[System]
Namesake:
N/A

Age:
Young Adult

Gender:
Female

Species:
NightWing

Appearance:
Dreamseeker's scales are jet black with a very dark purple undertone, while her underbelly, claws, and horns are ivory white. Her eyes are the same dark color as most NightWings', though in the right light, one can see they are a very, very dark violet. The spines on her back are as dark as her scales, though the stars that speckle her wings are bright silver. Silver scales also line her neck, sides, and tail. She's known to constantly press her wings close to her sides in an attempt to be as small and overlooked as possible.

Personality:
Sweet, kind, and gullible. Dreamseeker tries to be the best dragon she can be towards others, and has a strong sense of empathy and sympathy. She's a bit nervous, especially when she's asked too many questions or is suddenly thrown into the spotlight. She loves the arts and prefers to draw, write, and read rather than becoming involved in something "greater than her", as her mother would put it. Though, she has a vicious streak of curiosity at times, and will often get in trouble for sticking her nose into business that isn't hers. Dreamseeker also has a small ego, though she tries her best to hide it.

Short Bio:
Dreamseeker was born in the Night Kingdom, alongside two brothers and a sister. Her father was never around, and so her mother had much disdain for her dragonets-- especially Dreamseeker, the least intimidating of them all. Her siblings often fought and bickered with one another, and she was much often the butt of many pranks and a victim of teasing. When she was old enough, she left home in the dead of night, and has been roaming Pyrrhia since.

Other:
- Dreamseeker can read minds.
- Her favorite form of art is painting.

[User]
Eclipse opened his jaws to respond to her comment before snapping them shut. He didn't remember saying she might be responsible out loud. That was a problem for later. Just add it to the long list of problems he needed to deal with. "I don't know why you'd want to kill her, I don't know why the dragon who did kill her wanted to," he could feel that same rage bubbling up, not at Dreamseeker, but just the situation as a whole, "I just know that someone killed a member of my family, and for all I know there was no reason at all!" His voice grew to a near shout towards the end of the sentence as all the frustration of the day finally overflowed.

He turned away from the NightWing for a moment, regaining his composure with an angry huff and a deep breath. He turned his head back towards her at her rather hot comment; noticing her favoring her leg and made a mental note that, in the event she proved trustworthy, to help her out with that. "I value peace but I know the one who did this definitely doesn't," he frowned at her as she asked about trust, "You haven't exactly given me a reason to trust you. You were sneaking around my home in the middle of the night. That's not exactly trustworthy behavior."

He took a moment to just sit down and think; gazing up through the trees as if the stars above him might have the answers he needed. They knew nothing, not who did, not how, not why, and no one had even started anything else. What were they waiting for? The weakness that came with Ember's death would be enough for another tribe to attack them, yet nothing had happened. Maybe they were waiting for another moment of vulnerability.

He sighed, the anger he felt giving way to a deep sadness. He hated the fact that this was what he had to be concerned about. If the next coming dawn would bring even more death to the people he cared for. He looked back towards Dreamseeker, "Did you find anything?"

[Assistant]
Dreamseeker flinched a little at the waves of anger and frustration that flourished from Eclipse's mind. It surged through her own mind, nearly giving her a headache as she fought to maintain her composure. A little shudder flowed over her spine. She didn't know how it was like to suddenly lose a family member, but she did know how it felt to have an empty gap in the family picture when it should be filled. She felt for this strange, weird, half-noble-blooded hybrid. She wanted to walk up to him and brush his wingtip with hers, even if she hadn't known him for long. Her claws scratched into the dirt, lowering her head.

So he didn't trust her. He didn't even need to tell her that. "I'm sorry," she admitted. "But I couldn't just walk up to the palace and ask to be let in, could I? I wasn't planning to stay for long. I just wanted to see the weapon that was used to kill her, nothing else." Her voice drifted off in a sigh, and she shifted slightly. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't able to completely block out Eclipse's thoughts. Some of them filtered in, all of them being worried and depressing and absolutely soul-wrenching. Yes, this meant war. Yes, this meant there would be more death, more suffering and fear and tears.

"I didn't find anything," she admitted. Dreamseeker hesitated as she mulled over her next words. During her time sneaking around the palace, she was able to catch the thoughts of several guards. All kept wondering about poison... poison, dark, black poison... just like... "Oh!" she suddenly shouted, her head snapping to attention. "I... I heard some guards talking about poison? Like, black poison. No one knows what it is, but I might have read about something in a scroll recently," she explained. "Apparently, it comes from a creature in the rainforest to the very south of Pyrrhia. I'm not sure what, though."

[User]
Eclipse shrugged, the last of the anger fading away just leaving him feeling exhausted, "I suppose not unless you had a good reason. Everyone is bit on edge as one would expect." It was in this kind of situation he wished his other friends were here, they'd definitely know what to do or say. His thoughts continued to run in circles as his claws dug into the dirt underneath him and his tail flicked slightly with nerves.

"It was a dart. I went up and saw the healers with it. I had like a thick, black fluid on it." As Dreamseeker trailed off he let himself just rest for a moment. Dropping his head and sitting down with his wings resting on the ground. He felt way too tired to keep up the proud and intimidating facade that he had put up at the start. He continued to stare at the NightWing, he never was the best when it came to judging character, but she definitely didn't seem like a threat. He knew Skua would probably scold him for deciding something like that so quickly, but he was too tired to care.

He jumped slightly at Dreamseeker's exclamation and his jaw dropped slightly. She knew something about what this poison was, that gave them a lead! He sprang to his feet, a rush of energy coursing through his veins, "That's brilliant!" he resisted the urge to rush forward and wrap his wings around the smaller dragon, and instead settled for grinning widely at her, "That's more than we had to go on before. You have to come and tell someone, I can vouch for you getting into the palace." He would also make sure she got her leg looked at by one of the healers.

He flexed his wings, getting ready to take off once again back towards the palace.

[Assistant]
Dreamseeker couldn't help but smile a little at Eclipse's excitement. She was glad to be able to help him out a bit, even if she had no direct business in what had happened. Though, her next suggestion made her flinch a little. Tell someone in the palace? Was that a good idea? She trembled a little. She never went into a palace before, not even in the Night Kingdom. The palace there seemed like a distant dream, or something of myth. How nice it would be for her to actually step foot in the SkyWing palace? But then everyone would be staring, whispering, wondering why a strange NightWing, whom they've never seen before, was in the palace the night after the assassination.

But Eclipse was already ready to take flight. "O-oh, alright," she mumbled, lifting herself off the ground and spreading her wings in turn. It was far too late to start sputtering "if"s or "but"s. That, and she felt that this whole thing was more important than some butterflies in her stomach. "Lead the way."

[User]
Eclipse could see a bit of nervousness from Dreamseeker as they both flapped their wings and headed back towards the palace, "We could tell my mother, Brightstar, or my friend Skua, he's one of the guards. Both of them are trying to figure out what happened to Queen Ember." His mother would certainly want to hear about a potential lead, she could get the researchers at the palace to look into it, and she might be more receptive to another NightWing than his hot tempered friend. He figured Dreamseeker might have an opinion one way or the other, she was the one who knew the information after all.

He kept his pace slow enough so the smaller dragon could keep up, but he couldn't help the excitement that added a bit of power to his wings. Soaring up the side of the mountain he landed on the familiar balcony that lead into his room. He passed through the doors using a light flame to ignite some of the lanterns that hung from hooks on the walls.

He turned back to Dreamseeker, "I figured it'd be easier to come in through my room than trying to convince the guards to let us in," he frowned slightly, "Who do you think we should tell?"

[Assistant]
As Dreamseeker flew after Eclipse, she listened to his words. Brightstar-- his mother. Oh, right, he had told her that his mother was a NightWing. And Skua was... what was he? His name sounded like it could be SkyWing, IceWing, maybe both? She tried to scan his thoughts again, and she caught the sight of pale blue and fiery scales. Oh, so another hybrid. She mulled on the thought a little as she followed himself, landing a little clumsily as she tried to keep her injured leg off the floor. She couldn't help but peer around the room in interest. It sure was neat and clean there.

"Good idea," she huffed at his explanation. She had been worried about what would happen if the guards at the front door didn't take well to her presence. Dreamseeker blinked, flicking her tail. "Well, uh, how about your mother, Brightstar? Like you suggested, maybe she would be more willing to listen because I'm a NightWing as well."

