[System]
Appearance:

Race: Human
Class: Paladin
Main-Hand Weapon: Longsword
Off-Hand Weapon: Kite Shield, Steel
Secondary Weapon: Greatsword
Armor: Full Plate
Powers: None - his faith is all the power he needs.
Skills:
Diplomacy - Carver is a great communicator, able to get what he wants out of people by being straightforward with them. In additon, his palpable earnestness and good looks tend to make him very popular wherever he goes.
Knowledge of Religion - Having lived in a monastery all his life, he knows a fair deal about the various faiths of the realm.
Tenacity - With faith as his armor and honor his shield, there his little Carver cannot endure - he will get back up and get back up and get back up.
Weaknesses: Cannot tell a lie to save his life.
Utterly shackled to the (very rigid) moral codes of his order.
Personality: Carver is the quintessential knight - he is obsessed with justice, honor, courage, and compassion. He's a compulsive do-gooder and sometimes a bit of a stick in the mud, and sometimes he can be a little too sure of his own judgements, but he is really, fundamentally a good person out to spread good into the world. In combat, he is a protective fighter - a blow will not fall on his comrades if it may fall on him instead, and he prioritizes a solid defense over any kind of offense.
Background: Carver was born in a great city far to the north, and given over by his parents at a young age to the local order of holy warriors. He was brought up as a crusader, a servant of the goddess of the sun and compassion, and taught his whole life the virtues of justice, integrity, and faith. Now, as part of his Crusader's Rite of Passage, he has journeyed to the south, seeking to right the wrongs, uplift the downtrodden, and spread the radiant light of the sun to all dark corners of the world.
Other:

[User]
Carver nodded to the half elf. "Your offer is a generous one, and I appreciate it. I will take the last watch, for I see best during sunrise. When your watch draws to a close, wake up Separ. Separ will have to wake up Kelvin. Kelvin will have to wake up..." The paladin glanced around the assembled party. A child, a refugee, a witch, and a wide-eyed gnome. "... Me. I'll take a double watch, it'll be no trouble."

The party was sore, tired, frightened and generally worn down, but they were alive, and they were together, which was more than the knight could have hoped for. At least, most of them were - Alula, the very girl he'd sworn to protect, was still missing. Part of Carver wanted to go look for her, but he knew it wouldn't be safe, and that it wouldn't be what she wanted - she'd seemed pretty insistent on being alone at night. His efforts were better spend on those he had eyes on - what they needed now was to rest and recover their strength - their next moved could be planned in the morning.

"Carver, do you – or do you not – feel responsible for the failure in preventing the destruction of Ravenwood and of all its citizens?"

The refugee's words, the one who'd tried to get a rise out of him earlier. Carver held the man's gaze. His home had been burned to ashes, everyone he'd ever known put to the sword. If he wanted to take it out on the man who should've prevented it, that was more than his right.

"Yes. Your village is burned, all those people dead, because I was not wise or fast or strong enough to stop it. On my head was the task, and on my head lay the blame."

[Assistant]
Separ

Feeling exhausted and tired from such a long day, Separ couldn't help but yawn as he finished the last preparations on his tent. He laid out his sleeping bag and then left to check on the others to see how they were all doing. What he overheard however was a conversation between both the civilian and Carver. "Do you or do you not feel responsible for the failure in preventing the destruction of Ravenwood and of all its citizens?" It felt as though the man wanted someone to blame, a scapegoat to explain why his town had fallen. Listening closely Carver admitted to actually being at fault. Not liking where this conversation was heading, Separ decided to intervene before the conversation could go on any longer. He walked up towards the two of them. "Sorry if I'm interrupting, it's just that I would like to say that the destruction of Ravenwood is not your fault Carver, or at least not entirely. By your logic, I and all of the others are just as much at fault. Why couldn't I be strong enough to knock out an ettin in one blow?" Separ pointed to the little girl and Vis as well to further prove his point. "Why wasn't the elf swift enough to run circles around that whole army? And why couldn't the little girl over there be a master weapons user?" Separ already didn't like this man that much. He seemed to be one of those snobby types that always looked down on others. At least that would be what it seemed like as earlier the man complained about that quick duel between Carver and that Bill guy. Glaring daggers at the civilian, Separ ended his rant. "Finally, why weren't you strong enough to save Ravenwood?"

And with that being said Separ glared at the man for a moment before turning around to go into his tent. Separ then called out to the entire group, just audible enough for everyone to hear. "I'm going to bed you guys, I'm pretty exhausted after such a long day. Anyone is free to enter my tent and sleep with me, I'll probably be asleep when you come in anyways." Entering his tent Separ unrolled his sleeping bag and pulling himself inside, drifted off into sleep.

[User]
Carver's answer satisfied Arastoph. This was good. This meant that he could more easily get what he needs out of this by milking the "sole survivor" trope. However, there came issue with the brawler, who seems to have taken upon himself to present himself as the ass. Ah; setbacks, setbacks. So, how would be the best way to take care of this monkey while still playing the trope? Perhaps, maybe, undermine the brawler's efforts to absolve themselves of blame and pinning it instead on the "sole survivor", and putting the monkey up on spotlight. He'd have to really milk this, but it was doable. As Separ walked away, Arastoph began, not even bothering to look behind him at he spoke.

"So, tell me - Separ, was it? Have you ever seen what it was like to watch closely people being burned alive?" Arastoph asked. He paused for a moment for his words to sink in. "I imagine not, so let me explicitly descriptive: a small child, hunched over a bed of charcoals. Her screams of agony, oh so woeful that they were, have long since evanesced. Her blood is instead boiling, oozing through the pores of her skin. With the sight, the smell of burning skin mingled with burning hair. Her eyes pop like grapes when the water in and behind them boil."

He looked at the little girl that the lisping rogue had made her companion. "That could have just as easily been her."

He took a deep breathe, as though it were meant to regain his bearings. Now it was time to really milk it.

"Now what if I told you, that girl was my daughter?" He stated, clenching his teeth and emboldening his voice. "Would you then be so bold to suggest that I did not do everything in my power to stop that? Whereas the lot of you - all with combat experience, weapon training, and practice - had far more tools to their disposal than I ever had? As a trader, I picked a different path, which just so happened meant I couldn't support a family by ways of fighting."

His head turned back to face Carver, his face a little pink with forced, feigned anger. "If you do take responsibility," he said, "I do expect reparations. Safe passage to other towns. The lives of people are not insurable, but I expect at least the compensation for everything I've lost. I'm a merchant who had a pretty penny to his name. I've lost a lot. This would mean paying off a large monetary debt, however long it takes."

[Assistant]
Separ
Separ sighed as he listened to the man's words. This guy was unbelievable, trying to get him to feel guilt over something he had nothing to do with, as well as wanting payment to boot. Without turning around either Separ replied with. "I have never seen a person burn alive, I'll give you that. But what does this have to do with anything? Yes it was your daughter, and I feel sorry for your loss. Nonetheless, we're human too. Just because Carver has a sword doesn't mean he's some unstoppable juggernaut. I'm not invincible either, none of us are. We're only human, well excluding the gnome and the elf, but while I do wish I could have saved the town I know I'd just add to the death pile. I barely escaped with my life, and," motioning towards the cloaked girl who was still fast asleep. "I managed to save her life as well. That's as much as I could muster, so sorry if I'm not Mr. Superhero the fourth. Also don't expect much money out of me, I mean I'll help out, but from what I can tell, you appear to be no good. I just hope the only reason you're acting like this is because you just lost your town and family. So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Goodnight."

And with that Separ finally entered his tent and fell asleep, exhausted from such a long day of fighting.

[User]
Khat nestled herself between the pillar like roots of the oak tree, looking small among the woody tendrils of the massive plant. She nibbled into the bread, looking as if she were not hungry, however she was starving but her seized up heart wouldn't let her eat, like a lump in her stomach taking up all the space. As the man spoke of his burning daughter, she shrunk further and further into the recess between the roots, until she was as small as she could be, her head between her knees and her arms pulling them towards her chest. She had lost her appetite. To her own frustration, she started to cry, ever so quietly so she could not be heard.

Vis turned away from the flickering flame and cast a green light behind him with his cursed eye, his heart stumbled over itself and reached out to the little girl, his green light softening to almost nothing. He moved towards her, taking his time to shove his way past the new guy to express his feelings. Vis crouched at Khat's feet and looked at her before he spoke.

"You're muther wouldn'th wanth you crying, you know thath, righth?" he asked her gently, putting a hand on her's. She shook it off harshly and barked in his face.

"How would you know?!" She had had enough, bursting into tears she launched herself at Vis and clung to him, thumping his back with her balled up fists as she wept, "I've got no one! No one but a dumb half-elf!" Vis knew her rage was only fueled by her grief but her words still hurt.

Soon she grew exhausted and fell asleep, her face tear stained and her long red hair tangled and matted from her thrashing. Vis rested his head on the tree as he sat, the girl sound asleep on his lap. "Whath am I thoo do?" he mumbled to himself.

