<div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/R7ZguDY.jpg)<br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 22pt;"><strong>Children of Zhar</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=333336.msg15879151#msg15879151)</span></div><br/><div class="floatright"><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Zhar</strong></span><br/>(https://i.imgur.com/6VztX7V.png)</div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Titles:</strong></td><td>The Great Old One<br/>Lord of the Beyond<br/>The Wise Father</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Alignment:</strong></td><td>Chaotic Evil</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Domains:</strong></td><td>- Chaos<br/>  - Protean<br/>- Knowledge<br/>  -Aeon<br/>- Madness<br/>  - Truth<br/>- Trickery<br/>  - Deception<br/>- Void<br/>  - Dark Tapestry</td></tr></tbody></table></div><strong>Cult Leader:</strong>Gwendolyn, Daughter of Zhar<br/><strong>Faction Alignment:</strong>Chaotic Evil<br/><br/><strong>Party Memebrs:</strong><br/>Gwendolyn Zhar (FroggyBoi)<br/>Arawn Mathonwy (ererruz)<br/>Runa (CurvyKitten)<br/>Cheng-Ming (MingMing)<br/>Irtula (Crensler)<br/><br/><strong>Purpose</strong>:<br/>The purpose of life is only truly revealed through devotion to Zhar. To share his wisdom with others is noble.<br/><br/>Cult leader Gwendolyn has received a sacred vision of a powerful artifact located on The Dark Continent that must be reclaimed in the name of Zhar in order to restore his glory. She has rallied some of His scattered and disorganized children to The Dark Continent in order to attain their goals.<br/><br/>The Children of Zhar have entered The Dark Continent behind the facade of a magical research team chasing a magical anomaly.<br/><br/><strong>Cult Teachings</strong>:<br/>- Obey Zhar's command.<br/>- Devote yourself to Zhar, to yourselves, and to each other. Through each other, you may learn His wisdom.<br/>- Do not hold yourself above others, for you are all naive mortals. Only those who have strayed from His path are inferior.<br/>- To bring harm to the Great One's children is to bring harm to Him and will be rewarded with death.<br/><br/><strong>Distribution of Riches:</strong><br/>In the absence of Zhar's command, half of all riches shall be dedicated to His greatness, to be spent as He wills it. Of the remaining spoils, one equal share of loot shall be distributed to each and every follower.<br/><br/><strong>Posting Frequency:</strong><br/>Everyone posting at least twice a week would be a good target, but hopefully, we can post a bit more than that.<br/><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/008/024/092/large/morry-_-black2-5-twi-0.jpg?1509993878)</div><hr/><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Gwendolyn Zhar (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2456266)</span></strong><br/><hr/><strong>Race:</strong>Dhampir<strong>Class:</strong>Antipaladin<br/><br/><strong>Brief History</strong>:<br/>Gwendolyn's mother didn't know who sired her only child. She suspects that she was mentally controlled and used by a vampire as a random act of violence. She simply awoke one day, beaten and bruised. Some weeks later she discovered she was bearing a child. She was past her prime child-rearing years at the time and considered her new baby a blessing. She had been praying to Zhar, and surely this was proof of his power.<br/><br/>Gwendolyn was raised alone with her mother in the forest outside of a small village. The world had not been nice to either Gwendolyn or her mother. The nearby village had shunned her mother for witchcraft and the pair resorted to theft and robbery to secure a meager living. Gwendolyn's mother died of natural causes when Gwendolyn was only 17.<br/><br/>She inherited two things from her mother. A beautiful, fiendish druchite guisarme. A relic once belonging to Zhar that has lost much of its power. She also inherited her mother's worship of Zhar. Throughout her childhood, she had many visions of His greatness and His endlessly wise guidance, but currently, Zhar is in a weakened state. She was guided by His greatness to The Dark Continent on a mission to reclaim His power.<br/><br/><strong>Brief Personality</strong>:<br/>Outwardly, Gwendolyn is calm and collected. She is kind, and, in the right circumstances, some might even call her motherly. In reality, she is very quick to judge others and easily criticizes them even more harshly than she criticizes herself. She fully believes that only those who are willing, or who might yet be willing, to follow Zhar's command are worthy. If she can ever get away with it, she can be senselessly cruel.<br/><br/>But she is not a fool. In fact, she is quite pragmatic. She realizes that cooperating with others, even if they refuse Him, is, for now, necessary for His good, and in extension her own.<br/><br/>She is also not emotionless, Gwendolyn is constantly concerned with her mortal weakness and naivety. She<em>is</em>powerful, but she knows that her body and mind are still weak in comparison to what lies beyond; beyond her experience; beyond humanity; beyond this plane; and beyond further still.<br/><br/><strong>Ons &amp; Offs</strong>:<br/>Gwendolyn has very few sexual inhibitions. She has yet to find a partner that is truly interested in something that could not turn her on. She isn't a nymphomaniac and rarely goes out of her way to seek a partner, but she is not known to anyone down. There's no sense in denying herself pleasures of the flesh. Even if it means being with the unworthy.