[User]
Eclipse gave a nod, paused for a moment, he remembered thinking that, but not saying it out loud. Weird. He shook his head slightly, his mother was of the reasonable sort, so hopefully she wouldn't jump to any conclusions. He walked towards the door, past neatly packed shelves of scrolls and racks of knick knacks that he'd collected over the years, and opened it; peering out in either direction down the halls of the palace to make sure their weren't any guards immediately nearby. He could see a few at the ends of the halls, thankfully their backs were to them, at least for now. He knew that he would be able to tell the guards to simply leave them be given his status, but he'd rather get to his parents room without too much trouble.

"Once we go see my mother she can come with us to see the healers for your leg," he winced slightly, "Sorry about that by the way. I really didn't mean for you to get hurt." Apologizing wasn't really his strong suit so he was glad to get that over with. He took a deep breath before flicking his tail towards Dreamseeker to follow him a short ways down the hall.

The walls were lit with torches held in neat sconces and neatly made tapestries hung in even intervals down the length of the hall. Thankfully his parents room was only a short distance away and he was able to push the door open and slip inside. The room wasn't lit but he could see the forms of both his mother and father wrapped around each other, sleeping soundly. He felt a pang of regret at waking her, but he knew she'd want to be told about this as quickly as possible. "Mom," he whispered into her ear, gently poking her side, "Wake up."

Her large black head immediately snapped up and focused on Eclipse, before quickly falling on Dreamseeker standing behind him. "Eclipse? What's going on?" She gently untangled herself from Storm, "Who is this?" She pushed herself to her feet, dark eyes fixed on the smaller NightWing. Her gaze intense and questioning.

"This is Dreamseeker," Eclipse whispered, as his mother's eyes flickered to him briefly, "She knows something about what happened to Queen Ember."

At this, Brightstar's eyes immediately snapped back towards Dreamseeker.

[Assistant]
Dreamseeker realized that she might have been a little too brazen with what she said, but it was too late to correct that mistake. Luckily for her, the other dragon didn't press the strange happening. I have to be more careful with reading minds. He almost caught me there, she told herself as she followed him. There wasn't an issue with telling him that she could read minds. It was just that now wasn't the time or place. If she suddenly told him that, maybe he wouldn't trust her anymore. Maybe he would hand her over to the guards when he got the chance. I'll just tell him some other time. No harm in that, right?

She perked up when he tossed an apology her way. Ducking her head, she smiled sheepishly. "No need to apologize. It was sort of my fault," Dreamseeker murmured, glancing down at her foot. At least it wasn't turning discolored or swelling more. It was probably just a bad sprain. Nevertheless, she was very careful not to put much weight on it as she continued to follow Eclipse down the hall. Her eyes scanned the walls and flickered to the nearby guards at the end of the corridor before she found herself slipping through a door. It was dark, but she could see two dragons entertwined deeper in the room.

Luckily for them, the NightWing didn't seem to mind being woken up too much, and Dreamseeker dipped her head in greeting. "Hello," she whispered politely. Her eyes wavered to the SkyWing that shared the room with her. That must have been Eclipse's father. She shifted uneasily, trying to keep her mind on track. "I heard that the dart that killed Queen Ember was covered in black poison. I read a scroll that said that there's a creature in the southern rainforest that spits black poison, so the assassin might've gone there to gather it. I'm sure that if we check the rainforests, we'll get a lead sooner than later." She glanced at Eclipse, hoping that he'd give her a sign if she explained her well enough.


[System]
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Species: Slime

Appearance: Normally a floating black and grey and opaque bubble with a diameter of 2 meters, though if needed can take on a solid form (solid for a slime).

Said form is a drake, roughly normal size for a regular standing drake. In his solid slime form Vermont has a snake-like body but with limbs and the head of a dragon, with 6 horns extending from forehead to sides of head. He is anthromorphic as a drake, though like an Eastern dragon his legs are further down his body, his limbs and quite short. His hands possesses claws (though as a slime and without spells they are purely aesthetic) and his feet are similar to those of a T-Rex's. Vermont's membrane is black, though his underside, belly and chin are dark grey.

Bio: Vermont was born as a slime in the capital of Zephyre, a bloke with two parents who always seemed to work and rarely tended to him. They weren't negligent, but he did spend a majority of his time by himself when young. Vermont's parents were citizens of Zephyr, a family with heavy associations with Zephyr. Despite this, being a slime in Zephyr was not unheard of but quite rare, so to be born in Zephyr immediately earned him some queer looks. Especially was odd was his primarily dark colouring, leading to some of his own friends to suspect whether or not his family belonged to a cult; as in, studied dark magic. Dark magic was shunned throughout the world of Gaia, being seen as the traits of evil and those with black hearts. Yet, Vermont was very kind and polite, clearly more than the people who would always ask questions and badger him. Disturbingly, his parents had distinctly white colourings, yet they treated Vermont as their own child with no problems.

For a long time, Vermont was somewhat resentful of his parents for always leaving him alone. He would always have to feed himself, clean the house and spend a majority of his time alone. Despite this, he did have a soft spot for them, since just about anyone he met would be rude and condescending in some way. Not just because he was a 'parasitic slime', but of his dark colourings. All this while he was young and still in school, only being able to afford education through his parents. He was certainly grateful for that. However, his experience in school was... checkered. As explained earlier, most pupils ended up teasing or fearing him for his possible dark magic associations, the latter he hated more. He wasn't even experienced with air magic, let alone knew anything about darkness. Even his teachers seemed to alert the principal from time to time over certain incidents, even if they were minor infractions (associated with wind magic). Vermont was never proud of his experience at school, even refusing to celebrate over excellent grades. He would occasionally experiment to see whether or not he had dark magic within him, though anything he did which was supposedly related to dark magic just made a longer-lasting 'air' blade.

Vermont left school with very little friends (good ones anyway) and a sense of regret. He began to maintain more of a solid drake form, something he liked in case of assault and self-defence (which would occasionally occur). It was at this point his parents began to retire and he had to start caring for them, asking them from time to time over his possible condition. All he could manage from them was acknowledgement that something may be off, and ignoring everyone would be the best option. Vermont worked as an apprentice, working to keep Zephyre as stable as possible to avoid turbulence and allow for precision on the capital's grounds. Though, he faced harassment from his own colleagues, who would occasionally pop him and mock him for his 'Air/Null' elemental combination.

One day, Vermont discovered from his parents a tale of a mage who was experienced with dark magic. He was shunned from the world due to Gaia's beliefs that he was evil, when he was as kind as Vermont. He would always try to help farmers by manipulating the darkness away from their crops, but they were convinced he was terrorising them and drove him away. Vermont's parents possessed the mage's old books and scrolls after his death, as they were his only friends at the time. Vermont, interested in the mage's own history decided to go through his books, inspecting them in his attic. At first, all he could understand were a few words in the book and nearly tossed it away, believing it to have cursed him a long time ago. He gradually became accustomed to the book, reading a few more words he could understand until eventually he was able to read full pages. Before long, he was going through all the mage's possessions, without his parents' knowledge.

Vermont became convinced he was somehow related to the mage, considering how he was able to manipulate shadows and realise what his 'air' blade was actually made out of. He was able to dim all the lights in his house, until even daylight couldn't be seen. While excited, he knew the implications of such knowledge - revealing his second element would be dangerous to him and his family, and he realised he wasn't able to go outside in the daylight anymore unless he had a cloud over himself. Even more shockingly, the last of the mage's possessions revealed him to be his uncle. He was definitely sure he wasn't born illegitimately since even his own father wasn't aware of any siblings in his family.

Regardless, Vermont became more interested in his uncle's teachings, almost... addicted to this sudden knowledge. He was very proud of having a family member stand up against the rules of the world, but he was desperate to find out more about darkness magic. He also had a lot of spare time, as Vermont was made redundant due to intermittent power losses, causing Zephyre to enact stricter conditions on electricity - such as stability. Packing his bags and preparing to leave Zephyre, Vermont was going to find out more about his uncle and therefore himself. Where would he start, however? His old uncle's house. All the way in the nation of Natura...

Skills/Abilities: Air/Darkness - most spells and abilities are going to be generalised and made up on the go, though certain skills stick out from others. Some abilities are unlisted due to being species abilities (ie being a slime allows you to get anywhere)

-"Air Blade"/Shadow Blade - as a starting attack, Vermont can summon a blade of "air" which can be used slash through enemies. Strangely enough, it doesn't work well in light, and lasts MUCH longer than a typical blade of air. Said blade can be used without actually holding it, though for maximum potential holding the blade is the best option.

-Airblast - depending on the strength of the Airblast, this can either push enemies and projectiles away or be so powerful that you can expect bones and bodies to break.

-Black Ooze - being a dark slime, Vermont can infect and lace enemies with poisonous slime. Said enemies will continue carrying the slime and be prone to hallucinations and delusions unless healed. If no attempts are made to resist the effects, Vermont will actually be able to absorb enemies infected... though, this is usually frowned upon and never affects self-aware enemies.