[Assistant]
Carver watched Separ enter his tent. The man was generous in his defense of Carver, but ultimately, misguided. It had not been his responsibility to defend the village, nor Kelvin's, nor Vis's. When Carver put on the armor, he swore an oath - he made the defense of all things good and peaceful his responsibility forevermore.

The refugee's words were compelling, however. Truly, the man had lost much, endured much, and he deserved to be heard out at the least.

"If you do take responsibility," said the refugee, "I do expect reparations. Safe passage to other towns. The lives of people are not insurable, but I expect at least the compensation for everything I've lost. I'm a merchant who had a pretty penny to his name. I've lost a lot. This would mean paying off a large monetary debt, however long it takes."

Without him even realizing it, Carver's upper lip curled into an expression of disgust at the words. "So that's it, then? Money." The paladin rounded on the man, hands clenching into fists. "You speak of money when homes are gutted and pillaged. You speak of money when innocents are slaughtered, women defiled, children burned. You've borne witness to carnage indescribable, and yet you have words for your fortune?!"

The knight was shouting now, the full weight of his fury bearing down on the man. "What I failed was beyond sums and figures. The peaceful life that was taken from those villagers was worth more than all the coin you could ever put your hands on. I will live in penance for this failure and for many others, but I will not spend my days recompensing a miser his 'pretty penny.'"

Carver turned to walk towards his tent. Almost as an after-thought, he yanked his coinpurse from his side and tossed it over to the man. "There. Ten coins, all the money to my name. Take it, if you value it so greatly. I do not care for its stink."

With that, the paladin entered the tent, still bristling with indignation.


[System]
Race: Dwarf
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Equipment: Dual Axes and Crimson leather armor (shows casteless) Black Cowl
Magic: none
Bio: Cast out of his caste because of morals, Caelyn has set out to make his own caste and kingdom. He has always been a big thinker, and after a swift branding to his left side of his neck making him an outcast, it was just the inspiration he needed. Caelyn also knew that if he wanted to do something like that he would have to acquire money. He knew right where to go. There was one small problem with going to Silverbeard's mine, and he heard Tremshire was calling upon those to help rid it.
Appearance:

[User]
Samuel walked up the path to Fort Goldface. This is where the adventurers are supposed to meet? Well, better go inside. As he walked up to the fort, he wondered how much money the reward was for defeating this creature. He hoped it would be enough to sustain his family for a decent while.

He walked inside the fort, and instantly noticed the other adventurers. He glanced over them for a few seconds, and walked up next to
them. While facing the noble, he said "Hello. My name is Samuel Redmane. I am here for the...err...job?"

[Assistant]
The advisors wrote Alurat's name as soon as they heard it. The noble answered his questions. "Once the quest is done, you will receive 10 bags of gold, worth a thousand each. And any item you may have acquried whilst doing the quest is yours.", he said. Then, the noble opened a small book, flipped a few pages and answered Alurat's second question. "According to records, there are to be seven of you who answered the call. So I believe you will be in a group of seven.", othe noble said.

Then, another man entered the fort. He spoke up his name, and said that he was there for the job. The advisors wrote his name at the scroll. Then, one of the advisors, signaled him the number two. The noble nodded, and observed Samuel. "Tell me, Samuel. What is your race exactly?", the noble asked.

[User] Sophia looks around at the individuals who dared to take the mission in the ember peaks. She did not know if these people were going to be rivals for the reward or willing companions. As long as she completed this mission, it wouldn't really matter. She tried to observe everything about the people around her from their weapons and armor, to their temperament and hairstyle. They were all interesting in their own unique way. When the noble answered the question about what the reward was, She could not be help but smile. It was a good amount but the way the noble worded it was funny. Whatever she find along the way was hers to keep. So, if she happened to stumble upon a gem in a noble's pocket, it was hers to keep. She knew it did not work like that but it was an amusing thought. She said nothing to anyone and she stepped back to be closer to the edge of the group.

[Assistant] Samuel overheard the reward. Ten thousand gold? That was a great reward! Also, the 'anything you find' rule was interesting. Then he heard the noble. "I am half Fiern, Half Vix."

[User]
Fort Goldface

Berthellemy rushed inside the fort! He thought for sure he was going to be too late, but as god would have it, he made it in time! He put his cross to his chest and prayed silently while looking for those who he would be a companion to. Sure enough, they stood out like sore thumbs, they were pretty easy to spot and find. So, with haste, he went towards them.

"I hope you forgive me, It took a little longer to get here then I had assumed", he spoke to anyone who was willing to listen, or at least acknowledge he was now here and will be assisting them. What he told them was the truth, and he had overestimated his own body. He had no idea such a long journey would have put such a large toll on him! However, now that he was here he was hoping he could rest for at least an hour or so, he wanted to rejuvenate himself beginning the most dangerous expedition he had ever been on. He wanted to be at least somewhat prepared.

[Assistant]
"A mixture of Vix and Fiern. How interesting.", the noble said. It was not very usual to see a mixture of races in Tremshire, since most of the population there come from large clans of races and such.

Then, another guy came into the fort. He carried a cross, which seemed to be metallic. He apologized for arriving late, when he was just in time. The noble looked at him and said, "Do not apologize, priest.", the noble said as he assumed that Berthellemy was some kind of priest. "You are joining this quest, aren't you? If you are then I require your name.", the noble said.

[User]
Caelyn crested the hill and saw the smoke rising from hearths at Fort Goldface. "Remind meself to be askin' about that name." Caelyn said aloud. Followed immediately with "Self, the name, yer needin' to ask them about it." Caelyn let out a booming laugh. Birds flew off in the field to perch somewhere more peaceful. They might have thought a musket had fired with his hearty laugh. Caelyn had been doing this a lot lately. Making conversation with the only person he knew the last 5 months of his journey. Short of an innkeep here and there, and a barmaid, he had no acquaintances. Reflecting on that only made his already short stride a little longer. He hurried with conviction, and saw the line of people forming up to join in on this quest.

"Waaaiit!! Do no' be forgettin' about me. The most important man on this mission." He glanced around and saw one man in heavily cladded armor and thought almost the only man on this misson.

"State your name for the log." The nobleman added with and exaggerated eye-roll. "Caelyn Dan'Thur at yer service." He bowed with a toothy grin. "I'm 'ere to be slayin' yer beastie ye got up there. Oh! That is remindin' me! Why name this place Goldface? Seems kinda silly."

"Please wait over there while we wait for the others to arrive." The nobleman obviously avoided the question, and it made Caelyn laugh. But only a mild boom, he was in the presence of nobility of course. Caelyn moved to join the others.

[Assistant] Berthellemy was happy someone was already listening to him. The man asked for his name. He guessed the man was taking roll of some kind, just to make sure everyone who was supposed to be here was here, probably. "My name is Berthellemy sir, Berthellemy Rainaldus. Pleasure to make your acquiantance." Berthellemy had no idea if the man taking names was part of their journey or not, but either way he wanted to be police and hopefully became friends with the man. If he so wanted, anyways.

[User] Samuel sat down and stared at the other members of the party. Eh, not bad. Better than the slum-dwellers back home, that's for sure. Home. He needed to take his mind off it. He pulled the Swordpike from his back and started polishing the blades carefully.

[Assistant]
The advisors of the noble wrote down Berthellemy's name as he said it. "Very well. Since there are seven of you, I assume that all of you are complete." He signaled the soldier near the door, who then nodded at him. "Before you leave on this quest, you should feast." Servants then, came in. They quicly assembled tables of food and beverages before the adventurers. "I shall take my leave.", the noble said, "Good luck, brave adventurers." The servants then left the fort, then the noble and his advisors. The gold that was counted by the treasurers were brought with them in bags. The carriage had left. The adventurers were left alone, with tables filled with food ranging from the classic roasted meat to fine, high-tier meals.

Ivan immediately took the nearest ale he could reach, slightly removed his helm to reveal his mouth, and started to the chug down what he held as he grabbed two more bottles and strapped them to his waist. Drinking alcohol was not his habit but he has been used to them due to the so many victory celebrations he has been to. One could see his enjoyment as he slowly drank the ale to fully experience its rich taste.

[User]
The feast laid out for them was bountiful indeed, but Alurat was not particularly hungry nor was he prone to over indulgence. Instead of taking advantage of the food, he surveyed his companions. The relaxed attitude of the one partaking of the ale had made him seem to be the most confident in his abilities, and dulling his senses before their quest agreed with that assessment. Alurat decided that he should probably speak to him now, to take his measure before their group confronted any real danger. Picking up a glass of chilled fruit juice, he approached the warrior.

"You arrived before me, so I did not catch your name, warrior," he said, implying a question. Taking a sip from his glass, he awaited a response.

[Assistant] Samuel put away his weapon and walked over to the feast. He eyed over the various foods. He stayed away from the alcohol, he had never understood why people would want to get intoxicated. He picked up an apple and started munching on it. He would eat something else later.