<br/><br/>When she's able to have her way with her partner, she prefers to be dominant. She also loves to integrate her cruelty into her sexual encounters and loves abusing her partners physically and mentally. Beyond that, she doesn't have many particular desires but tends to better enjoy more intense sessions.<br/><br/>However, above all her other sexual proclivities, Gwendolyn longs to be bred. She desires so greatly to feel the intense love of her partner fill her womb and provide her their progeny. The only issue is that the perverted mixture of her parent's blood has caused her to be barren. She hopes that one day through Zhar's power she will be able to provide Him further children that will follow his path.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f3/69/0c/f3690c9f4f5267b167dff2619efe70b4.jpg)<br/>(https://www.igyaan.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Bandersnatch-Alice-in-wonderland.jpg)<br/><div align="center"><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Bandersnatch</span></strong></div></div><hr/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: impact;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Runa (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2456950)<br/></span></span><hr/><strong>Race:</strong>Fetching<strong>Class:</strong>Summoner<br/><br/><strong>Brief History</strong>:<br/>Runa’s origins are a strange one, as no one knows where she came from. She simply appeared during a ritual being performed by the Zhar cultists. They were attempting to bring a minion of their great god over from the shadow realm when she suddenly appeared. A lost little girl coming from shadows and darkness, given a path to the plane of existence by accident. Who knew a ritual could go so wonky?! Unable to return her to her plane the cultists raised her as their own. She became one of the very summoner’s that would one day summon Zhar himself, or at least open the door...that’s the goal anyway. And she is hoping that the item they search for now will help them do just that.<br/><br/><strong>Brief Personality</strong>:<br/>Runa is like a dark sultry mystery that draws up in and demands to be solved. But she will always remain elusive. Seeming flirty and upfront when you first meet her, her true intentions always hidden away till she was prepared to follow through with her plans. Amoral bit, not one to simply ignore those weaker than she is. She knows that working with nonbelievers is necessary for now. But one-day Zhar will come forth and they will know the truth of his reign. Now she comes to the island determined to find that which is needed to summon Zhar!<br/><br/><strong>O/O</strong>: A list of the character's ons and offs.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/022/226/376/large/kathryn-wheeler-asset.jpg?1574613959)</div><hr/><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Arawn Mathonwy (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2464609)</span></strong><br/><hr/><strong>Race:</strong>Aasimar<strong>Class:</strong>Cleric (Evangelist)<br/><br/><strong>Brief History</strong>:<br/>Born to one of the major noble houses of his homeland, Arawn's birth was regarded as an especially auspicious event. Not only was he the firstborn son, the birth itself happened during an eclipse. An eclipse was, according to the legends, a brief struggle between the sun god and the moon goddess caused by the trickster god's words or deeds. If the scriptures were true, every time a child was born, they were said to throw a coin up in the air and decide whether the child would be born a genius or a madman. Those born during an eclipse were going to be both. But is there really a difference between the two?<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">History Cont.</div><div class="spoiler_body">The child was considered marked by the divine as a birthmark was found on his body that looked a bit like the Trickster God's symbol. Both his father and mother were overjoyed when he was born and it was only when the boy started growing up that whispers at court could be heard wondering about the boy's appearance and how he looked nothing like his father. His hair was red even though there wasn't a redhead in the duke's line for at least five generations, and his eyes were mismatched, one green, and one amber-like, neither of which was even similar to his father's eye colour.<br/><br/>Jealousy would not let his father love or even accept the boy. He couldn't look at him without thinking of his wife's betrayal, no matter how many times she promised that she had never been unfaithful to him and that Arawn was indeed his son. At times he wanted to punish his wife for all this but he knew that he couldn't. She was, after all, his lawfully wedded wife and he had acknowledged Arawn as his son. There was nothing he could do. That changed, however, the moment the ship his wife was travelling on to visit her relatives, was lost at sea. (Many years later it was revealed that the ship was attacked by pirates and some of the passengers, including Arawn's mother, were captured and sold to slavery.) Although he was still deep in his grief, Arawn's father agreed to remarry and soon his new wife was with a child. His legacy secure, he finally got rid of his late wife's bastard - he sent him away, out of sight, out of mind. Realizing the value of discipline, he sent him away to be raised by law-priests serving the stern goddess of law and contracts, and the main rival of the trickster god.