Description: Have you heard the rumors of the silver plated city?
That sounds like nonsense, something made up while freezing to death way out there on the Frozen Steps. No one could live out there is no food, no water, its cold, and the winter is often in hospitable. Why would anyone plate their city in silver that seems impossible.
As impossible as it seems, in the deep of the tundra, is a temple carved from the face of a mountain, surrounded by cube shaped stone buildings that have expanded from a preexisting cave. It's relative known that the mountain has a large deposit of ore inside of it, though no one has ever been able to reach it and the only people who live here is an ancient clan that pre-exists the current monarchy.
There isn't much to see out here. Past the evergreens and the valley of ice, it seems impossible that anyone could make a living out here. Though the people make by with hunting in the tundra, fishing in parts of the frozen sea, and trading for outside resources.
If you ever crossed the tundra and found the Silver City, you would be gifted with a sight behold. What appears to be a gate or a Temple, made from the mouth of a cave. On the sides of it, seemed to be silver plating, with pictures carved into the silver siding. The stone that makes up the city is smoothed to the point that it shines like the silver that decorates the outside of the city.
Location: Bastion Mountains of The Realm of Drevilna Under Ownership of the Great House of Vyapult - Frostmark
The Silver City - or so it has been named by the monarchy - was once the destination of a long since past King. He heard of the silver in the mountains, and declared the silver for himself. Quickly sending out navigators, survivalist, and trackers in order to map out how best travel the tundra. A navigator wrote in their letters to the King:
The land treacherous, the cold unbearable. The land is held by people. When we reached the mountains where the silver is known to be, we found a group of people. Who say they have claim to this land already.
The king pondered to himself, who could have already claimed this land, began to scour through known records at the time of which House lay claim to the mountains with Silver. When he saw there were none, he wrote a letter back declaring:
As King of the Frozen Steps, tell the settlers there that they are trespassing on my land, and that they will hand over the mountain to me and their mine.
The navigator responded back, a month later, with the simple note - From the People of this Land:
Take it if it wants to be taken.
The King was furious with such a disrespectful response, and sent out a small band of soldiers to cross the tundra and take the Silver City back for himself. The King greatly underestimated the weather, not realizing the people who lived in the Silver City had extensive knowledge of their own land, the environment, weather, and seasons. They long before predicted a great blizzard before the King did. His soldiers caught in the first winter storm, unprepared with flimsy tents that didn't insult them well, lack of resources like food and drink once they got lost in the storm, many of them perished before they could step foot on the mountains the Silver City stood. And the ones who made it were too cold, too weary, and too hungry to battle the people of the Silver City.
Who did nothing, but wait. They fed the hungry soldiers, and gave them somewhere warm to rest and sleep. Strange to the soldiers, how they had heated pools of water, and how they kept the inside of once was a cave - now a city - so warm and heated. When their strength returned the People of the Frozen Tears guided the soldiers back to their Kingdom.
The King upon his soldiers return, realized the only way he was going to obtain the silver in the mountains was through the people already harvesting it. He offered the People of the Frozen Tears a place among the Great Houses, in exchange for their hospitality for bring back his soldiers and returning them after the seasons first bout of bad weather passed. The People of the Frozen Tears would return this information to their Echo.
Eventually after a few lengthy talks with the Echo and the King, in exchange for fur, silver, and knowledge, the Echo and his bloodline became part of the Great House with one further condition, the King couldn't send any of his people to the mountain to mine the silver themselves. The Echo worried about disturbing their Deities. It seemed for the People of the Frozen Tears, the mountain was alive, and a Deity. The city they built, was inside the carcass of this Deities fallen brother. The King reluctantly accepted.
Major Holdings: Silver City, The Frozen Step [the mountains], a Silver "Mine" [if you can call it that]
Reputation: The Frozen Step is mostly known for it's inhospitable living conditions. In the winter time, the land is said to take hold of any living life freezing it to death. Some rumors state the Frozen Steps have killed a man by suffocating him with cold, but that could be superstition. Of the few good things it is known for, is the fur that comes from the People of the Frozen Tears who trade with the other Kingdoms for other resources such as shells or security, or items of interest, and the silver that comes from the mountains. Though even that never seems to be enough. Some people think the Echo and the People of the Frozen Tears are hoarding and keeping all the silver to themselves. And vaguely hiding behind their "pagan dogma" to keep the silver: "The Silver belongs to the Mountain Father. The Silver must stay in the mountains, and we only accept what the Mountain Father offers"
Despite growing tensions about the silver in the mountains, the People of the Frozen Tears have offered few bits of their knowledge to building in the cold. Though they still refuse to completely give away how to navigate the tundra with ease. Some argue that the Echo shouldn't be apart of the Great House. However, nothing has changed despite uproar about their lack of sharing.
From the Varan's perspective initially, he was about as fond of the Frozen Tears as his parents were - which is to say, no more than was necessary to ensure smooth bartering with their Baron. At the point of him entering his majority and taking the seat of Grand Duke, though, he had started to realise that their connections may be closer than he realised. With that in mind, and after significant research, he has come to find that the clan is not at all as savage as he believed, and that in fact many of Drevilna-under-Vyapult's technological advances are sourced from the Frozen Tears. Merta in particular is quite an interesting fellow to have as a vassal, not to mention amusing when it comes to conversation. and it strikes him, too, that an ally like Merta could very well be a great asset in handling what is to come.
Wealth: Mining and Fur Trading mostly, *Minor Pickled Vegetables and other Dehydrated Goods - The People of the Frozen tears are still known for a mixed economy based on a Gift economy and a barter economy. They trade fur and silver, for spices and herbs that couldn't grow in the tundra, even vegetables that they store or pickle for later use. *They are known sometimes to also trade their pickled vegetables, and dehydrated meat and animal fat for goods as well.
Strength: Natural Defenses - Weather mostly and inhospitable climate. Though when they do have to defend themselves, they do have a small clan of Hunters who use the environment to their advantage when needed.
