Tell me about your character.

[Trencher]

Ok I admit it, I am (probably the only one in the world) a person that likes to listen about people talking about their characters.

So go ahead I listen to your characters background and personality.

[SatinKitty]

Hi Trencher.

How come there are no replies to this thread ? I thought everyone loved talking about their characters. :confused:


Anyway, right now I am a Federal Agent of OSI (from 6 Million Dollar Man), headed by Professor Roy Hinkley(from Gilligan's Island), and our job right now is to weed out and bring down a large International drug ring which involves Eurostar, the Son of the CEO of a major drug company, the Russian Mafia, Chinese herbalists and some of the Bodybuilding Community, we think. HOW BIG IS THIS THING ??!!?? We have two Eurostar members in custody, (Mentalla and Durak) and must get them to Stronghold. (There are only three of us). We must do all this WITHOUT tearing the City apart. (Our property damage bill is embarrasing).

My character is Dragon Jane, a New Fashion Model with a Public Identity, Dragon wings, flight, firey breath, tough skin and a STR of 60. She had been a Reptilian green scaly humanoid until she did a favor for a powerful Chinese clerical type and asked that beauty be her payment. As it was a Wild Cards campaign then, she told everyone that the Wild Card simply wasn't finished with her yet before. She wasn't sure what to do with her life career-wise until OSI came calling. She also does modelling on the side.

Why don't YOU show me YOURS now ? :sneaky:

[Blue]

Never even saw the thread until your bump. I *love* to talk about my characters. But I figure I bore people ;)

I'll go with some characters I don't have an opportunity to discuss often.

Lucretia was a detective in Australia who managed to infiltrate a major drug trafficing ring. But in order to nail the people at the top she had to get deep under cover and also follow the trail all the way to the top, which was in the campaign city. Problem is, during her time undercover she had to do some things that didn't set well with her; It was really the drugs that caused the snowball effect. Once she began to shoot up to remove supsicion, it became easier to get her to do whatever. She still fed information to the cops and remained undercover, but even as long as 6 months after she'd broken the case and sent everyone off to prison, she was nowhere to be found; having become a junky living living among the disenfanchised.

Discovered on the streets by her oldest ally in the states, Perdition Cauldwell, a private detective (who now works out of Hudson City), she was locked up in secrecy and the drugs were worked out of her system. When she recovered, Lucretia realized she could never go back into the service, but that there were still plenty of contacts in the city and that she needed to approach things in her own way. She's taken Perdition's lead and become a detective locally, solving problems too big for the normal folk.

She's a gun-fu practicioner who can get a traditional over the counter pistol to do things that most people could never dream of (Lots of naked advantages), and she never carries a gun. Instead she's got plenty of disarm and weapon-stealing martial arts to take a gun from a foe and then use it against them.

Perdition Cauldwell is a Dark Champions level hero, working out of an office she shares with an attorney in Hudson City. She's got more connections than God, and nobody is quite sure what she does, and since she has yet to accept cash from a client, the IRS has audited her 6 times and has yet to figure out how she stays afloat despite lack of income. It's all good will, it seems. Lots of people owe her everything.

Her skills are with katanas and various firearms. No one is quite sure where she received training and she's never said. In fact, most questions directly about her past are simply side-stepped. She's been arrested a few times due to having no P.I. license, but she's always let out with a warning and goes right back to her old activities.

[Suleyman Rashid]

Lemual Posner is a sort of documentary film-maker in my group's house-rules heavy Traveller game (we're in the process of converting it to Star Hero). He uses an implanted memory recorder to make "memtapes", and travels the less civilized parts of Terran Space, recording his experiences for sale on the more settled and civilized planets.

He's a naturally curious explorer who loves picking up new skills. He's got a resistance to settling down and is absolutely phobic about committing to a serious romantic relationship but is just fine with temporary encounters (as Robin Williams put it once, he's not interested in finding Ms. Right... he just wants Ms. Right Now).

[AliceTheOwl]

My only active character right now is Vivian O'Malley. She's in Josh's Fantasy Hero game, over on Aldaria. (http://www.aldaric.com/forums) She's young, and strong, and, having grown up dealing with drunks her whole life, knows a thing or three about fighting.

She's involved in the campaign because she's very protective of those important to her, and some bandits came along and kidnapped her sister. She went with a few friends, beat the snot out of the bandits (with the help from her friends, of course), and came home, being declared a hero. Since, she's wandered really, really far from home, in trying to track down the people responsible for ordering her sister killed.

Meanwhile, she's grown rather tired of this hero gig and is all set to go back to being a barmaid. She's right on the verge of tracking down the one with the brilliant idea to have her sister killed, and once that's done, she figures she has no reason to stick around these people who give her a hard time for being herself. I don't know who I'll replace her with when she goes, or if I'll even bother.

[McCoy]

Cheeta Was my first Champions character. He is a through jock, into anabolics before preformance-enhancing substances were cool. He has super-speed and limited super strength and uses focused armor and night vision lenses. He was an Olympic Gold Metal decathalete, and is still a Pro football player (his meta-human enhancements have not shown up on any test yet). He enjoys being a celebrity, both in his heroic ID and his civilian Secret ID. As a hero he is deeply flawed, but his "whatever it takes to win" attitude can be remarkably effective.

[Trencher]

Hi Trencher.
Hello!


My character is Dragon Jane, a New Fashion Model with a Public Identity, Dragon wings, flight, firey breath, tough skin and a STR of 60. A model with dragon powers? Guess that makes her a super model :lol:
Seriously defeating eurostar with only three members in your team is very well done.
Do you have trouble finding out who the villains are and how they are organized? Tell us what you found out maybe we can help.


Why don't YOU show me YOURS now ? :sneaky:
Maybe I will later on, I mostly GM don’t have too many character stories.


Never even saw the thread until your bump.
Actually I posted the thread in the wrong forum and had to ask our esteemed moderator Ben Seeman to move it, he does not mind the extra work he loves to help us forum posters out :yes:


I *love* to talk about my characters. But I figure I bore people ;) Not me I like reading/hearing about characters.



Lucretia was a detective in Australia who managed to infiltrate a major drug trafficing ring. But in order to nail the people at the top she had to get deep under cover and also follow the trail all the way to the top, which was in the campaign city. So is she in Australia now or in some other city?


Discovered on the streets by her oldest ally in the states, Perdition Cauldwell, a private detective (who now works out of Hudson City), Another player?


She's a gun-fu practicioner who can get a traditional over the counter pistol to do things that most people could never dream of (Lots of naked advantages), Sounds like fun, and if you are a Dark Champions character then you will find more guns than you could ever need.


Perdition Cauldwell is a Dark Champions level hero, working out of an office she shares with an attorney in Hudson City. She's got more connections than God, and nobody is quite sure what she does, Sounds like an intriguing character do you have a backstroy to explain all her mysterious advantages and training or have you just no decided yet? What kind of costume does she wear.?


Lemual Posner is a sort of documentary film-maker
--
He uses an implanted memory recorder to make "memtapes", and travels the less civilized parts of Terran Space, recording his experiences for sale on the more settled and civilized planets. That is very handy, you can reexamine for clues and details you missed first time around plus you can serve as your own witness if you need to.



He's got a resistance to settling down and is absolutely phobic about committing to a serious romantic relationship but is just fine with temporary encounters (as Robin Williams put it once, he's not interested in finding Ms. Right... he just wants Ms. Right Now). So… He is an average guy then.


My only active character right now is Vivian O'Malley.
--
She's involved in the campaign because she's very protective of those important to her, and some bandits came along and kidnapped her sister. Bandits are always fun to kill.



Meanwhile, she's grown rather tired of this hero gig and is all set to go back to being a barmaid. She's right on the verge of tracking down the one with the brilliant idea to have her sister killed, and once that's done, Do you know why?


she figures she has no reason to stick around these people who give her a hard time for being herself. Why what do they do?


I don't know who I'll replace her with when she goes, or if I'll even bother.
Your planning on leaving the campaign?

Cheeta Was my first Champions character. He is a through jock, How long have you played him? What points level are he at?


As a hero he is deeply flawed, but his "whatever it takes to win" attitude can be remarkably effective. Well it have to be effective, otherwise it would have to be called "whatever it takes to wimp out and die" attitude.

[AliceTheOwl]

Bandits are always fun to kill.
Evidently.


Do you know why?
Yes, but it's a long story that would involve rehashing the entire campaign for you, and it's really not that interesting to listen to someone whine.


Why what do they do?
Ignore her. Give her a hard time for getting the job done. Ignore her some more. Argue with her. Yell at her.

Again, getting into details is a long, involved story, but the short version is that she's the eager to please sort, and being a hero is rather thankless and frustrating, whereas there's SOME sign of when she's doing a good job with wenching. She'd much rather deal with drunks all day and be able to gauge their satisfaction with how much they leave on the table than beat people up, get shot at, get yelled at, and wonder whether she did the right thing or not.


Your planning on leaving the campaign?
Looks that way. I don't see how I can keep this character in this campaign, under the circumstances, and it's unfair to expect the rest of the party to read her mind and change it for her.

[teh bunneh]

I usually GM, but I play in an (ack! spit!) D&D3.5 game right now.

Lars Valgard is a warrior from the city of Midgar on the Dragon Coast -- the only civilized place in a very big wilderness. He is a highly intelligent and well-educated man who has made a career out of his skill with the sword. He often brags that he has an MBA in Accounting, but that adventuring pays better. He's the leader of the adventuring team The Order of the Torch (name borrowed from the Order of the Stick (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript), of course). ;) Though he's in love with one of the other party members (an Elf wizardess named Alastrionna) he feels that he's not good enough for her (he's common-born, she's a princess), so he fills the void with the occasional meaningless fling with young and lovely barmaids. Though his companions fill him with no end of frustration (they are an ecclectic bunch, to be sure), he still cares for all of them and would die for them. He is an effective tactical leader, but his real skill lies in logistics -- he keeps careful track of the team's resources and doesn't hesitate to move people's magical items and weapons around to make better use of them.

(A typical session might include Lars saying, "OK, you've got a +3 sword but you're better as a ranged warrior, so take my +2 longbow and give your sword to Quillen. Now, who doesn't have a +1 Ring of Protection?") ;)

Like all D&D characters, Lars relishes bloodshed and has racked up an enormous body count. In any civilized society he'd be considered a mass-murderer and a thief. ;)

[Trencher]

Yes, but it's a long story that would involve rehashing the entire campaign for you, and it's really not that interesting to listen to someone whine.
No it is not. I listen :yes:



Ignore her. Give her a hard time for getting the job done. Ignore her some more. Argue with her. Yell at her. What are the party consisting of?



Again, getting into details is a long, involved story, but the short version is that she's the eager to please sort, A road to unhappiness that is..


and being a hero is rather thankless and frustrating, whereas there's SOME sign of when she's doing a good job with wenching. Sounds like a pretty depressing campain. Maybe you focus wrong. Think of all the honest pesant folk you have saved by killing bandits.



Looks that way. I don't see how I can keep this character in this campaign, under the circumstances, and it's unfair to expect the rest of the party to read her mind and change it for her. Depends.. Got to say though, going back to being a bar maid sounds kind of lame.

[Trencher]

I usually GM, but I play in an (ack! spit!) D&D3.5 game right now. Join the club.


Lars Valgard is a warrior from the city of Midgar on the Dragon Coast -- the only civilized place in a very big wilderness. Lars huh? I know a guy called Lars and one of our Politichans has the name Valgerd, nice touch with changing the e into an a, makes the name more masculine.


He is a highly intelligent and well-educated man who has made a career out of his skill with the sword. He often brags that he has an MBA in Accounting, but that adventuring pays better. Wow that place is really civiliced.


Though he's in love with one of the other party members (an Elf wizardess named Alastrionna) he feels that he's not good enough for her (he's common-born, she's a princess), She is an elf princess huh?


his real skill lies in logistics -- he keeps careful track of the team's resources and doesn't hesitate to move people's magical items and weapons around to make better use of them.

(A typical session might include Lars saying, "OK, you've got a +3 sword but you're better as a ranged warrior, so take my +2 longbow and give your sword to Quillen. Now, who doesn't have a +1 Ring of Protection?") Yes that increase the party’s power quite a bit. When I took over leadership in my dnd group I did the same our hack-factor went through the roof.


Like all D&D characters, Lars relishes bloodshed and has racked up an enormous body count. In any civilized society he'd be considered a mass-murderer and a thief. ;) Lol that is what happens if the GM shirks from using monsters and use humans in stead, one of my old characters have single-handly killed several thousands of people on the field of battle. Kind of embarrassing really.

[Blue]

So is she in Australia now or in some other city?The campaign city is on the West Coast of the U.S., where the cartel was that ran drugs through many major world ports.


Another player?actually another character of mine. Since one is Champions and the other is Dark Champions, I don't have to play them together :)


Sounds like an intriguing character do you have a backstroy to explain all her mysterious advantages and training or have you just no decided yet? The connections are mostly from things sh edid to help people who are now beholden to her. I doubt I could even remember the list.

What kind of costume does she wear.?
Drawing: http://home.earthlink.net/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://home.earthlink.net/~bluegallery/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/perdition01b-sm.jpg&target=tlx_new
Mini: http://home.earthlink.net/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://home.earthlink.net/~bluegallery/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/fig_perdition1.jpg&target=tlx_new

[Trencher]

Thats a nice drawing and mini blue, but maybe she need a mask to cover her identety.

[AliceTheOwl]

No it is not. I listen :yes:

What are the party consisting of?

A road to unhappiness that is..
Sounds like a pretty depressing campain. Maybe you focus wrong. Think of all the honest pesant folk you have saved by killing bandits.

Depends.. Got to say though, going back to being a bar maid sounds kind of lame.
See, if the 'peasant folk' were grateful at all about her contributions, that might work. But this is an overall ingratitude.

The party consists (right now) of a mage/blacksmith, a hunter, a prostitute, and a fighter with amnesia. The hunter has a pretty severe crush on her, which sometimes affects party dynamics, and not positively.

Now, where this gets tricky is the first time Vivian helped defeat something other than bandits. There's a . . . thing in this world, called a Blemish. My character had recently learned to use a bow, and was able to do some pretty heavy damage on the thing, and actually scared it, which helped the party immensely. Once it was down, she then focused her energy on rescuing the guy who fell over the side of the mountain when the thing attacked. (For the sake of explanation, it was a peasant type.)

Now, you might think there'd be SOME mention of, 'Hey, good job.' Instead, they gave her a hard time about taking care of the guy who needed help, demanding that she let THEM help, too. Aggravated at how much longer it was taking to argue that she should go alone, she finally let the others help, and they got even MORE pissed at her.

Meanwhile, she's listening to them talk about how brave and wonderful the party prostitute was for jumping on the thing's back (to next to no effect, I might add), and nearly having her face torn off. It was Vivian's opinion that it was a stupid move, and she hoped the prostitute might learn to keep some distance on big, scary monsters. No such luck.

Finally, sick of being yelled at, she headed home all by herself. She related the story to the local peasants, who immediately asked, "Oh, is the prostitute okay????"

This is only one of many examples of her accomplishments being ignored while the prostitute, who does next to nothing in comparison, gets all the props for making stupid moves. It's a very distinct pattern, with no sign of it breaking anytime soon. As it is, I got a break from playing this character, and I'm watching them treat another player like their punching bag, without my character to pick on. So I'm not sure I want to play with people like that anymore.

[Blue]

Thats a nice drawing and mini blue, but maybe she need a mask to cover her identety.
Thanks. There's no point to a mask; She has an office down town and her name is on the door. And all those contacts need to knwo where to find her :)

She's more like Mike Hammer or Phillip Marlowe in that trouble just walks into her office.

[Ghost Archer]

Okay, I can't remember where I found this Questionaire but it answers a lot of questions about all kinds of things.

Introduction Questions
======================
* Give a two or three word description of yourself. (Describe your character's concept.) Champion of justice

* Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, nom de plume? Ghost Archer, GA, Archer

* What is your full birth name? Cufaen

* Where do you live? The Valley of the Wild Hunt / San Francisco
* Why do you live there? Security / Love of the City

* What is your citizenship status? Naturalized citizen of the United State of America

* What is your most obvious blessing or strength? Determination

* What do you perceive as your greatest strength? Determination

* What is your most obvious flaw or weakness? Concern of the safety of innocent by-standers and a touch of arrogance.

* What do you perceive as your greatest weakness? Concern for the family/team mates

* Was there any event or cause of these weaknesses? Loss of adopted parents


Physical Traits
===============
* How old are you? @206

* What is your gender? Male

* What is your species/race? Rohirriam/Noldor

* How tall are you? 6’4”

* How much do you weigh? 220 lbs

* What is your general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise? Rangy, long legged

* What is your skin colour? Deeply tanned

* What is your hair colour? Black
* What is your hair style? Worn long, passed the shoulders, parted in the middle
* Do you have any facial hair? No, well, sometimes I neglect to shave.

* What is your eye colour? Jade green
* Does it change? No

* How attractive are you? Definitely draws attention

* What is your most distinguishing feature? Eyes

* Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks? Yes

* If so, how did you acquire them? Put there by the dragon “Coz“

* What do these distinguishing marks look like? A dragon

* Do they have any special significance? Yes, but I don’t know what the significance is.

* Where are they located? Back of the left hand

* What is your handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)? Ambidextrous

* What is your hand size/description? “Pianist’s hands”

* Do you resemble some currently known/famous person? No

* Do you wear a uniform? No

* What kind of clothing do you wear? Expensive casual

* What is your clothing's style or level of sophistication? Usually current fashion

* Do you wear makeup? No

* Do you wear glasses/contacts? No

* What sort of vocal tone do you have? Somewhat deep, generally quiet spoken

* Do you get sick? No

* Maybe you catch the flu twice a year and that's it? No

* Or maybe you have a weak immune system and catch anything that goes around? No

History
=======
* Where is your homeland? Nexus

* What are its people like? Cosmopolitan and varied

* Are you aware of its history? Yes

* Are you patriotic or a social outcast? Currently outlawed and wanted
* What are your opinions of home? More in tune and attached to adopted home

* Where is your home town? Nexus

* What is your home town's name? Cinnabar

* What was the area like and how did it affect you? A single massive city divided into Techo/Magic sectors. This gave me an acceptance of all things, be they techo or magic or somewhere in between

* Did you witness any historical events? The rise and fall of the Doge Joram

* If so, how did that event impact you? Since Joram is my father, it effected me a great deal and directly led to my escape from Cinnabar

* Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer different from what you tell others? No

* If so, how might such secrets be revealed? Few know of my real background but not because I try to keep it a secret

* How far would you go to keep such secrets from being revealed? It wouldn’t bother me if more were know of my true history.

* What would you do if the truth became known? Nothing

* What do you fear would occur if the truth became known? Very little, perhaps some megalomaniac would try to take over Cinnabar but that would not be my concern.

* Do you have any particularly high or low ability scores? A phenomenal dexterity and speed, incredible intellect and a powerful, awe inspiring presence.

* If so, were these scores a result of your past? All are, in a way, a result of my past. Because of my families past, my father had me genetically altered to my current levels to be the champion of my generation
* How have these scores affected your life so far? I have used those abilities just as my father intended, as a champion of those who cannot defend themselves.
* Did they affect you in your chosen profession? Perhaps my intellect lead me into the role as a detective but in all I have felt since about eight that is was my destiny to do as I do.

* What about your race, growing up were you in the majority or a minority? A real minority

* How were you treated by other nearby races? In Cinnabar to be elven was a minor oddity but the cosmopolitan nature of the city meant I was but a minority in a host of minorities.

* Were you persecuted for your race? Not in Cinnabar however in my travels I have been persecuted by various races.

* Did this impact your outlook in any way? It has made me more aware of the problems of other races

* Did it affect your personality? Perhaps given me a more Zen outlook.

* How do you feel about other races? I welcome diversity, even in orcs, my natural racial enemies
* Do you have any justification from your past experience for holding such views? Orcs are an abomination of elves and to be pitied and exterminated if they present a threat but I do not go out of my way seeking a perceived threat.

* Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)? The betrayal of my family by my older brother and the resultant scattering of my family.

* Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life. When my brother held all of his family bound and was prepared to kill us all it gave me a strength of will far beyond what might have been normal for me.

* What was childhood like for you? In Cinnabar, marshaled by my father. Very little ‘playtime’, constant instruction. After the breaking of the family, normal loving family typical of modern Earth.

* Was it calm and peaceful or turbulent and traumatic? Both, turbulent and traumatic in the early, Cinnabar years, but calm and peaceful once I arrived on Earth.

* Did you have any childhood friends? Yes

* If so, who and where are they now? My sister, Laure lives in San Francisco and spends a great deal of time in the Valley. Marilyn Chak lives on the Marin side of the Golden Gate and spends some time in the Valley as well.

* Are you still close to them or have you grown apart? Close in both cases.

* What stupid things did you do when you were younger? I did not listen with full attention to my father’s lessons.

* Which toys from your childhood have you kept? None, as all was left behind in Cinnabar.

* Why? What do they mean to you? N/A
* If you didn't keep any, why not? Did not have a choice.

* What did you do to them all? N/A

* Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you? No

* What conflicts might arise from your past? One day there will be a reckoning with my older brother.

* Are you who you claim to be? On Earth? No.

* Do you have any sort of criminal record? No

* How do you view the heroes/legends of your country? In this case I must speak only of Earth. I have traveled too much to worship heroes and legends, in fact I have caused a few of those ‘legends’ to come into being. I have met a great many heroes and admire some more than others but always find something in each the IS admirable.

Family
======
* Who were your parents? Rillia, Lord of Fire, Noldor Elf, Member of the Court of Ardor is my mother. Joram, Warden of the Gap, Horse Lord, Rohirrim rider is my father.

* Were you raised by them? Partly, only for the first eight years.

* If not, then why didn't they and who did raise you? We were involuntarily parted when I was eight.

* What is your father's full name? Joram, Warden of the Gap, Horse Lord, Rohirrim rider.

* What is your mother's full name? Rillia, Lord of Fire

* What is your mother's maiden name? Elves do not have ‘maiden’ names

* What did your parents and/or foster parents do for a living? Rillia is sorceress of Fire, Joram in Warder of the Gap

* What was their standing in the community? At one point, Master and Mistress of Cinnabar.

* Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot? Up until the parting, we stayed in Cinnabar.

* How did you get along with their parents? Mother was cool to me as I have no magic, Father was hard on me, expecting perfection in all things of war,

* How would your parents describe you? Answer this in the voice of your mother, then in your father's.
Rillia: “You have your father in you, stubborn, a lover of travel and battle. You are doomed to follow in his foot prints.
Joram: “Your time is better spent training! Give up those books, they are for your sisters and mother. It is BATTLE, boy, that you were bred for!”

* Do you have any siblings? Yes

* If so how many and what were their names? One brother and two sisters. My brother’s name is not spoke or even written but my sisters are Rachel and Laure

* What was your birth position in the family? I am third and the second son.

* How did you get along with each of your siblings? One day, between my brother and me, there shall be blood. With my sisters . . . Rachel always looked on me as the pesky younger brother while Laure and I have been close all our lives.

