CaliforniaState

Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

ELM
ELM

_{Location: The Foundation Institute - Atlantic Ocean}

Human #5.071: Banquet

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_{Interaction(s): N/A}

Previously: N/A

The sun had barely peaked over the horizon when Elmira had already been awake for hours. It wasn’t by choice really, her family had instilled this oppressive notion that the day started the moment birds rehearsed their orchestral performance and crepuscular animals were ambling to start their day. All it really did was leave her in a strange liminal space where she waited for the world to greet her with its warmth and radiance. Once a special place for her to hold in her heart with her parents was now a cold and poignant period in which she was alone and in a silent world all to herself.

It took her years of bartering with the faculty and her counselors at The Foundation to allow her a room to herself, devoid of any unwanted roommates or mountains of clutter whether well kept or an utter pigsty. Not only a room to herself, but one big enough to house windows large enough to allow ample sunlight to shimmer and bathe her flowers in warmth to grow. That was the other thing, space. What wasn’t decorated in gothic academia, natural science affections (posters, books, skulls, hides, feathers, past fish immortalized in resin, isopod tanks), and clothes lay strewn were her plants. Massive montesera, hanging golden pothos and hedera lily, vicious spider and snake plants, variations of orchids and lilies all lined shelves, stood from the floor, or hung from the ceilings off macrame hangers she made herself.

The juxtaposition of grey scale in her closet and verdant green living in her room gave off opposing vibes that would overwhelm a visitor surely, if she had any to invite. Through the massive jungle, bushwhacking past evergreen, Elmira could be seen perched on a stool almost perfectly still. Her back was slouched and hunched over, her posture rapidly declining with age and devotion to her hobby. Over her shoulder you could see the sprouting of a bonsai plant that had been pristinely cared for over years. Facing it would be Elm, with a pair of magnifying glasses equipped with a light, shining down on the branches of the tree with her eyes 40x the size bearing down on the overgrown stems. Like a surgeon performing open heart surgery, Elm raised her still hand to fix the blade of her pruning shears around the base of the branch. Just still enough to not sheer too much nor too little. Air swirled into her nose before she slowly expelled it and with it closed the shears.

Perfect, she would be able to benefit from the beauty and harmony the tree radiated that was otherwise devoid on this campus.

Removing her glasses and shutting off the light, her room was starting to illuminate, chasing the long shadows away and bringing in the light of a new day. A boring day she had hoped, that was until she checked her calendar for the day. It was mostly due dates on things past due or extensions she had asked for because she couldn’t be assed to do anything more that was required of her. Yet, quite counterintuitive for her plan to get out of The Foundation as fast as possible.

“Shit, I forgot today is the day we get transfers” sighing unpleasantly.

Elm knew from experience how daunting and dehumanizing the process could be with their archaic fealty to hazing as if this was some fraternity or sorority seeped in the days of yore. She could protest all she wanted, but it was something mandatory for the student boy. Who knows, perhaps she could find some way to lessen the load for those who couldn’t bear the humiliation.

Elm watered her plants which in all seriousness takes her about half an hour to accomplish, what with climbing stools or batting away leaves so she could find the smaller potted plants. She ate her breakfast which consisted of black coffee and a cigarette, wishing she was given the ability to photosynthesize rather than have to constantly feed herself ’real’ nutrients. Threw on her outfit of blacks and greys and did her make up, ensuring her eyes popped out the most as they usually did. Organizing her books and papers she wished her greenhouse children a farewell, closing the door behind her.

She sat on the steps of the main entrance just before the security gates. A line of fresh faces littered the area, that reminded her that some were even from the prestigious P.R.C.U. A school she didn’t get a chance to attend as there was no voice or choice given to her in the wallows of foster care. The metal clang of her zippo flying open to light her cigarette and shutting probably earned her a few looks of disapproval as this was not a designated smoking area, she could care less however.

Seeing child after child buckle and seethe in pain and anguish over the branding of a barcode into their skin made her body crawl. Searing pain rose to the surface of her wrist as she quickly went to rub it realizing it was nothing but her mind giving way to nostalgia and trauma. Most kids got an ID card or just had their name, here they marked you like livestock and there was no way to rid yourself of the phantom pain nor the tracker that lay dormant under layers of skin. Elm looked down at her as her other hand clutched it from the underside. It looked normal, there was no damage, no permanent scar and nothing to indicate she had ever been branded or had a serial number that denoted her entire history at this school.

“Fuck this” she said, jerking her body up and aiming to speed off into some library or walkway. That was until she saw a girl who didn’t collapse or cry out, lost in her own mind before being prompted to move on. It was almost sad to see how distraught and lost she was. Even more confounding when her gaze fixated on one of the banners overhead.

“What is she staring at?” taking a few steps forward to peer up onto the banner. Tiamat. She must have been one of the P.R.C.U transfers that everyone was gung-ho to eat alive. The thought of reaching out a hand and warning her of the perils that lie ahead prodded her mind, but she batted them away and with a quiver in her lip turned to recede back inside to attend her classes physically.

It wasn’t until later when the decadence of the welcoming dinner was at hand did Elm’s stomach truly turn in revulsion. She thought back to the night she was fresh from solitary confinement. One of the lucky ones to keep her scrubs clean of any excrement or stains. Nor did she have any stains on her mind as foster care and the isolation in her head she retreated to from time to time helped mitigate any inflammatory psychosis. It was just enough to get her bye and leave people bored of her from not reaping what they had wrought. She wouldn’t give them an inch so they didn’t give her a mile.

She dressed as formally as possible, which just meant a nice black dress with floral mesh at the nape of her neck, the cuffs of her wrists and the bottom of her legs. She sat through Professor Montogomery’s egotistical speech and caught vomit in her throat seeing the hierarchical markings that were Greek letters and black and beige jumpsuits. The extreme alienation in clothes and marking wasn’t enough, dinner was only a hair's breadth away. They moved onward to tables with the finest cutlery one would imagine, a banquet that looked as appetizing and elegant as if they were English royalty in the days of monarchs and hegemonies. The name of the insidious dish immediately translated in her brain, there had to be some extra play in why they served it. Normally they would be unphased by such a traditional dish from Italy, but this was no ordinary dinner for no ordinary guests.

Again Elm took note of the girl who was too famished to realize what the dish was, until she heard another possible P.R.C.U student speak up on its contents before spitting out her food and looking quite solemn. Quickly diminished by the enigmatic crowd of mockery and the continued shuffle and clacking of silverware. That was quickly disrupted again by what she could only assume was a giant of an Australian man joking of a horse playing cricket. His outburst would earn him the same fate she was resigned to for her rejection of it all.

Elm pushed around her meatballs, hardly touching them or the past considering she was vegetarian and the school did little in the way of accommodating dietary restrictions. Her nostrils were singed with a putrid odor first with the retching hot on the boots. Elmira scowled before anticipating one of her peers getting too drunk on the flutes of celebration. Instead she caught the gaze of the brunette who had been gripping the table with all her might, aiming to take a chunk of wood with her. A thought entered her mind to sprout some flowers from under the table to do away with the puke and sprout some sweet smelling flower to mask the smell, but she knew working hands would emerge and clean it up and disappear just as fast as they appeared.

“Huh…guess horse meat is something you learn to love. Who would’ve thought?”

She snickered at that one, unintentionally breaking the dead silence, before clearing her throat and taking a sip from her glass.

