~The World Complex~ (Still Recruiting! Apply Within!)

[Crovonovin]

---The World Complex---

In this world of ours, there have always been clearly definable laws of reality.  Though humanity, in its ignorance, once sought to explain natural phenomena as the work of magic--both demonic and holy--such superstitions are now thought to be archaic holdovers from a dark and primitive past.  Though there are many things that science cannot yet explain, the confidence and curiosity of our race will always drive us to seek out the Truth until the day that the mysteries of the Universe are laid bare before our eyes.  Everything, no matter how bizarre, can be ultimately defined, categorized, and understood.  Such is the reality that we have come to know.

That is, until now. 

There is no explanation for what happened on April 7th, 2012.  Of course there had been many fanatics proclaiming that the world as we know it would end, that the oceans would turn to blood and boil beneath the heat of a violently exploding sun, that the earth beneath our feet would turn to dust and choke the life from out lungs, that extinction would wipe our race from existence in the bat of a cosmic eye.  When January 1st came and went, the supposed apocalypse was quickly forgotten by the vast majority of the population.  But even those who continued to cower and prey under the weight of their own paranoid delusions could not possibly have predicted what was to come.

For on that day, the structures of the world came alive. 

From walls of brick and cement, metal and wood they sent out their 'roots', vast networks of hallways that bound each building to its neighbor.  Streets cracked and burst like boils as hidden basements and sewers cast themselves up towards the heavens, only to come plummeting down again and fuse eagerly to the nearest edifice.  Skyscrapers became as vast urban trees as thousands upon thousands of windows were wrenched from their frames and flailed like tendrils in the air.  They branched out continuously, warping and binding to one another until entire labyrinths of halls and tubes hung overhead.  Civilization wrested itself from the ground and molded together with complete disregard for human life, and thousands died in the ensuring chaos.

Even nature took part in this obscene, impossible bedlam, trees winding their way amongst the newly created structures and crashing through their windows like grubs descending upon a carcass.  Soil and rock erupted upwards with a life of their own, forming great walls, mountains, and stairs until the last remnants of familiarity in the world were lost.  Communications and electrical power across the globe halted immediately, though glimmering lights could be seen emanating from within the twisted buildings.  And, as if to punctuate this sudden and inexplicable Conversion, the satellites and space stations orbiting the globe fell down to Earth in great balls of fire and melting steel.  In the span of only a few brief hours, human society was ended.

---

It has been almost one year since that day, though there are few people left that bother to keep track of such things.  In the days immediately following the creation of the so-called World Complex, humanity fell into decadence and strife.  Though countless people were lost during the Transformation, it was not as though the species was incapable of continued survival.  The global population still numbered in the billions, and most of the world's leaders had survive the catastrophe.  But with no way to communicate across vast distances, with no familiar landmarks, with no ways to enforce law and order, insanity gripped the hearts of mankind. 

Every single building in the world had become connected by way of tunnels and doors and windows, and where there were no buildings the trees and the rocks had formed new ones.  Even the continents had become connected by tunnels that hovered above or dipped beneath the surface of the oceans.  The concept of privacy had suddenly become alien as people wandered into other people's dwellings in search of friends and family.  Unfortunately, not everyone had such pure intentions.  Rape and murder became increasingly common, especially once former prisoners managed to find their way through the labyrinths into densely populated areas.  There was no rhyme or reason to the layout of the Complex; the middle of a person's living room may have suddenly become the entrance to a supermarket, an assembly line might split a classroom in two, a church filled with cubicles and billboards, or a skyscraper overgrown with trees and exotic plants.  Those who didn't succumb to illness or butchery by their fellow man were often killed by sudden pitfalls or preyed upon by the maddened, predatory animals that were as equally confused and aimless as anyone else. 

Only after several months had passed did the killing finally begin to slow down.  It still was not safe to settle down in any one area, and supplies became increasingly scarce once perishable items had gone bad from lack of refrigeration.  Though whispers of various military and government groups laying claim to entire systems of hallways and rooms within the World Complex were passed around, there was still no sign of organization beyond those that had clumped together for safety and survival.  The people of the world had started to become acclimated to this new, surreal environment, though the feeling of uneasiness would never quite dissipate.  It was not until three months had passed that the reason for that inescapable discomfort became apparent. 