* What was your family life like? When together? I cannot say as it has never happened. What I have experienced was generally cool. While I look back and see now there is a heat between my parents. My mother’s disappointment in her magic not passing on to me or Rachel has distanced us from her but she doted on Laure, her true heir. Father’s disappointment in Rachel not being a male, led him to being tougher on me when I did come and left Rachel alienated to a large degree.

* List all current knowledge of family locations, spouses, children, birth dates, schooling and any important incidents that only you and they might remember. I have no knowledge of the doing of my family save Laure.

* Are any or all of your family still alive? All are alive as far as I know

* If so, where are they now? My brother in Cinnabar, my sister, Laure is in San Francisco

* Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged? Open hostility to my brother and dedicated affection to my sister.

* Draw out your family tree, including living and dead relatives.

* Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular? Laure is very near to my heart, while my brother is viewed with pity and loathing.

* Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)? Laure knows all, just about.

* Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? My brother is the reason my family is scattered and the only ‘black sheep’ I know of.

* If so, who are they and how did they "gain" the position? He allied himself with the demon Azog and conquered Cinnabar.
* If this person is not you, then how do you feel about them? Oddly, I do not ‘hate’ my brother but I know one day I will have to kill him.

* Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? Yes, my mother.
* If so, what did this person do to become famous or infamous? Nothing much, just tried to pull down the sun and the moon and darken the world forever.
* What do people assume about you once your ancestry is revealed? Nothing

* Do you try to live up to the reputation of your ancestor, try to live it down, or ignore it? Ignore it.

* Have you begun your own family? Yes

* If not, do you ever want to have a family of your own someday? N/A

* If so, with who or what type of person? Since Raven and I a wed, this is self answering.

* What type of person would be your ideal mate? This, too, has been answered by my actions.

* What would you be willing to do to protect such a person? Anything short of the sacrifice of our children. I would not expect her to choose me of one of the children either.

* Is there anything you wouldn't do to protect such a person and if so what? I would kill for her, but not if the choice were one of the children.

* Would anything change your mind on this issue and if so, what? I cannot answer that as situation are always in flux.

Relationships
=============
* Do you have any close friends? Many

* If so, who and what are they like?
Marilyn Chak: Oldest friend. Marilyn has an inquiring mind and a thirst for adventure.
War Eagle: My bane as well as friend. He is my responsibility. He is lost on this world.
Daimon: Friend and compatriot. One of the most together people I know.
Sue Freschi: Friend, partner, lover that never was. Independent, self-assured.

* What is the history of their relationship(s) with you?
Marilyn Chak: Met in second grade, been friends ever since.
War Eagle: Stopped his killing spree after his ship crash landed in downtown San Francisco.
Daimon: Worked together for many years in the Wild Hunt.
Sue Freschi: Met in 9th grade math class and fell in love with her. Love never returned but we grew into a close relationship after she came to work for me at the detective agency.

* Do you currently have a best friend whom you would protect with your reputation or your life? Yes

* If so, who are they and what caused you to feel so close to them? Marilyn and Sue I would die for as I love them both dearly, Marilyn because I have known her all my Earth life and we share many thing, and Sue because she will always be that girl I fell in love with in a math class.

* What would have to happen for you to end this relationship? Someone would have to die.

* Do you have any bitter enemies? Yes

* If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with you? Mechassassin, not by MY choice but having defeated him constantly for years seems to do nothing but make him more determined.

* Have you defeated them before? Yes

* How might these enemies seek to discomfit you in the future? Who knows?

* What valuable or important contacts do you have?
Charles Driscole, SFPD Captain of Detectives.

Director of the FBI.

The Golden Avenger

Jessica Lorenzo, reporter

Raymond 'Stoney' Jackson; information broker

Taurus of the Zodiac

* How did you come to know them?
Driscole was a rookie cop when I saved his *** in a gun fight. Since then we have had a cordial relationship that extends to BBQ at his home and baseball games in my skybox.

The Director of the FBI is really a professional courtesy each director has given me over the years. I do a lot of stuff to the Feds and they try to reciprocate, provided they get the credit for whatever my info brings them. I don’t have a problem with that.

The Golden Avenger is, again, a professional courtesy though we have fought together many times. We trade information.

Jessica Lorenzo was kidnapped by a terrorist cell in the Bay Area, I found her and got her out without getting her killed, then I gave her the ‘exclusive’. Every now and then I give her other ‘exclusives’ and she helps out occasionally.

Raymond ‘Stoney’ Jackson is a paid informant, nothing more. If he slips up, I jail his *** in a heartbeat.

Taurus of Zodiac I thought I had killed a couple thousand years ago in the Maze. I was mistaken. Over the centuries he has mellowed and forgiven me, mostly, for the bionic parts. Now, when we have a common enemy, like Genocide, we work together.

* Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to? The Wild Hunt.

* List any past serious relationships that you have had, and give a brief overview of the relationship(s).

Sue Freschi: Unrequited love on my part, now best of friends.

Chantal Kerbouchard aka Hellcat: Purely physical relationship that ended when Megan came into my life.

Megan Pierce aka Willow Witch: An all too brief relationship that ended very mysteriously with her disappearance. After searching for her for nearly two years, I discovered her living with a power mage in Europe and apparently happy. I did not interfere or let her know I had discovered her.

Rogue of the X-Men: A short-lived relationship brought about by my ability to protect myself from her draining powers. It ended gradually when she and the X-Men left the Valley after the repairs to their mansion were completed.

Lady Rogue of the Ocean and Nekoru, Fairy Princess of Cats: Pure happenstance complicated by the almost simultaneous entry into my life of both women. Rogue was tough talking and haughty. Neko was innocent and lost. Each called to something in me. I must admit that I was wrong to play both at the same time but I could not decide what my true feelings were for either of them.

Thistle Grey: Probably my soul mate. She came into my life while I was seeing both Rogue and Neko and almost immediately solved my problem over which of the two I was going to give up, both. Our time together was brief, as all my relationships seem to be, but burned hotter and faster than anything I had known. She was taken from me by Fate and a Goddess and I will probably never see her again. My heart still aches with the loss.

Lady Rogue of the Ocean: Rogue was my temptation while Thistle was lost to me the first time. Though we did not consummate our affair during that time, we came very close. After Thistle had returned I discovered Rogue and I had been subject to the meddlings of the dragon Tsarsaidor. My ‘infidelity’ aided in Thistle’s final acceptance of her fate as Avatar of Ishtar.

Sable Kirov aka Sable: Sable was my solace after the loss of Thistle, she is the reason I could feel once again and though I doubt there was ever a love between us, she has a special place in my heart.

Raven Fireoak: Raven was a drowned kitten when I first saw her and though I was attracted to her, I returned to Sable. After my affair with Sable burned itself out, there was Raven. For her, I had been from the first instant, THE man for her. I wish I felt the same. I love her but too many things have happened before and I don’t trust myself or my feelings for her. Who knows what would happen if Thistle returned? I don’t.

* How do you think others generally perceive you? I supposed my friends see me as always there for them and my enemies as the worst case scenario. The people on the street see me as a savior.

* If someone crossed your path, what would you do? Depends on what you mean by ‘crossing my path’.

* Who is your most trusted ally? Daimon. He and I are very alike in our motives and that makes trust very easy.

* Who do you trust, in general? In general I trust everyone I consider a friend.

* Who do you despise and why? I despise those that prey on the helpless and the innocent.

* Name seven things you hate in others. Cruelty, treachery, callousness, stupidity, inflexibility, indecisiveness and the inability to take responsibility for your actions.

* Is your image consistent? Yes, I believe so.

* Do different people see you in similar ways? Yes, I think so.

* Do you deliberately present yourself differently in different situations, and how? The only time I try to be something I am not is when I go undercover.

* What would you die for? My children, Raven, Marilyn, Harriet, Sue and probably any innocent placed in harms way.

* Who would you go to extremes for? All of the above.

* Who do you turn to when you're in trouble? Generally, no one. I am very self-reliant.

* What is the worst thing someone has done to you? Taken Thistle away from me.

* What is your general reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex who lets you know they are available? Amusement but I try not to let it show and when I must to temper it with kindness.

* How do you get along with others in the same field and/or work environment? I can get impatient with others I work with. I see things instantly and act just as quickly. I despair at a slower approach. I am Blitzkrieg as opposed to Trench Warfare.

* How can you be blackmailed, beaten, and tricked (by PCs or NPCs)? I have been blackmailed in the past, by the kidnapping of my sister. The only way I CAN be blackmailed is through family and friends. Other then that? I take responsibility for my actions.

* Have you lost any loves? Yes

* How did you handle the situation (short & long term)? Short term I become single-minded. Long term I don’t accept the situation until I must.

* Who would miss you should you go missing? Raven, the children, the Wild Hunt, all of the manor staff.

* Who might protect you? Raven

* Who might be convinced to sell you out? Sell me out? No one I can think of. Betray me to save someone they love? I hope ALL of them.

* How close are you to your friends? Very close to most but I have lost touch with far too many.

* What do they know about you? Pretty much everything.

* What do they not know about you? I think . . . just how dark I can be.

* What do you know and not know about them? If I don’t know something about them, how can I say? But . . . I do know a great deal about most of them.

* Do you live with anyone (housemates, roommates, relatives, friends, near-strangers, family friend, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover)? Raven, nine children, staff, members of the Wild Hunt.

* Are you a member of any special interest groups? The Wild Hunt is pretty ‘special interest’.

* What is your level of involvement? In charge.

* What is your current status with local law-enforcement? U.S. Marshal

* Do you have a record of cooperation or non-cooperation with authorities? Mostly cooperation though there have been time when I was less than forthcoming with information.

* Do you have a file with local, national or international law enforcement? Yes, mainly arrest records.


Personality/Beliefs
===================
* Do you, or did you, have any role models? As I said earlier, I am pretty much self-sufficient.

* Do you have any heroes or idols, either contemporary or from legend? I admire many people, Lincoln, FDR, and the entire World War II generation.

* If so, have you ever met them? I have met many from World War II, in fact, I even fought a time there, myself but no, I haven’t specifically met any one I admire. Perhap I should . . .

* Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? No, I have always known people are only people and none are flawless.

*If so, why and what were the circumstances? N/A

* When did you decide to become an adventurer? At eight years old.

* Why have you chosen to risk your life as a career? Because I have to, it is in my nature.

* What do you expect to get out of being an adventurer (satisfaction, glory, money, redemption, etc.)? I expect to save lives, I expect to stop the next person from having to suffer, I expect nothing else.

*What, if anything, would make you stop adventuring (death of a loved one, marriage, mutilation, money, position, old age, etc.)? Not as long as I breathe.

* Do you have any dreams or ambitions? Don’t need them.

* If not, why? I am living my dream.

* How does adventuring fit into this dream, or does it at all? It IS my dream.

* What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)? Elves plan for the long haul, not a mere year into the future.

* What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)? The school, I think this is my long term goal. In 20 years I hope to be on my second or third generation of students.

* If these goals seem at odds with each other, or with your dreams, how do you reconcile the differences? Don’t have to.

* How do you seek to fulfill these dreams, goals, & ambitions? It’s begun. The school is open and the first class of twelve has begun.

* Do you have any great rational or irrational fears or phobias? No

*If so, what are the origins of, or reasons behind them? N/A

* What, if anything, would it take for you to be able to overcome this? N/A

* How do you react when this fear manifests itself? N/A

* Are you willing to discuss, or even admit to, the situation? N/A

* What are your attitudes regarding material wealth? It’s nice but not necessary for my life.

* Are you miserly with your share of the wealth, or do you spend it freely? I spend as I wish.

* Are you greedy or generous? Generous

* Do you see wealth as a mark of success, or just as a means to an end? Means to an end.

* How do you generally treat others? Fairly

* Do you trust easily (perhaps too easily) or not? In my business it is hard to trust so I question everything.

* Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Mostly extroverted.

* Are you a humble soul or blusteringly proud? Somewhere in the middle but some view me more toward the ‘proud’ end of the spectrum.

* Do you act differently than you feel (concealing your true thoughts)? Many times it is necessary to maintain a cool facade, even during a crisis.

* What habits would you find most annoying in friends? Indecisiveness.

* Is there any race, creed, alignment, religion, class, profession, political viewpoint, or the like against which you are strongly prejudiced, and why? Religion confused the hell out of me. Being very elven in my approach to life I find the worship of ‘higher’ beings ludicrous. Also the fact that more wars have been fought in the name of religion infuriates me. I don’t care if you worship a god, please feel free but don’t expect me to follow your beliefs nor expect me to try to convert you to mine.

* How do others typically react to you? If they are innocent, some are in awe, others fawning, others with enthusiasm and many with familiarity. If they are guilty of something, most react with fear.

* Why, in your opinion, do they act that way? The innocent, hero worship, the guilty, fear that I will come after them.

* What are your most annoying habits? Haughtiness.

* What is your favorite food? I like meats roasted over an open fire.

* What is your favorite drink? Hot cocoa

* What is your favorite treat (desert)? Boysenberry pie and vanilla ice cream

* Do you favor a particular cuisine? Elvish

* Do you savor the tastes when eating or "wolf down" your food? Always savor food as well as life.

* Do you like food mild or heavily spiced? I like spices but not an overpowering ‘hot’ If I cannot taste the other flavors of a spice why use it?

* Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat? Hagus?

* Are you allergic to any food? No

* What are your favorite color(s)? Natural greens and grays

* Is there any colour that you dislike? Unnatural greens, like lime green.

* Do you have a favorite (or hated) song, type of music, or instrument? I prefer music that can be played with acoustic instruments. I prefer songs that can be sung over pure instrumentals. I prefer the flute when playing or the mandolin. I hate Rap, Hip Hop and anything in which I can’t make out the words.

* What is your favorite bard song? Forever Autumn by Justin Haywood

* If you have a favorite scent, what is it? Oranges, jasmine

* What is your favorite type of animal? Actually, just about anything but I really get along with dogs.

* Do you have an animal totem or affinity, and if so for what? Dogs and wolves.

* Is there a certain type of animal that you hate or fear? I hate dragons, as individuals and never trust them as a race.

* Are you allergic to any kinds of animals? No

* Do you have any allergies? No

* Is there anything that enrages you? Senseless endangerment of innocents, rape.

* Is there anything which embarrasses you? My own stupidity

* How do you react to being teased about it? Stoically

* Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts? I enjoy the natural world and am very comfortable in it. Any ‘creature comforts’ are just nice amenities.

* Do you believe in the gods? I believe there are things more powerful then me, but they are not ‘gods’

* Do you have a patron deity? No

* Are you devout or impious? Impious

* Do you actively worship and proselytize or do you simply pay lip service? I do neither.

* What lengths would you go to defend your faith? I will not kill for a religion, no matter the religion.
* Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special? Perhaps the lack of a ‘faith’ has.

* Do you belong to the Orthodox Church, or a fringe element thereof (and is the group accepted, frowned upon, or considered heretics)? *laughs*

* How has this impacted your faith and life? This hang up you have with religion is boring me.

* Is your church an accepted religion where you grew up or did it have to conduct its services in secret? N/A

* How did this affect your faith and life? N/A

* Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? N/A

* If so, when and how did you handle it? N/A

* Can you kill? Is this a religious question? Yes, I can kill.

* When did you decide (or learn) that you could? In my early childhood I was taught to kill to defend yourself, I did not ‘decide’ to kill, I just knew from the beginning I could.

* What happened and how did you handle it? I never had a problem with the idea.

* When do you consider it okay to kill (under what circumstances)? It is ‘okay’ to kill within the letter of the laws of this world. Now that’s a pat answer, isn’t it? I consider it okay to kill when it is necessary . . . in the defense of another life or in the defense of your own.

* When do you consider it wrong to kill (under what circumstances)? Abortion is wrong and this world is taking it to a new level, that of birth control. Also I consider it wrong to kill out of indifference or malice or greed or spite or any circumstance that this world considers ‘illegal’.

* What would you do if someone else attempted to (or successfully did) kill under your "wrong" circumstances, what would be your reaction? As abortion is legal, I cannot do anything to prevent it. In the other cases, I would try to prevent it and barring that, if I could, take the ‘killer’ to jail.

* What if it were your enemy? If an enemy killed? Or was killed? I go with was killed . . . In the case of an enemy, I would still take the perp in.

* What if it were your friend? I have talked War Eagle into facing up to his deeds, why would it change anything?

* What if it were an innocent? Turn in the perp.

* What if the opponent were not in control of their own actions (under duress, charmed, dominated, possessed)? Subdue, and hold until they recovered.

* What would you do if someone shot at (attacked) you? Depends on the level of force used, but I would probably match force for force.

* What would you do if something were stolen from you? Recover and discover the circumstances before the theft then decide as the situation warrants.

* What would you do if you were badly insulted publicly? Shrug it off.

* What would you do if a good friend or relative were killed by means other than natural death? Discover how and why.

* What is the one task you would absolutely refuse to do? I will not kill because I am told to. I kill if I must, but not at the behest of another, even the government.

* What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why? To me murder and rape are pretty much the same thing, both are violent violations of another person and I have no more compassion for a rapist then a murderer.

* How do you feel about government (rulers) in general? I think the current government is the best there is in this world but I also believe they are using and abusing their position as the world’s only superpower to enforce their will on others.

* Why do you feel that way? One government cannot dictate what others MUST do, even if that government’s view and way of doing things it diametrically opposed. This is why wars are fought, the attempt to impose one nation’s will on another. It works for religion too.

* Do you support the current government of your homeland? Yes

* If so, how far are you willing to go to defend the government? If not, do you actively oppose it? Would I go to war and fight to defend the U.S.? In a way, isn’t that what I do everyday? I may not be fighting Iraq or Korea but I fight the drug dealers and killers, the organized crime and the petty criminal every day. Isn’t that defending the government?

* Do you belong to an anti-government organization? No

* If so, describe the group and its aims. N/A

* What form of government do you believe is the best (democracy, monarchy, anarchy, aristocratic rule, oligarchy, matriarchy) and why? The rule of Elves is by far the best form of government I have seen but then it does stem from a far more rational race then humans. We do not have a strict ‘government’ but rather something closer to a monarchy. Our ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ rule because they are the wisest and all acknowledge the fact.

* Have you ever been persecuted for their political stance? No

* If so, describe the occurrence and how it affected you? N/A

* Are you a member of any non-religious group, cause, order, or organization? Other than the Wild Hunt? No.

* If so describe it, its goals, and membership. The Wild Hunt seeks to stop as much evil in the world as it can.

* How loyal are you to this group and why? I am totally loyal to the group as I am its heart and soul.

* How did you become a member? I believe I was chosen but the old Master and lured to a place the reins of power could be passed to me.

* If you are a former member, did you leave voluntarily or involuntarily and why?

* Was it under good (amicable) conditions or bad?

* Are you being sought or hunted by the organization?

* If so, by whom and with what intent (to murder you, to force your return through blackmail or coercion, to spy on you and make sure you do not reveal any of the groups secrets)?

* Do you have any unusual habits or dominant personality traits that are evident to others? Other than I tend to take over a situation? No,

* If so, describe them and how you acquired them, as well as when they might be more noticeable and what causes them. I cannot stand inaction. As George Patton said “Lead me, follow me but get out of my ways!”

* How do you react if made fun of for any of these things? Indifference.

* Do you have any unusual or nervous mannerisms, such as when talking, thinking, afraid, under stress, or when embarrassed? When thinking, I will sometimes tap my lip with the back of a finger.

* If so, are there any reasons behind them from your past? None I am aware of.

* Do you have an unusual gait or accent? I have been told I have a slight British accent.

* If so, where did you acquire them? It is the remnants of my Elvish linguistic past.

* Are there any circumstances where they become more (or less) evident? Not unless I make it more pronounced.

* How do you feel and react if made fun of for any of these things? I ignore it.

* What is your favorite color? Still greens

* What place would you most like to visit? Virgin forests

* What annoys you the most? Stupidity

* What (if any) are your favorite forms of art? Elvish jewelry

* What is your most treasured possession? The tiny blue Staff of Ishtar hanging on a mithril chain around my neck.

* What things could you not live without? A challenge in life.

* Do you have a good luck charm? Closest thing to it is the Staff pendent.

* If your life were to end in 24 hours, what 5 things would you do in those remaining hours? Play with my children, eat a good meal, talk with my friends, forgive my enemies and spent the rest of the day in bed with my love.

* Do you have a "Black-and-White" view of reality or can you see shades of grey? Very much grays.

* Do you prefer to tear down or build up? Building up, for if you do nothing but tear down, what is left when you are gone?

* Are you deliberate or spontaneous? Spontaneous

* Do you prefer the town or the country? Country

* If made to decide, would you rather be deaf or blind? Why? Deaf, I can always remember the sounds.

* How do you feel about magic, myth, and the supernatural? It exists, what is to ‘feel’?

* Do you remember your dreams? Yes

* Describe a typical dream you might have. I am searching a huge and complex old house for something.

* Describe your worst nightmares. A looming unknown that cannot be escaped yet has no definition.

Career/Training
===============
* Where and how were you educated? Informal training in Cinnabar but normal schooling once I got to Earth. I graduated from UCLA with a degree in Electrical Engineering then did studies at UCD in Botany, Chemistry, Pharmacology, toxicology and Zoology. Also I have a Masters in Criminology and Ballistics from UCSF and a Masters in Criminal Psychology from UCB. I have also studied music at Julliard. I have trained in Kenjutsu and Kyujutsu with Masters in the past now lost in history.

* Who trained you in your class or job? No one person ‘trained’ me..

* What was your relationship with your teacher(s)/mentor(s)? .

* How did you happen across this teacher or mentor?

* Was your mentor kind, stern, cruel, indifferent?

* Is this person or institution still in existence?

* Were you forced into your profession by parents or peers? No

* Did circumstances dictate your choice of profession? No, unless my father found a genetic trait that precluded becoming a champion.

* Were you a prize student or did you just barely pass? I had to tone it down a bit so as not to outstrip the other members of the classes but still graduated at the tops of all my classes.

* Look at your skills. How did you acquire them (especially the unusual ones)? Many through study, many through practice.

* Have you ever done anything else for a living? I do not ‘superhero’ for a living.

* How do you function in combat (maneuvers, weaknesses)? *smiles* Ask my enemies.

* How would you best be defeated? Use another as hostage; it is your only hope.

* Have you ever received any awards or honors? No

* What have you done that was considered "outstanding" in your occupation by others in your field? If a successful and thriving Agency is an indication, then I am ‘outstanding’ in the field of Private Investigations.

* What are your long-term goals in work? Successfully complete each case.

* Describe any traumatic experiences in your present occupation that has affected you deeply in some way. Many things. A death I could not prevent. A death I almost caused. Deaths I HAVE caused.

* How do your relatives and friends view your present occupation? Total support.

* Is there anything that you don't currently know how to do that you wish you could? The location of Cinnabar.

* Are you envious of others who can do such things in a good-natured way or are you sullen and morose about it? I do not ‘envy’ others their abilities and skills, I admire them.

Lifestyle/Hobbies
=================
* What is your normal daily routine? I don’t have a ‘routine’.

* How do you feel and react when this routine is interrupted for some reason? Doesn’t bother me.

* What are your hobbies when you are not adventuring or training? Music, reading, writing, sex. NOT necessarily in that order.

* What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself? Travel the Road.

* What do you do for relaxation? What things do you do for enjoyment? What interests do you have? Walk in the woods, swim in a mountain lake, and play with the children. I cook for fun, sing and dance for fun, play music for fun. Interests? EVERYTHING!

