The Encroaching Madness - alt historical Earth, Recruitment

[Wolfling72]

Here you go, my lil Wind Dancer...

Bonne chose vini jusse au moun qui l'ose!

Name: Anila St. Armand
Gender: Female
Age: 30
Nationality: American Mutt (Native/African/French or  Créoles Noirs)
Sexual Preferences: Pansexual/Panromantic
Physical Description: Golden hued and sloe-eyed, when one imagines a Creole mix from New Orleans, she is what typically springs to mind. Wild curls and a wicked giggle are part of the whole show along with killer curves and a voice deep enough to drown in. She looks like sin, sounds like a sinner but it's just a part of her charm.
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 136 lbs.
Skin color: golden brown
Hair color: black
Eye color: dark brown

Personality: Much like the element she plays with, Anila is capricious and blustery one moment and gentle or calm the next. There is no telling how she will awaken and it all depends on the fullness of the moon, whether she's had enough to eat, and if her clothes are too tight. She walks fast, talks slow (or vice versa), and rarely holds still long enough to fall asleep.

Quirks: She collects umbrellas | Curses in a variety of French patois including Kouri-Vini or Haitian Creole | chews on cattails when nervous
Likes/dislikes: Yes: windy days | Sunshine | Home | Fresh fruit and clotted cream | Good tea | Sweet Wine
NO!: Snow (eww what is this??) | Rudeness | Stupidity | Anything that takes away choice | Guns (so loud) | Stinky People
Strengths/weaknesses: Good: A deep and playful connection to the Wind which is used in a variety of small ways (To be listed and explained under a spoiler tag) | Multi-lingual (English, French, a variety of Patois based on the French language, Spanish, Italian, smattering of German and Latin) | excellent delivery with a thrown weapon | Excellent breath and body control | Tumbling
Bad: Not a trained fighter | Scatterbrained | Inherent weakness against Fire-based attacks as well as negation spells | Numbers are not her thing | Not highly educated

Air/Wind Manipulations

create, shape, and manipulate air/wind in these ways ONLY:

• Air Absorption: Can Draw the wind/air into herself and use it in a variety of ways. Most noted below
• Zap: Low energy bolts of air from hands  which cause minor pain and are added to punches
• Hand Blasts: Higher bursts of energy which are used to break grappling holds, push away objects or people
• Enhanced Senses: Hearing (amplifying air molecule vibrations) and Smell (detecting a smell that goes in the air.)
• Enhanced Speed: Reducing air resistance and using pressurized air for propulsion.
• Enhanced Defence: Increases dodging/deflection capabilities by controlling the air/wind in her immediate vicinity
• Explosion Inducement Increase the air pressure in a small object (no larger than her hand) until it explodes outward

Weapons: A small collection of boot knives, straight razors, and throwing knives. Also, a velvet hip pouch filled with water smoothed rocks for throwing because explosions hurt when a pebble decides it's a tiny bomb.

Short Bio: She was born in New Orleans French Quarter to a woman of ill repute and ran like wild throughout N'Awlin's learning all of the things she shouldn't do..and doing them anyway. Raised by a bevy of doting women and gentlemen no better than they should be, the young girl had an affinity for trouble and loved the big storms that crashed through every spring and summer, the lashing winds and rains, the lightning and thunder. She learned of her affinity for "Dancing" as her mama called it when she was still in her early teens and since she had no teachers, taught herself tricks to make herself safer when she was out and about. Her mama is also a "Dancer" but much stronger than she is as her mother felt each Dancer had to make their own path, much like the winds that succor them.

With that being the case, once she turned 21, Anila took herself out into the wider world, searching out secrets and trying to improve her skills. She's been in London for about a year now and is just beginning to hear the rumblings concerning people who protect things of might, magic, and mystery. She wants to join but has no idea who'd she should even talk to.

Face Claim: Tessa Thompson

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Yay! Approved!

Post her up in the CS thread :) Will tag you in the next few days ;)

[Wolfling72]

Yay! Approved!

Post her up in the CS thread :) Will tag you in the next few days ;)

YAY!! *happy dances everywhere*

[ff]

You might like Aveline the heroine of Assassin's Creed Liberation (late 18th century but similar cultural milieu, French father and Creole mother in Nawlins).