<br/><br/>Having realized that his dreams were visions sent by one of the gods, he expected the clergy to quickly accept him and recognize that he was blessed by their patron with preternatural knowledge beyond his age. Imagine his surprise when not only were the priests uninterested in what he had to say, they viewed his dreams as a curse by their patron's nemesis and a sign that his father did good by sending the boy to be cleansed by the holy scriptures of their god. Arawn would soon discover that he needed to learn how to conceal his true feelings and passions, and especially his visions, from his teachers if he wanted any of them to take him seriously. It took him time to adjust and stop being the daydreaming kid, lost in his own thoughts, humming to himself a melody of a long forgotten song, and start being the studious initiate. He channeled all his artistic talent into the art of oratory -- one of the few arts the priests allowed and even encouraged the acolytes to learn. Years later, he was ordained a priest and was positioned as a law-priest in one of the goddess's many temple to watch over the faithful and keep the fear of the goddess in their hearts. By that point, after so many years of indoctrination, he came to believe most of what he spoke, and while the visions never stopped, he came to view them the way he was taught -- that they were a curse, that it was a sign of weakness and that each day he had to repent and pray to the goddess to deliver him from his sinful fate.<br/><br/>It was only with Gwendolyn's arrival at his temple that he realized how wrong he was about everything. The visions were a blessing, not a curse. The voice in them was Zhar's and it was He who in His infinite wisdom shared the melody and the words with Arawn for all those nights. He accepted Zhar's commandments and converted. As a final step on his path to serving His will, he carved out a new symbol in his flesh, transforming the birthmark that he was born with, into Zhar's.</div></div><br/><strong>Brief Personality</strong>:<br/>Confident, polite, and always smiling, Arawn knows how to conceal his true feelings and passions if needed. When he is free to speak from his heart, however, he pours all his passion into it. He is a gifted orator whose words can inspire others to greatness or strike fear into their hearts with fiery speeches. He prefers to use kindness and charm in his dealings with others as experience shows that this kind of behaviour brings them easier under his sway than the opposite but he isn't afraid to manipulate or intimidate if they need more than just a smile to see His greatness.<br/><br/>Arawn often has dreams in which a voice speaks to him of secrets beyond his imagination. He often wakes up and desperately tries to recall what he just heard but all he can usually remember is an eerie melody he would later hum for days, or a few words he would then incorporate into his vocabulary and use it during the day, no matter how odd the choice of words was. He is known to daydream or be lost in deep thought or communion with His divine patron, or at least, that's what he presents this as.<br/><br/><strong>Ons &amp; Offs</strong>:<br/>Bisexual, with a slight preference for other men. Throughout all his years as a cleric, Arawn repressed his sexual desires and never engaged in them even though he always found the idea of having power over others in the sexual sense tantalizing. It's not just about him having the power -- he doesn't mind someone else taking the charge. He will gladly submit to others if they show that they are powerful enough to exert their will over his.<br/><br/><br/><div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/HdwNVYc.jpg)</div><hr/><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Cheng-Ming (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2467751)</span></strong><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Race:</strong>Tian<strong>Class:</strong>Stonesinger Bard<br/><br/><strong>Brief History:</strong>Cheng-Ming is an explorer and adventurer from a far-off continent, across the world's oceans to the distant East.  A consumnate artist, poet, and performer, his soul is devoted to the fine arts of human endeavor.  His bearing and behavior indicate someone of fine breeding and comfortable wealth, likely from a noble family of some sort.  His manners and appearance are exotic, being a strange mixed resemblance to that of elves and humans, blending sloe-shaped almond eyes, high cheekbones, and yet embodying the human earthiness and zest for life with an aggressive passion that would ill-fit those of the fae mien.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">History Cont.</div><div class="spoiler_body">Cheng-Ming's involvement in the affairs of this side of the world began five years ago, as a young man of sixteen years.  His personal sailing vessel was caught at sea within a violent storm, and in the course of the chaotic winds and buffeting, strayed far off course and into the realms of the Known World we are familiar with.  However, in the wake of the subsiding tempest, his ship became entangled with another also lost in the gale and fury, one crewed by a family of halfling travelers.  The storm threatened to sink and capsize both vessels, and the halflings would have been the first to be lost to the furious winds and battering waves.  