* How do you normally dress when not in your adventuring gear? Always barefoot, slacks, a comfortable pull over shirt.

* Do you like to dress up or down to relax? More down.

* Do you have a look or style? If so, describe it. Depend of what I am doing. One look is the Dark Archer as Thistle called it. Everything black.

* What do you normally wear in bed at home? Nothing

* What do you normally wear in bed while adventuring? On the Road and under cover, nothing, on the Road and out of doors, normal clothes, sans boots, until Raven gets me out of them.

* Do you wear any identifiable jewelry? The Staff pendent.

* Where do you normally put your weapons, magic items, or other valuables when you are sleeping? In their desolid storage state.

* What morning or evening routines do you normally have? Bathe morning and evening. Shave, if I do at all, mornings. Evenings, read, if not distracted by Raven.

* Do these change when you are adventuring? Depending on the availability of water, the bathing might changes and the shaving stops. The reading is totally replaced by distractions from Raven.

* What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the most enjoyment? Raven

* What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the least enjoyment? If I don’t enjoy a pastime, it isn’t a pastime but work.

* Do you read the newspaper? No

* If so, which sections and how often? Standings, comics.

* Travel: how do you get around locally? In the City and on the job, either the Harley or one of the cars.

* What is your idea of a good evening's entertainment? Raven or music around the campfire.

* Do you get seasick, airsick, motion sick (auto or animal)? No

* Do you like riding animals? Yes.

* Any fears in traveling? No

* What sorts of general belongings or equipment do you take when traveling? Camping type gear.

* What are your hangout places? The Valley

* Do you go to a bar after work? No, generally my bar crawling is done on the job

* Do you play pool? Yes.

* Do you go dancing? Who goes with you? Raven

* What do you read? Scientific textbooks, historical novels, myths and legends, maps, cookbooks, romances, news magazines, science fiction, fantasy, horror, the newspaper, short stories? Everything.

* What music do you like? Classical

* Do you have a favorite artist, band or bard? J.S. Bach

* Will you listen to or sing the same songs over and over, or does it drive you nuts when people do that? No to both.

* How do you exercise? Work out at the gym, walk in the morning, run marathons, play sports, couch potato? Hiking, flying, gym, kata, martial arts

* Where do you live? The Manor of the Wild Hunt

* Do you rent or own? Own

* Apartment, house or castle? Manor house

* How close are the neighbors? Many, many, many miles

* Is it a good neighborhood? Quiet.

* What colour is the house? Natural stone, redwood.

* Which floor are you on? Third

* Do you have a lawn? Yes

* What about a flower garden? Yes

* Does your house have an attic or basement? Yes

* What does your furniture look like? Varies

* Do you buy antiques? Yes

* What are your walls covered with? Wallpaper, art, photos? Wainscoting in most cases, a great deal of art.

* What sorts of curtains do you have? Frilly lacy ones, Venetian blinds, pull-down shades? Shears in most cases

* Do you keep your house clean? Yes

* Is it dusty? No

* Is the bathtub moldy or coated in rust? No

* Do you clean it yourself? No

* What do your desk or workspace look like? Small and cramped, huge and expansive, covered in drifts of books and papers?, neatly ordered and clean? Neat, orderly, clean

* Can you find what you're looking for when you need it? Yes

* What color are your sheets? Burgundy

* Satin or cotton? Cotton

* Patterned with flowers, or covered with pictures of toy robots? No

* What sorts of food do you eat? All sorts

* Do you cook your own dinners? Sometimes

* Are you a good cook, a gourmet, or a terrible cook? Gourmet

* Do you eat out? Sometimes

* Are you on a diet? No

* Where do you vacation, and how often? Wherever the Road leads.

* Do you have any pets? Horses aren’t pets.

* Do you keep a calendar or address book? No

* Where do you keep it? N/A

* Do you have a Will? Yes.

* What does it say? It leaves my agency to Sue. The Valley will be my families.

Miscellaneous
=============
* What would you like to be remembered for after your death? I made a difference.

* What kind of threat do you present to the public? None.

* If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body? Tattoo on hand

* How much is a pint of mead? 3 copper.

* Thank you, Ghost Archer.

[Samuraiko]

Ahhh... sure!

Maureen Cranston D'Arcy (aka Midnight) has crimefighting in her blood... and darkness to match. After all, her great-grandfather was none other than Lamont Cranston, the original "Shadow." And great-grandmother Margo Lane Cranston had her own psychic gifts that she passed on, in some degree or another, to their children.

Maureen and her twin sister Leila were precocious children, and frighteningly adept at using the talents that the family shared. They could always convince their governesses of the most outrageous excuses, could disappear with just a thought, and would often roam from room to room of the family mansion without ever walking through a single door.

The twins were raised with the best education and groomed to take over their parents' positions as high society members, but behind all the smiles and social glitter, their dark talents developed... until one day they went horribly wrong.

Just before their sixteenth birthday, the two girls vanished into the shadows for another game of hide-and-seek. But only Maureen came back out.

Her parents, John and Elizabeth D'Arcy, were sitting in the library when out of a shadow on the wall stumbled Maureen, her eyes wide with fright, screaming that Leila was missing. Before her parents could stop her, she turned and leapt at the wall again, disappearing into the shadow still calling Leila's name. She roamed the darkness that she and Leila had become so familiar with, but no trace of her sister existed. John and Elizabeth used their own talents to try and locate their missing daughter to no avail.

Maureen spent so much time in the shadows that eventually her vision suffered, rendering her nearly blind in bright light. Terrified that something in the darkness had stolen her sister away, she never went into the shadows again.

Maureen went on to college at sixteen, obtaining her Bachelors in Mathematics from Columbia at nineteen, and her Masters in Mathematics and Statistics from NYU at twenty-two. Her phenomenal intelligence, plus her gift at numbers, would have made her an ideal businesswoman or scientist. But the fun-loving Maureen turned her talents elsewhere, and toward a far more lucrative career... high-stakes gambling.

Now Maureen has developed quite the reputation as the classy devil-may-care gambler who haunts the glittering casinos and yacht clubs of the world, smiling and charming with great flair. Her psychic talents, her perfect memory, and her ability to instant calculate the odds makes her a phenomenal card player, although she enjoys quoting the odds at craps while beating them into the ground.

Then tragedy struck the young woman again - two years ago, when she came home from a charity ball, she found John and Elizabeth D'Arcy murdered togehter in the family library. Standing aghast in shock and horror, only one thought penetrated the fog she stood in.

The lit fireplace was on her right. But a shadow fell on the wall directly in front of her... and then faded away to nothing.

Maureen was initially placed under suspicion, as she was now the sole heiress to a multimillion dollar fortune. Fortunately for her, her grandfather, a well-respected New York lawyer (and one of her great-grandfather's operatives) was able to clear Maureen of all charges and obtain a public apology from the NYPD. Maureen, however, was not satisfied with the results of the ensuing investigation, and set out to learn the truth on her own.

Taking inspiration from her famous relative's exploits, she donned a black bodysuit, black trenchcoat, black hat, and a mask. But while she toyed with the idea of taking his name as well, she felt that "Shadow" was not quite enough. She wanted them to know the fear of true darkness, that hour when things felt most tenuous and out-of-control.

She became Midnight.

Now New York's underworld buzzes with talk of a superhero who, while willing to hunt down criminals and lowlifes, is seeking only one person. A criminal who is wanted for gruesome and violent murders, who is wreaking havoc and is beyond the capacity for even most well known superheroes to control.

A woman who by all accounts died ten years ago. Or did she?

Now Maureen has come to Millennium City, following the trail. She has instantly made a name for herself with the society bigwigs (not to mention that the dealers at all three casinos know her as a wonderful tipper), but the darker side of the city just got a little darker.

Midnight has come to Millennium City.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko

[Cancer]

Mr. Terrific is a medium-powered superhero, part of a fairly new team based in Seattle which is still trying to establish a coherent identity.

His main occupation is a biochemist, where his unauthorized experiments with human subjects (himself) has earned him more or less continual surveillance by various federal agencies. He is highly skilled and quite intelligent in normal form. He's been able to do some useful analytical work while in base form, but this being a superhero campaign there is a heavy emphasis on superheroic combat. He has contributed some stuff in this way, but it's early in the story arc and those haven't paid off yet.

He is only super for a maximum of 8 minutes a day. His super forms are based on "power pills" of his own invention. Each of these pills is good for a maximum of two minutes each. (He can switch from one super form to another by taking another pill; to return to base form he has to wait for the timer to run out.) He can use each pill a maximum of once a day. He has four different pills. Each form is build on an initial allotment of 350 points; some experience has been applied to all the forms so they're "bigger" than that now. In general, he suffers lowered INT (still higher than normal, but nowhere near his "base form" level) and rather reduced skills when in his super forms.

Form 1 is his "invulnerable" form. He's got Armor, Damage Reductions, Mental Defenses, Power Defense, Life Supports up the ying-yang, Flash Defense, and a CON boost limited to boost his Stun threshold. It is this form that he uses when doing one of his part-time jobs, which is test pilot for high-performance aircraft that aren't man-rated yet. He is designed to be able to pilot a supersonic aircraft into full-speed controlled flight into ground and walk away from the impact.

Form 2 is his "mental" form. This form is a fairly standard package of mental powers, most of them in a Multipower.

Form 3 is his "speed" form. This form has SPD 10 and boosted Running, and a couple of martial arts moves (in particular, a throw) that should come in handy.

Forms 1 through 3 all have use of two conventional weapons: a grenade launcher (with loads for stun grenades, smoke, tear gas, and an anti-tank round), and a dart gun, with a variety of Drain loads as well as an Uncontrolled Images (hallucinogen) round. Form 4 cannot use either of the guns.

Form 4 is his "electric" form. This is an electric-based energy blaster, with a collection of electric sfx blasts in a Multipower. These range from a conventional EB to an AP HKA useable only on inanimate targets(for cutting through walls, cuffs, doors, etc.). He can "recharge" an END reserve from house current in this form. The sfx of his electricity prevents the two guns from working while he's in electric form.

So far in combat almost all his time has been spent in Invulnerable form. The Mental form has made two appearances. Neither the Speed or Electric forms have been tested in combat yet. The group has only one brick and a superabundance of "back line" people who aren't good at taking HTH damage, so the team's practical problem is establishing a safe pocket from which the back-line folks can work. (We have one person who's used her BOECV Entangle in combat *once*, and ever since then the villains have attacked her first, every time.) He can take a lot of punishment, but he doesn't dish out much, and his SPD is too low form him to be effective as a front-line pseudo-brick; he can defeat a semi-infinite number of mooks (well, as many as come in range in two minutes), but supers are unimpressed and go around him.

His best on-camera moment to date was when the group was captured (!). The villain exposed a pair of high-yield bombs (actually, only one; the other was an illusion) in the ship which had been serving as his underlings' base. As everyone else runs for cover, Mr. Terrific walks up to the bombs and tries to dismantle them, removing the green wire on each of them. He sets to work on the black wire ... and in a glorious cliff-hanger to end the session, the panel goes white. (GM Fiat was invoked to make that happen, BTW.) He survived ... in fact, took no BODY damage, just way negative on STUN, but was in base form when he came back to conciousness with the rest of the team in the bad guys' pokey.

[Ghost Archer]

After Archer spoke to the reporter, Icehawk decided it might be fun to get on the act. Here's his interview.

Introduction Questions
======================

Q: Give a two or three word description of yourself.
A: *grins* Cool!

Q: Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, nom de plume?
A: Icehawk, of course.

Q: What is your full birth name?
A: James Hawkins

Q: Where do you live?
A: I have a house on the Olympic Peninsula, a cabin in the mountains of Colorado, a villa in the south of France, a condo in San Francisco, a château in the Swiss Alps, a island in the South Pacific, a ranch in South Africa, a house in New Zealand, a yacht in Boston, a yacht in Key West, a yacht in San Diego, and a 200 foot schooner at the island in the South Pacific.
Q: Why do you live there?
A: *laughs* How could I possibly live in all those places? My current residence in the house on the Olympic Peninsula and I live there to be close to Seattle and my mission as the coolest member of the Seattle Hunt.

Q: What is your citizenship status?
A: Natural born American.

Q: What is your most obvious blessing or strength?
A: Sense of humor? *grins* Okay, most people say the money, but I don’t know.

Q: What do you perceive as your greatest strength?
A: I think my greatest strength is Pam, without her, I’d be just a rich bum.

Q: What is your most obvious flaw or weakness?
A: Sometimes I . . . destroy things in a pique.

Q: What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?
A: Fear of loosing Pam.

Q: Was there any event or cause of these weaknesses?
A: *frowns* I did lose her once and it cost us very dearly.


Physical Traits
===============
Q: How old are you?
A: *brightens* Oh, 22.

Q: What is your gender?
A: You’re kidding, right? Ask Pam!

Q: What is your species/race?
A: I guess we are ‘homo superious’ but I just think we are all human.

Q: How tall are you?
A: Six feet nothing.

Q: How much do you weigh?
A: Getting personal? 185 pounds.

Q: What is your general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise?
A: Hmmm . . . Pam says ‘dead sexy’ but I think I am about normal for a superhero.

Q: What is your skin color?
A: Okay, I could use a little more color but cripes I am always a little blue from the cold.

Q: What is your hair color?
A: Ice crystal white.
Q: What is your hair style?
A: Stylishly neat until the frost gets to it, then a little wild.

Q: Do you have any facial hair?
A: Nah, Pam likes the baby bottom smooth look. *grins*

Q: What is your eye color?
A: Ice blue
Q: Does it change?
A: It’ll darken a bit when I get mad, to a more . . . sea blue.

Q: How attractive are you?
A: I’ve always thought of myself as Joe Normal but the ladies seem to think I’m okay.

Q: What is your most distinguishing feature?
A: That aura of ‘cool’ *grins*

Q: Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?
A: Nope.

Q: If so, how did you acquire them?
A: *stares blankly*

Q: What do these distinguishing marks look like?
A: *stares blankly*

Q: Do they have any special significance?
A: *stares blankly*

Q: Where are they located?
A: *stares blankly*

Q: What is your handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)?
A: Right handed

Q: What is your hand size/description?
A: Nimble and cold. *laughs*

Q: Do you resemble some currently known/famous person?
A: Nope!

Q: Do you wear a uniform?
A: God, how boring! *grins* Sorta, the blue body suit thing, ya know.

Q: What kind of clothing do you wear?
A: Pam says I wear clothes expensive enough to clothe and house a normal family for a year so I guess, expensive.

Q: What is your clothing's style or level of sophistication?
A: Savel Row, Armante. I have a lot of stuff tailor made.

Q: What size are you for various pieces of clothing?
A: *raises an eyebrow* I have no idea, that’s what tailors are for.

Q: Do you wear makeup?
A: Good God, I didn’t spend THAT much time in the City!

Q: Do you wear glasses/contacts?
A: Nope

Q: What sort of vocal tone do you have?
A: A nice tenor

Q: Do you get sick?
A: Very rarely.

Q: Maybe you catch the flu twice a year and that's it?
A: Nah, maybe once every couple years. My body temp and germs don’t get along all that well.

Q: Or maybe you have a weak immune system and catch anything that goes around?
A: Nope.

History
=======
Q: Where is your homeland?
A: US of A

Q: What are its people like?
A: All kinds.

Q: Are you aware of its history?
A: Yup

Q: Are you patriotic or a social outcast?
A: Neither, I am a Republican
Q: What is your opinion of home?
A: Best place on the planet.

Q: Where is your home town?
A: California

Q: What is your home town's name?
A: Beverly Hills.

Q: What was the area like and how did it affect you?
A: Rich, Rich, Rich and I guess I’m a rich brat because of it.

Q: Did you witness any historical events?
A: Been in a few historical battles, that count?

Q: If so, how did that event impact you?
A: Usually against a wall *grins*

Q: Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer different from what you tell others?
A: I was drafted, I tell you! Actually, that is true but I’ve gotten to enjoy what I do.

Q: If so, how might such secrets are revealed?
A: *grins* That I enjoy my work? Come on, I think it’s pretty easy to figure out.

Q: How far would you go to keep such secrets from being revealed?
A: If I give you enough money, will YOU keep my secret? *grins*

Q: What would you do if the truth became known?
A: *laughs*

Q: What do you fear would occur if the truth became known?
A: Somebody might try to get me to indorse something.

Q: Do you have any particularly high or low ability scores?
A: I’m fast, baby, quick reflexes.

Q: If so, were these scores a result of your past?
A: Nah, born with ‘em
Q: How have these scores affected your life so far?
A: Got me into a little trouble because I thought I was better then everyone.
Q: Did they affect you in your chosen profession?
A: *grins* Made me the thief I was and the hero I am.

Q: What about your race, growing up were you in the majority or a minority?
A: Didn’t know I was a minority until my powers popped on.

Q: How were you treated by other nearby races?
A: *shakes his head sadly* People make too much of what other people have. Having money doesn’t help, just gives ‘em more to hate me for.

Q: Were you persecuted for your race?
A: Yes, but not so much as I might be without the money. It gives me a level of protection other mutants don’t have. I admire Archer for taking in mutants, trying to help them, that’s why I fund him.

Q: Did this impact your outlook in any way?
A: Who wouldn’t be affected? Okay, maybe Archer, he’s pretty laid back, but yeah, it affected me. It gave me a since of power over others, you know, having ice at my finger tips and all. I guess it made me more rebellious than I might have been if it was just about money.

Q: Did it affect your personality?
A: Nah, just makes the practical jokes more fun.

Q: How do you feel about other races?
A: You mean normal humans? You can’t hate a race, no matter what the KKK and Hitler said. Non-mutants are just like mutants, but more fragile.
Q: Do you have any justification from your past experience for holding such views?
A: *shrugs*

Q: Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?
A: Nah, nothing like that.

Q: Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.
A: I guess it was when I was about 6 or 7 and I figured out my parents didn’t have time for me. Made me resent them and take it out on the nannies.

Q: What was childhood like for you?
A: Lonely and privileged.

Q: Was it calm and peaceful or turbulent and traumatic?
A: Calm and turbulent. I provided the turbulence.

Q: Did you have any childhood friends?
A: Nope, just ‘acquaintances’.

Q: If so, who and where are they now?
A: My best friend in the whole world is home right now with our daughter, Becky.

Q: Are you still close to them or have you grown apart?
A: If we every grow apart, my life will be over.

Q: What stupid things did you do when you were younger?
A: Burglary, lots of it.

Q: Which toys from your childhood have you kept?
A: Comic books

Q: Why? What do they mean to you?
A: My dad got them for me as an ‘investment’, I have never read them because he said if I opened them the value would got down.
Q: If you didn't keep any, why not?

Q: What did you do to them all?
A: They are in a vault in . . . San Diego, I think.

Q: Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?
A: I hope not! I think the court pretty much washed all my dirty laundry out in public.

Q: What conflicts might arise from your past?
A: My past? Always something comes up in business, so I suppose it’ll come from that direction.

Q: Are you who you claim to be?
A: Kinda hard not to be.

Q: Do you have any sort of criminal record?
A: Yup, one conviction, served public service for four years with Storm Watch.

Q: How do you view the heroes/legends of your country?
A: Guys like Washington and Jefferson are the heroes of this country, not me and Archer. We just do this because we want to help make a few lives better. Washington and Jefferson had vision; they built a nation, not just save a few lives.

Family
======
Q: Who were your parents?
A: Were? Gee, hope mother and father don’t see that. My dad’s Roger Hawkins, President and CEO of Hawkins International. My mother is Jennifer King Hawkins, former super model.

Q: Were you raised by them?
A: Sorta, through nannies.

Q: If not, then why didn't they and who did raise you?
A: They had active ‘social’ lives and didn’t have time for a child. So I would go through a couple of nannies a year.

Q: What is your father's full name?
A: Roger Hawkins

Q: What is your mother's full name?
A: Jennifer King Hawkins

Q: What is your mother's maiden name?
A: King

Q: What did your parents and/or foster parents do for a living?
A: Father runs Hawkins International, mother fights for ‘causes’.

Q: What was their standing in the community?
A: Social elite.

Q: Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?
A: Moved with the seasons.

Q: How did you get along with their parents?
A: Not all that well.

Q: How would your parents describe you? Answer this in the voice of your mother, then in your father's.
A: Nah, I’m not trying that one.

Q: Do you have any siblings?
A: Nope

Q: If so how many and what were their names?
A: *raises one eyebrow*

Q: What was your birth position in the family?
A: Um . . . first?

Q: How did you get along with each of your siblings?

Q: What was your family life like?
A: Distant.

Q: List all current knowledge of family locations, spouses, children, birth dates, schooling and any important incidents that only you and they might remember.

Q: Are any or all of your family still alive?
A: All of it as of three hours ago.

Q: If so, where are they now?
A: I think they are in France.

Q: Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?
A: A little of both but getting better, since Pam is blackmailing them.

Q: Draw out your family tree, including living and dead relatives.
A: Later.

Q: Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?
A: Nah, the usual family ties.

Q: Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?
A: It’s not like my father is Lionel Luthor or anything.

Q: Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)?
A: I turned black for a while but I got whiter.

Q: If so, who are they and how did they "gain" the position?
A: Let’s see, robbing your parents’ friend estates might do it.
Q: If this person is not you, then how do you feel about them?
A: I like me fine.

Q: Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? Notorious? Like scandalous?
A: That would be Aunt Ronnie . . . she’s such a . . . free spirit.
Q: If so, what did this person do to become famous or infamous?
A: Sleep with half of Hollywood?
Q: What do people assume about you once your ancestry is revealed?
A: That I am a spoiled brat and take they can con me out of a few million.

Q: Do you try to live up to the reputation of your ancestor, try to live it down, or ignore it?
A: I tried but once I saw Pam, no more bed hopping for me.

Q: Have you begun your own family?
A: Yup

Q: If not, do you ever want to have a family of your own someday?

Q: If so, with who or what type of person?

Q: What type of person would be your ideal mate?
A: PAM!!

Q: What would you be willing to do to protect such a person?
A: Kill, die, steal, pillage, plunder, burn, anything.

Q: Is there anything you wouldn't do to protect such a person and if so what?
A: Not a thing I can think of.

Q: Would anything change your mind on this issue and if so, what?
A: Pam would have to cheat on me, I think.


Relationships
=============
Q: Do you have any close friends?
A: Yes

Q: If so, who and what are they like?
A: Pam and she’s a goddess on Earth.

Q: What is the history of their relationship(s) with you?
A: Well, I bought her, for a month with an option for another month. She gave me the money back and married me. She sold herself VERY cheap.

Q: Do you currently have a best friend whom you would protect with your reputation or your life?
A: Yup

Q: If so, who are they and what caused you to feel so close to them?
A: Pam.

Q: What would have to happen for you to end this relationship?
A: Pam would have to dump me or cheat on me. It would probably kill me.

Q: Do you have any bitter enemies?
A: Not any more. *grins*

Q: If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with you?
A: Bobby was a total *******, a rapist and killer. He kidnapped Pam, raped her and killed our child, nearly killing her in the process.

Q: Have you defeated them before?
A: Yeah, I ‘defeated’ him but somebody else made sure he stayed ‘defeated’.