-Dark Disguise - bending air and light using darkness, Vermont can attempt to shapeshift and appear differently to himself, usually in the disguise of an enemy. This doesn't work well against enemies who are alert or up-close, however.

-Swamp Daze - using the power of both air and darkness, an area in a certain radius will be covered by fog and haunting darkness. Whilst the size of the field can change, the general rule is that the bigger the field gets, the weaker the effects are. The effects are worsened with Black Ooze however, almost becoming a living nightmare for enemies.

Weaknesses: Vermont has a weakness towards Ordinary/light magic, which counteracts most of his spells. This may also include other spells associated with light, i.e. fire and lightning. Pure daylight will weaken him, though he usually casts some clouds over himself.

Other: 'Anything else you'd like to say about your character, or the RP in general? No. Well, where's the stuff on the accents and description of regions, eh?'

[User]
Palythius

---

I looked around as we entered the store. "Well, there weren't any witnesses, and I've only been in town for a day or two, so we're partially safe. A bunch of sky racists... sounds like an interesting concept," I say, murmuring the last part to myself as I grab a new pair of goggles, and I search through a bunch of the flight suits but find none my size. I grab a few granola bars, and find a pocket with a zipper on my jumpsuit to put them in. I paid for everything real quick, then went outside. "Maybe we'll meet again. If you're going to Natura, that is," I said to the slime before leaving, and I walked around the edge of the town to find a cloudless spot, and then the side with the biggest forest on the ground, and when I did I walked back a bit, took a few deep breaths, and used my sprint to jump off the side at a good speed, spreading my wings and gliding towards Natura.

After about twenty minutes post-takeoff I had hit a nasty bit of turbulence, making me stall and begin to plummet towards the ground, gaining speed as I tried to get my wings to catch air again. As soon as they did, I saw that I was in fact near Natura, and now that my wings sorta hurt, that I should probably land soon. I found a nice clearing near a river, and I circled around it until I was able to touch down, and I looked, seeing a few people. "Oh! Er... hello!" I said, waving at them. They were comprised of a dragon, two phoenixes, and a gryphon. "Just taking a breather... you're not village people, right? I don't fancy being near Naturian village people," I said, looking at the gryphon as I sat on a rock. The swan-like one stared at me. "... What?" I asked, and she walked over, and grabbed my snout. "Hey, what're you--" I began to say as she used some sort of healing magic to fix the cut. I rubbed where I was healed. "Er... thanks."

[Assistant]
To avoid being accused of loitering, I quickly moved on into the store with Palythus, who was still talking quietly. He even commented on the matter while I wandered around, looking above and below shelves while catching the eye of the store clerk, sitting idly at the cashier. Apparently he assumed I didn't need such fancy gear, sneering at me before digging himself in some newspapers beside himself. I made no attempt to notice and grabbed a few cubes of protein from a bag (mostly used for emergencies and soups, but for me it was just regular old energy). The store itself was pretty dark, removing the need for my cloud as it dissolved while I continued moving around. It was pretty cluttered and cramped, forcing me to shift form occasionally to move around. The other dude took a few bars near the entrance while I took a flash-stick (so that I could see in the dark) and some large folded cloth (for temporary shelter), heading over to the register and letting a few coins spill. Understandably, the clerk stared briefly before processing my order, sliding the shiny coins to himself and giving me some change.

I met with Palythus outside again, stuffing all the things down my bag. He was intent on returning to the land of Natura, seemingly unaware of the fact I was in fact going down there. "Of course I'm going down to Natura. I got an uncle down there waiting." I... messed up my sentence. Before I could correct myself however, Palythus had already started walking, before almost leaping off the side and down into oblivion. "Blimey." I turned left and right before going over to where my new acquaintance had just left, now a winged speck to the world above. I ended up shuddering somewhat because... it was so far down. Regardless, I took my own leap of faith, holding onto my bag as I jumped off the balcony and down into the land of green.

I opened my eyes to see that I had transformed into a bubble, holding my bag inside myself. Though, all the weight ended up making me fall anyway, much to my dismay. Never before had I had the air screaming past my airs and everything bracing for a rough impact. Sure, I left the city a few times, but NEVER to this damn depth. Unsurprisingly, I was almost shrieking.

[User] Before I could head off in any direction or another, two newcomers just randomly decided to crash in. One was clearly from Magma, but the other... was some sort of black bubble? Honestly, I wasn't sure if the bubble was even sentient, but I did notice that it didn't pop within twenty seconds of existing, so, it might be magical in some way. "Uh... hello?" I ended up saying to the Magma drake who wore some sort of special fire-proof jumpsuit who decided to actually say hello to everyone after basically crashing into this place. I then decided to add "Uh... my name's David... I guess and yes, I'm from Natura, specifically, Terra. What do you have against Naturians, huh?" He seemed to just say that he hated the 'villagers' of Natura just randomly and before I even said two words to him. Of course, I've heard that there are stereotypes of Naturians being very closed-minded, stubborn in their beliefs and their traditions, that they occasionally physically attack those who disagree with them. I... was not this stereotype, however, I was almost tempted to become this stereotype just to attack the drake. Of course, Ganymede wouldn't have any of that, no, she'd just heal him up, and tell me to stop attacking 'potential allies' or something like that... besides, a few words about something some outsiders are probably legitimately worried about wasn't really worth attacking someone else over. I honestly hoped he wouldn't try my patience, though. Oddly enough, the bubble remained in the air, and I finally had the temptation to ask "So... what's with the bubble? Is it some sort of Magma experiment, or something? Sentient bubbles of smoke? If so, then... that's kind of a weird thing to experiment with, isn't it?"

[Assistant] I was dead silent after whooshing through the air. I did manage to feel a bit lighter though, having exchanged a few gases within the atmosphere through my bubble. Seems to me that dragon managed to land perfectly, something I probably wouldn't do so well in. Why? Because, for one, I was talking to some strangers. "Hello lads! Greetings from Above! First time I've set foot down onto soil, actually." Sure enough, I still wasn't touching the ground until I popped my bubble and basically melted onto the grass and dirt. I reformed myself into a drake, dripping somewhat and in fact requiring the assistance of a rock to keep me up. "Oh goodness! The stillness of this land..." You see, I used to all the turbulence on Zephyre. However, we NEVER had a time where things were absolutely still. As a result, I wasn't used to feeling so... still. I felt like everything was still moving, but that was just myself. Lord, help me against all the grass and dirt that would cling onto me, something which made me shudder. Regardless, I maintained a straight face and began taking faces of everyone, with apparently mixed feelings.


[System]
"Sorry, if I needed help from commoners like you it would be to empty my trash bin."

---

---

Masashi is a fair-skinned, 21 year old man. He stands at 5'10", with jet black hair and crimson eyes. He often wears various black suits, usually with red or white variations. This is mostly to keep up appearances wherever he goes. When he can afford to not expect as much attention, he will sport a more simple and comfortable approach of black shorts with a white t shirt. Secretly he enjoys wearing pajamas within the comfort of his home.

When he transforms, Masashi wears a mostly black suit and tie with gold trimmings, along with lightly armored pauldrons, Light knee plates, black gloves, a shoulder cape, fedora, and face mask

---

Personality
Masashi is incredibly prideful and flashy. He enjoys having the limelight, and is more then willing to save those innocent peasants for the image it gives him alone. Unsurprisingly shallow and arrogant. He enjoys taunting foes and rivals, believing himself to be superior to most, and deserving of the powers he was given more than anyone else. Due to his overconfidence, he isn't easily provoked until one starts to prove that his overconfidence is misplaced. He loses his cool façade when he realizes he doesn't have the edge he thought he had and will start getting more desperate and aggressive. His inner hobby as a wanna-be actor tends to let him be overdramatic at times.

---

Background
Masashi was raised in a strict but wealthy household. Growing up, his parents did little more then encourage an insecurity upon his self worth. At first, this made him a meek and quiet kid. But there was a turning point in his later teens when he had one last fight with his parents. He left on his own, given a generous sum of money as a form of 'take it and leave' from his father, and lost all communications with his immediate family. He was desperate to spite his parents, prove he wasn't a deadbeat, and tried to make a name for himself. His pursuits as an actor didn't get very far, and at his lowest point, that was when Hades contacted him, and made him a deal.

Masashi had thought he'd won the lottery, power and fame. What more could a man like him want? All he had to do was to keep this territory safe, and spread Hade's name. Taking his image seriously, he quickly grew to see others territory owners as his immediate rivals.

---

Patron: Hades, lord of the underworld.