[User] Sophia was surprised when all the servants came out to set up the feast. She had not planned to eat until later, but after others began to eat she walked up to the table. She calmly started eating the grapes and other fruits that were on the table. She watched everyone around her but she said nothing to any of them. She did not know any of them and as far as she was concerned they did not need to know anything of her. Only their fighting abilities mattered, and she was certain she would find out sooner or later. She took a seat at the corner of the seat and continued to eat and observe.

[Assistant] As Ivan drank the ale he held, the rune magician came to him, asking a question. "Alurat Tihr, wasn't it?", Ivan said to the man as he stopped his chugging. "I am Ivan Rischter." He then, shut back his helm, and closed the bottle he was drinking. "I'm going to keep this for the journey.", he thought to himself. "You sure are dedicated to your magics, even engraving them to your very skin.", he said to Alurat.

[User] "Yes, that I am," Alurat responded, setting his glass down on the edge of the table and looking off into the distance introspectively. "Consequently, the results are particularly potent. That's how life works, isn't it?" He asked, letting the question hang in the air for a moment before continuing. "Your capabilities are directly proportional to your efforts, which brings me to my next question." His gaze focused on where he imagined Ivan's eyes to be. "While I am competent in battle, I am not a warrior by trade, but you, Sir Rischter, are." He tapped the tattoo on his forehead. "This gives me the ability to detect presences, but only when active. So if your instincts warn you of anything untoward nearby during this quest, I would ask you to warn me so that I can ferret out anything that lies in wait for us."

[Assistant]
"A rune for detecting presences, huh.", Ivan said as he stared at the man's runic mark on his forehead. "Though I believe your rune magic would suffice, it would be my pleasure to be of use.", Ivan replied to Alurat.

The skies were turning from bright blue into a radiant yellow, the adventurers have spent much time configuring and feasting. A loud roar coming from the mountain was heard throughout the fort.

"I believe our creature has grown impatient and is asking to be slain.", Ivan said to his allies. "We should be able to leave now, as long as you all are ready.", he said as he left the tables, and started to head through the doors.

[User]
Sophia smiled as she heard the roar of the beast echo down from the mountain. She could feel that fear rise from within her at the same time, the fear evoked a lust for combat and thrill of the fight to awaken in her. She stood up and proclaimed, "About time... This hunt should be fun."

Sophia grabbed the last few grapes out of a bowl as she left the tables. She was happy and eager to get started. If she had stayed much longer, she might have been encouraged to keep eating. She was not really interested in being fattened up for some other creature's lunch.

[Assistant]
At the sound of the roar, Alurat's eyes widened and he turned to look in the direction of the Ember Peaks. Whatever creature they faced certainly sounded ferocious, which was all the better for his purposes. Any doubts were assuaged by the confidence with which Sir Rischter faced the beast's bellow, taking charge of the party and leading the way out the doors of the fort. Grabbing a pitcher of the chilled juice he had been enjoying, Alurat followed after the warrior, pulling the hood of his cloak up once again.

Looking over his shoulder, he called out to those still at the table. "You heard the beast, lets be on our way while there's still good light."

[User]
Caelyn was dining to himself, sizing up all the fellow adventurers. He had not seen a spread this generous in a very long time. So, if anyone was watching, Caelyn gorged himself. "Ah, I like yer philosomofee there Allyourrat. Just like me eatin' the more I'm puttin' in, the better me belly is feelin." Caelyn let out a roaring laugh. Except this time, it seemed to echo extra loudly. "Man, are me laughs really that loud?" Caelyn looked around the room and saw everyone's gazes focusing on the mountain. "Ah, it t'was the beastie then. Good, was about to be insecure about me laugh." Caelyn shook his head and went back to gorging.

The Ivan fellow suggested it was time to leave. Caelyn snatched up some fruit and smoked meats for the journey, and picked up his axes. "Ah me two loves, Slash and Thrash." Each blade finely honed, and upon further inspection would see they were enchanted. Caelyn wasn't ready to reveal just what yet. He kissed each of them as if a child and sheathed them on his sides. "Well ladies, might we be goin?"


[System]
Age:
16

Appearance:

Bio:
Machines were always man's servant. After all, man created the machine for a specific purpose. To help them whenever they wanted. Machines propelled mankind into another renaissance era of the future, and fantastic forms of computers, AI, and robots were created at an alarming rate. The government never saw fit to limit or restrict any of the new technology scientists seemed to be pumping out on a daily basis. And thus, "Elijah" was born. A product of the most advanced robotics, AI, and artificial tissue technology. He was one of the first machines that acted, looked, and sounded like a human. Elijah went into a public high school as his first test, where none of the staff or students were able to identify him as a machine, as they were all fooled. But when the scientists announced this fact to the world, outrage occurred. The scientists were playing god, they said. Soon enough, Elijah was forced to carry an ID card that identified him as a machine, and was sent to live among the aliens, since the humans cared little about the extraterrestrial beings.

[User]
Kaffir Lycaste
It was the beginning of the school year, but that didn't mean anything to Kaffir. He wasn't planning on attending his classes despite his parents' concerns. He knew that they meant well, but he just couldn't take it anymore. It was hard enough being a teenage boy, but being an alien teenage boy made things even worse. They didn't understand what was bothering him, but he could see the way they looked at him and he knew what they thought. He was a freak and he wasn't one of them. So why pretend?

He was sitting down in a dark, but familiar alley. While his species generally preferred sitting out in the sunlight, he didn't want to risk getting caught by the police. This was their spot and everyone who was anyone knew it. He was throwing a rubber ball that he had found in his room earlier that day. The ball would hit the wall and return back to his hand. If he had miscalculated, his vines would help him catch it and allowed him to continue what he was doing.

They didn't always do much nor did they always say much but they didn't need to. Sometimes he wondered why they all hung out. But in a way, they were the same and they had reached some unspoken understanding. It was definitely something he needed in his life.

"Hey Hali," he said absentmindedly, breaking the silence. "Isn't your birthday coming up soon? Did you want to do something?"

"Do me and Eli have to get you a present or something?" he half-joked as he threw the rubber ball at his robot friend.

[Assistant]
Hali was crouching on the ground, leaning forward to try to catch her reflection in the smudged basement window across the narrow alleyway. She'd decided to pin up her bangs: since she was with her friends in their spot, it was safe to show her third eye. The rhythmic sound of Kaffir's rubber ball against the wall had lulled her into a false sense of security, almost causing her to lose her balance when Kaffir abruptly addressed her, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, my birthday's on Monday. Just four more days!"

She tilted from side to side, half-pondering what she wanted as a gift, half-trying to get a better view in her makeshift mirror. It wasn't really working out. Deciding to be satisfied with her handiwork, she pointed her three-eyed gaze at Kaffir. What could she ask for as a present? She didn't have birthday plans any grander than eating birthday cookies on her roof at sunset with friends and family, and that was what she did every year.

"You guys should steal a spaceship for me, and we can ditch school and tour the galaxy instead." She smiled proudly, as if she had come up with the greatest (and most realistic) idea in the history of sentient life. "And then we'll eat cake. On the spaceship. Space cake!"

[User]
Elijah always wondered why the humans kept these "Aliens" separate from themselves. They didn't seem that much different. The only difference was their looks. Kaffir was green, with vegetation growing out of him. Hali had her third eye, which Elijah couldn't help staring at, as it was such an oddity. She never really showed her eye in public, so this was one of the rare times he could take a peek. Very strange indeed. Then again, Elijah looked exactly like them, and he was here with the "Aliens". Not that he minded.

The humans practically treated him like the "aliens", with distrust and fear. But he found that he did not treat the aliens with mistrust and fear, in fact, it was the exact opposite. After all, Elijah was now celebrating with the aliens what the humans called a "Birthday Party" That would mean Elijah had "Friends". Or at least theoretically.

"Stealing a spaceship is against several civil and federal laws. I am legally obligated to counsel you to not do so." Elijah gave Hali a concerning look, wondering why she would attempt something so dangerous. "Not to mention eating at cake while piloting a spaceship is highly unsafe. Distracting piloting causes approximately 437,338 fatalities a year."


[System]
Age: 17

Race: Faerie

Class: Druid

Appearance notes: Skyler stands at about 5'10. With his death, Skyler found he had translucent wings on his back.

Notable Traits: Easy going, enjoys conversation, always willing to try something new

Belongings: A bandolier for vials, an oak wand, a small journal, a small leather bag

Abilities:
1 - Botany & Alchemy: A natural study of the former and an eager student of the former in this new world, Skyler studies producing magical potions and elixirs with this new world's flora and fauna.

2 - Flight: Although he does have wings, he has yet to full adjust to them. Doing more than hovering is taxing because he doesn't have the strength to sustain flight yet. He spends plenty of time apologizing for hitting people with them. He tends to forget they exist.

3 - Heart Beat Healing: A spell that wraps a target in a green aura that seems to pulse with life. Heals the target for a small amount per beat over 15 seconds. Must maintain concentration on the spell.