Survivors would come to call it the Shift, for on July 7th the world took on yet another shape.  The World Complex birthed new appendages from crumbling holes, broken windows, and gaping doorways, increasingly complex webs of corridors and passageways that cast themselves over the old ones like a net, blotting out the rays of the sun until everything was cast in twilight.  Even the interiors of the old structures were not spared, the buildings flowing together like water and trading rooms amongst one another before solidifying back into a definite shape.  Thousands more died, and countless more were separated from each other once again; some only by miles, others by entire continents.  It seemed as though humanity would no longer know the concept of peace.

It was also around this time that even stranger things began to make themselves known in this new, uncertain landscape.  The structures now hanging over the remnants of civilization were becoming increasingly unlike anything formed by human hands.  Some were dark and twisted places that no light could pierce, no matter how bright, while others were ephemeral and seemed to have been sculpted from poured glass.  Still more of these paths seemed to have been created by something attempting to mimic the structures of man, but had done so without any point of reference.  Very few people who ventured into these places for extended periods of time never came back, and once it was apparent that very few supplies had drifted up to such heights most decided to remain closer to the ground.  But even now the curiosity of humans was not yet wiped out, and some managed to pass beyond this threshold and come back to tell about it.

Of these, a scant few seemed to have been touched by an unnatural power.  To some they are known as the Touched, and by others the Weighted.  By unknown means they have gained abilities surpassing those of the ordinary human being, though it is rarely something so simple as increased strength, speed, or stamina.  Indeed, many have powers that hinder rather than help, or have been overcome by strange and terrible entities.  For those who believe in the superstitions of old, it would not be incorrect to claim that they have been possessed by spirits.   Yōkai, Monsters, Gods, Devils and Demons; there are many names for these beings, and no one culture that may lay claim to all of them.  Some use this power to help the scattered people wandering the endless halls of the World Complex, while others prey upon them like cattle.  Still more do not use this power at all, fearing reprisal or the cost it might exact upon their souls.  For no Touched or Weighted can wield such abilities without a cost, and they may not always work as intended...

Since the first Shift there have been two more, once on October 7th and again on January 7th.  Each time a new layer is added to the World Complex, each more alien and dangerous than the last and each burying the world of humanity further from the sun and the sky.  Humanity struggles and continues to survive in spite of the thousands lost each time, though hope is quickly becoming a rarity.  With April 7th steadily approaching, it can be presumed that yet another Shift will occur.  Can such a thing be stopped, or will the traces of society again be warped and altered?  How much longer can the species survive without turning into nothing more than animals?  And what of the spirits dwelling in the Layers above?  Are there answers to be found, or will humanity die out in ignorance and shadow?

Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  But nothing will come to pass unless there are those still willing to search for the Truth.

-----------------------------------------------

If you managed to remain interested this far, then perhaps this game is for you! 

For this game, I'm not looking for any set number of individuals.  The atmosphere will be rather heavy (if that wasn't already apparent), but may not stray into Extreme territory unless there is an actual need for it.  Given the now tumultuous nature of human society, rape is certainly not an uncommon occurrence, though many are willing to give sex far more easily these days.  It is fully possible to walk for days within the World Complex without coming into contact with another human being, and the solitude can be deeply unsettling for some. 

For the beginning of the roleplay, I would allow the players to dictate what happens.  This would include such things as coming into contact with one another, forming groups, making friends or enemies, or otherwise exploring and questioning the strange new world around them.  I would also have a character for the purposes of describing the setting more thoroughly, until the players think they get the idea well enough to make up their own surroundings.

However, I have no intention to leave things aimless.  The players (either as one group or several smaller ones), would eventually be forced to delve into the newly formed Layers overhead; either because they seek answers, or because someone (or something) gives them no other choice.  Whether they find the Truth and a way to stop the next Shift is entirely up to the participants.  They could just as easily become lost or fail to find what they're looking for before the Shift arrives, throwing everything into further disarray.  In the end, they may choose safety and survival over any notions of "saving the world".  What will you choose?

Now for the juicy bit:  The characters.  I do not have a sheet in mind, and will allow you to create one based on what information you think is important to the character.  If you feel a person's personality is important, go for it!  Their astrological sign?  Be my guest.  Personal History does not need to be extensive (what fun is there in everyone knowing everyone's pasts right out of the gate?) but I do expect you to have thought it through a bit, for when people start asking questions about each other in the game.

