[OOC] Of Shadow and Flame (Signups CLOSED)

[Chevaleresse]

SIGNUP STATUS: CLOSED

Introduction

There is more than what is readily apparent in this world. Anyone with a gram of intelligence realizes this. What is not often realized is the world that now exists in the shadows of our own, a world of legends and magic. In it, individuals and groups defend the unknowing mundane from the threats of the supernatural - magical beasts, born from the emotions of humanity, ranging from simple animals endowed with unnatural strength or size, to crafty lurkers, sowing misery and misfortune from the shadows, to truly awesome monsters straight from the legends of the ancient world. Of course, as in any situation, some of the beasts take a decidedly familiar form. . .

Species

Humans
Need I explain? Your run-of-the-mill people of the world. Most of them live their lives blissfully unaware of what goes on around them. They might remark about a freak accident that destroyed a home, or a sudden spike in the number of unexplained deaths in the city, but most will move on to their own concerns. A select few, however, have begun to connect the dots, and power rarely goes unnoticed by those who already hold a form of it.

Magical people
Whether they are referred to as magi, sorcerers, gifted, contract holders, or even superheroes, these are people who have been introduced to the world in the shadows. Their individuals talents and powers vary widely, but all possess a few traits: minor powers on the order of short-range telepathy, somewhat increased physical strength, and most importantly, strong emotions. This and one other ability is shared between every single one, with exceptions being so rare that most do not believe they exist. This other ability is to transform into a much more powerful version of their normal selves, which is where their true talents show themselves. This transformation is performed at will, and endows the individual with massively increased physical speed, strength, and toughness, along with the ability to manipulate energy in a variety of forms, including but not limited to materializing weapons and armor as bounded fields of energy, enhancing existing objects with similar methods, or attacking with sheer power. Each individual is unique, with no two sharing the exact same appearance and set of powers.

Beasts
These are not ordinary animals. They are the primary reason that magical people continue to exist, as they are the only ones that are capable of efficiently and effectively managing the threat that they pose to humanity. While the majority of them are not actively malicious, they are essentially super-powerful wild animals that have a tendency to spontaneously appear in the middle of crowded cities, and as such must be dealt with somehow. How this is done is a major point of contention in the magical world, much like in the mundane one. Most of them are not easy to fight, and they are the biggest cause of death for magical people, especially inexperienced ones.

Mediators
Mediators are a mysterious race. No one really knows where they originated, though there are several theories, and the Mediators themselves are unwilling to share. Despite this, however, they are welcome among magical people for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that they are a source of new blood, unlocking the potential latent within some in exchange for ensuring said potential is used to keep them safe as well, as they possess little in the way of direct offensive or defensive power. They live among humans, and rely on stealth, diplomacy, and an innate shapeshifting ability to take on roles in society. Their other primary magical ability is infusing objects and living beings with energy, though in the former case a power source must be provided for the enchantment to persist.

Half-breeds

Mediator-human crosses. Not much is known about them, even less than Mediators, because they are extremely uncommon. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but the main theories are biological incompatibility between the two species and Mediator culture and attitudes preventing any interbreeding. What powers they may possess are unknown.

Factions

In the magical world, there are three principal factions of magical people, each with its own techniques, motives, goals, and ethics. There are also those that lie outside this system for one reason or another. These may sound quite organized, but the reality is that those with the right potential are rare and death is not uncommon. A faction's presence in a large city may never break 50 individuals, and a group of Loners or Deviants will rarely, if ever, reach a dozen.

Protectors
Protectors operate on the principle that humans must be protected from magical beasts and one another. They regard magical beasts as a threat to the normal world, and almost always use force or the threat of force to drive them away, going for kills when possible. Contrary to this seemingly reckless and violent approach, they typically try to minimize collateral damage to the more mundane segments of the population. They tend to be somewhat larger than the other factions, since they often take in more loners than their counterparts. Many of them view themselves as the natural guardians of humanity, given their abilities, and as such think themselves above others. They try to avoid conflict with magical people, however.
Primary Talents: Raw damage output and direct attacks, with a preference for melee engagement.
Supporting Talents: Damage mitigation abilities and healing, with very few control abilities.

Preservers
Preservers are the park rangers of the magical world, focusing their energies on safeguarding magical beasts from those that would do them harm. They also try to protect humans, but given the choice between saving a person and saving a beast, they will choose the beast. When they stumble into the world of humanity, Preservers will do their best to distract them or divert them away rather than using force. As a result, however, damage to the surrounding area is not minimized and a Preserver operation can easily result in large amounts of destruction. Some are willing to fight and even kill others who do not agree with their views.
Primary Talents: Ranged assaults, with some preferring wide area effects and others leaning toward precision.
Supporting Talents: A wide array of effects meant to cripple or disable opponents without direct damage, and damage redirection.

Peacekeepers
A rather small group, Peacekeepers tend to be highly selective. They keep the other factions in line, interfering with disputes if it puts too many at risk. Most of their time is spent policing the other two groups rather than dealing with magical beasts; they almost never have the numbers to effectively manage beast populations, and it is not their primary focus besides. If they are forced, beasts will be dealt with in the most convenient manner possible. Other groups see them as a necessary evil for the most part. Some Peacekeepers view magical power as unnatural or even evil, and use it with a sort of "fight fire with fire" mentality. Their primary role is to protect the mundane world from that of the magical, and the magical from the mundane.
Primary Talents: Highly effective single target attacks to the exclusion of almost anything else.
Secondary Talents: Powerful single target enchantments meant to lock an enemy in place or prevent another kind of action. Increased magic resistance.

Loners
Loners are not a faction in any true sense. Its simply a term applied to any magical person who is not associated with a faction yet. The reasons for this vary, but are typically due to isolation from the rest of the world (magical and otherwise) and/or being a newborn magical person who has had no time to make connections. As a result, their powers and ideologies vary widely, though the former tends to be more limited and less refined than a member of a faction.