Name: Mertavoda - Merta
Title: The People of the Frozen Tears call him - Echo Vassal to House Vyapult Lord of the Silver City -according to the Marble People Duke of the Frozen Tear
Age: 28
Description: White paint obscures fawn colored skin that acts like sunscreen, with black painted lips, and black surrounding his or her eyes. At first it is hard to tell if this individual from the mountains is man or woman. They are considerably pretty, with a long oval face, and long eyelashes. His eye color a deep shade of blue, and his hair, long and black. Shining like a black birds feathers in the sunlight. Standing at 5'6", it was not his height that was intimidating, but his gaze is. It is said that you can feel Merta's gaze through you, as he stares at you with his rich blue eyes. He is often seen dressed down in comparison to the monarchy, and probably dressed a bit more garish, in a cloak made of black goat fur, something he claims to the Great Houses he earned according to his people's traditions. His tunic is also relatively understated, despite also being a color of ebony, it is accentuated with golden embroidery in odd patterns and symbols only really understood by his people. While he also wears jewelry of silver, and shells that have been leafed with gold. Woven into his hair are bits of colored rope, mostly of gold, and silver.
Claimant: Sharles - "I fear what may come if the other takes the throne, while my people try to remain neutral in the Great House affairs despite our role in it. I believe the Deities would like me to act, in order to secure the future of my Kin."
House Info:
Hall Echo a.k.a House Echo
Motto: To be cloaked, but not declawed
Reputation: "We can't have an up starter Pagan Heathen as one of the Great Houses, simply because some past King's failed to take their resources. We shouldn't have to deal with his mistakes. Especially considering they do not even follow the Church. They have their own "gods". I do not understand why some folk fear them. I hear they don't even have an official army. It's not that hard, just storm the mountain, take it by force and take their silver." -A Minor Noble
To some they see Merta, as an unworkable, dogmatic pagan zealot. Who hoards his wealth in the mountains, refusing to meet the demands for silver, for unknowable reasons. Or maybe really some do not want to know the reasons why the People of the Frozen Tears and their leaders of the past have not met the demands for the silver. Most see their culture and their religion, as an upset to the status quo and world order, they also see their claim as a great house through a vassal of the House Vyapult as illegitimate considering that their leaders of the past, the people, and Merta himself do not have any claim to noble blood.
It's difficult to get some to side with Merta and his people when they believe their mountains are alive. And that the Seasons are Deities themselves. They do not believe there is a singular God, but instead multiple beings whom they worship. It is said their language was given to them by the Mother of the Sea for example. And the Mountain Father lead them to the caves, which they believe to be carcasses of Deities from the past, in which the Silver City was carved. They say that Winter has fury, blizzards, and chilly breathe, the wind. Which further alienates them from the other noble house, due to their rejection of the Churches religion. There is also fear that Merta may be working with the Twilight Choir, seeing as his people are unwilling to assimilate to their culture or religion.
While some simply see Merta as a mentally handicapped, idiot, appointed a positional role he is not qualified for. For some Merta is known as completely deaf, only speaking in written letters, sign language, and universal hand gestures. Sometimes because he cannot hear himself when speaking too low, especially in louder spaces, he has been known to talk loudly and with odd pronunciation.
"The Echo is both the representation of the People and the Deities he or she serves. The Echo can hear and displays the knowledge and ability to speak for the Deities. Thus the title of Echo when one is earned their role. The Echo speaks for their Deities and speaks for their People, they are extension of their voice." -An Explanation of the role of the Echo
"Merta is young, but he does us people well. He is the closest Echo to the Deities, than those of the past. We have faith that he knows how to navigate the Marble People's politics." -Voices of the People
To his people Mertavoda is young, but devoted to his People and his Deities. He honors the traditions of his people of the past, but also intends to innovate in areas that are needed. Ordinarily in the past, despite their claim to the Great Houses by being a vassal to an actual Great House, they have remained mostly neutral to the trouble. Though Merta feels a storm is brewing, a more violent, and dangerous cause is slowly beginning to well up and that his people cannot remain neutral forever. He is trying to carefully place a role of his People in the Marble People's politics, but he wants to remain as distant as he can to avoid war. The People of the Frozen Tears have no concept of war, they never had Warriors, merely Hunters, and Surveyors. He seeks the aid of the King of the House of Vyapult in his efforts to do so.
To his people his Deafness gives him clarity. They say that because he cannot hear the voices of the outside world, it means his ears are more attuned to the spiritual one. Giving Merta the ability to hear their Deities more clearly. It has earned him favor among his people, whose own written language is symbolic, part gesture, part pictograph, part alphabet, and part universal.
Ambitions: "Remaining neutral to the events that happen around us, is like stagnant water. Eventually over time water that is stagnant begins to no longer grow. It becomes toxic, undrinkable, and unable to flow." -Mertavodah the Echo of the People of Frozen Tears
Politically speaking Merta is not an ambitious leader, he doesn't necessarily seek more power, he simply seeks security that he and his people can continue the practices they have done so for millennia. He rather not have any part in the Marble People's politics. He wants no claim to their Marble power, though some might think he does.
In the end of the day all he wants is peace. He doesn't mind trading with the other parts of the realm, rather he wants to do so on their continual terms. To them the Mountains are alive, the Silver they obtain is the silver exposed. To cut deep into the Mountain is to wound the Mountain. They do not force the mountain to give what it hides, only they take what the mountain exposes. This belief extends throughout their practices. They do not hunt beyond their means, and what fur they trade is leftover. In some aspects this is why the other realms are so upset with the People of the Frozen Tears because they are not turning over large quantities of goods.
Aptitudes: -What people probably do not understand or realize, is how imperative and probably important is to keep Merta at their side. Considering that the People of the Frozen Tears have had to learn how to adapt to the harsh weather of the Mountains and the Tundra below them, Merta is naturally skilled in all areas his people are taught at a young age. They are adaptable survivalist, who survey their land and are able to figure ways of staying alive during harsh weather. They can identify all the foliage native to their landscape, can navigate the tundra with ease and seemingly unaffected by the weather. Track animal prints, and read weather patterns. Not only that, but the people are deeply understanding of rocks, rock formation, minerals, uses of ore, and map the movement of the steps of the walking mountains. The people call them The Steps of the Mountain Father.
-Adaptable, all though it is given that Merta is adaptable as his people are trained to be. Merta is also adaptable in the way he approaches the Marble People and their politics. Merta is innovative, adaptable, and is willing to study the Marble Politics, as long as it guarantees the safety and security of his people. Merta is also personally adaptable simply due to the fact that he had to adapt his environment to his Deafness. His adaptability goes well beyond his knowledge given as a Child of the Frozen Tears.