Characters are divided into two distinct categories.  Ordinary people, and the Touched or Weighted.  The latter both technically mean the same thing, referring to an individual that has either been possessed by a spirit/god/whathaveyou, or have been 'blessed' by them in some way.  Though the two names can be used interchangeably, the former generally refers to those who have come into contact with benevolent spirits, while the latter refers to those who have been contacted by malevolent ones.  These people may not always be aware of the change that has been taken place within them, while others may have actually met a spirit face to face. 

These "gifts" place them above the average human, but it does not always grant them some great magical power.  Shooting fireballs or turning your limbs into swords is not the sort of thing I'm talking about.  It is generally a bit more subtle than that, and intrinsically tied to that person's personality or mental state.  A person wishing to become "unburdened" by some past trauma might be visited by a spirit that literally robs them of the "weight" on their shoulders, taking away their physical mass (ie: allowing them to leap great distances due to decreased weight).  Inspiration can be taken from just about any mythology, though I would prefer if you strayed away from "named" Gods and stuck with various creatures and spirits of lore, such as Red Caps, Kappa, or even Christian Demons.  One could even be touched by a particular animal spirit (Crab, snake, fox, etcetera), which all have different meanings that could be explored.  Creativity is encouraged!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask! 

[Crovonovin]

For the sake of convenience, I'll post my own character here.  This is by no means a guideline, but in the event that I've only managed to intimidate you with all that text, feel free to use it.  Also, I do not have any preference between photographs or art when it's used to represent your character, so long as the latter is of sufficient quality.  Or, you could simply use text!  I'm not picky.

An added note.  I will allow characters to be hermaphroditic if there is a reason for them to be.  I'm sure there are spirits out there that would stoop to such trickery, but try to make it believable.

Name: Benjamin Marston
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Class: Touched

Personality:  Talking with Benjamin, it becomes immediately clear that his sanity was not quite able to survive the trauma of three Shifts.  This is hardly a surprising thing, for many stronger men before him succumbed to their own base urges following the creation of the new world.  But thankfully for all, the boy has not become a monster just for the sake of survival.  He has not killed or maimed of his own volition, nor does he wish for pain to be inflicted upon others.  He is surprisingly selfless in such uncertain times, where everyone has been infected with greed, lust, and desperation.

No, his lunacy is nothing so violent or ugly as that.  When he is with another human being he grows markedly more eager, his face overcome with a nervous smile and his words stuttering on his tongue.  One gets the immediate impression that he is very thankful for the company, and he will become increasingly distressed if his current traveling companions show even the slightest sign of wishing to part ways.  Benjamin will even go so far as to barter information, supplies (particularly his own cigarettes), or anything else he can think of just to persuade them to remain at his side.  It is a very pitiful thing to watch.

Taken Spirit (History): Tsukumogami

Following the first Shift, Benjamin awoke from a daze to a landscape that seemed at once familiar and alien.  His family and his friends were gone, and he had absolutely no way of knowing how far away they were, what direction they were in, or even if they were still alive.  Like so many others, he was forced to traverse the endless halls of the World Complex in search of food, water, and answers.  If there was a God that had caused all of this to happen, he had surely cursed this boy more than the others.  For three months did Benjamin search the meandering tunnels and passageways, but not once did he even catch sight of another human being.  By some cruel twist of fate, the boy always took the path that led him further away from fellow survivors.  Sometimes he could hear them in the distance, or see a sudden humanoid shadow play off the walls, but no matter how much he screamed or how fast he ran, Benjamin was never quite able to find another soul.

The solitude ate away at him bit by bit.  He began to believe that he was truly the only human left alive, and that he was to be tortured by these phantoms of the past until he too lost the will to live.  It was a hopeless, sorrowful existence.  For weeks he holed himself up in an upside-down supermarket that had collided with a fully functioning greenhouse, hoping that the near-inexhaustible supplies of food would draw others to him like a magnet.  But no one came, and the boy's thoughts took a dark turn.

It was around that time that the second Shift occurred, and his life took a very strange turn.   As the floors and walls liquefied around him, Benjamin just managed to catch hold of a wayward root before being tossed about like a ragdoll in the ensuing chaos.  Cement and brick churned like the Devil's surf, and it was only by luck that he was not crushed into a paste.  That root was his only tie to the world that he had only barely gotten to know, and now that it was changing yet again he would be damned if he let it disappear again.

