Horizon Walkers II: Recruitment Thread (closed)
- Thread starter hiei82
- Start date
Name: Hissa
Age & Gender: 47 male
Height & Weight: 3'8? 51lbs
Species: Lizardman sub-species poison dusk. Shorter than their cousins the lizardmen they live in deserts or forests and are adapt at camo in those situations. Its large eyes reflect light well and make it able to see quite a distance in all but the darkest of areas. Small and lean it has a wiry build and when it smiles or snarls at you you can see the sharp teeth in its mouth giving the impression it is a carnivor and hunter. It has a crest that runs down its head and spine that can raise and lower depending on its moods. The scales on its body are green on most of it with yellow on its belly and under its chin while there are black rings on its tail in an almost random sequence. Its nose is sensitive and can track a scent over a great distance thought it can lose it if they work hard enough. They almost never wear clothes and anything they do wear is decoration or to hold something on like weapons or trophy's. Its fingers are tipped with claws and its legs are double jointed allowing him to run close to the ground while his toes are also clawed. They can hold their breath for extended periods of time and have fin like protrusions on their elbows which allow them heightened movement in the water, while their eyes have second clear lids that let them see underwater without worry.
Appearance: Standing at the upper edge of the poison dusk height Hissa also is fairly heavy for them also, his chest and upper arms a little more muscles than the average poison dusk. The second spine of the crest on his head has a bite mark in it and is missing a good chunk on the top of it. His teeth are razor sharp and serrated, easily able to cut through meat and skin with ease. His chest has several scars ranging from what looks like sword blows to star shaped ones that were from horns and spears. On his back a leather quiver of arrows sized for his bow and fletched with a variety of different feathers. To the right is a short sword for him with a bone handle and a tanto tip, its about 2 feet long and would be a dagger in any normal persons hands. Both those are held on his back by a leather harness that goes across his chest and around his waist, also holding two pouches containing small survival equipment. His bow is kept in a small slide in on the side of his quiver with the strings he has in a small leather pouch tied on his belt. On his left hand he has a small iron ring on his thumb with an etched drawn bow on it, the same symbol is etched into the leather of his quiver and sword sheath.
History: Born in a forest of death Hissa broke free of his egg in the middle of an egg stealer taking one if his hatchmates. This was his first memory, an image of someone else being taken to be eaten. Starting with this and being thrown into a work of hunting and killing. Starting after just a few weeks old he and the rest of his hatch mates were given a still living animal for them to swarm and take down. This was his life for the next half dozen years, either having weak animals driven to them or given to them so they could practice and eat while also learning not to care about killing.
After he was pulled from the group of hatchlings and shoved into the highly competitive world of hunters Hissa found he had a hard time using the normal weapons, spears and traps, because he liked being at a much farther range but still doing it himself when taking down prey. Going through the different weapons and choosing the same as one of the legends of old he practiced with the bow every day, day after day, for months then years and eventually almost four decades. But that is close to the end of the story and he is still much closer to the beginning.
He was a fair shot in the beginning and soon was able to take down much larger prey with well placed arrows, each of them breaking eventually till he was made to learn the art himself just so he would know how to on long hunts. His leather working skills and tracking skills both came of a need slightly different. The tracking of course because he wanted to follow the prey he wanted and so he could find the best spot to shoot from, while the leather working was because far from anyone else on long hunts he needed to use every part of the animal. Letting it go to waste was criminal and even those who cared little about the hunt knew to use everything of what they kill. Of course the meat is the easiest but he learned how to use the bigger sturdier bones in his arrows and to fix and work the leather into anything he wishes to.
After a decade and a half of working with the small group of lizardman he had been born into Hissa gathered a small bag of needed supplies and in the middle of the night left, having decided that they had shown him all they could. On his way out he was found and almost stopped by his clutchmother, but because the group always said they believed in power and talent more than blood. When she tried to stop him he slid the short sword into her chest and through her heart before giving it a sharp twist and jerking it out again. While he slide his sword into her body she got her own dagger into his side, giving him a wide gash that let his blood pour out and onto his side.
Letting her drop off his sword and holding his side Hissa growl in anger at this damage to himself. Using a handful of leaves from a wide leafed plant before slapping handfulls of mud over it to keep it closed he grabbed her arms and started dragging her away. Finding a close but out of the way deep pool of water with fish that could strip a lumbering damnbeast down in minutes her body was soon eaten and the bones hidden in the silt and sand at the bottom of the to deep to see the bottom of pool.
Leaving his dead clutchmother and the rest of the group behind Hissa made his way into the depths of the killing forest, soon getting lost. Even lost he made his way deeper and deeper into the forest always killing what he needed and using them as best he can, always leaving a few pieces for his gods, as he made his journey. Over the next decade he made a deeper connection to the forest and its inhabitants than had ever been known before, soon tapping into its power in a small way. Calling on his god in a clearing and waiting as meat slow roasted next to him and a variety of herb and plants burn in the fire he called on the animals and spirits of the forest to give unto him a companion. Waiting there for almost a full day a giant demon of the forest came out holding something in its jaws. After watching the now almost panicking Hissa who had drawn his bow the giant female demon left whatever it had been carrying in the clearing and left. After gathering his nerve and walking over to see what it had been he found a small baby demon wolf, who had just started to open its eyes. Watching it for a few minutes and deciding this was the companion he had called on he picked it up and went back to feed it the meat.
The demon wolf gained a magical connection to Hissa and following him around he gained size quickly and was soon as tall as the short lizardman, but Hissa knew they lived for thousands of years so he was still a baby even after more than a few had gone by. He game it the name Olc, after something he remembered from when he was younger. As they traveled together Olc would devour the soul of the animals he killed in his hunting. Something interesting was the demon wolf didn't need meat but would eat what was given to him as treats. Also that he very much disliked having his tails pulled on, when Hissa did this to make Olc move he got a hard bite on his upper arm giving him a ringing set of scars on his bow arm forever to be there.