2100 ☢️ BADLAND REPUBLIC (Interest Gathering) (High Casual) (FULL)

Reservation

Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

ELM
ELM

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_{^{"The grass is always greener before you die"}}

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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 _________________________________________________________ Elmira Heloise Canovis _________________________________________________________ November 11th, 2004 | 24 | Caucasian _________________________________________________________ Single | Female | Asexual _________________________________________________________ Saranac Lake | New York | United States _________________________________________________________ House | N/A C H A R A C T E R S T A T S C H A R A C T E R S T A T S _________________________________________________________ ◼ B U I L D || Descriptor(s) ◼ H A I R C O L O U R || Brunette ◼ E Y E C O L O U R || Hazel Green ◼ H E I G H T || 5’6” ◼ W E I G H T || 119 pounds ◼ S C A R S || N/A ◼ T A T T O O S || Patchwork ◼ P I E R C I N G S || Ears, Nose ◼ O T H E R || N/A

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 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Thorns Elmira’s story originally took place in the mountainous regions of northern New York in a small town called Saranac Lake. She was birthed as an only child, one was practically all they could have. Her mother was a botanist, living a life dedicated to the study of plants and its pollinators when she was fully enrolled as a professor at the local university. Now, instead, she was a stay at home mom and was either found in the garden she harvested throughout the year until winter or inside devoting herself to her daughter. Despite having a green thumb, that was all that manifested itself in terms of latent abilities. There was no hype-gene to be had within, regardless of how many particles she soaked in like a sponge. There was a tinge of mourning and loss within her that she would never let flourish, but she had higher hopes for her daughter. Elmira’s father on the other hand had been a benefactor of the hype-gene and had his power coalesce when he hit puberty. His life resided in the natural sciences, with wildlife and the world of conservation. The effects of the hype-gene and their role in the environment was a novel new study in the field they had not accounted for prior to the inception of hyperhumans. His role was determining if there were possibilities to gene splice the hype-gene from humans into that of fauna and maybe later on, flora. The Canovis’ had their hands full in terms of academia and research which led to little time to usher in a child. It wasn’t until his work sent him to remote mountains that he was able to see a life slowed down enough for the two of them to make it a little less quiet. And so Elmira’s tale began on a cold winter night in the peaks of the Adirondacks. Snow and frost covered the budding flower that would be her arrival. Through the years she was loved and taught both worlds that their parents were titans in. Her knack and passion for nature was only highlighted by the area surrounding her. Able to go foraging for fungi, bird watching on their deck, even searching for hellbenders in streams and alluvial systems. As the years passed there was growing anti sentiment in the hunting and anti hype communities, sometimes one and the same, over the research that had begun to run trials on live specimens. In a small town it wasn’t hard for news to spread even if lips were sealed and secrets kept locked and keyed. Education was tried first, to build an understanding, but failed as litigation and court hearings increased. The constant stream of conflict between the feds and the people sparked interest in other groups as well, hyper terrorists. It all came to a head when Elmira was transitioning into a teenager through the emotional upheaval that is puberty. Sentiment had grown so strong, protestors had lined the lab day-in and day-out. There was never a moment of security despite the use of armed guards. Eventually conflict was sparked when a bottle was thrown and met the face of a protester. Gunfire ripped through the streets, peace turned to chaos, only to be covered by the local news. Elmira watched at home with her mother as things got worse, hoping their father would be safe. He made his debut on screen, attempting to flee through the back passage but was cornered. Fearing his safety he revealed himself as a hyperhuman. His powers ignited and caused the cameras to short circuit leaving tv’s blind. Elmira’s mother, knowing she had to do something, left her at home and raced to the scene of the incident. She never made it back. After the smoke cleared, it was said the escalation was in part due to an undercover hyper terrorists. Anti hype protesters had murdered Elmira’s father which gave the Hyperion freedom to act and attack the non hyperhuman protestors, except one that wasn’t a protester , an innocent wife and mother. Once the news was relayed to Elmira and only days after the funeral of her parents, her powers erupted. A last good bye and closure she couldn’t receive physically. Since then, she had a choice of the foster system, an estranged uncle she didn’t trust nor did he want responsibility of a hyperhuman, or enrolling and living with the Foundation. There was nothing left for her here, so she opted into the only other choice she had. D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E & A E S T H E T I C D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E & A E S T H E T I C - OPTIONAL ________________________________________________________________________________________ Elmira’s style could best be described as a flurry. There isn’t a time in her life that she doesn’t viciously change out her hair color nor swap out her wardrobe all at once. Some days she might look alternative and other days she’ll be draped in an elegant dress and devoid of any piercings. Most often then not however, she can be seen with a shaggy wolf cut. Most of her makeup goes into really mystifying her eyes and portraying them as her most cutting quality. Her style is kind of drab and melancholic, yet addictive and perplexing. She has several parts of both ears pierced, a conch, industrial bar, multiple lobe piercings, all sat behind a size 00 gauge. Most often those plugs are adorned with dangly earrings to make the most of her accoutrement. Tucked up in her nose is a septum ring she pulls out whenever she’s not in class or around faculty. Her hair cycles from dark brunette, to blonde with her dark roots highlighting her natural color, to a chestnut almost auburn red color. Patchwork tattoos line her arms, a myriad of rings on her hands, with black nail polish that is most often scuffed, litter her fingernails. She cares not for shaving and prefers a more natural appearance, leaving her armpits and legs with tuft hair. She is the girl you think is cool in a really scary way. M A N N E R I S M S & P E R S O N A L I T Y M A N N E R I S M S & P E R S O N A L I T Y - OPTIONAL ________________________________________________________________________________________ Elmira comes across one of two ways. Either she looks and seems a little bit annoyed when you talk to her or she looks really gaunt and disheveled. The former is most likely just due to her brooding and naturally resting bitch face, although she is rather impatient for things that aren’t of immediate importance. The latter being her inability to sleep for more than a few hours, being constantly dehydrated, and could care less about her studies at the university. She’s like a flower who was meant to be planted in the bed of a garden, in the company of other beautiful flora with heaps of sunlight, but instead was planted in a pot that was too small for her rapid growth and kept in a dark closet with a heat lamp as her only source of nutrients. As far as mannerisms go, she does have one unique characteristic. Any overuse of her powers not only takes a toll on her body, but also causes the hyperpigmentation of her skin. Specifically her hands. This manifests into her epidermis turning a light green color. It’s a few splotches and patches at first, as if you stained the knee portion of your jeans after playing in grass. Then grows into a deeper green that covers the entirety of her palms. Typically this doesn’t last more than a few days, but during that time she likes to wear leather gloves or lace white gloves to divert attention to her green thumb suddenly turned green hands.