When next he woke, Benjamin found himself in a stark white room, surrounded by discarded scraps of clothing.  Coming to, he heard something that he hadn't heard in what seemed like an eternity.  A voice.  Looking down, he was surprised to find the clothing looking back at him with wide eyes and mischievous grins.  These old clothes introduced themselves as Tsukumogami, a foreign word that Benjamin couldn't understand.  Though they had just met, the Tsukumogami seemed to know everything about him.  They knew of the unbearable loneliness eating away at his soul, and offered to soothe that ache.  Five simple words that would change him forever.

"Can we be your friends?"

He accepted with a panicked voice, as though fearing that they too would disappear from his life.  Benjamin was stripped of his grimy attire and watched with both horror and fascination as the Tsukumogami flowed together and washed over his body, reforming as a perfectly clean and unassuming set of clothes.  But each article had its very own soul, and each spoke with him as though they had always been trusted companions.  At last, the boy was not alone.

Powers:

Though Benjamin has no powers of his own, the Tsukumogami are fiercely protective and willing to grant his desires.  They can form extra limbs and faces, or harden into a protective shield in times of physical duress.  They are ultimately beyond his control however, and if the mood strikes them they can move the boy's body against his will.  Though they have given him company, he now is incapable of ever having true privacy.  Furthermore, their presence often scares away other humans, the ones he truly wanted to spend time with in the first place.

[Crovonovin]

By the by, I'm also looking for general feedback, regardless of whether or not you want to join up.  Despite being here for over a year, I've never actually gotten around to starting my own game up!  I fear that I may have scared off some people already with all this background information, but I hope that it was at least an interesting read.

[Esoteric Myobi]

I had meant to tell you earlier, but will do so now.

I find the concept very interesting and would love to play, but for the moment I think I'll see how much interest it receives before I think up a character profile. =)

[Vergil1989]

I am most definitely interested in this.

Name; Mathias Zakos
Age; 23
Gender; Male
Class; Weighted
Appearance; 

Personality;  Mathias was not a nice person before the chaos started.  He'd been known to beat his older sisters senseless if they didn't fall in behind him or obey him, mainly in stealing and petty things like that, their parents having left them to rot a year before.  That's when Mathias turned rancid, and his hatred started to flare with a passion, but he could be quite charming and persuasive when the need arose.  Being only a year younger, and yet Mathias overpowered them both the first time an argument came up about looking for their folks.  When he reached the age of 17 though, Mathias found that his sisters were quite attractive and by then they were too afraid to breath without his permission.  They were his first, and vice versa.  Then the Shift started a day later.  Mathias lost his sisters that day, and he nearly lost his own life as well when a tree root nearly took his arm off.  His rage and hatred for most things that walked probably saved him as the world destroyed itself and reformed around him, that and the tree root took him high up into the first of many layers anyway, where Mathias would be changed forever.

Taken Demon; Zelesmal

Waking up to a horrible pain in his right arm, it barely attached to the rest of his body, a pool of blood surrounding him, Mathias opened his eyes to a black as night room he found himself in.  How he had gotten here or where he was, he had no idea.  Then two red eyes opened in the darkness in front of his prone body.  "A human...how delicious.  A male...what a pity.  To think such a creature survived the trip is amazing."  It oozed, the darkness around it seeming to shift and convulse of its own will, or maybe Mathais's eyes were playing tricks on him.  The pain was almost too great to bear as it were anyway, and he 'felt' rather than saw the thing approach him.  Letting a thin tendril of black touch the bone and flesh, Mathias's body immediately felt ice cold, as if he had been dunked in a tank or a swimming pool.  "You are hurt, little human.  Would you wish for this pain to end before you bleed out all over my abode?  Would you accept me into yourself, so that we may devour humans that come our way in the darkest of desires they possess?  I can smell your sisters on you.  Were they good for you, little pet?"  The fact anyone knew about that made Mathias growl in his throat at the 'thing' that was talking to him.  "Such hatred would be better directed elsewhere, human.  I could devour you right now with but a thought.  I foresee a great future however, if we work together as I have offered.  All I require, is that you let me in your body, nothing more."

"What's...in it for me?"  Mathias, not one to turn down a bargain when it seemed he would be getting ahead, which was more often than not before the Shift, but this thing was far more devious than Mathias could have ever guessed.