And I see some vampire RPs around here set in Nawlins (prob thanks to Anne Rice and Interview with the Vampire)

Nice dress(es) too

[Wolfling72]

You might like Aveline the heroine of Assassin's Creed Liberation (late 18th century but similar cultural milieu, French father and Creole mother in Nawlins).

And I see some vampire RPs around here set in Nawlins (prob thanks to Anne Rice and Interview with the Vampire)

Nice dress(es) too

Aveline was my fave AC character...I bought a PSP just for that game!

However most of my witchy women hail from that area (when I play them) My own ethnic make-up is much like what's listed so it's what I know...and can one find a terrible picture of Tessa ??

[ff]

Ah nice, I played the version on PS4. Love how it was one of the only AC or stealth games to really do disguise personas and explore using upper vs lower class alter egos. Also just great heroine and atmospheric setting in general

[Juggtacular]

Adewale(the main character of Freedom Cry DLC) the slave turned Assassin who worked with Edward in Black Flag was one of the inspirations for Babakar.

[Wolfling72]

Ah nice, I played the version on PS4. Love how it was one of the only AC or stealth games to really do disguise personas and explore using upper vs lower class alter egos. Also just great heroine and atmospheric setting in general

I fangirled so hard when she was first released as a character.  Just like I loved it when Conor became the assassin. Prior to those two AC characters, it had been very European  centric like most games and I loved being able to do things as a person with color to their skin. In the case of Aveline, they had such a nice mixture of things unique to her situation and the city itself, that playing it was a real joy. I know the game itself stayed the same but I wonder how they improved the visuals between the original PSP version and the one they remastered for the PS4?

Adewale(the main character of Freedom Cry DLC) the slave turned Assassin who worked with Edward in Black Flag was one of the inspirations for Babakar.

My son loves that DLC...I hated it. Not for the character but for the damned ships. (EWWW I hated the ships)

[Juggtacular]

The ships were the reason I loved 3 and Black Flag so much. They're still awesome in Origins,  Odyssey and Valhalla but when I first hopped in deck as a Captain and my crew were singing sea shanties before I scuttled a ship and killed the crew? Nnnnnnf

[ff]

I fangirled so hard when she was first released as a character.  Just like I loved it when Conor became the assassin. Prior to those two AC characters, it had been very European  centric like most games and I loved being able to do things as a person with color to their skin. In the case of Aveline, they had such a nice mixture of things unique to her situation and the city itself, that playing it was a real joy. I know the game itself stayed the same but I wonder how they improved the visuals between the original PSP version and the one they remastered for the PS4?

My son loves that DLC...I hated it. Not for the character but for the damned ships. (EWWW I hated the ships)

The visuals were improved, but playing III Remastered and Liberation Remastered back to back - they're part of the same 'game' on PS4/X1 - the face models still felt a little 'behind' III (although III Remastered had some weird lighting going on that made Desmond look like a vampire) and they don't quite look like the better-looking native PS4/X1 games such as AC Odyssey. I think gameplay was the same except for the controller, yeah.

[Laughing Hyena]

Hurrah me boys, we're homeward bound!

[Cirus]

Might this Extraordinary Enterprise be set in New Orleans? I would be most elated if so and if i could join the imaginative melee.

C

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Well the game is currently set in London, but New Orleans is also a possible destination for later :)

[Cirus]

I have my veins itching for a romp through my Crescent City. Consider it a literary stay-cation.

Do me the honor of letting me know if you do come round these parts, "sugah"?

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Sure thing!

[Cirus]

On second thought

Orleon Templeton formerly of Rivermoon on southern delta of the Prytanian Continent

Name:
Gender: M
Age: 32
Nationality (Race if a Magical Creature): Human, extra-dimensional currently living in it's sister-city of New Orleans.

Sexual Preferences: Pan-sexual though attracted most to the female appearance with curiosities subject to whim. [/b]

Physical description (picture above): Unlike the other members of his arcanum, Templeton stands rather fit among his fellow sorcerers. He wears his long black hair short, never to intrude in his incantations, spells and cartouches. A goatee surrounds his mouth in order to place a greater emphasis on the dark curses and spell-syntax that spews from his mouth in combat.

Like most of his magical kin though, Templeton has an addiction for cloaks with strange clasps similar to eyes.