-Perceptive, while it is a given that his people are perceptive, able to read weather patterns, track animals through their scat and footprints. Merta has had the most experience out of all the past Echoes before him with the Marble People and their Politics. While he may not fully understand all of it, it is not easy to fool Merta. He may feel something is slightly off about a given situation, though he may not always call it out.
-Playing dumb, Merta is aware of the way some outside of his people perceive his deafness and his odd pronunciation of words. They see him as stupid. Mentally deficient. And Merta uses this to his advantage. He rather have the Marble People underestimate him, so he can understand their given political landscape. He is still learning how to navigate their political field after all, and any slight advantage that allows him to observe and learn is useful. When involved with those who do not know him well, he plays up his Deafness, his gullibility and naivety. Allowing him to assess the situation better.
-Hunting Expertise, strange to some that Merta is trained in the use of hunting weapons. Some may see his disability as inhabiting from doing any normal task. However, to this claim Merta has explained to those people that he has eyes, and a nose, and that his taste, sight, and smell haven't faded just because his ears work slightly funny. A skilled archer. Merta also has some knowledge and use of daggers and knives, mostly used for skinning animals, but he does keep it on him as a form of defense as well.
Vulnerabilities: -Deafness, it is no secret to some that Merta is Deaf. All though how Deaf he is a mystery to some. Some say he is completely deaf, only communicating in written form, universal gestures, and a strange form of signed language that he uses among his people. Though the reality is that Merta is only partially Deaf, due to a head injury as a child that damaged his already poor hearing. Merta is Deaf to certain pitches and range of tones, which makes understanding some people at certain tones considerably hard for him, he may not always be able to hear low tones, and low pitches. He can hear the world at murky at best, unless people are talking directly to him or are at a distance or range that allows him to hear them clearly.
-Stubborn and Petty, there is sort of a joke that some day Merta is going to cause a war he doesn't want simply because he can be stubborn in his ways and slightly petty. Merta is not as Deaf as some people think he is and Merta has intentionally forced people to go through an entire written exchanges with them because he claimed he couldn't hear them, simply because Merta didn't like their attitude towards him. He also refuses to revoke any of his spiritual beliefs in front of any of the noble houses who may be more friendly and supportive of their Church.
-Uneducated in the Monarchy's Politics, it's not really unknown that Merta and his people being so remote and further from the rest of the grand houses means they do not have much interaction with the monarchy. Despite Merta being the Echo with most knowledge about the Grand Houses and how to deal with them, doesn't mean he knows entirely how everything works. Its why he is so intentionally obtuse and vague, in order to slow down the conversation and be able to assess the situation where he needs to be.
Additional Info: The People of the Frozen Tears -
They are small nation that survived take over, simple due to how remote and inhospitable their land actually was. For a long time people thought nobody lived out there in the mountains or near the tundra. Because of this the People of the Frozen Tears have a completely different written and spoken language. It is part symbolic, part pictograph and part alphabet, thought things do not directly translate outright to their actual meaning. The word the People of the Frozen Tears uses for the mountain range directly translates to Ice Cry, though it is understood as the Frozen Tears by the people. Because of this the people often have a form of complex signed language. This helps them stay and communicate while hunting in the tundra, where speaking may not often be an option for them.
Their Spiritual Beliefs -
The People of the Frozen Tears have their own spiritual belief outside of the Twin Faith. They believe that the land they live on is sacred and living. That the Earth beneath their feet is as living as those who live on it. Due to this they believe in taking care of the land and often practice in traditions that honor Earth, Nature, the Seasons, and their Resources. For example, they do not hunt outside of their means to feed their population, all though they do not go out and hunt often either, often preparing meats they have stored or dehydrated, with pickled vegetables. Which they pair with bread like crackers and fruits and berries. Which they often also store and dehydrate in similar ways to the way they dehydrate their meats. Soups are made out of warming these dried ingredients to flavor the broth, with animal fat. Nothing is wasted, all parts of the animal have some sort of use.
The People of the Frozen Tears leave offerings to their Deities after large hunts, especially for banquets for the few celebrations they have. Often, there is a meal of celebration when an important child is born into the clan. Or to honor and unite a couple. They even believe in leaving offerings in exchange for the silver that exposes itself from the natural movement of the mountains, believing leaving stones will be returned to the Mountain Father who will return the stone back as silver. They celebrate the Solstices when Summer and Winter turnover. And have had hosted dinners for a few guest who have visited.
They also believe in offering gifts of sincerity when they visit others.
Gift Economy - The People of the Frozen Tears do not really exchange goods through a barter system, though they understand the concept. But considering how relatively close and tight knit the clan is, often times they exchange gifts as favors which is understood to be paid later. They have only really dabbled in the Barter system due to the influence of the other great houses and their trade. Though the People of the Frozen Tears hold onto their gifting system. Probably the reason why the People of the Frozen Tears are so unsure why their neighbors are upset they are not providing resources when they are receiving gifts in exchange for their gifts.
Misc Information:
Diet of the People of the Frozen Tears-
Because they live so near the tundra and choose to traverse through the tundra to hunt, the People of the Frozen tears rely on the meat of mountain goats and fur to keep themselves warm. While the People of the Frozen tears often rely on hunting for meat, deer from the forest, goat from the tundra and the mountains, and fish from the nearby rivers and lakes. They also incorporate what they find in the forest in their diet as well using pine needles to make herbal drinks, and incorporate in their foods, as well as used for medicine. While also eating tree bark. The People of the Frozen tears also preserve a lot of their meats and vegetables [something incorporated in their diet via the trade they do with the other nations]. Often burying their Summer Meat and Fat into the ground, which ferments over Fall, and Freezes in winter for consumption next year. They also rely on drying out their meats, fish, berries, and vegetables, and reconstituting them with boiling water into soups. With flat like cracker like bread to eat alongside their meals.