"Power to transform your shape at will between your human guise, and that of my own, becoming far stronger in such a form, as well as 'other' things I can give you that are mine to give.  The most important being of course, is saving your pitiful existence here and now."  Taking its tendril away, the pain started with a passion again and Mathias screamed a yes to its bargain without hearing the catch.  Said catch being that he would have to find victims to feed the creature's hunger, but that would come later as it seemed to ooze into every pour and open wound it could find, filling Mathias with its cold and dark presence.  His arm, hanging by a few threads of flesh and bone, reattached itself as the demon pulled it together, sending out a dozen tendrils to snatch up the thing and reattach it from the inside out.  The dozen of cuts and open wounds also sealed themselves shut.  Mathias was healed, but the cost would be a bit more than he would have guessed as they walked out 'Zelesmal's' lair, and back down into the chaos below them, the tree root that had speared Mathias having rotted and decayed as they passed by.

Powers;  Painful transformation ability, becoming a foot taller than he already is, growing two wings, a whip like tail, and a muscular frame that is as hard as stone, his skin taking on a deep black in color from its normal white, and his eyes turn into deep red pits, as if Hell's fire were in them.  Mathias's touch, human or otherwise, is cold as ice and yet it arouses females for some reason that Mathias has yet to figure out, but guys on the other hand just become filled with dread and horror.  While that doesn't bother Mathias as much as it would have before, he still wishes he could touch and be touched without people running for their lives or wanting to get in his pants if given enough time with him and Zelesmal.  Also, plants and such things seem to die around him, that only becoming worse when Zelesmal decides to come out to play, and the transformation hurts like he had been speared by dozens of tree roots all at once.  When Zelesmal is out, Mathias is pushed to the way side.

[Crovonovin]

Excellent, glad to have you aboard!  Initially I would have mentioned that spirits did not make themselves present until the second Shift, but I believe this works perfectly.  I won't give anything away, but suffice it to say that Demons or other malevolent entities would no doubt have been the most eager to get into the Human World first, and may have managed to cross the border early. 