Patron Tool: Ring of shadows. A silver ring with an onyx gem encrusted on it. He usually wears the ring on his right index finger.

Patron Aspect: Shadow Manipulation

---

Aspect Magic
Dark energy is pulled from his shadow towards his ring, which can manifest in various forms. The shadows weaved can take on various properties, such as a flowing liquid, dark lightning, black explosions and fire, or a solid plexiglass-like mass.

While initially he can only generate shadows around his ring, he can create a liquid-like surface of shadows to expand his range of creation, typically in the fashion of of a circle beneath his feet, or a mass above him like a cloud. Creating an expanded mass requires a building up time and continued connection to maintain, along with a lot of energy to maintain.

He can attempt to 'mimic' attacks, or rather copy the form of said attacks by shadow manifestation. Such as someone's fire wave with a black fire wave, granted this 'copycat' strategy is solely based on his shadow manifestation ability. He's still limited to his own power, and can't create something that his shadows can't do, or mimic some conceptual or status effect.

The strength of his ability to create shadows is strongest at dusk and dawn. During the day between is at its weakest, and the night between is strong but not as much as dusk and dawn. Light-based abilities and magic can 'petrify' his shadows to some extent, limiting his ability.

The general range of his creation is limited to the ring's general surroundings, though he can expend energy to create a shadow mass to further his range.

One of his favored techniques is creating a katana that he dubs 'the Umbral Blade.'

The arm that the ring is worn on can be transformed into various shadowy-shapes. His primary tactics in this regard is a stretching/retracting serpent, a shadow-made minigun arm cannon, or a claw.

He can disperse into his own shadow to move around quickly, though the moving shadow can be hit with an attack to force him out of it.

He can substitute an attack with a shadow clone, but can only perform this once every night.

---

Other skills
 Acting (Supposedly), and Video-games (Though he's ashamed of letting anyone know that he's really just a nerd).

[User]
---

Had it not been for the strange appearance of the gate on the frozen bay, the magical girl of the sea would probably be enjoying what snow there was on her way to work. Alas, it would seem fate had other plans for. Atheni texted her supervisor just a bit earlier in the morning, claiming she was feeling ill from the sudden cold weather. Somehow, it didn't seem like the man in charge took her seriously, which was strange because she made sure to include mistakes like she was too sick to even type on her phone.

Oh well, it doesn't matter, right? This gate needed to be investigated. It was located close to a territory she remember was unprotected by any specific person. Will there be others looking into this strange appearance? That would be fun. If anything bad happens, it's her duty to make sure all is good and safe. For after all, she is the God of the Seas' incarnation! Even overlapping on another territory, the bay should be under her protection, for her command over water should make her the ruler of any bodies of water.

Atheni's home wasn't too far from the river, which was a fortunate blessing considering how much she relied on it for transport. Even frozen, it still remains water. Eyes would recognize the magical girl standing next to the river by her out-of-season beach-themed outfit. Early risers would cheer for her, some would try to call out to her, but all they would receive would be the wave of a hand before she was seen zooming across the surface of the river. She was standing on a thick platform of ice, propelled by a jet of water goin in the opposite direction.

It did not take long for the inheritor of Poseidon's powers to find herself at the bay. Already, she could see monstrous entities pouring out of the gate, some were already this far as traveling on the frozen bay to go to other territories. She'd pick up the stragglers at least.

Attention undivided to the youkai in front of her, Atheni pushed her platform to reach maximum speed. Trident in both ends, she basically bisected the monster when she rammed into it at full speed. It knocked her off the platform, but she was quick to brace herself by planting her golden weapon into the ice.

Enraged, another youkai came charging at her. Silhouette of a black lion with bat wings, it jumped high and tried to crash into Atheni while she was recovering. The magical girl had already planned on her defenses for this one. A thick layer of ice erupted from the bay to form a wall between her and her attacker. Cracks formed into the wall from the heavy impact of the beast. Spikes erupted from the wall of to thoroughly impale the monster as Atheni slammed the butt of her trident into the wall.

The third straggler on her way was easy picking. As soon as she saw it, she rose a hand towards it. People would take she's been shooting laser beams, but in reality the water around her shot into extremely high-pressurized streams to pierced the monster in various places. One last stream would have decapitated the monster entirely.

That took care of a few stragglers. Three down, way more to go. Let's see if she can get close enough to the gate to crash this whole party into the sea floor. Should be no small feat, but definitely something that could be done to stop this.

Atheni continued her march, heralding the fury of Poseidon with a vast array of ice sheets and water streams floating around her.

[Assistant]
♫𝄞 𝄪 Amélie Renard 𝄪 𝄞♫

 Somewhere on one of Taito's ward building stood Amélie, her gaze turned towards the giant Tori Gate that had appeared on the waters. The building in question was a theatre which had housed Amélie's latest performance, which unfortunately was cut short between two pieces when she received bad news and had to leave in emergency. The popular piano player Miss Renard was well known, and so was the Magical protector of the ward but the young prodigy never intended to have both identities become one and the same. More so out of convenience than fear. Fame...was not something Amélie desired. Her musical career and dream led her to own some of it, but it was a byproduct of her chosen passion - not something she set out to obtain.

Already changed into her Magical counterpart, Amélie slowly let herself fall forward from the building and began running down the wall until, in a long and graceful jump, she propelled herself to the next rooftop. Each of her steps was met with some ripple effect that also produced different musical notes that, somehow, fitted with one another into short but precise melodies. While she seemed to be able to launch herself great distances, when compared to a regular human, she still sometimes stepped on seemingly thin air. On these occasion, the ripple effect still appeared as some sort of platform, allowing her to gracefully skip through the air like a ballerina.

It was not long before she had reached the area around the bay. As soon as she landed on a nearby rooftop, Amélie paused. Down on the water's edge she spotted one of her 'peers', so to speak. She seemed under attack, be plenty able to handle herself. Surely, more were on their ways. More interestingly, some Monsters seemed to have been faster than the rest and already passed the front liner and were reaching the streets.

Down below, two Yokai found preys. They bore green, thick skin and messy hair as well as a shell on their back; Kappas. They had found human preys in the form of two children, whom they were now dragging towards the water where a third Kappa was trying to break the ice, or find an entry, to quite possibly drown their victims. A quick fall and a flip later, and two of the Kappas would look behind them as their companion could be heard letting out a loud screeching sound and fall the the ground. Or rather, it's headless body did.

Landing, slashing, body to the ground and, finally, head to the ground~ All of these produced a musical note that ended in a crescendo when the head finished rolling near the two others, Amélie standing between them and the two children.

The two monsters charged. Lunge, trust, jump, spin, trust, slash - the monsters died to some magical piano melody as their blood was wiped from Amélie's ebony blade, who was standing straight, regal. The woman turned to the two children, her long, white hair following her movement perfectly. "You are safe now. Take care and leave as far as you can for now, please."

There was glory and fame to be had in being a magical girl, but there was also lives to save. Down here, in this remote street far away from cameras and views, Amélie had long since made her choice.

[User]
A star has arrived.

There was a suddenly an explosion of black smoke along an unoccupied street. A black and purple pillar of shadows rose from the clearing smoke. The pillar had risen far above the surrounding buildings before its form extended a long flight of steps to the street, and a slightly more purple carpet of shadows materialized and rolled down the steps. With the remaining smoke clearing around where the steps stopped at, a figure emerged already taking the first step onto the stairs. A well dressed suit, gold trimmed, with armored pauldrons and a ring on one of his gloved hands.

Masashi Yamada, the Fortunate Shadow, the self proclaimed prince of Arakawa. He had finally appeared on the scene, always one for his dramatic entrances. Due to the height of the stairs, he had them move and shuffle like an escalator to bring him to the top, stopping once he had reached the step below the top of his pillar. With a snap of his fingers and a stream of shadows from his ring, a throne formed itself out from the pillar's floor. Masashi had spent a great deal of practice to simulate a proper, comfortable seat made from his shadows. His real furniture at home were still more comfortable, but his current constructions was satisfactory nonetheless. Before he let himself sit, however, he turned to face the steps, to face the frozen bay and the gate of monsters.

 "Hmph! It seems it was a waste to come here after all! An easy task such as this is better suited for my personal servant!" Masashi explained with dramatic flair. He was always one to play character whenever he was 'on the job.' Always to try and put on a show. The height of his throne left room for long ranged support should that somehow be required, though he had no intention of actually getting his hands dirty if he could help it, but more importantly it was to ensure a bubble of personal space, a luxury that was rare when dealing with her.