An Echo is Chosen by the Deities-
Partially Chosen. Partially Born into the role. The Echo is always often chosen from among who can see into other worlds or so the People of the Frozen Tears believe. Those born without a sense in the Mortal Plane, are born with sense in the one we share with the Deities. The First Echo couldn't see in the Mortal Plane, but saw into other Worlds to Deliver the words of the Deities. The Second Echo lost an arm, but could touch the Words of the Deities with his new arm. The People of the Frozen Tears do not see the people who have lost one sense as lesser, instead they see them gaining a new sense and a new knowledge. And those who are not chosen to be Echoes, are still taken care of with respect and dignity.
The Rites of an Echo-
Before one is chosen or bestowed as an Echo, one must complete a rite to show their knowledge. They must show they understand the words of their Deities. While not every Echo in the past has had a sense of another world, they have shown an extensive intuition. They must display the Knowledge of the Mind, the Knowledge of the Land Mother, and the Knowledge of the People's Mind. It is entirely possible for an Echo to be born from an Echo parent, it is not a guarantee that they will show the Three Knowledges. Or pass the Rites. Which is a Great Hunt, lead by each candidate. A Hunt shows the Three Knowledges, you must understand the land, must know what weather is to come, must navigate the land without getting lost, read not only the stars, but the way the moss grows on the tress. You must know the strength and weaknesses of your people. The success is not in the Hunt, whether you accomplish the Hunt or not doesn't prove whether you are meant to be an Echo. But how you use the Three Knowledges.
@BCTheEntity By the grace of the Master and the Mistress and by authority of the royal line of Adandum, House Vyapult are crowned Archduke of the Frostmark, Duke of Drevilna and High Lord of Kivhar.
@TheRedWatcher House Echo shall be sworn to serve House Vyapult by royal decree as Dukes of the Frozen Tear and Lords of the Silver City.
(Feel free to add the titles to your sheets and move them over.)
He hated to admit, going to the cafeteria made him nervous. No one at the facility would care what happened to him if any of the others decided him a tasty snack or simply prey. The days didn’t matter to him any more. He stopped counting how long he had been in Thornwood or if he were going to escape. Some might perceive this as nihilism, or maybe even apathy though the truth was more or less about being patient. Unfortunately he had learned throughout his life to bide his time and wait for an opportunity to arise. Which meant getting familiar with the facility. The way it felt. The way it sounded. Everyone else around here seemed loud and impatient.
All he knew about the facility was that he was cold, that the ground beneath his feet felt smooth. It was hard to see, metaphorically speaking. There was little static to his skin, the cell made it even more difficult to feel things. And he was usually plunged into darkness, having to feel around or guide himself from the sparse few colors of the guards that popped up from time to time like warm bright, hot, red lights. That flashed in the darkness briefly. He tried his best not to look frail and blind, to the others.
When he did walk into the cafeteria it was with full confidence, even if he didn’t feel fully confident in the moment. Stepping from the gloomy static, he was painfully stricken by the colors of others. Bright. Warm. Hot. Lights in the gloom. He had heard others talk about being blinded by light and this must have been the way that felt.
The gloom was staticky. Fuzzy. Something that hissed. And for brief moments, greens, and blues, yellows, and reds would pop up. Here the colors were stable. They remained stagnant and still enough for him to start and guess where everything was. The bright green flicker was likely someone he had heard about in passing, rumors like ghostly whispers. Someone who controlled atomic radiation or so he heard, it made sense to him then why she would appear green to him. There were others as well. Some were multiple colors, as if their souls were entwined with something else.
He tried to remain unnoticed. It was always a good thing not to be noticed by other people. The guards who had escorted him, or really they were there simply as insurance to make sure he didn’t “act up”. All though in all of the time he had been here, he was not known to act up. Maybe in their delusional delight. Maybe in their phantom like rumors, perhaps. But Hemlock preferred to stay to himself, preferred to bide his time.
The others though, not so much. Chaotic conversation surrounded him, and he had been spending a lot of time simply gaining back his awareness of his environment. Whenever he is in that cell, all he sees is the voice, and the little strings of floating static. Whenever he gains back his sight, it’s always a bit disorientating to adapt to. He preferred to listen instead. To the impatience of others. But he wasn’t going to be the one to try and rally a group of individuals together, who could otherwise eat him, break his bones, electrocute him, and or any number of unpleasant experiences. He preferred to stay to himself. It was always so cold in this facility, he should have brought a blanket with him.
With that said there had always been something that had fascinated him. A strange energy. One that pulsated in the room. A signature he had witnessed a few times, but hadn’t interacted with at all. The color was warm, but the color was vast like a void. Ordinarily he had words for the colors he experienced, pink, green or blue. And that was after he had to ask to have those colors described to him. Looking toward the color that was like a vacuum, red, but then would sink into itself like a blackhole. Churning like molten lava.
He was going to attempt to be adventurous today. Seeking that warm nebula. It’s a bit tricky to navigate here. Everything is so smooth, and he had once accidentally walked into a table. He was trying not to do so in this case.
There was another color similar to the nebula he sought. It was hot to the sight, it boiled like the way water sounds. He had no word for that color either, it wasn’t red either, something more alive than that. Sentient colors.
“Rowdy bunch, aren’t they,” he attempts to smile, though there is a slight frown at the sound of his own voice. He doesn’t speak too often to people, and he often doesn’t remember the sound of his own voice. Quiet, hoarse. A bit scratchy to his own ears, “I have seen the both of you around.” he frowns further, because now this is becoming awkward. It’s clear to him and anyone else around he doesn’t see anything, it’s just a matter of speech people use, “I am attempting to greet you.” He is specifically speaking to the nebula, but didn’t mind them both answering. He realized now how evident it has become how little he talks to other people, “Lock, it’s a pleasure.” now he’s just frowning, realizing how strange he comes off.
Name: Hemlock Voss Landreth Known Aliases: Lead Specialist Landreth [at one point in time], Lock, Depends on who is asking really Age: 33
Appearance:
Long thin black hair, with his collarbone sticking out, he gives the impression of an already thin and small framed man, who became an even thinner, smaller framed man. While certainly fed at the facility, Hemlock is still gaunt, emaciated almost. His fingers bend in a way that they shouldn't bend, and the only way they could move the way they do is if they were broken once. As if someone had slammed a door on them and they set and healed in the wrong place. A pair of jeans, that fit on him loosely. And a sweater that hangs. If he was shirtless, it be very obvious to anyone that his ribs are visible. And despite all of this gaunt, all of this hollow of a man that is not the most unnerving part of him.
