ShyDot

Lunacy of Love: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Ariamis
Thank you.
@Hammerman See above.

Lunacy of Love: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Julia Durant

Name: Julia Durant, 'Tourner'

Age (Magical Girl): 14

Age (Before Magical Girl): 14

Gender: Girl

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Girl

Appearance: Outside of her magical girl form, Julia is an extremely weak and even sickly girl. Underdeveloped for her age and small to the point of frailty, Julia is at times wheelchair-bound by her infirmity. She is fairly plain in appearance, with a soft face and brown hair that falls to her shoulders. Her silvery eyes are haunted, and baggy from insomnia.

(Art by namihaya)

Transformed, Julia is an entirely different beast. Her posture is rigid from the support of her altered gravity, and her hand burns with the mark of her patron. Her hair takes on a silver sheen, and her eyes take on a darker, almost red tinge. Her outfit is delicate and elaborate, made of extremely fine materials. Of particular note is that her ghostly pallor is not simply cosmetic; Julia grows insubstantial to the point of being incorporeal, and visibly frays and distorts at the edges. She can even be seen through, in the right light.

(Art by riuichi)

Specialization: (Bloodline, Second Specialization)
Gravity & Psychic

Julia combines the crushing might and power of gravity with the domination of psychic energy, and wields them both adeptly. Her power is such that a glance is enough to flatten normal humans, or drive them to their knees in fear.

Weapon: 11 Mystic
Julia's weapon of choice is a pitch black staff taller than herself, seemingly made of obsidian and cool to the touch. It is tipped with three concentric rings, seemingly unconnected to it and yet following its every movement. These rings rotate around one another in a continuous pattern, forever circling a pitch black orb in their center. Julia can project her power from this orb for an even more magnificent show of her power.

Power: (Silver Coin)
Twinned Soul. Julia's soul has been split by her patron, worsening her already-present health issues but providing her with an eternal companion.

Perks:
Hammerspace Handbag- Julia possesses a very small hammerspace. It currently contains a boxcutter, various small magical supplies, some ordinary money, a few pieces of chalk, and a stolen lighter.

Sorcery- Julia has been taught a runic form of magic by her patron, reliant on symbols carved or chalked into surfaces to provide various effects. Julia notes that it is a very 'logical, rule-based' form of magical.

Absolute Direction- So long as Julia has a decent mental image of an object or place that she knows exists, she will know the direction it is in and be able to find her way there. This does not work with vague demands or objects that she has no mental image or knowledge of.

Get Out Of Jail- Julia will occasionally find herself saved from a trap or from imprisonment, transported to a place of temporary safety in which she can momentarily recover. She has yet to need this ability.

Incognito- Julia is almost unnoticeable, and her face is often forgotten even when she has been spoken with. She uses this to get away with petty theft and avoid consequences from authority figures, as well as slip away from her parents.

Patron: One That Takes All, Panopticon

Patron Benefits:
Marked- Julia is a horrifying figure to those that know what to look for, and lesser monsters cower when she reveals herself. She is marked by the sigil of her patron upon the back of her right hand, an elaborate and eye lacking in a pupil.

Creeping Doom- The Panopticon, despite its focus on total domination of both the physical and mental world, is a subtle force. It makes its moves with care and discretion, and will not sacrifice its most valuable pawns when they are central to many of its unknowable plots.

Reasonable- The Panopticon simply wishes for 'connection and refraction of the myriad into harmony and beauty as infinity.'

Magical Overload- Whether an effect of Julia's bloodline or the Panopticon's influence, Julia's magical energy is such that it has twisted her form towards something more... Monstrous.

Mystic Might- The Panopticon has seen fit to place even greater power within her, aggravating the symptoms of her magical form and turning her into a well of pure power.

Mana Font- Needless to say, Julia seems to seep magic from her every pore. Despite her small and frail frame, her power is felt in every action.

Second Specialization- As part of her mutations from her patron's blessing, Julia's control extends over not just gravity, but also the realm of the mind- of the Psychic.

Powerful Aura- Julia's power is physical and palpable, visible to the naked eye in the lensing and warping of space around her. Distortions dance around her when her power is fully unleashed, and her energy encompasses such a wide area that pinpointing her location is exceedingly difficult.

Patron Drawbacks:
Mind-Bent- To put it simply, Julia is not sound of mind. Domineering and disdainful of secrets, Julia uses her powers of the mind for the purpose of spying upon and controlling those in her life, prying into their secrets as if she had every right to them without much thought. Her obsession is control.

Insomnia- Sleep is rare for the rare followers of Panopticon, and Julia is no exception. Instructions are whispered to her at nearly all hours. Most of the mental load is taken by her Twinned Soul, granting her some respite, but she feels the full force of its attention in the dark of the night. This has not helped her mental or physical health.

Empty Pockets- The Panopticon sees little usage for the silly currency of this world, and has never given a single copper to its followers. It expects them to handle the matter themselves.

Clueless- The Panopticon's grasp is over the physical forces and the mental world; it has a firm grasp of a 'logical' magical system, but little interest in or awareness of things beyond those realms. Whether it is actually so clueless or simply stingy with knowledge, it trusts Julia to handle these matters without it or die trying.

Monstrous Form- As a consequence of her overwhelming power, Julia has been irrevocably changed.

Noncorporeal- Frail in her mundane form and ephemeral in her true shape, Julia is cursed to miss most of the physical experiences in life.

Dominator- That which can be seen can be controlled. I will impose order. I'm the only one that can. Give yourselves to me.

Devourer- Another mark from her patron's 'blessing'. Julia is a vampire of the mind; she devours thoughts and memories. Her 'favorite' taste is of information vital to living, but she often chooses to instead take memories of herself or minor events. She reasons that using her psychic influence for that is more acceptable.

Fighting Style: Julia -despite the grandeur of her power- is extremely physically frail and infirm, even as an incorporeal magical girl. As such, she hates pitched battle or any sort of confrontation in which she is not in the greater position of control; she prefers to strike in a more insidious manner. The frail magical girl will often spend hours observing her targets, be they magical girls or monsters. She will attempt to pluck at their minds without being noticed, and take in every detail she can of them. Once she has a firm grasp, she will assert power.

Julia's opening move in almost any battle is an overwhelmingly crushing strike with gravity centered on their mental signature, launched from the shadows, followed by a psychic assault if they are still alive. She will usually reveal herself afterwards, even should the strike fail, and proceed to use her combination of psychic awareness and pure power to crush individuals who would otherwise be far too fast or strong for her to contend with.

She is more ruthless with monsters than with magical girls, but has a softer spot for monster girls.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 2
AGI: 2
VIT: 2
MAG: 3 (Sorcery)
LCK: 2

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 3
MAG: 24 (Gold Coin, 2 Silver Coins, 4 Bronze, Underdeveloped, Gravity, Psychic, Staff, Elaborate Outfit, Sorcery, Mystic Might)
LCK: 5 (Psychic)

Personality: Whoever Julia Durant once was, her patron has warped her irrevocably. She is a weary, haunted young girl who can barely function without the presence of her Twinned Soul, and her chances of living a normal life are slim. Her 'sudden decline' in health has lead to even further social isolation than she experienced previously, stunting her emotional growth and social skills.

Most of this is covered by her dominating personality when taking the form of a magical girl, however. Julia trades social experience for sheer, overwhelming force. Her words carry great weight, enhanced by her specializations, and she is quick to take command when she is put into a group, or else throw a massive tantrum trying. Julia effectively combats social awkwardness with social domination.

A sense of superiority that was once only rooted in her mundane mind has been massively inflated by the changes from her patron; she wholeheartedly believes that she should always be in control for the sake of everyone, because she is the greatest.

