second, the girl found herself bent over as she lost her lunch from the pure horror of the scene before her. Somehow, the girl found herself being drawn further into the cafeteria, eyes still wide in horror.

Then she froze, staring at the stage that sat at the far end of the shelter. Where typically volunteers would get up to make announcements, or use a projector to play some film. Yet, it was now covered in those same crimson paints. The ritualistic markings were... horrifyingly familiar to Rachel. Even as her gaze fell on the image in the center of the altar, she already knew exactly who had caused all this chaos. The Cult of Trigon. This fact was only further cemented by the picture of herself sitting in the center of the altar, with inscriptions dedicating these sacrifices to 'The Raven', hoping to bring her back home, to their embrace. The room about her seemed to shutter, as her mind filled once more with vicious noise. The remnants of those who had been slaughtered here, and the meddling of a certain being within her own mind. "Beautiful. They did this for you, Rachel." Came that very voice, even as Rachel's breaths became more ragged, and tears welled up in her eyes. Panic settled in over the girl's mind, enveloping her even as Red slowly strode about to sit calmly atop a corpse draped over the edge of a table.

"They want us to come home, you know, to fulfill our duty." Red whispered a deviant grin upon her features as Rachel's tortured gaze drifted towards her. "All this... tragic loss of life, 'tis meant to be a gift. Their pain feeds us and gives us strength. Their fear breaks our chains. Their rage unbinds the power deep within us, so we might... become more." Red said softly, that grin turning steadily more demonic even as Rachel noticed a figure approaching from behind the main altar. A man wearing the robes of the cult, and brandishing a bloodied dagger as he approached. He spoke, but words did not reach Rachel's ears, anger flooded through her very being... and too late did she realize the mistake she'd made.

"Did I say us? Oh, I meant ME." Red growled out, surging forward to meld into Rachel. The last thing that the girl heard before everything faded black was a single, whispered promise. "I'll take care of him for you."

When Rachel finally managed to claw her way back to the surface, she was standing on the altar now, her jeans stained a deep red. The broken form of the cultist lay before her, and the midnight-black shadow of her soul self slowly edged its way back into her form. She staggered back, shaking her head at the chaos before her. "W-what did you do..." She whispered, yet heard no response from Red. Her body shaking, she slowly turned from the scene and made a mad dash for the exit. She needed to leave, to get away. As she dashed out of the building, Rachel spotted the nearby assembly of news trucks already recording the building... and her. In the distance, she heard police sirens growing closer and closer.

I have to get away... I... this can't be happening again. The girl thought quietly to herself, old memories slowly resurfacing from the last time she had encountered the cult.

And of the hero who saved her before, yet wouldn't be able to save her this time.

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

First post up ^^!

EDIT: Fuck I realized I just double posted I'm so sorry y'all.

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

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The Raven

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"I was wondering when you'd grow tired."

"Of what?"

"Your little birdcage. You know, the one built by that other little birdy... damn shame you let a clown beat me to him."

"Shut it. I just need some air."

With a small shrug and a callous grin, the red-robed girl seemed to dissipate into a shadow in the shape of a raven before disappearing. Rachel let out a long sigh as she shook her head free of that girl's words. Her eyes drifted shut as she whispered soft words, taking a moment to calm the emotions that had flared in response to that thing's harsh words... and a reminder of the past. It wouldn't be long before she opened her eyes once more, taking a look around the dimly lit station that had been her home for so long. The cement walls were barren and lonely, but that was the life Rachel was forced to live. Anything worse and... well, there were certain luxuries you couldn't afford when you had a roommate in your own head.

Especially when that roommate was a demon that wanted to end the world.

With a light shrug, Rachel scooped up the pair of keys sitting in a little bowl near the safe house's main entrance. Then ensuring to adjust her bangs to cover the red jewel in the center of her forehead, and pulling the red hoodie close around her form, Rachel yanked open the heavy steel door. It was still a long few minutes of walking through dilapidated tunnel after dilapidated tunnel, a saddening standard for this part of Gotham. Reaching an arm out, Rachel danced her fingers along the wall of the tunnel and for the briefest of moments could've sworn she could feel the myriad of emotions of those who had once passed through these very tunnels. The girl yanked her hand back in shock, eyes widening lightly at the new experience. "Noisy, aren't they?" The familiar voice cut in from behind her, yet Rachel refused to even acknowledge the source as she mentally forced Red down.