Q: How might these enemies seek to discomfit you in the future?
A: Not unless he comes back as a ghost.

Q: What valuable or important contacts do you have?
A: Ghost Archer

Q: How did you come to know them?
A: He busted me for burglary.

Q: Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to?
A: Pam, her family, the Seattle Hunt, Archer, the Wild Hunt and Storm Watch.

Q: List any past serious relationships that you have had, and give a brief overview of the relationship(s).
A: Never had a ‘serious’ relationship, until Pam.

Q: How do you think others generally perceive you?
A: Flippant rich kid.

Q: If someone crossed your path, what would you do?
A: Try not to kill them but I have been known to let my temper get away from me.

Q: Who is your most trusted ally?
A: Archer

Q: Who do you trust, in general?
A: Pam and Archer

Q: Who do you despise and why?
A: I despise Genocide because they hate for reasons of jealousy and nothing else.

Q: Name seven things you hate in others.
A: Dishonesty, deceit, officiousness, pomposity, braggadocio, cruelty and the inability to except something freely given.

Q: Is your image consistent?
A: Yes, I am just me.

Q: Do different people see you in similar ways?
A: I hope so but I think most people think I am up to something because of my money. They can’t accept the fact that I don’t want something from them.

Q: Do you deliberately present yourself differently in different situations, and how?
A: Nope.

Q: What would you die for?
A: Pam and Becky

Q: Who would you go to extremes for?
A: Pam and Becky

Q: Who do you turn to when you're in trouble?
A: Archer

Q: What is the worst thing someone has done to you?
A: Kidnap Pam and kill our baby.

Q: What is your general reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex who lets you know they are available?
A: Before Pam, I would have jumped at the chance, now it kinda makes me uncomfortable. I mean, I have a rep as a playboy but I am now so dedicated to Pam that it amazes me other women can’t see it emblazoned on my forehead “TAKEN”.

Q: How do you get along with others in the same field and/or work environment?
A: Before or after I freeze them to the chair?

Q: How can you be blackmailed, beaten, and tricked (by PCs or NPCs)?
A: Nope

Q: Have you lost any loves?
A: Pam but only for a few days and it wasn’t her choice.

Q: How did you handle the situation (short & long term)?
A: PANIC! FEAR! TERROR! I didn’t handle it very well at all.

Q: Who would miss you should you go missing?
A: Pam, Becky and Archer.

Q: Who might protect you?
A: Archer and the rest of Hunt

Q: Who might be convinced to sell you out?
A: A few people that work for me, but only if my offer wasn’t high enough.

Q: How close are you to your friends?
A: Very.

Q: What do they know about you?
A: They are still learning. I hope they know that I am NOT the spoiled rich dilettante I appear to be.

Q: What do they not know about you?
A: I think just how serious I really am.

Q: What do you know and not know about them?
A: I know a lot about Archer but Pam’s still a mystery to me in many ways.

Q: Do you live with anyone (housemates, roommates, relatives, friends, near-strangers, family friend, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover)?
A: Yes, Pam, Becky and a huge part of the Portis family.

Q: Are you a member of any special interest groups?
A: Well . . . yes. The Snowflake Foundation, the Igloo Society, Winter Renovation and a couple of environmental groups.

Q: What is your level of involvement?
A: For the first three, founder and sponsor.

Q: What is your current status with local law-enforcement?
A: I am a U.S. Marshal

Q: Do you have a record of cooperation or non-cooperation with authorities?
A: Mostly cooperation.

Q: Do you have a file with local, national or international law enforcement?
A: Yes.


Personality/Beliefs
===================
Q: Do you, or did you, have any role models?
A: Archer

Q: Do you have any heroes or idols, either contemporary or from legend?
A: Archer

Q: If so, have you ever met them?
A: Yes

Q: Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols?
A: Not yet.

Q: If so, why and what were the circumstances?

Q: When did you decide to become an adventurer?
A: The courts did, but then I learned I loved it.

Q: Why have you chosen to risk your life as a career?
A: Excitement.

Q: What do you expect to get out of being an adventurer (satisfaction, glory, money, redemption, etc.)?
A: Nothing, really but I DID get Pam out of the deal so I figure I am about ten thousand years in debt to the job.

Q: What, if anything, would make you stop adventuring (death of a loved one, marriage, mutilation, money, position, old age, etc.)?
A: If Pam asked me to,

Q: Do you have any dreams or ambitions?
A: I never dreamed of a life like the one I have and my ambitions are to make my wife and family as happy as possible.

Q: If not, why?

Q: How does adventuring fit into this dream, or does it at all?
A: Adventuring keeps me active.

Q: What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?
A: Get my new family settled and secure.

Q: What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?
A: Retire from the business and travel with Pam and the kids.

Q: If these goals seem at odds with each other, or with your dreams, how do you reconcile the differences?

Q: How do you seek to fulfill these dreams, goals, & ambitions?
A: By working at it everyday.

Q: Do you have any great rational or irrational fears or phobias?
A: Just one, losing Pam.

Q: If so, what are the origins of, or reasons behind them?
A: Bobby and any other maniac that see my Pam and lusts after her.

Q: What, if anything, would it take for you to be able to overcome this?
A: Never happen.

Q: How do you react when this fear manifests itself?
A: Violently.

Q: Are you willing to discuss, or even admit to, the situation?
A: Yes

Q: What are your attitudes regarding material wealth?
A: *laughs* It’s fun to have.

Q: Are you miserly with your share of the wealth, or do you spend it freely?
A: I give away millions every year and I only do it to help someone or make their life easier.

Q: Are you greedy or generous?
A: Generous

Q: Do you see wealth as a mark of success, or just as a means to an end?
A: Neither, it just is.

Q: How do you generally treat others?
A: Before or after I freeze them butts to a chair?

Q: Do you trust easily (perhaps too easily) or not?
A: I trust two people, Pam and Archer, period.

Q: Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)?
A: Extroverted

Q: Are you a humble soul or blusteringly proud?
A: I think I am more . . . insensitive about my wealth and tend to throw it around without thought so many see me as ‘blusteringly proud’.

Q: Do you act differently than you feel (concealing your true thoughts)?
A: Nah, pretty much heart on the sleeve type.

Q: What habits would you find most annoying in friends?
A: Not excepting that I like to give things.

Q: Is there any race, creed, alignment, religion, class, profession, political viewpoint, or the like against which you are strongly prejudiced, and why?
A: Other than Genocide . . . ?

Q: How do others typically react to you?
A: Before or after I freeze their butts to a chair?

Q: Why, in your opinion, do they act that way?
A: Some are standoffish because of the money, some are hostile, most are jealous.

Q: What are your most annoying habits?
A: The practical jokes, but I am getting better! I DID marry into the wrong family to cure myself of that habit. Everyone in Pam’s family seems to think I am a great new target for jokes. Freezing one brother in law and his wife to the bed and setting off the fire alarm didn’t seem to faze them.

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: *grins* Hot fudge brownies ala Pam

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Hmm . . . a good Bollinger

Q: What is your favorite treat (desert)?
A: *grins* Hot fudge brownies ala Pam, with vanilla ice cream. *grins* Of course it makes HER squeal.

Q: Do you favor a particular cuisine?
A: I like French food.

Q: Do you savor the tastes when eating or "wolf down" your food?
A: Savor

Q: Do you like food mild or heavily spiced?
A: Somewhere in the middle.

Q: Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?
A: SNAILS!

Q: Are you allergic to any food?
A: Snails?

Q: What are your favorite color(s)?
A: *stares off into the distance* There is a certain combination of orange, white and black . . .

Q: Is there any color that you dislike?
A: Plain black is soooo . . . boring.

Q: Do you have a favorite (or hated) song, type of music, or instrument?
A: Nope

Q: What is your favorite bard song?
A: What’s a bard song? You mean like ballad?

Q: If you have a favorite scent, what is it?
A: Hmm . . . I love the smell of coconut oil on Pam as she lies in the sun. I love the smell of Baby Shampoo on Becky’s hair after her bath. I love the smell of coffee on a cold mountain morning. I love the smell of a barbeque on a hot summer day. I love the smell of the wild flowers in the spring...

Q: What is your favorite type of animal?
A: Cats

Q: Do you have an animal totem or affinity, and if so for what?
A: Me and penguins get along really good!

Q: Is there a certain type of animal that you hate or fear?
A: Sharks scare the crap out of me.

Q: Are you allergic to any kinds of animals?
A: Nope

Q: Do you have any allergies?
A: Nope

Q: Is there anything that enrages you?
A: Touching my wife or daughter.

Q: Is there anything which embarrasses you?
A: Sometimes how much money I have.

Q: How do you react to being teased about it?
A: Not to well, I am afraid.

Q: Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?
A: Roughing it to me is the house I live in now *grins*

Q: Do you believe in the gods?
A: Gods? There is only one.

Q: Do you have a patron deity?
A: I don’t think God is a ‘patron deity’.

Q: Are you devout or impious?
A: Neither really.

Q: Do you actively worship and proselytize or do you simply pay lip service?
A: Neither

Q: What lengths would you go to defend your faith?
A: Hey, too many wars have been fought for religion.
Q: Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?
A: Nope

Q: Do you belong to the Orthodox Church or a fringe element thereof (and is the group accepted, frowned upon, or considered heretics)?
A: Neither

Q: How has this impacted your faith and life?
A: Hasn’t

Q: Is your church an accepted religion where you grew up or did it have to conduct its services in secret?
A: Accepted.

Q: How did this affect your faith and life?
A: Hasn’t

Q: Have you ever been persecuted for your faith?
A: No

Q: If so, when and how did you handle it?

Q: Can you kill?
A: I haven’t, but you touch Pam or Becky and you’ll find out just how painful death can be.

Q: When did you decide (or learn) that you could?
A: When Pam was taken from me.

Q: What happened and how did you handle it?
A: She was taken and I didn’t handle it well.

Q: When do you consider it okay to kill (under what circumstances)?
A: Defense of your loved ones.

Q: When do you consider it wrong to kill (under what circumstances)?
A: Just about any other time.

Q: What would you do if someone else attempted to (or successfully did) kill under your "wrong" circumstances, what would be your reaction?
A: I’d have to take them in.

Q: What if it were your enemy?
A: Same.

Q: What if it were your friend?
A: If it wasn’t Pam, take ‘em in. It is was Pam that was killed, I would kill in return.

Q: What if it were an innocent?
A: Take ‘em in.

Q: What if the opponent were not in control of their own actions (under duress, charmed, dominated, possessed)?
A: I can freeze anything.

Q: What would you do if someone shot at (attacked) you?
A: Duck?

Q: What would you do if something were stolen from you?
A: Depends on what it is. Pam’s snowflake was stolen and I just about destroyed the lives of dozens of people until I got it back, then I put the thieves to work for me.

Q: What would you do if you were badly insulted publicly?
A: Retaliate with a joke.

Q: What would you do if a good friend or relative were killed by means other than natural death?
A: Find out what happened.

Q: What is the one task you would absolutely refuse to do?
A: Anything to hurt Pam or Becky

Q: What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?
A: Bobby pretty much did it all.

Q: How do you feel about government (rulers) in general?
A: They need to lower capital gains taxes *grins*

Q: Why do you feel that way?
A: I am rich so I am supposed to say that.

Q: Do you support the current government of your homeland?
A: Yup

Q: If so, how far are you willing to go to defend the government?
A: If not, do you actively oppose it? Oh, I’d fight for it.

Q: Do you belong to an anti-government organization?
A: Nope

Q: If so, describe the group and its aims.

Q: What form of government do you believe is the best (democracy, monarchy, anarchy, aristocratic rule, oligarchy, matriarchy) and why?
A: Just what we have right now.

Q: Have you ever been persecuted for their political stance?
A: Nope

Q: If so, describe the occurrence and how it affected you?

Q: Are you a member of any non-religious group, cause, order, or organization?
A: Nope

Q: If so describe it, its goals, and membership.

Q: How loyal are you to this group and why?

Q: How did you become a member?

Q: If you are a former member, did you leave voluntarily or involuntarily and why?

Q: Was it under good (amicable) conditions or bad?

Q: Are you being sought or hunted by the organization?

Q: If so, by whom and with what intent (to murder you, to force your return through blackmail or coercion, to spy on you and make sure you do not reveal any of the groups secrets)?

Q: Do you have any unusual habits or dominant personality traits that are evident to others?
A: I never walk when I can slide.

Q: If so, describe them and how you acquired them, as well as when they might be more noticeable and what causes them.

Q: How do you react if made fun of for any of these things?
A: In stride *grins*

Q: Do you have any unusual or nervous mannerisms, such as when talking, thinking, afraid, under stress, or when embarrassed?
A: I break things, like limos.

Q: If so, are there any reasons behind them from your past?
A: Frustration, I guess.

Q: Do you have an unusual gait or accent?
A: Does sliding count?

Q: If so, where did you acquire them?
A: My powers manifested?

Q: Are there any circumstances where they become more (or less) evident?

Q: How do you feel and react if made fun of for any of these things?

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Blues

Q: What place would you most like to visit?
A: I think my island, with just Pam and Becky there.

Q: What annoys you the most?
A: Self-centered people

Q: What (if any) are your favorite forms of art?
A: Painting

Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: Beyond Pam? Nothing.

Q: What things could he/ she not live without?
A: Pam

Q: Do you have a good luck charm?
A: No

Q: If your life were to end in 24 hours, what 5 things would you do in those remaining hours?
A: Play with my daughter and be with Pam, nothing else would matter.

Q: Do you have a "Black-and-White" view of reality or can you see shades of grey?
A: More black and white.

Q: Do you prefer to tear down or build up?
A: Build

Q: Are you deliberate or spontaneous?
A: Spontaneous

Q: Do you prefer the town or the country?
A: Now, the country

Q: If made to decide, would you rather be deaf or blind? Why?
A: Deafness, because I will never get tired of looking at Pam and Becky.

Q: How do you feel about magic, myth, and the supernatural?
A: I have seen some of it, so its real.

Q: Do you remember your dreams?
A: Not usually.

Q: Describe a typical dream you might have.
A: It usually involves Pam.

Q: Describe your worst nightmares.
A: Losing Pam.


Career/Training
===============
Q: Where and how were you educated?
A: Are you kidding, I’ve been to Stanford but never got around to graduating, seems my propensity for theft got in the way. Maybe I should take some classes at U of Dub and finish what I started.

Q: Who trained you in your class or job?
A: I guess it was a combination of Archer and the Storm Watch. That Danger Room of Archer’s can teach a painful lesson and real life action is worse.

Q: What was your relationship with your teacher(s)/mentor(s)?
A: I get along great with Archer, but I am beginning to wonder why Pam isn’t warming to him. I kinda think of him as the big brother I never had. Hell, he was my best man.

Q: How did you happen across this teacher or mentor?
A: I’d gone into this mansion, an old Victorian in the Nob Hill district and Archer was waiting for me as I came out with my loot.

Q: Was your mentor kind, stern, cruel, indifferent?
A: Tough, hard, and dedicated to making me a better hero.

Q: Is this person or institution still in existence?
A: Ask tonight’s residents of San Francisco’s jails if Archer’s still in existence.

Q: Were you forced into your profession by parents or peers?
A: A jury of my ‘peers’.

Q: Did circumstances dictate your choice of profession?
A: Hell yah, it WAS a court order! *grins*

Q: Were you a prize student or did you just barely pass?
A: I don’t know if any of my instructors would even call me a ‘prize’ but I hope I have lived up to most expectations.

Q: Look at your skills. How did you acquire them (especially the unusual ones)?
A: Would you believe I hired a thief to teach me my burglary skills? Oh, I guess you would. *grins*

Q: Have you ever done anything else for a living?
A: Okay, get this straight, I have NEVER done ANYTHING for a living.

Q: How do you function in combat (maneuvers, weaknesses)?
A: Well, I found out Mental powers pretty make me a mindless idiot.

Q: How would you best be defeated?
A: Mind control or fire powers.

Q: Have you ever received any awards or honors?
A: *looks serious* I don’t hunt awards or honors. In fact I’d rather my philanthropy go unnoticed.

Q: What have you done that was considered "outstanding" in your occupation by others in your field?
A: *shrugs* Never asked anyone if I was doing good. Archer’ll say something once in a while and that’s all I need.

Q: What are your long-term goals in work?
A: Rid the world of crime and violence? Pretty lofty and unattainable goal, huh? But what else would you expect?

Q: Describe any traumatic experiences in your present occupation that has affected you deeply in some way.
A: Please, we’ve already gone over what happened to Pam enough, it’s starting to get painful again.

Q: How do your relatives and friends view your present occupation?
A: I don’t really know what my parents think. I suppose my father thinks it a waste of time that could be used making more money. My mother probably uses my work as proof she’s doing ‘good work’ even if it’s through me. My friends are all in the same line of work, so I guess they approve of my work, until I freeze their butt to a chair.

Q: Is there anything that you don't currently know how to do that you wish you could?
A: You mean at home or in the job? At home I wish I knew how to give Pam her dancing back, but without the clothes removal stage. At Hunt? I wish I knew where to find Genocide.

Q: Are you envious of others who can do such things in a good-natured way or are you sullen and morose about it?
A: Such what things? Find Genocide? Or give Pam her dancing back? I don’t envy other people their abilities; it’s not worth the effort.


Lifestyle/Hobbies
=================
Q: What is your normal daily routine?
A: *grins* Routine? Moi? About the only ‘routine’ I have is Pam. *grins* And she NEVER gets ‘routine’!

Q: How do you feel and react when this routine is interrupted for some reason?
A: *laughs* I must admit, I can get crabby if I don’t get my morning dose of Pam.

Q: What are your hobbies when you are not adventuring or training?
A: Is giving away money a hobby?

Q: What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?
A: *leers* Pam.

Q: What do you do for relaxation?
A: Play with Becky.

Q: What things do you do for enjoyment?
A: Play with Pam. *grins*

Q: What interests do you have?
A: Pam, Becky, that’s about it.

Q: How do you normally dress when not in your adventuring gear?
A: Slacks, sweaters when cold, stupid, huh, Icehawk wearing a sweater. Usually Polo shirts or something like that when hot.

Q: Do you like to dress up or down to relax?
A: Down, at least for me.

Q: Do you have a look or style? If so, describe it.
A: Kinda preppie I guess.

Q: What do you normally wear in bed at home?
A: *grins* With Pam in bed? Not a damn thing!

Q: What do you normally wear in bed while adventuring?
A: I don’t sleep unless Pam’s with me, so I have no idea.

Q: Do you wear any identifiable jewelry?
A: Nah, to easy a target for pickpockets and muggers. I got tired of freezing them to a street fixture when ever they tried to rob me.

Q: Where do you normally put your weapons, magic items, or other valuables when you are sleeping?
A: I hold all my ‘valuables’ in my arms and she’s comfortable with that.

Q: What morning or evening routines do you normally have?
A: Come on. Same as everyone!

Q: Does this change when you are adventuring?
A: Nope, the body still functions the same.

Q: What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the most enjoyment?
A: Swimming, hiking, and Pam. But NOT in that order.

Q: What pastime (that you participate in regularly) gives you the least enjoyment?
A: I seem to be getting less and less out of practical jokes.

Q: Do you read the newspaper?
A: Yes.

Q: If so, which sections and how often?
A: Business section first then I look for small personal tragedies I might be able to help with.

Q: Travel: how do you get around locally?
A: Limo, sliding, but I have learned to drive, finally.

Q: What is your idea of a good evening's entertainment?
A: *grins* Does this involve a bed?

Q: Do you get seasick, airsick, motion sick (auto or animal)?
A: Nope

Q: Do you like riding animals?
A: I have done a little horseback riding and it’s okay but too slow.

Q: Any fears in traveling?
A: Not if Pam’s with me.

Q: What sorts of general belongings or equipment do you take when traveling?
A: Just the plane.

Q: What are your hangout places?
A: Mostly home now but once I was a club hopper.

Q: Do you go to a bar after work?
A: Nah, no reason to.

Q: Do you play pool?
A: Billiards.

Q: Do you go dancing? Who goes with you?
A: Yes, with Pam.

Q: What do you read? Scientific textbooks, historical novels, myths and legends, maps, cookbooks, romances, news magazines, science fiction, fantasy, horror, the newspaper, short stories?
A: Dr. Suess, Goodnight Moon, Winnie the Pooh. . .

Q: What music do you like?
A: Baroque.

Q: Do you have a favorite artist, band or bard?
A: Bach

Q: Will you listen to or sing the same songs over and over, or does it drive you nuts when people do that?
A: Nah, just their brain on vacation.

Q: How do you exercise? Work out at the gym, walk in the morning, run marathons, play sports, couch potato?
A: Beating up 40 giant robots keeps me pretty much in shape, and if that doesn’t work, Pam has just the exercise for perfect fitness.

Q: Where do you live? I
A: n the woods.

Q: Do you rent or own?
A: Own.

Q: Apartment, house or castle?
A: House.

Q: How close are the neighbors?
A: Family or other? Family just a few hundred yards away, others, several miles.

Q: Is it a good neighborhood?
A: *grins* It WAS very quiet until the Portis’ moved in.

Q: What color is the house?
A: Cedar.

Q: Which floor are you on?
A: All of it.

Q: Do you have a lawn?
A: Nope.

Q: What about a flower garden?
A: Nope.

Q: Does your house have an attic or basement?

Q: What does your furniture look like?
A: Mostly Scandinavian antique.

Q: Do you buy antiques?
A: Ummmm . . . yes?

Q: What are your walls covered with? Wallpaper, art, photos?
A: Art.

Q: What sorts of curtains do you have? Frilly lacy ones, Venetian blinds, pull-down shades?
A: Nothing on the front of the house but a mixture around the rest of the place.

Q: Do you keep your house clean?
A: Spotless, unless Becky has been in the house. *grins*

Q: Is it dusty?
A: Hunted down all the dusty elephants, personally.

Q: Is the bathtub moldy or coated in rust?
A: Nope.

Q: Do you clean it yourself?
A: Parts of it, yes.

Q: What do your desk or workspace look like? Small and cramped, huge and expansive, covered in drifts of books and papers, neatly ordered and clean?
A: I have a roll top desk I keep pretty neat but I rarely work there. Most of my job is done over the phone with Linda or Gage.

Q: Can you find what you're looking for when you need it?
A: No, not with Becky in the house.

Q: What color are your sheets?
A: I love dark colors for sheets, most blues. When Pam lays on them she looks like a jewel on velvet.

Q: Satin or cotton?
A: Flannel.

Q: Patterned with flowers, or covered with pictures of toy robots?
A: No pattern to distract the eye from Pam’s smooth body. *grins*

Q: What sorts of food do you eat?
A: Gourmet but not so much any more.

Q: Do you cook your own dinners?
A: No.

Q: Are you a good cook, a gourmet, or a terrible cook?

Q: Do you eat out?
A: Yes.

Q: Are you on a diet?
A: No, but Pam is all the time, even though she’s got a perfect body.

Q: Where do you vacation, and how often?
A: I don’t think I have ever actually vacationed.

Q: Do you have any pets?
A: No, but I think we need one, for Becky. Maybe a wolf cub . . .

Q: Do you keep a calendar or address book?
A: PDA.

Q: Where do you keep it?
A: Pocket, with my cell.

Q: Do you have a Will?
A: Yes.