Taking time to pray to the gods he had grown up with Hissa easily lives the next 15 years in the deep forest before he found a staircase and building that didn't belong. After a few days of deliberation about what to do and the added help of a killertrunk rampaging to make him rush into it he fell through the building he had come into and found himself in a completely different place, with no ability to come back to his own home. Blaming his gods and spending the next few years traveling and learning new places and ways to both kill and live he made a vow he would find a way to kill the Dragon god of the Breakopen forest and take his place.
Reason to be here/things to do: Hissa wants to hunt a god and thinks he will either find one he can hunt while traveling or a way to.
Personality:
He started out as a very open bright almost happy hatchling. But before he even left to join the hunters he became much quieter. Now he is quiet and dislikes being around a lot of others, feeling they slow him down and make it easier for him to be both seen and stopped. The only thing he feels close to is his companion, and it is so far the only thing he will kill for. If someone threatens or harms the demon he will soon find several bone tipped arrows thudding between his shoulderblades. He finds it hard to know when another person is lying or telling the truth, since he is not used to others he finds it hard to read them like he does the trails when hunting.
His biggest part of his personality is the fact he doesn't want to be controlled and believes that fate is something that is used to make them obey. Meaning he is openly disdainful of those who follow their destiny or believe it is set out for them.
Powers:
Major Power: Nature connection, Ranger familiar
The demon wolf feeds on souls, anything living will give up its soul when they die and the demon wolf can see and eat said soul as it leaves the body.
It's left most head has no eyes but can sense and see souls very clearly, the short spines on the back of its left most head are sharp and make anything trying to grab the back of it be cut.
The middle head has the most eyes and three long horns standing over his eyes. This head can not see souls but it makes up by watching its own area and the area the sightless head cant see, other than his razor sharp teeth his horns are more than able to do incredible damage to anything attacking it.
The right most head has curling horns on either side of the head and three eyes over a sensitive nose and razor sharp teeth. This one has no special ability's but an extra sharp sense of smell.
Demon wolves reincarnate when they die, each time they do gaining one more tail until they gain 9 and they live longer than ever. That would be their last life. This demon wolf has 3 tails and stands 5 feet tall at the shoulder and a little over 6 feet from shoulder to ass.
Even though they reincarnate when they die they do it in the same place they were first born, meaning that if Ilc was to die Hissa would lose him forever.
The demon wolfs claws and fangs are strong enough to bite through basic armor, but anything well made or made from special materials will stop it. He is vulnerable to weapons made from cold iron and they will do more damage than regular weapons.
Ilc will heal himself by eating souls, the more intelligent a souls original body was the more it gives to him. Animals are less than humans and anything above human are even better.
Minor Power 1: Master level archer[short recurve]: he has a master archers aim and speed with his bow, while with other bows he would gain the same accuracy it is with his own bow that he falls into his master level ability.
Minor Power 2: Expert hunter: He is able to track through almost all environments and places, knowing minor and major points about the things he tracks by the tracks and scents and habits they leave behind. He has a wide variety of traps and ways to keep hidden to use while hunting.
Minor Power 3: Expert leather worker: Hissa uses leather in everything from clothes to sheaths and on weapons. He can create everything from leather armor to weapon additions and experimenting with it as he wants.
Notable skills: Fishing, survival, fletching, Fire starting, Knowledge of several dozen species Anatomy including demon wolves and damnbeasts.
Equipment: Pouch of dried meat, quiver with 15 self made bone tipped arrows, short sword with bone hilt, wood and bone recurve bow, three bow strings, pouch with flint and steel as well as scraping tool and leather needle. Small inch long blade knife with leather sheath inside pouch with leather working tools.
Age & Gender: 47 male
Height & Weight: 3'8? 51lbs
Species: Lizardman sub-species poison dusk. Shorter than their cousins the lizardmen they live in deserts or forests and are adapt at camo in those situations. Its large eyes reflect light well and make it able to see quite a distance in all but the darkest of areas. Small and lean it has a wiry build and when it smiles or snarls at you you can see the sharp teeth in its mouth giving the impression it is a carnivor and hunter. It has a crest that runs down its head and spine that can raise and lower depending on its moods. The scales on its body are green on most of it with yellow on its belly and under its chin while there are black rings on its tail in an almost random sequence. Its nose is sensitive and can track a scent over a great distance thought it can lose it if they work hard enough. They almost never wear clothes and anything they do wear is decoration or to hold something on like weapons or trophy's. Its fingers are tipped with claws and its legs are double jointed allowing him to run close to the ground while his toes are also clawed. They can hold their breath for extended periods of time and have fin like protrusions on their elbows which allow them heightened movement in the water, while their eyes have second clear lids that let them see underwater without worry.
Appearance: Standing at the upper edge of the poison dusk height Hissa also is fairly heavy for them also, his chest and upper arms a little more muscles than the average poison dusk. The second spine of the crest on his head has a bite mark in it and is missing a good chunk on the top of it. His teeth are razor sharp and serrated, easily able to cut through meat and skin with ease. His chest has several scars ranging from what looks like sword blows to star shaped ones that were from horns and spears. On his back a leather quiver of arrows sized for his bow and fletched with a variety of different feathers. To the right is a short sword for him with a bone handle and a tanto tip, its about 2 feet long and would be a dagger in any normal persons hands. Both those are held on his back by a leather harness that goes across his chest and around his waist, also holding two pouches containing small survival equipment. His bow is kept in a small slide in on the side of his quiver with the strings he has in a small leather pouch tied on his belt. On his left hand he has a small iron ring on his thumb with an etched drawn bow on it, the same symbol is etched into the leather of his quiver and sword sheath.