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A B I L I T I E S, L I M I T A T I O N S, & W E A K N E S S E S A B I L I T I E S, L I M I T A T I O N S, & W E A K N E S S E S ________________________________________________________________________________________ H Y P E R H U M A N A B I L I T Y || T B D __PRIMARY CLASSIFICATION || Exoteric __SECONDARY CLASSIFICATION || Biological __POWER SCALE || TBD __THREAT CLASSIFICATION || TBD Elmira’s superhuman ability has manifested in the last reminder she has of her parents, florakinesis. In this ability she is able to control the realm of flora and its kingdoms adjacent or otherwise. The power itself has many properties and functions that are only limited by the imagination of the user. Elmira has direct control of the growth and manipulation of current flora on the landscape or those yet fully developed. This takes forms in flowers, roots, seeds, fruit, trees, briars, etc. She directly fuses the flora with HZE ions and allows for the telepathic and physical control of the plants she summons. When she summons plants she also has the ability to manipulate the properties that flowers have, such as their pollen and the ways they transport their pollen i.e. catapults. There’s also the nature of flowers that emit toxic fumes or contain poisonous matter that she can capitalize on such as hemlock or oleander. She can also control flora in different environments, such as the creation and formation of algae blooms in water, thus being able to create toxins that are harmful to people and animals. Or being able to use heat and fires to allow certain cones to release their seeds. Other applications include using allelochemicals from plants to impede or stop the growth of other organic matter. While her power is mainly used for offensive feats, she can also use the healing nature of plants to bolster her supportive and defense role if need be. Her applications with flora are seemingly endless with constructs, carnivorous plants, etc. Mother Nature would be proud. L I M I T A T I O N S || T B D Elmira’s limitations center around a few things. The most prevalent is the one in regards to sizing in her structures. The spawning of a few flowering plants and vines is no cause for wear or tear on Elmira’s body or energy levels. However, if she were to put all of her power into spawning a nativity of trees or roots so robust and large they could weather an explosion or topple a building then it would put considerable strain on her body and dominate her consciousness to keep it in play. The other limitations that coincide with her power is what she can control with her hands. Since she can control flora with her mind and touch she uses her arms and feet as a way to create that tethered connection. So anything that requires more than what she can accomplish with two hands is beyond her reach at the moment. An example would be one hand controlling the movement and direction of her plants while the other sprouts flowers from said plants. W E A K N E S S E S || T B D Elmira suffers the same weakness in her powers as flora does in the real world. Most of her plants are weak to fire, cold climates, freezing conditions, lack of sunlight, carbon dioxide as a resource, and the rapid growth and aging of her plants that cause them to wither and die. The amount of each that is needed to thwart her plants is based on application, but is a ratio. While these are her weaknesses she likes to believe nature's bounty has some answers to some.

S K I L L S & T A L E N T S S K I L L S & T A L E N T S _________________________________________________________ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ F I E L D G U I D E || Elmira is a compendium of knowledge in relation to the natural world. She can perfectly identify which wild plants and mushrooms are edible and poisonous. Which animal left what tracks. And what plants can be used for medicinal purposes but topical and ingestible. ◼ S U R V I V A L I S T || Elmira was born in the woods and raised in it. She can forage for herself, can build structurally sound primitive living arrangements with wood and vines. She's an accomplished hunter in both rifle and bow. A sound fly fisher. And an amateur trapper. If anyone could survive with nothing but their clothes, it would be Elmira. T A L E N T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ I L L U S T R A T I O N || Elmira is a rather gifted artist. She began her artistry when she was young as she was always fascinated with the number of field guides that her parents had. She can draw anything from people, to plants, to scientific illustrations, and even food for recipes. Her art from memory is one of her other prized talents. C H A R A C T E R A R S E N A L C H A R A C T E R A R S E N A L _________________________________________________________ A T T I R E ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ J U N I P E R B E A D S || Elmira wears a bracelet that is made of dried juniper berries also known as ghost berries to the Navajo people. It's meant to provide protection against evil and is the namesake of her mother, Juniper. I T E M ( S ) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ C O W B O Y K I L L E R || The only thing that keeps her sane and her plants employed is her addiction to nicotine. She carries with her a wooden cigarette box made of American Elm, that has Marlboro reds inside. With the case is a zippo lighter passed down to her engraved with the skull of a gray fox, her fathers favorite. T O O L ( S ) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ P R U N I N G S H E A R S || A tool she got used to carrying around from her mothers garden and the one she has set growing in her room. Handy for cutting branches and fruit. ◼ L E A T H E R M A N || A nifty multitool that no good biologist is without. In a nice leather pouch attached to her pants or sock if she's wearing a dress. ◼ P O C K E T K N I F E || Self Explanatory, another good tool used in the field. Also you're run of the mill protection tool. A D D I T I O N A L N O T E S A D D I T I O N A L N O T E S _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Elmira can be often seen walking barefoot whenever she possibly can or is allowed. ◼ Despite her thorny outer layer, some part of Elmira yearns for lasting relationships with anyone worth investing. While she finds peace and solace in isolation, she needs the ability to show her love for others in the form of companionship. ◼ Elmira always wanted to be an actress, but those that were immortalized in black and white. ◼ Her favorite food is a slice of chicken, bacon, ranch pizza ◼ Character Theme -

P E R S O N A L P R O M P T S
P E R S O N A L P R O M P T S

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_{E N T E R I N G I N T O Y O U R F I N A L Y E A R, W H A T A D V I C E D O Y O U H A V E T O A N E W S T U D E N T?}

The ember of a light flickers through her white cigarette as her cheek bones become more prominent with the inhalation squeezing the skin from her cheeks. A laugh escapes her lungs with a plume of smoke as she takes a pause to think. “Uhm, hmmm, you got me” se said stumbling through the question. The phalanx of her thumb itching the tip of her eyebrow perhaps finding an answer there. Another drag and exhale released an answer, “I’d say be ready for two hots and a cot as I always say” she laughed, “Yeah, they give you the tools you need her to thrive, but that’s totally on you. They want to foster ’individuality’ or whatever crock of bullshit that is. Just trust your gut kid, you’ll be alright.”

_{W H A T W E R E Y O U R A S P I R A T I O N S W H E N Y O U S T A R T E D H E R E? W H A T C H A N G E D, W H A T S T A Y E D T H E S A M E?}

The second question was much more personal to Elmira than the interviewer could have anticipated. Her finger flicked the tower of ash waiting to be thrown to the air. “Aspirations? Yeah I didn’t have those” she stretched her back a bit, “I was just happy to have somewhere to stay that wasn’t out there. The only thing I’m still doing here is making my parents proud. Are we almost done here? You’re wasting my time I have plants with soil that need to be changed.”

_{I F Y O U C O U L D M A K E O N E C H A N G E T O Y O U R T I M E A T T H E F O U N D A T I O N I N S T I T U T E, W H A T W O U L D I T B E?}

With her cigarette roached, she flicked it to the ground crushing it under the heel of her chunky platform boots. “Is this going in a brochure or something? Make sure I’m not in it if it is. What would I change? Everything. This school is too obsessed with that other one. What do they call it? PRU? PRCCU? You get the point. There’s too many secrets that lurk around here.”

“I don’t think you can say that Ms.. ms”

“Whatever, interviews over. Send my love to Yoshi”

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Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

<Snipped quote by CaliforniaState>

Rejected because the character concept is long enough to require a hider

Accepted. Please move into the character roster.