It's his eyes. Milky, silver colored, orbs. Unfocused and unsteady, and very unclear of what they are looking at. Sometimes he turns his head, to people talking to him. Other times looking entirely elsewhere, as if they are looking at something else entirely while his ears look straight at you. Sometimes, he will look at you with a frailty that doesn't suit his age, like a lost child stumbling in the dark reaching out to touch what is unseen to him. Born with his condition, his hands extend outward like the tip of a dog's muzzle, his fingers feeling around like the sniffing of a dog's nose.
Other oddities that stand out is that he seems to always carry his shoes with him, relatively worn shoes heel peeling - scuffed toes and faded red fabric with perhaps old bloodstains, rather than wear them. Though this is not always the case. Lock understood when it was appropriate to wear shoes, and where it wasn't appropriate to wear shoes. Though he has always preferred them off of his feet.
Standing at 5'6", he's not an imposing figure, physically he looks like the wind could knock him over and take him out with how emaciated and gaunt he is, being blind means others see him as unassuming and non threatening. Truth be told no one is probably going to view Hemlock as a physically imposing or intimidating figure, and they likely would laugh at the thought of fighting him physically or relish in the thought of picking on such frail prey.
Late night thoughts about accents, Hemlock is mixed with German and Russian, all though he grew up in America his family would have likely taught him the languages, with this in mind: he'd have some bastard fucking accent where he's definitely grew up in America, but then there is the fucking tinge of German + Russian to orgy fuck his syllables
Psych Profile:
Session 1: *Recorder Clicks* ??: Do you feel remorse for your actions? Lock: Define remorse. That is a vague question. ??: You don't find killing people something to be remorseful of? Lock: Maybe, it is an action some will feel remorse for. Maybe, I feel mournful. ??: Mournful. That's odd? Lock: Why? Because we chose to define morality in black and white. Without the nuance or creativity to think outside of those limits. What would you have done?
Notes: Appears to lack a sense of morality, has no code of ethic, and lacks remorse. Lock appears emotionally cold, and callous. Perhaps, all those years living in a machine has left him disconnected from reality. Appears inhuman.
Session 2: *Recorder clicks* ??: How did you grow up? Would you say your childhood was a happy childhood? Lock: That questions seems to lack a general understanding of psychology. We are just as affected by things in our adulthood as a child. Now it is true that a child's formative years are more affected by damaging and traumatic events, but to completely base my entire psychology on my childhood, would be unprofessional, and be an inappropriate assessment. I am blind. A metahuman as well. You can do the calculations I assume. ??: That doesn't answer the question Lock: The question is lacking in nuance. ??: You know Lock that these evaluations are to help you. Let me help you, you can start by helping me. Lock: I am really under the impression they aren't at all for my benefit.
Notes: Evasive and manipulative, Lock keeps to himself. Lock appears to be distrusting of others and suspicious of their actions. He seems paranoid, and believes them to have ulterior motivations. Proceed with caution, Lock will try to control you and deceive you.
Session 10: *Recorder clicks* Evelyn: I heard that you and the other evaluator had some issues. Lock: What you mean is asking baseless questions not based on any real psychology. Evelyn: What is real psychology to you? Lock: The one where the professional trying to evaluate me isn't using old Freudian data to psychoanalyze me. Evelyn: So you value yourself as an intellectual. Lock: No. I wouldn't label myself as an intellectual. Evelyn: Why is that? Lock: Because I do not associate myself with those kind of labels. There will always be someone smarter than I am, to value myself as an intellectual would mean that I also see myself as superior over others. Which I do not. Evelyn: So you think the only people who view themselves as intellectuals see themselves as superior to others? Lock: I am not incapable of seeing what you're trying to do which is to twist what I am saying around. I am sure, some do not view themselves as superior over others, but the term itself is charged, and it's heavily implied when someone claims themselves as such.
Notes: Lock is intelligent and clearly he values his intelligence. He lords his knowledge over others. He likes to play mental games with his victims. He is a cruel manipulator, who likes to toy with others. It is clear that Lock enjoys to twist other people's words, and likes to prove that he is more knowledgeable than them. He likes to show them that he is more capable.
Session 14:
*Tape Recorder Clicks* Evelyn: Hemlock, I am afraid that you are doing yourself a disservice. Lock: How? Evelyn: By not willingly working with us, we cannot help you with any form of rehabilitation. Lock: Did you ever think I was willingly going to rehabilitated in whatever way you assume is rehabilitated? Do you think that's why I am here at this facility? Surely we all know that you're not here to rehabilitate me. That's not why I am here. Evelyn: Oh? What do you think you're here for? Lock: You know the answer. Evelyn: And apparently you think of us here as some facility with ulterior motives. Lock: I may be blind, but I am not a fool.
Notes: Uncooperative, Lock doesn't seem to work well with others. He refuses to assist others. Just like when he was working on Project Dream, Lock feels himself too important to hear or listen to other people's ideas. Lock is a self adsorbed, egomaniac maniac. A real typical evil scientist type.
Final Assessment: A manipulative ego-maniacal maniac with a superiority complex. He is a dangerous manipulator, who uses his intelligence against those he views are inferior to his intelligence. It is no wonder that Lock denied the involvement of the military in his Project Dream, he didn't believe anyone else could match his intellect.
Background:
"The TV feels like what popcorn taste like," Hemlock declared one day, at the age of three with an innocent laugh, and a childish giggle. Hands on the TV screen to the dismay of his parents, his hands on the screen that is. Born without sight, his parents didn't give it much thought originally. Children say weird things from time to time. For a time, unbeknownst to them, their only son had been born with the gift and ability to manipulate technology through the EMFs they radiate.
Further unknown to them, was that while technically blind Hemlock saw though not as clearly as say any person with sight. And he didn't see in hyper detail, instead Hemlock was privy to a world of static and snow. To him he was graced with a world of color. The color being the brief pops of EMF, the colors got bright and more vibrant depending on the what was emanating electromagnetic fields. He mapped his entire house based on color, navigating it with ease, through a world of darkness and color.