History: Born in a forest of death Hissa broke free of his egg in the middle of an egg stealer taking one if his hatchmates. This was his first memory, an image of someone else being taken to be eaten. Starting with this and being thrown into a work of hunting and killing. Starting after just a few weeks old he and the rest of his hatch mates were given a still living animal for them to swarm and take down. This was his life for the next half dozen years, either having weak animals driven to them or given to them so they could practice and eat while also learning not to care about killing.
After he was pulled from the group of hatchlings and shoved into the highly competitive world of hunters Hissa found he had a hard time using the normal weapons, spears and traps, because he liked being at a much farther range but still doing it himself when taking down prey. Going through the different weapons and choosing the same as one of the legends of old he practiced with the bow every day, day after day, for months then years and eventually almost four decades. But that is close to the end of the story and he is still much closer to the beginning.
He was a fair shot in the beginning and soon was able to take down much larger prey with well placed arrows, each of them breaking eventually till he was made to learn the art himself just so he would know how to on long hunts. His leather working skills and tracking skills both came of a need slightly different. The tracking of course because he wanted to follow the prey he wanted and so he could find the best spot to shoot from, while the leather working was because far from anyone else on long hunts he needed to use every part of the animal. Letting it go to waste was criminal and even those who cared little about the hunt knew to use everything of what they kill. Of course the meat is the easiest but he learned how to use the bigger sturdier bones in his arrows and to fix and work the leather into anything he wishes to.
After a decade and a half of working with the small group of lizardman he had been born into Hissa gathered a small bag of needed supplies and in the middle of the night left, having decided that they had shown him all they could. On his way out he was found and almost stopped by his clutchmother, but because the group always said they believed in power and talent more than blood. When she tried to stop him he slid the short sword into her chest and through her heart before giving it a sharp twist and jerking it out again. While he slide his sword into her body she got her own dagger into his side, giving him a wide gash that let his blood pour out and onto his side.
Letting her drop off his sword and holding his side Hissa growl in anger at this damage to himself. Using a handful of leaves from a wide leafed plant before slapping handfulls of mud over it to keep it closed he grabbed her arms and started dragging her away. Finding a close but out of the way deep pool of water with fish that could strip a lumbering damnbeast down in minutes her body was soon eaten and the bones hidden in the silt and sand at the bottom of the to deep to see the bottom of pool.
Leaving his dead clutchmother and the rest of the group behind Hissa made his way into the depths of the killing forest, soon getting lost. Even lost he made his way deeper and deeper into the forest always killing what he needed and using them as best he can, always leaving a few pieces for his gods, as he made his journey. Over the next decade he made a deeper connection to the forest and its inhabitants than had ever been known before, soon tapping into its power in a small way. Calling on his god in a clearing and waiting as meat slow roasted next to him and a variety of herb and plants burn in the fire he called on the animals and spirits of the forest to give unto him a companion. Waiting there for almost a full day a giant demon of the forest came out holding something in its jaws. After watching the now almost panicking Hissa who had drawn his bow the giant female demon left whatever it had been carrying in the clearing and left. After gathering his nerve and walking over to see what it had been he found a small baby demon wolf, who had just started to open its eyes. Watching it for a few minutes and deciding this was the companion he had called on he picked it up and went back to feed it the meat.
The demon wolf gained a magical connection to Hissa and following him around he gained size quickly and was soon as tall as the short lizardman, but Hissa knew they lived for thousands of years so he was still a baby even after more than a few had gone by. He game it the name Olc, after something he remembered from when he was younger. As they traveled together Olc would devour the soul of the animals he killed in his hunting. Something interesting was the demon wolf didn't need meat but would eat what was given to him as treats. Also that he very much disliked having his tails pulled on, when Hissa did this to make Olc move he got a hard bite on his upper arm giving him a ringing set of scars on his bow arm forever to be there.
Taking time to pray to the gods he had grown up with Hissa easily lives the next 15 years in the deep forest before he found a staircase and building that didn't belong. After a few days of deliberation about what to do and the added help of a killertrunk rampaging to make him rush into it he fell through the building he had come into and found himself in a completely different place, with no ability to come back to his own home. Blaming his gods and spending the next few years traveling and learning new places and ways to both kill and live he made a vow he would find a way to kill the Dragon god of the Breakopen forest and take his place.
Reason to be here/things to do: Hissa wants to hunt a god and thinks he will either find one he can hunt while traveling or a way to.
Personality:
He started out as a very open bright almost happy hatchling. But before he even left to join the hunters he became much quieter. Now he is quiet and dislikes being around a lot of others, feeling they slow him down and make it easier for him to be both seen and stopped. The only thing he feels close to is his companion, and it is so far the only thing he will kill for. If someone threatens or harms the demon he will soon find several bone tipped arrows thudding between his shoulderblades. He finds it hard to know when another person is lying or telling the truth, since he is not used to others he finds it hard to read them like he does the trails when hunting.
His biggest part of his personality is the fact he doesn't want to be controlled and believes that fate is something that is used to make them obey. Meaning he is openly disdainful of those who follow their destiny or believe it is set out for them.
Powers:
Major Power: Nature connection, Ranger familiar
The demon wolf feeds on souls, anything living will give up its soul when they die and the demon wolf can see and eat said soul as it leaves the body.
It's left most head has no eyes but can sense and see souls very clearly, the short spines on the back of its left most head are sharp and make anything trying to grab the back of it be cut.
The middle head has the most eyes and three long horns standing over his eyes. This head can not see souls but it makes up by watching its own area and the area the sightless head cant see, other than his razor sharp teeth his horns are more than able to do incredible damage to anything attacking it.