@Lord Wraith

Haha totally fair reason to reject. Sounds good o7

Commencement: A Foundation Institute RP

ELM
ELM

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_{^{"The grass is always greener before you die"}}

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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 _________________________________________________________ Elmira Heloise Canovis _________________________________________________________ November 11th, 2004 | 24 | Caucasian _________________________________________________________ Single | Female | Asexual _________________________________________________________ Saranac Lake | New York | United States _________________________________________________________ House | N/A C H A R A C T E R S T A T S C H A R A C T E R S T A T S _________________________________________________________ ◼ B U I L D || Descriptor(s) ◼ H A I R C O L O U R || Brunette ◼ E Y E C O L O U R || Hazel Green ◼ H E I G H T || 5’6” ◼ W E I G H T || 119 pounds ◼ S C A R S || N/A ◼ T A T T O O S || Patchwork ◼ P I E R C I N G S || Ears, Nose ◼ O T H E R || N/A

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 ________________________________________________________________________________________ Thorns Elmira’s story originally took place in the mountainous regions of northern New York in a small town called Saranac Lake. She was birthed as an only child, one was practically all they could have. Her mother was a botanist, living a life dedicated to the study of plants and its pollinators when she was fully enrolled as a professor at the local university. Now, instead, she was a stay at home mom and was either found in the garden she harvested throughout the year until winter or inside devoting herself to her daughter. Despite having a green thumb, that was all that manifested itself in terms of latent abilities. There was no hype-gene to be had within, regardless of how many particles she soaked in like a sponge. There was a tinge of mourning and loss within her that she would never let flourish, but she had higher hopes for her daughter. Elmira’s father on the other hand had been a benefactor of the hype-gene and had his power coalesce when he hit puberty. His life resided in the natural sciences, with wildlife and the world of conservation. The effects of the hype-gene and their role in the environment was a novel new study in the field they had not accounted for prior to the inception of hyperhumans. His role was determining if there were possibilities to gene splice the hype-gene from humans into that of fauna and maybe later on, flora. The Canovis’ had their hands full in terms of academia and research which led to little time to usher in a child. It wasn’t until his work sent him to remote mountains that he was able to see a life slowed down enough for the two of them to make it a little less quiet. And so Elmira’s tale began on a cold winter night in the peaks of the Adirondacks. Snow and frost covered the budding flower that would be her arrival. Through the years she was loved and taught both worlds that their parents were titans in. Her knack and passion for nature was only highlighted by the area surrounding her. Able to go foraging for fungi, bird watching on their deck, even searching for hellbenders in streams and alluvial systems. As the years passed there was growing anti sentiment in the hunting and anti hype communities, sometimes one and the same, over the research that had begun to run trials on live specimens. In a small town it wasn’t hard for news to spread even if lips were sealed and secrets kept locked and keyed. Education was tried first, to build an understanding, but failed as litigation and court hearings increased. The constant stream of conflict between the feds and the people sparked interest in other groups as well, hyper terrorists. It all came to a head when Elmira was transitioning into a teenager through the emotional upheaval that is puberty. Sentiment had grown so strong, protestors had lined the lab day-in and day-out. There was never a moment of security despite the use of armed guards. Eventually conflict was sparked when a bottle was thrown and met the face of a protester. Gunfire ripped through the streets, peace turned to chaos, only to be covered by the local news. Elmira watched at home with her mother as things got worse, hoping their father would be safe. He made his debut on screen, attempting to flee through the back passage but was cornered. Fearing his safety he revealed himself as a hyperhuman. His powers ignited and caused the cameras to short circuit leaving tv’s blind. Elmira’s mother, knowing she had to do something, left her at home and raced to the scene of the incident. She never made it back. After the smoke cleared, it was said the escalation was in part due to an undercover hyper terrorists. Anti hype protesters had murdered Elmira’s father which gave the Hyperion freedom to act and attack the non hyperhuman protestors, except one that wasn’t a protester , an innocent wife and mother. Once the news was relayed to Elmira and only days after the funeral of her parents, her powers erupted. A last good bye and closure she couldn’t receive physically. Since then, she had a choice of the foster system, an estranged uncle she didn’t trust nor did he want responsibility of a hyperhuman, or enrolling and living with the Foundation. There was nothing left for her here, so she opted into the only other choice she had. D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E & A E S T H E T I C D E T A I L E D A P P E A R A N C E & A E S T H E T I C - OPTIONAL ________________________________________________________________________________________ Elmira’s style could best be described as a flurry. There isn’t a time in her life that she doesn’t viciously change out her hair color nor swap out her wardrobe all at once. Some days she might look alternative and other days she’ll be draped in an elegant dress and devoid of any piercings. Most often then not however, she can be seen with a shaggy wolf cut. Most of her makeup goes into really mystifying her eyes and portraying them as her most cutting quality. Her style is kind of drab and melancholic, yet addictive and perplexing. She has several parts of both ears pierced, a conch, industrial bar, multiple lobe piercings, all sat behind a size 00 gauge. Most often those plugs are adorned with dangly earrings to make the most of her accoutrement. Tucked up in her nose is a septum ring she pulls out whenever she’s not in class or around faculty. Her hair cycles from dark brunette, to blonde with her dark roots highlighting her natural color, to a chestnut almost auburn red color. Patchwork tattoos line her arms, a myriad of rings on her hands, with black nail polish that is most often scuffed, litter her fingernails. She cares not for shaving and prefers a more natural appearance, leaving her armpits and legs with tuft hair. She is the girl you think is cool in a really scary way. M A N N E R I S M S & P E R S O N A L I T Y M A N N E R I S M S & P E R S O N A L I T Y - OPTIONAL ________________________________________________________________________________________ Elmira comes across one of two ways. Either she looks and seems a little bit annoyed when you talk to her or she looks really gaunt and disheveled. The former is most likely just due to her brooding and naturally resting bitch face, although she is rather impatient for things that aren’t of immediate importance. The latter being her inability to sleep for more than a few hours, being constantly dehydrated, and could care less about her studies at the university. She’s like a flower who was meant to be planted in the bed of a garden, in the company of other beautiful flora with heaps of sunlight, but instead was planted in a pot that was too small for her rapid growth and kept in a dark closet with a heat lamp as her only source of nutrients. As far as mannerisms go, she does have one unique characteristic. Any overuse of her powers not only takes a toll on her body, but also causes the hyperpigmentation of her skin. Specifically her hands. This manifests into her epidermis turning a light green color. It’s a few splotches and patches at first, as if you stained the knee portion of your jeans after playing in grass. Then grows into a deeper green that covers the entirety of her palms. Typically this doesn’t last more than a few days, but during that time she likes to wear leather gloves or lace white gloves to divert attention to her green thumb suddenly turned green hands.