But Cheng-Ming saved the little folk at the risk of his life, and brought both ships to rest, battered but intact, upon the shores of a forlorn isle.  <br/><br/>Feverish and near-death after the storm, Cheng-Ming was nursed back to health by the halflings.  It was upon waking many days later that he noticed that his wounds and health were completely healed, with nary a trace.  Inquiring as to the means of his miraculous recovery, Cheng-Ming discovered that the halflings he had rescued were no mere travelers, but refugees from a long-lost world, one where halflings were a feared and long-lived group of man-eaters, skilled and immersed in secret arts and knowledges of the consumption of human flesh.  They had used their clandestine techniques to make broths and meals from the drowned crew of the storms, feeding upon their bodies and sharing their sustenance with Cheng-Ming out of gratitude for his courage in saving them.  As horrified as he was initially, Cheng-Ming was also fascinated by these primal secrets of the halflings, their taboo masticatory arts, and the good health that these secrets brought his own body.  For three years, Cheng-Ming lived amongst these halflings upon this solitary island, learning from them, becoming one amongst them, and adopted into their ways.  As they thrived and survived, the small clan of survivors gathered their sustenance from the local flora and hunted from both local fauna, as well as other travelers washed ashore from the stormy sea lanes that passed nearby their island.  Cheng-Ming became one of their premiere cooks as well as an artiste in his own right.  He adopted the recipes of his own homeland, the spices and herbs from the island, as well as the unique flavors of outlander meats towards creating fantastical dishes and recipes that delighted and amazed the palate.  <br/><br/>It nevertheless came to pass, that passing ships one day came by the isle close enough to note inhabitants, and rescued the castaways back to civilization.  The halflings bade Cheng-Ming a fond farewell, as they returned to lands more similar to those of their homeland, while Cheng-Ming continued his exploration of the Western lands.  Having now acquired a particular taste for his special cuisine, Cheng-Ming carefully began to partake of his delicacies whenever he could manage to discretely lure away a doe-eyed demimondaine who managed to catch his eyes.  But what the gods of savage and wild lands will tolerate is not the same as what the gods of civilized lands will condone, and Cheng-Ming found that other Powers had noted his peculiar tastes, and began to inflict upon him a slow and insidious curse that accompanied his cravings.<br/><br/><em>"You are what you eat"</em> is a truism that generally cautions against overindulgence, and in this case it also holds true for Cheng-Ming.  For despite the cravings and desires for Cheng-Ming to continue his particular mastication for good health and longevity, he discovered that the more often he consumed his preferred two-legged doe, the more he began to notice an accompanying number of side-effects...  Softer skin, loss of muscle mass and stature, a growing change of appearance from simply androgynous to feminine.  Cheng-Ming it seemed, was trapped in a cycle of gradual transformation into the very type of prey he most favored, that of beautiful young women.  If he refrained from his consumption, the change back to his former self was slow to initiate, but was palpable enough over time if he could maintain his self-control.  But with that self-deprivation, came a loss of sanity and empowerment that began to strangle his own sense of control.  <br/><br/>Back and forth over the span of two years, he experimented and maintained a gradual level of balance against self-control.  Achieving a general level of comfort with his artistry, creative cuisine, and impulsive cravings, Cheng-Ming had managed to bring his desires and curse under gradual control.  Likewise, he had also begun to research possible treatments and solutions for his unique problem, and found it referenced in the annals of Zharian cultists.   An ancient book from his own homeland, <span class="bbc_u">The Secret Shih-Tan</span>, a cookbook rumored to have been stolen from the Celestial kitchens of the Emperor of both Heaven and Hell, had long been held and then lost to mortal hands in ages past...  But the annals of Zhar contained references to a number of lost artifacts that had been taken by the followers of Madness in the eras long since, and <span class="bbc_u">The Secret Shih-Tan</span> numbered among them.  Resolved to find and read <span class="bbc_u">The Secret Shih-Tan</span>, Cheng-Ming has since joined the company of the Children of Zhar, in order to find and recover the solution to all of his desires and woes...  <span class="bbc_u">The Secret Shih-Tan.</span><br/><br/><strong>Brief Personality:</strong> At first impressions, Cheng-Ming is a polite, modest, and soft-spoken Tian, but with a particular manner of class and dignity that immediately captures the attention of others when he stands and addresses those around him.  His outward bearing is much like any simple adventurer, humble and somewhat worldly, but he also possesses a sense of presence that some might call 'an old soul'.  Bright, optimistic, quick of wit, and filled with an innate calmness that 'all will work out as it should' that is cheerily infectious and encouraging for those around him.  