Tension Root: Vines burst forth at the feet of the target, grappling them. As the target moves, the vines tense and force the target to hold still for a few moments in order to loosen them again. Lasts 30 seconds or until the vines are destroyed.

Personality:

Skyler prioritizes fun and new experiences. Relaxed and generally carefree, Skyler firmly believes since everyone is going to die anyway, you might as well enjoy the trip. He'll never pass up the opportunity to experience something new, be it talking to a stranger at the bus stop or diving off a 50 foot cliff into the ocean. He empathizes well with others and only if you are truly insufferable will he get angry, although it presents as irritation rather than rage.

Lacks motivation. The same comment from kindergarten to fifth grade. Every teacher and instructor lamented the lack of self-application but his parents brushed it off as needing time to grow into his strengths. His mother always said you shouldn't rush something that's growing otherwise they'll have weak roots. Really, Skyler just didn't care. Cooped up inside in a small room with a person droning at him all day- not fun. He wanted to be outside, enjoying the sun, enjoying his friends, enjoying life.
Fun was feeling the wind whip through your hair as you raced across the frozen pond. Fun was making poor jokes with your mom while you pulled weeds with her. Fun was nearly breaking your arm playing catch with your dad and building a treehouse in the summer. That was fun. Life was good and easy.

His mom died on his tenth birthday. Her heart was weak and she'd been in and out of the hospital for a year before it gave. They tried to find her a transplant but she was too low on the list. A small part of him blamed himself. She died on his birthday. He stopped having fun then. His teachers called him unresponsive, his therapist said it was grief, and his Dad tried to connect. All he did was come home, do his homework, and watch his mm's garden wither and die, just like she did. He made a mark in the window sill for everyday it struggled. Two years, it took the weeds to choke out the garden.

It was reflex at first. Something inside was done with this nothing. Mechanical and stiff, he pulled out weeds and dead plants, tilled the ground, and brought in a new layer of topsoil. It was therapeutic his therapist told his Dad. He started caring again, as he spent days researching and planning what to grow and how to tend it. His father gave him a budget and Skyler expanded the garden and finally started smiling again. His friends were ecstatic and his life turned up again. Life was good.

At 17, Skyler made a decision. Siblings, no older than nine, looked both ways before crossing the street- twice over like their mother said- and started across as the signal beeped. The traffic light shone red. But the semi didn't slow. It hurtled forward, bearing down on the children. They froze. Time slowed as his heart raced and the succulent in his hands slammed against the ground as he dropped it, diving into the street. The children seemed to get across with the push. He bounced seven times down the pavement. He only stayed conscious for two.

He blinked and glanced down. His hands were dirty, a small notebook with his hand writing detailing different leaves lay next to him. A small patch, a garden he thought, of flora was growing healthy and hale in front of him. But, the memory creeped back to him, it wasn't always. He found it abandoned and dying and decided to bring it back. It had taken magic and love but he'd done it. Brushing off his hands, he packed the journal away, picked up his wand, and stood.

"Fiiiiiinally!" He jumped as a woman clapped him on the back, "Druids take so long to figure themselves out. Once you get them on a project, woowhee buddy, they never stop! Months, boy, months! Now time to get your dead self back on his feet no?" She twirled away and glanced at him expectantly before disappearing into a building he hadn't noticed before. He shrugged and followed. After all, why not?

Other:
Loves coffee. Cannot start his day without his caffeine.
Thinks butterflies are cute but caterpillars are a plague upon the land.

[User]
Jessica's green eyes darted to and fro in a desperate attempt to seek out any contemporary luxuries. This place already had a vegan anime Starbucks, so where were the other stores?

After giving up almost immediately after starting she whizzed to the message board, making the obvious connection that without money, they would probably die. And then sword guy's ghost would haunt her ghost and it would suck. How would you even exorcise a ghost's ghost? Were you supposed to use an exorcist ghost? Could a ghost's ghost also be haunted by a ghost? How deep could that go before god got a headache and just sent you all to therapy? These thoughts weren't really thought of in the standard way inside Jessica's cranium. They were fuzzy concepts that were in her mind, but were unable to be digested by her directly. They were unreachable, sort of like a flounder staring at seagulls soaring above the ocean, or a person trying to vocalize last night's dream about turning into a giant foot. Jessica sighed.

She sighed again, this time out of frustration. The alphabet soup of messages wasn't that hard to read, considering some of the villagers also didn't know how to spell words larger than two syllables, but it cost her several sugar cubes worth of energy to process the text.

The teen read key words out loud to herself, trying to put two and two together. Sketches of men covered in scars, drawings of animals, tarot cards, food and the like drowned each other out. At last she sighed a third time and put her arms behind her head. "Man, prehistoric picture day looks wild."

[Assistant]
The bulletin board is filled with various errands and jobs. Some appeared to significant for the whole town while others would only benefit a single person. Other than that, they all shared something in common: a form of a reward upon completion.

★★
 "There are rats in my basement. I've tried every means of killing them, but they won't drop dead! Please help me. I'll give two copper coins for each dead one. My house is located on the west side."

★★
 Please for the love of God, punish Paul Peterson. I've had enough of his drunken ass harassing people. Someone please stop him. He's usually hanging out at the inn.

★★★
 "Here ye, Here ye. There is a ferocious ogre at the drinking well outside of the town. His presence certainly became a nuisance. Most villagers are unable to acquire drinking water. I ask that someone please rid of the beast and bring peace to this town." -Mayor

★
 I need to win a girl over. I'm willing to pay a lot to make this happen. If accepted, tear off this flyer and meet me behind the bar at nighttime.

★★★★
 "A band of goblins are located under the bridge leading to the next town. They have erupted the flow of trade and killed numerous travelers. This needs to stop immediately. Brave warriors will receive a handsome award." - Mayor

★★★★★
 "Hey, I went inside the cave a few days ago. I couldn't handle the terror in there. I actually dropped my wedding ring down there. If someone can please retrieve it, I will be forever in your debt. Thank you."

[User]
★★★
 "Here ye, Here ye. There is a ferocious ogre at the drinking well outside of the town. His presence certainly became a nuisance. Most villagers are unable to acquire drinking water. I ask that someone please rid of the beast and bring peace to this town." -Mayor

This seemed promising. A perfect example of heroics that could truly test their powers! Not only that but a pun as well. Aear was delighted to see that puns were also in this world they now inhabited. Alrighty then,
So a search amd conquer mission. Seems simple enough and could easily score us some good points with the mayor of this town. Aear grabbed the post off of the board to bring over to their teammates and see what they thought of the mission. They made their way towards them and held up the paper. Look! I thought maybe we could do a mission to get some bearings on our powers as well as challenge us a little. This one was posted by the mayor so maybe it'll help our town rep and have good loot. So...whatdya think? They stood there with a grin plastered to their face going from ear to ear. The eagerness to use magic and combat was so apparent it was practically posted on their face.There are ofcourse other missions that are harder and may warrant better rewards but I'd figured if ask permission from you guys first before daring those

@Pumpkinbot

[Assistant] Olive slinked up to the bulliten board behind the others and squinted at a small flier off on the side. After taking a moment to skim over the page, she held out a hand...and gently levitated the paper into her outstretched arm. The look of surprise on her face said plenty. "W-Woah, okay, um..." She dropped her gaze back down to the paper, something about a love letter, then turned around and called out. "Hey, uh, group three, I've got an easy one!"

[User]
so two options are before us right now. Love letter and the Ogre.
Guess our lovely member 3 should either break the tie or choose one himself  Aear was a bit put off by the love letter as they had never been in love, well unless you count marine life but no one did. They themselves had no idea how to best approach a man or woman let alone open up their heart to them. It seemed like a matter that should be done alone and with personal flair otherwise was it truly love? Aear tried to shake the thoughts out of their head and keep their mind at the task at hand; finding a mission to go on. I'm not...um. Well I'm not the biggest expert on love nor do I know how to woo anyone so I'm not sure if be of much help in that scenario.
I suppose I could spy on the target and gather helpful information but if feel dirty about it.  Aear looked down to the ground swirling the tip of their shoes into the dirt as they spoke. The tone was completely different from earlier, now more somber as if it was difficult to speak of. Never the less they were a team now and cooperation was a must, meaning any challenge must be accepted by all and that each should try to their best to help.

@mistory

[Assistant]
"Well looks like you're out of luck on that nap friend." Skyler chuckled and stood. A wave of relief washed over him as they were allowed to roam outside. The room was starting to get too stuffy for comfort. He watched as his... peers- 'Was that the right word? Eh, it'll do I guess.'- rushed the info board. He decided to enjoy the stroll, examining the village and its surroundings. Quaint and quiet. Just how he liked it. Maybe once things started to settle down, he could come back and make this something like a home...