The right most head has curling horns on either side of the head and three eyes over a sensitive nose and razor sharp teeth. This one has no special ability's but an extra sharp sense of smell.
Demon wolves reincarnate when they die, each time they do gaining one more tail until they gain 9 and they live longer than ever. That would be their last life. This demon wolf has 3 tails and stands 5 feet tall at the shoulder and a little over 6 feet from shoulder to ass.
Even though they reincarnate when they die they do it in the same place they were first born, meaning that if Ilc was to die Hissa would lose him forever.
The demon wolfs claws and fangs are strong enough to bite through basic armor, but anything well made or made from special materials will stop it. He is vulnerable to weapons made from cold iron and they will do more damage than regular weapons.
Ilc will heal himself by eating souls, the more intelligent a souls original body was the more it gives to him. Animals are less than humans and anything above human are even better.
Minor Power 1: Master level archer[short recurve]: he has a master archers aim and speed with his bow, while with other bows he would gain the same accuracy it is with his own bow that he falls into his master level ability.
Minor Power 2: Expert hunter: He is able to track through almost all environments and places, knowing minor and major points about the things he tracks by the tracks and scents and habits they leave behind. He has a wide variety of traps and ways to keep hidden to use while hunting.
Minor Power 3: Expert leather worker: Hissa uses leather in everything from clothes to sheaths and on weapons. He can create everything from leather armor to weapon additions and experimenting with it as he wants.
Notable skills: Fishing, survival, fletching, Fire starting, Knowledge of several dozen species Anatomy including demon wolves and damnbeasts.
Equipment: Pouch of dried meat, quiver with 15 self made bone tipped arrows, short sword with bone hilt, wood and bone recurve bow, three bow strings, pouch with flint and steel as well as scraping tool and leather needle. Small inch long blade knife with leather sheath inside pouch with leather working tools.
Here we go, comments are welcome.
EDIT: Filled out powers, made him get hurt a few times, added in more to the wolf, added a flaw ish thing.
EDIT: Fleshed out Ilc, added a weakness, gave some limitations.
Name: Jacquard, prefers Jaq
Age & Gender: 19, Male
Height: 5'11"
Species: Half-Elf
Appearance: Jaq has brown hair, knifed ears, a single blue eye with an eyepatch over the other, and a handsome face buried under a layer of dirt and grit. He's very slender and his skin is peppered with various scars that mark him as a surprisingly versed adventurer for his age. His Elvish blood makes him look somewhat effeminate and he lacks facial hair of any kind.
He also has an artifical, clockwork right hand imbued with some magic enchantments. At first glance it just looks like a brass armoured gauntlet, but when in use the gear-grinding noises it makes and the unorthodox angles it can twist into reveal its true nature. His eyepatch hides another such artifical body part - a brass eyeball with a glowing ruby in place of where a pupil would be. Further details about these devices can be found under the powers section.
Jaq usually dons a chainmail vest under his clothes while wearing leather vambraces and leggings over his clothes that offer decent protection while not impairing movement. He usually wears a longcoat overtop his clothes when traveling to protect himself from things such as rain and cold. He enjoys decorating his attire with certain flamboyant items like red sashes and colourful bird feathers.
History: Born the bastard child of a whore, Jaq had an unpleasant childhood. He grew up living in a brothel with his Elvish mother, who was kind but had trouble raising her son due to being impoverished. Jaq had few friends outside of others working at the brothel who knew his mother and a couple of street rats. Other children often teased him for any number of reasons; whether it be for his bastardy, his mother's line of work or his mixed blood.
Jaq was a problem child and often got into trouble. He frequently got into scraps with other kids and was fond of stealing. He stole initially to try and get things for his mother that they couldn't afford, although greed and and thrill of the act later became strong motivations. One day he got very unlucky and was caught trying to steal silver from a merchant. As punishment, his right hand was cut off. Rather than being deterred from thievery though, Jaq continued to steal but was far more cautious and quick about his work.
When he was ten years old, Jaq's mother died of a disease. At this point he stopped stealing and instead started working at the brothel so he could continue having a place to live. Since he was too young to work the oldest profession, he instead worked as a custodian and helped out at the bar.
Two years later, Jaq's life took a turn for the better. A crew of privateers working a skyship under the name of the Serendipity paid the brothel a visit. Jaq hung out with them, listening to the pirates tell stories of grand adventures, spanning both the world and horizons beyond; tales of gold, glory, danger and the unbelievable. Jaq was so amazed by these stories, he asked the sky pirates if he could come along with them. Their captain laughed, asking what sort of skills a one-handed whoreson had to offer. Jaq's answer was to snatch the captain's coin purse, dart off and led the pirates on a merry chase through the city that lasted until sunset.
Impressed by the display, the captain was willing to give Jaq a shot. He let the boy join the Serendipity as a swabbie. He left his hometown for the first time and traveled across the skies, with the ship on rare occasions even soaring to different horizons. Though Jaq was initially restricted to washing the deck and staring out at the wondrous skies, the captain eventually allowed him to come along and assist during expeditions. He used the wealth he helped plunder during these affairs to purchase an semi-magical, clockwork hand for himself. It had the ability to act as a grappling hook as well, making it an invaluable asset for anyone who worked on a skyship. After learning the basics of skysailing, Jaq was taught how to fight.
Seven years went by and Jaq had his share of adventures; more than a boy of his youth and upbringing ought to have. He soared, he bled, he loved, he lost an eye, he found a new one buried in a wyvern's hoard, the Serendipity was shipwrecked, and soon the crew that Jaq had joined when he was just a boy was gone. All of his former companions had either died or left to pursue greener pastures.
Jaq soon decided to pursue the latter himself - by becoming a Horizon Walker.