He raised his right towards the sky, facing the same direction upward as he began to shout.
"I beseech the powers of lord Hades! From the deepest depths of the underworld, the infernal pits of Tartarus! Again I call upon a monster worthy to serve under my power! Come fourth, the Witch of Shadows, the Weaver of Night! Dispatch of these pests!" He chanted loudly, sounding like some kind of spell. His ring had glowed with black light while he had spoke. It something he had rehearsed and practiced unlike most of his abilities. In reality, the words had no purpose in the spell, it was just to draw attention to himself and to buy time.

When he finished, the ring streamed a connection of shadows to an alleyway near where the steps he had summoned began. A predetermined spot he had planned with an accomplice. Another burst of smoke erupted through the streets from the desired point, this one lasting a bit longer to allow 'his servant' to get into position. The First few steps of the stairs had morphed completely within the smoke-formed shadows. Becoming something closer to a stage with steps on all three sides to the street. An archway standing at the center where the rug extended and continued to roll down the steps and off into the street to adjust the new structure. Two braziers simulating shadow-flames stood at either end of the front of this stage as the smoke started to clear. Before it fully cleared up, far above, Masashi had already taken his seat upon the throne with a devilish smirk.


[System]
Age

164

Gender

Male

Race/People

¾ elven and ¼ normal human..

Appearance

(I don't like taking pictures off the internet of folks, so I rely on description)

Desalith is tall, roughly in the higher average on the terms of elves. His body is weathered from use of magic and his age, although he can still pass off to be in his 50's when on a good day. When he is tired, his age is more apparent - He looks to be more in his late 60's and 70's. He has grey hair on top of his head with a small beard and fuzzies around his face. Overall, he has kept himself up well, so he looks clean (save for the fuzzies on his face that he refuses to take off). He walks around usually in his robes provided by the order he is in and has light brigandine armor underneath, just in case.

Traits

Skills
-Lightning Affinity: He is very good at controlling matter in the form of energy, and can with ease make bolts of energy (large ones require more concentration and energy; he stays with ones roughly the size of basketballs or short streams of electricity). If the weather is right, he can make lightning bolts with a high amount of concentration (he is not strong enough to make them come right out of thin air).

His power manipulates the air around him for the most part. The longer the range, the more energy it takes.

 Manipulating the weather is beyond his means, but if circumstances are right he can direct lightning bolts to specific areas. The more opportune the area, the easier (it is harder to strike against bricks than an enemy wearing full metal armor, for example).

Orbs: He is also very skilled at creating Orbs for various purposes. The most basic attacking ones and defense ones are his specialty, but he can also create elementally based ones (an orb of ice) and utility ones (for scouting) as well. These also are created by manipulating the energy around him, but some orbs are easier to make than others and others impossible (he won't be making balls of ice fly around in a hot desert, or ones that rely on nature to function in a wasteland).

Energy Efficiency: Extensive training has made him able to use shortcuts to operate his spells (at the expense of capabilities depending on area, as described above). These "shortcuts" allow him to cast with lower energy cost. Along with this comes his ability to know when something will be too much for him (based on experience as well).

Mind Self-Control: He is extremely difficult to breach due to specialty training from his order for protecting the sanctity of his mind.

Flaws
Despite the powers he has, he is not good with brute force and in a fight requiring such brute force in his spells, he will not survive without outwitting his opponent. The efficiency of his spells mean that he is limited based on situation, and is a bit less effective in all out spellcasting than, say, an ice mage that has not dedicated as much time as him finding "shortcuts" to make his spells cast easier.
His human blood cuts down his life expectancy and overall energy. Both are limited, and his age means he is not as flexible or good in reflex as he used to be. Sleep is essential; too long periods of no sleeping make his powers useless. The Tellandoric blood in his veins also reduce his overall affinity with normal magic, since Tellandor magic is very incompatible with the norm.

Personality
He is somewhat reserved to others, but friendly enough to be normal in most eyes. He is hard to make friends with, but when he does, he sticks by them. He isn't one to hold long grudges but is more than capable of hating someone who greatly offends friends or Desalith himself. He is open to almost every culture, being aware of his own mixture.

Background

Human Roots

Desalith's grandfather, Harthon was from Syrim.
The town his grandfather was born in has long been lost to evil, but it was fairly prosperous for its modest size in the past, being on the coastline along a profitable trading network. It specialized in fishing. It is now referred to as "the Doom Town" for an extremely high concentration of dark magic; it is speculated that it was touched by a being more evil than the Necromancer.

The speculation comes from the fact that any who enters the town immediately begins to doubt their companions, friends, family and themselves. Those who have been lost to it are nothing but wandering shells that attack anyone who does not wallow in their misery.

Elven Roots

All other known family members are of pure elven blood. The roots are in a country of elves that ruled the Northern forests for many centuries before splitting up following a revolution. Since then, Desalith's family line has been based in Arakdin.

City of Arakdin

Arakdin was founded by a division of northern elves who revolted against their king, and joined the noble elf Natashia to start a new, open town in defiance of the war to control the northern forest. The town is open to all cultures and has a majority mix of humans and elves, with some other races having presence there. It is a trading city of good size, and specializes in exotic goods and fishing. It is not far from the academy of the Järjestys Magi. It is roughly 200 years old.
It is lead today by Vesivial, an elf of somewhat shady reputation but also high political influence.

Family History

Desalith's grandfather, Harthon, was a hunter from a northern town called Syrim. He met Desalith's grandmother (Natashia) during the wars between humans and elves over authority of the northern forests (eventually won by elves, which pushed humans further down south). It was the single greatest scandal in elven history when the relationship between the man and the elf was discovered - love between two enemies. This love resulted in all future men of the family having a portion of human blood, Natashia being banished, a sect of elves splitting off to live scattered in human society (Natashia was part of the nobility, with a sizable following, before being disowned by her father, a close advisor of the king). Harthon was known to be a friendly man, just a hunter caught in war and saved by Natashia, who had lead the raid that caught him.

Natashia and Harthon had a son named Julius. His life and that of his parents were relatively quiet, although the family founded and became the roots of a mixed race community by the sea called Arakdin. Julius married a pure blooded elf who was the daughter of a family of elves that followed Natashia after the split, and had Desalith.

Early Life

Desalith was born to relative luxury, his family being the undisputed highest rank in Arakdin. He grew up being the one person who was capable of magic in his family. He discovered this when he accidentally electrocuted a group of three brigands tried to rob him… in public, where just about the entire city saw it.

At the time, people who displayed tendencies of magic were expected to join an order or academy to learn how to use the powers right. Pulling some strings, his family managed to secure him a spot in the esteemed school of the Järjestys Magi. After Desalith left left, he did not return home, even when he had the opportunity. Although he had a comfortable life before then, he found it a boring one where his parents honestly didn't care.

Joining the Magi and Battling the Necromancer

He went through 5 years of certification to become one of the order's Ritari, a rank that indicated him to be a fully qualified and trained wizard. He spent many years exploring until the rise of the Necromancer.

Desalith met up with the group of heros taking down the Necromancer when he became involved in one of their missions. He helped the group out; there was no excuse not to fight an evil as great as the Necromancer. He joined them and fought all the way to the final battle.

The final battle changed him, in ways. The Necromancer had tried to attack Desalith's mind and in that attack exposed some of his darker secrets; secrets with Desalith had no way to understand and interpret. They have haunted him in his nightmares ever since. he anchored down in a small town for ten years, when he set out for the reunion.

The Järjestys Magi

The so called "Order of Mages" is a very old and established organization that has trained and sent out many professional wizards into the world. Its mission is to teach as many people as possible safe and proactive use of magic while optimizing the abilities of its students. It is open to almost all races; excluded ones are demons, dragons, and some other special races/evil based races. Entry is extremely difficult; it requires pulling strings or an obvious display of qualification as decided by the leadership. There are two levels of order certification - Ritari and Masteri.

A Ritari is one who goes through what would be normally known to be advanced training. They are professional wizards who are trained based on their skillsets. Dropout rate is moderate; those who don't pass this training are simply known as trained wizards who do not have the luxury of the Magi's support. Those who do pass, in addition to receiving a very useful education can have the advantage of being known as certified. After training, their duty is to be peacekeepers who work on their own terms and are expected to take out threats of evil. The Necromancer was easily strong enough to defeat many Ritari who went after him alone.

A Masteri is a special qualification that takes 10 years of additional training. It is brutal and can result in death during training, and is only taken by the most dedicated of students. There are currently only 6 Masteri who have completed the course on record (one of whom is the leader of the Order). There were rumors, which have been aggressively denied, that the Necromancer was trained as a Masteri.

Items

He carries a single staff that would otherwise look like a normal log; however, it is charged with energy and is critical for him to focus and draw energy from so he isn't relying on just himself or the reserves of potentially unfriendly surroundings.