Besides you and Myobi, I have also received a PM from one other interested party.  I'm still accepting more applicants; due to the massive nature of the World Complex, recruiting will not actually close.

~~~ADDENDUM~~~

Something that was just brought to my attention that I think should be stated here as well.  Your character (if he is not a normal human being), does not need to be "possessed" by a spirit like my character and Vergil's.  They can simply be "Weighted" or "Touched" by a spirit, which will then go on its merry way.  If a character seeks to become normal again, they must find the spirit within the vast World Complex and beg to be freed.  Those that have been possessed must find other ways, which may be discovered later on.

Also, even a gift from a benevolent god may not be something entirely beneficial.  The spirits in this setting have very little understanding of humanity, and often have a very warped sense of what is a "gift" and what is a "curse". 

Also, for newcomers:  I have no preference between photographs, illustrations, or text for your character description.  Choose whichever you feel most comfortable with!

[Crovonovin]

Bumping this to the top with an update.  I'll likely be starting this roleplay on Friday, so I would like if those who have shown interest could try and get their sheets or concepts in by that point.  I have at least three other interested parties as of this moment.  Due to the layout of this roleplay, it is possible for anyone to come in or take a leave of absence at any time.

[Latooni Subota]

Good to see you got some interest back, Shihong. Hurray for inspiration, huh?

Color me interested, and I'll immediately begin working on my adorable Weighted. Here's a hint about her power: She was paranoid, afraid of people sneaking up her and harming her or worse. So now she can See . . . whether she wants to or not. :3

[Crovonovin]

Colour me intrigued!  Glad to have you aboard.

[NosCorventius]

Is it possiblr to be both simultaniously? I was thinking of building a hunter character who is both blessed and cursed by duel guns. One of holy light, the other of hellfire each extracting thier dues when he uses them.

[Crovonovin]

I'm afraid that wouldn't quite work out with the setting, sorry.  It is fully possible for an object instead of a person to be Touched or otherwise possessed by a spirit, but I would prefer if such objects remain inconspicuous, as opposed to conventional weapons.

[Latooni Subota]

I feel like I got rambly and lame through a lot of it, but she's done for now. Questions, comments, concerns? If the picture is too big for the thread, tell me and I'll edit.


Name: Tokunaga, Alice
Ethnicity: Half-Japanese, Half-Northern European.
Age: 18
Height: 5'0"
Build: Lithe, Fragile.
Eyes: White-blue/Deep Brown
Hair: Straight, shoulder-length, White-blue.
Talents: Eidetic Memory, Extreme Flexibility/Double-Jointed.



Weighted Talent "Extreme Perception": Much to her dismay, especially when combined with her eidetic memory, Alice has been given the ability to perceive in ways no other human can. The particular way her extrasensory abilities work is always random, and while she can force it to work, it also tends to randomly turn on. She imagines this is probably due to her paranoid nature, and her subconscious forcing her ability on.

To date she's perceived things in soundwaves, the ability to see energy and radiation, auras, and even perceiving the entire nearby area in heads-up-display. You have no idea how disconcerting it can be for her to stare down a mile-long pitch-black tunnel and see wild beasts tearing people apart in a rainbow-colored nightvision. It's especially rough on her considering her perfect memory.

Personality: A rabbit would be a good animal to represent Alice. She always seems to be shrinking back, hiding, shiver either from the cold or fear. Not a particularly calm individual most of the time, she is the poster child for paranoia. While she finds it not too difficult to trust women, she's seen first-hand the kind of atrocities men committed in the early days of the first Shift. Ever since then she's had a deep fear of them, though with her submissive demeanor this can lead to her just as easily bowing to intimidation, if escape seems difficult.

Despite her frailties, she has an extremely curious nature, though this usually leads to getting in over her head. She remembers quite vividly (mainly due to her inability to forget) the way life used to be, back when she was a little rich girl. She continues to search for a place that's relatively safe, and full of the conveniences humanity used to have. Alice's grand goal is to find those traces of humanity, and live in safety and comfort once again . . assuming that could ever be possible.

Description: Alice is cute. Tiny, and cute! Despite her shaky and submissive demeanor, she moves with an unusual grace, and can pretty much fit herself practically anywhere due to her nearly-obscene flexibility. After all, she was in training to be an olympic level gymnast, so her flexibility was worked on quite a bit.

While she was originally a brunette, her hair sort of 'burned' to a white-blue color that matches the shade of her transplanted eye, marking her quite obviously as one of the Weighted. Years of indoor training, combined with the year of being underground with only meager amounts of light have left her skin rather pale. She appears to be fragile to the point of breaking if someone was to treat her roughly.

Backround: Alice's mother was a pretty Japanese lady, and her father was a handsome boxer from England. They met while on a vacation to Hawaii, falling in love and marrying in record time. Of course, this doesn't really matter much anymore, now that they're gone from this world.

Alice was a kind and happy girl, with more than a few friends. Her sweet demeanor and cute looks made everybody like her, and support her efforts in training to become an olympic level gymnast. She was very excited on April 7th. She had gotten word that she was being fielded as a member of the olympic team! . . at least until the world started to end around her.