Reason to be here/things to do: Adventure. Jaq wants to keep living a life of adventure while he's still young and has most of his body parts still attached. Wonder, danger, gold, glory and companionship is what Jaq seeks.
Personality: A boy whose smile rarely fades, even in the most dire of times. Jaq is a cheerful and friendly person, always looking to make friends and have new experiences. He's very sociable and loves to tell stories and quips alike over a pint of something dark. While many would associate such optimism with naivety, Jaq is quite savvy to the ways of the world. He's surprisingly wise and sharp for someone his age, while still appreciating life to its fullest. At times he can get overly-cocky and overestimate his own abilities. He can also be rather greedy about treasure. Without a proper education, Jaq is unable to read and write. He's quite ashamed of this and gets agitated it comes up.
Powers:
Major Power - Master of Mobility: Jaq possesses a excellent tool to assist in acrobatic endeavors; his artificial hand. The clockwork mechanism can act similarly to a grappling hook by detaching and launching itself a good distance, latching onto whatever it grabs. A sturdy chain extends along with the hand and keeps it connected to a gear base. Jaq can wind the gears to have the chain recoil in either direction - pulling himself towards where the grappling hand landed or having the grappling hand come back to himself. Most of the time though, he uses it just to swing around like a looney. It's useful for swinging, climbing, yanking him out of danger in the nick of time, or for snatching things from far away.
Minor Power 1 - Swashbuckler: Jaq is very skilled in the use of blades and knives.
Minor Power 2 - Roguish Charm: A warm aura of charisma and a winning smile makes it easy for Jaq to charm allies and enemies alike.
Minor Power 3 - Seeker's Eye: Jaq's gemstone eye gives him the ability to see magic. When his eyepatch is off, he can detect magical auras as well as distinguish what kind of magic they possess based on their colouration (illusions would have a silver aura, necromancy would have a black aura etc.)
Flaw - Runestones? In this Economy?: Jaq's thirst for treasure has reasons beyond just lining his own pockets. His artificial hand must be charged regularly with magical energies of the enchantment school in order to function at all. As enchantment magic is sometimes placed on treasure and ancient items, they're usually a good source of arcane fuel. As well, being mechanical means that the hand is subject to damage from rust and other such menaces to the metallic.
Minor Power 4 - Arcane Recycling: Though not a spellcaster of any sort, Jaq does know how to disenchant magic items. Doing so requires time, patience and tools - just like picking a lock of brewing a potion. So he can't just click his fingers and cause a wizard's stave to lose its power. After disenchanting an item, the magic energy can be boiled into a liquid form that can be used as fuel to energize Jaq's gauntlet. Actual mages might find some creative use for the distilled enchantment as well.
Notable skills: Jaq is versed in the basics of survival after years of adventuring. He knows how to cook food, maintain cleanliness and treat simple injuries. He's also very good at stealing, a skill he's only gotten better at since his days as a street rat. Jaq fancies himself an entertainer; he has a fondness for storytelling, quips and dancing.
Equipment: Jaq carries a cutlass, a pair of pistols, some bullets and a couple of knives as weaponry. He also carries the basics for survival - food, water, a bedroll, some rope, oil and a lantern. He wears a chainmail vest with some leather armor as mentioned in the appearance section. His miscellaneous gear includes a spyglass, a purse of silver coins, and a second purse of fake silver coins. He also has some tools to assist in disenchanting, as well as vials to store the results.
Age & Gender: 19, Male
Height: 5'11"
Species: Half-Elf
Appearance: Jaq has brown hair, knifed ears, a single blue eye with an eyepatch over the other, and a handsome face buried under a layer of dirt and grit. He's very slender and his skin is peppered with various scars that mark him as a surprisingly versed adventurer for his age. His Elvish blood makes him look somewhat effeminate and he lacks facial hair of any kind.
He also has an artifical, clockwork right hand imbued with some magic enchantments. At first glance it just looks like a brass armoured gauntlet, but when in use the gear-grinding noises it makes and the unorthodox angles it can twist into reveal its true nature. His eyepatch hides another such artifical body part - a brass eyeball with a glowing ruby in place of where a pupil would be. Further details about these devices can be found under the powers section.
Jaq usually dons a chainmail vest under his clothes while wearing leather vambraces and leggings over his clothes that offer decent protection while not impairing movement. He usually wears a longcoat overtop his clothes when traveling to protect himself from things such as rain and cold. He enjoys decorating his attire with certain flamboyant items like red sashes and colourful bird feathers.
History: Born the bastard child of a whore, Jaq had an unpleasant childhood. He grew up living in a brothel with his Elvish mother, who was kind but had trouble raising her son due to being impoverished. Jaq had few friends outside of others working at the brothel who knew his mother and a couple of street rats. Other children often teased him for any number of reasons; whether it be for his bastardy, his mother's line of work or his mixed blood.
Jaq was a problem child and often got into trouble. He frequently got into scraps with other kids and was fond of stealing. He stole initially to try and get things for his mother that they couldn't afford, although greed and and thrill of the act later became strong motivations. One day he got very unlucky and was caught trying to steal silver from a merchant. As punishment, his right hand was cut off. Rather than being deterred from thievery though, Jaq continued to steal but was far more cautious and quick about his work.
When he was ten years old, Jaq's mother died of a disease. At this point he stopped stealing and instead started working at the brothel so he could continue having a place to live. Since he was too young to work the oldest profession, he instead worked as a custodian and helped out at the bar.
Two years later, Jaq's life took a turn for the better. A crew of privateers working a skyship under the name of the Serendipity paid the brothel a visit. Jaq hung out with them, listening to the pirates tell stories of grand adventures, spanning both the world and horizons beyond; tales of gold, glory, danger and the unbelievable. Jaq was so amazed by these stories, he asked the sky pirates if he could come along with them. Their captain laughed, asking what sort of skills a one-handed whoreson had to offer. Jaq's answer was to snatch the captain's coin purse, dart off and led the pirates on a merry chase through the city that lasted until sunset.