Deviants
Deviants are not associated with a faction, much like loners, but are in such a condition due to choice, whether it be their own or one forced upon them. Many are former faction members that have been outcast for one reason or another, while others simply grew dissatisfied with their factions and left voluntarily. A few are simply longtime Loners that never joined a faction at all. They tend to be more experienced than others, and have a sort of consistency in their values in that they almost always differ wildly from those of an established faction. Their skillsets usually, but not always, reflect their former life, but are more refined than a Loner. Unlike Loners, who are sometimes sought out by a faction seeking to bolster its numbers, Deviants are mistrusted and occasionally even hunted.

Mediators
The Mediators compose their own faction in a sense, not working parallel to the goals of any one group other than their own ends. The other factions will defend them with swift and decisive action, however, for the services they provide are exceedingly valuable. The ability of a Mediator to infuse objects with energy allows them to create powerful enchanted arms and armor for the magically gifted to use. This power, as already mentioned, can be used to unlock the potential of a previously normal human, endowing them with the ability to transform and access their latent powers freely.

World Mechanics

Lets get down to the explanation of how all this stuff fits together, plus information that thus far has not slotted itself into a convenient category. The short version is this: In the world there are magical people. Their purpose for existing is to safeguard humans and Mediators from magical beasts, which are generated from the emotional energies of humans. However, there is some disagreement about how this is to be done. The main two arguments, the Preservers and the Protectors, are thus: The first, from the Preservers, is that magical beasts, while dangerous, are like any other rare animal; they should be protected and conserved, even if humans lose. The second, from the Protectors, is that human safety takes priority over the protection of dangerous and unnatural magical beasts, and as such beasts should be eliminated at every opportunity. The Peacekeepers are simply there to prevent the others from doing too much damage to the magical world as a whole.

Now, youre probably wondering about these magical people. As mentioned earlier, they possess quite a few supernatural abilities. These abilities vary wildly from person to person, and can be obtained in one of three ways, assuming the individual is, in fact, capable of wielding their own emotional energies. The first is a contract with a Mediator; the individual is endowed with power and sometimes paid in some other way, and in exchange they agree to use their abilities to safeguard the Mediator. The specifics may vary. The second is the collective effort of several existing magical people each using some of their power to unlock the potential of another. This is uncommon for a few reasons, not the least of which being that many lack the ability to perform that sort of infusion at all. The third - and least common - is encountering a shard.


Shards are essentially energy that has collected from the environment in a solid form. Shards can have various effects, depending on the user and their level of skill. A single magical person could potentially manipulate one to infuse another with the energy within and activate their innate abilities, but such a technique would be exceedingly difficult to perform due to the volatile nature of the shards. They are more often used as an extra source of energy, whether expended in a short burst or used for storage. However, if an inexperienced or nonmagical person contacts one, the shard will either remain inert or disperse itself into the environment. This dispersion can be relatively slow and peaceful, or quite the opposite. If it disperses into the right person, however, their potential will be unlocked, though wilders, as magical people created in such a manner are referred to, tend to have difficulty learning how to use and control their powers.

Power and Transformations

Your character has a finite amount of power to use at any one time. This amount is much like physical strength and stamina; its difficult to measure precisely, but it should be kept in a general range. A newly created magical person does not have a lot of power at their disposal, though their reserves will grow quickly for the first couple of weeks, and continue to grow at a slow rate over time, moreso if one frequently uses their powers. Initially, as a rough estimate, you'll have enough power to transform and remain in such a state for a bit less than five minutes. Transformation uses a burst of power, and remaining transformed drains a small amount of energy, though these amounts get a bit smaller with experience. Feel free to get flashy and over the top, but anything that would take more energy in real life takes more energy in this setting. (Do try to create an interesting picture, though; some concessions will be made to the Rule of Cool, meaning that good writing leads to in-character benefits.)

Player Characters

The players involved in this RP will take the role of a new magical person, or a mundane person with the potential to become one. (Experienced RPers may be considered for starting as a more experienced person; PM me for details. You may start as a member of any faction, or as a Loner or Deviant, though the last would be highly unusual and the backstory will be critiqued closely. The character template, once actual signups start, will look something like this:

Name: If you cant figure out how to do this part, you should probably find another hobby.
Gender: If you're not male or female, people might have a hard time figuring out how to refer to you, but I'm certainly not restricting this.
Age: The RP starts on May 1st, 2015 in-universe. Calculate from there.
Appearance, normal: What you look like as a normal human. Feel free to work on anime logic: if you want hot pink hair and yellow eyes, go ahead, though if anything screams Sue here then Ill have words for you, like antidisestablishmentarianism.
Appearance, transformed: What you look like when you transform and use your powers. Feel free to go a bit over the top; this idea is inspired by (and takes a LOT from) magical girl anime.
Personality: Be brief, to be honest. Only list things that someone would know after spending an hour or two with your character; deeper aspects of ones personality, like in real life, should be either kept to PM or yourself entirely and only revealed through interaction with others.
Weapons of choice: Longswords, pistols, bows, spears, muskets, you name it. No weapon is inherently stronger than another. A character can manifest their own weapons using energy, or infuse objects with power to boost their effectiveness. The former is generally stronger, with the latter taking less out of your reserves.
Backstory: Where did you come from? Magical people tend to come from the edges of society for one reason or another. Did anything happen to drive you out of modern society entirely? Are you still trying to live a dual life? Or are you still unaware of the potential contained within yourself? New characters start out powerless. The story takes place in a fictional, "anime-ized" city in Japan (so I don't have to deal with landmarks lol) so keep that in mind.
Power Origin: Shard, contract, or induction. If you were inducted, you're probably going to be a faction member.
Faction: We went over this earlier. Are you still going it alone, or have you picked a group of allies? All new characters start factionless, but you can put your preferred faction here.

Character Sheets:
Takeshi - Host PC

Gender: Male
Age: 19

Appearance, untransformed: Blonde hair a few inches past shoulder length, with the occasional curl. Somewhat lean facial structure, angular without being particularly harsh. Bleached blonde hair, with brown eyes. He possesses a fairly average, somewhat lean build, and is neither particularly athletic nor particularly out-of-shape. His features are fairly expressive, and emotions on his face are rarely difficult to perceive. Often dresses in fairly plain clothes, with a fondness for layers; he feels exposed without at least a jacket on. Usually spotted wearing well-worn jeans, with a combination of a solid white tee, sweatshirt, and jacket, with variances depending on the weather.