History: Once, the Durant family was a proud and noble line of magical warriors. However, that was hundreds of years ago. The family still retains some of its wealth of the old days, but their legacy (and their warriors) are forgotten. Their magical blood and the mystical power it once held is diluted almost to the point of being mundane.

Or so it seemed. The birth of Julia Durant brought all of this into question, and attracted the attention of the Puchuu once again. A girl so full of magical attention that it seemed to wrack her body, Julia was a prime candidate for ascension into the form of a magical girl. She would have made a fine agent of the Puchuu, were it not for a certain lidless being who looked upon her and saw the solution to its needs. With her ascension stolen by a force beyond herself, Julia's fate as a servant of a Horror is sealed. Still, she is thankful for at least one thing; she now has a friend to call her own.

Incantation: "I am all, and I am none. Under my will, all become one."

Additional Info: Julia is wheelchair-bound outside of her magical girl form, and dependent on her Twinned Soul for most things. Her hobbies include reading, playing board games with her Twinned Soul, and studying people with a certain obsessive passion.

Jillian Durendal

Name: Jillian Durendal, 'Tuer'

Age (Magical Girl): 14

Age (Before Magical Girl): N/A

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): N/A

Appearance: Jillian possesses many similarities in appearance to Julia. She shares Julia's frailness, but their combined sorcery allows her to operate without too much difficulty. Her eyes are amber, rather than Julia's silvery gaze. Her hair falls past her shoulders, and she favors loose, somewhat outdated clothing.


The same holds true as a magical girl: Similar, but with differences. Like with Julia, Jillian takes on a ghostly pallor that matches with her incorporeal, hazy form that is translucent in the right like. Her eyes take on a color close to Julia's mundane eye color, and her silver hair grows even longer. Unlike Julia, her clothing is loose and flowing, allowing for freer movement. Despite her small frame, she is surprisingly strong, with very defined muscles hidden by her outfit.


Specialization: Gravity, Empathic

Weapon: 6 Ranged
Jillian's weapon is a bow. Like Julia's weapon, it is pitch black in color- except for a golden engraving where the hand rests. An elaborate and archaic engraving of a lidless eye peeks out from beneath Jillian's fingers whenever the bow is in use. The string, rather than being made of anything material, seems to be an almost-invisible bend in space. It is only visible by the way it distorts light passing through it.

Power: 12 The Power Of Friendship
Jillian is more aware than most of the power of companionship, and of strong relationships in general. Her preternatural awareness of the needs and emotions of others allows her to make fast friends, despite her dark patron. She is charismatic and outgoing, and often speaks as Julia's 'herald'.

More often than not, this power is used to support Julia's mental stability, and drag her out of her dark thoughts. It is her that keeps Julia driven, and who negotiates the surrender of monsters to their patron.

Perks: Jillian shares all of the perks of Julia.
Hammerspace Handbag- Filled with more magical supplies for Julia, and a cellphone.

Get Out Of Jail.

Incognito.

Patron: One That Takes All, Panopticon

Patron Benefits: Most of these are the same as Julia; Where Jillian diverges is in her monstrous changes.
Marked- Jillian's 'eye' mark is upon her left hand, rather than her right.

Creeping Doom- The Panopticon treats Jillian as if she were Julia; it does not comprehend the separation between them.

Reasonable- The Panopticon simply wishes for 'connection and refraction of the myriad into harmony and beauty as infinity.'

Magical Overload- Jillian, as a fragment of Julia, possesses her same overwhelming power.

Mystic Might- She also shares Julia's blessing from the Panopticon.

Mana Font

Second Specialization- Empathic. Rather than the psychic might which Julia possesses, Jillian has instead been blessed with understanding; she knows people far better than Julia ever did, and can exploit or drain their emotions very easily. She often uses this emotional energy to enhance her gravity attacks, or keep others still so that she can launch her attack.

Powerful Aura- Jillian is a hard target to pinpoint, and her palpable aura of glowing hope is a strong boost for both herself and Julia.

Patron Drawbacks:

Mind-Bent- Jillian's distortion is similar to Julia's, but it has some differences. She shares her obsessive passion for observation and investigation into the thoughts and lives of others, but she believes that Julia -rather than herself- should always be in control. She chafes under the command of anyone under than Julia or the Panopticon, and will refuse to cooperate. She is obsessed with Julia, and loyal to the point of fanaticism.

Insomnia- Jillian takes the majority of Julia's nightmares through a working of their combined psychic and empathic powers. This allows for Julia to occasionally get a restful night, while Jillian's greater fortitude allows her to handle the night terrors better than her precious other half.

Empty Pockets- Jillian, being the physically stronger of the two, is usually the one who holds onto whatever coins they might steal or smash out of others.

Clueless- Jillian's equal treatment to Julia means that she receives the exact same advice- which is to say, absolutely none at all.

Monstrous Form- Jillian is very similar to Julia in this form, but there are some very palpable differences.

Noncorporeal- The only one that she can make physical contact with seems to be Julia, since they are of the same fragmented soul.

Sentinel- I have to keep her safe. I have to shelter her. I have to take care of her. Nothing will hurt her. I won't let you. Are you going to take from her? I'll end you. She is precious to me.

Fighting Style: Jillian -being a weaker magical combatant than Julia- prefers to use her power to enhance her magical arrows. They strike with overwhelming weight and force, and seem to home in on enemies based on their emotions. Jillian works closely with Julia whenever in combat, and rarely leaves her side; Julia will often provide her with a mental 'map' of where everyone is based upon their psychic signatures, allowing for Jillian to fire and strike from behind cover and out of sight.

When not fighting directly, her magic is instead used in support of Julia's already ferocious power, applying further power to gravity effects or smashing down emotions in a weaker manner than Julia smashes down thoughts and minds.

In those desperate times when they are fought in close range, it is Jillian who steps froward to shield Julia at all costs. She will die before she allows Julia to be harmed, even if death is simply temporary.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 2
AGI: 2
VIT: 2
MAG: 3
LCK: 2

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 7
AGI: 6
VIT: 5
MAG: 13
LCK: 5

Personality: Jillian is in many ways a distortion of Julia- or rather, who she could have been in some world, somewhere. Where Julia is a socially awkward and yet overpowering force of personality, Jillian is a charismatic and amiable girl who hides an underlying, hungry greed for both the material and immaterial. She is quite fast to make friends- and reluctant but willing to drag everything she can out of them, for the sake of herself and Julia.

Jillian speaks in Julia's place more often than not, though it is Julia that gives her instructions and monitors her conversations. Her gregarious nature allows her to connect with others on a more personal level than Julia, and manipulate them rather than strike with the blunt force of her other half. Jillian enjoys the companionship of others, and will gladly embrace anyone who wishes to be her friend, but it is Julia that she treasures above all others.

History: Jillian's creation was fueled by the same poor understanding through which every set of Twinned Soul magical girls is created by the Panopticon. The Panopticon cannot comprehend a life without a dual soul, and finds the solipsism of the average soul -so devoid of 'refraction'- to be disgusting. And thus, Jillian was chipped away from Julia, and became her own entity. Something was lost within them both, but together they are stronger than the sum of their parts.

Jillian, sharing in Julia's memories but a human being in her own right, is the closest and only friend that Julia has ever known. Utterly lacking in secrets between one another, Julia and Jillian are a sort of microcosm of the world that the Panopticon seeks- A world without privacy or boundaries in thoughts.

Incantation: "I am the part, and I am the sum. By my hand, her will be done."

Additional Info: Jillian almost never leaves Julia's side; the two are only divided when it is necessary, or for a specific purpose. Most of her attention and time is devoted to her other half.

Furthermore, she tends to encourage the worst aspects of Julia, while seeking affirmation for her own darker thoughts and habits. They are, in a word, codependent.