Alice was lucky to survive the cataclysm with a group of young women who had been at the same mall as she, and they managed to squeak out a living in that mall for a short time . . until the scavengers started to show up. Cruel men who had found their way into a gun shop's supply room, and decided to use the weapons they found to steal all the food and women they could.

Alice was quick and small enough to hide, but not to escape the atrocities that she saw for the few days that the group stayed in the remnants of the mall tunnels. She still feels the guilt over being too afraid to do anything other than hide and watch, and wait for the men to leave.

Eventually, if only due to hunger, she was forced to leave her hiding place and began to travel through the tunnels on her own, hiding from wild animals and crazy people alike. She was fleeing from a group of scavengers when the second Shift hit, and she felt the tunnel she was in being dragged upwards and warped into a new area.

It was here, half-trapped under some debris, that she heard the voice in her head. "Poor little broken dolly . . are the bad men trying to hurt you? Do you want me to make it so you can see them coming, and know when to run away? Shh, you don't need to answer. I'll take care of everything for you . . . "

It was then that the spirit wrapped one giant hand around her head in this pitch-black tunnel, and used two finger to deftly tear out her eye. Constantly whispering comforting words through her screaming, the creature placed a different eye inside her head, then gently slid her down a hole into a new tunnel. The half-blind girl crawled around aimlessly for a time until sympathetic survivors found her and took care of her. Eventually she left this group as well, sliding in and out of various groups before going solo all over again.

[Crovonovin]

I love the concept!  I think that sort of character will fit in quite well in this setting.  Approved!

[ChaoticSky]

*note. her dice are not that big, think of it as more symbolic than anything else

Name: Kelly Avorn
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Class: Weighted

Personality/History: Before the shit hit the fan in a big way, Kelly was a professional gambler, a intellectual with various degrees, she was not one of the self destructive, addicted sorts, but a high roller who made a very comfortable living off her gambling. A University graduate many times over, she studied Chaos in all its forms, philosophy, sociology, physics, mathematics and so on, finding it a fascinating, almost to the point of obsession. She was that might have been called a 'life-long student', using her gambling money to take new courses in anything vaguely chaotic. Her gambling began small, a girls night out, but her fascination with chaos, and intensive study in the subject, had the side effect of making her a expert at spotting when a system was, infact, not chaotic at all. This gave her a advantage, though obviously her favourite games are ones as close to true randomness as possible... dice-based games. In terms of personality shes quirky and frequently sardonic, not entirely sane... but in her case thats nothing new, that said, she expects chaos in all things, and thusly is utterly unflappable, even the Shift its self failed to shake her... famously, upon finding the majority of the students hold up in a large space that had once been a gymnasium, she had simply remarked 'it was bound to happen eventually!'.

When the world shifted, the university was perhaps alittle less gnarled than some places... it was still twisted into knots, but being in the middle of the campus grounds, and not especially close to nearby buildings the structure as a whole was essentially intact, allowing the surviving students to quickly find each other and forge a small community, bringing their wide variety of skills to bear in the face of the strange adversity. Being a calm and unshaken by recent events, coupled with her relative seniority, Kelly had ended up as a impromptu leader. That lasted about untill the next shift... where the entire 'core' of the University-complex was torn apart, cast to the four winds. Stranding Kelly alone.

Taken Spirit (History): a pair of Chaos Sprites

After the second Shift hurled Kelly away way from the others on what amounted to a concrete conveyor-belt, the length behind her expanding at a insane rate, while contracting infront of her. The ride had been fun while it lasted.... but then had come to a sudden and abrupt end, her momentum hurling her into a wall... or rather, through a wall. On awakening, surprisingly hale, she was confronted by a pair of.... Things absolutely formed, and utterly formless, made more of possibility than anything solid, the sight had been powerful and traumatic enough to cause her to black out again.

On reawakening, she was treated to the sight on a large piece of drywall, the two figures hiding behind it to avoid the effects of their form on Kelly, and chatting between themselves, their words were made of impossible sounds that hurt her ears... but she understood them none the less. “You found a broken one!”, “I didnt find her, you did! And shes not broken... she just doest know us all that well, indeed... if i saw your face for the first time i might be tempted to to the same thing!”, “Oh! Why did we ever come here?! This is all your fault... we shouldnt be here... we cant be here.. look at us! We are falling apart!”, “Theres too much order... rules and logic... even if its taken a beating recently.... it doesnt like us, and it was your idea it come! Oh look... her foot twitched... are you awake?”, Kelly had responded with a soft grunt, which drew a titter of insane laughter... edged by relief. “Oh good! Oh good! Were not front here-” “Yes we are... we were always here... just... unwelcome”, “Lies! Dont listen, my companion is getting on with sillyness-”, “I thought you where the liar...”, “Hush! We dont have time for this now! Sufficed to say... we shouldnt be here... we need a place to stay... a place to hide... but the things here are all bad.... you...”, “Your different! We like you... dont we?”, “Indeed we do, so make a deal with us.. .well give you power.... Chaos! You like Chaos, we can tell, imagine, the most primal force in the universe, at your finger tips!”, “why... you could be a god even! Preen and eat babies!”, “Gods dont eat babies!”, “I would.... if I was a god”, “Well good thing your not! So what do you say? We'll hide in your body.. you get power? Good deal yes?”, “yes?”