Q: What does it say?
A: Mostly everything to Pam and Becky with a few things for my foundations


Miscellaneous
=============
Q: What would you like to be remembered for after your death?
A: I am too young to worry about a eulogy.

Q: What kind of threat do you present to the public?
A: None.

Q: If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?
A: I think Pam could ID me by . . . certain . . . aspects. *grins*

Q: How much is a pint of mead? $1201.46. The price for fuel to fly to England to get it and the cost of the pint. *grins*

[Trencher]

See, if the 'peasant folk' were grateful at all about her contributions, that might work. But this is an overall ingratitude.
Ungrateful peasants? Ignore them and/or treat them with disdain. Try to think of yourself as the woman with no name type of character, it's fun.
It looks like the GM let you do serious damage at least, maybe he is going for that western type of story. Next time you take mission from them "that you will be taking the reward money in advance from now on, since none of the esteemed townspeople seems to be too grateful for previous rescues"


This is only one of many examples of her accomplishments being ignored while the prostitute, who does next to nothing in comparison, gets all the props for making stupid moves. It's a very distinct pattern, with no sign of it breaking anytime soon. So the town whore gets all the credit.. Maybe she works overtime and is really good at her "work".


As it is, I got a break from playing this character, and I'm watching them treat another player like their punching bag, without my character to pick on. So I'm not sure I want to play with people like that anymore.
Have you ever asked them what the deal is with all the stress? How old are these guys? Twelve?


She's more like Mike Hammer or Phillip Marlowe in that trouble just walks into her office.
Sounds like fun, what kind of adventures does she get?


Okay, I can't remember where I found this Questionaire but it answers a lot of questions about all kinds of things.
Yes that it does, so Ghost-archer is an Half elf from the realm of Cynnbarr? :angst:
Do you play the character now? What kind of adventures does he do?
and what is a Wainscoting?


Ahhh... sure!

Maureen Cranston D'Arcy (aka Midnight)
Thats a great character, does she use her shadow walking powers now? Have you gotten to play her yet?


Mr. Terrific
That is an interesting character concept you got going there, powerful and varied but with its own weaknesses and limitations, tell me are you part of a large or small group?
Maybe you should invest in some stretching powers for your brick form? Then the villains could not just go around you.


He's been able to do some useful analytical work while in base form, but this being a superhero campaign there is a heavy emphasis on superheroic combat. He has contributed some stuff in this way, but it's early in the story arc and those haven't paid off yet. Don’t expect that it will, it is not like either Stark, Reed, or Gigantman is changing the world with their inventions.


After Archer spoke to the reporter, Icehawk decided it might be fun to get on the act. Sounds like a different character from Ghost-archer, so has this Pam girl betrayed him yet. ;). Btw: great taste in furniture.



Q: What is the history of their relationship(s) with you?
A: Well, I bought her, for a month with an option for another month :tsk: Wow he really is a brat.


Q: If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with you?
A: Bobby was a total *******, a rapist and killer. He kidnapped Pam, raped her and killed our child, nearly killing her in the process. That is so sad :cry: Who was this bobby anyway? A super villain?


Q: Have you defeated them before?
A: Yeah, I ‘defeated’ him but somebody else made sure he stayed ‘defeated’.
Who did it?

[AliceTheOwl]

Ungrateful peasants? Ignore them and/or treat them with disdain. Try to think of yourself as the woman with no name type of character, it's fun.
It looks like the GM let you do serious damage at least, maybe he is going for that western type of story. Next time you take mission from them "that you will be taking the reward money in advance from now on, since none of the esteemed townspeople seems to be too grateful for previous rescues"
But she's NOT that type of character. She's actually rather humble and, as stated above, eager-to-please. So when given the alternative between dealing with ungrateful peasants and party members or doing a job she's really comfortable with, she'd rather go back to work. To make her arrogant and haughty would be a TOTAL reversal, for this character, and I'm uncomfortable playing someone who thinks she's better than others.

[Trencher]

To make her arrogant and haughty would be a TOTAL reversal, for this character, and I'm uncomfortable playing someone who thinks she's better than others.
Well arrogant and haughty was not as much what I meant as "lets get the job done", hard nosed and bitter does not mean that you have to be "in your face". Your character can still do what is best for others but you no longer have to stand around waiting for validation and praise that never comes. A if you have to stand on your own then you will kind of thing.

[Curufea]

I've not got a character in any Hero game. I'm the only one in my group with the books who is GMing.

[Ghost Archer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Okay, I can't remember where I found this Questionaire but it answers a lot of questions about all kinds of things.

Yes that it does, so Ghost-archer is an Half elf from the realm of Cynnbarr?
Do you play the character now? What kind of adventures does he do?
and what is a Wainscoting?

No, Cinnabar has nothing to do with any other game setting, it is inspired by a quote. "The road to Cinnabar is littered with the burned out husks of school buses." It comes from a book I read sometime around 1972.

Yes, I do play Archer and probably always will. As for adventures, where to begin? Maybe with the recent past . . . and a note about Raven: she too is elven but from the Fireoak Realm. She came to Earth seeking fresh blood for her dying race, hence she is known as the Seeker. Her race, like most elf races, is full of magic but not the kind that will not let them refresh stagnant blood lines. When she met Archer, she forgot all about her people, she'd tell you Archer's eyes made her, and settled in the 'Green' as she calls it. Her original method of 'finding new blood' involved recruiting the forgotten, the abandon and the homeless then transporting them to her home. One thing led to another, including a lot of arguements with dragons, and her realm was destroyed, but for her and her parents. Archer managed to save them and brought them to Earth creating an entirely different set of in-law problems. Before the Fireoak was destroyed, Coz, the realm's guardian dragon, gave Raven an acorn from the forest. This acorn had the power to genetically alter people into the twelve races of elves from the Fireoak. Raven set about recruiting people and, with Archer's help, re-established her races on a new planet.

Wainscotting is paneling along the lower part of a wall. Or in Archer's case, the paneling is sometimes field stone.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
After Archer spoke to the reporter, Icehawk decided it might be fun to get on the act.

Sounds like a different character from Ghost-archer, so has this Pam girl betrayed him yet. . Btw: great taste in furniture.


I HOPE so! I am not one to produce masses of characters to play and it takes me a very long time to develope a new one. Icehawk was my second character after Ghost Archer but until I started the Seattle branch of the Wild Hunt, he never got much play time. Seattle became his spotlight and over the years he's become as familiar to me as Archer.
He and Pam have been married nearly two years now and she has once again taken up dancing. If your husband is as rich as James is, its not hard for her to get a chance to join a dance troop, but James will not let the dance director hire her just because she's his wife. He's very demanding in that respect since he wholly believes Pam to be a superb dancer. If she is good enough, then hire her. If not, don't. It works and she is touring. It helps if your superhero husband travels around with you and brings the baby along in his private jet. Recently James has been told he is going to be a father again so we'll see what happens.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Q: What is the history of their relationship(s) with you?
A: Well, I bought her, for a month with an option for another month

Wow he really is a brat.

Actually, he hired her as a dancer, not 'bought' as SOME might think. She told her manager to give the money back to clear the air when she found she was as attracted to James as he was to her. And yes, he WAS a brat but he's matured some since Becky was born.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Q: If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with you?
A: Bobby was a total *******, a rapist and killer. He kidnapped Pam, raped her and killed our child, nearly killing her in the process.

That is so sad Who was this bobby anyway? A super villain?

No, Bobby was a normal but then, so is Pam. When she was working as a stripper, Bobby was one of those muscle bound muscle heads that bothered the hell out of Pam and when she quit dancing, he hunted her down and kidnapped her. Pam had been on her way to James after just finding out her was pregnant.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Q: Have you defeated them before?
A: Yeah, I ‘defeated’ him but somebody else made sure he stayed ‘defeated’.

Who did it?

Pam comes from a huge family and genetically they are a little odd. Both mother and father was very low level mutants and it has been passed on to only part of the family. All the kids are scanned by her mother in the womb and she can tell which will develop powers and which will not. Those with powers have names that begin with K, those without, with P. Well, Pam is the youngest, or was up until the time she ran away from home, and one of her older brothers, Karl, choose to use his powers for personal gain. He became Star Bolt, a fairly powerful super villain. Family ties are very powerful in this family and when Pam landed in LA, Star Bolt moved to LA and more or less guarded her without her knowledge. When she moved to Seattle, he followed.
It was with his help, James found Pam after Bobby took her and it was by his hand Bobby died. No one actually knows that Star Bolt is Pam's brother but James doesn't lose any sleep over the fact he is instrumental in Bobby's death.

[teh bunneh]

Yes that increase the party’s power quite a bit. When I took over leadership in my dnd group I did the same our hack-factor went through the roof.

"Hack factor." I like that. I'm going to use that next time we game. :)


Lol that is what happens if the GM shirks from using monsters and use humans in stead, one of my old characters have single-handly killed several thousands of people on the field of battle. Kind of embarrassing really.

Well, I guess in Lars' defense he generally only kills people with green skin (orks, trolls, bugbears, etc), so I guess it's not murder. Not in the classic D&D sense, anyway. ;)

[Cancer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cancer
Mr. Terrific

That is an interesting character concept you got going there, powerful and varied but with its own weaknesses and limitations, tell me are you part of a large or small group?
Maybe you should invest in some stretching powers for your brick form? Then the villains could not just go around you.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Cancer
He's been able to do some useful analytical work while in base form, but this being a superhero campaign there is a heavy emphasis on superheroic combat. He has contributed some stuff in this way, but it's early in the story arc and those haven't paid off yet.

Don’t expect that it will, it is not like either Stark, Reed, or Gigantman is changing the world with their inventions.

The group is pretty big. Avalanche is an archetypal brick; Houngan is a voodoo-based fellow with lots of Drains and Aids; The Chauffeur talks to machines and gets them to do what he wants; I'm not really sure what Brainstorm has, but I think he's an energy blaster with some cooperative mental powers (a multi-way Mind Link, at least; but I don't think he has an Ego Attack, and he's not a standard mentalist); Image is an invisible, desolid telekinetic; The Link's signature power is a transferrable Find Weakness (but also uses that BOECV Entangle I mentioned).

I don't expect Mr. Terrific's biochemistry to be world-changing. He just has a lot of detective-type and analytical skills that haven't come into play. So far the team has been working almost strictly in reaction to obvious attacks (not even threats, just in-progress crimes in progress), which means we are given no information ahead of time and can make no preparations. I recognize this is a standard comic-book superhero trope .. that only villains think and prepare ... but I find it terribly limiting, even wantonly stupid and derelict of duty, that superheroes have to have organizational and preparatory skills on par with those of the Keystone Kops.

That seems to be just me railing against the genre, though.

[Samuraiko]

Ahhh... sure!

Maureen Cranston D'Arcy (aka Midnight)
Thats a great character, does she use her shadow walking powers now? Have you gotten to play her yet?
Yes, I have, in a couple of scenarios. But no, she no longer uses her shadow walking ability (read: Extra-dimensional movement). She does, however, still use the following abilities:

Walk the Twilight Path (Teleportation)
Shadowfall (Change Environment)
The Mantle of Night (Invisibility)
Cloud Men's Minds (Mind Control)
Touched by Darkness (Ego Attack)
Guided by Shadows (Clairsentience)
Eyes of the Night Dragon (See in the Dark)
My Thoughts are Shrouded (Mental Defense)

Now that I think about it, I think her stats are posted somewhere on the forums... you can always use her as an NPC.

Her opponent, however, is just as buff as she is (if not more so). And Shroud's story is disturbing, even for me. (John, of course, absolutely LOVED the characters when I presented them to him, and he totally ran with it. Then he found Shroud's theme songs and it just really went downhill... they are, by the way, "Oh My Goth" by Razed in Black and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by... I forget who...)

I'll have to use Ghost Archer's questionnaire and post a few of my other characters on here. Kakita Nasami will probably be next.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko

[Cancer]

I remember encountering a character questionnaire that included a very interesting dyad of questions, widely separated in the form. These were something like:

1. Would this character stand as rear guard, knowing it was certain death, so that his/her loved ones could escape?

And much further down the questionnaire, the kicker:

N. Would this character flee from danger quickly and without hesitation, so that his/her loved one did not die in vain?

[Trencher]

I've not got a character in any Hero game. I'm the only one in my group with the books who is GMing.
I feel your pain, I get to game maybe once per year. :mad:




No, Cinnabar has nothing to do with any other game setting,
You never heard of the realms of cymbarr?



it is inspired by a quote. "The road to Cinnabar is littered with the burned out husks of school buses." It comes from a book I read sometime around 1972.
What does it mean?



and a note about Raven: she too is elven but from the Fireoak Realm. She came to Earth seeking fresh blood for her dying race, hence she is known as the Seeker. Her race, like most elf races, is full of magic but not the kind that will not let them refresh stagnant blood lines. You sure have a lot of elves in your campaign are your GM running a urban fantasy game or superherogame? Or both? Both are cool though.




When she met Archer, she forgot all about her people, she'd tell you Archer's eyes made her, and settled in the 'Green' as she calls it. How romantic.




Archer managed to save them and brought them to Earth creating an entirely different set of in-law problems. Before the Fireoak was destroyed, Coz, the realm's guardian dragon, gave Raven an acorn from the forest. This acorn had the power to genetically alter people into the twelve races of elves from the Fireoak. Raven set about recruiting people and, with Archer's help, re-established her races on a new planet. Are they making countries like in shadowrun or are they just living in the places they used to, do they get memories from other elves? How does they adjust? Why does they w change into elves?





Wainscotting is paneling along the lower part of a wall. Or in Archer's case, the paneling is sometimes field stone. Cool.







I HOPE so! You hope right.




It works and she is touring. It helps if your superhero husband travels around with you and brings the baby along in his private jet. Recently James has been told he is going to be a father again so we'll see what happens. Did they not lose the baby after all?






Actually, he hired her as a dancer, not 'bought' as SOME might think. Hey he said bought, ;)





No, Bobby was a normal but then, so is Pam. When she was working as a stripper, Bobby was one of those muscle bound muscle heads that bothered the hell out of Pam and when she quit dancing, he hunted her down and kidnapped her. Pam had been on her way to James after just finding out her was pregnant.
Was this an adventure or backstory?





No one actually knows that Star Bolt is Pam's brother but James doesn't lose any sleep over the fact he is instrumental in Bobby's death.


"Hack factor." I like that. I'm going to use that next time we game. Can’t take the credit for the term though, its from knights of the dinnertable, that big guy down at the end of the table use the term.




Well, I guess in Lars' defense he generally only kills people with green skin (orks, trolls, bugbears, etc), so I guess it's not murder. Not in the classic D&D sense, anyway. ;) Well Bugbears are orange so at least he don’t kill according to skin colour. And killing in selfdefence is hardly murder. I doubt you go around and murder goblin children after all.


Yes, I have, in a couple of scenarios. But no, she no longer uses her shadow walking ability (read: Extra-dimensional movement). She does, however, still use the following abilities:

Walk the Twilight Path (Teleportation)
Shadowfall (Change Environment)
The Mantle of Night (Invisibility)
Cloud Men's Minds (Mind Control)
Touched by Darkness (Ego Attack)
Guided by Shadows (Clairsentience)
Eyes of the Night Dragon (See in the Dark)
My Thoughts are Shrouded (Mental Defense) She is a full fledged superhero then does she work with a team or solo?



Now that I think about it, I think her stats are posted somewhere on the forums... you can always use her as an NPC. Thanks maybe I will,



Her opponent, however, is just as buff as she is (if not more so). And Shroud's story is disturbing, even for me. (John, of course, absolutely LOVED the characters when I presented them to him, and he totally ran with it. Then he found Shroud's theme songs and it just really went downhill... they are, by the way, "Oh My Goth" by Razed in Black and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by... I forget who...)
What is the back-story of Shroud?


The group is pretty big.
That is good for you.
I'm not really sure what Brainstorm has, but I think he's an energy blaster with some cooperative mental powers (a multi-way Mind Link, at least; but I don't think he has an Ego Attack, and he's not a standard mentalist); [/QUOTE] Sounds like a muchin.


Image is an invisible, desolid telekinetic; The Link's signature power is a transferrable Find Weakness (but also uses that BOECV Entangle I mentioned). :lol: This guy here is the king munchin I am sure your GM really loves this character :lol:


I don't expect Mr. Terrific's biochemistry to be world-changing. He just has a lot of detective-type and analytical skills that haven't come into play. So far the team has been working almost strictly in reaction to obvious attacks (not even threats, just in-progress crimes in progress), which means we are given no information ahead of time and can make no preparations. I recognize this is a standard comic-book superhero trope .. that only villains think and prepare ... but I find it terribly limiting, even wantonly stupid and derelict of duty, that superheroes have to have organizational and preparatory skills on par with those of the Keystone Kops. Who are the Keystone Kops?


That seems to be just me railing against the genre, though. No absolutely not! Have you never seen Batman? Talk to your GM in private and tell how you feel and say that Batman can prepare and therefore have the answer when the group need it. Tell him you don’t need to know everything that goes on but that you have spent the points and prepared for getting some info so you should get it. Then you can be all cool and mysterious and tell the players things like: “it is as I suspected all along, the Bernhart foundation a dummy corporation funded by Eurostar has bought a lot of high tech guns lately, seems like those guns have made it to our city. See how the cooling vents are between the particle accelerator and the power source that’s typical Berhart design”
You don’t need to know tons of background material your GM can just slip you a note when the group find something you should know about, then you can tell them. It is genre.


I remember encountering a character questionnaire that included a very interesting dyad of questions, widely separated in the form. These were something like:

1. Would this character stand as rear guard, knowing it was certain death, so that his/her loved ones could escape?

And much further down the questionnaire, the kicker:

N. Would this character flee from danger quickly and without hesitation, so that his/her loved one did not die in vain? All my characters would done both.

[Diamond Spear]

Most people who know me would contend that I have no character.:D

[Cancer]

I'm not really sure what Brainstorm has, but I think he's an energy blaster with some cooperative mental powers (a multi-way Mind Link, at least; but I don't think he has an Ego Attack, and he's not a standard mentalist); Sounds like a muchin.

Image is an invisible, desolid telekinetic; The Link's signature power is a transferrable Find Weakness (but also uses that BOECV Entangle I mentioned).
:lol: This guy here is the king munchin I am sure your GM really loves this character :lol:

You are wise in the ways of gamers, Trencher!

Brainstorm is a "munchkin" in the strictly technical sense ... he's my nephew, age 13; the rest of the group (including his parents) are at least in their late 30's. Image is the undesignated "power gamer" in the group. The Link is my wife, but the character was actually constructed by one of the GMs (!) friom her description of what she wanted (take the female moderator from the TV show "The Weakest Link", with the Find Weakness suite).


Who are the Keystone Kops?
Woof. The Keystone Kops were a comedy "team" from the old slapstick silent-movie days. From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_Kops)...

The Keystone Kops was a series of silent film comedies featuring an incompetent group of policemen produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917.

[Trencher]

You are wise in the ways of gamers, Trencher! Well everybody have to be wise about something ;)


Brainstorm is a "munchkin" in the strictly technical sense ... he's my nephew, age 13; He-he-he I am the king after all..


the rest of the group (including his parents) are at least in their late 30's. Image is the undesignated "power gamer" in the group. The Link is my wife, but the character was actually constructed by one of the GMs (!) friom her description of what she wanted (take the female moderator from the TV show "The Weakest Link", with the Find Weakness suite). Okay I thought the Link and Image were the same character, the link character sounds pretty cool actually I made one similar in my old Marvel superheroes campaign, just as a villain.
I am pretty sure you wipe the floor with any villain groups you have found so far, what kind of challenges have your GM’s given you anyway?



Woof.
?

[Cancer]

I am pretty sure you wipe the floor with any villain groups you have found so far, what kind of challenges have your GM’s given you anyway?

One very high-end mentalist led a team that fought us to a near-standstill; technically it was a draw in our favor (we captured one bad guy super, and all the mooks, but the rest of the supers got away, and gave us otherwise a tactical shellacking). After that episode ... the first session I was able to play in the campaign, actually ... I spammed the group with what I've come to refer to as my "'We Suck' diatribe". That mentalist was also able to animate the bodies of unconscious mooks and make them attack us, which led me to suggest carrying atropine rounds for Mr Terrific's dart gun. :eek: (My characters don't have it, but I definitely have the Vengeful (uncommon, strong) psychlim, which makes it ... frustrating ... to adhere to the campaign-required Code Against Killing psychlim Mr Terrific has. :straight:)

Part of that team is our bete noire, a Mexican wrestler super-brick who stays at that power level with the literal continual Aid of two cheerleaders. Between punch damage and KB, he puts our brick down (temporarily) with one blow. The super-mentalist is able to give him some protection from mental attacks. The key to him is using area effect attacks to put down his cheerleaders and then run him down, and try to keep folks from being killed in the meantime.

We also haven't had to deal with a high-powered speedster again (there was one in that first session I mentioned) yet, though we know that's coming someday.

(Woof is my general-purpose interjection indicating mild surprise. I had thought approx everyone would recognize a reference to the Keystone Kops, but obviously I am wrong.)

[Ghost Archer]

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer

No, Cinnabar has nothing to do with any other game setting,

You never heard of the realms of cymbarr?

Actually, no. Should I look it up?



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
it is inspired by a quote. "The road to Cinnabar is littered with the burned out husks of school buses." It comes from a book I read sometime around 1972.

What does it mean?

As I recall, the author said it just sorta popped into his head and he used it as a basis for a short story, The Road to Cinnabar.




Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
and a note about Raven: she too is elven but from the Fireoak Realm. She came to Earth seeking fresh blood for her dying race, hence she is known as the Seeker. Her race, like most elf races, is full of magic but not the kind that will not let them refresh stagnant blood lines.

You sure have a lot of elves in your campaign are your GM running a urban fantasy game or superherogame? Or both? Both are cool though.

Ghost Archer's history begins long before he was born with a Middle Earth campaign I was running using Rolemaster. There ARE a lot of elves there. He is the son of two of the characters in that campaign, one Noldor elf, the other Rohirrim. Though Archer was not born there, he does visit occasionally, in fact he has studied his ancestors for many years. It gives him a fair more elvish outlook on existance then one finds on Earth. The other elves in the Wild Hunt world are Raven, his wife, and their children (only three are his biological children, three are clones of Raven and three are adopted human children that he genetically altered so that he and raven are genetically their parnents), his sister, Laure and the firemage, Narel who comes from Middle Earth. As for the urban fantasy/superhero game, it really doesn't matter. As Archer I travel the dimensions regularly and end up in worlds from flying supertech cities to post-apocolypic worlds to Dark Age Earth to ancient Greece.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
When she met Archer, she forgot all about her people, she'd tell you Archer's eyes made her, and settled in the 'Green' as she calls it.

How romantic.