The Panopticon

Type: Horror

Name: The Panopticon (alias given to it by its magical girls)

Personality: The Panopticon, being an alien mind, is difficult to discern in terms of personality. It can be said is that it holds the gneuine belief that all things must have their barriers and limitations eradicated. It is a being of crushing willpower, which believes that every mind should be open to it, and every thought should be shared- between everyone and everything.

The Panopticon seems almost incapable of comprehending the idea that one can exist as a lone soul. Its many attempts to 'cure' the 'defect' of having a solitary soul has resulted in Twinned Soul magical girls becoming its signature agents. It often thinks and speaks in terms of duality, and the idea that everything should be revealed seems to be the core upon which it is built. Its favored targets are those who are alone in the world, regardless of their material wealth or success; it feels kinship and sympathy towards these lonely souls.

History: From whence the Panopticon comes, there are many theories. Some would say that it is a creation of some ancient magic, or the end result of a dark experiment. Others believe it to be a traveler from distant worlds- or different realities. Personally, Julia holds the theory that the Panopticon is the embodiment of some need for connection or knowledge; it wishes for the connection of all things without boundaries or borders, after all.

The Panopticon is a very small operator for its rather massive ambitions, and seemingly always has been. It keeps small cells of magical girls and monsters at random locations throughout the world, usually of several Twinned Soul pairs working in close connection with lower fodder; it is only recently that these agents have begun to move against its larger competitors, including other Horrors. With Julia and Jillian as some of its only assets in the area, the two have a lot on their plate.

Resources: The Panopticon does not have many magical girls under its control, but their allegiance is usually very distinct; they have an extreme tendency towards duplication or a twinned, codependent soul. The Panopticon is thus capable of projecting more force than one would think for its low number of magical girls, but usually of a lower strength than normal. It prefers subtlety.

The Panopticon favors magical girls over monsters, but finds things with weak wills to be very pleasing. Its monsters are usually psychically-dominated fodder, or hive-minded beings who submit to its will.

The Panopticon's payment is earned, rather than given; it directs its magical girls to purge or dominate key targets, often with little explanation and dubious understanding of said target. Those that succeed are allowed to keep any spoils, including coins and artifacts. The Panopticon does not care for such things; the submission and destruction is all that matters.

Additional Info: The form which the Panopticon takes most often is that of a pair of lidless, inorganic eyes lacking in pupils, with the details varying depending upon the manifestation.

The Panopticon is not truly a being of gravity, psychic, or empathic energy, but rather the concepts of 'Domination' and 'Unveiling'. Physically and mentally, it wants to control everything in a perfect form of order. It does not abide by chaos or secrets; It knows every facet of each of its servants, and has tweaked them as necessary to move along the roads it desires, towards a path of complete connection and the unveiling of every mystery. Its final aims are only vaguely known by its servants, but it is not the destruction of the world or the human race, nor necessarily 'true' enslavement.

Whether or not what it ultimately has planned for all is any better is unknown.

Lunacy of Love: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

People be min/maxing like it's going out of style.

Speaking of min/maxing, I decided to see what Veronica would look like if she was created on the magical girl character sheet, and she has over 30 vitality. If 10 lets you shrug off swords, and twenty lets you shrug off an auto cannon, I'm pretty sure 30 lets you shrug off a black hole, right?

Regardless, I don't think having a stat pumped to twenty is a huge advantage, anymore than taking a ship cannon into combat is. Make your characters however you damn please. I'm just here to write cool stories.

@BrokenPromise

I used the system and then made my characters around it. I quite like the results. It's not about min/maxing at all, considering stats are arbitrary and this isn't the arena.

EDIT: Or rather, I used the system to make the characters I wanted. I'm quite proud of managing to make the archetypes of 'frail but powerful girl' and 'creepy twins' mesh.

DOUBLE-EDIT:
@Hammerman This is directed at you as well. There's no need to be rude based on assumptions, or the idea that this should be competitive.

Lunacy of Love: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Yeah, I didn't know so many were working with Gravity or I'd have switched some things up. But I really like how these two came along, so I didn't.

Lunacy of Love: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Done.

Julia Durant

Name: Julia Durant, 'Tourner'

Age (Magical Girl): 14

Age (Before Magical Girl): 14

Gender: Girl

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Girl

Appearance: Outside of her magical girl form, Julia is an extremely weak and even sickly girl. Underdeveloped for her age and small to the point of frailty, Julia is at times wheelchair-bound by her infirmity. She is fairly plain in appearance, with a soft face and brown hair that falls to her shoulders. Her silvery eyes are haunted, and baggy from insomnia.

(Art by namihaya)

Transformed, Julia is an entirely different beast. Her posture is rigid from the support of her altered gravity, and her hand burns with the mark of her patron. Her hair takes on a silver sheen, and her eyes take on a darker, almost red tinge. Her outfit is delicate and elaborate, made of extremely fine materials. Of particular note is that her ghostly pallor is not simply cosmetic; Julia grows insubstantial to the point of being incorporeal, and visibly frays and distorts at the edges. She can even be seen through, in the right light.

(Art by riuichi)

Specialization: (Bloodline, Second Specialization)
Gravity & Psychic

Julia combines the crushing might and power of gravity with the domination of psychic energy, and wields them both adeptly. Her power is such that a glance is enough to flatten normal humans, or drive them to their knees in fear.

Weapon: 11 Mystic
Julia's weapon of choice is a pitch black staff taller than herself, seemingly made of obsidian and cool to the touch. It is tipped with three concentric rings, seemingly unconnected to it and yet following its every movement. These rings rotate around one another in a continuous pattern, forever circling a pitch black orb in their center. Julia can project her power from this orb for an even more magnificent show of her power.

Power: (Silver Coin)
Twinned Soul. Julia's soul has been split by her patron, worsening her already-present health issues but providing her with an eternal companion.

Perks:
Hammerspace Handbag- Julia possesses a very small hammerspace. It currently contains a boxcutter, various small magical supplies, some ordinary money, a few pieces of chalk, and a stolen lighter.

Sorcery- Julia has been taught a runic form of magic by her patron, reliant on symbols carved or chalked into surfaces to provide various effects. Julia notes that it is a very 'logical, rule-based' form of magical.

Absolute Direction- So long as Julia has a decent mental image of an object or place that she knows exists, she will know the direction it is in and be able to find her way there. This does not work with vague demands or objects that she has no mental image or knowledge of.

Get Out Of Jail- Julia will occasionally find herself saved from a trap or from imprisonment, transported to a place of temporary safety in which she can momentarily recover. She has yet to need this ability.

Incognito- Julia is almost unnoticeable, and her face is often forgotten even when she has been spoken with. She uses this to get away with petty theft and avoid consequences from authority figures, as well as slip away from her parents.

Patron: One That Takes All, Panopticon

Patron Benefits:
Marked- Julia is a horrifying figure to those that know what to look for, and lesser monsters cower when she reveals herself. She is marked by the sigil of her patron upon the back of her right hand, an elaborate and eye lacking in a pupil.

Creeping Doom- The Panopticon, despite its focus on total domination of both the physical and mental world, is a subtle force. It makes its moves with care and discretion, and will not sacrifice its most valuable pawns when they are central to many of its unknowable plots.

Reasonable- The Panopticon simply wishes for 'connection and refraction of the myriad into harmony and beauty as infinity.'

Magical Overload- Whether an effect of Julia's bloodline or the Panopticon's influence, Julia's magical energy is such that it has twisted her form towards something more... Monstrous.

Mystic Might- The Panopticon has seen fit to place even greater power within her, aggravating the symptoms of her magical form and turning her into a well of pure power.

Mana Font- Needless to say, Julia seems to seep magic from her every pore. Despite her small and frail frame, her power is felt in every action.

Second Specialization- As part of her mutations from her patron's blessing, Julia's control extends over not just gravity, but also the realm of the mind- of the Psychic.