Impressed by the display, the captain was willing to give Jaq a shot. He let the boy join the Serendipity as a swabbie. He left his hometown for the first time and traveled across the skies, with the ship on rare occasions even soaring to different horizons. Though Jaq was initially restricted to washing the deck and staring out at the wondrous skies, the captain eventually allowed him to come along and assist during expeditions. He used the wealth he helped plunder during these affairs to purchase an semi-magical, clockwork hand for himself. It had the ability to act as a grappling hook as well, making it an invaluable asset for anyone who worked on a skyship. After learning the basics of skysailing, Jaq was taught how to fight.
Seven years went by and Jaq had his share of adventures; more than a boy of his youth and upbringing ought to have. He soared, he bled, he loved, he lost an eye, he found a new one buried in a wyvern's hoard, the Serendipity was shipwrecked, and soon the crew that Jaq had joined when he was just a boy was gone. All of his former companions had either died or left to pursue greener pastures.
Jaq soon decided to pursue the latter himself - by becoming a Horizon Walker.
Reason to be here/things to do: Adventure. Jaq wants to keep living a life of adventure while he's still young and has most of his body parts still attached. Wonder, danger, gold, glory and companionship is what Jaq seeks.
Personality: A boy whose smile rarely fades, even in the most dire of times. Jaq is a cheerful and friendly person, always looking to make friends and have new experiences. He's very sociable and loves to tell stories and quips alike over a pint of something dark. While many would associate such optimism with naivety, Jaq is quite savvy to the ways of the world. He's surprisingly wise and sharp for someone his age, while still appreciating life to its fullest. At times he can get overly-cocky and overestimate his own abilities. He can also be rather greedy about treasure. Without a proper education, Jaq is unable to read and write. He's quite ashamed of this and gets agitated it comes up.
Powers:
Major Power - Master of Mobility: Jaq possesses a excellent tool to assist in acrobatic endeavors; his artificial hand. The clockwork mechanism can act similarly to a grappling hook by detaching and launching itself a good distance, latching onto whatever it grabs. A sturdy chain extends along with the hand and keeps it connected to a gear base. Jaq can wind the gears to have the chain recoil in either direction - pulling himself towards where the grappling hand landed or having the grappling hand come back to himself. Most of the time though, he uses it just to swing around like a looney. It's useful for swinging, climbing, yanking him out of danger in the nick of time, or for snatching things from far away.
Minor Power 1 - Swashbuckler: Jaq is very skilled in the use of blades and knives.
Minor Power 2 - Roguish Charm: A warm aura of charisma and a winning smile makes it easy for Jaq to charm allies and enemies alike.
Minor Power 3 - Seeker's Eye: Jaq's gemstone eye gives him the ability to see magic. When his eyepatch is off, he can detect magical auras as well as distinguish what kind of magic they possess based on their colouration (illusions would have a silver aura, necromancy would have a black aura etc.)
Flaw - Runestones? In this Economy?: Jaq's thirst for treasure has reasons beyond just lining his own pockets. His artificial hand must be charged regularly with magical energies of the enchantment school in order to function at all. As enchantment magic is sometimes placed on treasure and ancient items, they're usually a good source of arcane fuel. As well, being mechanical means that the hand is subject to damage from rust and other such menaces to the metallic.
Minor Power 4 - Arcane Recycling: Though not a spellcaster of any sort, Jaq does know how to disenchant magic items. Doing so requires time, patience and tools - just like picking a lock of brewing a potion. So he can't just click his fingers and cause a wizard's stave to lose its power. After disenchanting an item, the magic energy can be boiled into a liquid form that can be used as fuel to energize Jaq's gauntlet. Actual mages might find some creative use for the distilled enchantment as well.
Notable skills: Jaq is versed in the basics of survival after years of adventuring. He knows how to cook food, maintain cleanliness and treat simple injuries. He's also very good at stealing, a skill he's only gotten better at since his days as a street rat. Jaq fancies himself an entertainer; he has a fondness for storytelling, quips and dancing.
Equipment: Jaq carries a cutlass, a pair of pistols, some bullets and a couple of knives as weaponry. He also carries the basics for survival - food, water, a bedroll, some rope, oil and a lantern. He wears a chainmail vest with some leather armor as mentioned in the appearance section. His miscellaneous gear includes a spyglass, a purse of silver coins, and a second purse of fake silver coins. He also has some tools to assist in disenchanting, as well as vials to store the results.
Any critique is welcome.
Okay, the new version is a lot better! Thanks!booksv3 said:
The only significant concern left is that the group wants you to flesh out the wolf a little more. Right now it's still a little unclear what the wolf's strengths and limitations are.
Ok this one is a bit dissimilar to most of the characters here so do tell if you see any problems.
Edit: woops, missed the personality part. Let me just do that quickly...
Edit: ok done. Btw, the reason I haven't put up the world sheet is that I want to make sure the character is all good first, so don't worry.
Name: Gyda, the Sommerdale Demon
Age & Gender: eight-year-old girl (plus 27 years of being dead)
Height & Weight: 4'1" and 22kg
Species: human (an undead possessed human, if you want to get technical)
Appearance: upon initial inspection most would use words like 'emaciated', 'filthy', and 'wretched'. Once they had taken a closer look, the diction turns more in the direction of 'nightmarish'.