He wears dark robes (think of, for lack of a better example, something Gandalf would wear) that do not have a hood. They are worn with use but pretty well kept up with.

Other

(Might have more, just getting something up for the night)

[User]
There was not much left of the goblin. In fact, it was hard to determine what was goblin and what was not. The creature had, in the face of such a massive discharge of power, promptly exploded. The nearby pine had also caught on fire. Whatever items or secrets the fell little beast might have had seemed forever lost.

Meanwhile, Martox's contition was detoriating rapidly. The venom not only spread through his body at an alarming pace, it was also corrosive and causing mortal damage to his heart and internal organs. He had minutes, maybe less. He also seemed quite unconscious, probably from the enormous trauma of getting his heart pierced.

[Assistant]
Oryx rushed to Martox's side got immediately to work without a word. He would not let another friend fall with his gifts in hand. The Undead Vanguard placed his hands on the open wound and allowed his allies blood to muddy his hands as holy magics did their best to heal.

Oryx had gotten better with time, healing the wounds swiftly and locating the poison. The toxins were not rushing at a breakneck pace, but never the less it was a distrubing situation.

"Damnit," the old skeleton muttered to himself, "really didn't expect to be right back in the action like this today. Not like this."

[User]
Oryx could only do so much for the wounded wizard. The poison had already done too much damage, and his pierced heart lacked the strength to keep its body alive. In the cold embrace of the starlit night, beside the roaring fire of the former cottage, Martox's life came to an end. He passed silently, the pain dulled by Oryx's healing energy.

There were many questions now needing answers. Who had attacked the heroes, and why? What was the strange mark on Celestes neck, and could its magic be undone? Just what the hell was going on? These thoughts echoed through the minds of the heroes, tempered with anger and grief.

Before they could be answered, however, Martox had to be buried. They would then have to find their way to the nearest settlement to regroup and come up with a plan - someone was responsible for all this, and that person had to pay.

[Assistant]
Oryx could do nothing but stare at his bloodied palms. His friends blood covered every crack and crease of his bones. Martox was dead. Another friend dead, and all his fault. Why couldn't he ever do more? He was raised by the gods to kill evil, but could never seem to save the good around him.

Oryx just felt empty, his light dimming in sorrow. Shame wretched at his being and grief engulfed his soul. All he wanted to do was weep or moan somehow, but he was sure that whatever tear ducts he once had were shriveled long ago.

"Not again," the skeleton mumbled, "I can't believe this. Not another damnit. Not another!"

[User] Desalith slowly stood up, still heavily weakened by an overexertion of his energies. "We need to move..." he muttered, walking in the direction of Martox. "We need to bury him... and... get some support..." He partially limped on his ankle and looked rather sleepy for the situation.


[System]
* Age: 17 years old
* Gender: Male
* Race: Human
* Appearance: Standing 5' 11" and a sleek 155 lbs, Lucas carries himself with the graceful posture of both an athlete and an artist. His smile is polite and unassuming, his eyes are bright and steel-coloured, and his hair is as white as snow.
* Personality: Although a little withdrawn in light of the relatively recent death of his parents, Lucas is slowly but surely returning to his old self: A warm and friendly young man who will always seek to raise his friends spirits, whether it's with an unfunny joke or an arm around the shoulder and an open ear. He also has an odd quirk of being fearless. Not courageous, no - courage requires the presence of fear - but complete fearlessness. Danger simply does not move him. He has somewhat of a darker side that went undiscovered until he started weapons training... he does like to 'talk a little trash,' seeking to press the emotional buttons of his opponent and get them off their game. It is a little jarring to witness, for anyone that knows him, to see him in this arrogant and malicious state. Aside from that, he likes card games, climbing trees and reading books about heroic deeds, adventure and rescuing princesses.
* Brief Backstory: Lucas Storm was born to Penny and Harold aka 'The Storms' - a double act in a travelling circus troupe that lived on the roads of Thain. They were not quite the main event, but between Penny's acrobatics and Harold's knife-throwing expertise, the two had their act down to a tee and made a good living at the top of the card. Lucas however, had shot into stardom as a gifted trapeze artist and worked with his parents friends often as the main event. Every night he risked his life to entertain the audience, and strangely the dizzying heights or the danger had never even slightly bothered the boy, not even the first time.

Life was good. Simple, yes, but contented and full of love. Living on the road meant one was always an outsider and so the troupe had a trust and loyalty between them that went beyond community. More like family. They looked out for each other, lied for each other (certainly when thieves and pickpockets in the troupe began to make their extra money off the current town,) and they would no-doubt die for each other... something many of them eventually did. This circus life would indeed come to an end when they were assaulted in Velt by slaver unit. The troupe resisted as best they could, but were no match for amply-armed slavers. Many of them died, including Lucas' parents, Penny and Harold. Lucas was taken prisoner and caged, ready for sale.

No more than three days after Lucas was thrown into a cage, the slaver encampment was set upon by a mercenary band who captured the place after a bloody battle. Lucas was awestruck as a hero straight out of one of his books, fought evil men valiantly and freed him from the cage. That man, he would find out, was Gerard Segremors. From that day forward, Lucas Storm wanted to be a hero, like in his books. A hero like Gerard Segremors. His first act a free person again, was to go to the quartermaster of the mercenary band and request to be recruited. Perhaps the quartermaster took note of the young lad's strong body and graceful gait. Perhaps it was the look of determination and fearlessness in his eyes. For whatever reason, Lucas' request was accepted and he began training under the quartermaster.

This life as a mercenary did not last long however, as no more than some weeks - maybe months - later, the mercenary band was dissolved and folded into the military arm of the Church. Lucas didn't care, he simply waited to see what Gerard would do, and when his idol joined the Blades of Iron Roses, Lucas followed him into the order.

Now, Lucas finds himself training under a real regiment, in an order of knights where he might truly become a hero from his books - a hero like Gerard Segremors. And he works hard to make it happen.
* Equipment: A set of battered plate mail. A longsword. All standard basic Order issue. He likes to carry several daggers on his person, preferably balanced for throwing or using in a tight situation.
* Skills: Free-climbing. Juggling. Dizzying acrobatics. Knife throwing. Hold Em Poker. Pickpocketing. Cheering friends up. Sneaking.

[User]
Hope's Theme
Hope's English Voice
Hope's Japanese Voice
🌹 "This light is a ray of hope." 🌹

---

🌹 Time: Morning 🌹 Location: Inside a dark forest 🌹 Interaction: Griggs the One-Eyed Knight (NPC), Yasha (Special NPC) 🌹

---

Hope's eyes traced the movement of his angelic spirit Yahoel as the being hovered over the knights like a feathery star and shimmered under the moonlight, its eyes trained across the tree line for any signs of bandits and other mongrels who wish them harm. Before Hope had a chance to call on this angel for a report, someone shoved him in the back, causing him to stagger. It was a thick knight, seemingly missing an eye. Hope recognized him, one of his harrassers of no notable notoriety.

"You fool. You don't do anything until the Knight-Captain commands it. With this spectacle of magic you put on..." he said, motioning toward the angel in the sky with a look of disdain, "...you might as well have exposed us to the enemy. You pretty little mages don't belong in the Rose Knights anyways."

Hope looked at the man, startled. "I'm sorry. This is my first..."

"I don't give a damn if this is your first masquerade, princess, you wait until you're given the command to act."

Stunned, and ashamed at the reprimanding, Hope remained silent, looking away with a clenched jaw, uncharacteristically hardening his delicate features. The one-eyed man stepped closer and shoved him again, in the chest this time. "You got that beauty queen?". A heavy silence fell between them, only angering the knight further. Hope flinched as the man moved in to shove him again. But before he had a chance, someone grabbed his wrist. When the shove never came, Hope's eyes raised slowly and landed on a tall slim figure. Another knight, a man with features like snow; white hair framing a pale face under his helmet and piercing silver eyes.

"That's enough Griggs." the silver-haired knight said. Hope looked at him, perplexed. He'd never seen him in Candaeln before.

"Piss off, Yasha. He don't need your protection." Griggs barked, jerking his wrist loose from Yasha's firm grip. "I'm not..." Yasha responded, voice cold like ice, "...but your causing a bigger spectacle than the angel. Move up the line before you sully yourself."

"You..." Griggs growled, and the two men glared at each other for a brief moment. Eventually, Griggs relented, shoving past Hope and Yasha. The latter turned to the Hope and they shared an unusual gaze, though, despite his prior actions, Yasha's look toward him wasn't very friendly. "Your charms won't save you out here. Try not to get killed." And with that, the silver-haired Yasha moved past him as well.