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A B I L I T I E S, L I M I T A T I O N S, & W E A K N E S S E S A B I L I T I E S, L I M I T A T I O N S, & W E A K N E S S E S ________________________________________________________________________________________ H Y P E R H U M A N A B I L I T Y || T B D __PRIMARY CLASSIFICATION || Exoteric __SECONDARY CLASSIFICATION || Biological __POWER SCALE || TBD __THREAT CLASSIFICATION || TBD Elmira’s superhuman ability has manifested in the last reminder she has of her parents, florakinesis. In this ability she is able to control the realm of flora and its kingdoms adjacent or otherwise. The power itself has many properties and functions that are only limited by the imagination of the user. Elmira has direct control of the growth and manipulation of current flora on the landscape or those yet fully developed. This takes forms in flowers, roots, seeds, fruit, trees, briars, etc. She directly fuses the flora with HZE ions and allows for the telepathic and physical control of the plants she summons. When she summons plants she also has the ability to manipulate the properties that flowers have, such as their pollen and the ways they transport their pollen i.e. catapults. There’s also the nature of flowers that emit toxic fumes or contain poisonous matter that she can capitalize on such as hemlock or oleander. She can also control flora in different environments, such as the creation and formation of algae blooms in water, thus being able to create toxins that are harmful to people and animals. Or being able to use heat and fires to allow certain cones to release their seeds. Other applications include using allelochemicals from plants to impede or stop the growth of other organic matter. While her power is mainly used for offensive feats, she can also use the healing nature of plants to bolster her supportive and defense role if need be. Her applications with flora are seemingly endless with constructs, carnivorous plants, etc. Mother Nature would be proud. L I M I T A T I O N S || T B D Elmira’s limitations center around a few things. The most prevalent is the one in regards to sizing in her structures. The spawning of a few flowering plants and vines is no cause for wear or tear on Elmira’s body or energy levels. However, if she were to put all of her power into spawning a nativity of trees or roots so robust and large they could weather an explosion or topple a building then it would put considerable strain on her body and dominate her consciousness to keep it in play. The other limitations that coincide with her power is what she can control with her hands. Since she can control flora with her mind and touch she uses her arms and feet as a way to create that tethered connection. So anything that requires more than what she can accomplish with two hands is beyond her reach at the moment. An example would be one hand controlling the movement and direction of her plants while the other sprouts flowers from said plants. W E A K N E S S E S || T B D Elmira suffers the same weakness in her powers as flora does in the real world. Most of her plants are weak to fire, cold climates, freezing conditions, lack of sunlight, carbon dioxide as a resource, and the rapid growth and aging of her plants that cause them to wither and die. The amount of each that is needed to thwart her plants is based on application, but is a ratio. While these are her weaknesses she likes to believe nature's bounty has some answers to some.

S K I L L S & T A L E N T S S K I L L S & T A L E N T S _________________________________________________________ S K I L L S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ F I E L D G U I D E || Elmira is a compendium of knowledge in relation to the natural world. She can perfectly identify which wild plants and mushrooms are edible and poisonous. Which animal left what tracks. And what plants can be used for medicinal purposes but topical and ingestible. ◼ S U R V I V A L I S T || Elmira was born in the woods and raised in it. She can forage for herself, can build structurally sound primitive living arrangements with wood and vines. She's an accomplished hunter in both rifle and bow. A sound fly fisher. And an amateur trapper. If anyone could survive with nothing but their clothes, it would be Elmira. T A L E N T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ I L L U S T R A T I O N || Elmira is a rather gifted artist. She began her artistry when she was young as she was always fascinated with the number of field guides that her parents had. She can draw anything from people, to plants, to scientific illustrations, and even food for recipes. Her art from memory is one of her other prized talents. C H A R A C T E R A R S E N A L C H A R A C T E R A R S E N A L _________________________________________________________ A T T I R E ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ J U N I P E R B E A D S || Elmira wears a bracelet that is made of dried juniper berries also known as ghost berries to the Navajo people. It's meant to provide protection against evil and is the namesake of her mother, Juniper. I T E M ( S ) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ C O W B O Y K I L L E R || The only thing that keeps her sane and her plants employed is her addiction to nicotine. She carries with her a wooden cigarette box made of American Elm, that has Marlboro reds inside. With the case is a zippo lighter passed down to her engraved with the skull of a gray fox, her fathers favorite. T O O L ( S ) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ P R U N I N G S H E A R S || A tool she got used to carrying around from her mothers garden and the one she has set growing in her room. Handy for cutting branches and fruit. ◼ L E A T H E R M A N || A nifty multitool that no good biologist is without. In a nice leather pouch attached to her pants or sock if she's wearing a dress. ◼ P O C K E T K N I F E || Self Explanatory, another good tool used in the field. Also you're run of the mill protection tool. A D D I T I O N A L N O T E S A D D I T I O N A L N O T E S _________________________________________________________ [+] - M I S C E L L A N E O U S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Elmira can be often seen walking barefoot whenever she possibly can or is allowed. ◼ Despite her thorny outer layer, some part of Elmira yearns for lasting relationships with anyone worth investing. While she finds peace and solace in isolation, she needs the ability to show her love for others in the form of companionship. ◼ Elmira always wanted to be an actress, but those that were immortalized in black and white. ◼ Her favorite food is a slice of chicken, bacon, ranch pizza ◼ Character Theme -

P E R S O N A L P R O M P T S
P E R S O N A L P R O M P T S

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{E N T E R I N G I N T O Y O U R F I N A L Y E A R, W H A T A D V I C E D O Y O U H A V E T O A N E W S T U D E N T?}

The ember of a light flickers through her white cigarette as her cheek bones become more prominent with the inhalation squeezing the skin from her cheeks. A laugh escapes her lungs with a plume of smoke as she takes a pause to think. “Uhm, hmmm, you got me” se said stumbling through the question. The phalanx of her thumb itching the tip of her eyebrow perhaps finding an answer there. Another drag and exhale released an answer, “I’d say be ready for two hots and a cot as I always say” she laughed, “Yeah, they give you the tools you need her to thrive, but that’s totally on you. They want to foster ’individuality’ or whatever crock of bullshit that is. Just trust your gut kid, you’ll be alright.”

_{W H A T W E R E Y O U R A S P I R A T I O N S W H E N Y O U S T A R T E D H E R E? W H A T C H A N G E D, W H A T S T A Y E D T H E S A M E?}

The second question was much more personal to Elmira than the interviewer could have anticipated. Her finger flicked the tower of ash waiting to be thrown to the air. “Aspirations? Yeah I didn’t have those” she stretched her back a bit, “I was just happy to have somewhere to stay that wasn’t out there. The only thing I’m still doing here is making my parents proud. Are we almost done here? You’re wasting my time I have plants with soil that need to be changed.”

_{I F Y O U C O U L D M A K E O N E C H A N G E T O Y O U R T I M E A T T H E F O U N D A T I O N I N S T I T U T E, W H A T W O U L D I T B E?}

With her cigarette roached, she flicked it to the ground crushing it under the heel of her chunky platform boots. “Is this going in a brochure or something? Make sure I’m not in it if it is. What would I change? Everything. This school is too obsessed with that other one. What do they call it? PRU? PRCCU? You get the point. There’s too many secrets that lurk around here.”

“I don’t think you can say that Ms.. ms”

“Whatever, interviews over. Send my love to Yoshi”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

Regalia

_{[Location] Landow, Estren
[Time] Sunday, 08:00 AM
[Interactions] N/A}

The barrel of the rifle ran hot, red in discoloration around the rim of it. Camilo dispatched as many of the arthropod swarm as he possibly could, but the droves were endless. Red cooled to orange and then eventually back to black in his pause to continue. What he saw was truly grotesque, god death, something one never truly gets to experience in one lifetime much less spanning multiple. The jagged row of serrated teeth from the maw of the sea beast crushed down and tore through layers of flesh and scales as if it were nothing more than paper. Camilo could hear every fiber of muscle beginning to tear and give way to the pressure pulling it apart. Blood and residue exploded out of the neck of Leviathan, showering the ocean with tinges of red and blue, coating the smaller legion in sinew. Saliva ran hot in his mouth, the thought of puking rather eminent. As a soldier he had seen his fair share of violence and the machinations of prime evils that occupied the human mind, yet watching a regalia be decapitated ring side provoked something else inside of him perhaps having shared his persons with his own dominant.

The shrill screams from the audience became inaudible in his mind, replaced with the sound of his heartbeat. The rifle unhitched from his grasp, tumbling to the ground and misfiring off into the concrete walls. Camilo looked for an alley, somewhere he could put distance and obscurance between him and the masses. He stumbled into one, pressing his back to the wall and sliding down as the earth came up to meet him.