Gyda used to be a normal, blonde haired, healthy looking child. Adults who met her often remarked upon how pretty she was, or how well she was growing. Then a few things happened to her: her neck was broken, her eyes mutilated, she was drowned, and a parasite demon burrowed into her soul. Now her once round, joyous face has become sallow, with terrifying black holes for eyes (though in direct light one can see something glittering far back in her empty sockets, around where the optic nerve would sit) and a thin mouth of reptilian menace. Her head, once upright with confidence and adorned with flowing golden locks, must now loll about at horrific angles, matted hair hanging lank and blackened with filth. Skin that was once fair and well toned for a child has been bleached a necrotic grey.
To add to all this, Gyda has never felt the need to change out of the long night gown she died in. It has thus become as filthy and lank as the rest of her, though most terrifying of all would be the permanent stain of blood around her neckline.
History: Gyda was born and raised in the old fashioned lakeside town of Sommerdale, somewhere in an unexciting corner of the multiverse. Her family owned a great deal of farmland, and enjoyed the comforts of a grand mansion built at the town outskirts on the edge of Lake Sommers. Life there was peaceful, uncomplicated.
Until, one day, Gyda disappeared.
A search was conducted, and very quickly convincing evidence for her death was uncovered; her lace bonnet, lying in the mud at the base of a willow tree by the lake. From this tree hung a noose.
Now this tree happened to sit directly in the back yard of an eccentric old man who lived a few miles out from the town proper. People didn't have to try hard to convince themselves that he had murdered poor girl, despite the lack of conclusive evidence, and so it was not long before he was hung by the neck until dead at the very tree he had been accused of killing Gyda.
The Sommerdale Demon had claimed its first victim.
For almost thirty years Sommerdale became a place of absolute terror. Something was haunting the lakeside town. People swore by their lives that they glimpsed a child's corpse watching them through the bedroom window as they shifted half asleep in the dead of night. Others heard echoes of eery song or menacing laughter from lake whenever they happened to pass by. Gyda's family had it worst, and it was not long before they were forced to move away from the old mansion - other locals had already started to shun it like the plague. Heavy mist descended around the township perimeter, through which no one could pass without ending up back where they started. The universe seemed to shrink upon its denizens; there was to be no escape from the nightmare. Paralysis hit the population when its members started turning up dead, one by one, within days or years of each other...
Relief finally came in the form of a horizon walker who just happened to be passing through. By exploiting the demon's weakness to the benevolent powers, they successfully drove Gyda away through the horizon, where she was locked out for good.
Or so they hope.
Reason to be here/things to do: Gyda's only goal is to get back to her universe, actually. She never wanted to leave.
Personality: since having her soul consumed by a demon, little remains of the old Gyda. Everything good and kind has been annihilated, while the mischief and hate has been multiplied ten-fold. The result; an unrelenting sadist.
There is no justice or reason to her atrocities. She may take greater delight in torturing someone who thinks they deserve it, or in expoiting ones guilt and regret, but that's only because they make easier prey in that way.
Powers:
Major Power: Banshee
Gyda is granted one powerful 'spell' by the demon inside her; a supernatural scream that can maim both body and soul of any who hear it. The degree of damage depends on how close people are to her, as well as what ear protection they have. A target who gets off with only minor effects might suffer nothing more than a brief stun. Unluckier foes may become deafened and disorientated, or even panicked. At worst, one might be driven insane or killed outright. Inanimate objects such as glass may be destroyed as well.
Use is limited to once a day.
Minor Power 1: Contortionist
No possessed little girl can be taken seriously unless she can spin her head a full 360. Gyda can do this and more. Her entire body can realign itself into a disturbing assortment of shapes, attributing to her an unnatural degree of dexterity. When she wants to Gyda can scuttle across the ground at wicked speeds, twisted up and twitching like an insect. In addition, the girl can unhinge her jaw like a snake, which helps when she wants to eat someone.
Minor Power 2: Ghoulish countenance
Under the right circumstances, simply laying eyes on something like Gyda is enough to send grown men running scared. This makes intimidation tasks, such as information extraction, a speciality for her.
Minor Power 3: Spiritually attuned
Having a demon inside her make Gyda capable of observing the spiritual world. Such skill has a range of applications; detecting magical enchantments, reading people's auras, and even as a rudimentary form of nightvision.
Flaw: Parasite demon
The demon within Gyda's soul is all that sustains her mortal husk. It has become dependent on her, resulting in an equal measure of strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses; extreme vulnerability to fire and powers of good/light (this includes anti-demon procedures like exorcism, as well as physical contact between Gyda's body and any holy symbols of good). She will avoid such things at all costs, preferring to pick her fights with the impure mundanity.
Minor Power 4: Undead host
The demon within Gyda's soul gives power to the her mortal husk. It has become dependent on her, resulting in an equal measure of strengths and weaknesses. The strengths; extreme resilience in the face of physical damage and blunt trauma. Her bones can be broken just as easily as any other corpse's, and her flesh is just as yielding under a blade, but neither will cause her pain.
Notable skills: years of hide and seek and terrorising townsfolk have made Gyda an effective thief. She also has a nice, if slightly creepy, singing voice.
Equipment: a red hooded cloak she took from another young girl she murdered in the woods somewhere. It is essential for Gyda to conceal her fearsome appearance when traveling through populated areas; it's hard to get anything done otherwise. She tends not to carry weapons on her person. If ever she needs one she will simply take it from the first readily available source.
Age & Gender: eight-year-old girl (plus 27 years of being dead)
Height & Weight: 4'1" and 22kg
Species: human (an undead possessed human, if you want to get technical)
Appearance: upon initial inspection most would use words like 'emaciated', 'filthy', and 'wretched'. Once they had taken a closer look, the diction turns more in the direction of 'nightmarish'.