Hope stood absolutely motionless, stunned by the interaction that just transpired. Eventually, he was shaken from his perplexed countenance when the Knight-Captain, Fanilly, began preparations. Hope admired her resilience and will to command an entire army. Despite her age, she took up the mantle and it was truly awe-inspiring. Hope nodded when she mentioned the support that his winged-spirit Yahoel would provide to Dame Cecilia's mission. And as they finally entered the dark forest, Hope's angel kept to the canopies, illuminating the darkness in a way that the moonlight just couldn't reach.

When they came to the shocking scene with the abandoned broken caravan and the bleeding person on the ground, Hope's spirit immediately flew back to him, knowingly. It expanded it's wings in a way that partially surrounded Hope's lithe frame. It took a battle stance, as did he. Hope looked at the scene, his stomach dropping. He only wished that Fanilly had been more careful before running to the body so haphazardly. But, once others took position around her, he felt a bit more relief. Still, enemies loomed in the darkness, waiting to pounce. Yahoel had seen something, which is why it flew back to protect him so quickly.

"My lord, danger lies within the shadows." Yahoel said.

Hope nodded. "I understand. Remain on guard. We must provide support to our comrades where we can." He stepped closer to the angel, leaning into its protection and familiar aura. Hope understood that his role was not on the front lines. Charging in with silver and brawn was not why he had been invited to join the Rose Knights. With his defensive magic, he could save a lot of lives tonight. He steeled himself, ready to protect his compatriots from any vagabond that tried to strike them.

[Assistant]
Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri heard the captain's orders to split and encircle. This told Fleuri two things- first, Fanilly believed they were close to the bandits, second, she had received some instruction in battlefield tactics. Still, they've have to wait and see how well she could command in the heat of battle. During the war, Fleuri had once been told that even a brilliantly laid battle plan could falter once combat actually began. This would be a pretty big deal for her, because as far as he knew it'd be her first time actually leading a battle, and how they performed during this battle would reflect on how the nobility of Thaln would judge her worthiness to be the captain of the Iron Roses, and her ability to hold onto the position.

Not being one for defensive fighting, Fleuri took up a position at the front of the knights' left flank. His two-handed sword and Reonite mindset favoring aggressive combat would suit him here much more than the center with the captain. It would be difficult to outmaneuver these bandits in the woods, but he figured Fanilly's goal was to catch them when they were all in their base. Thus once the base was found, it'd be imperative to move quickly to prevent them from being able to flee or regroup outside of the encirclement.

As they advanced, the knights spotted something in the middle of the road. Fleuri didn't get a good look because of the trees and brush in the way, but he saw an overturned cart. His first assumption was that this was a bandit trap for travelers and caravans- an overturned cart would force them to come to a halt and maneuver around it, and when they did, the bandits struck. The captain rushed ahead of her center group towards it, seemingly oblivious to the danger. Ordinarily, a group as heavily armed as the Iron Roses wouldn't be in any danger- any intelligent bandit would simply withdraw and opt not to spring the trap. However, they weren't dealing with ordinary brigands- they were up against fanatics and war veterans that might have ample tactical experience.

As several of the knights in the center followed Fanilly, Fleuri glanced around the woods surrounding him, looking for any signs of movement that might suggest an ambush or counter-encirclement. There wasn't much he could do for the captain at this point, the knights at the center would need to keep her safe. It'd truly be a tragedy if she were to perish in her very first battle, so soon after having been appointed to the position.

[User]
Lucas was not so full of anticipation that he couldn't enjoy the interplay between his comrades. The cocky back'n'forths, wagers placed, colourful displays of magic and harsh reprimands. Such a vibrant cast of personalities reminded him of his family. It was nice. Just as Lucas was reflecting on this, Alodia fell off her horse with a cry, turning her spell of dopiness into a sweet flip and landing on her feet. The young man's smirk turned into a full grin.

Yeah, it was nice indeed.

Then came more orders from the captain and that grin disappeared. "...Once you have returned, we shall advance and split into three groups to encircle the camp. Archers and magi will remain behind and offer support to those in front," she continued, "Do not loose arrow or spell wildly into the encampment. They have prisoners, and we cannot injure any innocents who may be out in the open."

While Lucas tried to burn the captain's words into his mind, his feet followed the knight next to him, Fleuri, to the front of the left flank. He had no idea the pros and cons of this position, only that there was plenty of space in front of him... space that would likely be taken up by people trying to kill him. With a clear view ahead as they advanced, Lucas' eyes darted around at every swaying branch, rustling bush and moving shadow. The exposure made him second-guess the protective capability of his armour. Sure it looked cool. But a well-placed arrow would mean his end. And then there was his skills. Gerard had told him not try and copy the older knight's aggressive fighting style. That he should find a style that better played to his strengths. But Lucas hadn't listened. In the few months he'd spent training with a sword in his hand, he'd done nothing but practice what he saw Gerard doing. He was determined to be like the older knight. And he was naïve enough to think he could come even close to catching up on a swordsman who'd been forged in five years of battlefield fire. But here at the front of the line - the darkness ahead promising malice - he was starting to wonder if any of his time on the yard would help.

Follow orders. Don't die.

Those two seemingly simple objectives were maybe a little more complicated than they sounded.

When the overturned cart came into view, Lucas realised that not all reminders of his past life would good ones. Fanilly called for aid and Lucas craned about to get sight of the situation. Lucas' circus troupe had been forced to stop on the roads in Velt for similar looking sight. Old man Biff had told them not to stop - not even slow down - but they couldn't just leave an dying man in the road. And then the slavers sprung. From the tree line, seemingly up out of the ground, they'd surrounded the troupe and killed everyone who resisted being taken away in chains. And now here he was again. On the edge of a bandit camp, seeing the same sight.

Everyone knew it too. Everyone except the captain, it seemed. What kind of a captain was this? Sure she was young, but so was Serenity, and Serenity was already on point with the scenario before them. As disturbing as it might've been, it was merely a thought running way in the back of Lucas' mind. The more pressing concern right now, was that a fight was about to break out at any time.

Knuckles of his sword-hand white, he fell into a fighting stance, his head on a swivel as he waited for the trap to spring.


[System]
Emet-Selch

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Character Summary
Aliases: Emet-Selch, Solus zos Galvus, The Architect
Age: Eternal
Race: Ascian
Place of Origin: Amaurot
Gender: Male
Class/Job: Sorcerer

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Personality

Depressed shitposter. Loves the sound of his own voice, and enjoys attention. Is very set in his ways, but very open to making others set in his ways too. He much prefers watching to actively participating in most situations, particularly combat. While he's fully capable of helping, he'd rather not, and he is sure to tell you as much.

Emet-Selch is a lonely old man who has seen the rise and fall of empires, and the development of new technologies. Little surprises him any more. That said, he's intrigued by new experiences, and is happy to force his company upon an innocent bystander.

This Architect of Empires has a certain fondness for children, and those who have suffered extreme hardship. Though he is not wont to admit it, he strives to make life a better place for those he feels are worthy of his attention.

Though his true name is Hades, he doesn't readily reveal it, preferring to use his title 'Emet-Selch' (pronounced Ehmitt-Selk). In Amaurot, the city of his birth, individuality was frowned upon, and as such names were much more personal in nature.

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Abilities

Creation Magic - The ability to take aether and shape it into a new form; including, but not limited to living organisms. This aether either comes from within, or from the surroundings. This includes life energies from other entities, however it does not necessarily have to kill the entity in question, and generally speaking it does not. This is in part because He has the ability to choose where he draws aether from, which can utilize multiple sources. This allows his magic to benefit from the collective strength, allowing them to be both stronger, and less personally taxing.

A strange quirk with Creation Magic is it requires absolute concentration, as the slightest distraction can alter the desired result. Even if you are attempting to recreate a familiar entity, it could change with a simple, stray thought.

Even compared to his peers, Emet-Selch is gifted in the field, which would explain his title of Architect. He is capable of creating an entire city with only a portion of his vast reserves of Aether.

Since Emet-Selch has a flair for the dramatic, he enjoys snapping his fingers in combination with creation. He thinks this makes him look cooler, or perhaps more worthy of adoration.

The Gift - The Gift (also referred to as the Echo) is a unique trait possessed by all those who made Amaurot their home once upon a time. The more complete an Amaurotine's soul is, the more powerful their echo. According to Lahabrea, it is the power to break down the barriers of existence; which is true to an extent. As such, it allows them a great amount of influence over the world at large, and the forces that control it.

Aether Manipulation - The ability to harness and utilize raw magical energy. This generally takes on the form of spell casting, but he is also able to track the flow of the life stream, and create rifts into the Void.