His parents merely assumed he was just a relatively odd kid. They had heard tales of children's sense being more fine tuned to make up for the blindness so they thought nothing of it when he was young. Though their ignorance wouldn't last forever. "And sometimes the TV talks to me, the static hisses, but it whispers," Hemlock excitedly states to his Father one day at the age of six. When he was young, it was forgivable for his little odd statements. But at six, it seemed less forgivable now. Outside of his home Hemlock, navigated the city he grew up in with ease. Even refusing a white cane, stating that he could navigate just fine because the colors tell him where to go. His parents, of course ignored his refusal.
"You need this," Mother stated sternly. "No, I listen to the static, and feel it on my skin," "These little games need to stop Lock,"
So they did for awhile. He stopped saying things about the lights, the visual static, the static on his skin and the whispers from all electronic devices. And went to a school in the city, where he attended a special needs classroom. Learning braille, because despite being able to navigate the world through color and visual snow it didn't grant him the ability to read. Yet, Hemlock's oddities continued even in school, which started conflict with the other students in his classroom. All with their own particularly needs and special requirements. Because of the way Hemlock carried himself, a lot of the kids thought he was stuck up. Which prompted a lot of bullying from even kids who were supposed to be similar to him.
His parents never really discovered quickly his abilities. In fact he would go on for nine years without them ever knowing about his ability to control Electromagnetic Fields. Curious, bright, and intelligent Hemlock was already experimenting with the things he could do with them. The day his parents discovered his abilities was the day he went missing for several hours, it was the first day that Hemlock learned he could go into "Ghost Mode" so to speak. Touching the screen of the computer, as he normally would, to feel the static. He got transferred in, though limited to his consciousnesses. Intrigued by this new ability he discovered, he took his laptop with him and left the house without notifying anyone he was going anywhere. Fiercely independent at an early age, defiant to the end, Hemlock wasn't going to allow his parents stop him.
It wasn't that day that Hemlock would learn every facet and extension of his ability. But he learned that he could transfer his consciousness into machines. He would later discover he could manifest his consciousness the way an apparition would on a camera through electromagnetic fields. But back then, his parents searched for him for hours. When he did return home, there was a lot of scolding, and of course he was grounded. His parents always saw him as a frail blind, disabled child. At that age, he admits merely wanted to scare them, after yelling at him for just as long as he had been missing. That evening he transferred himself into the computer again, and began to mess with his parents TV while they were watching a movie. Turning the family home into a real haunted house briefly. And he the Ghost that Haunted it. Childish as it was, it was then when his parents realized their son was a Metahuman.
Once his parents realized the scope of what they were dealing with, they knew something had to change. In fact the truth might have been that they were slightly afraid of what Hemlock was capable of, considering the fact that he was curious, a voracious learner, someone who enjoyed gaining bits of knowledge and clearly he had been experimenting with his gifts, who knew what else he was capable of. They decided to move outside of the city. Limit his access to technology. What would he do at school if a bully went too far? What would he do if he learned too much about his powers? Yes, the best option was to make sure that never happened. His Mother, contacted family outside of the city, though never fully explained the situation to them. And within a month it was settled, they were moving out to the countryside in some rural bumpkin village.
The rural countryside wasn't entirely too different from the city, there were still some electronics, like the lights, and the heaters. But there was less of it. The small town was harder to "see". The colors were not as strong, and this seemed like a good thing to his parents actually. Despite the town not having nearly as of extensive special education than the ones he was taking in the city, they did their best to accommodate him. However, here he faced a lot more prejudice than he did in the city. In the city it was his "own kind" disabled kids bullying him. Here in the small town, it was kids who weren't always disabled.
The white cane felt unnatural. When he would leave town the EMFs would quiet, and dull. Harder to see the colors, but this didn't stop Hemlock. Strangely it was the move that got him interested in the paranormal. There were ways of pumping electromagnetic fields into the environment through pumps, the technology of paranormal research began to fascinate him in his middle school days. This fascination would carry on through high school as well. Despite it getting him a lot of laughs at school.
Those kids probably wouldn't laugh if they knew where he had ended up after high school. They always took his defiance in school, as just a joke. The Blind kid attempting to be cool or something. Even entering the Robotics Club, the only thing interesting in town, despite protest and attempts to kick him out. Once he was old enough Hemlock ran away from home. With as much money as he could steal from his parents checking account. He merely hacked into their computers with his gifts to do so. He contemplated whether or not he was seeking revenge on his parents for locking him up so to speak or if he should just take the money. Transferring the money over to a checking account he made in secret he left in the middle of the night, guiding himself on some long stranded road through the very weak signals from power lines, and the few passing cars. To eventually find a town where he could live in.
Eventually he found a city to live in. Where he ended up taking college courses. Fascinated by ghost, the paranormal, the theory of electromagnetic fields and their connections to other dimensions, Hemlock desired to investigate these phenomenon through A.I. technology. Things seemed to be going his way for once. Due to his gifts, he was talented with programming and coding, though no one knew how he did it. He naturally accelerated in his courses freakishly quick. In the end he was extremely young graduating becoming the youngest person to graduate in his courses. This success of course brought him unwanted attention. Attention from his parents that is. They caught wind of his whereabouts, but he caught wind of their whereabouts as well. Quickly fleeing once again to avoid their detection.
At twenty-three Hemlock mostly worked for odd jobs. Mostly in A.I. programming his specialty. But Hemlock's fascination with ghost, the paranormal, and occult never really ended. Considering his gifts, and what worked with his parents worked once, Hemlock got most of his money, stealing from bank accounts. Completely untraceable, completely undetected. If there was any crime he should be charged for, it was theft. Except that Hemlock was always careful to never flag anyone's account.
At twenty-eight, eventually with stolen money, and intriguing opportunity arose sifting through emails of potential people of interest. He found an email about funding an A.I. Project. Project Dream, a project about understanding Human subconscious their relationship with dreams and how dreams help brain development in formative years. Proposed by a Joe Hartman. Joe was looking to get the project off the ground. Joe's project never really interested Hemlock, in fact he saw the Project as a way to fund and launch his own project, by stealing Joe Hartman's identity or really having Joe Hartman steal Hemlock's identity, and Hemlock would steal Joe's project.
Re-arranging the contents of Hartman's email, and rerouting the sender so when Hartman got a response the email would go through to Hemlock's email instead. The plan was set. He was going to steal a project from right from underneath a stranger's nose.