All of Raven's life she has had dreams of a black hair elf with green eyes, like her. The only trouble has always been there are NO black haired green eyed elves in the Fireoak Realm. She arrived on Earth during a Seattle rain storm and as the Fireoak never has rain and all the water is aflame, this was a shock and she had no idea how to react. Also the abmient temperature of the Fireoak is something over 120f, Seattle's near freezing temp and the rain combine to put her into hypothermia in a very short time. The Seattle Hunt was in the area, a wilderness on the Olympic Penensula, to stop a DEMON human sacrifice ceremony and found Raven. She had passed out from the cold. Taking her back to their headquarters, they found her condition to be far more grave than they could handle and since she looked elven, if a tiny elf (5 foot, 100 pounds) they called Archer. The first thing she saw when she awoke was Archer's eyes as he bent over her in the infirmary. He was her dream come true. Thing was, Archer wasn't interested have just begun a relationship with the Russian assassin, Sable Kirov. Raven was devastated but eventually Archer came around.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Archer managed to save them and brought them to Earth creating an entirely different set of in-law problems. Before the Fireoak was destroyed, Coz, the realm's guardian dragon, gave Raven an acorn from the forest. This acorn had the power to genetically alter people into the twelve races of elves from the Fireoak. Raven set about recruiting people and, with Archer's help, re-established her races on a new planet.

Are they making countries like in shadowrun or are they just living in the places they used to, do they get memories from other elves? How does they adjust? Why does they w change into elves?


Coz's idea was to re-establish the twelve races and so the acorn altered the subject's genetics but could not alter their memories. Raven sought dispossessed people and offered them a new life, a chance to become an immortal elf and open a new world. Archer walked the Road and found a planet that, while inhabited, was largely wilderness. It started with a few, then explaned to hundreds. The students at Archer school spent several weeks on this new world helping the new elves build a home. Though the twelve races are reborn, they actually number thirteen since one woman asked to become Noldor, as Archer is. While the building of this world was going on, Raven and Archer's adopted daughter, Jessy, became possessed by an evil being and killed several of the new elves before her father found the being and removed it from that world. (He took it by force to another world via the Road and it nearly killed him.)
Raven and Archer visit regularly, bringing in new recruits and helping as they can but the genetics of the elfish races is steeped in magic and most have been developing various magical powers. Narel acts as a mentor to the more powerful of these.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
It works and she is touring. It helps if your superhero husband travels around with you and brings the baby along in his private jet. Recently James has been told he is going to be a father again so we'll see what happens.

Did they not lose the baby after all?

No, they did lose the first baby so Becky is in reality their second child. Pam is pregnant with the next and James is hoping it will be a boy.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Actually, he hired her as a dancer, not 'bought' as SOME might think.

Hey he said bought,

:lol: Very true, that WAS his term.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
No, Bobby was a normal but then, so is Pam. When she was working as a stripper, Bobby was one of those muscle bound muscle heads that bothered the hell out of Pam and when she quit dancing, he hunted her down and kidnapped her. Pam had been on her way to James after just finding out her was pregnant.

Was this an adventure or backstory?

I don't DO backstory. Everything I talk about here has been in game.

[Trencher]

One very high-end mentalist led a team that fought us to a near-standstill; technically it was a draw in our favor (we captured one bad guy super, and all the mooks, but the rest of the supers got away, and gave us otherwise a tactical shellacking). So what you are saying is that you won, but you think it’s a draw because some of the opposition managed to run away? Superheroes “win” by saving lives, it is not like you get xp for killing enemies.


After that episode ... the first session I was able to play in the campaign, actually ... I spammed the group with what I've come to refer to as my "'We Suck' diatribe". Last time I checked supervillains did not run from people who sucked.
Unless you are speaking of the Leech off course ;)


That mentalist was also able to animate the bodies of unconscious mooks and make them attack us, which led me to suggest carrying atropine rounds for Mr Terrific's dart gun. :eek: Sounds like the villains tried to set you up as murderers and butchers.


(My characters don't have it, but I definitely have the Vengeful (uncommon, strong) psychlim, which makes it ... frustrating ... to adhere to the campaign-required Code Against Killing psychlim Mr Terrific has. :straight:) Are you angry about getting hard resistance or are you angry about having to waste some rounds mopping up mind controlled thughs?



We also haven't had to deal with a high-powered speedster again (there was one in that first session I mentioned) yet, though we know that's coming someday. Make a grease gun.


(Woof is my general-purpose interjection indicating mild surprise. I had thought approx everyone would recognize a reference to the Keystone Kops, but obviously I am wrong.) Yes I have never heard of either woof as a surprise indicator or about the keystone Kops, I thought maybe they had something to do with the cops in keystone city where the flash lives.

[Agent 13]

Actually, no. Should I look it up?

I believe he's talking about the World of Synnibarr (http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_4762.html). It and its author are somewhat legendary, and not in a good way.

[Ghost Archer]

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Actually, no. Should I look it up?

I believe he's talking about the World of Synnibarr. It and its author are somewhat legendary, and not in a good way.


Ummm, no. My Cinnabar preceeds that one by about a dozen years.

[Trencher]

Actually, no. Should I look it up?
For your own sanity don’t


As I recall, the author said it just sorta popped into his head and he used it as a basis for a short story, The Road to Cinnabar.
What is the short story about?


three are adopted human children that he genetically altered so that he and raven are genetically their parnents), huh, that’s a little creepy.


his sister, Laure and the firemage, Narel who comes from Middle Earth. As for the urban fantasy/superhero game, it really doesn't matter. As Archer I travel the dimensions regularly and end up in worlds from flying supertech cities to post-apocolypic worlds to Dark Age Earth to ancient Greece. Sounds like a fun game.


The first thing she saw when she awoke was Archer's eyes as he bent over her in the infirmary. He was her dream come true. Thing was, Archer wasn't interested have just begun a relationship with the Russian assassin, Sable Kirov. Raven was devastated but eventually Archer came around. Your GM sure is not afraid of dramatic tension not many would have made such and motivation for an NPC right of the bat like that.


Coz's idea was to re-establish the twelve races and so the acorn altered the subject's genetics but could not alter their memories. Raven sought dispossessed people and offered them a new life, a chance to become an immortal elf and open a new world. Archer walked the Road and found a planet that, while inhabited, was largely wilderness. It started with a few, then explaned to hundreds. The students at Archer school spent several weeks on this new world helping the new elves build a home. Though the twelve races are reborn, they actually number thirteen since one woman asked to become Noldor, as Archer is. I can certainly understand that you don’t have any trouble with finding recruits.


No, they did lose the first baby so Becky is in reality their second child. Pam is pregnant with the next and James is hoping it will be a boy. Okay, again your GM is certainly not afraid of doing stuff to the PC’s. Not that it’s a bad thing.

[Raven_Fireoak]

Wow! does that mean I did a good job with Archer? :) My beloved requested me to join up to answer any questions about the game from my point of view, Or Pam Hawkin's point of view.

My character, Raven Fireoak, is a fire oak elf. The Fire oak Forest is my creation from back in the 80's and has even been coded to run on a OSmud. Because I knew the forest so well for years, it made it easy to use it for a background for my Super hero.

Raven is my name and has been my name since before gaming entered my life so my favorite character is my mentalist, Raven. http://www.the-wild-hunt.org/seattle/raven.html

got any questions.. go for it:celebrate

[Trencher]

Wow! does that mean I did a good job with Archer? :) Yes it does. I was starting to suspect that he his GM was his girlfriend or something.


My character, Raven Fireoak, is a fire oak elf. The Fire oak Forest is my creation from back in the 80's and has even been coded to run on a OSmud. Because I knew the forest so well for years, it made it easy to use it for a background for my Super hero.
So? What was it like, was the forest continually burning? That is a pretty nice idea.
To bad the place got destroyed.


Raven is my name and has been my name since before gaming entered my life so my favorite character is my mentalist, Raven.
got any questions.. go for it :celebrate Actually I just listen and comment a little, it is not like I’m going to “grill” your fire elf for answers.
But since you are here feel free to tell us a little about the fire oak people, the world their from and your character Raven.

[ghost-angel]

the following character is not from a SuperHero game, it started as a low powered Cyberpunkish Game (with Extras!). I wasn't around for the begining, but have been around for the last 3 years. The game is set in 2057, Corporations "rule" most of the world by controlling the economy and the labor. ATM the game is High Powered (700-900 points).

Sarah Brunswick, aka Ghost, has been several things in her life; cat burgalur, Savate Boxer, amateur Gymnast (though good enough to go professional), Corporate Assassin, but now she's one of the Savior's of the World.

Aside from a violent streak Sarah is fairly shy. She is deeply afraid of crowds, distrusts technology and is not very capable in social settings. Her Talent is invisibility to a degree that makes even the most powerful of beings leary of her. On the Mental Plane she is always "invisible" thus making her effectively immune to mental powers and talents. Her concious and subconcious thoughts actually exist in an extra-dimensional space making her Mind the ultimate fortress. Unluckily for her this comes with some downsides. First being that a lot of reality, in any dimension, would rather her dead. Second some entities see this as an opportune moment to 'backup' knowledge. In particular was one Fae known as Demetrius who saw an opportunity to share forbidden information. He did this at a rather fragile moment in her life.

Right at the end of Sarah's carreer as a Corporate Assassin she was assigned to a group of Runners who were working in Phoenix at the time. They took a turn she didn't expect and did a raid on Demon stronghold in some caves near New Mexico. Until then her world was populated with one supernatural creature - herself. The Demon attack irrevocably shattered her world view. Now privvy to the knowledge that her home dimension was being invaded she naturally sought out information. Which brought her in contact with Demtrius, who noted her unique nature.

Imparting the information on her was not easy, and not without consequences. After recovering from the shock Demetrius expected Sarah to simply hold the information in her memory. Instead she actively sought to make sense of it. It turns out not only was she bestowed with his extensive knowledge of magic, but the essence of 8.5 billion souls, most of them demonic in nature. The concept and the reality of the situation pushed her psyche a little too far, effectively splitting her into two different aspects. Sarah was quiet, reserved and almost timid. Ghost was agressive, forward and amoral. She officially quit her job as an assassin and joined the group she was with. Thus began her carreer as savior of the World, one other thing Demetrius told her was she was "The Chosen One From A Thousand Years Hence" ... a prophetic statement she wishes would go away.

She learned to harness the knowledge given to her and combined with her invisibility became a formidable force. Instead of relying on normal guns she took the magic and knowledge in her memory and learned to manifest a weapon of incredible destructive capabilities thus making her completely self sufficient as the groups recon and sniper.

She is slowly learning to wield magic, first and foremost she is quickly gaining an understanding of the multiverse and how the many dimensions are all conected, becoming the groups expert on spacial travel. She also gained an ability to manipulate the billions of souls in her 'mind' bringing them forth into physical manifestations or even replacing her own physical body with the essence of one soul. More dangerously she can take anyone's soul and store their essence in her mental plane. If she can't kill you she'll take your soul instead, she is the Assassin's Assassin.

Along the way the group encountered a Goddess, Melinda. The first aspect they met was the Nature Aspect, next was the Warrior Aspect, and lastly the Wisdom Aspect. The Goddess is Balance in the ultimate form. In order to help Sarah repair her battered Psyche she took up worship in earnest, finally declaring her actions against the Demons as a Paladin of Balance. Her split nature - one violent and the other not - slowly healed itself to become what she is today. As she healed her mind she grew closer to the souls within her and her physical form started to gain demonic aspects. As she came to terms with this everything stabalized and found a balance within her. She also learned patience at a new level and rarely acts rashly.

In her off time she took up residence with a pack of werewolves living in the swamps of the pan handle of Florida near Iron Bay City (location is on the coast south of where our world's Talahasee is). She has become a member of the pack as well, having taken up residence with their Pack Healer.

Appearance:
Sarah is five eight, with the body of a gymnast. She has red skin, a long tail and sharp blue eyes. She wears her brownish/blonde hair loosely, cut just below her shoulders. Prefering natural fibers she dresses in boots, leather pants and a suit jacket most of the time. She avoids technology of all kinds and is extremely nervous in crowds, almost to the point of panic. When with a small number of people or one on one she is self confident, often antgonistic and probably comes off as rude.

[Trencher]

the following character is not from a SuperHero game, it started as a low powered Cyberpunkish Game (with Extras!) Shadowrun?.

I wasn't around for the begining, but have been around for the last 3 years. What points did you start with? Where you normals to begin with?


ATM the game is High Powered (700-900 points). What is the active points cap?


Sarah Brunswick, aka Ghost, has been several things in her life; cat burgalur, Savate Boxer, amateur Gymnast (though good enough to go professional), Corporate Assassin, but now she's one of the Savior's of the World. How did you save the world and from whom?


Right at the end of Sarah's carreer as a Corporate Assassin she was assigned to a group of Runners who were working in Phoenix at the time. They took a turn she didn't expect and did a raid on Demon stronghold in some caves near New Mexico. Until then her world was populated with one supernatural creature - herself. The Demon attack irrevocably shattered her world view. Now privvy to the knowledge that her home dimension was being invaded she naturally sought out information. Which brought her in contact with Demtrius, who noted her unique nature. Was Demetrius the demon? If not what is he?


"The Chosen One From A Thousand Years Hence" ... a prophetic statement she wishes would go away. Did something come out of it?


She learned to harness the knowledge given to her and combined with her invisibility became a formidable force. Instead of relying on normal guns she took the magic and knowledge in her memory and learned to manifest a weapon of incredible destructive capabilities thus making her completely self sufficient as the groups recon and sniper. Calling a ninehundreds point sniper for self sufficient must be the understatement of the week. :lol:


Along the way the group encountered a Goddess, Melinda. The first aspect they met was the Nature Aspect, next was the Warrior Aspect, and lastly the Wisdom Aspect. The Goddess is Balance in the ultimate form. In order to help Sarah repair her battered Psyche she took up worship in earnest, finally declaring her actions against the Demons as a Paladin of Balance. Her split nature - one violent and the other not - slowly healed itself to become what she is today. As she healed her mind she grew closer to the souls within her and her physical form started to gain demonic aspects. As she came to terms with this everything stabalized and found a balance within her. She also learned patience at a new level and rarely acts rashly. Did this happen in game or background?


In her off time she took up residence with a pack of werewolves living in the swamps of the pan handle of Florida near Iron Bay City (location is on the coast south of where our world's Talahasee is). She has become a member of the pack as well, having taken up residence with their Pack Healer. Well I hope they don’t eat people.


Appearance:
Sarah is five eight, with the body of a gymnast. She has red skin, a long tail and sharp blue eyes. She wears her brownish/blonde hair loosely, cut just below her shoulders. Prefering natural fibers she dresses in boots, leather pants and a suit jacket most of the time. She avoids technology of all kinds and is extremely nervous in crowds, almost to the point of panic. When with a small number of people or one on one she is self confident, often antgonistic and probably comes off as rude. Has she always looked that way or did she change somehow?

[ghost-angel]

1) Shadowrun?.
2) What points did you start with? Where you normals to begin with?
3) What is the active points cap?
4) How did you save the world and from whom?
5) Was Demetrius the demon? If not what is he?
6) Did something come out of it?
7) Calling a ninehundreds point sniper for self sufficient must be the understatement of the week. :lol:
8) Did this happen in game or background?
9) Well I hope they don’t eat people.
10) Has she always looked that way or did she change somehow?
I number the questions for ease.

1) no, not really. The majority of the world is Normal, and completely unaware of anything Super or Preternatural, beyond stories and legends.

2) Game started at 150pts w/ 30pts of Powers. It's an old game.

3) There isn't one.

4) We haven't yet - we're still trying to save it from a Demon Hordge invasion.

5) Demetrius is a very old Shide Fae (elf).

6) The Chosen One .. come out of it? Yeah - she has the essence of 8.5 Billion souls at her disposal, and supposedly she'll help save the world.

7) Yeah - over 200 points are for her Invisibility Powers, another 100 are Offensive Capability.

8) In Game. Everything I described was in game.

9) Only occasionally. Sarah is conceivable the most "Evil" of the good guys.

10) She physically changed as she started to use the 'power' of the souls she has and three incursions into Hell itself for various missions. The rest of the group is less than thrilled by her demonic look, she really enjoys that tail though.

[McCoy]

How long have you played him? What points level are he at?
Let's see, 2nd edition, the grey book, that would be around 1983? IIRC he was originally built on 250 points, but has been retconned with each subsequent edition. He's just over 400 now.

[Trencher]

2) Game started at 150pts w/ 30pts of Powers. It's an old game. Must be a good game.


3) There isn't one. Ohh.. You are all mature gameres. I am envious. What are the active point cost on her primary attack power?


4) We haven't yet - we're still trying to save it from a Demon Hordge invasion. Sounds cool, I always wanted to play a game like that fightiting hordes of demons like in the Constantine movie but with more powers and stuff.


8) In Game. Everything I described was in game. Did your GM come up with the 8 billion souls thing or was it you?


9) Only occasionally. Sarah is conceivable the most "Evil" of the good guys.
What do you mean?


10) She physically changed as she started to use the 'power' of the souls she has and three incursions into Hell itself for various missions. The rest of the group is less than thrilled by her demonic look, she really enjoys that tail though. What is the rest of the group like?


Let's see, 2nd edition, the grey book, that would be around 1983? IIRC he was originally built on 250 points, but has been retconned with each subsequent edition. He's just over 400 now. Have you gamed in the same campaign all the while or have you bringed him with you as a concept?

[ghost-angel]

Must be a good game.
Ohh.. You are all mature gameres. I am envious. What are the active point cost on her primary attack power?
Sounds cool, I always wanted to play a game like that fightiting hordes of demons like in the Constantine movie but with more powers and stuff.
Did your GM come up with the 8 billion souls thing or was it you?

What do you mean?
What is the rest of the group like?

Excellent game, we abandoned XP some time ago and it's completely story driven on advancement at this point. I don't know if we're mature gamers (we certainly have our moments when we're not) .. but we take this particular game very seriously, there's an emotional involvement for everyone.

Her primary attack is a 6D6 RKA with a MP that can add AoE, Autofire, Penetrating or Armorpeircing depending on her needs. At one point sometime in 4E it was 9D6RKA but I forced the overall level to be lowered when we converted to 5E. It was the GMs doing causing an escalating "cold war" effect. Only one character has high DEF, my character and one other character have very low DEF (10r for me, 8r for the other) comparitavely. Of course being Invisible to everything means I rarely get targeted.

The GM chose the 8 Billion number, he pulled it out of thin air. He didn't expect me to go "Ok, I want to study and learn about all of them." It created a series of very interesting sessions as the character got to know how Souls worked in the game world. And gained power because of it.

My character, being an Assassin, is more Amoral than any other member of the group - of everyone she is the most likely to kill you outright without thought. She is only just starting to give thoughts to civilians that might be near a fight they get in. The campaign has a very dark tone - almost a Necessary Evil campaign. Sarah is caught between not wanting the power and title given her, and wanting it too much (giving into the temptation to lead a Legion of Hell to conquer the dimension).

The other characters ... there are 4 PCs currently.
Dr. Faust is the team Brick/Healer and the Avatar of the Goddess of Balance. Her powers are a gadgeteer pool, a Nature VPP and her Healing. (played by the GMs wife.)
Koh Rin is the level headed diplomat of the team. She's a temporal manipulator and coneivably the most powerful member of the group. (played by my wife.)
Preacher - he's the newest member, a loud Irish Holy Man who's powers a "Divinely" derived, he's a booster - able to Boost anyone elses powers.
And of course my character.

[Trencher]

Sounds like a great campain there Ghostangel!
Can I ask you what the opposition is like? How demonic are the demons? What does they look like what do they do? Why do they try to invade earth?

[ghost-angel]

Sounds like a great campain there Ghostangel!
Can I ask you what the opposition is like? How demonic are the demons? What does they look like what do they do? Why do they try to invade earth?
the Demon Horde is the classic "Locust Invader" - they control millions of dimensions where they strip them of resources and move onto the next. The Demons aren't "religiously" Demonic completely - it's not a God/Devil thing in the Christian sense of it. Demons are more a race of things - with many different kinds so they look like anything your nightmares can conjure. Earth happens to be the next place on the list - this earth in particular has a quality about it's inhabitants that make them "High quality food" so this is one of the few dimensions that is being captured as a sort of "Food stock" instead of simply overrrun. They are organized like Countries after a sort - not entirely unified, there are 8 factions fighting for power in the games Dimension, something the characters are using to their advantage.

[McCoy]

Dolphin is the second character I'd like to talk about. He's a mutant with an adaptability power.

It was the spring of 1964. Adam Wilson was an All American high school football player, crewcut blond, tan and muscular, with a high enough draft number that he didn't need to worry about a deferment. He had heard the Beach Boys singing about surfing (family legend insisted that Brian, Carl and Dennis were his distant cousins, and there is a resembalance), and he decided to hitchhike to California before starting college in the fall. When he did, he fell in love. Twice. First with the Pacific Ocean, then with Michelle Steelman. The 60's were very, very good to the young couple. They swam, surfed, snorkled, spent every minute they could in the water, and partied on the beach every night. During the Summer of Love their only child was concieved, and on the first day of Spring 1969 Michael Steelman was born.

His parents continued their love affair with the ocean, and Mike learned to swim before he learned to walk. By the time he was five he had developed the disconcerting habit of not breathing unless he was talking. That was also the same year that he stated school, had to get vacinations, and the doctor discovered that he could not get a hypodermic needle through the young boy's skin.

Years passed. Mike was a straight A student and a good athlete. Having never been hurt, physically or emotionally, he never got angry. He excelled in track and field, as well as swiming and diving, but would not participate in contact sports for fear of hurting someone. His parents had raised him on a new age blend of Buddhism and Gaia ecology, and he wnt to great lengths to not hurt anyone or anything. Then, as had happened to his father before him, when Mike was 18 years old, he fell in love.

He was a year older than Mike, a foot shorter, and a hundred pounds lighter. He was also a telepath, later a telekinetic as well, and a superhero, the mentalist for the local good guy group. Mike started accompanying him on missions, first as his bodyguard, later a full fleged member of the team.

Despite his strength and near invulnerability, Mike, codenamed Dolphin by his partner after he vetoed Orca, never mastered the usual brick tricks. In combat he concentrates on disarms if possible, then grabs or holds. In defense of teammates or bystanders (self defense does not compute to Dolphin) he will punch if he has no other choice, but inevatibily pulls his punch.

After that group went their seperate ways, Dolphin switched to a public ID and went on to school to earn his doctorate in Marine Biology. He is still an ecological activist, an on-call superhero, and he still has a "thing" for telepaths.

[McCoy]

Have you gamed in the same campaign all the while or have you bringed him with you as a concept?
Has been over a decade since I've seen anyone from that old group. Concept and back story migrated to a number of different GM's. Were periods of years where I didn't get to play at all.

[Ghost Archer]

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
As I recall, the author said it just sorta popped into his head and he used it as a basis for a short story, The Road to Cinnabar.

What is the short story about?

He was wonderig what a city at the end of a road littered with the burned out husks of school buses would be like. The line always piqued my imagination and it stuck with me under Archer came along, then I blatantly stole it.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
three are adopted human children that he genetically altered so that he and raven are genetically their parnents),

huh, that’s a little creepy.