Height: 6'1"
    Weight: 200
    Skin color: tan
    Hair color: black
    Eye color: black

Personality:

    Quirks: Orleon Templeton subscribes to solace. Within that solace, that physical sanctum, he insists on the finest consumables and libations. He enjoys a good fire, a fine bottle of bliss and the deep conversations of others.
    Likes/dislikes: The only bias Orleon has is for ignorance. And like the good teacher he is, relishes in incinerating it from reality or dissolving it in the acid tendrils of his spells. But let us dwell with likes then. Orleon enjoys the company of like minded- open thinking people without the oppression and limitation that exist in his beloved Rivermoon. [/b]
    Strengths/weaknesses: Templeton dwells mostly in the realms of language, his body barely existing in this reality. Thus he bonds to the terrestrial are questionable at best. Thus astral projection is but a muse away. Though at this stage his corporal body is extremely vulnerable. When traveling under that air sign, he will only do it within the confines of his chosen sanctum, which he calls his monast.

Weapons: Orleon is a student of his dimension's prime magical tool- the N'tari language. Once wielded by emperors to altar the reality about them, it is now held in the hands of one academic-religious order- the Notars.

As one of those Notars, though once imprisoned and exiled for his experiments, Orleon manipulates reality by writing runes, symbols, cartouches and lexicons as if this world was his page. Beware when Templeton raises his hand to burn a rune or hexagram before his enemies.

The Lenormand deck has (hilariously and with quite a bit of irony since it is not sacred at all, but an instrument of the damn imagination, a wonder to behold that I can simply write and write but make my own deck amazing that way) provided me with an answer to that illusive question of...

What does Orleon's power manifest itself in this world of the Encroaching darkness. I got, and great that I do not need imagery...

BOOK-MOUNTAINS-CHILD

While in his realm, Templeton could raise mountains and surpass the most difficult of tasks, scaling unsurmountable reaches of power. Here, in this reality, in this now, it has utterly fizzled. He has gained only the magic tricks of child. He can perform rudimentary parlor tricks, perhaps move a table during a seance or something of the sort. He does not hold this in any frustration, at all.

The N'tari language in this realm is simple illusion and rudimentary magic. Where once he could alter the very existence of a rabbit, now he cannot even pull it out of a hat.

Short Bio: The city of Rivermoon shimmers and blends with the city of New Orleans. It could be said that they share the same chakra on the world tree. Meta-scientists would call this an alternate-reality.

While Rivermoon is blessed with the gifts of high magic and races our earth could only dream in fiction, New Orleans relishes in a freedom and hedonism that Rivermoon could never conceive. Thus Orleon has chosen that other Crescent City as his home after the tear.

Beware of spells and incantations that have been miss or under- researched. Never try a N'tari poem, a poem in the surrounding reality, without at least seven arcanum footnotes. Do your research before changing the plotline of your own existence.

Most of all never use a N'tari poem to impress your dinner guests, no matter how important, rich or attractive.

With that action, Orleon tore open a portal in time, sucking himself, two of his servants and half a table of exotic delights onto the streets of New Orleans. Specifically Royal Street.

Fortunately, it was Carnival.

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Looks good, though I see one issue, need to put some limitation on the shaping of reality as this could be unfair towards the other players. I hope that is not a problem?  :-)

[Cirus]

Not in the least at all. I would welcome suggestions. In his original fiction, Orleon cannot manipulate his own reality. Perhaps he cannot directly affect others as well?

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Maybe more complex manipulations come with a "price" so he can't overuse them?

[Cirus]

Classic Vancian magic? I know that the real Doctor Strange (in the comic books) has had to consume rather strange and odd things (cuisine that we would consider Klingon and quivering) to keep his inner dark forces at bay. But I would not want it to be just a Raistlin thing, where he blasts the enemy, then coughs blood and must nap like a hibernating mammal.

From something I found on https://www.writing-world.com/sf/magic.shtml

Perhaps one of the most important elements of magic is the cost of using it. It's one of nature's basic rules: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; for every power, there is an equal weakness.

The price of magic can be paid in many forms, from tiredness and temporarily helplessness to downright illness. The cost may be one-time or cumulative, or both. It can drain a magic-user's stamina, mental ability or health; it can cause him headaches or nausea; it can, if you so decide, lead to his death.