Within ten minutes, Rachel was free of the labyrinth. She stood at the bottom of the stairs leading up from the abandoned tunnels to the surface, taking the time to collect herself. This part was always the worst, given the proximity of her exit to Arkham. She could feel every thought, every emotion ripping through the shattered minds of the inmates behind those walls. Though the worst, perhaps, were the ones who were coherent in their thoughts. Rachel shuddered at the memories of what she'd felt from those... animals, before shaking her head and lightly slapping her own cheeks. Control. She needed to control herself, she couldn't let their thoughts give Red any more food than she already had. So, with a final smack to her cheeks, Rachel refocused on the task at hand. She ran. Dashing up the stairs, she surged out onto the streets of Gotham like a bat out of hell. Then putting the Asylum to her back, Rachel continued to run down the sidewalk in the crisp air of Gotham's Night.

She didn't stop until the dark whispers, the screams, and the hunger from the Asylum finally left her mind. To say her mind had finally quieted was... a bit of an overstatement. The never-ending cacophony of emotions within Gotham never went away, but at least they stopped screaming in a desperate bloodlust. Rachel slowed to a casual walk, taking the time to turn her attention away from the inside of her mind and towards the world around her. Gotham may not have been the most beautiful of places, but it was certainly better than an abandoned subway station. No matter how homely Jason had made it for her. However, that thought was soon shoved down deep inside her psyche. It was dangerous, any memories of that boy.

The sacrifices we have to make. I can help you embrace those emotions, all you have to do...

Rachel bit back a harsh retort as the voice in her mind trailed off, letting her offer float upon the wind. Rachel knew how that statement, she'd heard it over and over and over again. All she had to do... was give in. To let the beast inside consume her, and invite forth the end of everything else.

No, she wouldn't be giving in.

Rachel slowly refocused herself as she turned automatically down another alleyway, making her way towards the same shelter she'd been frequenting as of late. It was a relatively small shelter, sitting comfortably on the ground floor of a residential building in Bristol, about three blocks away from the Asylum. It was, after all, Taco Night at the shelter. She'd be a damned fool to let her own fears keep her away from Tacos. Red be damned. Still, even as Rachel made her way down alleys and streets she knew entirely too well, she kept a wary eye on the shadows. Knowing that there were any number of threats that could be skulking on her path; Cultists, Lowlifes, or men dressed like bats.

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_{Temple of Trigon, Gotham City}

"Our Acolytes are in position, High Father." Came the youthful, energized voice from the shadows surrounding the central chambers. A smaller-framed figure, dressed in a deep crimson robe with his hood up to hide his features stepped quietly into the torchlight. Before him, standing before an altar painted in the mighty glory of their lord, stood the High Father. Dressed in matching robes to the young man reporting, the High Father was substantially larger and his station was marked by the staff her bore. The High Father turned slowly, speaking to the junior member as he did.

"They know their tasks?" He asked, voice booming with confidence and easy command.

"Yes, High Father, the messaging has been prepared and the Acolytes have their roles. The rituals will be brief, but a message will be sent."

"Good." Said the High Father, an ominous tone creeping into his voice as a sickening grin was visible under his features hood. "When she sees the calls, sees the love we have for her..." The man said as he raised his arms above his head as if offering something to a higher being. "Our lost little bird will know the truth. She will come home to us, and take us together into Salvation." The man said, even as the younger of the knelt down.

"Shall I give the order?"

"Yes. She has been away for far too long."

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

I have a GM thing I need a couple of guinea pigs volunteers for. If not I'll just have it done as a background thing, but be cool to get some people in on it.

@Sep

I know I haven't posted yet (working on getting that reminded by tomorrow night), but I would be happy to hurl Raven into things

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

@Sep Ive moved her over to the character thread!

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

R A V E N
R A V E N

^{"For once in my life, I'd like to live without fear. Fear of my Father. Fear of his Followers. Fear of Myself."}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Rachel Roth _________________________________________________________ Half-Demon | N/A | Child of Dark Prophecy _________________________________________________________ Gotham | New Jersey | United States of America C H A R A C T E R N O T E S C H A R A C T E R N O T E S _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ► Supporting Cast: Red: A voice in Rachel’s head, and an ever-constant reminder of her demonic heritage. Calling itself by the name of Pride, Rachel has instead taken to calling this entity by the color that seems to leak its way into her mind when it speaks. Red has a simple goal, fulfill their destiny and summon Rachel’s demonic father into this world. Yet, Red is more than a simple voice in the back of Rachel’s mind. Much more. Red can appear in Rachel’s vision as if she were standing next to her, a haunting doppelganger of Rachel’s own form… yet with a glowing set of six crimson eyes. She has, at times, shown the ability to seize control of their body when the girl’s emotions slip out from under her control. This, in turn, forces Rachel to spend a concerted effort on keeping the other suppressed and her emotions under control. Doc: A volunteer doctor who works at one of the many homeless shelters that Rachel frequents, and one of the few people she can trust. Rachel doesn’t know the man’s full name, but he has often patched her back up after various incidents without asking for too many uncomfortable details. Instead, he has a habit of offering unrequested life advice that is often scarily accurate to issues that might’ve caused the injuries he was seeing. That, and a habit of sneaking in various sweets to pass off to Rachel during her visits. - P O S T C A T A L O G P O S T C A T A L O G _________________________________________________________ [+] - P O S T C A T A L O G ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ -

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T ________________________________________________________________________________________ Rachel’s life is beyond a far cry from what anybody would call a good one, yet, it is a tale that is unfortunately common in the streets of Gotham. She never got to know her mother, having lost her at an early age to the most common ailment in Gotham; a bullet. Instead, the young Roth was forced to live out on her own, one among the many homeless living within Gotham’s alleyways. It was cold, and life was hard, yet the child found a way. She had to. These first few years alone on the streets of Gotham spent dodging crime, stealing food, and drifting between shelters somehow seemed blissful compared to what was yet to come. On her seventh birthday, Rachel's entire life suddenly flipped itself upon its head. Seemingly out of nowhere, she was woken by a sudden voice from seemingly behind her. Promising change in her little life, that she could present Rachel with something more than what she had thus far. As the voice spoke, the noise in young Rachel's head slowly grew and grew. A cacophony of others' thoughts, their emotions, all flowing in from every angle. She could suddenly feel the entire city, and the hellscape that so many lived within its concrete walls. As she cried and begged for silence to return amidst her mounting confusion and fear, the voice spoke once more. Clearer this time, and sounding almost exactly like her own. The noise in Rachel's head seemed to quiet as it spoke, promising to make everything quieter. Slowly, Rachel stood and asked the voice a simple question as she turned toward the source. A fateful question, whose answer forever changed her path. "I'm you." As it replied, Rachel was horrified to see a figure, not unlike herself standing just before her. Its skin was a deathly gray, and it bore six glowing red eyes upon its face. A confident, casual grin sat on her features as she saw Rachel's reaction. "Good. Let's begin." The voice said before the figure seemingly disappeared and Rachel's world fell into Darkness. When she awoke, it was already nighttime. All around her were the mangled bodies of several others who'd been staying in her alleyway. Her hands had splotches of the same crimson leaking from their bodies, and even worse, her skin had turned the same shade as that terrifying girl from before. Rachel staggered back, eyes wide at both the carnage she'd obviously caused and her new appearance. Terrified as she picked up a piece of shattered glass to check her reflection... and worried about how many eyes she'd find staring back. Yet, it seemed, she was slightly luckier on that end. She still had two eyes, but they'd shifted to a haunting yellow. On her forehead, a ruby-colored gemstone now sat as if it'd always been there. Whatever that thing had done to her... it was the worst birthday she'd ever had. In the years since that fateful, Rachel has learned to live with that other being. Slowly coming to accept that it was, in fact, a part of her. It had not been lying when it said they were the same... yet she refused to let it seize control again. She'd learned to shove away most of her emotions, afraid they'd provide another gateway for that thing to seize control. Yet she was not always perfect, and sometimes Red did manage to take over... and there was always a victim. Through these terrible events, however, Rachel had dreams. She learned bits of her heritage, pieces of what she truly was. A prophecy, to summon a demon to her world. A demon, her father. She also learned from these dreams of small amounts of magic she could manipulate. She learned, slowly, to tone down the thoughts and emotions of others. To recognize patterns to tell who was who. She learned of a way to project her soul from her body in the form of black energy outlined in red. It could allow her to see over a longer distance, explore areas before entering, and could even absorb attacks before spitting them back out. She knew there was more, that she was barely scratching the surface... but she was scared. Scared of what that might open up, of who it might invite to come out. Yet there were still some bright spots amidst the darkness. There was a doctor at one of the shelters she visited often, she knew him as Doc, who had always been kind. He'd treated her when she was injured from Red's rampages, and never once did he comment on her strange appearance. He'd always been kind and offered advice that seemed to be just right for whatever troubles she had in her life... despite the fact she never told him of said troubles. He even went through the trouble of sneaking the girl chocolate bars whenever she would visit, a kindness done without any need for spoken words. While she couldn't call Doc a friend, per se, it was comforting to know that there was somebody out there who seemed to care about her. To have something reliable to keep her mind from falling too deep into despair. Her troubles only got worse as she became a young teenager. At the age of 14, she found herself being hunted. A group calling itself the Cult of Trigon had started to show itself within the city and was coming directly for Rachel. The Raven, they called her. The time had come to summon the demon-father she'd seen in her dreams, and unfortunately for Rachel... there wasn't a whole lot she could do to resist a cult bent on claiming her as their own. Yet, it seemed, the girl would get lucky yet