Well, you might need a little history. Genocide in my world, is run by an old friend. Obviously he and Archer have become bitter enemies. Anyway, Raven is the one that found and rescue each of these three children. Jessy is the daughter of a hitman who was killed, Josho (named after Raven's father) she found beside his dead junkie mother and I can't remember the circumstances of Mark's finding so we will have to get her to tell that story. Anyway, with Archer starting his own version of Prof X's school, and the fact that most of the students had been saved from Genocide by various members of the Wild Hunt, Genocide decided to go to court to 'protect' the rights of the kids Archer had taken in, including the three Raven had found. By this time they had all been with Archer and Raven a couple of years and were happy, Archer altered their DNA to prove the three were genetically his and Raven's. The kids always have the option to have their original DNA restored but none wish to. Heck, all three love being elves though Josho is drawn to his godfather's Native American culture. If any ask to be returned to their natural DNA, I imagine it will be Josho.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
The first thing she saw when she awoke was Archer's eyes as he bent over her in the infirmary. He was her dream come true. Thing was, Archer wasn't interested have just begun a relationship with the Russian assassin, Sable Kirov. Raven was devastated but eventually Archer came around.

Your GM sure is not afraid of dramatic tension not many would have made such and motivation for an NPC right of the bat like that.

I think you have missed something along the way. We don't think of characters as NPC's. Every one is a PC. Also, it isn't a matter of GM/Player, it is a matter of collective creative writing. It just so happens Raven has an exceptional grasp of the dramatic. Many times, I provide the hard investigations and plots involving the 'superhero' world while she provides the 'personal' side of the stories. We work very well together.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
No, they did lose the first baby so Becky is in reality their second child. Pam is pregnant with the next and James is hoping it will be a boy.

Okay, again your GM is certainly not afraid of doing stuff to the PC’s. Not that it’s a bad thing.

Raven is not afraid to rip out the heart strings and jump up and down on them. It was after this storyline that I asked her NOT to do that again for a while. Things got so intense it was all I could do not to walk away from it. I think she has another evil plot in mind, again.



Originally Posted by Raven
Wow! does that mean I did a good job with Archer? My beloved requested me to join up to answer any questions about the game from my point of view, Or Pam Hawkin's point of view.

Yes, you do a good job. :p You'll probably figure out pretty quickly, Raven rarely drops out of character but I'll get out the whip and handcuffs and beat that habit out of her. Well . . . maybe.




Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
Wow! does that mean I did a good job with Archer?

Originall Posted by Trencher
Yes it does. I was starting to suspect that he his GM was his girlfriend or something.

Or something is more accurate. When it comes to roleplaying we are yin and yang. We are also a thousand miles apart and both married. In fact, her family plays with us. You hear talk of the 'perfect dance partner' or the 'perfect team'. well, Raven and I are a 'prefect team' when it comes to RPing and writing together. I am the wordsmith, she the evil idea smith. Her imagination regularly exceeds her words, I help them come to life. I tend to stick to safer, more traditional stories, she beats me over the head with her intricate plots and generally intense stories. It works well for us.



Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
My character, Raven Fireoak, is a fire oak elf. The Fire oak Forest is my creation from back in the 80's and has even been coded to run on a OSmud. Because I knew the forest so well for years, it made it easy to use it for a background for my Super hero.

Originally Posted by Trencher
So? What was it like, was the forest continually burning? That is a pretty nice idea.
To bad the place got destroyed.

Boy, did you open Pandora's box! Sic 'em, baby!


P.S. Thanks for starting this thread, its a great idea.

[Raven_Fireoak]

Originall Posted by Trencher
Yes it does. I was starting to suspect that he his GM was his girlfriend or something.

Well, in this realm I am but a friend over the internet lines, and we have meet in this realm.In the Realm of the Wild Hunt, I am his woman, his mistress. So if you step into the other dimension, you are correct. He is my beloved.

*****
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
three are adopted human children that he genetically altered so that he and raven are genetically their parnents),

huh, that’s a little creepy.
****

Creepy? What ever do you mean? If you had the power to make one that you love as your child to be your child, why would you not do it if out side forces where trying to steal your childern?
**********
Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
The first thing she saw when she awoke was Archer's eyes as he bent over her in the infirmary. He was her dream come true. Thing was, Archer wasn't interested have just begun a relationship with the Russian assassin, Sable Kirov. Raven was devastated but eventually Archer came around.


Your GM sure is not afraid of dramatic tension not many would have made such and motivation for an NPC right of the bat like that.

I think you have missed something along the way. We don't think of characters as NPC's. Every one is a PC. Also, it isn't a matter of GM/Player, it is a matter of collective creative writing. It just so happens Raven has an exceptional grasp of the dramatic. Many times, I provide the hard investigations and plots involving the 'superhero' world while she provides the 'personal' side of the stories. We work very well together.
******

I have to agree with him, we do work together well. There are many times we don't see eye to eye on things but it just turns the situration into a more dramatic story in the end.
********

Originally Posted by Trencher
So? What was it like, was the forest continually burning? That is a pretty nice idea.
To bad the place got destroyed.

***

Yes the forest is continually burning with flames that does not consume yet the fire water will skin you alive. In fact you just open a can of worms you might want me to stop I will post more about the forest after I answer the questions. It was a huge roleplaying game when archer returned to Raven's home, which in turned caused the end of her world as she knew it. By the way it's hard to Grill a fireoak Elf they tend to be immune to fire.

********

[Raven_Fireoak]

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE FOREST

"Are you sure you want to do this?' Questioned the strong gravely voice within her mind.

"You know I must," her sweetness of mind replied, "It is the only way I may leave my seed safely."

"You are no longer bound to their ways. Let us turn back."

" I have made up my mind. Please just fly." She spoke gently to the massive sandy colored dragon beneath her legs. "I will not leave you. You know my heart."

"Yes, that I do."

Her mind wandered back to the home in which she came from. The forest was new and the seven souls who called up the flame became the trees that housed them. The flame was good, life was good, and all within the flow was good. Than why did she leave this heaven? It was the need of the people. What was there a few dozen of her brethren? And the bloodline was limited, children prospered and souls joined with the flame and the trees grew. It was the beginning of the new age for elvenkind. No longer would they be hunted and killed like creatures of sport. The flame would protect and the powers of the seven great mages of people would also be there for all times.

She still could see back to when it all started, back before the great day it was done. The few of them left had fled across the great desert, yet the hunters continued to press after them. Many of the ones she loved dropped in the heat of the day and on the cold of the night. No real food or water, it was only a matter of time before they would all be left for the animals to chew on. One of the great seven, Zen was his name, came up with a plan. It was only a legend he spoke of, a child's story of fancy, a Myth. It could never be. But what did we have to lose. The seven agreed to try.

Each of the seven mages where powerful and each had a special gift on top of that. Zen had the gift to open portals within the time of space. Hair white as snow and skin to match. He towered over most of us but gentle as the breeze. His blue eyes could reach within you and touch your soul. Talons had the gift to transform life into shapes of life. He was one who’s hair was never the same and eyes of gold. Strong and fast was he on his feet. Efan held his own against the other men. His Hair shimmered like silver and eyes burnt red as fire. He had the power to shield all that stood near but only as long as his strength could hold. Mirth was a small little thing. She had hair of flame and eyes of purple but a spirit that was strong. She could control the elements. Bell stood taller than most women did but never as tall as Zen. Her hair was short and brown and eyes to match. Her special gift was of life it self. She could heal wounds and open wombs. Sarah was new to the people. She had lived elsewhere and came to warn the people of the new danger. She was the last of her own people. Her hair was the color of amber and eyes where cool and black. She was a seer of what was to be. Than there was Merlock. Grey was his hair and eyes were cold as the
steel he wielded. His muscles expanded to a full bulk of the warrior he was. His gift was of destruction.
With just a thought he could send a weak-minded to his death. He had been her stepfather.

"We are almost there little one," The voice spoke tearing her from her thoughts.

"Oh," she paused, "Is the chosen one in range?"

"He has not been called to arms yet. I will wait till we are closer before I draw him to you but the forest is reaching out. Close your mind."

She only smiled. How could one so great be so worried? Her thoughts drifted back into time. The hunters had turned back. The people where to weak to move any further and all around them was the barren land of sand and stone. The mages circled and made plans of the great undertaking.

First was the matter of seeding the women who would be left if they succeed in the great task. Each of the men took a woman and seeded the women with a new life. No one chose the black hair beauty, for Merlock would have killed anyone who would have touched his stepdaughter. He never showed her any kindness or love but he stood by and protected her. Each of the seven had a seed unto them self to leave the people.

The night fell and Merlock went to her, "Child!" he sounded and she stirred with a fright.

"Yes, father." Her jade green eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

"We will be weaving you a home at the coming of the sun," the harshness in his voice seemed so out of place. " Your mother gave me this when we had meet." He dropped a stone into her hand. " It is a dream stone. If you stare into it long enough you will see your dream. She told me when I saw my dream in it in full, I was to pass it on to my dream in order for the dream to live." He paused for a time and she dared not speak. " The stone is now your. Do not lose it and do not keep it or the dream will die." He turned around and left her. He almost looked sad as he walked away.

Before the break of the first light the mages gathered the people in a circle and stood in a circle with in the circle. Each dropped a necklace of acorns from their home forest in a pile. Zen started the chanting as he drew an old scroll from his belt. The earth began to rumble and the sky broke in two. One side of night and the other of day. The earth divided and a shoot of flame broke the ground and took the acorns. One seed fell to the feet of each mage and they
continued to work the magic. In the center of them the flame took on the form of an oak tree blazing in middle of a great fire. The branches of the flaming tree stretched out to each of the mighty mages. Zen ordered the people of the outer circle to enter the flame. At first no one moved but she saw the strain on Merlock's face and for a moment saw what her mother must of saw, a man who would give all. She was the first to enter the flame. The others gasped. The flame felt good, it felt loving, it flowed within ever fiber of her being. Soon she felt the others coming. She was
one with but unto herself within the flames.

The seven mages smiled when all had entered in. It was the last smile any of them held, for as they did this, there legs became roots and arms became branches and they grew. Seven mighty flaming oaks now stood around the flame and they could hear them in our mind. "It is now time to join our branches and live in peace. We can now protect as one and we will all be one for all times. One unto each other." They left the flame and climbed the branches. On some of the branches was fruit and all ate. There was water now but none that could be drank. The water steamed and burned anything that touched it. A snake slithered out of the flame and moved freely in the water, all things have exceptions. Other creatures came forth from the flame and it was good.

The hunters had not turned back. They had only gone to get supplies to track every last of them down. We saw them off in a great distance. Some feared and wanted to flea our new home but the flame whispered you must never leave the rim or you will be lost to us. You are safe as long as you stay." The hunters came and as they neared the circle of flaming oaks, many screamed in pain and fell. Others made it to the base of the tree but the heat made them weak and collapsed. Soon none of the hunters were left standing and the people of the trees took the flame of them, expect for the one. She looked on as they killed these beings like the animals they where hunted for. Revenge was all they thought and it was bad. The flame took the spirit flame of the dead and joined them in the heart of their new home.

Inside the Great oak Zen, was a hollow room, and each name was recorded. All who lives in the flame was
recorded. She read her name that was near the floor just right of Merlock , "Rav" Faint carvings where beginning about each of the women that had been seeded and the children of the mages now trees where linked to their parent. The line recorded for all to see.

"Wake sweet one," spoke the dragon's voice in her mind. "It has begun."

The great beast had already landed, she slide down to the hot sand of the barren place. The flaming forest rim was not far from her. She lay down on the ground covered in a shimmering silver cloth. She watched the flaming tress as she knew he was drawing near. Her friend took to the sky. The chosen ones name was Josho. The only seed of the seven that was near pure. The dragon friends had sat for hours reading the names to find him. He had been chosen for her. She looked in to her dream stone and closed her eyes and knew that they had chosen correctly.

Josho approached the rim. The trees screamed in warning of attack. Each proctor search for the evil that made the cry so loud. Further and further they spread out, near to the rim he did approach. Just a short run beyond the rim laid a mound. It was covered in silver and was not moving. Josho’s mind raced should he break the laws of the people and go to it or stand his ground at the rim. The mound moved and the body of a female was revealed. Josho was more torn. This could be a sister, one that the evil ones took from them and left her hurt out to die beyond the rim. No, he was a Procter he was sworn to protect life. He stepped out of the forest and an empty feel engulfed him. No longer could he feel the warmth of the spirits of the forest. He ran to the woman. He knelt down besides her and uncovered her face. Two perfect of almond, dotted with deep green of jewels, lips of rose and a smile that made him feel whole. Her long silk black hair draped her lovely form. He searched for injury on her with trembling hands. She was beautiful in his eyes and so unlike the people of his forest but she was elven.

She stroked his ears and the fire began to burn inside him. He went to stand but she pulled him. She had caught him by surprise, he fell a top of her.

“Great protector I need your warmth.” She said with a smile and than kissed him passionately. His head was spinning was he in a dream. Her hands moved over his in purpose of arousal and it worked. He gave in to the passion of his veins. He was not a mate but the fire whelmed in him, burnt wildly. He could not control him self, so he gave into himself. The passion played for hours each totally into each other. He collapsed next to her covered in muddy sweat of their lovemaking. She caressed his chest and whispered into his ear, “I am seeded. My lover. I will return to you. Wait for me her when at the ripening of our fruit.” He looked deep in her eyes; he melted in them and laid another kiss on her lips. She stood up. Looking down at his form. She turned and walked further into the barren.

“Wait,” He called after her, ”Where are you going? Come with me tot he forest.”

“I can not enter there, Josho. It is not where I belong.”

“How did you know my name? Who are you?”

“I am a seeker and I needed your seed, all things will be revealed in the fullness of time. Wait for me here in the ripening time of the child. I will return to you.” A great dragon landed and she climbed on his back. “Remember me.” The Dragon flew off with her.

Josho stood up and lifted the cloth of silver. His eyes filled as she soared out of his sight. He felt empty. Why did he feel so empty? He returned the forest and it was quiet. He felt the spirits but they where further from him. He heard the songs but they where not as sweet. “A seeker,” he thought, “none was missing. Who was she?” He had mated with all of the women of his age and none was fruitful. His seed was dead. Why did she think she had taken it? He returned to his duty. Every moment of every period of time, thoughts of her shadowed him. Hours he spent looking at the names of people wondering if the faint marking above each mater would come to fullness with one for him.

High above, she looked back at the man she mated. “Yes, love still surveys.” She held on to her great friend as they returned to the land of the Dragons. Time pasted and her belly filled with life. Each and every day of the pasting of time all the dragons came to see her, but she was always one unto herself. She looked into her dream stone as it started to fade. Pain reeked her body and screams filled the valley as she brought forth the little one.

Her eyes open. The great beast looked down at her and spoke, “You have done well. It is a female. We will caller Ravgeon.”

“Let her be Raven,” she whispered, “It is more of a girls name.”

“As you wish my little one. She has a friend my dear.”

“A friend?”

“Yes, he came forth when she did. They will be bound for all times.”

“We need to return my friend,” She looked down upon her daughter with tears streaming, “ She will not be safe till she is with her father. “ She uncovered her child and saw the living art. “ What is this on her?”

“ It is a mark of greatness, She will understand in the fullness of time, as you will.”

Josho checked the rim each every day of the fullness of time. “Would she really return?” A great beast landed she slide down with basket in her hand. He left the forest once again and meet her half way. His spirit leaped at the sight of her. She walked slowly and looked in pain. “You did return.”

She smiled and lay the basket at his feet. She took his hand and laid a stone in it. "My mother gave this to my step father when they had meet and he gave it to me. It is a dream stone. If you stare into it long enough you will see your dream. He told me when I saw my dream in it in full, I was to pass it on to my dream in order for the dream to live." She paused for a time. " The stone is now your. Do not lose it and do not keep it or the dream will die. Protect our child and let no other but you be her parent." She kissed him softly as she closed his hand on the stone; she turned around and left them.

He couldn’t move. He bent down and uncover two sets of eyes one of gold and one of green. The golden eyes produced a snout and hissed. He watched her fade into the sky. His heart hurt but when he looked at the full locks of black and green eyes in the basket, he felt whole. He returned to his people but not as a proctor but as the child’s parent. No one would take her from him.

It was the dawn of a new age. The flow was complete a seed from all had been added in the flame.

[Samuraiko]

To answer Trencher's earlier questions...

She works both with a team (a loose group and on-again-off-again with the Champions) and as a solo. She can usually take care of herself, but the extra backup is always nice.

Shroud has a backstory. Oh, does she ever... I'll have to get it from John because he tells it better, but the biggest thing that makes Shroud so dangerous is...

*SPOILER ALERT*

(If RebeccaRed50, Slim McCoy, Amused, or The Gekko are reading this, stop now)

Shroud is actually Leila D'Arcy. Deranged and insane after being trapped in the shadow world, she has amplified or twisted versions of all of Midnight's powers, and absolutely no moral scruples about using them however she wants. (In psychological terms, she suffers from a schizotypal borderline personality disorder of severe proportions, plus amnesia, multiple personalities, and being a casual killer.)

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko

[Raven_Fireoak]

Untold Tales Part TwoThe untold story of the forest (2)

Josho was no fool. He knew of the room in the tree of legends and prophecy. As he walked away from the rim with child now in arm, he feared his own people. Only the elders and the protectors where allowed to read those stories and of course unless you had the pure flame of an elder your eyes would deceive you in what you read. He had read the story of the child of pure. The one who would be of the eight and bring forth the new beginning for the people. She would heal the wounds and open the hearts and do many great things for the people. She would be marked for greatness, greater than just the tasks she would do for the people of the forest. The people of the forest would fear her and hurt her and turn her away but she would bring the people to a new whole. Her hair would be as black as coal , eyes of green emerald sparkles and marked.

Of course this had to be wrong and his eyes must of misread. There was only seven not eight. No elf known to them had black hair or green eyes. Only elders where pure and only the pure where able to enter the flame tongue unharmed.

He looked at his black hair, green eyed , elven daughter, he doubted all that was biut belived in what he held. Ever since he left the rim, he doubted many things he was told. The fire that lingered in his veins, for the woman with his seed, he had never had the burning for any other woman and he mated with all of his peers.

No one of the trees every told a story of such. There was a dark one but how much truth is in them? The burning reminded him that all things where not told. His dreams during rest was only of her and the pain in his spirit grew. He sat for hours with the dragons looking at the names on the walls of Zen. He saw the faint lines by his and wondered how this could be. She to would have to be bound to the forest for it to show. Next to the man and next to the woman the lines of the child's name would form. Where was this woman's name? He looked and looked. He knew the moment that his seed had been born. He had been sitting and watching the lines when the lines became clear "RAVEN". He had a child, a fruit of his seed. He waited by the rim each working cycle waiting and wondering if she would come to him. His excitement grew each day till she showed up on the wing of a great one.

Her name still unknown to him but his passion became a renewed flame at the mere sight of her. He wanted to take her back with him, back to the forest. In her eyes he could see that she would never go. He gave him his seed and kissed him, a lonely kiss, and left. The spirit pain held him silent and empty, till he looked down in the little green eyes and black tuff of locks. Somehow he felt more whole. She had given him of herself, her seed. Now what was he going to do? How was he going to explain? Would they put him through the test of the dark and take his child? What would they do to her? Why did he doubt the people of the forest? They were loving people but still he feared for the little one. He felt a gentle touch by the spirits of the flame. Though they sought to comfort him, they seemed so far from him.

He climbed into the trees and holding the little one tight. He dropped everything he had but baby and sword in his hut and headed to the elders' council. The little dragon friend curled around his neck. He marched into the meeting of the elders. All looked up at him. He was the most rewarded protector that had ever been, most held him in high esteem but some feared him. Any who challenged him in games fell to the way side in moments.

"I have been blessed with a seed. I will be her parent. Any questions?" he announced. His voice echoed in the quiet of the room.

The ancient one of the elders, stood up. "Have you broken the way of the people? You are a protector and have not choose to rest as a mate since you first matured." He moved forward to him. Josho keep his eyes all about and watched Lebleg approach.

"Yes, I have broke the way. In many ways I did. I was a protector and took a women elven. She is and is not of our people and she brought forth my seed and I will be parent to my seed." The sweet little thing in his arms opened her eyes and stared out.

"It has black hair and green eyes!" Lebleg exclaimed in horror. "It is the child of the dark."

"NO!" Josho eyes narrowed, " She is a child of light for she is my seed. Check the tree of Zen. Her name is listed."

The council went to the tree of Zen with Josho leading the way. They all look up to see the name of Raven fresh and deep in the wall of names. Each started to search for the mother. The dragon that sat in the middle of the room chuckled, and left for a stroll. All searched the walls high and found nothing.

Lebleg sat on a chair and rested as the others stood on ladders tracing the lines to find the mother. Lebleg look down at his hands and his eyes traveled across to the baseboard. Quickly he stood. "Okay now, we looked. It is time to go. We will test the child to see if it is light and dark. We will test you to brother." He eyed Josho. "If either of you fail, you will be sent out as dark."

The other members gasped in astonishment. No child could go through the tests. They are too weak and this one was a new flame but none stood up in defense of the baby. Josho nodded, dropping the sword and holding his Raven closer. He heard them squabbling., some thinking that Lebleg had left his mind, others fearing the power the dark would gain if Josho was sent out. Their voices faded as he made his way to his hut, stopping only to get food and supplies for his daughter.

If they pasted the test, all he had would be traded in for all that he would need. If they passed. He sat holding the little wonder in his arms. He could hear her heart beating in his ears. They where one to each other. Parent and child a whole. It was good. He whispered a prayer of safety for his little one.

The trees buzzed with stories.

"What so you see?" Rav asked her dragon friend.

"It goes as we knew it would little one."

"Are they safe?" Her spirit ached to join Josho and her child.

The great beast sighed and shook his head. He thought to himself ,"What a silly question she asks, they can never be safe." His eyes closed and his mind opened wide. "My kin tell me that after you left the child, your mate sat in his hut for days, only holding and tending the child, waiting for them to come. He did not cared for himself, either food, drink or rest did he partaken of. He did not released the child for even a moment. They were safe in that moment of time. Do you wish me to look forward?"

The smile that was creeping across her face disappeared as he finished. " I am sorry, my mind was besides it self again. Thank you, for retrieving that for me. You will tell me the story in the fullness of time won't you?"

"I will. You need to rest and your body needs to heal. Now lay with me little one and sleep." She curled up into his arm, cradled in it like a child, and slept. He looked down at her and smiled. In his mind he thought, "you are not ready to hear the stories of life that your child of the pure will write. In the fullness of time my little one, in the fullness of time."

[Raven_Fireoak]

Want more I have a two more chapters to the untold story

[Raven_Fireoak]

There was a time in which Archers minds was wiped and did not remember that he knew raven or that she carried his childern. After leaving his daughter with his people, she placed there son with the great one Coz (great one is the title of all dragons in her realm). She than took to the road to try to forget him and the burning in her blood she carried for him. This is one of her adventures.