Powerful Aura- Julia's power is physical and palpable, visible to the naked eye in the lensing and warping of space around her. Distortions dance around her when her power is fully unleashed, and her energy encompasses such a wide area that pinpointing her location is exceedingly difficult.

Patron Drawbacks:
Mind-Bent- To put it simply, Julia is not sound of mind. Domineering and disdainful of secrets, Julia uses her powers of the mind for the purpose of spying upon and controlling those in her life, prying into their secrets as if she had every right to them without much thought. Her obsession is control.

Insomnia- Sleep is rare for the rare followers of Panopticon, and Julia is no exception. Instructions are whispered to her at nearly all hours. Most of the mental load is taken by her Twinned Soul, granting her some respite, but she feels the full force of its attention in the dark of the night. This has not helped her mental or physical health.

Empty Pockets- The Panopticon sees little usage for the silly currency of this world, and has never given a single copper to its followers. It expects them to handle the matter themselves.

Clueless- The Panopticon's grasp is over the physical forces and the mental world; it has a firm grasp of a 'logical' magical system, but little interest in or awareness of things beyond those realms. Whether it is actually so clueless or simply stingy with knowledge, it trusts Julia to handle these matters without it or die trying.

Monstrous Form- As a consequence of her overwhelming power, Julia has been irrevocably changed.

Noncorporeal- Frail in her mundane form and ephemeral in her true shape, Julia is cursed to miss most of the physical experiences in life.

Dominator- That which can be seen can be controlled. I will impose order. I'm the only one that can. Give yourselves to me.

Devourer- Another mark from her patron's 'blessing'. Julia is a vampire of the mind; she devours thoughts and memories. Her 'favorite' taste is of information vital to living, but she often chooses to instead take memories of herself or minor events. She reasons that using her psychic influence for that is more acceptable.

Fighting Style: Julia -despite the grandeur of her power- is extremely physically frail and infirm, even as an incorporeal magical girl. As such, she hates pitched battle or any sort of confrontation in which she is not in the greater position of control; she prefers to strike in a more insidious manner. The frail magical girl will often spend hours observing her targets, be they magical girls or monsters. She will attempt to pluck at their minds without being noticed, and take in every detail she can of them. Once she has a firm grasp, she will assert power.

Julia's opening move in almost any battle is an overwhelmingly crushing strike with gravity centered on their mental signature, launched from the shadows, followed by a psychic assault if they are still alive. She will usually reveal herself afterwards, even should the strike fail, and proceed to use her combination of psychic awareness and pure power to crush individuals who would otherwise be far too fast or strong for her to contend with.

She is more ruthless with monsters than with magical girls, but has a softer spot for monster girls.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 2
AGI: 2
VIT: 2
MAG: 3 (Sorcery)
LCK: 2

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 3
MAG: 24 (Gold Coin, 2 Silver Coins, 4 Bronze, Underdeveloped, Gravity, Psychic, Staff, Elaborate Outfit, Sorcery, Mystic Might)
LCK: 5 (Psychic)

Personality: Whoever Julia Durant once was, her patron has warped her irrevocably. She is a weary, haunted young girl who can barely function without the presence of her Twinned Soul, and her chances of living a normal life are slim. Her 'sudden decline' in health has lead to even further social isolation than she experienced previously, stunting her emotional growth and social skills.

Most of this is covered by her dominating personality when taking the form of a magical girl, however. Julia trades social experience for sheer, overwhelming force. Her words carry great weight, enhanced by her specializations, and she is quick to take command when she is put into a group, or else throw a massive tantrum trying. Julia effectively combats social awkwardness with social domination.

A sense of superiority that was once only rooted in her mundane mind has been massively inflated by the changes from her patron; she wholeheartedly believes that she should always be in control for the sake of everyone, because she is the greatest.

History: Once, the Durant family was a proud and noble line of magical warriors. However, that was hundreds of years ago. The family still retains some of its wealth of the old days, but their legacy (and their warriors) are forgotten. Their magical blood and the mystical power it once held is diluted almost to the point of being mundane.

Or so it seemed. The birth of Julia Durant brought all of this into question, and attracted the attention of the Puchuu once again. A girl so full of magical attention that it seemed to wrack her body, Julia was a prime candidate for ascension into the form of a magical girl. She would have made a fine agent of the Puchuu, were it not for a certain lidless being who looked upon her and saw the solution to its needs. With her ascension stolen by a force beyond herself, Julia's fate as a servant of a Horror is sealed. Still, she is thankful for at least one thing; she now has a friend to call her own.

Incantation: "I am all, and I am none. Under my will, all become one."

Additional Info: Julia is wheelchair-bound outside of her magical girl form, and dependent on her Twinned Soul for most things. Her hobbies include reading, playing board games with her Twinned Soul, and studying people with a certain obsessive passion.

Jillian Durendal

Name: Jillian Durendal, 'Tuer'

Age (Magical Girl): 14

Age (Before Magical Girl): N/A

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): N/A

Appearance: Jillian possesses many similarities in appearance to Julia. She shares Julia's frailness, but their combined sorcery allows her to operate without too much difficulty. Her eyes are amber, rather than Julia's silvery gaze. Her hair falls past her shoulders, and she favors loose, somewhat outdated clothing.


The same holds true as a magical girl: Similar, but with differences. Like with Julia, Jillian takes on a ghostly pallor that matches with her incorporeal, hazy form that is translucent in the right like. Her eyes take on a color close to Julia's mundane eye color, and her silver hair grows even longer. Unlike Julia, her clothing is loose and flowing, allowing for freer movement. Despite her small frame, she is surprisingly strong, with very defined muscles hidden by her outfit.


Specialization: Gravity, Empathic

Weapon: 6 Ranged
Jillian's weapon is a bow. Like Julia's weapon, it is pitch black in color- except for a golden engraving where the hand rests. An elaborate and archaic engraving of a lidless eye peeks out from beneath Jillian's fingers whenever the bow is in use. The string, rather than being made of anything material, seems to be an almost-invisible bend in space. It is only visible by the way it distorts light passing through it.

Power: 12 The Power Of Friendship
Jillian is more aware than most of the power of companionship, and of strong relationships in general. Her preternatural awareness of the needs and emotions of others allows her to make fast friends, despite her dark patron. She is charismatic and outgoing, and often speaks as Julia's 'herald'.

More often than not, this power is used to support Julia's mental stability, and drag her out of her dark thoughts. It is her that keeps Julia driven, and who negotiates the surrender of monsters to their patron.

Perks: Jillian shares all of the perks of Julia.
Hammerspace Handbag- Filled with more magical supplies for Julia, and a cellphone.

Get Out Of Jail.

Incognito.

Patron: One That Takes All, Panopticon

Patron Benefits: Most of these are the same as Julia; Where Jillian diverges is in her monstrous changes.
Marked- Jillian's 'eye' mark is upon her left hand, rather than her right.

Creeping Doom- The Panopticon treats Jillian as if she were Julia; it does not comprehend the separation between them.

Reasonable- The Panopticon simply wishes for 'connection and refraction of the myriad into harmony and beauty as infinity.'

Magical Overload- Jillian, as a fragment of Julia, possesses her same overwhelming power.

Mystic Might- She also shares Julia's blessing from the Panopticon.

Mana Font

Second Specialization- Empathic. Rather than the psychic might which Julia possesses, Jillian has instead been blessed with understanding; she knows people far better than Julia ever did, and can exploit or drain their emotions very easily. She often uses this emotional energy to enhance her gravity attacks, or keep others still so that she can launch her attack.

Powerful Aura- Jillian is a hard target to pinpoint, and her palpable aura of glowing hope is a strong boost for both herself and Julia.

Patron Drawbacks:

Mind-Bent- Jillian's distortion is similar to Julia's, but it has some differences. She shares her obsessive passion for observation and investigation into the thoughts and lives of others, but she believes that Julia -rather than herself- should always be in control. She chafes under the command of anyone under than Julia or the Panopticon, and will refuse to cooperate. She is obsessed with Julia, and loyal to the point of fanaticism.

Insomnia- Jillian takes the majority of Julia's nightmares through a working of their combined psychic and empathic powers. This allows for Julia to occasionally get a restful night, while Jillian's greater fortitude allows her to handle the night terrors better than her precious other half.

Empty Pockets- Jillian, being the physically stronger of the two, is usually the one who holds onto whatever coins they might steal or smash out of others.

Clueless- Jillian's equal treatment to Julia means that she receives the exact same advice- which is to say, absolutely none at all.

Monstrous Form- Jillian is very similar to Julia in this form, but there are some very palpable differences.

Noncorporeal- The only one that she can make physical contact with seems to be Julia, since they are of the same fragmented soul.

Hoarder- Would you like to be my friend? You will be. You'll all be ours. Everything will be ours. We need it all. Your coins seem nice...

Fighting Style: Jillian -being a weaker magical combatant than Julia- prefers to use her power to enhance her magical arrows. They strike with overwhelming weight and force, and seem to home in on enemies based on their emotions. Jillian works closely with Julia whenever in combat, and rarely leaves her side; Julia will often provide her with a mental 'map' of where everyone is based upon their psychic signatures, allowing for Jillian to fire and strike from behind cover and out of sight.

When not fighting directly, her magic is instead used in support of Julia's already ferocious power, applying further power to gravity effects or smashing down emotions in a weaker manner than Julia smashes down thoughts and minds.

In those desperate times when they are fought in close range, it is Jillian who steps froward to shield Julia at all costs. She will die before she allows Julia to be harmed, even if death is simply temporary.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 2
AGI: 2
VIT: 2
MAG: 3
LCK: 2

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 7
AGI: 6
VIT: 5
MAG: 13
LCK: 5

Personality: Jillian is in many ways a distortion of Julia- or rather, who she could have been in some world, somewhere. Where Julia is a socially awkward and yet overpowering force of personality, Jillian is a charismatic and amiable girl who hides an underlying, hungry greed for both the material and immaterial. She is quite fast to make friends- and reluctant but willing to drag everything she can out of them, for the sake of herself and Julia.

Jillian speaks in Julia's place more often than not, though it is Julia that gives her instructions and monitors her conversations. Her gregarious nature allows her to connect with others on a more personal level than Julia, and manipulate them rather than strike with the blunt force of her other half. Jillian enjoys the companionship of others, and will gladly embrace anyone who wishes to be her friend, but it is Julia that she treasures above all others.

History: Jillian's creation was fueled by the same poor understanding through which every set of Twinned Soul magical girls is created by the Panopticon. The Panopticon cannot comprehend a life without a dual soul, and finds the solipsism of the average soul -so devoid of 'refraction'- to be disgusting. And thus, Jillian was chipped away from Julia, and became her own entity. Something was lost within them both, but together they are stronger than the sum of their parts.

Jillian, sharing in Julia's memories but a human being in her own right, is the closest and only friend that Julia has ever known. Utterly lacking in secrets between one another, Julia and Jillian are a sort of microcosm of the world that the Panopticon seeks- A world without privacy or boundaries in thoughts.

Incantation: "I am the part, and I am the sum. By my hand, her will be done."

Additional Info: Jillian almost never leaves Julia's side; the two are only divided when it is necessary, or for a specific purpose. Most of her attention and time is devoted to her other half.

Furthermore, she tends to encourage the worst aspects of Julia, while seeking affirmation for her own darker thoughts and habits. They are, in a word, codependent.

The Panopticon

Type: Horror

Name: The Panopticon (alias given to it by its magical girls)

Personality: The Panopticon, being an alien mind, is difficult to discern in terms of personality. It can be said is that it holds the gneuine belief that all things must have their barriers and limitations eradicated. It is a being of crushing willpower, which believes that every mind should be open to it, and every thought should be shared- between everyone and everything.

The Panopticon seems almost incapable of comprehending the idea that one can exist as a lone soul. Its many attempts to 'cure' the 'defect' of having a solitary soul has resulted in Twinned Soul magical girls becoming its signature agents. It often thinks and speaks in terms of duality, and the idea that everything should be revealed seems to be the core upon which it is built. Its favored targets are those who are alone in the world, regardless of their material wealth or success; it feels kinship and sympathy towards these lonely souls.

History: From whence the Panopticon comes, there are many theories. Some would say that it is a creation of some ancient magic, or the end result of a dark experiment. Others believe it to be a traveler from distant worlds- or different realities. Personally, Julia holds the theory that the Panopticon is the embodiment of some need for connection or knowledge; it wishes for the connection of all things without boundaries or borders, after all.

The Panopticon is a very small operator for its rather massive ambitions, and seemingly always has been. It keeps small cells of magical girls and monsters at random locations throughout the world, usually of several Twinned Soul pairs working in close connection with lower fodder; it is only recently that these agents have begun to move against its larger competitors, including other Horrors. With Julia and Jillian as some of its only assets in the area, the two have a lot on their plate.

Resources: The Panopticon does not have many magical girls under its control, but their allegiance is usually very distinct; they have an extreme tendency towards duplication or a twinned, codependent soul. The Panopticon is thus capable of projecting more force than one would think for its low number of magical girls, but usually of a lower strength than normal. It prefers subtlety.

The Panopticon favors magical girls over monsters, but finds things with weak wills to be very pleasing. Its monsters are usually psychically-dominated fodder, or hive-minded beings who submit to its will.

The Panopticon's payment is earned, rather than given; it directs its magical girls to purge or dominate key targets, often with little explanation and dubious understanding of said target. Those that succeed are allowed to keep any spoils, including coins and artifacts. The Panopticon does not care for such things; the submission and destruction is all that matters.

Additional Info: The form which the Panopticon takes most often is that of a pair of lidless, inorganic eyes lacking in pupils, with the details varying depending upon the manifestation.

The Panopticon is not truly a being of gravity, psychic, or empathic energy, but rather the concepts of 'Domination' and 'Unveiling'. Physically and mentally, it wants to control everything in a perfect form of order. It does not abide by chaos or secrets; It knows every facet of each of its servants, and has tweaked them as necessary to move along the roads it desires, towards a path of complete connection and the unveiling of every mystery. Its final aims are only vaguely known by its servants, but it is not the destruction of the world or the human race, nor necessarily 'true' enslavement.

Whether or not what it ultimately has planned for all is any better is unknown.

Lunacy of Love: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Working on some characters.

The Gladiators of House Valens

@Estella How many people are you looking to include? The opening post says that some people might be rejected because of capacity, but I don't like the idea of putting the work in to make a proper character if it might just be rejected because there are already too many people.

The Gladiators of House Valens

I may or may not be joining. I have ideas, and the cast is fun, albeit heavily inclined towards one region.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

---

Time: Evening - 7:00 PM
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Although the sudden disappearance of the Ambassador (and Bach, she supposed) had almost given Mandate a heart attack in her nonexistent vascular system, she was relatively easy to calm once the two of them had returned unharmed and in possession of new treasures. Her inability to stay with the Ambassador at all times was... Beyond frustrating, but nothing bad had come of it. She would just have to try harder next time, somehow.

On the other hand, the box was a fun little curiosity on its own. The golem had no expertise with magic, nor any great skill with puzzles, but she nevertheless offered her eager input on the subject. She was more full of anecdotes than anything really useful, probably, but it was the thought that counted!

Suddenly, noise from the TV grabbed at Mandate's attention. Tilting her head, the golem focused upon the screen, shifting about in her seated position as the program she had been not-quite-watching became some strange man and his equally strange declarations.