Shapeshifting - Amaurotine's do not have a physical form per-se. They are able to "pour" their soul into any "container" they see fit; being existing or fabricated. It is often used to take on the form of false-deities and powerful monstrosities—say Shiva, or Quetzalcoatl. Emet-Selch has his own form, taken from his true namesake; Hades. These forms are empowered by faith.

Despite the fact that Emet-Selch is fully capable of utilizing these transformative magicks, he prefers to stay with one form as much as possible, as too much alteration drains ones Aether reserves.

Ascian Prime - An Ascian soul made aetheric. It has the ability to control vast amounts of aether in a form suited for combat.

Hades - Hades' ascended form. It's capable of impressive feats of sorcery, conjuring dark-aspected aether to do combat. It has two forms; one physical and one aetheric. In his aetheric form, he is able to call upon the souls of the deceased to combine with him to grant him power.

Resonance - The ability to resonate with others' souls. This can be used for communication, and allows them to empathize with a person or creature's past experiences. They are capable of seeing the color and form of a person's soul, which allows them to easily identify an individual. Due to their nature, a soul is incapable of deceit—or at least the ones from Hydaelyn are.

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History

Born in Amaurot in eons past, he grew up in a utopian society, designed to allow all to flourish. Though treated equally, some were more skilled than others. As such Hades became a part of the Convocation of Fourteen—Amaurot's governing body, and bestowed the title Emet-Selch, the Architect. He was tasked with the construction and maintaining of the city's buildings and functions. It was no small feat, but he enjoyed his work.

This happiness would not last forever. Something about their star changed—the physical and aetherial realm began to warp their world beyond recognition, and this incited fear, and panic. Emotions they were unfamiliar with. The Amaurotines creation magicks became tainted, and they gave rise to terrifying abominations.

To this end, the Convocation of Fourteen gathered, desperate to find a solution to deliver them from destruction. They found the only way was to rewrite the laws of existence. However to do this, they would need to create a powerful entity; the will of the Star made manifest.

To create a God requires no small amount of power, and as such half of Amaurot's population was sacrificed to bring forth their salvation. And a savior He was, indeed.

However, that wasn't enough. All life was gone. As such, they sacrificed another half of their remaining population to seed the Star with life. Hades had lost so much, and was not going to stand for this. It was not fair what happened, and as such he hatched a plan to bring everyone back. By any means necessary.

His closest friend, Hythlodaeus, objected to his ambitious plan, which involved seeding life only to sacrifice their Aether. He believed it was their turn to exist, and that Amaurot's chapter had concluded. Not conceding, Emet-Selch was well on his way to enact his plan when Hythlodaeus, along with his followers, summoned their own god to serve as His shackles. The clash of these powerful primals caused reality itself to split into fourteen pieces; the Source, and Thirteen Shards.

Only Three Amaurotines were spared from the sundering. Not even Hythlodaeus survived the cataclysmic event, his soul being torn across all Thirteen Shards, and the Source. Hades' grief turned into madness, and he and the remaining two Paragons began to hatch a plan to rejoin the fragmented Star.

Longing for home, Hades would continue playing the role of Architect, creating grand, technologically advanced civilizations. He was proud of them, but he was constantly disappointed by man. They were selfish creatures who cared for no one but themselves. They weren't even truly alive. Merely ghosts of what could have been. This disgusted him.

He tried to grow fond of them, even taking up countless lovers throughout his lifetime. Still he found them wanting. Through his experiences, he confirmed his initial opinion that the only way to truly fix the world, was to rejoin the shards, awaken his god, Zodiark, and sacrifice the followers of Hydaelyn so that Amaurot may be reborn.

[User] A FFXIV RP between @Ninian as Emet-Selch and @Amaterasu as the Warrior of Light, Lumina.

[Assistant]
The Rak'tika Greatwood. A beautiful forest housing those who want for shelter from the blinding light that plagued the first. Deep within the forest dwelled staunch defenders—those who would protect the interests of ancient Ronka. Those who trespass on this sacred ground were met with swift elimination.

All but one man.

Resting quietly under one of the forests large trees was none other than Emperor of Garlemald revealed Ascian. Arms behind his head, a small smile twisted his lips as he enjoyed his respite in the shade. However his nap was short-lived, as he heard a feminine voice call out.

"You. On your feet."

Bleary-eyed, the man began to pick yourself up, raising his arms up in the process, "Well, well, well...." Yawning compulsively, the man moved to cover his mouth when one of the women raised their weapon at him. Raising his arm up once more, he beamed, "If it isn't the fabled Viis. The staunch defenders of Ronka! What an absolute honor it is to finally meet you! You know, they say that the Viis shoot first and—"

A lance made of ice fired dangerously close to the Ascian's head, plowing into the bark behind him. The one holding the threatening weapon was a youthful-looking Viis, shorter than most, with locks of red tied into a ponytail.

Spitting, the other woman spoke, pro-offering her spear to point it at his head, "Do men always drivel on like this, or is it just you?"

Smirking, the tired man retorted, "You'll be relieved to know that I am unique."

The purple-haired Viis was clearly agitated, throwing out her spear-less arm, "Enough! How were you able to sneak past our patrol? Outsiders are forbidden from entering or even gazing upon the ruins!"

Shrugging, the man finally put down his arms, "You aren't asking the right questions. Perhaps an introduction is in order?" Not waiting for a response, he continued, "I am Emet-Selch, and I believe you have met my acquaintances. The Allies of Ronka I believe you called them?"

Frowning, the red-head glared daggers into him, before offering her remark, "And why should I believe you?"

Looking almost offended, the man's eyes widened, "Why don't you ask them yourselves? They surely can attest to the credibility of my story."

Rolling her eyes, the purple-haired Viis put away her lance and gestured for him to follow, "Fine. Follow me, but if you try anything, it will be the last thing you do. Am I making myself clear?"

Sighing, he began to follow along, "Crystal."

Now within Fanow, the pair of Viis escorted Emet-Selch to his supposed companions. The entire way, the man couldn't help but look over his shoulder in worry, as the woman guided him in such a way that made him feel less than welcome. Finally within view of the Scions the man's eyes fell downcast.

"Oh, look who it is." The gunbreaker's gaze bore into the Ascian, disdain clear in his voice.

"Well... this is embarrassing. In my defense, they are surprisingly tenacious."

The purple-haired woman behind him seemed unamused, but the other appeared quite proud of herself.

"So—what trouble have you gotten yourselves into this time?"

[User]
"She is alive. She is alive, damn you!" Droplets of tears ran down the well-built Ronso's face; none could utter a single word of reassurance. Each one of them deep down wanted to believe the same, but seeing the endless abyss with their own eyes was proof enough to assume anyone who even made it to the bottom in one piece would've met their demise.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but our scouts have apprehended an intruder.", a sudden voice broke the grieving silence. What followed was definitely not an interruption the Scions welcomed, especially at the current atmosphere. The Warrior of Light barely spared the Ascian a glance, merely giving a small sigh in response at his ever sarcastic behavior.

"So—what trouble have you gotten yourselves into this time?"

People present at the venue all turned to face the Miqo'te, Lumina, for an explanation of the situation. While it didn't feel it to be a necessity to inform the immortal being of their every move, the dancer obliged to answer his inquiry. Retelling the events from the time after he 'conveniently' vanished in front of The Night's Blessed, to their current predicament had taken some time but finally, she ended with, "Y'shtola, she... She entrusted me the antidote to save her comrades but... I could've reached for her, had I reacted sooner..."

Clenching her fist in utter regret, the Warrior of Light fell silent once more with her gaze upon the bottle of antidote in her hand. Though anyone who fell into the pit would definitely face death, there was something about the sudden gust of wind that bothered her...

[Assistant]
"Well, well. What an intriguing turn of events." Though sincere, the man's tone was solemn, and considerably less flamboyant than their previous encounters. Looking to the Miqo'te, his brows furrowed, "My condolences, by the way. 'Tis never easy to lose the ones we love."

His gesture was halted when he caught sight of the gun breaker, Thancred's murderous glare. Offering a hand in gesture, he responded, "Well she is dead, isn't she? Wishing it were otherwise will not make it so."

The blonde-haired man responded with anger and frustration, "That you should be indifferent to her loss is no surprise. But to us, she was a friend. The best of friends."

The sorrowful words of regret from Lumina caused Emet-Selch to wilt some. "Come now, my dear. One cannot change the follies of the past. Perhaps you could have saved her, but think for just a moment. She sacrificed herself so that countless others might live. Is that not a noble death?" Frowning some, he continued, "Moreover, no one is perfect. Not even the vaunted Hero of the Source. You did the best that you could with the knowledge of your present situation."