He shook his head. That as far too far off in the future and there were plenty of things to handle in the here and now. He stopped in front of the mission board. Two immediately caught his eye. Bully Issue hit a personal spot for him. He snagged it off the board and tucked it away in his bag. There was probably another side to the story but he'd deal with it after his teammate decided if he wanted to join. He also grabbed Cave of Novice. A mystery hm? The quest piqued his interest. Plus, his partner would probably approve. He seemed the kind of person that enjoyed the horror genre in life. So he fluttered back excitedly to... Skyler blinked as he realized he never gave his name.

"Well, I think I might have found a few things to get us started! But firstly, whats your name?" Skyler asked as he settled back down in front of him, laying out the two quest notices.

Orgasmo

[User] Mark sighed, not really paying attention to anyone as he walked towards the board of jobs. He scanned them and spotted one about a Goblin party. He rolled his eyes and shrugged as he took it form the board. "Guess it can be good to blow off a bit of steam," he mumbled and held up the job to the show his new team. "We're going with this one!" he stated with no intentions of negotiations.

[Assistant]
Ysran watched as everyone ran towards the notice board. He'd probably just take what was left. He wasn't feeling like getting involved in all that.

Throughout the chaos, Ysran listened in on some of the conversations. Something about an Ogre. Meh, seemed pretty bland to him, though it would probably be pretty easy. He also heard something about a love letter. A slight grin escaped him. Seriously? A love letter delivery? What was this, Middle School? No thanks. Someone said something about some goblins. Goblins seemed to be pretty standard. He might've picked that had someone not already. There looked to be a few others that weren't taken. Here's hoping that they were somewhat interesting.

After a few moments, Ysran headed towards the board , when Skyler approached him, presumably to talk about what quest they were going to do. He was asked a couple of questions. His name? Oh, right. Guess he never introduced himself.

"My name is Ysran. Ysran Stormreach. So, what did you have in mind? I'd prefer something that involves exploring, if that's alright with you."

[User]
"Okay cool!" Skyler grinned as he held up the Cave of Novices quest. "How about this one? We go to a cave and hunt down a wedding ring all while trying to find this "Terror" the woman mentioned. I also have a bullying one but it seems you'd be more interested in this one, yeah?" Skyler held that one up as well for Ysran to inspect. Once he picked, they'd be on their way. Skyler practically buzzed with excitement. This was going to be so cool!

Orgasmo


[System]
Age: 25

Gender: Male

Appearance: Here.

Personality: Always kind and pleasant on the outside. If he sees a poor unfortunate soul having trouble of some sort, he won't hesitate to help. He talks about God quite a bit, saying that He is always watching and will take care of those He loves. He can be quite charismatic, However, despite being a priest, even he has a few guilty pleasures. There have been rumors that he is a pervert who likes to feel up women, although that has never been proven to be true (mainly because Alexander makes sure no one sees it happening when he does it). He is also sometimes seen gambling, and is quite good at it too, able to maintain a smiling poker face while bluffing his opponents down to their underwear.

Backstory: Alexander was born in quite a religious family who expected their son to follow in their footsteps. In other words, do exactly as they said and never talk back. Even the slightest mistake resulted in a smack on the hand with a wooden stick.

Alexander then made a few "friends" who taught him some tips and tricks for certain unethical purposes. Alexander practiced them a few times and found that he was rather good at them.

During the day he would obey his parents' every word, at night he would sneak out a window and hang out with his friends. This continued for many months, until his parents found out about it and disowned him.

Fortunately, Alexander was lucky and was taken in by the local church, where he lived for the rest of his life until he turned 18, from there renting an apartment while still working at the church as a priest.

Skills:
Calm: Alexander is able to stay calm when others would have freaked out and panicked.
Silver tounge: Alexander can make almost anything he says sound like the truth. As one would expect, though, this takes a lot of quick thinking and clever words.
Smooth hands: Alexander has a lot of practice with his hands, whether it be pickpocketing someone, feeling up a girl's behind, or other such tricks.
Cheating: what kind of gambler would Alexander be if he didn't know how to cheat? Whether it be with cards, chips, or what not, Alexander has quite a bit of experience with it.
Fist fighting: let's just say he has gotten into a bit of trouble with his cheating ways, as well as dealing with drunkards, and had to learn how to fend off would be attackers.

Name: Megumi

Gender: Female

Appearance: Here.

Personality: Always serious about everything. She has no sense of humor and will not hesitate to strike down someone she doesn't like. Megumi is almost always silent, apart from short replies and various short sounds. However, she is not without kindness, although it takes quite a bit for her to reveal it.

Abilities:
Observational: Megumi has far better sight than a human could ever hope to have without the aid of vision enhancements. She can also see with the use of both night and thermal vision.
Speed: Megumi is, of course, also faster than any normal human could hope to achieve. This includes reflexes as well.
Cloaking: Megumi is capable of turning invisible. Other forms of vision such as thermal are incapable of detecting her as well. Also, while not related to her ability yet also worth mentioning, she is silent enough to escape the detection of human ears.
Acrobatics: self-explanatory.
Poison: her weapons are coated with poison. Effects of the poison are slowed reflexes, blurred vision, increased fatigue, and enhanced pain sensitivity. Just the kind of stuff that makes you wish you were dead. Effects will wear off after about 5 minutes.

Weapons:
-A pair of short swords.
-A seemingly endless amount of kunai and shuriken.

[User]
The Transient Princess

---

The ripples were a sensation not unlike falling up a rabbit hole and through the blackness into the light of the blurred world that spoke of something less impressive than what she knew. Ah, but it was too late now, was it not? She'd come out on the other side from her own home, and she'd noticed such a crude display. A little thing, all dirtied and fearful and on the ground, with -- for lack of better words -- a dirty peasant over her with nothing less than ill-intent. That little one...There was no reason for her to be shown such a cruel world. The White Queen could not simply allow such a treason to go on as she looked on from the roof of the building that oversaw the alleyway.

Ah, perhaps Alice had finally been found? The question answered! Where had Alice been this whole time?

She couldn't very well let anything happen to dear Alice, that would be poor of a Queen.

By the time that the man began his advance, The White Queen had chosen to take a step off of the building and allow the flowing white gown she wore to dance in the wind as she descended, giving the aspect of an angelic being falling from the sky above. With her fall, she opted to take a single step off of the back of the peasant -- digging the heel into his skin, through the bone -- and using her other shoe to dig out that same heel with a push off of him. The force would throw him off of his legs and down to the alleyway's ground and to allow herself to land upon the ground without so much as a light "tap" from the heels of the black boots she wore. Then came two steps to move, to block the dirtied girl that had been tripped, from his view. The voice that she let out was one with power, complimented by her complete and utter ignorance of the man behind her. Instead, a hand held out game with a smile that showed relief, offering the girl her help to stand as she finally addressed her.

"Alice! We have been looking for you everywhere. Your dress is all dirtied- ah, our apologies. We were not quicker in finding you! Would you like to come with us and play a game? This peasant behind us surely means nothing good in his advancing. We could show you so many more fun games than to play with the uneducated. Come, take our hand? We do not have very much time, and it is soon to be today if we do not hurry."

Open insults! Open insults to a man that may very well be armed as she turned her back away from him and focused her attentions upon the one that she offered the help towards. It only took a single yes, a single grab of the hand she outstretched, and it could all end...And it would be a shame to leave Alice here, now that she'd found her.

Come, little dreamer! Down the rabbit hole, take the White Queen's hand, and let the game begin with the taking of this pawn behind her.

Ein Ferah

---

"GET THOSE DAMNED PILLS AWAY FROM ME!"

The outburst of emotion was not something normal for the sleepy woman. But with the advancing of these men that cornered her, the consistent shaking of the white capsules in the closed medication bottle, she was like a cornered animal -- a prior switch from the sleepy demeanor that she had had. It surely wouldn't last long, but it was a burst of energy that she needed as her eyes frantically searched side to side. Granted, trying to climb up the first building one saw might have been a poor idea for the sake of getting in a day's run since she'd been somewhat "awake" for once. But...unfortunately, it landed her in this situation -- four guns pointed at her head and a handful of sleep meds to knock her on her ass for her two choices. This was just an inconvenient case of mistaken identity.

"Now, now. Little lass, I'd say you've got two options here. Either get back in here so we can get to business, or take a mouthful of lead that'll have you sleeping for a long time. What'll it be for ya, dear?"

A body that twitched, yearned to climb up and run away from the five men in front of her, and a disgust like no other at being mistaken for a prostitute of all things in such a city as Saulbine?... Was she just an unlucky thing? Regardless, she refused to move as she stuck to the wall like glue and shook her head. A death-forsaking hatred of pills led the poor girl to bring her arms of her head and brace for what only could be an unfortunate end of days for Ein. She'd rather take the bullets...rather take the bullets than be forced to swallow down any more of those damned little capsules...!

And then came the click of the triggers.

[Assistant]
VV

There!