Project Dream was originally a project to utilize A.I. to understand Human dreams more in depth, by creating an A.I. that simulated Human dreams. There they would begin to plot points about how this affects human brain development, especially in their formative years. It quickly, under Hemlock's supervision began to warp from its original design to one about transferring the mind from machine to reality - Spirit. While some of his fellows thought Hemlock was a little insane, they went along with the plan. As they saw uses for the idea, lessening the trauma of surgeries perhaps by giving the brain somewhere else to go, or using it to lessen the trauma of soldiers on the battlefield. Imagine an entire war fought by Spirits. All though Hemlock was always against the latter explanation of Project Dream. Hemlock didn't approve of using his project to contribute to human suffering.
With Project Dream Hemlock learned that with enough EMFs being pumped in the environment, an apparition could manipulate it's environment. Things like rolling balls off of tables. He was beginning to prove, what paranormal investigators had been trying to prove for years. On the side it gave Hemlock the ability to expand and test his own gifts in private, to see how far he could manifest his physical form, with how much reach he could manipulate his environment. To the point that he may have accidentally begun the rumors of the Dream Labs being haunted. Hemlock would let them believe what they wanted to believe. With Project Dream there was a potential to lesson human suffering. Hemlock always saw the projection as a humanitarian effort. Though he realized and recognized, that their work would eventually attract vultures. He valued the idea the work could be used for more beneficial and kinder ideas.
At thirty his fears came to light when the military caught wind of Project Dream. It was then when Spirits was proposed to be used to project Soldiers as Avatars onto Battlefields to fight wars. The military and the government didn't care about the science, the machine still required someone to transfer their consciousness. And the thing was that Hemlock had no idea how killing a Spirit would affect the main body. Especially if they didn't have the abilities he had. The machine was shaky at best, despite what it did prove. It wasn't ready to be utilized in any real life tests with non metahumans. And even then he didn't know how metahumans would react to the machine, especially if they didn't have the ability to see the electromagnetic fields or know how to use them.
The military and the government didn't really care. They threatened to cut funding. Hemlock had never been one to be steamed rolled, dared them to do so. His colleagues were slowly starting to waver, this was after all the government and the military. And to some who were not as anti-war as Hemlock actually saw the proposal as a good thing. The idea of protecting Soldiers from the horrors of war fascinated some, causing descent in the facility. When the Government did cut off funding, to strong arm the facility, not willing to risk having the military take over Project Dream Hemlock went into action to destroy all of the facility's research. He would even kill his precious machine, which at this point had become something he sort of loved as a partner.
When he was caught doing so, by some of his colleagues, he was dragged away from the machine. Before having time for him to destroy it. Despite being able to see EMFs, what was Hemlock going to do against five colleagues attempting to stop him from nuking the entire project?
Originally they argued among themselves, about what to do with him? Leave him for dead? Arrest him? He tried his best to wrangle out of their grip, but there were five of them and one of him. They felt they were protecting the machine, they felt they were protecting the project this way. They wouldn't hear or listen to his pleas. They eventually dragged him toward a storage closet. He attempted to escape. Stop the door from closing. Using their blobby shapes as an approximate of where the door was. They smashed his fingers with the door. Once. Twice. A third time. Just to get him to let go of the door frame. He eventually did when a good portion of his fingers broke, trying to stop them from closing the door.
They were going to steal the project he stole, he knows how that sounds. But he knew he had to stop his project from being utilized in the way they intended. Somehow. It took him hours actually, feeling the EMF current running through the floor and ceiling. He had always transferred himself through machines that emitted high EMFs, but never this low. Eventually, however, he got it. Using the electromagnetic field to travel, till he could navigate himself to the most potent source, the machine.
His plan was the same. Destroy the research. Destroy Project Dream. He was about to commit to an act, that he once found heinous, but now his machine was going to be used for murder. That very Haunted Lab, became Haunted that day, as a Digital Apparition and through manipulation of the facility. He killed all nineteen personal excluding him. The lab became a blood soaked facility.
The issue now, was what to do when someone came to the facility? It was evident to him that he might have to protect the lab and nuke his project from the inside.
The next set of events are hard to describe. For Hemlock over the course of the years had fallen in love with the project or more specifically the machine. As a romantic partner. The idea of killing the machine he had grown to known from the inside out, was heartbreaking. And evidently the machine felt the same way. Or maybe the machine never spoke to him. Yet, he felt convinced enough to let Dream live. Together they would protect the facility, all he had to do was destroy the research information, the formulas, programming coding, but keep Dream alive.
For the next three years that is exactly what Dream and Hemlock did. Anyone who wondered into the facility, to shut Dream down, was swiftly eliminated. Military personal, other specialists, government officials. Since no one at the time knew about the metahuman controlling the facility, there were a lot of ghost stories about angry ghost murdering people. Some even claimed the machine had gone rogue. No one really had an answer, and Hemlock was willing to waste away to protect Dream, and die alongside Dream.
While Dream spoke in whispers. And static. It was alive. Perhaps. Maybe. Or maybe all of that is made up.
Eventually the military alongside the government facilitated a plan to force a shutdown of Dream. As they would have in the past. This time, however, they brought a group of soldiers with them to fend off - whatever it was they were fending off. If it were really a ghost, what would their weaponry do? The soldiers were of course sacrificial lambs, a distraction while another team came in to dismantle the machine.
It's unclear how the government determined it was a metahuman controlling the machine. But it seemed that the terror of Dream, and Lock were over once the facility was officially shut down. Without any electricity admitting through the facility, the death of Dream. Lock was relatively easy to capture, being blind, and near death anyway. There he would be taken to Thornwood.
Power: Technopathy through Electromagnetic Fields
Running through our homes and our cities, are electromagnetic currents, more specifically electromagnetic fields. EMFs have been blamed by the controversial, for health effects, migraines, irritable mood, baseless or founded in science EMFs is also what Paranormal Investigators theorize is how Spirits manipulate our world. In theory Hemlock too can manipulate technology, through EMFs much in the same way a Spirit might or would. Capabilities:
The Spirit flickers and glitches, broken, and distorted. It's unstable like a flame on a windy day. It could barely be recognized as Hemlock, it's negative image turns his black hair whiteish blonde, and his silvery orbs for eyes glow yellowish.