His ordinary inclination is not necessarily to be the 'natural leader', but rather the 'binding glue' that brings people together, lending them a friendly ear to talk to, a helping hand to pick them up, and an encouraging word when they must sally forth.  For Cheng-Ming, lofty goals and ideals are not what inspire him, but friendship, warmth, cheery company, and good food.  <br/><br/>However, his ordeal and curse have given Cheng-Ming a bit of a darker side as well.  His cravings and appetites have made him somewhat predatory and cruel to those he views as 'celebratory incarnations to the art of cooking', which is to say the beautiful subjects of his carnal and masticatory desires.  He rationalizes away his hunting, seductions, and manipulations of attractive young women, by telling himself he is immortalizing them, taking them away from horrible futures of decrepitude, poverty, and decay.  He tries to also target those he feels are 'deserving' of such fates, normally those of a somwhat dubious moral flexibility, who display aptitudes for theft, deception, and even murder, but there have been times where his artistic spirit has gotten the better of himself, and he has gravitated towards the pure and innocent as well.  Ultimately, Cheng-Ming has begun a downward spiral upon his slippery slope of moral descent.  Whether or not <span class="bbc_u">The Secret Shih-Tan</span> will save him or damn him, is up to the Heavens to decide.</div></div><br/><br/><strong>O/O:</strong><br/>Oddly enough, I am not a big fan of bloody gore, despite the subject matter of this character.  So for Cheng-Ming, he's more apt to be turned on by aspects of horror which are more pyschological, focused upon seduction and pursuit, rather than simple bodily consumption or sexual victory.  Also not a big fan of scat or such.  I do like coerced non-con style of RP, from both the POV of male or female, and I fully expect that depending on the levels of 'feast or famine' there may be opportunities for both seduction and coercion for and against Cheng-Ming, depending on events.<br/><br/><strong>Adventuring Party:</strong>Children of Zhar.<br/><br/>Connections:  Is your CC seeking connections with other characters?<br/><ul class="bbc_list"><li type="square"> Love interest<em> I am open to the idea of a former romantic connections, or a future romantic connection with another party member.  It might be a bit complicated, depending on Cheng-Ming's level of invested romantic interest versus his ideas of aesthetics, but I'm open to discussions! </em><br/></li><li type="square"> Friend <em> Cheng-Ming could totally befriend and value other characters as the campaign progresses!  Just because he has certain appetites and inclinations, does not mean he does not value or regard friends and loved ones as important to him!  He's just more likely to want to share the things he holds as important with such friends, and/or keep them ignorant of his activites, depending on how he foresees their reactions!  :-) </em><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/72/B0AA8E2A-7214-40B8-A386-5FB3E2FE2DA6.jpeg)</div><hr/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Irtula</strong> (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=2470358)<br/></span><hr/><br/><strong>Race:</strong> Vishkanya <strong>Class:</strong> Rogue<br/><br/><strong>Brief History:</strong><br/>Irtula has lived a rather... rough life.  People tend to distrust her kind because, more often than not, they end up being thieves and killers for hire.  So, given that she grew up on the streets, one might see how this would effect her outlook on life and people in general.  In her short time on Golarion, Irtula has been a thief, a prostitute, a murderer, a mercenary, and several other professions of a less savory nature.  Yet, despite the coin, none of it ever truly satisfied her.  Ever since she could remember there had been this... hunger for more that she'd never been able to satiate, no matter how much she took, fucked, or killed, leading her to take greater and greater risks as time went on.  She would never have robbed a bounty hunter blind, for example, but the sex just hadn't been enough.  Again.  In her efforts to escape the hunter's notice she fled to the Dark Continent, finding herself joining a cult of all things.  She'd never been very religious but, well, she supposed they couldn't be any worse and who knows?  Maybe she might finally find a way to fill that void along the way.  <br/><br/><strong>Brief Personality:</strong><br/>Cold, distant, selfish, hedonistic - Irtula is concerned mainly for her own wellbeing and pleasure, the vishkanya perfectly willing to kill someone for their things if she likes what they have enough and feels she can get away with it.  Lately, though, the same thrills just don't hold her attention, leaving her feeling oddly adrift at times.<br/><br/><strong>O/O:</strong><br/>Strangely while Irtula likes to be in control during her day to day life, in the bedroom she prefers for her partner to take the proverbial wheel.  Life is stressful enough without having to worry about what will please your partner, so the vishkanya is perfectly happy to be used however her partner likes.  Within reason, of course.<br/><br/><strong>Connections:</strong><br/></li><li type="square"> Family she didn't realize she had, perhaps</li><li type="square"> The bounty hunter she robbed blind</li><li type="square"> The person who taught her how to steal, fuck, and kill to survive</li></ul>