The brilliant red sliced through the darkness. It knitted and weaved itself into a shape, a perfect circle, layering upon itself and filled with a kaleidoscope of rotating designs and shapes. This alone gave the monster on the balcony pause. A hand reached from the middle of the circle, the air rippling around it as it latched onto the nun's shoulder. VV used this. Her anchor's shoulder... Her Doll Master's shoulder. She pulled herself through, stepping onto the pristine white stone that composed the platform. Well, it sure wouldn't be pristine for long. The Marionette, grinning as he was, about to enjoy a new victim, faltered, stepping away from her.

"Y-you're..." he trailed off, eyes wide in shock as VV straightened, releasing her anchor's shoulder as she stared him down. Heh, it was pretty clear this had been the last thing the monster had expected. She could even see it, not its form, but the coiling shadow within the Marionette. The vile thing that had emerged from beyond to take control of the man before her.

"Oi oi..." VV began, brushing her crimson hair back, one eye open and fixed on the Marionette as she inclined her head to the side. Straightening, she opened both eyes and took a step towards him, "Tch... it's not your lucky day, is it?"

The Marionette was, for a moment, too stunned to do anything. The emergence of a Doll was clearly the last thing he had expected, and that thought brought a smile to VV's lips. Now it was time to seal the deal.

Grabbing her anchor's shoulder, she hauled the nun to her feet, then pushed her back. "I'll handle this, alright?"

---

Cynthia Lee

All Cynthia could do was tremble in terror as the man came closer, and closer, and closer... She shuffled back on her rear, trying to get away and escape from him, but somehow it was just so difficult to do so. Something made her limbs feel like lead, as her heart hammered in her tiny chest and the man raised one cold, clammy hand... and then she appeared. A woman in white, descending from the sky so suddenly, and landing on the horrible man! Cynthia could see how she landed and kicked off of him, and watched him it the ground with a loud crack, the cobblestones fracturing from the impact. For a moment he lay there, quiet, a wound in his back from where the woman's heel had struck him...

And now the woman was offering to help her... to... to play? Adults didn't usually talk like that, but right now Cynthia didn't care. She'd knocked that man down so fast, and he'd been so terrible... The girl had no idea why she was being called Alice, but that was another thing that didn't matter right now. This woman had just saved her life, just like that! Trembling, she raised her hand, her small fingers wrapping around the woman's as she managed to work up a reply.

"Th... th-that was amazing!"

No sooner then she had said that then the man began to rise. The injury in his back had sealed by this point... and there was a twisting darkness within him, though that was not something Cynthia could see. All she could see was the misty breath leaving his mouth, as if it was a cold day... and that his eyes had gone completely white.

And in spite of this terrible change... something told Cynthia that he was afraid. She could see it, his body shaking...

"D... Doll..." the man choked out as he rose. "Something like you... here... you...!"

[User]
The train whistle blew as the locomotive screeched and halted in its tracks, and spilled its insides of travellers and businessmen, only to suck in another batch of people. From one of the carts appeared a man with a mission; to purify the city of Saulbine from the corruption that has taken hold of it, like a vampire drawing blood from innocent virgins.

Gerhman Steinback walked out of the train station and took a cab to the city's center square. The suitcase he used to carry his weapons inside was stuffed into the storage compartment while he sat in the back seat, looking over the notes he had made. He had a habit of travelling from city to city, purging any presence of the vile Dolls he could find before setting out again, for virtue does not reward the idle. During his travels, he came across a number of news clippings and witness testimonies of a certain man seen acting strange and sometimes even violent, but was unable to be apprehended or escaped; seems like he had built a reputation of weirdness for himself. From what he has studied them Gehrman knew that a Doll had to be the cause for these incidents. He doublechecked the name of the person who has led him into Saulbine in search of victims to the venomous allure of the Dolls, and the monsters fro him to wipe off from the face of the earth.

"Eren Deville...soon you will be released from your torment, as Yhar'gul was liberated from his prison of flesh."

[Assistant]
Alexander smiled happily as he walked down the street. Another great gambling run in Blackjack and Poker. Plenty of great hands, and successful bluffs when the hands were bad. He had also managed to quit while he was ahead, and left with a lot of people's money.

As he was walking, however, a group of five guys quickly surrounded him. Alexander recognized most of them as the people he beat the pants off of in the casino. It seemed like these guys didn't take kindly to his money-making ways.

"You're in trouble now, funny man," one of them said. "Give us back our money, and maybe no one gets hurt." At that moment, all of them began taking out small knives and shanks from within their clothing.

Alexander sighed. At least one person was going to get hurt indeed.

"You mean... this money?" Alexander asked as he pulled out a small wad of cash and threw it into the air. The thugs looked up, distracted by the scattering bills, and Alexander lashed out at one of the men, kicking him in the chest and sending him flying backwards. The men quickly realized what had happened, but Alexander was quicker and punched another guy in the face, knocking him down to the ground.

The men were not so easily beaten, though, and managed to hold him at knifepoint while they began collecting the money Alexander had scattered. Alexander, however, was not worried. If anything, he looked like he still had the advantage. Perhaps it was time he got a special friend of his to help out.


[System]
Age: 16
 Gender: Female
 Appearance: don't look at me
 Personality: Tokiko does not like you. Tokiko does not want to be your friend. You're irritating her, go away!
... you're still here? Heh, someone probably paid you to follow her around and make a nuisance of yourself. How much? She'll pay you double to screw off and go bother someone else.
... what do you mean, you weren't paid? You're actually interested in her personality? Creep. There's no way someone like you could ever understand her. You should keep to mingling with the other sheep. Having an airhead like you around would only slow her down.
 Skills: She's book-smart, one of those people who sails through high school with zero effort, who can solve any problem almost intuitively.
 Brief Backstory: Tokiko came from a well-to-do family, and turned out to be fairly smart as well, so it wasn't like she had much to worry about. She just had to get good grades, go to a good university, get a good job, and everything would be okay. It wouldn't even be hard.
There was only one problem: everything was so boring.
School: too easy. Parents: disconnected. Peers: an irritation. Adults: sheep. The world: a grey and dying place. Reality: uninteresting. Tokiko had every opportunity she could have asked for, but nothing seemed to catch her eye, to light any kind of fire within her soul. Pushing day by day through an existence that held no meaning for her, she began to wonder if she'd be better off just dying and getting it over with already. Before she could, however, a certain someone appeared before her.
Maybe there was something fun in this grey world, after all...

 Magical Girl Appearance: KNEEL, PEONS!
 Concept: the Mad Scientist
 Archetype: Frankenstein's Monster
 Abilities:
- Malefic Mechanical Mastery: Tokiko's magic isn't the kind that can be used for direct offense. Rather, she channels it through devices, creating insane machines which shape her magic into various effects. By touching almost any man-made appliance or device, she can rapidly dismantle and reassemble it into an upgraded form with vastly superior capabilities. She can further enhance her creations by combining multiple devices into one, or turning machines into components that can be added to existing creations.
- Loudest Lunatic Laughter: Her evil laugh lets her temporarily increase her magical output, supercharging one of her creations and pushing them past their limits. This can allow for extremely powerful effects, but risks damaging or destroying the affected device depending on how far she tries to enhance it.
- Monstrous Magical Minion: Her Archetype, Frankenstein's Monster, is the ultimate creation: an artificial living creature. Though the Monster lacks proper magic of her own, she's immensely strong, extremely agile, and completely obedient to Tokiko. As an Archetype, the Monster is almost impossible to kill, and while sufficient damage can incapacitate her, she can always be repaired with enough time and resources. The Monster possesses intelligence on par with a human, but she's a bit of a goofball and pretty gullible, which makes her easy to trick despite her high combat power. She also relies on Tokiko's magic to remain animate, and if she gets too far away from her master she'll start to get tired and eventually fall asleep.

[User]
Tokiko frowned. She'd landed a good hit, but... Damn it, I hate the persistent ones. The longer this dragged out, the greater chance there was of another enemy noticing and showing up to take advantage. Why did I even start this fight? I should have just gone to the cafe like I'd planned...

Eve had struck a solid blow as well, but her opponent was proving even more resilient. As Naoko stepped back, the Archetype advanced to match, and when the magical girl raised her kanabo again a huge hand jabbed out and closed around her wrist, holding her arm in place. The monstergirl smirked. That weapon was powerful, but if she could restrain the arm of its wielder, she'd never get a chance to swing it!

... or at least, that was the plan. Eve's muscular limb began to jerk and tremble as her strength was pit against Naoko's, one seeking to wrench her arm free whilst the other tried to hold it still. And the monstergirl, for all her power, was losing the contest of might.

"Uuuuu!" Her eyes widened, and she glanced desperately at her master. For the briefest of instants, Tokiko met her eyes, and nodded.

The Archetype knew, then, that she was going to be okay. Her master had a plan! She just needed to hold on a little longer! Gritting her teeth, she redoubled her efforts, using her free hand to grab at Naoko's other arm and try to force her back. "GraaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Meanwhile, Tokiko turned her attention back to her other opponent. "So you're a masochist, is that it?" She raised her Tesla Cannon, now crackling with electricity as it charged itself up again. "Or did you think I could only fire one time before I got tired? It's not like I'm a boy, you know!" Another exaggerated laugh. "Whatever technique you can pull off with that silly needle, I'll just blast it and you away with my next shot! Give up already!"