-freaks in capes, mages and monsters-

Metahumans? Mages, monsters... Some sort of person who thought those things were bad, she was certain. She personally had no problem with monsters, and mages were quite nice as long as they were Miss Ambassador, but everyone was welcome to a silly opinion!

-For the most part, the people have accepted the rule of gods amongst us, at the detriment of humankind-

As they should, Mandate was certain. Wasn't that how things seemed to function? It was the idea of the monopoly of force, and the greatest force clearly held the greatest authority. Mandate considered herself as belonging only to Miss Ambassador, because no country held the power to rule her from afar, and the Ambassador was her friend. That was simply how it was. If plain humans submitted to the godly force around them, that just expedited the natural end of things, didn't it?

Perhaps, Mandate mused, she just didn't understand the needs of fleshy people. What did they matter to her, though?

The broadcast only became more amusing as it continued. She didn't know what STRIKE was, beyond what mister Bach shared of them, but it sounded as if they had sabotaged themselves in some way, if that group was meant to act against the same 'threats' (proper powers) that they did. Wasn't it a common saying, that the enemy of your enemy is your friend? Perhaps the enemy of your enemy was another enemy.

"I didn't know genocide was still popular." she murmured curiously as she hefted herself off of the ground, her smile never leaving her face. It was all so silly, this deliberate commotion; it was clear that the Hounds of Humanity longed for a spectacle. They created a grand display of themselves, striking against anyone and everyone, and then they plastered their faces boldly on every screen. Perhaps it was a ploy, or maybe it was simple arrogance, but that they even gave such a warning spoke for itself.

She sincerely doubted that they had the power to enforce their declaration of 'intolerance'. Their actions spoke of great power and connections, from the broadcast to their supposed simultaneous strikes, but it was meaningless. All the manpower in the world wouldn't do much to some forces, such as herself.

Mandate didn't understand much of metahumans and mages, but she understood that both could come from either birth or random events in the lives of soft, fleshy humans that used to be ordinary people. Magic was not just some genetic trait that could be wiped away, it was a persistent force. Similarly, metahumans were not even a singular species, as far as the golem knew. They came from a thousand -a million- different walks of lives and unpredictable events.

There would always be metahumans in the human population, unless the human population was inherently changed.

Mandate paused, her thoughts swirling in her head. Concerned whispers, and a glance of her singular eye towards the Ambassador as she consulted with some sprites that had entered the room. "Could they do such a thing?" she wondered idly, her hand rising to brush at where a jaw would be in a human being.

Certain methods had apparently proven themselves capable of creating metahumans, but the golem wasn't sure it would be able to do the same thing in reverse. Perhaps their goal was to lure metahumans into an ambush with such technology? To present a great and glowing target, and then crush their opposition with something unexpected, seemingly impossible? Powerless and death.

It didn't seem very likely, but Mandate placed it on her mental list of possible events nevertheless. "Or maybe... They're liars." Perhaps it was a ploy to lure in all the magnificently weird things in the world and learn from them? The level of coordination that the Hounds had shown was uncanny, and their ability to co-opt technology was seemingly impossible.

Maybe it was the work of some determined metahumans, performing... Her mind supplied the words- 'false flag' operations. This was clearly a series of events that would rile up the populace, but what side the common fleshy being fell upon was up in the air; Mandate had no particular care for the opinions of the masses, and so she had never bothered to learn them. Still, did you aid the metahumans who attempt to help you in your tiny lives, or the men who attacked your masters and made you more vulnerable?

If they acted any more extremely, perhaps the populace would side with metahumans on the matter. That did not, however, explain the involvement of mages and other magical beings. How did they intend to isolate the fey from the world? And what of the spirits of the dead of the past, and the likes of stupid vampires and werewolves? None of it made any sense to her, but that quickly became irrelevant.

Similarly, the events became less and less amusing and intriguing to the golem. Her smile had become a sad reversal as she studied the Ambassador's reaction to the sight of the Stix. With the smoke filling the air and the flames flickering pitifully and hypnotically, it formed an interesting portrait of her human companion's features. She was such a controlled human, it was very admirable, but her emotions were clear.

Mandate's fists clenched.

The hypothetical considerations were all well and good, and the golem would continue to ponder them as the night progressed, but what truly mattered to her was that the Ambassador was upset. The events had shocked the human, and clearly provoked a certain need for vengeance, and that was enough for the golem's anger to solidify by proxy. Whatever their motivations and their intentions, Mandate would hurt them for upsetting Miss Ambassador. No, She'd kill them.

She stood beside the Ambassador as her declaration was made to the world.

At least Miss Ambassador will be more popular after this.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

_{banner credit to Hellis}

---

Time: Evening of the Heist
Location: Shroud Syndicate Safe House - Las Vegas, Nevada

The safe house Silence had taken them to was quiet. Lonesome, save for one man painstakingly caring for its secrecy. The only real option for any Shroud Syndicate members still in the city, those who hadn’t been chased out by the Barron’s gang.

The Ambassador hardly managed a word to Levi, the caretaker an unassuming man in his forties, while Silence had arranged for his departure. She trudged to the bathroom in one of the guest bedrooms, disappearing for an hour to presumably clean up. Leaving Bach with vague orders to set up some warding protection spells. To her benefit Levi asked her no questions. Claiming he had seen stranger.

Odette showered, cleaned her wounds, changed into some spare clothing she had. Discovering some bruising around her ribs from the golem’s grip. The gash along her wrist from the vampire was ugly as ever, she wrapped some bandages around it securing it with a little tape. Exhaustion showed it’s signs throughout her body from bags under her eyes, the slump in her shoulders and perpetual frown. Gently towelling her hair she walked out of the bathroom barefoot to find Mandate sitting at the foot of the queen sized bed.

Mandate’s great bulk managed a fairly impressive curl, her legs pulled inwards and her back hunched forward as she focused inwards. In truth, she had been distant since their departure from the warehouse, her visage unreadable in its simple ‘frown’ and her emotions only broadcasted in the slump of her shoulders.

The safehouse was a distant awareness, less real than the buzzing in her not-flesh, her pure form. Was it a memory, or an incessant sensation? The only nerve her body knew was the ephemeral flesh of the once-living, tucked away deeply and separate from the material world, from her mercurial form. And yet…

And yet. And yet it still buzzed. Raising a silvery hand to her chest, Mandate clenched her gift from Miss Ambassador all the tighter, the necklace which had veiled her true form on the streets of Paris. And suddenly, noise. Lifting her head, the golem focused upon the approaching form of her… Sponsor? Her dear friend.

She didn’t look very okay. Shifting the ache-that-was-not away as a secondary concern, Mandate stood. ”Hello, Miss Ambassador. Are you okay?” Her tone was soft and inquisitive. Some of the chipper flutters had returned with the arrival of Miss Ambassador. She sincerely doubted that the human was feeling very okay, though. It didn’t seem likely, with her fragile flesh having been damaged in altercations that the golem had not been present for. The failure to protect stung.

Odette stared up at Mandate, the concern clear for her. Odette’s own worries had been proven correct. Mandate had been attacked by the golemancer, he had managed to get past her armour performing who knows what kind of magic to actually hurt her. The noise she had made was chilling, a sound she’d never heard Mandate make before. Odette wanted to know what was going on past the mercury, wanted to understand.

The moment stretched before she answered, “I need to rest, we had…” Odette pursed her lips, “A unique evening, you and I. Please sit, my dear.”

Odette trudged to the bed pulling the neatly made bed open, scooping up the comforter and a few pillows in her arms. There was precious few things she could not ask of Mandate, but prying into a freshly painful experience would be too much. The golem did not need to say a word to show how the evening had affected her. Genuinely all she wanted to do was to rest, if she could not provide comfort for herself then perhaps for at least Mandate.