Gyda used to be a normal, blonde haired, healthy looking child. Adults who met her often remarked upon how pretty she was, or how well she was growing. Then a few things happened to her: her neck was broken, her eyes mutilated, she was drowned, and a parasite demon burrowed into her soul. Now her once round, joyous face has become sallow, with terrifying black holes for eyes (though in direct light one can see something glittering far back in her empty sockets, around where the optic nerve would sit) and a thin mouth of reptilian menace. Her head, once upright with confidence and adorned with flowing golden locks, must now loll about at horrific angles, matted hair hanging lank and blackened with filth. Skin that was once fair and well toned for a child has been bleached a necrotic grey.
To add to all this, Gyda has never felt the need to change out of the long night gown she died in. It has thus become as filthy and lank as the rest of her, though most terrifying of all would be the permanent stain of blood around her neckline.
History: Gyda was born and raised in the old fashioned lakeside town of Sommerdale, somewhere in an unexciting corner of the multiverse. Her family owned a great deal of farmland, and enjoyed the comforts of a grand mansion built at the town outskirts on the edge of Lake Sommers. Life there was peaceful, uncomplicated.
Until, one day, Gyda disappeared.
A search was conducted, and very quickly convincing evidence for her death was uncovered; her lace bonnet, lying in the mud at the base of a willow tree by the lake. From this tree hung a noose.
Now this tree happened to sit directly in the back yard of an eccentric old man who lived a few miles out from the town proper. People didn't have to try hard to convince themselves that he had murdered poor girl, despite the lack of conclusive evidence, and so it was not long before he was hung by the neck until dead at the very tree he had been accused of killing Gyda.
The Sommerdale Demon had claimed its first victim.
For almost thirty years Sommerdale became a place of absolute terror. Something was haunting the lakeside town. People swore by their lives that they glimpsed a child's corpse watching them through the bedroom window as they shifted half asleep in the dead of night. Others heard echoes of eery song or menacing laughter from lake whenever they happened to pass by. Gyda's family had it worst, and it was not long before they were forced to move away from the old mansion - other locals had already started to shun it like the plague. Heavy mist descended around the township perimeter, through which no one could pass without ending up back where they started. The universe seemed to shrink upon its denizens; there was to be no escape from the nightmare. Paralysis hit the population when its members started turning up dead, one by one, within days or years of each other...
Relief finally came in the form of a horizon walker who just happened to be passing through. By exploiting the demon's weakness to the benevolent powers, they successfully drove Gyda away through the horizon, where she was locked out for good.
Or so they hope.
Reason to be here/things to do: Gyda's only goal is to get back to her universe, actually. She never wanted to leave.
Personality: since having her soul consumed by a demon, little remains of the old Gyda. Everything good and kind has been annihilated, while the mischief and hate has been multiplied ten-fold. The result; an unrelenting sadist.
There is no justice or reason to her atrocities. She may take greater delight in torturing someone who thinks they deserve it, or in expoiting ones guilt and regret, but that's only because they make easier prey in that way.
Powers:
Major Power: Banshee
Gyda is granted one powerful 'spell' by the demon inside her; a supernatural scream that can maim both body and soul of any who hear it. The degree of damage depends on how close people are to her, as well as what ear protection they have. A target who gets off with only minor effects might suffer nothing more than a brief stun. Unluckier foes may become deafened and disorientated, or even panicked. At worst, one might be driven insane or killed outright. Inanimate objects such as glass may be destroyed as well.
Use is limited to once a day.
Minor Power 1: Contortionist
No possessed little girl can be taken seriously unless she can spin her head a full 360. Gyda can do this and more. Her entire body can realign itself into a disturbing assortment of shapes, attributing to her an unnatural degree of dexterity. When she wants to Gyda can scuttle across the ground at wicked speeds, twisted up and twitching like an insect. In addition, the girl can unhinge her jaw like a snake, which helps when she wants to eat someone.
Minor Power 2: Ghoulish countenance
Under the right circumstances, simply laying eyes on something like Gyda is enough to send grown men running scared. This makes intimidation tasks, such as information extraction, a speciality for her.
Minor Power 3: Spiritually attuned
Having a demon inside her make Gyda capable of observing the spiritual world. Such skill has a range of applications; detecting magical enchantments, reading people's auras, and even as a rudimentary form of nightvision.
Flaw: Parasite demon
The demon within Gyda's soul is all that sustains her mortal husk. It has become dependent on her, resulting in an equal measure of strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses; extreme vulnerability to fire and powers of good/light (this includes anti-demon procedures like exorcism, as well as physical contact between Gyda's body and any holy symbols of good). She will avoid such things at all costs, preferring to pick her fights with the impure mundanity.
Minor Power 4: Undead host
The demon within Gyda's soul gives power to the her mortal husk. It has become dependent on her, resulting in an equal measure of strengths and weaknesses. The strengths; extreme resilience in the face of physical damage and blunt trauma. Her bones can be broken just as easily as any other corpse's, and her flesh is just as yielding under a blade, but neither will cause her pain.
Notable skills: years of hide and seek and terrorising townsfolk have made Gyda an effective thief. She also has a nice, if slightly creepy, singing voice.
Equipment: a red hooded cloak she took from another young girl she murdered in the woods somewhere. It is essential for Gyda to conceal her fearsome appearance when traveling through populated areas; it's hard to get anything done otherwise. She tends not to carry weapons on her person. If ever she needs one she will simply take it from the first readily available source.
Edit: woops, missed the personality part. Let me just do that quickly...
Edit: ok done. Btw, the reason I haven't put up the world sheet is that I want to make sure the character is all good first, so don't worry.
Before we begin to grade this one, you recognize that DarkRawen is playing an Angel character; a walking embodiment of good/light who might kill your character accidentally on touch right? We don't specifically have an issue with the character concept, we just wanted to make sure you know.Thomas Barnsley said:
Note that we closed the recruitment thread; this doesn't apply to your character or any replacement you might make due to the above. We just wanted to make sure this was the end of general submissions.