again. The Boy Wonder, Robin, came to her aid seemingly out of nowhere and handily defeated the cultists trying to get her. Curious as it was, Rachel considered herself lucky that it was just Robin who'd saved her. She, like many others who lived on Gotham's streets, lived every day in fear of Robin's mentor, the Bat. She was so scared of that man, that Rachel forced Robin to swear not to tell his mentor about her, or the abilities she had shown during their brief fight with the cultists. Over the next year, Robin continued to visit Rachel to check on her every night as he helped her move into an abandoned Subway station, while slowly turning it into a safe house. With basic living quarters, and all the essentials that one could need to get by. With each visit, Rachel found herself more and more overjoyed to see the familiar face of Robin, now known to her as Jason Todd, coming to visit. Until her emotions boiled over, and in an unusually bold move, she kissed the Boy Wonder just as he was leaving for the night. The next few weeks were as near to bliss as she'd ever experienced, with the start of a relationship blooming between the two. Until Red showed her hand once more. The other threatened Jason's life, swearing to seize control and put an end to the Boy Wonder, a threat that Rachel knew she was risking by embracing her emotions towards Jason. So, she did the only reasonable thing to save his life. She broke up with Jason. She drove him away, explaining that they couldn't be together or his life was at risk. That she was the risk to his life. Despite all the hurt, Rachel knew it to be best, knew that she was saving him this way. Until the Joker ended his life anyways a mere two weeks later. Since then, Rachel has lived alone in her safe house. Meditating, and learning to further suppress her emotions. Events like the war with Atlantis, or the disbanding of the Justice League all seemed far away from her little Safe House. Her prison of choice. Throughout the years she's learned to manipulate and move objects with her mind, something learned during her meditations as she has slowly dared to reach further into that well of power that once scared her so much. Despite her preferred isolation, she does occasionally venture out. No matter the time of year, always with a large red hoodie to hide her features and hopefully keep her from finding trouble. Though too often trouble has found her anyways, and made her fight back in the only way she knows how. It's a lonely life, but it's better than becoming the Monster she keeps locked within. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ As the above wall of text probably indicates, this Raven is a bit different from the origins of the typical hero. She is a Raven who has never ventured to Azarath, and who hasn't had a mentor to really learn how to handle her emotions or powers. Nor a teacher to tell her fully who she is, and what she can do. Her gateway to that life was taken when her mother was Gotham'd while she was young. Since then, she's lived a life dictated by fear. Not just of the city around her, nor herself, but also of the heroes who keep the world safe. Of how they would react to a girl whose purpose for existing is to bring about the end of everything they hold dear. I borrowed some ideas in the form of the Emoticlones, with Red Raven being much stronger and more influential this time around (and taking the name of Pride from that plot line where Raven's siblings are the seven sins). This also is why the color Red is more present with this variation, as a lot of her power is learned from suppressing the evil within herself and drawing knowledge from what it can do. The main story I want to tell with her is about her overcoming that fear and eventually taking her place as a hero in her own right. I want to show her struggling with her abilities, growing in strength as she does, and facing down new threats. Learning from other members of the cast in the RP, and using that to beat down her own (literal) demon within. As far as plots; I did want to actually have Rachel struggle with her father twice over the course of her tenure here. In her initial plot line, I imagined a resurgent Cult of Trigon coming after her and culminating in a brief encounter with her father. Then Rachel would have time to struggle with her own nature, that a part of her is Forever Evil, and perhaps even see her finally making it to Azarath. Then at some point, I'd like her to face down her father again for the big final showdown. Aside from those plots, I did want her open to join in any other plotlines that others would be happy to have me tag along during! I can also toss out some of my plots if they're too much, or change things up to work with the rp/other rpers!

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DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

So does that mean I'm accepted or is it a multi-gm thing?

Also @Master Bruce, I do have an idea for Raven's first plot that could rope in the Bat like I mentioned before, do ya want me to dm you about it?

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

@Master Bruce Yep! Lurk and I already talked about it in depth and he's 100% onboard with it all!

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

Oh no, the struggles :c

DC Comics Roleplay: Fall of Justice

@Sep Oh definitely! I went and I made them a few shades brighter! Does that work or do I need to make 'em even brighter? I don't mind ^^