Sit? Mandate supposed she could do that. It was a simple request to follow for Miss Ambassador. Slowly, the golem lowered herself back into her seated position, but did not hunch inwards as she had earlier. Her cyclopean gaze was focused upon the soft, freshly-cleaned human in the room with her. She could feel her ‘lips’ shifting as she observed her companion, her characteristic ‘smile’ returning to its rightful place somewhat hesitantly.

Impossible, to express that junction between weariness and delight she rested within. It was a limitation of her form that she did not care for; human beings, fragile though they were, had such mobile faces. ”I did not expect the man to be… Painful.” The golem left it at that, for the moment, and focused elsewhere. ”Yes, it was very unique. Humans need rest after things like that, Miss Ambassador.”

Odette flopped the couple of pillows onto Mandate’s lap then opened up the blanket laying it over the pillows. Without a word she stepped into the somewhat softened area, with a little adjustment for her back and her legs. Odette rested her forehead against the cool surface of Mandate, leaning against her. A soft exhale she said, “I wish I had known what kind of mage he was. I would not have let him near you otherwise. For that, I am sorry Mandate. We may have been successful in what we set out to do today but… I feel-” She paused squeezing the bridge of her nose, the migraine muddling her english translation. “Responsible for you.”

“Please I hope you can forgive me of my mistake.”

Mandate would have stiffened, if she could do such a thing, as her companion made contact once more. The pleasant sensation was offset by the topic of conversation, and the golem found herself uncertain of the moment.

Forgiveness? The soft sliding noise of Mandate’s mane was the clearest sign of her anxious thoughts, her ‘smile’ wavering once more. The imprint of a foreign presence was like a scolding hand pressed into her heart, her existence.

And it was not Miss Ambassador’s hand, was it?

”Miss Ambassador…” The harmonic noise of Mandate’s voice hesitated as her mind picked at her words. ”I think that I am glad for this. Not for the pain, but the…” A pause. ”The lesson? I know I can hurt. I didn’t think I ever would again. But I have, and I will.”

Once bitten, twice shy? An apt echo of memory. With exposure came experience, and she would not soon forget the ache. It was a humbling lesson in her own paradoxical vulnerability.

Mandate curled forward somewhat. Slowly, her arms curled, but did not converge around the human entirely. ”I’ll be more ready for it next time, Miss Ambassador, and I won’t make you think you have to apologize again. You didn’t fail me. I think I failed you.”

Odette tipped her head up, gazing at the singular crimson orb of Mandate’s ‘eye’. She was on the edge of disappearing into herself, Odette had seen it before whenever she asked about her origins. She shifted a little adjusting to Mandate. “Next time, we will both do better. Tonight, you and I will be okay. I will be here with you.”

I will be here with you. Mandate’s mane settled, and her mind shifted in its place. It was a lovely thought. When the golem smiled once more, it felt realer within her myriad thoughts. ”Thank you, Miss Ambassador.”

---

Time: The Next Day - Morning
Location: Las Vegas City Centre, Nevada

The morning sun blazed through the smog cover of the city, at this time of morning the Las Vegas strip was filled with traffic. Locals, to be sure, trying to get to work. Over the span of a singular night one would have had trouble comparing an exhausted Odette to the revitalized Ambassador. A smile poised, her straw hat shading her from the harsh summer sun, a completely different person. A solid night sleep and full texan breakfast was a simple recipe to getting The Ambassador to bounce back in full force.

Thoughts of the previous day were pushed away with a new task to focus on, finding Gwyneth’s Sight somewhere here in the city. The Ambassador thought herself to be rather skilled at location spells, very little could elude her for long. Finding a magically imbued object (regardless of knowing what it looked like) wouldn’t be difficult. She had asked around to some of the local Fey to help, having to introduce herself several times over.

The local Fey were largely ignorant of ruling powers in Europe. Kelpies hanging about in coin fountains, lost bogle’s far away from their fields, some goblins, and oddly a large population of changelings roamed the streets. Many mentioned the strong presence of witches in Las Vegas, grew cagey when pressed for more information about them. The Ambassador found it odd, perhaps the local Fey and witch covens had an understanding against outsiders. Regardless of their stature. Unfortunately none of them knew of Gwyneth nor her lost items.

The Ambassador led the way to a quiet spot off the main drag, along the alley beside a casino Bach and Mandate coming up behind her. “You were right about the witch presence, Bach. Your instincts are a little sharper on that front than mine.”

“Naturally, My Lady. I still feel as though it’s not just a coven but a singular entity that I am noticing. I could very well be wrong.” Bach shrugged, his hands slipping into his pants pockets. “Rarely are my instincts incorrect though.”

Odette nodded, “Let’s start.” Removing a clear fluorite crystal pendulum to focus her magic. When the spell began it glowed a soft blue, it swung westward while in her mind’s eye gave her a clear picture, the address suddenly known.

So she did. The first location spell whisked them away into the west side of town to Sun City. By taxi, a large mini van able to accommodate Mandate’s size and weight. They stopped short and waved the taxi away before approaching it. Along a suburban street the spell pinpointed them to a mailbox at the end of large home, manicured lawn looking a little brown. Odette pried it open to find a local grocery store coupon flyer that was expired. “This can’t be right.” She muttered stuffing it back into the box and patting along the ground not feeling any sort of magical resonance.

Bach patted down the ground where Odette was. “Try again. There might of some interference…?” He suggested.

Mandate, clad in her disguising necklace and thus not appearing as her usual towering self, poked and prodded curiously at the mailbox. She had no magical expertise to offer herself, but perhaps there was some visual clue? Peering curiously at the home to which the mailbox belonged, Mandate found herself wondering if ‘turn it on and off again’ was an adequate solution for magical scrying errors.

That thought track lead to different ideas, though. Tilting her head, Mandate’s illusory eyes focused on Miss Ambassador. ”Can witches interfere with magical spying and stuff, Miss Ambassador? Maybe someone doesn’t want you finding anything.” The golem shrugged, as if to convey her lack of true understanding of magic. It made sense to her, though; if there was something of value to be found that belonged to someone, then that someone would probably want to protect it.

Odette conceded, rather reluctantly “Gwyneth is an old and apparently powerful witch according to the Oracle we spoke to in Ville d’Ys. A stronger location spell will be prudent.”

She led them away to a secluded area, behind a children’s park plastic slide. Their footsteps making audible crunching noises across the pebbly gravel. Light glowed behind even the thick plastic of the slide, this time the location spell was stronger making the pendulum crystal glow a deeper blue. A new location and new address in mind Odette piled them into another taxi sending them to the Shark Reef Aquarium on the south end of the city. The trio arrived in the parking lot, paying for admission to enter the building. Discreetly following the pull of the pendulum.

Walking through the tunnelled aquariums, where they were surrounded on both sides by the exhibits. The shark tank alive with it’s main attractions. Odette hardly paid a moment of attention to her surroundings focusing on the location spell, the visual of the spot firmly in her mind.

Mandate, by contrast, found herself almost utterly invested in the surrounding sights. With half of her eye on Miss Ambassador, metaphorically speaking, she pressed herself up against the glass of the shark tank, a gentle noise of wonder leaving her. The creatures inside -sharks- reminded her somewhat of some of what she had spotted within Ville d’Ys. Strange aquatic beings with dark eyes that seemed as unblinking as her own.

It was a beautiful, majestic sight. They moved elegantly through their tank, the water proving no barrier to the creatures born within it. So many possibilities and questions! She stifled a certain pressing urge.

”I want to tear you open.” she whispered against the glass, before pulling back with a giggle when she was given no response. ”I hope everywhere we go is as beautiful as this!” she called to the Ambassador.