“I should have died that day, I have no business with the world of dominants and regalia”

“That’s simply not true, you were cold as ice even before you met me”

The serene siren song crept up past the hairs of his neck and into the drums of his ears. He could feel his skin ash and cool under the presence of his dominant. An exhale created a cloud of heat, his body temperature rapidly began to cool down. His ears were no longer plagued by the fervent thumping of his heart, the cold ensured it would slow down back to a sinus rhythm.

“You’re right, lack of sleep and large crowds just haven’t been helpful”

“We can fix that later. For now, don’t you think it’s time we had some fun?”

“Yo te sigo, tus merced” he said aloud, realizing he had already been standing. He could feel the weight of his dominant on him, clinging to his back with her arms gently wrapped around his chest, legs crossed around his waist, her head resting in the nook of his neck beckoning him to transform. Their relationship was intimate, symbiotic, and complicated. Camilo immediately ascended upwards in a blinding light, collecting sheets and layers of ice all around him. The rock flew overhead towards the ocean where droplets of water quickly pulled towards the icy spearhead. The droplets swirled and danced on their way up from the surface, forming several overlapping circles. Each one depositing another drop to thicken the ice until it was the size of beasts fists. Luckily enough for him, Odin was drawing the attention of the beast giving time for Shiva to be born.

Just then, cracks began to form and run down and across from the surface of the ice. Much like a bird or a reptile erupting from their egg, Shiva bursted out from her incubating icicle. She was resplendent in her beauty, pale of skin that faded into dark hues of blue. She shimmered in what could only be described as elegance and royalty. A tiara of frost jutted out between her wispy white hair, paired with an icy rhombus jewel pressed into her forehead. The magical transformation into a buxom beauty would surely inspire and comfort those who would gaze up at her. Within the explosion the giant chunks of ice heralded to the ground, causing sizable eruptions of water to spout into the air. What chunks didn’t hit the water, instead crushed more of the horde of creatures undertow.

In the momentary confusion and attention diverted from her, Shiva conjured a ball of ice into her hand and thrusted it up into the sky. Nimbostratus and cumulonimbus clouds crowded the sky, plummeting the temperature all around them. Snow covered and coated the sands, the buildings, and now the beast. Whether the beast knew it or not, the longer it stayed in the water the more heat would siphon out of him as the waters would attempt to freeze him in place.

cards 10/15

Regalia

_{[Location] Landow, Estren
[Time] Sunday, 07:30 AM
[Interactions] N/A}

Camilo continued to eye the festivities, finishing the skewer, nimbly spinning the metal rod in his hand. Against his better judgment he kept finding his gaze hovering back to the tiny group of dominants bolstering in number. It was odd to publicize yourself so much, make yourself so readily available to the public eye just for some illusion of grandeur. Dominants might have been invincible, but the same pleasantries weren’t extended to family members or loved ones. It was more of a projection than a founded belief for Camilo. He hadn’t even been a regalia prior to having his family taken from him so what if he did have the power before then. Thoughts like that would soon make him go mad and fester an aversion to the rest of the dominants he encountered in his wake.

Gravel crunched undertow finding its purchase on the concrete. He propped his hood up, fished out some sunglasses from his pocket, and did the bare minimum in concealing his face. Touring through different tents with food and marketable paraphernalia he caught himself stopping just before spying a woman caked in a mask of skull face paint. She was speaking, or perhaps berating, another younger man, both unsurprisingly armed. His mouth creased in a frown, knowing he had entered the scene rather naked. At least almost naked. He prodded the tip of the skewer with his finger, testing the sharpness of it and whether or not he could rely on it if need be. It wasn’t too dissimilar to a needle of ice that he had sunk into so many before this. This should be no different.

Just before he drew close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation, there was a disharmony of screams loud enough to pierce through the loud murmur of the crowds just above the harbor. Camilo’s confusion was warranted when the reaction of the crowd closest to the overlook turned to terror and found themselves forming a wave that crashed back onto the confused onlookers who had not seen the source of dismay. Camilo worked his way through the crowd, having to claw his way through the stiff junction of panicked civilians. An aggressive shoulder check hit square into him, knocking his glasses off, shattering underfoot of the stampede. Swimming on, he ducked into an alley with a drainage that led to the harbor. His gait stopped immediately, frozen in place but not by Shiva, but by the grizzly image of white sand turned red.

Camilo studied biology in his time in school, there was even a time where he had originally planned to study that instead of the political science degree pushed onto him after military service. From what he did remember, it was his section on invertebrates. Arthropods being the family he most enjoyed: crabs, lobsters, scorpions, spiders. *Crabs*, the horde tearing into the flesh of men, women, and children with their chelipeds were a nefarious perversion of the crustaceans he remembered. In his inaction the other dominants had already begun their proaction in saving the people that so dearly worshiped them. A chill ran down Camilo’s spine, he could feel Shiva’s hand pressing on his shoulder. The cold radiated all throughout his neck and arm, she was silently imploring him to take form and help the others.

It was still too soon, still too many people that could get injured if he wasn’t careful. Instead he turned back to the soldiers firing off their rifles, barely making a dent in the ravenous reforming beasts. Through the corridor his gaze met one of the beasts that lunged at a soldier boring into their chest with red tooth and claw. Camilo gripped the skewer and began running towards the soldier, by the time he made the clearing the body was already limp, gear soaked crimson. He scanned for a moment, finding the crab once more and tracking its movements. A man, geriatric in age, had planted himself stiff in the middle of the shrines, eyes closed, head bent, hands pressed together in prayer, completely unaware of the demise racing towards him.

Camilo spun around and whipped the skewer at the crab, unfortunately it simply bounced off the hard carapace. He sighed, not really surprised at his lackluster weapon. His eyes scrawled around him looking for something else, the rifle. He took off in a sprint, grabbing the rifle and cocking it back, keeping his eyes fixed on the crab. Kicking off the ground he launched himself into the air, in direct line of the voracious creature. With mouth agape, Camilo fired the rifle into the soft palate of the otherwise hardened creature. An explosion of fluids and chitin covered him as he fell, leaving only the disciple continuing to believe dogmatically in his dominants. Perhaps in reverence to Camilo in this case.

Regalia

_{[Location] Near the outskirts of Landow, Estren
[Time] Sunday, 06:00 - 07:00
[Interactions] N/A}

The aromatic scent of freshly ground coffee beans sprinkled through the air, finally making their way into the nasal passages of Castaño. It was a luxury often forgotten for him to wake up to a scalding hot cup of tinto. It caressed his face, pawed at the blankets, pulling the curtains astrew to let little rays of light dance upon his eyelids.

“Ya lo se, es el hora para levantar” to whom he was expressing his annoyance, no one could know. Instinctively, his body rose and cajoled his mind into finally cracking up his lids to take in his childhood room that had not changed much. A poster of a Castralian singer whose hips didn’t lie was faded and had been covered by a religious illustration of Ultima, his mother’s doing no doubt. His toes dancing and spreading on the cold limestone floor granted him dexterity for the toll the push off his bed would ultimately take on his rapidly declining muscular strength. Walking down the short hallway to the dining room he was greeted with a basket of freshly bought bread, a myriad of selection, his favorite being the pan de bono. A bread made from cassava starch, cheese, and egg. His jaw ached in anticipation of housing three in the matter of seconds, only tempered by the swirling spoon and sound of metal on porcelain that rounded the corner in the hand of his mother.