Appearance, transformed: Long, thick silver hair that defines part of his silhouette, with almost winglike layers, descending to just over his hips. Facial structure remains the same, but eyes turn an unusual (and recognizably unnatural) shade of teal. He gains several inches in height, and his build becomes far more athletic. Like everyone with a contract, his wardrobe varies based on his emotions when he transforms, but many elements remain fairly consistent. Black predominates, as all basic elements of the wardrobe are black with silver accents. He wears a long black cloak, occasionally with even longer tails. When exerting magical power, a bright teal color shows, trailing the relevant motions and any objects or attacks manipulated with this power.

Personality: Overemotional, like most people selected for contracts. Has good ideas, but rarely takes the time to quite think them through. Quite impulsive. Somewhat naive. Loyal, but not overly friendly. Can be harsh at times.

Weapons of choice: Normally a ridiculously long sword, with a light machine gun for less energy-intensive offense.
Backstory: Takeshi was a ward of the state for as long as he could remember. The entirety of his life prior to gaining his powers was spent bouncing between foster homes and occasional run-ins with the law, though he never did anything more malicious than graffiti or petty theft. He was nearly killed when a beast attacked the vehicle he was riding in, only surviving due to the intervention of a passing group of Protectors. After the incident, a Mediator approached him, offering a contract. Leaping at the opportunity, he dropped out of school and embraced a new life completely, and has spent the last two years hunting beasts and otherwise minding his own business.
Power Origin: Mediator contract.
Faction: Loner.

Ozymandias - DobbyTheElf NPC

Name: Bobby "Ozymandias" Veril
Gender: Male
Age: 20, born January 7th1995
Appearance, Normal? Well... Bobby really isn't normal. For the longest time he tried to be the exact opposite. Therefore, he wears strange attire. Tall-ish at 5"9 with hair dyed red, orange and yellow going own to the tips of his hair all the way down to the nape of his neck (It was a bitch to do). Bobby is quite thin, with a bit of a gaunt face. His eyes are naturally hazel but he wears contact lenses so he has one green eye and one red eye. He wears a long black trench coat with embroidery made to look like black flames that shift along the coat as he walks (a bit of DIY work there from Bobby) and similar black trousers with more embroidery. Under the coat he wears a black t-shirt with a fiery cartoon skull logo Bobby made.
Appearance, transformed: His normal attire comes to life, his eyes glow with red & green, his hair becomes much more vibrant a colour, looking far more like the flames he tried to imitate. The embroidery on his clothing comes to life, the patterns shift and look like genuine fire now, and the skull got the same treatment as it also comes to life even if he is silent.
Personality: He's very... enthusiastic. Prefers acting as Ozymandias who is pretty much just a "More" version of Bobby((Honestly, that's all you could get from a couple of casual hours with the guy XD))
Weapons of choice: Bobby loves his firepower. He alternates between a Flamethrower, anti-personnel rocket launcher and a scimitar.
Backstory: Bobby lived a normal early life. He hated it. So, he "made" himself a new life, he became Ozymandias and began to travel the world (Aka the nearby park) in his search for the new and wonderful. This kinda ostracised him from his friends and family. His family tried to stick around saying it was just a phase and that it would pass but that didn't happen. They ended up kicking him out and sending him to live on his own, sending him enough money to support him. He lives in a small apartment packed with random shit he uses to make his costumes and props. He came across the mediator he made a contract with a few weeks ago and still has next to no idea what he's really doing.
Power Origin: Contract
Faction: Loner ("OZYMANDIAS SERVES NO ONE AND NEEDS NO ONE!")

Vixen - Hukuna

Name: Catrin "Vixen" Edelweiss.

Gender: Female

Age: 26 ((will explain.))

Appearance, normal: Electric Blue Hair, is typically wild and messy, she takes care of it, but it has no particular style. She has two Pinkish-red eyes. She tends to wear a black face mask, with a black hood and rarely shows her face. She also wears a fitted black pants with a red tanktop. Over-top she wears a sorta poncho type deal ((it isn't really... but not sure how else to describe it.)) that is tan in colour with a trim of red at the bottom. It is more for travel than it is for anything else. Carries an old and worn Long Rifle. It is a rather old model, more for Hunting than a military model, however it is modified heavily, having a custom fitted scope. She also carries a Six-Shot revolver that is also battered and worn.

Appearance, transformed: Vixen sprouts angel wings of pure ice. Most of her clothes become a Electric blue((similar to her hair normally)) Her Hair becomes pure white like snow. Her garments and form are framed with an unnatural frost that permeates mostly everything and even starts to cling to anything she touches. ((purely just cold it doesn't really hurt the person or objects.)). It tends to change a bit form here on out due to her being able to form the Ice as armour. The Ice is typically a Cool Blue that is near pale white, but it can change colour sometimes.

Personality: Rather cold and aloof. She seems to distance herself from people by being rather abrasive and stand-offish. She claims to hate most people, or to marginalize them somehow. However, one can tell that she isn't being entirely forward and is holding some part of her back.

Weapons of Choice: Sniper Rifle, Revolver, and Combat Knives.

Power Origin: Shard

Faction: Deviant.

Backstory: Vixen was always a very much of a loner. She much preferred the company of no one, over that of people. As, such she didn't get along with that many people, and she didn't hang around in town much. She would travel the wilds on her own, trying to survive off the land. Of course she would go back every once and awhile to restock, or to visit the few people she did care about. However, on one trip... she found something that would change her life forever. It was on her return trip home when near the outskirts of town she found something strange... something odd. It seemed like a small pale blue shard of glass. And yet, it thrummed with a mysterious energy. When she touched it... it absorbed into her she felt a strange power flow within herself... and felt like something awakened. However, she couldn't believe it. The Shard had disappeared... was it a dream, a tired delusion? She continued back into town, chalking it up to not having gotten good sleep in awhile. She crashed at her cousin's place, a modest apartment. Her cousin ran a bakery down the way, and constantly worked the nightshift. She didn't mind if Vixen stopped by to crash since she wouldn't be there at night anyway. Vixen fished around for her key and let herself in. She headed directly to bed having had a rough few days on her trip. She desperately needed rest.

***

However, she awoke to something she would never forget. A frozen room. The entire bedroom had a thick layer of frost over everything. And it had appeared overnight. Clearly, Vixen was frightened, a rare thing for her. What the hell was this? How did it happen? Many questions ran through her head as she heard a key turning at the door. Her cousin was home... how the hell would she explain this? She quickly rushed to the living room, not wanting to be found in a room full of ice. It was the guestroom anyway so she doubted there would be any reason to check it. But, as she greeted her cousin, the worst happened. At her touch her cousin froze solid.

Vixen hadn't been back ever since the day she thought killed her cousin(( she doesn't actually know... feel free to mess with that.)), She had lived out in the wilderness trying to control whatever this... unnatural ice was. For years ((hence why I made her quite a bit older...)) she tried to hone it, and figure out what it was. She found she had limited access to other elements as well. She discovered many things about this, strange power. Like that it could change her whole body into something... else. It took a lot of energy, but it could. But she wasn't going to learn all this on her own. She tried to look for more people with this magic, to study them and learn from them from afar.

They know her as only Vixen, the Fox in the Forest. One that knows of the magical world and it's workings, but stays withdrawn from it. Few are able to find her if she doesn't want to be seen. She knows of the Mediators, the preservers, and all the others. She has watched them from afar and studied them to gain an understanding of her own powers. ((and theirs.)) Yet, each of their views differed from her own. For now, she was in it for herself, for she was the last person she could trust 100%.


((Feel free to pm me if you need any clarification... I would rather not spill the beans so to say any further on her backstory and stuff... so that is why parts of it are pretty vague and might not explain things very well.))

Hans - Zerron NPC

Name: Johannes (Yo-hahns) Faust
((either just "Hans" or "Faust" will suffice though))

Gender: Male

Age: 23 (January 27, 1992)

Appearance, normal: Athletically built White Male standing at 6"2. Hair is Unkempt with bangs often falling into the face and is Ashen Blonde and collar length towards the back of the neck. Eyes are almond shaped and a light violet in color. Diamond shaped facial structure with a straight, roman nose. Has a fair complexion. Common attire consists of sand colored cargo pants and a high collared, long sleeved solid-white dress shirt and light weight, tan colored assault boots which extend up to just below mid-calf. On his left hand is a strange rift like scar across the palm. Wears rectangular lensed spectacles with all black frames. He favors a black, double breasted long coat most of the time.

Appearance, transformed: His clothing more or less remains untouched, but his hair becomes alive and wild with crackling electricity and takes on an electric blue hue and metallic sheen. His eyes blaze with a hot, ever present Violet glow and a single, large angel wing sprouts from the right side of his back, also crackling in electricity and having the same hue and sheen as his hair. The scar on his left palm burns with a violet light similar to his eyes and a sigil forms on both his palms. His transformed State's wing allows him to fly and the feathers are hard as steel and conduct electricity, allowing for the limb to be used both as a make-shift shield and a slicing weapon if needed.

Personality: Calm, stoic, and honest. He tries to mediate things when he can

Weapons of choice: A ridiculously long Katana which he manifests from his own power, as well as a dual Desert Eagles for less energy consuming combat

Power Origin: Shard

Faction: Peacekeepers

Backstory:
A rather reserved individual, Faust was a German-born man who was studying abroad in the fields of Astronomy and sociology, living day in and day out as a simple university student. His life was naught more than studying and exams and the occasional drink out with friends on the weekends... your typical young bachelor shooting for a Masters.
This routine, this... static stillness, was shattered however one winter's night not too long before last Christmas eve. Whilst making his way home from assisting a friend who lived close by, Johannes fell prey to a nationality-driven hate crime and was overwhelmed by his assailants. it was During the course of the scuffle one of the two produced a knife and attempted to jimmy his ribs to silence the man's cries for aid, though luckily the exchange student managed to stop the blade with his palm rather than his gut, but nevertheless was sent sprawling to the cold, snow swept sidewalk, bloodied and battered.

And it was there, in the snow, the cold, barren sky fluff, crimson with the wound on his hand... that Johannes noticed it. The light. That small, violet light, that one light in the darkness as he struggled to keep the two at bay, and no one came... desperate and hoping it was perhaps the handle of something he could defend himself with, he dove and grabbed for the glint... only to find a stinging sense of power and force circulating throughout his entire body, and most intensely in the wound he sported from the cold rolled steel of his would-be killers knife. When next the two came in for another advance...

It was them who found themselves on the frozen street, motor skills and nervous systems permanently damaged by the bolt of electricity Faust had unknowingly fired in self defense from the sigil on his left palm, right where the scar tissue was. Unfortunately for him... that was also about the time that people had begun responding to his earlier calls for help... the time a small crowd had already gathered on the other side of the street.

* * * * *

He tried living it down for a while, tried continuing as if it never happened. But there was no living anything down when people were talking about you left and right and conspiracy theories galore were developing with you at their center and even the police were beginning to get involved despite having not believed your report days earlier. Stoic he may be, but Faust was not stupid. He knew that what was needed was to leave, right then and there. With all the shit flying, words were getting spewed, and those two Anti-Germans probably had more friends where they came from... and he'd be dead before long at that rate.
And so he left. left without a word, just waited till early one morning just after dawn and walked out of his apartment and left the keys on the manager's desk, pulled his hood up high... and walked away from the place, walked away from the death he knew was probably stalking him in that city.

But it wasn't as simple as just going back home to Berlin to attend university there, unfortunately. The incident coupled with his sudden leave of absence without any communication left his father, the sole financial benefactor of his studies... beyond pissed. Johannes was turned away the moment he arrived on his own front porch, told quite bluntly that if he actually took his studies seriously, then he wouldn't have just walked out without calling or telling him anything about the incident back in London. And that was it for Faust.

* * * * *

Months pass by. Left with little choice, Johannes roamed the continent, backpacking and living like a vagrant, all the while slowly but surely coming to realize just what strange power he had, not long after he had been disowned he found that the sigils- the thing he'd seen on his palms during the fight... he could summon them back onto his hands whenever he wanted, though it left him a bit winded at first, trying to force it... and whats even more, he found he could what he did that night... and even more- he had wings... erm... A wing, rather... but still a rather breathtaking sight nonetheless, the cold, electric blue of the feathers, their metallic sheen...

It wasn't long before he began noticing... something else either. began noticing them... the beasts and the other magic folk... began to notice that he was not alone in all this insanity he'd stumbled into. Things led to other things, and he eventually found himself wandering the nation of japan rather than the highlands of his home continent. More lost than ever, stuck in a completely foreign land and still witless about what the hell was going on to be honest, he was one day found by a faction of Peacekeepers after accidently getting drawn into a conflict between the Protectors and Preservers- they told him much about the new world he'd tripped right into, showed him much about it. That was several weeks ago, and he's been working with them since then, still trying to find some real direction... but with a hunch it might already be in his hands.

Kindle - Alexus

Name: Kindle Hope (This is my favorite first and last/middle name combo ever ATM ...Don't laugh)
Gender: Female
Age: 16 on said May 1st
Appearance, normal: Kindle is of average height, standing at an almost exact 5'6", with short trimmed red hair and sky blue eye. Her pale skin is covered head to toe in reddish freckles. She wears a black eyepatch with a blue flame pattern over her right eye. Her nose is short and sharp, and her lips thin, though a very bright red. Her clothing is usually comprised of an orange-red tank top with blue skinny jeans, alongside one of her many different pairs of shoes
Appearance, transformed: When transformed, Kindle's hair flares out into a long, wavy ponytail held back from inferno by a long red ribbon. Her eyepatch is removed to reveal a solid blue-white eye so bright inside that it almost looks like a blue star. Her standard clothing is replaced by a short-length, bare-shouldered, reddish-orange dress layered with bright blue, almost like an aura of flame. Her shoes are low heeled sandals of the same blue with criss-crossed straps riding up to just above her knees. She wears a blue collar with her flame symbol displayed on the right side of her neck. And has long ribbons traveling from her wrists to just past her elbows, similar the the straps on her legs. Her nails--on both her feet and hands--are painted blue on the right and red on the left. Her right ear is adorned with a flame-shaped garnet, while her left earring is a similarly shaped diamond
Personality: Kindle is an aggressive and opinionated girl, never willing to give in or back down. She appears to have a one-track mind and can be quite shallow at times. She's prone to charging headlong into danger and never seems to give a thought to her own well-being. She's an outgoing person and is always willing to make new friends and tries her best to stay on good terms with all of them
Weapons of choice: At the risk of being overly cliche'd, Kindle is very fond of using a cherry red scythe and refuses to use anything else, despite this essentially limiting her to melee combat
Backstory: Born to a middle-class family, Kindle lived a fairly boring life up until a week ago (as in, a week before the RP starts). She was never really anything special so far as academia went, though she excelled in sports, primarily track, where she was one of the fastest sprinters at her school. But of course, her life was not destined to remain normal. After some shenanigans involving an attempted mugging, a toothbrush, and a dead pigeon, Kindle found herself in an unknown alley staring at a strange, glowing blue gem. For reasons unknown, outside the obvious "shiny glowing gem is probably worth something" bit, she felt drawn to pick it up. But the moment her skin contacted the gem's smooth, warm surface, there was an explosion of white light all around her. When she came to, she was in the hospital and her vision was halved. And that is where she remains now (AKA, where Ima intro her from)
Faction: Loner, as she has yet to encounter any other members of the magical world

Nagi - Hiss13

Name: Nagi Shizuka ("The Windless")

Gender: Female

Age: 17 (June 21st, 1997)

Appearance, normal: Nagi stands at 5'7" with a fairly slender figure. She sports green eyes and shoulder length blue hair which she ties up into messy twin tails. She wears a navy blue trench coat which is torn ripped at the bottom end over a black shirt and black pants.

Appearance, transformed: When she transforms, her height actually decreases to 5'. Her eyes become pure black and her face gives off a more cynical look when her expressions are neutral. Her hair grows twice as long and turns black with golden highlights at the ends of her bangs. Her clothes become much more revealing as she loses her trench coat in her transformation her shirt turns into a black and white patterned sleeveless shirt that exposes her navel. Her pants and shoes look more glossy but remain the same overall. On both of her wrists are two bracelets that are designed after clouds and have the letters 'N≡N' written on them.

Personality: She is the type that dislikes pleasantries and as such is blunt, straightforward, and cold. At the same time, she is a very zealous person when it comes to her own pursuits.

Weapons of choice: Two combat knives: One with a serrated back edge and one non-serrated one; a Savage 110 BA Sniper Rifle; one portable canister of liquid nitrogen.

Backstory:

Nagi lived a fairly normal and mundane life. One would be able to call it peaceful. It was not exciting or breathtaking. It was not dangerous or risky. 'Peaceful' would really be the best and most sugar-coated way of describing it. Day in and day out, she would do the same things over and over again. In the end, what broke that 'peace' was a simple chance encounter she had with a Mediator boy (who she later learned to be named Shinka) she found collapsed and exhausted in an alleyway when she was heading out to buy groceries.

She immediately took the boy to the hospital where he rested. During that time, Nagi, glad that she could break the 'peace' of her life, visited the boy often. At first he was adamant about staying silent. However, over time, the two introduced themselves and gradually opened up to each other. Shinka even decided to finally to, as thanks, tell the girl about who he was. He told her about the existence of the Mediators and magic users.

Once he left the hospital, Shinka had originally planned on leaving the hospital without Nagi knowing. However, Nagi ended up finding him before he could leave and convinced him let her enter into a contract with him. She felt that it would be her best chance to further break away from that 'peace'. As such, the contract between the two was formed. Nagi would safeguard Shinka and Shinka would grant Nagi the ability to use magic. Not long after Nagi made her contract, she and Shinka joined up with a traveling group of Protectors and started to work under them.

***

Over the next year, Nagi and Shinka developed a close relationship like that of siblings. They would continue to travel to various towns and protect many people along the way with the assistance of the faction.

However, about a year after Nagi and Shinka joined with the Protectors, Shinka began to act tense and suspicious after arriving at a new suburban area. Despite the fact that Shinka was trying to hide his concerns and was trying to dodge any questions, Nagi still ended up keeping watch over him.

Like he did at the hospital over a year before, he tried to go out on his own without letting anyone know. He tried to keep more cautious of everyone around him when he did but he ultimately failed as Nagi caught up with him once again. It was at this moment when he decided to reveal the full terms of their contract as well as why he was in the state he was in when they met. Before he ran into Nagi, he was being used as a live experimental subject by a deviant mage-Mediator pair who wanted to experiment on Mediators and specialized in Anti-Mediator suppression. The experiments continued to the point where his mind nearly broke. However, he found an opportunity to escape and took it. He continued running until he eventually reached Nagi's hometown. After a short pause, Shinka then said the following,

"The terms of our contract are as follows. Nagi, you are to safeguard me until I can properly complete my revenge. Once that is finished, you are to kill me at my request."

Originally, he had planned to exact his revenge on his own and lie to Nagi by telling her that he had killed multiple innocents so that she would have an excuse to break that contract. However, now, that plan would no longer work.

***

One year has passed since then. Nagi left the Protectors that very night. She now acts as a mercenary, taking up various hit jobs in order to support herself. She believes that doing so will help the innocent by eliminating those who she deems as evil so that another Shinka will never exist. Due to her disappearance from the Protectors, she never lives in one place for too long and continues to cycle between a large number of locations to avoid being found.

Power Origin: Contract

Faction: Deviant--former Protector

Krys - Yash DECEASED

Name: Christina “Krys” Taylor

Gender: Female:

Age: 23

Appearance: Krys is tall, having an athletic build and slightly muscular for a girl. She has a simple, innocent face, making her look younger than she is. She has long hair, originally red but dyed a dark shade of purple so as to look almost blackish, which she keeps in a high ponytail. Along with that she keeps trying out different streaks in her hair such as silver, blue and red. Krystal has red eyes and wears eyeliner. Apart from this she normally wears lipstick of various shades, generally matching with the streaks in her hair. She wears dark metal earrings which go behind the pinna of her ear and end above the helix, shaped as a rose stem with the flower at the top coloured bright red. She wears a pair of dark blue jeans with a light tank top and a light blue, unbuttoned, denim shirt over it. Along with this she wears shin length black boots.

Appearance Transformed: Once transformed, Krys loses the innocence in her face and seems beautiful. Her clothes are melded together into a black body suit over which comes red coloured metal armour consisting of a chestplate, shoulder plates and long plates shaped like leaves to protect her waist. Along with this she wears gauntlets up to her elbows and her boots turn into metal greaves. All of her armour has a rose design. Her hair turns back to its original red colour.

Personality: She is convivial and likes to talk with the people around her, never staying in a conversation for too long, like a typical social butterfly. She cares about appearances and is slightly snobbish. While it seems she is friendly and lovable, it becomes apparent very soon that she isn’t as confident as she portrays and even the slightest confrontation makes her uncomfortable.

Weapons of Choice: Krys carries a longsword with her as her main weapon. It has a stylized rose on the hilt. Along with this she carries small throwing knives and a revolver.

Power Origin: Contract

Faction: Loner

Backstory: Krys was a simple girl, who moved to the city during her high school years. Typical to the ways of teenage girls, she was picked on for being simple. This made her want to become urban and as such lead to her following fashion and getting involved in a variety of activities. She tried her best to blend in, but always felt out of place. Over the next few years this feeling deepened, despite her being accepted by her friends. She felt there was something in her, something weird.

During her final year at college, she started dating a jock named Dean, her first boyfriend. She never truly opened up to him and as such didn’t really get involved emotionally. Finally after college was over, they decided to go on a trip, to take their relationship to the next level. During the trip they ended up fighting and breaking up. Something about the fight made her give up trying to be normal. She went back home, dyed her hair and started working at a florist.

It was during this time that a magical beast manifested in her town. It roamed around the place spreading depression and killing people off. Nobody seemed to see it, except Christina. When she tried explaining it to her parents, they thought she had lost her mind. When they suggested seeing a psychiatrist, she freaked and ran away.

Dexter - Cyaloom

Name: Dexter Conagher

Gender: Male

Age: 17 (Born 10/6/1997)

Appearance, normal: He is 5"8' tall but not very athletic, and fairly thin for his height. He has blonde, short hair that he combs very often but the thing that stands out the most is his heterochromia (he has the left eye hazel and the right one light blue). He tends to wear all types of clothes but seems to predilige shirts, jeans and casual shoes as footwear; and the favourite colour for clothes is blue (in all shades). He also wears a pair of glasses.

Appearance, transformed: When he transformes, the glasses become a visor (that is much harder to break). His clothes are transformed into a silver-coloured armor with some blue parts. His left eye turns red; they both tend to shine more depending on Dexter's emotions. He also has, in this form, a high magic resistance and a high agility (can run faster and jump higher than normal).

He has the ability to heal people close to him (he needs to be concentrated, so, at least at the beginning, he can't do this during combat).

(He's just obatined the powers, so he'll need to improve, and maybe learn to do more things).

Personality: He is a calm and shy person, and is very kind with friends, but certain things (and only them) could get him angry quickly - he could be teased often for this. He could also be harsh with other people, or indecisive sometimes. One distinguishing trait is that he's very curious and tries to find the causes to everything he observes.

He seems to have a very good memory, and can remember some things for a long time: this could make it slightly revengeful, but also very loyal to people who helped him.

He was also very good at the High School he attended and sometimes was depicted as a "Nerd" by some classmates.

Weapons of choice: Fights with his father's pistol (infused; it's the only weapon he has while being a human), a shotgun he can create with his energy and a knife, if it's needed for a melee fight. (He rarely uses that when he has the shotgun, but the knife uses less energy).

Species: Human (in the beginning)

Faction: now, none - Loner.

Backstory: Dexter was born in a medium wealth family living near the town centre. His mother had to move to a different city for reasons related to her work, and came back only once a year to visit the family. Dexter was an only child, so he lived only with his father (who worked as a cop in the city) from then onwards.

Aside from that tough, his life had always been normal and he'd never thought it could change in such a drastic way.

One day of April 2015, a normal day, a Beast manifested in the city, killing a big amount of people, including his father who was on duty at the time. Dexter was at school in that moment, and didn't get hurt, but during the lesson he seemed to have a vision of the beast. He was the only person in the entire city that saw that creature. When the school ended, he immediately went to the place where the Beast manifested and was able to find his father's dead body. All he could retrieve was his wallet, his pistol and some ammo, but now he had no one to live with.

He still tried to attend his school like everyone, but after that, he would wander around the city, trying to know more about those Beasts, without results, keeping his father's gun with him just in case.

(Here is the moment when the RP starts)

Stefan - YagamiNoir

Name: Stefan Van Courteau (Some may get the household reference, some may not.)

Age: 20

Appearance before transformation: Stefan is a man of average height and is a lean, sitting at 5'8''. His face was injured by an attack during an attempt for an escapade, so he hides the bottom half of his face with his large collar (think something like Swain). He wears a thick, black wool jacket trails to his knees, and is ripped in a few places through his injuries. He hoods his hair and reveals only scarlet eyes and an aquiline nose on his exterior. He carries his gunblade on his back, a secondary gun in his pocket, and his primary gun in his hand.

Appearance after transformation: Stefan gains height up to 6'1'' and has a gray mask on his face with the letter "C" in the middle. With the mask, his face only reveals one eye, although the other can still see through the mask. His attire changes into a more flexible, black form-fitting suit with spiked boots, with his arms protected by pieces of hard, armored metal under the cloth, and his gunblade gains a sheathe for protection. He now wears gloves, to gain a firmer grip on his guns, and also reveals his scarlet hair that trails to his back.

Personality: A man riddled by loss, despondency and betrayal, Stefan is in consistent conflict and is not true with himself. Stoic and phlegmatic, he yearns for the attention and comfort of another person by is hindered by his contradicting instinct that letting people in would only hurt himself more. With a riddled face, he is also chagrined to reveal himself to anyone, knowing that he would be shunned and feared for it. As such, how he treats people may vary on how he perceives said individual, and may shift between a kinder, softer, though enigmatic, side to an aloof, unfriendly side that repulses people from him.

Weapons of choice: Stefan is a gunslinger, carrying two guns, and a gunblade that projects explosives that can double up for melee fighting, though the latter can only be summoned. He usually fights with one gun of his signature, the Gymnopedie, a pistol with a higher cap. He made this gun with the help of his late father. The other gun is usually used for only backup fire.

Power Origin: Let the plot decide for me.

Backstory: The heir to a famous and wealthy soldier and gun maker, guns shaped Stefan's life as far as he could remember. Despite seemingly violent work, the Van Courteau family lived with guns for peace and art. Like his predecessors father and grandfather before him, the boy had a natural penchant for guns and was raised as a genius with potential to surpass his two figures. Despite being respected and well-praised throughout their establishing, the modern tranquility devoid of war meant that many found the life of the family a threat to their peace, so the family began to be shunned and despised by many, through the hate of war or jealousy of their talent.

It was until one day the family was framed for murder when gunshots sent members of their neighbouring household to death's door, with Stefan's father and the boy himself branded as the murderers. Knowing that such chagrin was of no coincidence, it was until later that he realized that his own stepmother and stepsister had committed the murders and sold father and son out, for they detested the danger that was filled within their work as well as the neglect the two members had shown them, and with that they would inherit the family's wealth for themselves. With remorse over his mistake, Stefan's father told him to carry his gun and run, to carry the burden of the Van Courteau family in that guns were not means of war but for peace. Hunted by many for their falsely accused act, Stefan's father had sacrificed himself for him, and he was since lived life in hiding and in exile.

Knowing that he and his father had been sold out due to hate and greed, Stefan since wandered life alone, with his self-made weapon his only company. Skill for bloodshed he may have, Stefan never dealt a finishing blow unless necessary. Inheriting his father's well and vow, he strives through life, urging to revive the tarnished Van Courteau name to it's former glory.

Musical Themes for the RP

Intro: The Wayfarer

Battle - Monster

Battle - Magus

Outro: Lagoon

More will be added as more events are triggered.

[Yash]

I'll try this.. Though I have a question.. If someone has the potential but doesn't know it, how will they get involved in the story?? Also if they are going to learn about magic, what will the source be??

[Chevaleresse]

People experienced with magic and Mediators can tell. The source of knowledge will be a combination of a few things.

[Hiss13]

Ooh. Another magical girl-esque type one. This intrigues me.

I have a few questions-both about the magic system and…the setting itself

• What would happen to a magi if their contracted Mediator dies? Would the magi lose their power completely or would the power still remain?
• How technologically advanced would you say the world is at its upper limit? Would it be a modern world just with magic or is it closer to the type of world you'd see in a 'Tales of' game?
• What restrictions are there on magical abilities themselves and would a user have to stick with a single theme for their ability?

[Chevaleresse]

1. Their powers remain, though there will be consequences in the form of lost support (they'll help you if you deplete your energy) and the fact that you will have a hard time getting along with most people given that you failed at your job.

2. It's a modern setting, with all of this taking place in a major city. I'm still working on some details.

3. Restrictions are pretty loose as long as you stay reasonable. Reality-warping powers consume a ton of energy. You don't necessarily have to stick to a theme, but much like in real life, practice makes perfect and a very diverse set of techniques will lead to each individual one being pretty weak and/or energy inefficient.

[Shamitako]

So chances are I'll make an attempt to join this Magical Girls OP once I get ANKL moving again ^^

[Felicity]

How sentient are the Beasts? Seeing as they're manifestations of emotion, most based on rage and sadness I imagine won't have much if any sentience.

Also, I imagine the main enemies will be Beasts born from anger/Sadness but will there be beasts born from Joy and love and such?

[Cyaloom]

(You saw the discussion on King Murdoc's status...)

This RP seems interesting, I might join it. (Even though I am still a noob )

[Chevaleresse]

Most beasts are just that, yes. Some will be far more intelligent.

As you predicted, beasts will mostly come from negative emotions, but they are occasionally generated by positive ones.

Also, bonus points if you can spot the references in the OP.

[Felicity]

Honestly, a lot of it sounds like a mix of Bleach and the Dresden Files. Noooooot a bad thing.

[Chevaleresse]

There are at least two specific references, and I haven't even seen those two lol.

[krim]

I'll probably take part in this, when it gets rolling.
For the references, I was thinking Shadow of the Colossus, although I assume the average beast won't be nearly that size.

[Chevaleresse]

There will be beasts of varying scale.

Nope. I'll give a hint; one of them should be very obvious and is one of the first things you see.

[Jory]

I think I'll be the first person here to make one. Normally my characters are pretty nice and neutral good, but I've never really done a chaotic neutral. So let's

Name: Alexander "Bark" Barkov

Gender: Male

Appearance: Stands at an athletic 6'4". Has light gray eyes. Keeps his black hair in a crew cut. Has a wide gray strip in his hair on the top left (if looking at him) side. His face is narrow and angular with a light scar running down the left side underneath the gray hair. Has a tan, weathered complexion. Usually wears a pair of blue jeans with black combat boots underneath. Favors a brown overcoat with a black collared shirt.

Appearance, Transformed: His hair grows to be shoulder-length and jet black all the way through. He also becomes noticeably taller and significantly more muscular. His complexion turns a deep grey and appears to turn to stone while his eyes turn completely white. When in his transformed state, his skin becomes incredibly hard. Whatever armor and other features are projected by his transformation are mineral-based in nature (for example, obsidian or industrial grade diamond armor). The one feature that always remains the same is his basic chestplate, which appears to be made of granite and changes color based on his emotions.

Personality: Very charming and pleasant on the surface, but ultimately serves no one but himself and his own radical goals.

Weapons of Choice: Two large stone hammers. Only uses his pump-action shotgun in a pinch.

Power Origin: Induction

Faction: Deviant

Backstory: To those who know it, the name "Bark" is nearly a swear unto itself. It is a name associated with deception and disloyalty. To those who know the man, the reputation is somewhat ill-conceived.He was born in Northern Alberta in the middle of nowhere. After multiple reports of bear attacks, Deputy Sheriff Alexander Barkov decided to do some investigating on his own. What he found was more than he ever imagined was possible. Before he could be killed, a group of magical people led by Logan Nolan stepped in. They managed to lead the Beast away to a safer location. And so Logan and his followers emerged victorious. Bark began his life as a magical person by being inducted by this group. However, their stipulation for such was that he join them. Oaths were sworn and vows exchanged, and Bark's potential was unlocked. Working with these Preservers, he helped bring in almost a dozen Beasts over the next few months. He was led to believe that they were being put in a safe-zone where they would be unable to harm Humans or Mediators. However, multiple unexplained disappearances in the night and people mysteriously turning up dead, their eviscerated corpses sending people into hysteria eventually got through to Bark. He realized that the Preservers didn't care that their so-called "safe zone" was too close to civilization to be effective. Remembering what it was like to be powerless against a Beast, he could not in good conscience stand by and allow them . He had protected his fellow citizens in his previous life, and so he did once more. No one heard from him for weeks. Then, one by one the members of Logan Nolan's cadre of Preservers began to turn up dead. The first that was found was a particularly gruesome sight. His sternum was crushed into his spine in a distinct hammer shape. Bark has believes that humans must be told what they are up against. To not let them protect themselves is to let them die. Bark now travels the world, making an attempt to save humans from the often violent clashes between Beasts and the oft-careless Magical People.

[Sutoratosu]

Hell, I'll bite, think I might go with a more stoic character for this one, probably with the Peace Keeper faction. I'll wait for an actual OOC to get up for this before submitting a sheet though

[Yash]

The only thing that struck me was the wording of the title.. Similar to asoiaf.. That's actually what made me check it out in the first place..

[Chevaleresse]

Nope. Closer, though.

Edit: Jory, your character looks good, but there are a couple issues. The first is that beasts are hostile toward Mediators as well, and will actually target them over humsns given equal opportunity. The second is that you said your character was inducted, but in your backstory the power came from a contract.

[Felicity]

Fuck, I'm thinking the title is a reference now and it's on the tip of my tongue what it is... If it is.

[Jory]

Sorry, that was the result of confusion. I thought Induction WAS the contract method. I'll change that.

I changed it to a kind of contractual induction by a large group of magical people.

[Felicity]

I GOT IT!

The title is a Asoiaf reference, it's the title for the lord of Light, R'hllor,God of Flame and Shadow, shadow and flame swapped!

Right?

[Chevaleresse]

I GOT IT!

The title is a Asoiaf reference, it's the title for the lord of Light, R'hllor,God of Flame and Shadow, shadow and flame swapped!

Right?

*sigh*

No, but close.

I'll give you another hint: the plot revolves around magical beasts. "Of Shadow and Flame-" does that make you think of any magical beast in particular?

[Flux]

Cerberus is the closest thing I can think of for shadow and flame...

As for the RP itself, I'll have to give things a better read through before I'd decide whether to join or not. The concept is interesting from what I've skimmed though.

[Chevaleresse]

Alright I'm giving up the first reference.

[Yash]

Damnit.. LOTR.. I would never have guessed it..

My mind is stuck on Asoiaf since a while..

[Felicity]

I would have got it after your response to my guess T.T Balrog, y u so forgettable to me?

(I'm not a LOTR buff in any way, shape or form)