The price paid for the use of magic usually correlates with the magnitude of the desired magical effects. The grander the magic, the more it would cost. This allows for powerful magic to exist without disrupting balance. It may be a bad idea for a hero to raise an army of genies with a flick of his fingers, but much more acceptable if he'd sacrificed for it, say, ten years of his life.

Also, think of magic and time. If one uses magic to bind an enemy, how long will the enemy remain trussed up? Will his bonds remain in place until revoked by magic, or will the magic-user have to constantly support the spell? Will the spell be draining his power that entire time, or only once, when it is cast?

Experiment with your method of magic until you find the right balance between effect and cost. If you want magic to be common, cut down on the cost. If you want magic to be a thing only a few would attempt, boost up both cost and potential effect. By tweaking these two factors, you drastically influence the place of magic in your world, and consequently the appearance and nature of your world.

In my fiction, Orleon Templeton sacrificed his very humanity to escape the clutches of his once fellow Notars. He became writing essentially. For now, this has forced him into be a recluse in his sanctum in Rivermoon. It might be that Templeton is merely a N'tari construct in this world, projecting from his? Though I confess carnal contact could pose a problem.

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Sorry about the delay, the text you quoted is what I meant, there should be some sort of cost that will prevent him from using too powerful spells. I will ponder a bit more how to solve that issue. I just want it to be balanced and fair to all players.

[Cirus]

As a perpetual GM and ancient Roleplayer, I have no problems with that. Also, as a player, I respect my other players' wishes to kick butt.

No likes a god-moder.

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Thank you for understanding.

Anyway the rest looks good, only thing remains are the limits.

[Athem]

Name: Tryphena Harker
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Nationality: British

Sexual Preferences: Bi

Physical description:
    Triff is tall and slim, with Marcelled dark hair and dark eyes. She dresses stylishly but in keeping with whatever activity's planned, though she enjoys dressing in a silk evening gown for formal events.
    Height: 5'10"
    Weight: 130 lb
    Skin color: fair
    Hair color: dark brown
    Eye color: brown


Personality:
    Triff likes to appear refined and fully in control of any situation (whether or not she really is), and hates not being in control.
    Quirks: Looks people in the eye when talking to them; superstitious about walking under ladders or breaking mirrors; gesticulates when talking
    Likes/dislikes: Likes: Taking risks, dancing, silk gowns, champagne, Turkish coffee; Dislikes: vampires, crudity, extremist politics
    Strengths/weaknesses:
      Pistol marksman and skilled at unarmed combat
      Good swimmer, good dancer, and generally athletic
      Comfortable in polite society
      Reasonably fluent in French, German, Latin, Romanian and Hungarian
      Extensive knowledge of European folklore, with particular attention to vampires
      Surprising capacity for alcohol

      Takes unnecessary risks
      Often acts on impulse
      Too proud to admit she might need help

Weapons: Hands and feet; Beretta 418; sometimes her father's Kukri.

Short Bio: Tryphena is the daughter of Jonathan and Wilhelmina Harker, and the younger sister of Quincey Harker. Her upbringing was comfortable: her father was a solicitor, and also received a share of royalties from a writer named Abraham Stoker who'd published his journals about Count Dracula. Triff learned from her parents that the journals weren't some tall tale: vampires were real and posed a terrible threat. She dedicated her life to fighting this threat - and is now enjoying a life of danger and intrigue. She's officially working as an agent for the British government, taking on 'troubleshooting' jobs that suit her skills.

(Or, to sum up, 'Triffy the Vampire Slayer' :)

[OOC: Almost everything we now associate with vampires post-dates Bram Stoker's original. Dracula could go about in daytime (but lost his powers). He spoke excellent English, and had white hair and a long white moustache. He was finally killed by having his head hacked off with a Kukri.]

[TheGrandAdmiral]

Looks good, please notify me when you finish it!

Oh, thanks for reminding me, I last read Dracula some time ago and I guess my view on vampires now is influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel lol

By the way one of my characters is Liesel van Helsing, the granddaughter of the good ol professor. Need to decide whether or not YC should be an Agent of the Society or more of a freelancer - a bit like Buffy. So if you have any preferences.

@Cirus, so was thinking that YC has to save the more powerful spells because they drain him pretty fast so he will have to use them when there is really a need, so he usually resorts to "lower level" skills. I hope that makes sense?