Bait laid, trap set. It was just a matter of timing now... or was it? Tokiko's eyes shifted momentarily towards Hikari. The only uncertain factor... of course it would be her. The battlefield was balanced on a knife's edge, and that stubborn shorty had put herself right in the middle of things. Whatever she did next could turn the tide completely in favor of one side of the other.

In that moment, Tokiko couldn't help but smile at the absurdity of it all. I really shouldn't have bumped into her... but who could have anticipated that one small girl would cause so much trouble?

[Assistant]
~~Nico~~

---

"Me, a shrine maiden...?"

Nico paused for a moment, coiling one of her index fingers around her chin to give the offer serious consideration. She took it in earnest, despite Himeko's playful tone. Would she even look good in a haori and a hakama? Her hair's probably not even long enough to qualify... and Nico didn't have nearly the amount of experience the other girl did. Further, even if it would be nice to spend more time outside of her house, Nico doubted her parents would allow such a thing. They fought against introducing any form of fun in her life. No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed impossible. It left the girl a little dejected, but she soon snapped back to reality once she remembered Himeko was still there.

"Ah, sorry! I got a little lost in thought, there..."

The girl moved closer, meeting Yukimura's gaze with a soft smile. It felt nice to have a person pay attention to her.

"If you're really okay with it, I'd love to join you on your walk... I just hope I'm not a burden," Nico replied. She followed Himeko down the steps, but not before bowing at the Tori one last time on her way out.

[User]
"I'll see you tomorrow. Please, take care on the way home," Christa said before parting with one of her classmates that shared most of the way back home with her. Despite having the possibility of having a driver pick her up, Christa always prefered to walk back home for multiple reasons. The most important of which -- after she became a magical girl -- being that this allowed her to scout the streets that lay between her school and her house.

Christa took a glance at her phone, noticing that there was no recent activity just as she was making her way through a park. A passing raven caught her attention momentarily, but she gave it no mind in the long run, instead wondering whether or not the girl from the earlier message had already found a place to stay.

Just when Christa decided to make a quick detour to buy herself a drink, she came across a much more unexpected sight. A youngish-looking, red headed girl fidgeting around one of the swings. The blonde stood there for a moment, observing how the other girl tossed herself in the sandbox before getting herself back at a seat position while grinning in a disturbing way. While any normal person would just walk away after such an unsettling sight, Christa decided to check whether or not the girl needed help. Perhaps, she was lost and Christa could at least help her find the nearest police station?

"Hi there," Christa smiled as she approached the girl, trying not to startle her, "Did something happen to you? If you wish, I could try to help you," she said, extending an open hand towards the girl.

[Assistant]
The light seemed to suffuse her very being, flowing through her. A gentle, pleasant warmth spread from her chest, then throughout her entire body, filling every part of her with such a wonderful feeling.

Hikari let out a sigh.

When she opened her eyes, the fact that all of her clothing had somehow dissipated into nothing didn't even dawn on her. She was in some sort of barrier, a brilliant world of warmth and magic. Was this... was this how becoming a magical girl felt?

From the outside, it would seem as if the small brunette had suddenly disappeared into an orb of light. A typical protective field to defend a magical girl during her transformation.

The light flowed across her body, forming clothing. A ribbon, and then... it coalesced into the form of a kimono, a somewhat less traditional, frilly orange one, with a layered red skirt that appeared in a sudden burst of fire. Indeed, each item of clothing, even the ribbons in her hair, suddenly appeared with a burst of flames after initially forming from the resplendent light.

But somehow, it felt like that suited her!

As it flowed across her legs, it formed a pair of frilled thigh-highs, and finally a set of platform geta, extending her height by a fair amount.

And then...

With a flash of flames, a long handle, and then the great head of a hammer appeared. As she reached out to grip it, with surprise, she noticed that the rear of the head resembled a dragon, the front somehow appearing to be a bell...

Hikari swung it, once, experimentally, then gripped it in both hands.

The light faded away, and Hikari's geta clacked on the concrete ground. Immediately, unable to help it, she looked down at herself in awe. This... had really happened! She was really wearing that outfit, holding that hammer... She was really a magical girl! She hadn't even noticed her hair had turned a brilliant red, eyes intensely orange.

"I... I really transformed!" she exclaimed.

"Of course," replied the fairy, brightly, "Now you're a real magical girl!"

As much as Hikari wanted to take all of this in, there wasn't much time to do so. She had no idea what she could do, or how this hammer worked, but she had to try something to intervene... Hikari drew her hammer back over her shoulder...

"... Gaah, I screwed up... but I'll take you out!" declared Tsukimi, her attention focusing once again on Tokiko, "Take a good, long look! This is my Killing Needle: Death of the Deathle-"

She didn't complete her attack.

There was the sound of fireworks being set off, and Hikari suddenly rocketed in from the side! Her hammer slammed into the distracted Tsukimi, propelled by the fireworks like a rocket! It wasn't a particularly practiced attack, but all that was needed right now was force. The impact lifted the other girl off her feet and sent her hurtling through the air, slamming into the wall across the alley with enough force to break through it entirely!

Naoko, who had been pushing her strength against the monstergirl, was momentarily distracted by the sudden display of the new magical girl's abilities.

"Ohhh, so she's all about high impact too, huh?!" she declared, brightly, uncaring for the fact that another opponent had just been created, "You okay, Tsukimi-chan?"

Tsukimi, knocked completely senseless, wasn't exactly in a position to respond.

@A Lowly Wretch

[User]
One moment, light was glowing at the tip of Tsukimi's spear, and Tokiko's hand was tense on her weapon, ready to respond to the opponent's attack...

...and the next, Hikari was bursting out of her magical bubble, now clad in the colors of fire and armed with a massive hammer. Tokiko had been expecting a transformation, but even so she found herself squinting in surprise. Her hair color changed! In comparison to Tsukimi's generic, cutesy costume and Tokiko's rather scrappy appearance, the redhead (for she was a redhead now) appeared radiant as the sun.

Better yet, she immediately turned her new power as a magical girl towards the task of finishing off the spear-wielder, which made things a great deal easier for the mad scientist.

"You should pay attention to your own fight!" In the blink of an eye Tokiko's arm snapped around, turning the electrodes of her Tesla Cannon towards Naoko. CRACK! Another bolt of electricity lit up the alleyway, passing over the monstergirl and striking the heavy spiked kanabo.

Unfortunately for 'Steel Rod' Naoko, steel was a good conductor of electricity, and her rod (which had been stuck pointing up in the air thanks to the monstergirl's efforts) now became a superhighway for Tokiko's attack, delivering the shock straight into the magical girl's body! Of course, even Tsukimi had managed to survive this attack, and there was no way it would take down someone like Naoko— but Tokiko didn't need the bolt to knock her out. She only needed to stun the opponent for a fraction of a second, and create an opportunity for Eve.

"RAAAAAAARGH!"

The instant Naoko was hit, the monstergirl shifted her hold and slammed the magical girl face-first into the asphalt, pinning her down and wrenching one arm up behind her back. The oni-themed warrior might have been strong and tough, but raw power alone wouldn't be enough to break her out of a submission hold!

"You got too cocky," Tokiko tutted, already charging her electric blaster for another shot. "If you're going to call me Sensei, then let this be your lesson, Naoko-chan. Against an opponent like me, you can't let yourself get distracted!"

Without looking away, she raised her voice. "You hear that, Hikari-kun? If you're going to be a fool and try to join our fight, then pay attention. That girl with the spear should have a little glass marble on her somewhere; you need to break it before she wakes up."


[System]
Species:
Zabrak

Gender:
Male

Age:
32 cycles old

Rank:
Jedi Knight

Lightsaber Forms:
Form II (Makashi), form III (Soresu) and form VI (Niman)

Equipment:
 Green Lightsaber (Ruusan Crystal, reclaimed from the ruins a Russan Reclamation battlefield)
Layered Wristbands

Appearance:
Like most Zabrak, Stadak doesn't grow hair but does have a healthy crop of horns around the base of his skull. As well as horns, he has a series of facial tattoos that mark him as one who passed the traditional trials of passage and has been marked as an adult. His skin under the tattoos is a pearly pink colour but has a thick, coarse texture, useful for resisting the harsh winds of his home planet. Stadak prefers to wear jedi robes when around the Enclave on Dantooine or the Temple on Coruscant but clothes himself in battle armour when off planet. As a jedi Guardian, he feels that others should see him as a force to be reckoned with and therefore think twice before resorting to violence. To this end, he carries himself with certainty and force, heavy shoulder and thick arms suggesting the capacity to end fights quickly, if not the wish to start them.