“Buenos días mama, cómo amaneciste?”

“Bien hijo, tranquilo, siéntese para comer”

His mother always babied him, probably because he was the only son in his family. That’s right, where was his other family? They all should have been up before him. Castaño sat down and began to drink his coffee, but when he drank it was ice cold despite the heat clearly emanating plumes of steam. Disoriented, he looked to his mother who had been talking, yet there was no noise leaving her mouth. Just as he was about to ask her to repeat a group of suits busted through the doors and windows, guns drawn, taking aim to fire at him and his mother. Castaño rushed up to shield her, a bit too late as the bullet bore deep into both of them.

Castaño awoke gasping for air, expecting to be in a cold sweat with a puddle formed around his mattress, instead he was cold to the touch. Short gasps for air only left his throat burned and an icy breath with each huff. In the darkness before dawn, he rushed to the thermostat to confirm his psychosis. 26 degrees celsius, Shiva’s way of telling him or rather ordaining him to respond to her needs just as well. Then it came back to him, his purpose, why he was in the outskirts of Landow, The Festival of Lights. At this point he begged for a dream with Shiva over the laborious nightmares that plagued him. And so, with no coffee and nothing more than a half full water bottle, Castaño began getting ready to stalk this so-called festival.

It didn’t take long for Castaño to make his way into the festival grounds, getting lost in a sea of disciples and believers in nothing more than simple garb made him practically invisible. Attention by security detail was reserved for the regalia in attendance, kind of counterproductive in his mind. Once the main detail began to break off into separate locations, Castaño found himself sliding in shadowed alleyways and on the outside of the central commerce which was teeming with food stands beginning the opening of their fervently anticipated money maker event. He kept his eyes on the more renowned regalia in the likes of Laura Genevieve, a name too big for her britches. Despite his desire for anonymity, Shiva’s pull on his body to partake in the festivities was standing in the way of just that. It was hard being the regalia of a dominant so opulent and powerful and not being able to represent that. She would get her stage, just not until the pieces were set.

<sub>[Location] Downtown ➙ Food Stands

[Time] Sunday, 07:30 AM
[Interactions] N/A</sub>

The half an hour that passed felt like an eternity, the smell of fish and meat tore into the aching of his empty stomach. Close to insanity the festivities finally broke when the appearance of a meteor crashed through the sky. Clouds parted and shot away in rapid speed to avoid the nefarious rock making its entrance through an otherwise scenic sky on the heels of a breaking dawn.

“Marica mira eso”

Whatever Castaño and Shiva anticipated that day had been quickly dashed with the emergence of this world altering event. Perhaps all of his nightmares were a warning of what was happening today and why he was sent here amidst the other regalia. Either way, his belly would be satiated on the sustenance this newfound chaos administered to him. Castaño pressed the advantage of the ensuing despair in the crowd to cloak his movements. A watchful eye was kept transfixed on Laura and another largely built man as they served to direct the traffic of people in disarray. Preventing unnecessary injuries and bycatch on civilians while they dealt with the meteor was smart. Perhaps they were worthy of the ilk bestowed on them by their dominant, only time would tell.

Normally Castaño would have helped, however he needed to remain invisible until he was sure that releasing himself to Shiva was absolutely necessary and didn’t infatuate the masses with residue. Castaño swam in the crowd marking those who weren’t quick to panic, most likely regalia, and those who were tasked in protecting and evacuating them in terms of military personnel. He waited for all the dominoes to fall, waiting for his role in this event, but not before procuring a random skewer from a small tent and leaving a singular coin.

Regalia

^{_{Los Caminos De La Vida}}

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★

_{P R E S E N C E}

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Castaño is a husk in a sense or at least how he sees himself. The proud, hot blooded Castralian he once was with the sense of pride that could not be extinguished even by the coldest winters was gone. His heart and soul that made him a man of the earth had been replaced with a sense of purpose that would only be quenched with vengeance regardless if it was a sentiment worthy of the chase. Castaño had not lost himself in obsession or hate, in his eyes as it seemed. In his outward disposition he wore no hint of emotion nor a mask that served as a faux perception for people. Not many got the privilege of seeing his face anyways and if they did the only description would be an air of grievous seriousness with a tinge of sorrow. He exuded an aura of chilliness, whether that was his doing or Shiva’s he did not know. An aura that made masses steer clear of him when he walked through crowded spaces or resided in the corner of a bar or pub.

Castaño is very meticulous, orderly, and precise about how he approaches everything, down to folding his clothes into his bag a certain way. He reacts to the world around him with a plan, everything had a plan and every plan had a series of back up plans for when things went tits up. He isn’t one for talking, despite constantly talking to himself because he believes he and Shiva share a bond strong enough that she hears him and humors him with a conversation. Dreams and visions are the only time that she is actually speaking to him, but Castaño still acts otherwise. Castaño hasn’t been unable to shed his ability to only process the world and the decisions necessary to navigate through it in a military/spec-ops lens. Every interaction is meaningful and filled with purpose otherwise he wouldn’t engage with waste.

Multilingual from his profession, he speaks in almost every language. Despite that he utilizes english the most even when talking at Shiva. His mother tongue only comes out when envenomated. Normally he feels unworthy of speaking it on a day to day due to his excommunication with his country.

_{C H R O N I C L E}

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Castaño grew up in the less than lavish parts of Castral, that’s not to say that it was worth any less than the cityscape. No, you see in his eyes the jewel of Castral existed in the countryside. Where people were direct descendants of the soil, the lifeblood of the country that worked under the harsh sun and greenery that covered land to mountains like a warm rug. He grew up poor as did many Castralians, but that didn’t deter them from being one of the happiest countries to exist in their very crowded planet. Castaño was blessed enough to have a healthy family, a house over his head, and the ability to seek out an education. He often tended to the finca his family owned, where he learned how to fish, raise cattle and other livestock, and take from the earth to create but also provide for the earth as to not cheat their relationship.

Eventually he would finish his time in upper secondary and apply for universities in Monterrey, the capital city. He finished his degree in Ciencia Política, following his mandatory service in the military for his country. Castaño surpassed any expectation held for him during his service and offered the ability to join Castral’s special forces, known as the Brigada de Fuerzas Especiales. There were four sectors of special forces in Monterrey. However, of the four the BFE were experts in jungle warfare and direct action missions, not only internally, but abroad just as well. The BFE was the natural enemy of the FARM-EP, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionaria de Monterrey-Ejército del Pueblo. A guerilla group that specialized in kidnapping, assassinations, extortion, and control of the drug trade in the mountains. Their goal being the redistribution of wealth as well as opposing influence from foreign governments and corporations.

Years of conflict and planned out assassinations had hardened Castaño, multiple bodies of his countrymen piling up behind him by his hands, while the rest of the country was blind to it all with their faith in the Dominants. Castaño would later be scheduled on his most intimate mission yet, becoming a spy and informant for the Monterrey Government and live as a FARM-EP member for the next few years. If he was compromised he would be tortured and made an example to the government and most likely end up dismembered and sent to the National Capitol. Saying goodbye to his family and erasing the rest of his presence, every being born and anything that connected him, he adopted a new identity and joined the revolutionary army. It didn’t take much for him to become a trusted peer with how expansive his skill set was.