Kelly forced herself to start thinking again, pushing away the trauma that the sight of the Chaos Sprites had caused to her mind. She considered their proposal with her sharp gambler's mind, and realized she had the advantage. Grinning at the drywall board, she replied “No Deal. I've heard.... stories. I have no intention of letting you freaks posses me... hmmm how about a object? Could you hide in something inanimate?”. There was a long pause, then the two sprites suddenly wailed “you told her too much!” “no, You told her too much!” “oh, what do we do?” “well... have to use a item... being a bauble is better than not-being, isnt it?” “yes it is... i think... Yes, we can posses a item.... but it has to be yours... of you... it must be personal... any old thing wont do!”. So Kelly hand reached into her pocket... and pulled out her personal set of custom made dice... her most prized possession, made of obsidian, with silver numbers... and rolled them under the drywall sheet.

Powers: Chaos Dice
Her Chaos Dice have several uses. Primarily, when thrown as weapons they erupt into a chaos-field, within which everything and nothing is possible, usually, the sudden absence of the laws of reality bodes very ill for those who are caught in the effect... but not always, a foe might be reduced to a pile of organic goo, or turned into a powerful ogre... or anything in between. Kelly herself is immune to this effect. Besides that, Kelly often uses them for divination, to choose a direction or find food or water... but its unclear if the dice are actually pointing her in the right direction... or that shes found her way through sheer random chance. They are perfect cubes of obsidian, with impossible and shifting silver symbols shifting across their surface. The dice themselves cannot be abandoned, tied to her by fate... even if lost, stolen, or thrown away... they always promptly end up back in her possession. Lastly, the dice seem to exert a passive entropic field that acts against anyone who tries to harm Kelly, or they just dont like... this does not convey 'protection' so much as 'consequences'.

Other than that... she carries a revolver she picked up, and a $120,000 pocket watch she won in her first 'high stakes' game.


... hope thats good! D:

[Crovonovin]

Very interesting!  I will say that I'm somewhat worried that these Chaos Dice don't seem to have many drawbacks at a glance, but assuming there's always the chance for her to "roll poorly" and cause something unfavorable to happen, I think it could be worked around.  In other words they should be a Wild Card, in that they can either be immensely beneficial or lethally detrimental to Kelly.

Other than that, Welcome to the game!

[ChaoticSky]

*nods* its a 'power' ive used before... usually i roll a pair of dice... 6-7 nothing* happens, higher = beneifical, lower = detrimental, one roll for each foe inside the field. it would kinda spoil the whole point of using a chaotic power if i could decide what it does

sometimes i throw in a anti-tech field as a side effect of the proximity of the dice... simply being around her causing sophisticated electronics (ie, anything with a microchip) to fail... making her something of a pariah... since people cant exactly replace broken gizmos anymore... would you like me to add that effect to her?

*to clarify, something always happens, but in this range it will be something silly that isnt really going to effect the fight

[MMTwo]

Because Latooni got me hooked on the idea, I'll try to throw my hat in here.

[Crovonovin]

Great MMTwo!  Just PM me if you have any troubles putting a character together.

And Darkling, there's no need for that.  Though not all technology has failed, all complex electronics are no longer functional within the World Complex.

[ChaoticSky]

added my picture and gave the post a once-over to improve readability, wrote it in a hurry >_<

[Crovonovin]

Great, thanks.  I was going to say that it was a bit tricky to read all smooshed together like that, but you clearly read my mind!

[ChaoticSky]

Great, thanks.  I was going to say that it was a bit tricky to read all smooshed together like that, but you clearly read my mind!

sorry, i was abit at a loss as to how to portray the unhinged dialogue between two indescribable characters with nothing to differentiate between them. i dont think it came out *too* badly all things considered, and giving no indication of which is speaking adds to the... chaos of the scene. but i still cringe while reading it >_>

[Crovonovin]

Not a problem!  Alright, we've got two more characters joining soon whose character sheets should be finished in a little bit.  They should make things very interesting:  one is a former (Japanese?) law enforcement officer, and the other is an unTouched/Weighted Occultist with quite a bit of combat training. 

[Vergil1989]

Very cool.  You are doing alright for yourself Shihong lol.  I hope this goes far and if I need to edit or whatever, just say and I'll do the best I can alright?

[Crovonovin]

Your character is still fine, Vergil.  I was somewhat worried about the possibility of his demon getting out of control, but I thankfully the aforementioned Occultist should be able to balance things out a bit.   

[Latooni Subota]

And then all the people with more active psychoses gang up on poor little ARISUUUU. Q.Q

You better be nice to me! I'm the one who can tell you when the severely mutated manbearpig is coming to get us! :3

Also, we stay FAR away from anywhere that had a nuclear power plant, if we can help it. I somehow imagine entire networks of tunnels got delicious radiation baths. In fact, they're probably still going due to CREEPYSHIFTSTUFF! D: