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THE WORLD ASUNDER A Fantasy Roleplaying Adventure INTRODUCTION Seithr—an ancient energy thought to have brought mankind into existence when the world was new. The initial world oozed seithr from cracks in the ground as gas, and the first rainfalls carried droplets of seithr. The early races worshipped the planet and the life-giving energy seithr provided, and soon learned to harness the raw mystical power of seithr to produce seithrjen, or magic. Magic was used for everything in these early days: fire, shelter, hunting, and war. The destructive power of seithr slowly became the most desirable element for humanity as technology advanced. Seithrjen soldiers, backed by seithr-powered engines of war, fought over resources and upwellings of particularly potent and pure seithr. Exposure to these upwellings over time birthed a subset of humanity that naturally generated low amounts of seithr, who became known as Volur. These gifted few were raised as powerful politicians, wise scholars and fierce warriors, and many had achievements great enough to have their names etched into the annals of history and legend. Humanities struggles intensified to such a point that the other races formed a coalition and intervened, demanding an end to the pointless bloodshed. After much struggle, a peace was reached between the six tribes of humanity. For several hundred years, the races lived together in near-perfect harmony. However, this peace was not to last. As if from nowhere, a large area of land now known as the Faultline began upwelling intense levels of seithr. The kingdom which rested upon this land, known as Lokasen, at first thought themselves blessed by the gods by this good fortune, and struck out against the other kingdoms with their newfound power. The other five kingdoms and the other races united and fought back, greedy for the mother lode of seithr that Lokasen now rested upon. It was the Final War of Magic, more brutal and bloody than any war that came before by a hundredfold. Untold scores of people died as each nation dug ever deeper into its seithr reserves in desperate attempts at gaining ground. The Volur of each nation were placed of the highest importance, becoming high-ranking generals and leaders for their sheer potential power. As the war dragged on, the nations dug deep within Aravad's crust to find more seithr, tearing into the planet like a pack of wild animals devouring their prey. It proved too great a strain for the world to bear. At first, it was only a few cracks, but the world began to give off higher levels of seithr than ever, like a kettle giving off steam when boiling. These levels were dangerous and toxic to the races that lived on the planet—the plants withered and died, livestock fell dead in their tracks, and the air became thick and murky. This seithr formed into foul creatures of base sentience known as Splinters, vicious monsters that sought no higher purpose than chaos and destruction. The races, realizing their folly, crafted a desperate solution: By creating gigantic seithr engines and drilling out around key points in the worlds crust, the kingdoms could rise into the air and operate as islands in a sea of sky. The seithr-riddled lands below them, the kingdoms have enjoyed relative stability since, with parties of seithr-miners travelling to the surface to collect the valuable but deadly resource. However, in the past few hundred years, Splinters have begun to manifest themselves in the kingdoms, wreaking havoc on the populace. To combat this threat, Seithr containers known as "Familiars" were developed, varying in shape and size from user to user. With these, the people could use seithrjen once again, allowing them to combat the Splinters. But amongst the scholars of the kingdoms, troubling questions are sometimes discussed: Are the Splinters merely base beasts given form by the seithr, or is there more to them than that? Where does the seithr come from within the planet's core? And what do the answers to these questions mean for the people of Aravad? THE SIX KINGDOMS Avalon- The largest of the kingdoms, Avalon lies at the center of the kingdom-islands and is the most densely populated. Renowned for its entertainment and arts, Avalon has become a cultural mixing pot of the other five kingdoms, and is home to both the wealthiest and the poorest citizens in all of Aravad. The island on which Avalon is built is smaller than those of Ustuk or Lokasen, so the royal architects simply built up, with the newest and most refined structures at the very top of the gigantic, spiraling tower. The base rings of Avalon have fallen into disrepair and have become havens for the downtrodden and outcast members of society. The middle rings are home to Avalon's many shopping districts and centers of business, packed each day with citizens from all walks of life to do trade and commerce. At the very top of Avalon lies the great "Palace of Wings", home to the royalty of Avalon. Shimmering gold and blue, The Palace of Wings glows so brightly at night that the other kingdoms can see it. Deep within Avalon is the original Seithr engine, upon which the other engine designs were built. To release the fumes given off by the combustion of seithr within Avalon's core, a series of vents encircle the side of the island and continuously expel dark seithr-gas. This gas clouds the lower rings of Avalon, filling the slums with irritating, murky smog. As a result of this seithr concentration, Splinters are more likely to form in Lower Avalon. This has led to the creation of an internally run "Avalon Protection Force", or APF, comprised of fighting recruits who stand ready to defend the populace with their familiars. Miriel- A mysterious and beautiful land, the kingdom of Miriel is composed primarily of hilly plains and forested mountains, with small towns dotting the countryside. Before the Final War of Magic, Miriel was renowned as a place of spiritual enlightenment. High in the mountains of Aravad, Mirian monks meditated and contemplated questions of existence. Before the Faultline filled Lokasen with seithr, Miriel also was known to have the highest natural concentrations of seithr, and thus had the highest percentage of Volur of all six kingdoms. In the aftermath of the Final War of Magic, Miriel lost most of their Volur, but they never lost their spiritual identity. Miriel remains the least technologically entrenched of the six kingdoms, preferring to rely mostly on pure seithrjen and using machinery only when absolutely necessary. Their seithr engine lies deep beneath the planet, still working but overgrown in a dense underground forest that has sprung up from years of technological neglect. Miriel is also home to most of the few remaining Fae, or Elfkind, who have all but died out following the war. They have carved out their niche and live peacefully among the people of Miriel, holding onto what parts of their lost culture that they can. Lokasen- While Lokasen was reviled as "enemy of all" during the Final War of Magic, they have long since made peace with the other nations and atoned for their sins during the war. Lokasen was by far the most affected by the seithr fallout that rocked Aravad in the days before the kingdoms took to the sky, and the land is still only beginning to recover. The natural plant and animal life are often sickly and warped in Lokasen, and Splinters naturally generate in the towns and cities of Lokasen very frequently. As a result, the Lokasenians have become a stern, hardy people, able to withstand harsh climate and conditions that would cause other folk to despair. This high seithr concentration also means that Lokasen currently has the highest number of Volur of the six kingdoms. The current king of Lokasen, Andrigar, is a beloved inventor who has made personal microclimate bubbles for the people of Lokasen. These microclimates purify the earth around them temporarily, allowing for successful farming and harvest. Lokasen's capital Zeldrid is surrounded by a gigantic body of water known as the Azure Gate, the only part of the island that has been barely affected by seithr poisoning, and the fishermen of Lokasen are some of the best in all of Aravad. Vongola- Called the "Ruby of the East" for its crimson-colored earth and export of rare gems, Vongola is a very wealthy and beautiful nation. Comprised of a chain of smaller islands rather than one large landmass, each island is powered by a much smaller seithr engine than those found in the other nations. Vongola is viewed as an exotic and exciting tourist destination, and most of the income made by Vongolians not in the gem trade is earned via tourism ventures. Despite hundreds of years of mining, the islands of Vongola remain a rich resource for precious gems, believed by some to be forms of seithr that crystallized under intense heat and pressure. Vongola was the least seithr-plentiful land before the Final War of Magic, and as a result is threatened by relatively few Splinters today. This lack of immediate danger has made the Vongolians a peaceful and relaxed people, with comparatively few fighters in their population. Most of the Gedric, or Burrowkind, live beneath the earth in Vongola. A sizeable tribe of them has taken up residence around Vongola's largest seithr engine, and they have tasked themselves with its upkeep and protection. Ustuk- Ustuk is the nation of skilled craftsmen, known for the expertise of its blacksmiths to create weapons and armor of near-legendary quality. This legendary reputation has come about thanks in no small part to the Dwarves, who live in great numbers among the humans of Ustuk and have taught them their ancient smithing secrets. The smiths of Ustuk, aided by their dwarven companions, forged many of the legendary weapons used during the Final War of Magic still spoken of in reverent tones today. With the advent of the Splinters appearance in the worlds above, the smiths have begun to work overtime to produce new "Familiar" weapons to channel seithr through. The largest of the six islands, Ustuk is a harsh and rocky kingdom, with towering spires of stone and deep crevasses that almost go through the entire island. As Ustuk's rocky structure has begun to fall apart, the dwarven smiths have reinforced the island's outer shell with a framework of durable iron to literally hold the kingdom together. This iron framework not only grips the outside, but also runs through the core of the island, and the seithr engine of Ustuk is deep within this framework. The smiths of Ustuk have begun a tradition where, once a young apprentice comes of age, they must delve into the planet and touch the outer shell of the seithr engine, deep within the iron jungle of the planet's core. This ritual of "Touching Ustuk's Heart" is believed to provide the budding smith with the inspiration he or she requires to construct masterful creations worthy of the kingdom. Erigan- Known by the people of the other kingdoms as the "Factory of Frost", Erigan is the technological powerhouse of the six kingdoms. Even before the Final War of Magic, Erigan was at the forefront of technological innovation, creating new methods of transport, weaponry, and comfort powered by seithr. After Erigan was lifted into the sky, their brilliant scientists created a system of seithr-power for the entire kingdom with wires circulating all around the nation, and the Erigan seithr engine acting as its beating heart. To prevent the engine from overheating, extreme cooling systems were distributed throughout Erigan's crust. While the seithr power has allowed Erigan to jump decades ahead of the other nations in technological advances, the excess cold from the cooling systems has lowered the temperature of Erigan's climate significantly and placed the nation in a near-perpetual state of winter. As the Splinters have begun to appear more and more frequently, Erigan's scientists have accelerated their research into the nature of seithr and the Splinters, hoping to find some key weakness of the creatures to be exploited. RACES Humanity (Mankind)- The most numerous of all the races on Aravad, humans are a hearty and stable race, more able to resist the debilitating effects of seithr than other races. As the only race able to produce Volur, humanity seems to have a closer link with seithr than the other races, and they are found in great numbers in all six kingdoms. The Fae (Elfkind)- In legend, the Fae are said to have been the precursor to mankind, a "perfect ideal" of what humanity can be. The Fae are lithe and elegant humanoids, closely resembling humans except for their uniformly silvery-white hair and near universal incredible beauty. The Fae are unique in their ability to absorb and contain vast amounts of seithr naturally, although over time the effects will destroy their body from the inside. In the aftermath of the Final War of Magic, many of the Fae began to disappear, either succumbing to seithr poisoning, interbreeding with humanity and losing their cultural identity, or something else entirely. The remaining Fae mostly live in the kingdom of Miriel, although groups of them also live in Avalon and Lokasen. Dark rumors have begun to circulate which assert that something or someone has been killing off the remaining Fae. These rumors remain unverified. The Dwarves (Ironkind)- Said to have been sculpted from rock and clay in origin mythology, the dwarves are the toughest of all of Aravad's races, able to live in the most extreme conditions. Possessors of mysterious and ancient smithing sorcery that requires no seithr, dwarves are most at home in the heat of the forge. Most of the remaining dwarves have carved out a home in the nation of Ustuk, a kingdom that symbolizes their gruff and no-nonsense attitudes. The Gedric (Burrowkind)- A reclusive and secretive race, the Gedric are a race of burrowing, mole-like creatures that only recently have begun to negotiate and treatise with humanity. At full height, the average Gedric stands approximately 5'6, with exceedingly long arms ending in sharp claws used for both digging and combat. The Gedric are abnormally attracted to anything shiny, and hoard the gems and treasures buried beneath the surface, demanding that they be the exclusive ownership of those that claim the underground. This stubborn insistence is beginning to bring them into conflict with the miners of Vongola, who dig ever deeper to profit from their nation's rich materials. The Thryth (Ogrekind)- Once thought to be a legend, the Thryth are a race of large, muscular humanoids that inhabit the icy slopes of Erigan. Standing at approximately 7 feet in height, the Thryth are a powerfully muscular race, further distinguished from the other races by their prominently large canines on their lower jaw and a brown-red skin color that fades to grey upon death. Despite their fearsome appearance and their natural super-strength, the Thryth are a peaceful and intelligent race, interacting quite happily with the people of Aravad. Many of them have even become accomplished scientists in one of Erigan's many academies, and work tirelessly to uncover the universe's secrets through logic and technology. The Kapshen (Scalekind)- Of all of the races of Aravad, there is one that all others hate and fear—the Kapshen. The Kapshen are a fervently war-like race that instinctively believe that the other races were placed there by their gods as a test of their might, and that their one purpose is to fall to the blade of the Kapshen. Reptilian in appearance, the Kapshen stand at an average of six feet tall, with slim but muscular bodies and heads reminiscent of a velociraptor. A Kapshen's entire life is devoted to combat, with members of the species acting almost as hostile towards each other as they are to the other races. While most of the Kapshen stalk the desolate edges of Lokasen, tribes of them have been found in all the kingdoms. The only cause Kapshen ally themselves with other races for is the destruction of those not with the Kapshen, and criminals and savages of all races have found common ground with the Kapshen in their hatred of those who have persecuted them. Though the Splinters currently pose a far greater threat, the warriors of Aravad must always be on guard for Kapshen raids, lest their loved ones be brutally slaughtered in the name of mindless conquest. The Splinters- Not a race in the traditional sense, the Splinters are a dangerous and cryptic group of forms created by remarkable concentrations of seithr. How they are actually formed, and what their true purpose is if any, have yet to be uncovered, but it is readily apparent that the Splinters pose a constant and severe threat to the six kingdoms of Aravad that is hard to understate. While the base form of the Splinters is approximately humanoid in shape, they have been known to take on a variety of different forms, linked together by their shadowy, ethereal appearance, with a smoky dark purple body and glowing green eyes. They are incredibly fast and flexible, twisting impossibly around slower strikes and attacking with razor-sharp claws or fangs. Other Splinters manifest shadows of weapons in their hands, which they wield with surprising skill for seemingly mindless beasts. While any weapon can injure a Splinter, they are most vulnerable to seithrjen, which sometimes instantly destabilizes them upon contact. To this end, Familiars were created. --------------- The Familiars The six kingdoms greatest defense against the Splinters, a Familiar is a weapon or object charged with seithr, allowing the holder to strike with seithr-powered blows and perform seithrjen in the absence of a heavy seithr atmosphere. Several Familiars were created during the Final War of Magic for legendary heroes, but instead of using them for the simple task of holding seithr, these Familiars absorbed the seithr-rich atmosphere in addition to their own personal seithr stores for crushingly powerful attacks and techniques. A Familiar's shape varies wildly from person to person—a sword lined with veins of seithr, a staff filled to the brim with controlled liquid seithr, a set of amulets or talismans lined with seithr, and a pair of guns linked by seithr cable are all considered to be Familiars. Most warriors in the six kingdoms have a Familiar of some form or another on them, and they are the only truly effective weapons against the omnipresent threat of the Splinters. However, Familiars are not unlimited sources of seithr, and most towns and cities have a seithr-recharging center where, for a small price, your Familiar is soaked in a dangerously seithr-rich chamber, allowing it to be refreshed. CURRENT EVENTS For the most part, the six kingdoms have lived together peacefully since the Final War of Magic. However, tensions have begun to rise between Miriel and Erigan due to increased Splinter activity, with the Mirians blaming the overuse of technology and rejection of pure seithrjen on the Splinter rise. The Eriganians believe the Mirians to be silly little monks oblivious to technology and trapped in the old ways of the past. Avalon has been dealing with its own problems independent of the increased number of Splinters, due to class struggles between Lower and Upper Avalon. The tension between the two groups will soon reach a breaking point if no peaceful resolution is reached. Vongola is also dealing with the problems involving the Gedric in their mines, and so far negotiation has accomplished frustratingly little. The six kingdoms are monitored by a unified police force called the Kingdom Guard. Though the Kingdom Guard was once looked upon favorably by the people, recently several branches have been plagued with corruption and misuse of power. As the Splinters pose an ever-greater danger, these problems could not have come at a worse time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to The World Asunder! Set in a techno-fantasy universe similar in technological achievement to the worlds of Final Fantasy 7 or 8, in this adventure you will play as one of the many heroes of Aravad, and go on an adventure to learn the nature of the creatures plaguing your kingdoms. In doing so, you will come face-to-face with a greater threat than anyone ever imagined... Or, you can play as a bad guy and blow stuff up. That's cool too! Before you dive right in, there are a few rules to go over. These are the basic ones, common to most RPs (veteran RPers can skip this): -Please try to use proper grammar and spelling. Mistakes can be made, but just try not to do it, as it will make reading your posts a lot easier and more enjoyable. -Try to make your posts as descriptive as possible. Remember, other RPers will be building off what you say. Give them a good foundation. -No godmodding (a.k.a massively overpowering your character, there are a few exceptions but for the most part just don't do it) -No bunnying (Taking control of another RPers' character, this is ONLY acceptable if you talk with that player beforehand and they agree. If they do agree, make a note that they said it was all right at the beginning of your post so that we all know.) -No spamming, Double Posting, etc... use proper "Internet Etiquette" at all times, please. Here are rules SPECIFIC to The World Asunder (EVERYONE must read these): -A maximum of two characters is allowed per person. This may be subject to change later as I see fit. -Players may choose to be Volur (a seithr-generating subset of humanity) if they wish. However, only humans can be Volur. -Only humans and the listed other races (see above) are allowed, and Splinters are not allowed to be characters. If you have an idea for a race that you REALLY REALLY want to use, make your case for it via Private Messaging and I'll decide whether or not to allow it. -IF YOU DECIDE TO BE AN EVIL CHARACTER, PLEASE SEND ME A PM! There are plot elements that as evil mastermind of the plot I will divulge only to you. -Make sure you read all of this! It's important! In order to be accepted into the RP, it is required that I accept a Sign-Up of your character. The Sign-Up thread can be found here: http://www.wiichat.com/forum/board-games/83059-world-asunder-sign-up-ooc-discussion.html CHARACTERS: GOOD: Parakarry as Tal Sorico Spoiler Name: Tal Sorico Species: Gedric Gender: M Country: Vongola Allegiance: No allegiance, but generally lawful good. Appearance: Tal is an albino Gedric. He also "does machines." Meaning that he's good with machines. Like, fixing, and making them. He wears red goggles, which are usually worn on his forehead, but he puts them down when he is fighting, burrowing, or swimming. He wears a leather vest and baggy pants. Also, he's pretty short, only 4'8". Biography: Tal is a mechanic and a diplomat. He has been attempting to bring peace between the miners and the burrowkind for quite some time. Since he can fix machines for the miners, they have grown quite fond of him. However, most of the burrowkind believe he is a traitor for attempting to help humans, and have a distrust of him. Personality: He is an all-around nice guy. He's also very determined, and never gives up. If he was in a job interview, he might say his greatest weakness is his persistence. See what he did there? It was actually a strength. Familiar: Claws that he made himself. They are good for fighting and digging. Other Skills: [video=youtube;QiY83qVvO-s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiY83qVvO-s[/video] Bodine as Vince Fredrick Teslanciere and Asriale Derae'Vilicea Spoiler Name: Vince Fredrick Teslanciere (Aka: Vin, or Tesla) Gender: Male Race: Human Age: 22 Country: Avalon Allegiance: Good Appearance: Vin is a young, handsome man a bit on the scrawny side. His intellect and love for all things science is apparent in his bookwormish like demeanor. He has blonde hair in a lengthy bowl-cut style with a small bit of hair in a tiny ponytail where the back of his head meets the back of his neck. In his normal wear he sports thin framed glasses with large lenses, a very thick brown jacket that seems a bit too large for his size and shape, a longe sleeve dark yellow shirt covered with black rubber overalls, black knee-high rubber boots, and his several pockets usually contain a number of different gizmos and gadgets. In battle, his glasses are replaced with thick goggles made of leather and metal. His shoulders and chest bear brass looking metal plating and his shins are covered with thick metal straps. On his back he wears a large, old scifi-ish, steampunk looking device with all sorts of gauges, lights, and electro rods showing. A hose connects from this device to a gun-shaped device he holds in his hands, which now have thick, long, non-conductive rubber gloves about elbow length. Personality: Vin is a clumsy fellow. His intelligence makes him somewhat awkward in comparison to others seeing as he usually has nothing to relate to with others. Though kind in nature his heart mostly goes out of his work in science. His love for which gave him his job, as the personal technological expert and overseer for King Alexance of Avalon. He is so passionate about what he learns and believes he will even argue with the King for a brief moment before remembering his place. Biography: As said before, a lover of science and technology, Vin works in the castle creating more advancements in technology in the name of Avalon. His outstanding intelligence, higher than that of the scientists of Erigan, has earned high respect from the King, although Vin isn't given the pull in the kingdom he sees that he needs to better the kingdom in the leaps and bounds he envisions. This is thanks to the King and he disagree on one thing. Science or magic. Seither, to the king, is the most powerful thing anyone will ever be able to obtain. Vin believes otherwise. The overhyped seither, in his eyes, pales in the comparison of what technology could become. The King sees technology as a great asset, but only when it is aided and fueled by seither. But Vin plans to show the world an energy source that will rid the world of its dependence on the very thing that nearly destroyed the world itself, and by doing that, he must prove his power source to be superior. With the aid of his personal assistant, Barthalamuel, a robotic humanoid he created, he will rid the world of its addiction while aiding his country with all his tools as proof that there are better ways to keep things turning. Familiar: "I think I'd rather not." -Vin. Other Skills: Vin is a combat ready handyman that dwarfs anyone else in mechanic know how. His tools were created for both war and peace, with some sort of weapon or gadget made for any situation. Whether it be battle, repair, or whatever else life might throw at him. Spoiler Name: Asriale Derae'Vilicea Race: Fae Age: Unknown, appears to be early 30s Country: Miriel Allegiance: Good Appearance: Muscular, fit, and attractive, Asriale has an appearance that still makes him hide his face and consider himself an outcast. His hair is a dark blue and many golden lines that appear like elegantly designed veins can be found on his skin. His irises are white which tend to scare any who gaze upon them. It is said he is this way because of his heritage. He clothes in mostly green attire. With dark green over shirt covering his golden chain-mail underneath. He wears a short red cape over his left shoulder that bears a golden crest of Miriel. He has brown fingerless leather gloves reaching up to the middle of his forearms and brown leather boots about mid shin height. On his left forearm he has a small metal plate for that arm usually stays unarmed. He usually keeps his face hidden with a green hood. Biography: Left to die in the wilderness he was found by a member of the council. Raised to be a trained Assassin, Asriale had a rough childhood. Day after day of training has hardened both his body and mind. Though they took his innocence, they didn't take his personality. Though his loyalty to the council is unwavering, his heart turns weak to Anya and all beautiful women he may meet. Though he is a shadow. Not known fully to anybody but the council and a select few entrusted to aid raise and train him... Or so he has been told. In actuality, and unbeknownst to him, his parents and entire bloodline have been killed off.. By order of the Council. The Old Ones, as they were called, were a subrace of Fae that kept some genetic traits of the original Fae ancestors. They were more powerful and intelligent Han the common Fae, but also less peaceful. The Fae saw that if the Old Ones weren't taken care of they would drag them into unnecessary wars one after the other. Asriale is the last of that bloodline. Personality: As already said, Asriale is somewhat of a ladies man. Not able to resist the beauty of women, he often flirts. Always to no avail, of his own choice though. Though the chase may be exciting, he knows his duty and appearance would not allow a relationship of any kind. Though he does not allow this to distract him of his duties. Familiars: Asriale uses his Familiar, a small dagger which he has named Serpent, to send poisonous magic throughout his enemies veins. Just a touch, and they silently drop dead. As for his abilities in seitherjen, he uses them for stealth. His magic can do things such as temporary invisibility, muffle his footsteps, shirt distance teleportation, and moving far away objects as distractions. Other abilities: Asriale is a master assassin and unmatched in stealth. His ability to disappear and kill everyone within an area with nobody being aware that it ever happened is astounding. Hoboturtle as Ulrich La March IV and Lambert Sitz Spoiler Name: Ulrich La March IV Species: Human Gender: Male Country: Ustuk Allegiance: Good(?) Appearance: 5'3 and 165lb, Ulrich thought he was a dwarf for a good part of his life. His less than intimidating stature plus a missing tooth or two gives him a harmless appearance. He has brown skin and green eyes. He wears aviator goggles, brown pants and a jacket with a green tie. Brown and gold golds. Biography: Ulrich came from a long line of great inventors. Ulrich the II, during the great war, create a giant familiar that shot soldiers at an enemy fortress. It only took a couple hundred bodies to break through the walls, allowing it to be captured. His father Ulrich the III, conducted test to see if the surface was becoming more livable. After the twentieth dead lab assistant, hypothesized "no." After his dad was arrested at a young age of ten and a bounty was placed on his head so that "he could be locked up before he did a thing", Ulrich decided to travel the world to find inspiration. That was about nine years ago and at nineteen he is no where closer to finding his great discovery. Personality: A evil genius. Maybe, probably only half right there. He is inspired to continue his family tradition of science, however doesn't have a thesis and is usually board of anything after a couple minutes. Familiars: -Impossibility Machine: Ulrich's backpack, equipped with arms, drills and torches to help with create. The Impossibility Machine feeds Seithr from itself to his inventions, allowing Ulrich to create low scale familiars on a fly. -Windy Stick: A metal stick with three propellers on the end. Can be used to float a couple feet up or send a gust of wind at a direction. Other Skills: A expert on familiar engineering, or at least he suppose to be. He mostly just smacks stuff together and they work somehow. Spoiler Name: Lambert Sitz : Masked Knight Species: Human (Volur) Gender: Male Age: 37 Country: Avalon Allegiance: Good Appearance: A big guy. Tall and muscular. The stereotypical cape features, a square jaw and beady eyes. He normally wears blue armor from the neck down and is always wears a black cloth mask at ALL times. Biography: A single father after his wife, Rachel died, Lambert had to always be away from home in order to work and support his two daughters, Karin and Romy. One day while working on the ever expanding towers of Avalon, Lambert came onto a familiar in a form of a mask. Trying it on in a moment of jest. The mask gave Lambert power beyond what he could imagine, this allowed him to work a hundred times harder than before. Lambert worried that some noble would want the mask back but there was no one who recognized it. He didn't mind because now he had enough energy to work and bond with his family. One day however his youngest daughter, Karin was attacked by a splinter. Lambert made quick work of the monster, but something overtook him. He had the power to easily stop this monster, why not others? So he dedicated his time in ridding lower Avalon of the monsters and other criminals that surround it as a hero known as "The Masked Knight". Familiar: -Mask of Justice: A mask which because of the amount of Seithr needed to power it can only be wield by a Volur. The mask constantly absorbs Seithr and in turn grants the wearer impossible boost in strength, endurance and speed. It takes the appearance of a black mask made of cloth, but is made of a indestructible material. Other Skills: He is a skilled carpenter. He also knows how to cook and fix clothing, skills he had to learn from taking care of his daughters. Bowserizer as Lindsey Wells Spoiler Name: Lindsey Wells Species: Thryth Gender: M Country: Erigan Allegiance: Good Appearance: Middle Aged, about 7 and a half feet tall. Although his body is traditionally a brownish red, his left arm is a discolored blueish purple (this provides him no benefit,). His wild, light brown hair is always found pulled back into a small ponytail. He has a mid-length graying beard, which goes mostly untended. He has glasses as well, but they fit him poorly and he only wears them when absolutely needed. Biography: Lindsey Wells was an accomplished chemist at a top academy in Erigan, spending over 20 years working tirelessly to progress the nation's economic advancements. He spent many years studying sethir and is constantly looking for new ways to appropriate its uses. Lindsey recently resigned his position, however, and has left the world of well respected academia in order to take personal time. He works as a carpenter, now, and lives only with his ailing mother. The mountainside had become more of a prison than anything, and he was beginning to feel restless sticking around any more. His decision to leave the world of academia behind provided him with a new motivation to venture out and see how he can help change the world. His work and impact had already been felt in Erigan, and he wanted to see what the other countries had to offer before her grew older. Personality: Lindsey is a quiet academic that dreams of a more adventurous lifestyle beyond the frosty mountainside. As he has aged, his pragmatism has helped stifle his urges, but his desire for something beyond the classroom has motivated his daydreams for years. Having spent so much time in academia, he is very smart and very quit-witted. Thinking logically is his strength, but his bulging muscles have always given him a good balance of brains and brawn. His struggle between personal allegiances, public perceptions, and the greater good plague every decision he makes. He is not very confident, and will let both his mental and physical strengths wane when in the company of more natural leaders. Familiar: He possesses two small bangles fastened so tightly around his wrists. The bangles serve to hold sethir. When needed, they will form a force field around him. It surrounds his body and appears as a translucent, shiny looking skin that fits to his body. It is impenetrable and amorphous, but cannot reach far from his body and cannot be held for indefinite time. The stronger he is, the longer he can hold the force field. This force field can be used both as a defensive weapon (in a more traditional sense- a basic barrier) and offensively (the force-field's shape can be full of spikes, thorns, etc.) It takes smarts to learn how to use this weapon offensively, and thus, not many are capable of wielding this weapon well. Other Skills: His skills are his smarts as well as his species' natural strength. He is a longtime scientist and academic, and he has a very extensive knowledge of poisons, antidotes, and other volatile concoctions. GigaRidley as Ansa Hifhildr Spoiler Name: Ansa Hifhildr Species: Fae Gender: F Age: 28 Country: Born in Miriel, primarily raised in Ustuk. Allegiance: Good Appearance: Ansa is 5' 8", with a slender and athletic physique. Her silvery-white hair, a sign of her Fae ancestry, is cut short to keep out of the way when she fights. She wears light, dwarven-wrought chainmail made by her adoptive father, Brogar, in addition to light and durable work pants with metal kneepads. Her clothing is generally rather dirty and the edges of her sleeves have slight burns on them. Hidden on her back is a large burn scar located on her left shoulder. Biography: Ansa was born into a family of Fae nobles in Miriel. Her father, Tamseril, was a respected member of the Mirieli Fae community and was even said to be descended from the last of the Fae Lords before the Final War of Magic. When she was six, her family went into hiding in Ustuk. Since she was just a young girl, Ansa did not know why they were hiding or what they were running from, but she remembers her father, normally a collected and composed man, being more shaken than she had ever seen him as they departed Miriel. Whatever was following them eventually found them in Ustuk, hiding out in a cabin in a dwarven village. The town was set ablaze, killing everyone else in Ansa's family and burning her badly on her left shoulder. She was saved from the inferno by a group of dwarven miners, and she remembers seeing a figure in a gold robe viewing the fire from a safe distance as the dwarves escaped the blaze with her in tow. Taken to an underground smithing facility, she was taken in by the leader of the smiths, a dwarf named Brogar "Ironfoot" Burnesson. Brogar, having never had children of his own, took a liking to the young Fae and raised her as his own daughter, teaching her combat and the secrets of dwarven smithing magic. Once she turned 25, Ansa set out on her own to discover what she could about her family's fate and take revenge on those responsible, and as a parting gift Brogar gave her his family's most prized possessions, the Legendary Familiars Zeal and Apathy. With her new weapons in tow, she travelled to Avalon, and has taken up residence in the Lower Avalon slums, where she is part of the APF (Avalon Protection Force). She is also following any leads she can about the person responsible for killing off the remaining Fae. Personality: Ansa is gruff and no-nonsense, and behaves very much like the dwarves who raised her, valuing hard work and elbow grease above fancy language and material possessions. Stubborn almost to the point of pigheadedness, it can be very hard to change her mind once she has settled on something. While at first glance she may appear cold and unfriendly, once you get on her good side she is as loyal as allies come, never backing down from a fight when her friends are on the line. She also has a large soft spot for dogs, and is very friendly to them. Familiar: LEGENDARY FAMILIAR- ZEAL AND APATHY: Zeal and Apathy are a pair of dwarven-forged short swords that are together considered to be one of the ten Legendary Familiars from the Final War of Magic. They store seithr within their handle and grant the wielder cryokinesis powers, giving their blades an icy edge and allowing Ansa to fire blasts of cold and icicles and her foes. While they were considered one of the most powerful of the Legendary Familiars, they require an atmosphere of seithr to reach full potential and thus are no more powerful than a usual Familiar. Other Skills: Ansa is well-trained in firearms and keeps a pistol at her side at all times. She also has an incredibly high alcohol tolerance, gained from her time with the dwarves, and can drink almost anyone under the table. Neosquid as Citri Liquoric Spoiler Name: Citri Liquoric Species: Human (Volur) Gender: F Age: Unknown. Seems to be in her late teens or early twenties. Country: Unknown. Resides in Middle Avalon much of the time. Allegiance: Good/Neutral Appearance: Citri has long black hair, which has a few red streaks in it. She is quite pretty, although most would say she leans much more towards the cute side. She is rather average in size for a woman of her (estimated) age, being 5'7 tall and weighing about 130 pounds, with an average breast size. She generally alternates between two outfits. She wears the Kingdom Guard uniform while on duty for them. While not wearing that, she is usually wearing a small orange coat, which is rather thin and is composed of a soft material. The coat is colored so that the sleeves, neck area, and bottom all end in a black band. She keeps this unzipped most of the time. Under the coat she wears a white and black striped shirt, with the stripes being horizontal. She wears a knee length pleated skirt, which is orange with a few large black flower designs on it. Regardless of her outfit, she is always wearing a black scarf with a few large white flower designs on it. Biography: Not much is known about Citri's past. She seems to have no actual memory of anything more than a few years ago, which was when she was hired by the Kingdom Guard. Since then, she has aided them with various missions, most of them involving her abnormally frightening fighting ability (will go into more later). She resides in a Middle Avalon apartment, which the Kingdom Guard helps pay for. She has a few friends throughout the city which she visits during her free time. Personality: Citri is a very excited and curious girl. She's kind to just about anyone, and is very bubbly. Unfortunately, she is quite stupid. Among other things, this leads to her mindlessly following the orders of the Kingdom Guard without questioning whether or not what she's doing is right. There are times when she, for some reason, acts slightly out of character. Lately, this has been becoming more and more frequent. Familiar: Citri usually just uses her Familiar to power up her attacks with seithrjen. For example, she can charge seithrjen to power up her punches, which she often uses. She is also capable of using it to fire blasts of red magic. Her Familiar does have an actual physical form, which is rather deadly. It is simple, yet very, very effective. It is a giant red axe, rivaling Citri herself in size. Despite its immense size, she is able to easily swing it around to cut down foes. She doesn't axeually (...) use it all that often, since she generally doesn't need it to destroy things, but it helps as a last resort or if she's up against a powerful foe. Other Skills: Citri doesn't use any physical weapons aside from her Familiar. Despite her appearance, she is horrifyingly potent in combat even without it. She is very agile, and often just punches enemies into oblivion even without seithr. Although not indestructible by any means, she is capable of tanking most attacks with ease. And of course, being a Volur, she can generate her own seithr. EVIL: GigaRidley as Aeolus Spoiler Name: Aeolus:Sinister Wanderer Species: Human Volur Gender: M Age: Unknown, Appears to be in his late 20's Country: Unknown Allegiance: Evil Appearance: Standing at 6' 2" tall, Aeolus is a very slim but still imposing figure. He wears the uniform of a Kingdom Guard High Officer, a rank given to important non-combat operatives. This uniform is a deep blue dress shirt with black tie, and black dress pants. Both shirt and pants are inlaid with spiraling silver and gold patterns indicating a high rank within the Kingdom Guard. Aeolus keeps the top few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, and his tie hangs loose, showing a lack of care for his appearance. Over his uniform he wears a tattered, open golden robe of indeterminate age, but with the sigil of the Unified Forces from the Final War of Magic on the back. Normally the hood of the robe is up, concealing his hair and eyes, but when pulled down it reveals a face with sharp features and spiky, medium-length red hair. the sleeves of the robe are rolled up to the elbows, exposing the arms of his dress shirt. Both his forearms and the lower part of his legs are tightly wrapped in cloth bandages that occasionally pulse with glowing yellow runes and spark with electricity. Biography: There is not much known about Aeolus at this time. From his clothes, it would seem that he is or was once part of the Kingdom Guard, although he does not seem to belong to any particular regiment. What can be said is that whatever he is planning for the world of Aravad, he has been planning it for a long time, assembling allies and henchman over the past 20 years, all the while remaining the same age in appearance. While he is unknown to the greater population of Aravad, working as a mastermind in the shadows, he is spoken of in whispered rumors among the Fae as the monster responsible for killing off their brethren. Why Aeolus is doing this, and to what greater purpose, currently remain a mystery. Personality: In most situations, Aeolus puts on a sickly sweet and polite demeanor, with a wide smile and an innocent attitude. However, this is merely a thin facade, and among his henchman or hated foes, his true, demented personality emerges. Aeolus is foul-mouthed and sadistic, with a highly unstable personality and a major superiority complex. He speaks rather simply for a mastermind, but is a tactical genius who plans his moves well in advance. He also has more than enough power to back up his boasts and jeers to his enemies, making him possibly the most dangerous being in all of Aravad. Familiar: OverSoul Raijin: The wraps that cover Aeolus's arms and legs act as his Familiar, constantly absorbing the seithr his body naturally produces to recharge. They grant him increased speed, agility, and formidable electrical powers that manifest as yellow and black electrical bolts that surround his body. Aeolus can charge items with electricity or cloak his arms and legs in it for crushingly powerful flurries of frenzied attacks, overwhelming his opponents easily. Other Skills: Aeolus carries a supply of kunai, or throwing knives, on his person at all times which he uses as close combat slashing weapons and as conduits for his electrical Familiar. He has become adept enough with his kunai to swiftly and deftly parry and trade blows with larger weapons including swords and axes. Aeolus has also achieved perfect mastery of the martial arts style known as "Wild Dancing", which prioritizes reach and speed to deliver rapid, cruel blows. The Storm as Exsul Rgis-Malum Spoiler Name: Exsul Rgis-Malum Species: Kapshen Gender: Male Age: 34 Country: Lokasen/ Ustuk Allegiance: Evil Appearance: Exsul, in both human and Kapshen forme, stands at 6'2". In both forms his weight is approximately 195 pounds. He has the very strong, fit build of a hunter. In human and reptile forme he wears the same clothing; a tattered brown leather shirt and black leather pants. His underarmor is black and outfits his body. As human and reptile, he has dark black hair at about 4 inch length covering his head, usually slicked back in a stylish fashion. In human form, his eyes are the only discernible thing to show he is not fully human, maintaining the dark red retina and yellow pupils of his race. Biography: Exsul, first and formost, is an Exile. And Outcast. Hated by his own kind, feared by others because of what he is. Hated by all, hated by himself, loved by none. An abomination of nature. A perversion of purity. A mixture made that can never be undone. He is, since the beginning, and for the rest of his life... An Exile... Before Exsul Rgis-Malum disgraced the very dirt he walked upon, there was his mother. His mother was a Kapshen, fierce and terrifying as any Kapshen could be. Since she was small she did way all Kapshen do; train to fight. Her name, was Ignis Malum. For many years she trained, until she became of breeding age. That's when the troubles began... She turned down suitor after would-be suitor, claiming she would find her own way and mate with whom she deemed fit. Pride and self-importance would be qualities to be admired, but to the Kapshen males, they saw it as an indignity. Still, she held true and stuck to her word and continued to turn down the males who had approached her. Perhaps if she had settled down with one of them, she would still be here today. In the untraveled wastes of Lokasten is where she hunted. There was plenty of prey for one trained such as herself to not have a problem with and never need protection; until the Hunter became the Hunted. A group of human men came hunting to the Lokasten Wastes, looking for rare animals to collect. They swarmed upon her like a cloud of smoke, she never saw them coming. She woke several hours later, bloody, bruised, battered, bewildered, and tied up in a cage to the sound of her captors singing in drunken merriment. The bleeding in her forehead had stopped long enough for her reptilian genes to grow new scale over it and seal the wound. She was planning her escape, she had expected the hunters to be foolish enough to tie her up with rope, as even at a young age, Kapshen claws can cut their way through most material. What she had not expected was to find that the hunters had removed her claws completely by taking her hands. She looked down in frightened horror at the gauze wrapped nubs the hunters had left her in place of where her hands once were. She tried to scream but found she could not make a sound, they had removed her tongue to sell on the black market as a delicatessen. Her anger rose, as did her sadness when she came to the realization that she could do nothing to escape. Her terror revived itself when the group of three hunters unlocked her cage and dragged her out onto the ground between the three of them, still tied at the limbs and unable to move. She could smell the heavy amount of alchohol in there systems, along with the strong pheromones of unsatisfied sex drives. She closed her eyes in pain and fear with no way out as the men descended upon her. Five days passed until she returned to her clan. Beaten, battered, broken, and robbed of every bit of herself that made Ignis Malum a Kapshen. She collapsed on the ground. The males of the village attempted to help her, and succeeded over the following weeks to recover her injuries, until a revelation appeared as a small bulge in her belly. They could look past the loss of her hands. They could look past the loss of her ability to speak. What they could not look past is that this Kapshen now carried a human child within her. They allowed her to live in their village until the baby was born. It was a strange thing, a mixture of Kapshen and Human, able to mold the scales on its body to take on the appearance of either of its parent races. Ignis did not even get to hold her child. Once the baby was born and out of its mother, the clan opted to end her life for her betrayal and humiliation. As for the baby, he was given the name Exsul, which means "Outcast." He was given the surname "Rgis," which means "Family" in the Kapshen tongue, and outfitted with the last name of his mother, Malum, to be forever remembered as the abomination that he was. He was raised as a Kapshen until the age of six when he could hunt and feed himself. At that time... He was Exiled... Surviving on his own wasn't easy, but Exsul's appearance changing abilities seemed to benefit him far beyond what his other Kapshen-kind could accomplish. He survived many years on Lokasen, until the seasons had changed twenty times. He then used his deceptive abilities to enter Lokasen, and gain passage to Ustuk to learn craftsmanship. Always eager to learn a new tool or trick to add to his arsenal, Exsul continually studies and trains under the appearance of a human, patiently waiting until the day he feels he is strong enough to take revenge on the humans who doomed his mother and sealed his own fate, to be seen as an equal by his fellow Kapshen, and to watch with his kin in perilous glory, as Avalon falls from the sky. Personality: Exsul has an ecstatic personality. He is sane, at times, but at other times he revels in hate until it causes him to nearly burst. He shares his races initial hatred for other races, particularly humans, but unlike his kin, keeps his emotions at bay in favor of controlling a situation rather than destroying it. Cold, calculating, articulate, cunning and brutal, Exsul is an adept scholar, and has no qualms of making sure those who oppose him know it. He knows the goal he reaches for, and will do nearly anything to get there. Familiar: Exsul's Familiar is a cast under armor he forged himself. Seithr runs through the material and acts as a barrier between himself and others; meaning in lamen terms, his body armor protects him from Seitharjan and other harmful materials. Other Skills: A skilled talker and even more skilled liar, Exsul's talents do not often fall into combat. If need be, however, he has his own species innate fighting nature and their trademark claws of Kapshen. Neosquid as Aestus "Pumice" Clayborne Spoiler Name: Aestus "Pumice" Clayborne Species: Half Fae, half dwarf Gender: M Age: 18 Country: Born in Ustuk, lives in Lokasen Allegiance: Aeolus ("Evil") Appearance: Pumice is a very small and frail person. He is only about 4 feet tall, and weighs about 60 pounds. He has long silver hair which covers his eyes most of the time. He has no facial fair. His legs are atrophied, and he is usually sitting down while not using his (soon to be described) Familiar. He wears a red t-shirt with simple yet artistic drawings of Splinters printed on it. Over this t-shirt he wears a black zip-up hoodie, which manages to fit him nicely despite his small size. The same cannot be said about his jeans. He wears extremely baggy black jeans which he supports with a chain belt. The jeans more than conceal his useless legs, continuing well past his actual feet. The jeans are rather torn up, and are completely shredded at the bottom. Although his feet are almost never seen, he wears red socks. Shoes would be pointless considering his inability to walk. Biography: Aestus Clayborne (who goes by the nickname of "Pumice", fitting of his low weight) was born in Ustuk to Harold Clayborne, a well-known Dwarf blacksmith, and an unknown elf mother. Pumice was born abnormally small and scrawny for a dwarf, and even a half dwarf. While he was very fast, he had almost no muscle mass, as you might expect. However, his father being the forging obsessed, all-business dwarf he was, Pumice was forced to partake in various activities that required physical labor. However, due to his frailness, he was mostly a burden to the other workers. The frustration many of the workers had with Pumice caused them to bully him significantly. Some of them merely bullied him because they found it amusing, of course. As a result of this cruelty directed at him, Pumice loathed the people of Ustuk, the dwarves especially. One day, upon his coming of age , Pumice was burdened with the tradition of "Touching Ustuk's Heart". Despite being obviously incapable of completing the task, his father made him do it anyway. During his underground journey, Pumice almost died due to an accident. His legs were completely crushed, and he lost all use of them. Completely unable to work (moreso than before), Pumice was forced to more-or-less stay at home. During this time, Pumice became increasingly interested in various devices, such as video games and the internet. Many video games featured the "good" people of Aravad fighting the "evil" Spinters. He became increasingly fond of watching the Spinters destroy virtual versions of the Ustuk people, due to his hatred of them and their culture, which he considered "barbaric". He became somewhat of a "splinter fanboy". Pumice did more than just play games, however, he also learned much about technology in general. He secretly built his own Familiar during his isolation. His Familiar granted him the ability to sprout wings made of seither, allowing limited flight. Eventually, during a particularly large Splinter attack, an energy barrier was put up to defend Pumice's city. Being incredibly technologically skilled at this point, Pumice hacked into the system and shut down the barriers, resulting in many civilian casualties. The Kingdom Guard figured out during the chaos, but they were too late; Pumice had already escaped, courtesy of his Familiar. However, before leaving the city altogether, Pumice went out of his way to cut down his father using his hand scythes. Being the Splinter fanboy he was, Pumice traveled to Lokasen to study their behavior up close. He set up a home for himself in a desolate, mostly abandon town. He learned more about Splinters in two ways. As previously, he prowled the internet for information. However, due to the commonality of Splinters in Lokasen, he was also able to observe them more closely. Eventually he upgraded his Familiar to include a dangerous new power: the ability to attract Splinters to himself (will go into more detail later). While this offered him no control over the Splinters aside from being able to influence their concentration, this was enough to effectively replace the population of his town with Splinters. He moved to a tower in the very same town, as to better be better able to keep a safe distance from the Splinters if they were to attack him. Pumice was hired by Aeolus at some point, and means to aid the psychopath with his technological genius and his Familiar. Pumice's motivation seems to stem from both sheer hatred and Splinter fanboyism. Personality: Although Pumice hates dwarves, and to a lesser extent Ustukians (correct term?) above all else, his hatred extends to almost everyone, in actuality. He doesn't enjoy social interaction, and prefers to stay alone with his devices, which include video games, among other things. He does enjoy anonymously trolling people over the internet, however. He's an avid Splinter "fanboy", and is prone to collecting anything to do with them. When he does actually confront somebody in person, he tends to be rather sarcastic, impatient, and mean. He's also rather childish and immature, which is largely due to his relatively young age. Familiar: Pumice's Familiar, which is physically shaped like a skull and crossbones, is implanted into his back. He can use it to sprout bat-like wings made of seithr. These wings require a great deal of seithr energy to use and maintain, however, and while he can hold more seither energy than most due to being half elf, he still cannot fly for more than around 15 to 40 minutes (depending on how hard he's flying) without needing to recharge. His Familiar has been upgraded to include the ability to summon Splinters to his location using some sort of signal. While it does indeed attract Splinters to him, they can only determine his exact position if they get close enough. This is, of course, assuming the signal is on; the signal is turned off unless he has a reason to attract Splinters. Other Skills: Pumice is not very avid in combat outside of being able to attract Splinters to his location. If he needs to fight, he does carry two hand scythes which he can be pretty effective with. His Familiar also allows him to fly at potentially high speed. Altogether, though, his fighting prowess is average at best, mostly due to his frailty and reliance on seither to even move. As stated, Pumice is very good with technology. He can hack into nearly anything, and can also create various devices. His ability to create hands on is largely due to being forced to work with blacksmiths on Ustuk. NEUTRAL: Johaggis as Weidr Durgsson and Gale Elvek Spoiler Name: Weidr (Pronounced VY-der) Durgsson Species:Human (Volur) Gender: M Age: 32 Country: Erigan Allegiance: He doesn't care. Appearance: Weirdr is around 6'2 tall. He is fairly well-built, though not bulky. He has grey hair and a short grey beard. His eyes are a pale blue and rather large. He wears furs mostly, which are brown and grey. He carries around a large traveling pack with his essentials. He also carries around an intricately carved wooden walking stick. It appears to be rather new. He has a long, thin scar on his temple. Biography: Born in Erigan, he had a fairly uneventful upbringing. He went to school and learned the basics of seithrjen. At the age of 15, his town was attacked by a squad of Mirien radicals. They destroyed his house, killed his parents, and captured Weidr. He was brought back to Mirien and tortured until he managed to escape, two months later. Without a real home to return to, he went back to Erigan and sought guidance from the Eriginian scientists. With them, he learned how to use seithr in weaponry. However, as he was not as skilled in the discipline of engineering, he was never able to be of use to the scientists in their pursuits. Because of this, he feels indebted to the scientists for helping to raise him. Through hunting splinters, he has been able to help the scientists. He can provide specimens and information regarding the splinters through coming in direct contact with them. He works as a hunter-for-hire, exterminating splinters when they appear. Because of the nature of his work, Weidr travels frequently, and rarely stays in any one place for very long. He makes money by collecting bounties for some splinters, as well as selling some of the caracasses on the black market. He does not have a widespread or prestigious reputation, but he is known in some smaller villages, particularly in Lokasen, where splinters more commonly manifest, and Erigan. Personality: Weidr is a loner. He doesn't often make friends, and doesn't care much for people in general. He focuses on his goals, and doesn't often see anything outside of them as useful. He is also fairly stingy. Familiar: Weidr imbues his staff with seithr, making the wood flexible, and creating a string made of seithr. He uses seithr-conductive arrows, which he got from the scientists in Erigan. The tension in the string depends on his much seithr he uses, and increases the power of the shots. Other Skills: General outdoorsman skills (he is a hunter, after all). He is also fairly skilled at climbing and is an expert marksman. Though his familiar is a bow and arrow, he can use most guns at least fairly competently. He can fight with his staff (which remains a staff when not imbued with seithr). Because of his experience with splinters, he is generally pretty accurate in categorizing how strong a splinter is by appearance. Spoiler Name: Gale Elvek Species: Human Gender: F Age: 23 Country: Born in Erigan, lives in Lokasen. Allegiance: Neutral Appearance: Around 5'10", with somewhat long, brown hair. Fair-skinned, with sharp green eyes. She has a scar on her right arm, which shows slight discoloration, though the scar does not appear to be fresh. She is not particularly athletic, though remains rather thin anyways. She commonly wears a long, white lab coat, plains shoes, and glasses. Her hair changes from being neatly pinned up to somewhat wild and unkempt, depending on the work she is doing. Biography: Gale was born into a household of scientists on Erigan. From an early age, her parents began tutoring her in engineering. She showed incredible natural ability for the sciences, and excelled in school. When she was 12, splinters manifested and attacked her village. Though her house was damaged, the splinters were repelled, and there were minimal casualties. Though this attack might be considered minor in the history of aravad, it forever changed Gale's life. A splinter, isolated from the rest, spotted Gale. In the blink of an eye, it was upon her. Though it was slain almost instantly, its claws reached her arm. The wound was not deep, but seithr flowed into it. Her parents rushed her to a hospital, and the doctor diagnosed the wound as potentially fatal, as the seithr concentration was at toxic levels. And yet, when the doctor returned with the equipment to ambutate, he noticed that the seithr had not spread at all. It did not seem to be harming the young girl in any way. Perplexed, the doctor contacting splinter specialists from around Erigan, but none had an explanation for why the seithr had ceased to threaten her. Gale turned from engineering, and resolved upon researching splinters, turning her aim to Biology. As she grew older, she realized that there was only so much to be learned from the records and researchers in Erigan, and that she would have to do research of her own: and that meant collecting freshly slain splinters. Erigan, however, is not home to a high concentration of splinter incursions. At the age of 20, she moved from the laboratories of Erigan to the microbubbles of Lokasen, to try and figure out what splinters are, and why their "natural generations" have begun occurring. What is the connection these beings have to seithr, and what can be done about it? Gale remains in constant contact with the biologists of Erigan, though she researches by herself. She is a prodigy among researchers, having already made waves in the field of Splinter Research, despite her young age. Personality: Gale is a relatively mild-mannered and calm person, that is, unless something grabs her interest. She is obsessive with her research, to the point where she has been called "crazy" on more than one occasion. She also tends to be fairly introverted, and her social skills are not as refined as her company might wish. She enjoys a good laugh as well as any, though her sense of humor commonly differs from those around her. When research goes slowly, she also tends to consume alcohol with a rather high frequency. Somehow, her tolerance remains low. Familiar: Gale has two familiars: a scalpel which uses seithr to cut through splinter bodies, and her lab coat, which uses seithr as a form of protection against seithr-heavy environments and objects. Other skills: She knows as much as any of the top researchers in Erigan about Splinters. She has incredibly steady hands (as are required in her position), and is generally rather intelligent. She possesses no fighting ability. Her glasses do not just correct her normally crippling near-sightedness, they also can be switched to an infared view, as well as a seithr-detecting view. She made them herself...and her fashion sense is not her strongest skill. Pichu2K7 as Karigen Granger Spoiler Name: Karigen Granger Species: Kapshen Gender: M Age: 19 Country: Lokasen Allegiance: Neutral Appearance: Karigen is a rather short Kapshen coming up at only 5' 8", he has muddy green scales and is a bit scrawny and appears extremely weak compared to other Kapshen. He's often seen wearing a brown hooded jumper and a baggy pair of jeans that has a tear in the rear to allow his tail out. Biography: Karigen was abandoned at birth because he was very small compared to the other Kapshen that were born in his clan, he was picked up and raised in an orphanage located in the main city - Zeldrid. Instead of growing up with a lust for combat like other Kapshen he grew up as a trouble maker, stealing items and pulling pranks was a common occurrence for him. When Karigen turned 17 the Orphanage was attacked by Splinters, most of his friends and carers were killed but he managed to escape with a few others. He now lives in a rundown house located in the slums of Zeldrid and performs small time burglaries to keep a roof over his head and to keep his stomach full. Personality: Karigen is a rather quiet person, he won't engage in conversation even when addressed to unless he hears a topic that interests him. He's a small time gamer and is often playing shooter games on "his" pc when he's stolen and laundered enough goods to pay for a months worth of food and rent. Karigen however is good hearted and will not intentionally harm another person with ill intent. Familiar: Karigen's Familiar is a military knife. The blade can block the targets ability to use their Familiar's Seithr ability if the wielder is weak enough. He only uses his knife in desperate situations and rarely uses it for lethal purposes. Other Skills: Karigen often uses his claws and tail to steal valuables off of unsuspecting personnel or to collect trapped items that are bait for small time thieves like him. He's also an inexperienced fighter but due to his species he shows promise in this area and is willing to learn how to properly defend himself. Lennox as Kai Fishwash and Samna Fishwash Spoiler Name: Kai Fishwash Species: Human Gender: M Age: 25 Country: Born in Miriel Alignment: Regular Appearance: A scrawny guy with kind of sunken eyes. Fairly dark skin and black hair, with black irises. Below average height, with the right half of his hair singed stumpily short and the left half longer. Usually wears a plain shirt and pants with a long coat and boots. He has tattoos on the front of his forearms, two lines of variously sized broken circles with angular lines going through them. Also has a weird thing where he sneezes a lot despite not really having any other sinus problems. Biography: Born to a young Mirieli woman who was working doing cooking and cleaning for some monks on Miriel in an ancient temple said to have been constructed by the unrisen, a lost sister-race of mankind from the time of the surface world. Has a twin sister, Samna Fishwash. Samna and Kai's father left their mother before they were born, and they were raised in large part by the monks, taught the spiritual ways of the Mirieli, the Fae, and what could be reconstructed of that of the unrisen, the latter being practiced uniquely by this sect of monks. Around the age of sixteen or seventeen he left for Lokasen, where he learned to fly a plane. After working odd jobs long enough to save up some cash, he bought a dependable biplane that's small enough to be fast and maneuverable but big enough that he can make a living moving cargo and occasionally passengers between the islands. Personality: A bit of a delinquent, foul mouthed, with a tendency to start trouble when left unattended. But still a pretty cheerful guy, and he rarely seems angry. A bit volatile though. Alleged arsonist. Familiar: 1. A thin steel-and-leather brace around his left forearm, with saether rivets, usually hidden under bandaging. Still hasn't quite got the hang of controlling it, but can create small incendiary explosions within a radius of about one to ten meters. 2. I possession of a mask made of dyed bone embedded with geometric shapes of black glass which occasionally glow brightly. It looks like a familiar, but he is never seen wearing or using it. Given to him by his sister for safekeeping. 3. Magic Bullet (3) Other Skills: Very skilled with his switchblade, and likes to show off about it, often doing elaborate blade tricks. Carries a pistol. He's a competent enough mechanic to keep his plane running, and a dependably good pilot. Not the best, but he won't crash into stuff that's not moving. Also a very talented fiddler. Spoiler Name: Samna Fishwash Species: Human Gender: F Age: 25 Country: Miriel Alignment: Regular Appearance: The same slim build as her brother, and about his height, average for a woman. Long black hair, usually kept tied back, fairly dark skin and black irises. Usually dresses, in the tradition of the monks she was raised with, in the style of the unrisen, in long red and brown cloth garments, and always keeps her forearms covered by sleeves or wraps. Biography: Samna was raised on Miriel with her twin brother Kai, but when he left to pursue a life off the island as a pilot, she stayed on at Miriel, and eventually, though not an officially ordained monk, rose to a position of leadership within the island's loosely defined governing council. The council mostly consists of spiritual leaders from each village and temple, and she is usually sent as the representative for the temple of the unrisen by the Abbot and the monks. Recently uncovered an ancient unrisen artifact that she believes to be a familiar with a power capacity the likes of which hasn't been seen since ages before the Last War, which she has left with her brother for safekeeping. Personality: Short-tempered but good at keeping a calm exterior. Can often be somewhat petty when she perceives that she has been slighted, but never openly. Intelligent and a skilled manipulator, but with a concern for the well being of others as well as for her own advancement. Significantly more spiritually aware than her brother. Familiar: Nah. Other Skills: Her skills as a diplomat have led to her repeatedly being chosen to represent her temple at the council, and she is good at talking her way out of trouble. Very well read, and knows a lot about the various cultures of the six kingdoms. Also a very talented amateur sculptor. Hoboturtle as Hilda Metz Spoiler Hilda Metz Species: Human (Volur) Gender: F Age: 37 Country: Lokasen Allegiance: Neutral Appearance: A tall pale woman. Hilda is know for her long wavy black hair that flows down to her back. She has sharp blue eyes and plumps lips. She normally wears a black cocktail dress. Biography: A duchess of Lokasen. Hilda believes that those in charge should be the strongest. It is for that reason that when she became of age that she had already trained her body for battle. She grew and watch daily as her citizen were either devoured by wild splinters or grew strong enough to destroy them. She had however feel that her body is wasted in high society and thirsts for combat. Personality: A social Darwinist, Hilda believes that the people of Lokasen are the strongest because of the hardships that they go through. She looks down on everyone outside of her home, for she believes that they bare little in the way of strength. She however will gain respect for anyone who can prove her wrong. The one exception she holds out on in the pursuit of ambition is family, as she believes that a clan should work as a single force when destroying an enemy. Familiar: -Montu's Arm: Normally a metal cane, this familiar can take on two other forms. The first one is a rapier with a falcon design on it's guard. In this form, the blade of the sword can increase and decrease base on the user's will. Objects can stick to the blade, this ability can either cause the user to move quick forward or if anyone is being stabbed, can cause them to be pulled back. The second form is a great sword with an ox on it's guard. In this form the girth of the blade can increase or decrease base on the wielder's command. The sword will itself will always feel light and will never get heavier or lighter for the user no matter what size it is. -Cassiopeia: A ring with a black pearl in the center. The jewel of the ring can shoot out balls of light that can float in the air. These balls of light if they make contact will burn anyone except he or she who wears the ring if they make contact. A dozen balls of light can be create at once. Other Skills: Hilda is trained in swordsmanship from a young age. She has also learned war strategies from books. Hilda knows the art of poison making. Hilda on her off time makes wine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -Lower Avalon, Soot District, 12:16 AM- It was the third night in a row that heavy rain had come to Lower Avalon. It barely ever rained in Upper Avalon, as the Palace of Wings could control their climate and only rained in controlled doses when the royalty and nobles wanted to see something different. But in Lower Avalon, nature decided what the sky would be like, and so it rained. The streets were almost entirely empty—at a time like this, the workers would have returned from their jobs in Lower and Middle Avalon and were beginning to settle down to sleep. In the Soot District; so named because the seithr-gas expelled from the vents that led to Avalon's core coated the area in a dark, ashy residue, the streets were completely deserted except for a lone figure, leaning against a large metal pipe near some of the industrial centers. The figure's face was cloaked by a golden robe, which stood out against the darkness of the night and the ashen coloring of the streets and walls. He leaned beneath a worn-down awning that shielded him from most of the rainfall, though an errant droplet splashed on his shoes or sleeves, which were rolled up to reveal arms tightly wrapped in cloth bandages. The figure twirled a kunai in his hands experimentally. Lightning flashed, revealing a sharply defined face with beady eyes beneath the golden hood of the figure's robe. Twirling the kunai around his fingers one more time, the figure place the kunai back onto his belt with the rest of his knives, and reached into his pocket to pull out a compact phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited for a response, standing up straight and beginning to walk slowly down the street, his shoes clipping against the moist concrete. His face perked up as he received an answer. "Yeah, it's me. I'm doing it tonight." His mouth twisted into a small smile as he heard the response. "Yeah, well, I got ****in' bored. What are you going to do? I don't know how anyone can stand this pathetic little place. Though I suppose they don't know anything better, huh?" More noise from the phone, which the figure cut off. "No, I'm not inviting you to change my mind. I'm telling you to get ready. As in an order. Can't have you dyin' on me, right?" There was silence from the other end of the phone. "Glad you get the picture. All right, you get three minutes. And hey—enjoy!" The figure snapped his phone shut and slid it back in his pocket. He closed his eyes and began to count. "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi… eh, that's close enough to three minutes, right?" The figure pulled his hood back, fully revealing his face and spiky red hair. The bandages around his arms and legs began to glow yellow and black as he held his arms out, feeling the storm winds blow on his face and robe. The seithr-gas spewing from the vents began to shimmer a deep purple and collect on the streets, bubbling up from the ground and peeling itself from the walls. It continued to gather and collect until the street seemed absolutely covered in the thick, shimmering gas, except for a small circle of untouched ground where the figure stood. The figures right eye began to glow a sickly green, and at the same time, small green circles of light began to dot the massive mass of smog. A clawed hand, not yet fully formed, reached up out of the gas, followed by countless more as the gas began to form into humanoid shadowy creatures with tiny, glowing green circles in place of eyes. The creatures began to chitter, a soft rustling sound like the crunch of leaves underfoot. The robed figure gestured outwards, and the creatures bounded off in either direction down the street. Even as the initial group of creatures began to vanish from view, more poured out of the vents and pulled themselves from the walls. In the distance, an ear-shattering scream pierced the night. Aeolus grinned widely as he walked down an alleyway, vanishing from view. "Finally, a little excitement."
About a mile from Avalon, a crow circles over the abyss, having lost its way from the island while pursuing some prey or else fleeing some predator. It sees a faint light in the distance, growing brighter as it pierces the dark stormclouds. The crow circles upward in apprehension of the approaching light, but is caught off guard by the sudden deafening roar of a propellor and engine, as the light soars by it, a glass windshield smacking against the bird at full hundred-mile-an-hour force and sending it hurtling up into the air. "Ha! Serves you right you piece of **** flying rodent! I'm the king of the sky!" Kai Fishwash jumps in his chair at a simultaneous flash of lightning and crack of thunder, banking his plane hard to the right before correcting it and leveling out the wingspan. "Fuсk! Sorry about the bumpy ride back there! We'll be at the airfield in Lower Avalon in just a minute or two! Barring unforeseeable--" A gust of wind flips the plane up to the right; Kai banks to the left and flattens it back out, overcorrecting just slightly and almost pitching into a barrel-roll by mistake. "---setbacks!"
Weidr never liked flying. It was dangerous, and his stomach never appreciated the changing altitudes. On the solid ground, Weidr is his own man, in the air, it's another matter. You might say he should've chosen another job, as the nature of his work required him to fly from place to place rather often. But here he was, once again in a plane. He would have paid for a better pilot and a smoother ride, but that would cost more money, and more money would require a different job. And so here he was, in a plane once again, once again with this mediocre pilot. Maybe he could've just stayed on Lokasen. They have frequent splinter incursions, which means plenty of work. But living there is not a prospect most find compelling. Thus, here he was. Once again. In a plane. Going to Avalon. With this mediocre pilot. This splinter sighting had better be worth it. Kai apologized for some turbulence and informed Weidr that they would land momentarily. Weidr grunted. "Good" he shouted up to the cockpit. As the landing zone entered his field of vision, Weidr tightened his grip on the armrest. He'd be on the ground again soon, provided he made it through the landing. Kai was usually dependable as a pilot, even if he wasn't the smoothest, neither in flight, nor in speech.
Tal turned on the mechanvil. "Everything should work perfectly now, Draemon" "Thank ye koindleh, leitle mool-man" "What was that?" Tal always had trouble understanding Draemon's thick accent. "Ah was jus' saying tha' your 'elp is much 'preciated. Withoot ye' I dinnae wha' 'od a'len 'ood..." Draemon's speech trailed off into a mumble. "Right..." Tal nodded, not having any idea what Draemon was going on about. Likely, Draemon had had a bit too much mead. "I'll see you later." Tal exited the smithy and flipped down the sun-lenses on his goggles. The hot Vongolan sun beat down on the streets of Pjazi, one of the many mining settlements that had sprung up on Merz recent years. All the islands of Vongola were rich with minerals, but Merz held the motherlode. Whispers of a lost civilization deep beneath even the Gedrician burrows spurred an even speedier colonization; attracting not only miners looking to find the civilization's lost treasures, but also archaeologists and scholars. Tal believed that such a civilzation couldn't possibly exist; he would have already discovered it. He knew the tunnels underneath Merz better than anyone, being one of the few Gedric who dared to venture out to the surface. Most burrowkind were hindered by their xenophobic mistrust of surface-dwellers. As Tal continued toward the tunnels he noticed a rowdy crowd of miners gathered in the center of town. As he got closer, he noticed that they were picketing.
"Annoying" a man of great muscle and height muttered to himself as he pushed a shadowy monster off of him, before knocking it down to the floor. The beast crashed down before it body popped, the outer shell melting down into a liquid which fell like water, and a black smoke, which for a second was the shape of the splinters' body soon broke away and disappeared as it mixed into the air. "Come on, let's get you out of here" he looked down and smiled to one of the two girls behind him, "Hang on" Kneeling down he took the two in his arms before leaping straight up a great height and soon the three were in one of the higher levels of Avalon, where he landed on his legs creating two meteror like impacts underneath his feet, "Please take care. I'll be back here for you soon". He laid down one of the girls, her back leaning against a nearby wall. The other girl spun away and gave a big toothy smile in appreciation. The man, Lambert patted down her hair and smiled gently. He stood up and glared down the distance back to the lower levels of the kingdom,"Alright." He breathed deeply, "Let's get this over with." He put on the grin of a champion before stepping off the ledge with no regard for his own safety. He fell, no part of him flinching, apart from the back of his mask rippling in the air, before he landed down straight down onto another shadow creature. He lifted his foot as if he had stepped onto something gross before lifting the poor creature high up with one hand. Throwing it up, he punched it, crashing its body against a building where it was embedded for a bit before its body too broke apart in smoke and goo, "Okay, evil doers beware." a booming voice the same as a war cry shot out through the slums. The monster of a human, clad in armor of steel, a black cloth mask hiding his identity from the world came to save us all, prepared for a fight, "The Masked Knight has arrived"
Ansa Hifhildr awoke to the sound of screams. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, only half-awake. "What in the--" Outside her window, the unmistakable glow of a raging fire on the streets below jolted her fully awake. "****!" Jumping from bed and quickly tossing on her armor, she grabbed Zeal and Apathy her two swords, and bolted down the steps from her ramshackle Lower Avalon apartment two at a time. Reaching street level, what she saw before her made her think for a moment she might still be asleep in a nightmare. The entire row of buildings across from the apartment complex in which she lived was ablaze, and the unmistakable chattering of Splinters filled the air along with the screams of panicked and dying civilians. Ansa whipped out Zeal and ran along the side of the building complex, blowing chilled winds into the windows above her. Once she had reached the end, she turned to find the fire replaced with billows of smoke. Although the fire was out, the buildings seemed to be in bad shape. "And we just renovated the community library..." "Ma'am!" Ansa turned to find two members of the Avalon Protection Force running towards her. "What's happening!?" "Splinters, ma'am! A larger infestation we ain't ever seen before. There's hordes of the foul creatures on every block on the East Side, and they're spreading fast. If this isn't controlled soon, they might breach the perimeter into Middle Avalon!" "All right, you two escort civilians to a safe zone. The source of this infestation must be in the East Side; I'm going to find it and put an end to it." "All right ma'am, there should already be a squadron there; I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help out!" Ansa nodded and sprinted past the two. She had barely gone a block before she heard a soft chittering above her. She leapt out of the way as a Splinter landed where she had been not moments before, brandishing its claws and screeching loudly. Splinters began to crawl out of the windows and doors of the ruined houses around her. Ansa swirled around, firing with her pistol with pinpoint accuracy as the horde charged, downing several of them. A Splinter nearby lunged and Ansa sidestepped the attack, skewering the beast on Apathy. Freeing her sword from the Splinter's torso as it fell to the ground, Ansa slammed both swords into the ground as the remaining Splinters advanced. Immediately, the floor area in a ten-foot radius around Ansa was covered in a thick sheet of ice, and the remaining Splinters were impaled on razor-sharp icicles that sprang from the ground. Not hesitating, Ansa ran on ahead towards the source of the chaos.
As he stepped out of the plane, Weidr could smell it. The stench of splinters. He breathed it in slowly and grinned. In the sky, he was in Kai's element. Here, he was in his own. Lower Avalon wasn't quite Lokasen, but it had its fair share of incursions. He took a second to look around. The streets were deserted, and some houses had slash marks and broken windows. A fire was billowing in the distance, and the whole place covered in shadow. Looking up, he noticed that the storm seemed strangely concentrated in one area. A bubble at the top of Avalon was to be expected, but the storm seemed to be completely focused on this area of Lower Avalon. Kai had shut off the engine for a minute to take a short break before setting off again. Well, time to get started, thought Weidr. He looked at the street sign to get a bearing and he froze. Derren's Alley? No, that's nearly 300 miles from the splinter incursion. What happened here? Unless it's in their sector, people stay on the streets during splinter incursions. And the stench is unmistakably splinters. Why was there no emergency signal calling for help, if it looks like this? What is going on here? Weidr didn't have much time to think, as 3 splinters came into view in the distance. Two class C's and class B. They spotted Weidr, and began to advance slowly. The class C's had the shape humans, though substantially larger. The class B, on the other hand, was more akin to an thyrth in stature, though its right arm cut off at the elbow. "kai!" Weidr shouted. "Warm up the engine, and then come help me down here. Splinters are approaching. Something is really wrong here. We're killing them and getting out." Weidr removed his staff from his backpack and pouring seithr into it. As the wood began to creak and bend, he notched the first arrow.
Thrusting his right foot forward, Lambert stopped the charge of the splinter coming right for him. Grabbing the monster's two needle like arms, he rolled onto his back upsetting the abomination's balance. It hovered above the hero, held up by the man's leg. On what could only be called the splinter's face, a shell shifted down it neck, revealing underneath a mouth split into four slabs of fresh. The monster opened it mouth, seither poofing out on everytime it exhaled and with four fangs it try viciously to maul the masked man. An ugly one. These things all looked so different. All the shapes and forms would almost be interesting with each one wasn't as horrifying as the last, "Up you go." The masked knight let go of the monster's arms and lifting his left leg gave it a good kick that sent it up on the air. Jumping back to his feet. He let out a breath of air before uppercutting the beast just as it was landing back down.He scanned the area. For a moment he was sure that the street, where he was at least was clear at the moment. This was soon proven wrong only a moment later when a elderly woman ran with as much life as she could muster towards his location. One of the nightmare like beings behind, practically over her.His eyes grew wide as his knees became ready to cover the distance between himself and the citizen. The splinter was a bit faster. It had sprung up, ready to pounce on top of what it thought would be an easy meal or kill, whatever the motive for it's rampage. The thing would never hit flesh for a loud boom rang out and an seemly invisible force hit it, flinging it off path.Lambert looked in the distance. Two men in uniforms were there. Both equipped with a bolt action rifles, one which was smoking, a clear sign that it was fires. Both also had small buckler shields on their left hands.The buckler were standard issue if he remembered correctly. Minor familiars, couldcreate a weak barrier in front of the user to keep people off of them."The Avalon Protection Force," Sitz muttered to himself as his eyes for just a moment grew hard "I'm surprised they made their way down here. Would of thought the higher ups would have the whole damn squad around Middle Avalon"He shook those feelings away before walking to the men, putting on what he imagine woild be a heroic smile "Good morning sirs, anywhere that needs help"
The two APF members looked at the hulking mass of a man that was Lambert Sitz for a moment. Then, the shorter of the two's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "You-you're the Masked Knight!" The other APF member chuckled. "Oh, come on. He's just an urban legend...right?" As he spoke he seemed less certain. The shorter of the two gazed up at the Masked Knight with the unmistakable face of a star-struck fan. "Please, Mr. Masked Knight, our superior officer is heading towards the source of the Splinters. It's in the East Side, and it could be in the Soot District. If you could provide backup--" The other soldier turned towards his companion. "We can't go sending civilians in there, it's too dangerous!" -MEANWHILE- Ansa continued towards the source of the disturbance, leaping between foes with speed and grace and ending each with a swift blow. As she approached the Soot District, which she surmised to be the main source of the infestation, a giant shadow claw came out of nowhere, rushing into her peripheral vision. Ansa threw up her swords to block the blow, but the force of the attack knocked her away. Getting to her feet, she looked at the beast. Easily over ten feet tall, the Splinter was an absolute abomination, hunched over with its four arms dragging along the ground. It had a single, large green eye and its body was covered in shadowy spikes. The Splinter roared at her, its jaws snapping wildly. Ansa got into her fighting stance.
Kai was rifling around in the plane for the cigarette lighter that had fallen out of his pocket at some point mid-flight when he heard Weidr shouting something about coming to help him. Good, thought Kai, he was still here. "Hey Weedr, you gonna be anywhere near the Palace of Wings? The chicken joint, not the magic castle. Because I am starving." Kai found the lighter and lit the cigarette hanging from his mouth before sticking his head out to speak to Weidr. Now Kai saw what the Eriginian was shouting about. Three large splinters were approaching the Lower Avalon airfield in which he'd landed, and he could see more behind them. Kai's cigarette fell out of his mouth as his eyes darted around to establish his options. In front of him, the Soot District, which Weidr looked about to bound off into to fight the approaching enemies. To his left, the abyss. To his right, a large gateway leading to Upper and Middle Avalon, with a throng of people forming around it. "You say you wanted help with that? Because uh, I've got a paying job, and you've got a paying job, and this one ain't mine." Just then, Kai heard a sound behind him, and turned to see the rustling of a splinter approaching, crawling at him on six jagged limbs. Kai gave a yelp of surprise and fear before pulling out his pistol and firing three shots at the creature. It appeared to be armored, and the bullets only slowed it down a bit. Kai sneezed, then started slowly backing toward the gateway as another splinter, this one a long, centipede-like creature with enormous pincers crawled toward him up over his plane. He held out his left hand as if to threaten the creatures, but they kept approaching him. "Don't make me use this!" he shouted "seriously, you don't want to--" Suddenly the six-legged splinter leapt up into the air and unfolded two sets of wide, leathery wings. "What? You bastard! You got no right!" Kai thrusted his bandage-wrapped left hand at the splinter as it divebombed toward him. There was a loud popping sound and suddenly a crack of what sounded like thunder, then Kai pulled his arm sharply backward and the creature was blown apart in a fiery blast. Kai turned and ran toward the gate to Upper Avalon, shouting to Weidr as he went. "Meet you at the plane!"
Weidr turned to see Kai running off toward Upper Avalon. "Drop to the surface!" he swore after him. One against three. He'd had worse. But then again, in the cases that were worse, he hadn't already been spotted. Two Cs and a B. He could probably get two shots off before they closed the gap. One of the Cs began to shapeshift, beginning to run on all fours. Its back legs broke outwards, and its head shifted to resemble more of a tiger's. Its speed drastically increasing, it pulled ahead of the others. Weidr took the first arrow and set it to the seithr string. The crystal arrowhead began to glow blue, and the runes on the iron shaft appeared. He's only a C class. I'll use a fairly low tension, Weidr thought. Pulling back the arrow, he took careful aim, and let loose. The arrow shot forward like a thunderbolt, striking the splinter almost instantly. It passed through the beast's head and out from between its shoulderblades. A small crater of impact was left where the arrow had struck. The beast tripped, tumbled, and laid still. That's one. The B class stopped and stood still, watching Weidr cautiously. The second C class continued charging at him, and its right arm changed into a blade. Leaping up, it raised the blade high over its head. Weidr quickly changed his bow back to a staff and caught the splinter on it. Slamming the splinter to the ground and cracking its chest, he leapt on top of it and drew his hunting knife. He slit the creatures throat in one swift motion. Two. The B class began to shapeshift as well. Its head sunk into its shoulders and its forearms shifted into what looked like large guns. Seithr began to concentrate in its arms. Ducking behind a nearby building, Weidr narrowly avoided the first blast. A wave of pure seithr shot past him and took out a part of the corner he hid behind. One direct hit and it's over, he thought. He quickly turned and dashed into the building.
Ansa slid beneath the Splinter's swinging claws and dodged to the left as the beast charged forward. She shot a few ice blasts from Apathy, which seemed to have little effect on the beast's shadowy hide. Ansa barely had time to raise up her blades as the beast attacked again, stretching its front two claws to strike at Ansa's face. As the Splinter made contact, it wrapped its claws around Ansa's blades like rubber and tightened its grip, threatening to rip the swords away. Ansa smiled thinly. "Big mistake." Blades of ice shot from Zeal and Apathy, lacerating the Splinter's hands. Squealing wildly, the Splinter reared back and darted into the shadows, vanishing from view. Ansa hurried on. In the distance, she saw a large Splinter firing blasts of seithr at a barricade. Presumably someone up ahead was taking shelter.
"Understood, take care of the lady. I'll head out and assist the captain" Lambert nodded. Taking a racer stance, the Masked Knight shot forward like a bullet. As he sped through the streets, time seemed to slow down and he heard the echoed screams of the panicked people of the slums. He could hear them all. There were so many of them and he wouldn't be able to reach them all. He could feel sweat on his brow and his hands clamp up. Damn it, getting to their squad leader was the best course of action. It was the smartest move. He couldn't waste time going from shadow to shadow. However the destruction, what he could see of it in the corner of his eyes. Bodies which littered the muddy waters of the concrete walls, causing them to mix in with blood. When he got to the captain he could figure out the best way to go. Less time, less bodies. Everything would go fine once he got to the Soot District. Smoke district, Ash district, Mud district, he was going too slow. He had to get there quickly. There were too many bodies. Too much blood, not enough help. The APF was too thinned out. He could only see a few members for every splinters. Where the hell were the knights? Protecting the fat cats of the higher regions no doubt, leaving us meeker folks to fend for ourselves. Gas district, Dirt district, Water district.
Kai ran up to the crowd of people gathering around the gate to Upper and Middle Avalon and began pushing his way through to the front. Once there however, he saw two Kingdom Guard agents holding the people back with their shields, expanded into five-foot radius force-fields. "What's going on here?" asked Kai "Lower Avalon's been quarantined for the safety of the city," replied the officer. "Orders from the Palace. Please stay back." "Safety of the -- safety of what city! Middle Avalon? Upper Avalon? Damn well ain't for this city!" Shouts of agreement surrounded Kai. He looked back at the crowd, and several of them seemed to expect him to continue speaking. "Oh! Uh, and no surprise that is! These guys come down from their magic castle saying they're here for our benefit! Only reason anyone at the Palace of Wings ever cared about us in the Lower Rings is so they can rob us!" More cheers of agreement. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to--" "And ain't that what it is? Robbery! How do they make their fortunes without us running their factories! How do they live in luxury without us working the docks! They can't so much as feed themselves without taking the food out of our mouths!" One of the Kingdom Guard agents grabbed Kai by the shoulder. "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to leave." "Leave? What, to go get et by monsters? You'd have all of us do that, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you!" The crowd jeered at the officers. One of the Guards grabbed Kai from behind, holding his arms behind him. The other took out a communicator. "We're gonna need backup at the Derren's Alley Gate. We got quarantine breakers as well as--" Just then the man was struck on the head with a rock, thrown from the crowd. He drew his rifle and pointed it at the crowd, met with screams of fear. Two more rocks struck the Guard and he fired into the crowd in response. A throng of splinters was closing in, and rather than flee and disperse the crowd surged at the Guard, overpowering him and grabbing his rifle. He popped his force field again and was pushed back against the gate into a corner by the mob, who began kicking at and stomping the shield, crushing the man under it. The other officer dropped Kai and took up his own gun, but was shot in the arm by someone in the crowd before being grabbed. Kai leapt up onto the gate. "It's thievery, and now it's murder! And I'll tell you what else it is! It's bullshіt! The means of production belong to the workers! The right to rule can come only from the consent of the ruled! This status quo is maintained only by violent oppression! Take back what's ours!" The splinters were closing in on their side of the gate, and it wouldn't be long before the Kingdom Guard arrived at the other side. The people in the back of the crowd seemed ready to turn and fight, and many were armed with guns and familiars, but the rest were watching Kai. "Starting with this gate! Men. Women. Children. I'm Kai Fishwash, and I'm no captain or king. I'm just a guy. I'm a common man like all of us. But as a common man I implore you in the name of all that is natural and just..." Kai watched the splinters come closer. He looked up at the gate, then back at the crowd. In his elevated position on the gate, no one could see the glint of panic in his eyes. "Tear it down!"
What a grisly scene. This house used to be a home. Two splinter bodies lay strew across the floor, one with bullet holes, and another with burns all over what used to be its face. That didn't bother Weidr. It was the five human bodies and the dwarf's. Mangled and slashed apart. Most had tried to flee, and only one of the humans fought. Two men, a woman, two children, and the dwarf. It wasn't the first time Weidr had seen the result of a splinter massacre. However, he could only imagine it was like this throughout Lower Avalon. The thought made him shudder. Stepping over the body in the hall, he made his way to a window to get a better look at the splinter outside. It seemed to have developed eyes all around its head. OH-- Weidr leapt to the side as the splinter fired a shot, taking out the window and its frame. Thankfully, the house wasn't quite on the ground, so that the beast couldn't enter from there. Ok, so I can't sneak up on it. At least, not without a distraction. It was only a matter of time until it figured out how to enter the house. Weidr noticed the emergency call communicator by the door. He ran to it and activated it. The signal was static. No help there. The splinters probably tore out the system in their rampage. Wait, Kai could just create a distraction. He took out his own communicator and attempted to call Kai The signal was static. Wait, how? There must be some kind of interference. This whole thing is wrong. Splinters in the wrong place, an unprecedented incursion, a storm blocking signals. A blast through the window reminded Weidr of his situation. Dashing up the stairs, he looked around for something that could create a distraction. Chair. Table. Light. Candle. Bottle of booze. Mirror. Table. Candle. Chair. Mirror. Light. Light. Mirror. Mirror. Light. All he needed was a window of glass, and a window of opportunity. Moving as quietly as he could, he removed the mirror from the wall and brought it down the stairs. Carefully placing it at the bottom, he pointed it to reflect toward the creature and the ceiling above. Moving back upstairs, he cut a small hole in the roof over the mirror. He brought the light to the hole and readied an arrow. One. Two. Three. Weidr flipped the lamp on and dashed to the window. The creature screamed and he felt the shot blast through the first floor. Gotta make this count. Pulling back hard, he aimed the arrow at the head and let fly. It blasted through the creature's head, taking most of it off with the bolt. The creature staggered, wavered, and fell. That's three. Weidr looked out of the now-shattered window toward the city. Most of it was in smoking ruins, though there was a large mass of people and splinters near the gate, which seemed to be mostly intact. Then he saw it. Off in the distance, an enormous splinter. At least fifteen meters tall, beyond even the class A's he'd seen before. A giant insectoid creature, with six huge legs and an upper body rising up in front of those, with two giant claws. It looked to be fixated on something on the ground, though the buildings were crumbling around it. This is much bigger than I could have imagined. This can't be a random splinter incursion. This is an attack on lower Avalon. Just then, he noticed a woman wielding two sword-like familiars running toward the Class B splinter's body. She bent down to inspect the body. "Hey, you!" he shouted out. "What are you doing here? Are you out of your mind?" He quickly notched a normal arrow and aimed it at her.
Ansa looked up at the man who currently had her in his sights. She raised her sword up and pointed it at him. "I'm with the Avalon Protection Force! What are YOU doing here?! All civilians should be headed out of Lower Avalon at the Derren's Alley or Watchrow Gate, or taken to an APF Safehouse!" -MEANWHILE- Aeolus strolled down the pristine marble road that led to Gestahd, the innermost ring of upper Avalon. In the distance, the Palace of Wings towered overhead. A group of Kingdom Guard ran past him, shouting into their walkie-talkies. "Respond! Respond! Damn it, the Lower Avalon signal is still down! Backup is needed at Derren's Alley Gate, there's severe resistance!" Aeolus grinned as the Kingdom Guards passed him by. "Not bad, kid." He whipped out his phone and dialed a number. "Pumice? Whatever you did to the Lower Avalon communications network worked like a charm. These fυckers don't know what hit 'em."
When the mob emerged at Haven Park in Upper Avalon, Kai leapt up onto the elevated base of a statue of King Sargon II, who had built the Palace of Wings after the ascension. Sargon was holding a sword in his back hand, and in his other hand he held aloft a scroll that read "THE LAWS OF AVALON." "We're gonna have to hold this position if we wanna be safe from those splinters," yelled Kai. "You," Kai pointed to the nine foot tall thryth whose immense strength had finally torn down the Derren's Alley Gate, "What's your name?" "Me?" "Yeah, you. You fought bravely back there." "Harkaras." "Kai Fishwash, good to meet you. Can you take charge of defending the causeway to Lower Avalon? We need to keep those splinters back." "I'll do it." "You're a real hero, Harkaras. And you, uh..." Kai pointed at a human woman armed with a chain gun, taken from one of the Guardsmen they had overtaken on the causeway. "Reia Lars." "Reia, can you take charge of securing the perimeter? We're lucky this park has high walls, but we need them to keep the Kingdom Guard out. I think the tops might be set up so they can be electrified. Dunno. But the lance familiars we picked up from those Guardsmen on the way here can be--" "--converted into anti-airship artillery with a seither coil, I know. I'm on top of it, kid." "Great, that is just great, thanks." Harkaras and Reia began organizing people to help them with their respective tasks. Kai looked up at the bronze Sargon who was posing dramatically beside him. "How you doing?" Getting no response, Kai jumped down from the statue. "Who's wounded? I know some first aid for until we can find us a doctor."