Odette paused at an intersection noticing Mandate lagging behind, keenly pressing her face up against the glass watching the marine life. Her focus split on the pendulum, letting a warm smile grow genuinely. Bach folded his arms watching her walk back to the golem, his expression unreadable. Her eyes swept up, her hand splaying across the glass standing next to Mandate. Even in her human disguise, the mercury golem towered above her. “I hope for that too, Mandate. Places like this remind me of the Arcane Stream. I wish you could feel it as I do. Rempli de vie. It fills me with life.”

A curious hum escaped the golem as she turned her attention fully towards the Ambassador once more. Listening to her speak of the ‘Arcane Stream’, it did sound rather… Magical. Giggling softly at her own internal joke, the golem spoke once more. ”I wish I could feel it too, Miss Ambassador. It sounds wonderful.” Her voice was soft, the strangely harmonious tones suppressed by the disguise into something more human.

Life. Was she filled with life already, perhaps? What did the Ambassador mean? What did being herself feel like, she wondered. Reaching up to scratch at her chest once more, the golem dismissed her thoughts for when she was alone. ”Please, don’t let me distract you, Miss Ambassador. I’ll keep up!” She paused, then continued. “I just… Wonder what they’re like inside.” And what it felt like to be them, to a certain degree, but that was an unanswerable question and so she ignored it, usually.

Odette nodded, curbing Mandate’s curiosity wasn’t really her intention but they did have somewhere to be. Her expression fell back to neutral once again, instinctively. Bringing up the pendulum, she led them once more through the aquarium. The pendulum and location spell led them outside along the pathway to the glass pyramid. The pendulum pulled up pointing directly to the tip top of the pyramid. Tourists filed around them as they stood off to the side of the pathway leading away from the aquarium towards the massive structure.

“It’s pointing up there. You two wait here while I investigate. Should only take a moment.” She made short work of an illusion spell for herself, to an onlooker she appeared as a seagull about to take flight. Odette pulled her broomstick from her purse, taking off to fly. Ascending the pyramid in minutes the light of the sun reflecting off the surface, intensifying the heat from the already scorching day, the brush of air was welcome. Landing deftly on the small maintenance platform at the top. She searched each corner finally finding what the location spell was locked onto.

From below, if Bach and Mandate had squinted enough or perhaps had a good pair of sunglasses they could see the small figure that was Odette at the top, then see a suspiciously small speck of a something launched off to only tumble down the side of the pyramid. Bach guessed correctly it wasn’t what they had been searching for. He brought himself and Mandate to where he guessed the offending object had landed to find an abandoned bird’s nest, a rather large one to have survived, mostly intact, down the pyramid. Shortly thereafter Odette joined them.

“Next.” She hissed.

Mandate stared down at the bird’s nest for a few long moments, contemplating the hiss in Miss Ambassador’s voice. Reaching out with a gentle hum, the golem gave her companion a small pat on the shoulder, which included her rather large hand essentially engulfing the human’s shoulder in the process. The consolation was silent, and accompanied by a bright smile that was ruined by the dead eyes of her illusory human form.

It was a shame that the Ambassador was having such a difficult time of things; certainly, the golem found it frustrating by proxy, but the adventure itself was full of intriguing sights that she had to restrain herself from breaking, such as the pyramid itself. Perhaps one day, she’d be allowed to topple it?

… ”Miss Ambassador, are birds magical?” She felt it was a fair question.

Odette took a deep breath in through her nose, held it for a few seconds then exhaled. “Not today. Let’s try again.”

This time, this time had to be the one location spell that led them to the item. If it didn’t well, there was no telling how The Ambassador would react.

Short travel time later that brought them back into the heart of the city, back where they had originally started their day. The sun was setting casting the city in a lovely orange and pink glow, a sunset Odette would usually take time to appreciate. However, their search took them to an alleyway parallel to a stripclub. The thrumming beat of the music audible. They passed a few homeless men and women going about their day to day, casting a strange looks as the trio strode past them. Invisible to them were brownie fairies among them along with the odd goblin. Tourists often had largely ignored them.

The location spell finally took them behind the club, where employee parking lot was filled with cars. Her eyes cast up to where the pendulum was finally pointing, pulling straight. A broken plastic bachelorette crown sat on top of a dumpster. A stray cat was batting it around, the pendulum followed it.

”Ooh, pretty.”

Odette’s fist clenched around the pendulum, frustration colouring her cheeks. Bach stifled a laugh behind his hand refusing to look at his partner.

“Mandate.” Odette managed, sweetly. “Could you do a favour for me?”

Perking up at the call of her name, Mandate nodded happily in Miss Ambassador’s direction. ”Absolutely!”

Odette pointed to the dumpster, “Crumple the dumpster. I want it flat as a crêpe.”

Blinking, the golem turned to look at the dumpster once more. Slowly, a bright smile overtook her illusory self’s face. For lack of a better word, she seemed to vibrate in place. ”Absolutely, Miss Ambassador!” At least she was having a nice day.

Lifting the dumpster was easy. Somewhat foul looking from up close, but remarkably easy. Finding the proper place to slam, crush, and flatten it was somewhat harder.

Necessity, it is often said, is the mother of invention. Mandate wasn’t certain this was entirely necessary, but it was necessary to her and Miss Ambassador. That was really the only necessity that mattered, right?

After a quick moment of vibrating in place and throwing her head about in search of something, the golem all but pranced her way into the employee parking lot- or she would have, were it not for her awkward gait compensating for the dumpster’s shape. So in a way, it was more of a stumbling dance.

There! A target was sighted, and Mandate zeroed in on her victim. Standing before the hood of a decent-looking little car, the golem paused to turn her head towards Miss Ambassador, ever so slightly tilted. ”It’s going to be loud!” she stage-whispered.

The Ambassador considered the vehicle for a second, Bach shrugged at Odette. He grinned like the mischievous imp he was. “I’m sure they have insurance. Do it, Mandate.” The sorceress watched eagerly.

With her gleeful ‘smile’ plastered firmly on her face, Mandate locked in on the car once more. Her feet shifted, her heels pushing down and slightly through the hard ground as she shifted the dumpster’s weight fully over herself. With a gleeful cry, it was brought crashing down upon the car.

The spray of debris as Mandate’s strength and the dumpster’s weight crumpled the front of the car was matched only by the spray of garbage, thankfully not in the golem’s direction, and the loud crashing of metal rending metal. The ground cracked even further beneath the golem’s feet as she compensated for the slam, and then once more when her fists raised up and cemented the destruction with a final slam. It was more through the sheer force of her strength and blind luck than anything else that she was not overly dirtied.

The car, on the other hand, was unrecognizable.

Gleefully giggling and humming, Mandate scampered back towards the alley, her fists making sharp ‘gongs’ against her own skin as she slapped away dust and debris. ”How was that, Miss Ambassador?” Her voice, in contrast to her pleasantly large smile, was eager and expectant.

When the dust cleared Odette’s smile grew wide at the destruction. Bach laughed along with Mandate, giggling in between ‘I can’t believe she actually did it’ and ‘what a mess!’ She let out a long sigh of relief seeing the mess, her mood improved significantly. “Perfect, Mandate. I feel much better now.”

“We should leave before someone catches us.” Odette beckoned away to exit the alleyway to the street over.

”I can just flatten them too!” Mandate helpfully suggested as she followed after her companions. It was mostly a token suggestion; she was far too pleased with herself and her ability to flatten in that moment

“I’m sure you can, my dear. I’m sure you can.” Odette agreed, pleasantly bobbing her head.

Unknowingly, above them in the sky dark smokey forms followed the trio. By the time the pair of witches were upon them only Bach was the one to notice, not nearly enough time to warn. Nothing would have prepared The Ambassador nor her companions a meeting with the Goddess, the patron of witchcraft, Hekate.