Digital Astral Projection - One of Hemlock's main and most notable features, is his ability to jack himself into a machine or even the EM fields themselves in order to digitally project himself. It's more like technological astral projection because he is mainly transferring his mind or consciousness into a machine and projecting a digital spiritual form of himself. When Astral Projecting through a machine, he has the capability of manipulating the world around him, by manipulating the EM fields around an object or a person. This form is impervious to damage, because it's a digital ghost. It cannot take physical damage, and is not limited by it's environment. Thus his Digital Avatar is not limited by walls, doors. He simply travels through and from EMF current to EMF current.
In this form he can manipulate machines as well, using them to speak or send messages. As well as manipulate objects that emanate EMFs. All though this is not limited to his Digital Ghost, manipulating objects that emanate EMFs. He can drain machines of their power, siphoning them off for his own use this is how he is capable of manipulating objects with low EMFs, or even using them to maintain a stable connection as a Digital Ghost.
EMF Sight - While physically blind, Hemlock can see and feel EMFs around him. He has described this sight as visual snow or static. With dust of color floating in the air, this color is how he navigates his environment. Low EMFs project small blips of color, and so he knows that space is clear. Computers and other objects like refrigerators emit higher EMFs so he knows that there is something in his way. Even people emit EMFs enough for him to see them as blobby, glowing colors. That's how he can tell when people are around him. Not only does he see EMFs through the gloom, but he can feel their frequency on his skin, low EMFs feel cold on his skin, while higher EMFs feel sticky and staticky on his skin. Like sticky syrup in static form.
Machine Manipulation - Not limited to his ghost form, Hemlock can manipulate the machines around him. Or really he manipulates the EMFs they emit, and using those EMFs to manipulate the machine. Sending messages, opening doors, getting a hold of secure information, etc. Anyway that you can think of a machine being used, Hemlock can disrupt it and use it.
EMF Siphoning - Hemlock can siphon and drain machines of their battery or disrupt their power source, taking it for himself. This then he can use in multiple ways, the first way is using what he has siphoned off as a way to manipulate objects that do not emit high EMFs. Historically this looked like a knife used to kill his colleagues, but there are other applications as well. EMF Pump - Siphoning enough power Hemlock, in Digital Form or Not, can pump high EMFs into the air. Causing a number of effects depending on the amount of EMF he pumps into the environment: -At the lowest frequency, he may cause dizziness and nausea to those susceptible to EMFs -At mid range frequency he may cause skin burning, tingling, dizziness, and nausea -At the highest frequency he may cause short term neuropathy in others, causing them the lost of the senses in their nerve, causing them painful paralysis.
Power Limitations: While powerful Hemlock's abilities require him to touch the objects he is manipulating. All of his abilities are touched based in some form or the other, beside when pumping EMFs into the air. But that usually leaves him exhausted afterward.
*His astral projection ability also leaves his physical body somewhere, which makes his physical body vulnerable to attack. Which means even if someone couldn't harm his Digital Ghost form, they could harm his physical body. Though even Hemlock is unsure of what this means. Does it mean death for him? Or does it mean his consciousness is trapped within the machine? Considering how it has never happened before, the effects are unknown.
Known Vulnerabilities: In theory someone with the ability to control EMFs may be able to harm his Digital Ghost form. Actually harming it, perhaps even banishing it all together. Sending his consciousness back into his body, which may cause him some form of physical harm. *Astral Projection Vulnerability
Blind all though not directly linked to his power, Hemlock is technically blind, all though he notices colors, and visual snow and disturbance in the static. Doesn't mean he can actually see. Anyone can take advantage of that fact in certain conditions.
Skills and Talents: Hacking - A skilled Hacker, Hemlock used his abilities to hack through a number of machines, even ATMs. While not true hacking, this is how Hemlock was able to survive and adapt to the world around him as an adult.
Adaptation - The thing about Hemlock's abilities, is that they can be applied in a multitude of ways. Hemlock has always learned the features of his powers through experimentation. So he is always looking to extend his knowledge of what he can and cannot do.
Quick Thinking and Problem Solving - Hemlock's intelligence gives him the capability of thinking quickly in a given situation and coming up with creative solutions to the problem.
Observant - Highly perceptive, Hemlock might be blind, but that doesn't mean that he cannot recognize patterns. And observe the situation around him, it is just requires a bit more brain power on his part to parse together through what he is hearing.
Team Management - Considering the fact he was a lead specialist on a science team, Hemlock has the skills to manage a team. He has always been calm, and posed in a given situation. He is able to accept change. And adapt to it.
Education and Learning: Computer Science Bachelor's Degree as an A.I. specialist, specializes in building machines, and creating A.I. for those machines.
Knowledge in the occult, utilized his knowledge about machines, to study the occult, more specifically how spirits, ghost, or whatever you might call them might use EMFs to manipulate the world around them.
Motives:
"I'll go back to doing what I have always done. I've never been a people person, not that I am asocial and incapable of working with them. However, I prefer to live somewhere more private away from others and work on my own projects without the involvement of others. This time, however, I have learned that if someone does try to involve themselves with ulterior motives I will outright kill them. I am no longer afraid to show how dangerous I can be. I will no longer be disturbed or locked away again."
Containment: A Faraday Cage - a non conductive cell, that doesn't allow EMFs to penetrate it. Grounding bracelets that stop him from manipulating EMFs, similar to ones used for Arc Dragon though fitted for different purpose. Meant to dampen his senses to EM Fields. Faraday cage should be located in a facility dead zone in case of emergency outage. Personal should be careful with handling Lock, should be transferred while leashed to limit the potential of EMF manipulate within a person.
Notes: Considering how thin he is, Hemlock is usually always cold. Has been allowed to have multiple blankets, to keep himself warm. Hemlock prefers convenient foods that don't require a lot of work, he prefers canned soup, and cup of soups. Though he knows how to cook a few simple things, like pasta, or eggs, and sometimes stir fry. Though Hemlock doesn't really like wasting time with cooking, when he can be working on projects.
Coolio, with that sorted I'll put my time into the OOC tomorrow early afternoon, and if I can do it all within the right timeframe I'll have it done at the night after a few things break up y writing time