He climbed the ranks and participated in the barbarism he had once fought to get rid of. Pieces of him shed and discarded until he was able to stomach his acts of heresy. He greased palms and was mostly silent unless his voice was needed. He advised and planned until he was introduced to the closer circle. They were able to stay afloat in operations by donations from other sympathetic paramilitary forces and governments that had special interests in their success in overtaking Castral. And that is where Castaño first learned of what power resided in crystals. He had been exposed to them before in the BFE but with a clearance too low to use them he had only heard through whisperers of their spectacle. They trusted Castaño with their supply, their secrets, their plans to create weapons that rivaled those of the government.

It was then he realized he had all that he needed to complete his mission and return home. That was until they released a secret that even Castaño could not stomach. The Castral government had been lying to Castaño, FARM wasn’t being supplied by the corporations at all nor were they killing innocent civilians. The Castral government had been turning into a puppet country with the president dealing intimately with the corporations at large to earn his place in their CEO’s inner circle. They had been collecting crystals and influence in order to bring a dominant under their control. Civilians were being silently sent to undisclosed caves to excavate materials to summon one, amassing bodies after bodies. Disgusted by the revelation, Castaño swore fealty to the FARM-EP and returned as a spy for them.

Little did he know that the corporations had eyes everywhere despite how slick he believed himself to be. Birds brought whispers of wind to the central government and were made alert of his plans. Unaware Castaño feigned fealty and brought the information he deemed necessary to the attention of his government. They awarded him a medal for his service and sent him on one last mission. To Glasia where he would infiltrate the company behind the provision of crystals.

Upon arriving at the harsh tundra rife with wind, snow, and everlasting darkness he made his way to the location given to him. The corporation coordinates turned out to be a location for an ambush where Castaño was violently gunned down and left for dead with his pack and winter gear stolen from him so he would freeze even if the gun wounds were not fatal. Castaño laid in a warm pool of his own blood, the heat from the open wounds creating small vapors off his body as the heat rose into the atmosphere. Betrayed by his government and his country he lay choking on his blood wondering if this was all that was left. Eyelids began to draw weak and could no longer remain open. The last glimpse he would catch would be the stars that illuminated the night sky, at least he would die with a view.

At least that was what he thought, until he saw the silhouette of a woman in what he thought was a shawl of white bedazzled with crystals.

“Do you wish to live just yet?”

Castaño on the ropes of consciousness tried to respond to the voice that rang through his head instead of his ears.

“Who, who’s there”

A cold wind chill raised the hair on his skin, followed by an icy finger caressing the wounds on his body, freezing them shut.

“It matter not who I am. Only if you are willing to become my regalia”

Castaño now felt his body suddenly being embraced, his head felt coddled and rested on a bosom that was unfamiliar to him.

“Soy tuyo. Ahora y para siempre, en cuerpo y alma”

Castaño violently awoke, somewhere that had a fire stoking in a furnace. His hands flew out in front of him perfectly healthy with no wound nor hole on his body. Whatever happened to him before must have been a dream or so he thought. Time passed and Castaño learned later the truth of his resuscitation and what it meant to be in indentured servitude of a dominant. Not that he didn’t mean what he said that night, he was forever Shiva’s and together would bring vengeance to the world. They worked over the next few years in secret, crippling Castral, getting closer to the answers of the who and the where without his identity slipping. The two would continue to look for answers with a lead hidden in a festival.


_{H O M E}

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The land that is Castral is abundant and a house that encompasses a multitude of biota and landscapes. Castaño likes to believe it was the birthplace or the battleground for the Dominants during their initial inception into this world. The reason he believes in this personal fiction so much is because of the landscape that surrounds him. Castral is bisected in half by both snow covered volcanos and jagged peaks of mountains that act as a natural defense. The last time the volcanoes had erupted was about a century ago. The fear of magma and heated rock still loom over the heads of its peoples, but they learned to live with the imminent peril if the plumes were to erupt and spell their end. The Sande, is one of the longest mountain ranges that expand past Castral and encompasses glaciers, ancient ruins from past civilizations, and contain some of, if not the world's largest mineral deposit.

Beyond the Sande that erupts from the south into the west, lies opportunity for the north and east. In those cardinal directions exist exquisite tropical beaches, where the next two largest cities in Castral are nestled in. It makes for a popular tourist attraction with the amount of lush sands and waters lap at the edge of Castral. Just because they have beaches and mountains doesn’t mean they are excluded from being home to deserts just as well, the most reknown, La Guajira, being a department on the sea home to dunes, remote ranches, and villages of the indigenous Guayuu people. Beyond the harsh landscapes that are surprisingly home to a lot of tourism there is one final region in the country known as Los Solnalo, one of the world's richest tropical grasslands.

Lastly, geographically speaking, are two intertwined segments. The Castral Basin which is the second largest drainage basin that runs throughout Castral and provides the environment to create Castrals rain forest that extends to the countries immediately surrounding Castral. The biodiversity of fauna and flora are the mainstays of the forest that houses both endemic and extant species. Creating a very tropical and warm climate for Castral and its citizens.

Castral culturally has influence from many sources as its residents are a mix of several backgrounds. The indigenous tribes that were there before exploration, the Eastern settlers that ‘found’ Castral and the slaves they brought with them from multiple countries. This helps bolster the Castralians are a vibrant people who make a lot with what little they have. They’re known to be one of the happiest peoples in the world who focus on their antiquity which is represented in their exotic and fast paced dances, their traditional clothing and attire, the food which takes its most popular form in fish from their coasts, bread and bakeries, and range of meats. You would be hard pressed to find a Castralian who doesn’t emanate positivity, animated persona, and general cheerfulness.

The country's language is based on Spanish spoken in the Americas rather than that of European influence. Common language is barely spoken in Castral, only taught in primary and secondary education. Their religion is focused around the worship of Ultima and Gaia with their major show of devotion through a tradition known as the Novena. The novena tradition is where a family member or friend hosts the rest of the family and/or friends in their home to recite the prayers for nine days leading to the 24th of the 12th month. Between prayers there are folk songs to be sung by the group and small dishes of food to be shared. The host and location is changed each day until the celebration where they honor their dominants and then celebrate with gifts and dance until the sun comes up.

A brief history of Castral can be summed up pretty succinctly. Like most countries, it was colonized before it won its independence nearly two hundred years ago. A series of historically important battles took place to ensure its freedom. However it hasn’t been without its bumps. Multiple civil wars were fought until a republic was settled on as its major form of government. Drug trade ran rampant in the country to the point that iconic figures controlled the local police and some politicians with money and influence until he was finally assassinated. Narcotraficantes still plague the country but not nearly as much when it was at its peak. The most recent issue that has been raised is the presence and assembly of guerilla groups forming in direct opposition of the Castral government.

_{T R I V I A}

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Likes:

• The Sun
• Tinto(coffee) with bread in the morning and at night
• Dancing
• Tanning at the beach
• Agriculture and Foraging
• Journaling to keep a record
• Sketching
• The comfort of alcohol

Dislikes:

• Senseless violence
• The cold
• Shiva’s personal obsession with him
• Being unable to go home

Castaño understands the role and governance of being a regalia in the world. And so he indulges in Shiva’s need to be worshipped and visibly seen even if that goes against and compromises everything the two have been working for. A part of him does enjoy the intimacy that exists when the two are one and he can unarm himself to imbibe in human interaction.

_{S O C I A L}

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TBD