[User]
Damar
Coruscant - Processional Way
Alek's Rally

---

Damar leaned against a pillar, and looked around at so many of the others who had raised their sabers. Some he recognized, and knew to be considered by most just as impulsive as Revan and Alek. Others he knew to be wiser, but they were concerned with justice, with protecting the innocent. Still others were simply swept up by the energy of the crowd, not thinking clearly, only carried forward by the tide of emotions all around them. The Force was thick with it--which should not be so, not in the halls of the High Council.

"There is no Emotion, there is Peace." Damar said to himself, before he pushed away from the pillar and began making his way through the crowd. He rarely brushed against anyone, though his eyes were focused only on Alek and Revan; he always seemed to know when to change his step, or turn his shoulder slightly, to avoid bumping into the others. Soon he emerged from the throng and stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the two who had brought this call to arms together.

"Knight Alek, I mean no disrespect," he began, with a slight bow of the head, "But how do you propose to stop the Mandalorians? To work with the Republic as our Order has for so long, to defend ourselves from attackers, I feel these things are right and true. But to fight a war, would this not be to bring the same carnage to our enemies as they have brought to other worlds? If we were to cut down Mandalorians without mercy upon a battlefield, would this not go against the Jedi Code? Even they, as brutal and evil as their actions have been, deserve to be treated honorably--do they not?" He called out loudly, to make his voice heard. His words might have sounded like a challenge, but what he really wanted was to hear Alek and Revan's plans. He wouldn't make a judgement this early, not without more information. He had spoken with his Master at length, but never had he heard this side of the story from the originators. He only hoped that, should his words be taken the wrong way--as they often were--that it wouldn't lead to further escalation of emotion. Right now, he could feel palpable anger coming from Revan, and jubilation from Alek as the man watched the stirring in the crowd his speech had caused. Both of them were talented and ambitious young men...but a fall to the dark side could come to anyone, no matter their abilities. Perhaps even more easily, the more assured one was in their immunity to it.

[Assistant]
[Vijjo]

---

 The Council's lack of action only furthered Vijjo's desire to move against the Mandalorians. The horrific stories he'd heard from the survivors of the attacks on top of his established perception of Mandalorians made him grit his teeth in anticipation. He'd grown up with a distaste put in his mouth towards Mandalorians by his family and culture. "Brutes" they'd be described as. The eye witness accounts of their actions were more than enough to support that generalization. People were dying, Jedi and civilians alike. Vijjo's lips cracked into a slight grin as he convinced himself that the Council would eventually take action against the Mandalorian Campaign.

There's no way we can just sit here as if nothing's going on.

 As if an answer, he heard a somewhat familiar voice calling out nearby. Vijjo interrupted his walk to see what the commotion was all about. Preachy. Taking a spot towards the back of the crowd, Vijjo smiled as he listened to Alek express exactly what he'd just been thinking. His light expression hardened as he was reminded of the Council's failure to react to the Mandalorian threat. He found himself nodding along, slowly, at first, then more and more, he realized he let out a slight yell of agreement as his hand moved to imitate the sabers being raised around him. Vijjo couldn't bear much longer of inaction. He knew people out there needed him, and the grim truth was that the Council was not seeking to answer the Galaxy's cry for help. For now, he had a lot of thinking to do.

 Vijjo noticed the one man moving deliberately from his place by the pillar towards the two atop the stairs. He noted the man's cautious movements and wondered if his personality reflected those careful motions - as was generally the case. Nevertheless, nobody else had made any sort of move toward the two jedi, and this man caught his attention. Vijjo realized he had come up to speak to them, and decided he felt a bit nosy. All he wanted to do was learn more about the situation outside of the Temple and figured he could stay and listen a while to what the three had to say. Slowly, Vijjo inched closer towards the front, merging and moving with the crowd until he was within earshot. He slightly turned his head as if to seem uninterested, but pointed his ear towards Revan and the jedi.

 "Knight Alek..." Vijjo continued to listen.

---

[User]
Lowering his saber at the approach of a fellow Knight, Alek listened to his case. "You have righteous concerns, but I think you misunderstand our purpose. We do not seek to slaughter them, but to stop their advances. There are ways to defeat enemies without such brutality, and while this is a conflict that goes beyond what words can fix, we can defeat them without a vicious massacre. We are not invaders, but defenders. They have the right to live in peace on Mandalore, their homeworld, but they do not hold the right to attack the rest of this galaxy as they have.

"This is why we will fight this war alongside the Republic. We will combat this enemy as nobly as we can to protect and retake what is rightfully the Republic's. We are not tyrants, dear companion. Please understand us. Our ranks would be in need of one noble as you. Many here would fight with vengeance in their hearts, but you have mercy. You could become a great General for the Republic. Perhaps even greater than Revan or I. I have no doubt of that.

"While glory is not the goal we seek, I see a much needed ally in your compassion for nobility. So tell me, would you be so kind as to lend us your strength? The Republic will be here with a vessel to transport this Jedi Templar within a matter of hours. There is little time to waste."

[Assistant]
Damar
Coruscant - Processional Way
Alek's Rally

---

"Such was my intent from the beginning." Damar said, nodding. "I had already decided that I must head to the front lines, to see for myself what is happening in the galaxy firsthand, to make an informed decision. If I could be of any help by accompanying you, then I shall do so." He bowed again, then raised his own saber, gripping its black leather wrapped hilt lightly. With a flick of the power switch the bright green blade bloomed into existence with its distinctive sound, something like the sound of electricity coursing through wire yet with hints of flame burning through air. He saluted Alek and Revan with it, before turning off the blade and returning it to his belt. "May the Force be with us all." he said, before turning and walking back into the crowd.

It wasn't long, however, before he spoke again--this time to another Jedi in the crowd.

"May I ask what you are looking at, over there?" Damar smiled knowingly. Turning one's head and looking away, while keeping an ear out, would work in most cases. But in this one, with all the crowd so focused on Revan and Alek and there being so little else going on around the Procession Way, turning away from the focal point of all the attention only made one stand out all the more. As Damar stood next to Vijjo's side, at a respectful distance, he folded his arms over his chest and began to watch the rest of the crowd.

"Were you listening as well?" he asked, in a lower voice. "Their hearts are perhaps in the right place...but why a General of the Republic, rather than a Jedi Master? Why mention glory at all, if one meant to be unconcerned with it?"

[User]
[Vijjo]

---

 Vijjo felt himself straighten up ever-so-slightly when addressed. Despite how reluctant he was to admit it, he knew his sense of duty to the people of the Galaxy outweighed his responsibility to uphold the Jedi Code. Disobeying the Council's direct wishes and going to war would no doubt have serious repercussions. He didn't know if he was totally willing to leave altogether - it was far too big a risk. Regardless of his doubts, he knew something had to be done to help those in need. Peacekeepers of the Galaxy were not meant to sit idly by while others are needlessly slaughtered in the name of glory.

 He turned to the Jedi who addressed him:

 "Regardless of where their hearts are, they know what needs to be done. I try not to think about issues as controversial as this too deeply. Don't take that the wrong way, I just prefer to use my instincts to determine what the correct course of action is. What's your take in all of this?"

[Assistant]
Coruscant - Jedi Temple
Alek's Rally

---

The Jedi Temple; a site of calmness, solemnity and peace for so many. Its hallowed halls are a refuge from the chaos and uncertainty of the Planetary city outside, where there is no emotion, there is peace. For Stadak, returning to the Temple always allowed him to shrug off the burdens of duty and reputation he carried in the wider galaxy. Out there, he represented the entire Jedi order and the republic as a whole whereas in here he was one among many, just another face in the crowd. Even as he stepped off the transporter and beheld the majestic sight of the Temple's entrance, he could already feel a calm over taking his being. With a brief smile at his Padawan, he started to ascend the steps. In his mind, he ran through some of the beings he'd encountered on this most recent trip. An interesting species of subterranean beetles that survived by eating plants from the roots up, a bird that utilised four wings at once, and several more species he'd never seen catalogued in the Jedi archives. It often surprised Stadak that others were not willing to study the movements and biologies of diverse alien fauna nor to enter their findings into the archives.

He was so involved in mentally writing out his entry to the archives that he didn't pick up the waves of bellicose emotion flowing from a small group at the top of the procession way. But as he went to move past them, he caught a few words of the discussion that shook all thoughts of plant eating beetles from his mind. Looking at the man addressing the crowd, he immediately recognised the form of Alek, a well respected figure in the Temple. His words did not sit well with Stadak at all, though he wagered he could guess what his apprentice, Taiko Tachibana, would think of all this talk of righteous defence and the shirking of glory. Youth tends to gravitate to such causes and Stadak was sure he was just as susceptible to its siren call in his own youth. Still, better to involve himself in debate that disapprove from a distance.

Stepping forward though the crowd, he moved to the forefront and addressed Alek directly. "Forgive me if I ask you to retread what you have already spoken of, brother, but I am recently returned to Coruscant and must ask you; what has the council said of this venture? Have they approved of this... gathering?" he asked, casting a quick glance across the Jedi with ignited lightsabers thrust skyward or sheepishly deactivating them.