Lord Cravenhaw
I stood on the shore of the water and turned to the east. The pain in me ached through every fiber as I closed my eyes and remembered the first. In his arms he raised me high above the trees. He held me in mid air and I was lost within his eyes, lost within in arms. I felt my blood stir as the cool wind blew across my bare skin. The warmth of the sun bathed me as the sun broke to the new day of the green. I opened my eyes and took in a deep breath. I was above the city. I began to descend quickly. I closed my eyes, brought back the feeling of floating. In my mind I felt the small push that took me up. I opened my eyes and I climbed higher. I held myself over the city watching it come alive. The sun shone and the city stirred, I lowered my self back to the land of the green.
I walked the streets. I was but a reflection of what I was. I stood outside my self and made my way through this play to a place of rest. The room was small but it was large enough for my need. I fell upon the bed, still dressed. I heard a faint cry of a baby. The pain in me ached through every fiber as I closed my eyes. The cry grew louder. I held my hands over my ears and buried my head with a pillow. I longed for my babies. I felt the living art shifting. I thought of the sweet ones I left. I could see the sweet green eyes. Her hair of the dawn and his of the night. Her tiny face in slumber. My mind awoke and formed a picture split into two parts. She laid in a cradle with Turlinde standing over her. His hand tucking in a blanket around her. The other half of the picture was of my son. He wiggled and squirmed in the great palm of the dragon that held him. I could see my children and knew they were safe. Tears streamed down my faces as I watched them in joy and sorrow. Sleep came to me through the tears I could not hold back. But I did dream.
**The sky was dark and stars splattered, all about were great white barked trees with silver and green leaves that sparkle from the lights of thousands of tiny fires. High up in the branches was a veritable city is a glow and at the base of the trees hundreds danced and sang. All were very tall, in many cases taller then my love whose arm I held. Every single one there was elven. My one and only spoke, "This is Laurelindorenan, the Land of the Valley of Singing Gold, love, welcome."**
I moved from my slumber, tears staining my face and knelt upon the floor. I held my heart as I felt it was about to bust. My mind ached from the power throbbing within. I felt the art sliding upon me. I did not understand. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted this to end. I wanted peace. I wanted solitude. I wanted . . .
I saw the gate open before me. It grew larger. I leaned into the gate and slipped through to the road. The buses repeated the air was dry and warm. I took the jar from my cloak and placed it where I stood. It was only pickles and I had long since grown tired of the taste. I sat next to the jar. I fished from my bag my log and began to write like an elder.
"My Name is Raven. I am of the line of the Fireoak elves. I live in the land of the cold and green and it is called earth. I have my two children hidden on the road. I have a love that is lost to me. I have been marked for greatness with the living art of dragons. If I lose my mind on this road. I pray to the flame this entry will open my mind to myself. My mind is the tool of ages, not all I will list but with my mind I can speak in the minds of other, move things with thought and open the gate to the road. I go now to the calling of my mind."
I stood to the fullness of my height and scanned the land. I could almost feel the place of my daughter and that of my son. I turned away from both. I could not return to them yet. I was called to this place for a reason. But I did not know why. I walked the road. It felt good here. No pain. I turned off the road and found a nice little spot to rest. I cleared my mind. I thought of nothing. I became real to my surroundings. The gate open and I entered.
I opened my eyes to where I did not know. The tears of the sky fell cold upon my face. He wore a long shapeless cloak of gray velvet, once perfectly extravagant, now played downed with wear and rain. His hair was yellow and long, full of random light and unruly in the dampened state, even studded with drops of dew. His golden eyebrows framed his long curling eyelashes. The lightening flashed and his cobalt blue eyes rested on mine. I felt his strong arms lift me from the ground and carry me.
I heard him speak as I drifted off into the blackness, "Such a lovely wet rat you are."
I opened my eyes and I was in a soft bed. A roaring fire sent shadows dancing across the walls of the darkened room. My cloak and bag lay on a stand next my head. I looked under the cover and saw I still wore my body suit. I rolled under the warm quilt and looked to the floor to find my gloves and boots. The room reminded me of somewhere.
The door opened and light flooded into the room. He stood within the frame; his body was a silhouette cast by the light. "So my wet rat is awake." He walked to the bedside and sat besides me. "So, What shall we call you?"
I looked into his eyes; I felt a pain in my soul, "I don't know."
"Well, than let's look into your belongings." He picked up the bag, "I waited till you where awake." He pulled a shirt from it. "Hummm, looks a little big for such a tiny thing as you. As are these." He pulled the robe and other shirt. A book fell to the floor. "Ah, what is this?" I sat up. His eyes danced upon my form. "I think you need to stay covered. I might forget I am a gentleman." His eyes flashed in lust as he smiled. He opened the book. "Such a strange hand it is in. Here read it to me." He handed me the book.
I opened the book and stared at the word, "My Name is Raven. I am of the line of the Fireoak elves."
He smiled brightly as I read. His eyes closing as if the sound was music to him. "Fireoak Elf? I never heard of such a creature and Raven is no name for one so lovely as you. We will have to do better than that. I shall call you Yesmine. You are now under my protection. So rest and I will get you suitable clothing." He pulled the jeans from the bag. He shook his head. "You will not need to dress as a man. No one will dare touch you now." He looked at the staff inspecting it closely. "Yes I will have use of you." He laid it against the wall. "I will be in the next room if have need. Now rest."
"I could use something warm to drink." I found my voice.
He smiled, "I will have it brought to you. Rest. We will talk in the morning." He walked back to the door closing it behind him.
I was not sleepy. I sat in the bed and read. A young woman scurried carrying a small tray with a pot and a cup. Her hair was drawn up and her clothing plain. The skirt she wore was long and touched the ground. Her hand shook as she poured the cup and handed it to me.
"Would you like anything else?" she bowed slightly.
"Could you tell me where I am and who the kind gentleman is that brought me here?"
The girl's eyes flashed in fear but spoke in a trembling voice, "You are in the Lands of Cravenhaw and the Lord himself brought you in from the storm." She paused, "If that will be all, miss?" she bowed again.
"Thank you." The girl did not wait for me to finish and scurried quickly from me. I drank the dark brew. It was bitter but warm. I walked to the window. The storm had passed and a few raindrops fell.
I opened it wide and looked out. There were mountains to the east and south. The range was not especially tall or harsh. Its peaks were old and time of many seasons had worn them down. The valley below was thick with the woodlands. The darkness and shadows hide most details from my eye. Off to the west tiny lights could be seen, my mind told me a town or village. I closed the window.
I gathered the items he had dropped to the floor. Folding the shirts of . . . I thought on that hard and pressed them to my face and inhaled. A faint scent was on them. I smile at the thought and the pain quickly rushed in to fill me. The book said, "lost love." I gathered all that was mine. I slide the jeans on and one of the shirts. The boots slipped on nice and my gloves felt good. The rest of my things, except the cloak, I placed in the bag careful to secure my book. Around my shoulders I placed my cloak drawing it tightly around me. In my hand I took my staff and opened the door.
Another fireplace roared in lively flames. The shadows danced in the full color of the blaze. There stood two chairs and a table before the hearth. Each angled to view the flame and reach the table between. A plush carpet sat beneath the chairs to cover the cold gray stone of the floor.
As I stepped into the room. My arm was wrenched behind my back as a knife came to my throat. The staff fell and skittered across the stone and rolled unto the carpet. "So where do you think you are going rat?"
I found no words. He spun me around and drew me hard into him his knife now pointed to just behind my ear. His eyes where glazed over and his smile that of the dark. "Last chance to answer." The knife began to press against my skin.
"I could not sleep. So I thought I would walk." He threw me away, in a motion so sudden I spun to the floor next to my staff. I landed hard to floor.
His eyes scanned my form and he picked up a metal tanker from a shelf of books. He sat on a long bench that was just to the left of the door below the shelves. He watched me. I sat up and moved my hand to my staff.
"Pick that up, rat and it will be the last thing you do." I drew my hand back. He eyed me as he dropped the mug to the floor. He stood to the fullness of his height; slowly he loomed over me. "Now little rat!" he reached down. His hand roughly wrenched my wrist pulling me to my feet. He pulled back his other hand readying for a strike. "You will tell me who sent you!"
"No one sent me." My voice inflected the pain in my wrist.
His hand sailed through the air striking my face hard. "YOU LIE!" He screamed as he pulled me into him. "Do you think I am a fool? The De Danann is no more." He twisted my arm high up my back causing great pain to shoot through my shoulder. His other hand brushed my hair back and he stared at the tips of my ear. His fingers ran around the edge of it.
"Please," I begged, "You are hurting me. No one sent me." I felt a tear welling in my eye.
The anger left his face and a sweetness took its place. "And her beauty did make the Gods weep". He loosened his grip on my arm but still held it. His lips lowered down to mine. I turned away. His anger flashed once more. My body sailed across the room to the padded bench he had sat on. My head hit the wall and I felt warmth running down my face as I felt my self-slipping into a fog. He lumbered over me and lifted me in his arms. I drifted off into blackness as I felt his lips press hard against mine.
Again I awoke in the same chambers. The fire had died to embers. My head ached. The pounding was immense. I sat up and my head spun. The side of it throbbed with soreness. I stood up. My clothing even my cloak was still on me. My bag was still tucked hidden under my cloak. I looked for my staff but it was not with me. I walked to the window and opened it. The sun was just lighting the morning sky. I opened my lips and sung to the sun. I sung to . . . Who was it that I sung to? The pain welled inside me and tears flowed as the sun broke into the fullness of morning.
He cleared his throat. I slowly turned to face him. He held my staff in hand and stared at me. The silence echoed in the room, broke only by the embers snapping occasionally. I started to back away from the window. He watched my every move. His face was a blank but his blue eyes danced at my movement.
I could stand the silence no more. "What is it you want of me?" He smiled and moved toward me. I backed up. He continued his approach. My back felt the wall against it and I started to slide along it. He said nothing. Moving quickly, he pinned me against the stone, with an arm at either side of me.
"Are you afraid me, blood of the De Danann?" He leaned his head; his lips touched my forehead.
"No," I said in a low voice.
"Good, I won't want my treasure to fear me." Lord Cravenhaw spoke, as he pushed himself back, his empty hand coming up to stroke my check. My check ached even at the gentle touch of his hand. "One should not enter a room without warning me first." His hand cupped my chin. "Fair Yesmine, you will learn how to please your new Lord and in turn I your new Lord will grace you with gifts. If for even a moment you entertain the thought of betraying me, I will take the breath from your body." He stepped back. "Come with me so you may eat." He took my hand and tugged. His stride was long and I need to take hurried steps to his one else I would have been dragged.
Men at arms lined the corridor and servants ran from his glare. Up and down winding stairs and through halls we went. I was lost in the maze he pulled me through. He slammed open a set of great wooden doors that opened into a grand hall. In the center stretched a long polished table with many chairs to each side of its length. My mind spun. I had seen something like this before but where . . .
"You will sit here!" Lord Cravenhaw proclaimed. He pulled a chair to the left of the end. I sat in the chair and he sat at the end. "This is my seat." He stared at me as I looked around the room. "FOOD! NOW!" he ordered. The servants appeared with plates, cups, and silver. The food was rushed out. My plate was laden with piles of all. He smiled as he began to eat still watching me. "What's wrong, does not the De Danann need to eat in this realm?" he shook his golden mane back. He held his head high and waited for me to speak.
"I do need to eat but I am fear this is way too much. I have no idea where to begin in all of it."
His laughter filled the room as it echoed off the walls. "I thought you might worry I was poisoning you."
He took some of the food of my plate and ate it. "Which I am not. Your turn Yesmine. Eat." I picked up my fork and took a bit of the food. It was tasteless and bland. I forced it down. He moved closer to me and brushed my hair behind my ear and ran his hand again across the pain in my face. "Sing for me. Sing like you did this morning." He leaned back into his chair.
"I know no songs of your people."
He bounded to his feet and slammed his hands on the table. "I TOLD YOU TO SING. I AM NOT USE TO REPEATING MY SELF." He screamed, his voice lowered and his eyes narrowed, "I will forgive this time but you will do as you are told the moment I tell you. Do you understand, Rat." He roughly pressed his hand to my check and the pain grew. "This little bruise is nothing compared to what you will receive if you disobey. Understand?"
I turned my head away from him. I understood but I was not going to obey. His anger flared as he went to grab me. I slipped down under the table. He erupted in anger and knocked the chair across the room. "Come here Rat!" he ordered, "I am really trying to be nice but I will not have this!"
I rolled out from the table on the other side, "And I won't have it either. I am not yours."
He leaped over the table sending the plates of food to the floor. He stood in front of me and plunged at me. I jumped and flipped over him as he fell staggered. "So Little Rat. You show your true colors."
"I show nothing. " I stated eyeing my options in the room. I heard the footsteps of many running toward the door. The servants peeked inside the room and watched our dance. "I am not your servant, nor anyone else's!" He dove to grab me and I jumped to the table.
His anger grew. The door opened and men rushed in. The surrounded the table and pulled me off it. "Let her go!" he ordered, The men released me. "No man will touch her. You hear me! I am the only one to get that pleasure." The all stood still. "See Rat. In a word I could order them to kill you to. Now you come here and sit back down or I will order them all to touch you." His eyes danced with an evil. "Trust me you won't like the touch."
I moved through the men each stepping away to keep me from even brushing them. "I will sit but I will not obey. I am not yours." One of the men moved a chair to the place of the missing one and I sat.
He laughed. "Away with you all. Let me and the lady be alone." He sat back down looking at me. I stood upright in the chair. "You know I should kill you."
"Than why don't you?"
His smile grew across his face, "Because in all the lands I have fought in, in all the women I have taken to my bed, I have never seen such as you." He again moved closer to me. " I had planned on doing this so differently." He left his chair and circled around to the back of mine and whispered in my ear. "I had wanted you to see the gentle side of me but I fear that side is nearly gone. Your beauty stirs it in me."
His hand gently stroked my good cheek. "It has been a life time ago since I felt this in me." He placed his cheek against mine. "I am use to taking what I want and destroying that which I don't." He knelt besides my chair. "You my Rat was wisely chosen by my enemy. Whoever sent you knows me too well." His blue eyes where soft as they looked into my green.
"No one sent me."
His hand reached up and brushed my hair back revealing my ear, "Why do you lie to me?"
"I lie not." I shivered from the touches of his hand to my ear.
"Really. I don't believe you." He stood up and looked down at me. "There is only two types of people in this world. Those who seek to kill me and those who fear me. Which one are you?"
I stood up. He sat upon the table. I looked to his eyes, "I do not wish your flame nor do I fear you." I stood there and waited.
He took his hands and gathered my hair in both. "Why do I want you so and still not take what is my right as the lord of this land?"
"I don't know." I moved a step back but his hold to my hair keep me close. He released my hair.
He stood to his feet, "I do not trust you, Rat but I will keep you close to me. Now let us start again. "
He held the chair. "Would you like something to eat, Yesmine?"
I hide a secret smile within, "Yes, Lord Cravenhaw. That would be ever so nice." The servants replace the plates and food and cleaned quickly and departed.
He eyed me again. "I really don't know what I will do with a female so brave as you."
"What would do if I was a male?"
"I would train him to be my agent in war and watch him carefully."
"What will you do with me again?"
"I will keep you close to me and watch you carefully" He smiled, "Women do not do combat, Yesmine. You are born for the pleasure of the eye and the pleasure of the body."
"Thank the flame I am not a woman but a female of the elf kind. It is not my propose in life to be just a toy."
"Very well than." His grins broaden, "We will train you in war. You will not only be keep close to me but will have to earn your way to my side in combat." His face lightened. "Will you please honor me with a song?"
I closed my eyes and opened my self to a song within:
I Wish To Walk This Land
Let Me Sing A New Song
Let Me Dance Across The Plains
Let Me Dance Across Mountains
Let Me Dance Across Low Valleys
Let Me Dance So That I May Sing
Let Our Hearts Sing
Let Us Dance Across The Earth
Let Us Dance Across The Sky
Let Us Sing
Let Us Dance
It Is Good
So We Dance On Together
Let Me Sing A New Song
Let Me Dance
His eyes were closed. His face looked peaceful. His long yellow hair was brushed smooth and shone like silk , the light caught it and reflected upon it like the sunrise across the ripples of a pool of water.
This was the first of many days I spent at his side. Lord Eammonn Cravenhaw kept true to his words. He took me the training grounds of his men in the morning and in the afternoon he had me with him as he made plans of war. In the night he dressed me like a doll and paraded me as a treasure. Than in the lateness of the dark we would sit in the chambers and play his game of chess and he would speak words of his wisdom.
Days turned to months and time moved by. The pain inside me never faded and each morning I was drawn to the sunrise to sing unto it. My mind slowly opened, regaining the abilities I lost and the dawning of new ones surged in my veins. With each awakening he helped plan the many uses I could now call upon. His hand never again raised against me and he kept me close at all times. He moved me to a new place to sleep, two bedrooms joined by a sitting room. He stayed in one and I in the other.
Each night I could not sleep I reread the book I carried. Some nights we sat in the chairs watching the fire die.
One late night as he was heavy into the drink and stared heavily at me. I had lost again in the board game and his eyes danced across my form, "Your life today is a direct consequence of your past choices; your tomorrow depends on the choices you make right now. But unhealthy decisions from the past can make you question your own instincts and can paralyze your ability to make effective choices."
He leaned forward and went to his knees, "Yesmine, I am paralyzed by you. I wish you to be my Lady. For us to have many strong sons. I have fought these things and wanted to mistrust you. So many times I have tested you, you coming back stronger and more my equal. You have changed my lonely life and filled it with a happiness. But I want more. I want to taste your passion. I want you to freely give your self to me. Be my Lady."
My pain grew more for I did not share his longings, "Eammonn, I do not love you."
He stood and leaned over kissing my check, "Don't worry you will learn to love me. Till than just agree and I will take care of all the details." His eyes were glassed but his word rung true to his spirit.
‘If you remember what you have said in the morning ask me again." I turned and kissed his cheek.
He pulled me from the chair and drew me tightly into his arm and kissed me, a fire burning. "I will remember. I will start the plans in the morning and by the spring we will be wed." He released me. "We best part now. I don't think I can hold my urges if you stay."
I quickly scurried off to my room my spirit ached. The pain inside me grew. I was lost on what action to take. If I refused him what would he do? If I accepted what would I do? I laid across the bed and cried. I could hear the sound from his room as he took another in his passions as he had done so many times. This time the thought of it made my skin crawl and my pain grow.
The wedding plans where set into motion. His spirit was bright and his manners too all kinder. He made his plans of war for after the wedding. "With my bride at my side I will use her powers to make all that would stand against me fall. Nothing will be able to stop us." He boasted to all.
I went through the motion of happiness, I tried to share in the excitement but I was lost. The aching inside me grew as the winter faded. The gown of white was made. It was simple silk gown. I looked into the full-length mirror as the seamstress made final adjustments. It felt all wrong to me. But come the sunset of the next day he would have his bride.
That night a great feast was prepared and many new dishes served. All the men of arms and their women sat around the table. Music played and voices filled the room. A small tart was placed before me. I took a taste. "What is this?"
"Boysen Berry pie," Eammonn stated as he continued with his conversation with another.
I stood and ran from the room in tears. Silence fell over the room as I darted away. I ran to my room and locked the door. I grabbed my book.
"My Name is Raven. I am of the line of the Fireoak elves. I live in the land of the cold and green and it is called earth. I have my two children hidden on the road." Thistle Lothere, Gene Aldarien, How could I have forgot you. " I have a love that is lost to me." My Cufaen, My beloved Cufaen, I cried.
Eammonn pounded on the door. "Yesmine, What is wrong? Let me in!. I ORDER YOU TO LET ME IN!" I dried my tears and open the door. He rushed in and grabbed me pulling me into him. He looked down at my sad green eyes my eyes looked past him. "NO! I am not going to lose you now." He shook and pulled us both to the floor. He could see it in my eyes. "You are mine!" His hands ran through my hair as he pressed me to his chest. "The Tuatha De Danann cannot have you back." He rocked me in his arms.
The night pasted and he held me on the floor his eyes never closing. He lifted me and stood before the window. The sun broke over the mountains and filled the sky. "See my sweet Yesmine. They can not take you in the light and tonight I will be there to guard you. Make ready for the wedding. I will be waiting for you." He turned and walked from the room.
I removed the dress of the evening and place my jeans and shirt on, my cloak covered all. All that I carried was that which I brought to this world. Tears filled me and I stepped to the Road. ** Eammonn sat beneath the open window, the sun bathing him in light. His hands held a simple dress of white silk to his face as streams of tears flowed from his eyes**

[Ghost Archer]

:D Told ya!

[Trencher]

Has been over a decade since I've seen anyone from that old group. Concept and back story migrated to a number of different GM's. Were periods of years where I didn't get to play at all.
Sorry to hear that, but at least you play superhero games, the great thing with them is that characters concepts are so easily transferred compared to other genres.


the Demon Horde is the classic "Locust Invader" - they control millions of dimensions where they strip them of resources and move onto the next. That’s cool, such enemies I would like to fight for once.


The Demons aren't "religiously" Demonic completely - it's not a God/Devil thing in the Christian sense of it. Demons are more a race of things - with many different kinds so they look like anything your nightmares can conjure. Are they malleable or are their form fixed, how about soul hopping and spirit stuff and such? Can they do that? How tough are they compared to your character? How many of them has she killed?


They are organized like Countries after a sort - not entirely unified, there are 8 factions fighting for power in the games Dimension, something the characters are using to their advantage. Are they divided along racial or political lines? You mentioned earlier that you had successfully played them out against each other, how did you do that?


Dolphin is the second character I'd like to talk about. He's a mutant with an adaptability power. Have you written up the adaptability power or are it just an sfx for his sea powers?


Having never been hurt, physically or emotionally, he never got angry. Do you mean seriously angry or _never_ angry at all?


His parents had raised him on a new age blend of Buddhism and Gaia ecology, and he wnt to great lengths to not hurt anyone or anything. It is good to see a character who takes the 20 point cvk seriously.


and he still has a "thing" for telepaths. How do you know it’s not they who have a thing for him? (Cue twilight zone music)


He was wonderig what a city at the end of a road littered with the burned out husks of school buses would be like.
Sounds like my kind of story. :yes:


Well, you might need a little history. Genocide in my world, is run by an old friend. Obviously he and Archer have become bitter enemies. Is it an original character or is it one from the books.



Archer altered their DNA to prove the three were genetically his and Raven's. The kids always have the option to have their original DNA restored but none wish to. Heck, all three love being elves though Josho is drawn to his godfather's Native American culture. If any ask to be returned to their natural DNA, I imagine it will be Josho.
Well Indian elf can work too. Besides there is advantages to being an elf, like plus in com and life support vs aging, I imagne people would banging down your door to be elfisized if they knew you could do that.




I think you have missed something along the way. Actually I was just fishing for info on your GM’s style. You as and elf fan should appreciate my subtle steering of the conversation. ;)


We don't think of characters as NPC's. Every one is a PC. Also, it isn't a matter of GM/Player, it is a matter of collective creative writing. That’s interesting is it table top or play by mail?


Raven is not afraid to rip out the heart strings and jump up and down on them. It was after this storyline that I asked her NOT to do that again for a while. Things got so intense it was all I could do not to walk away from it. I think she has another evil plot in mind, again. She truly is an GM in her heart :yes:



Or something is more accurate. When it comes to roleplaying we are yin and yang. Nice comparison.



In fact, her family plays with us. You hear talk of the 'perfect dance partner' or the 'perfect team'. well, Raven and I are a 'prefect team' when it comes to RPing and writing together. I am the wordsmith, she the evil idea smith. That is great that you can help each other creatively grow.


Her imagination regularly exceeds her words, I help them come to life. I tend to stick to safer, more traditional stories, she beats me over the head with her intricate plots and generally intense stories. No kidding, most players I know would either run crying from the table or try to strangle me if I killed off their in game children.



Boy, did you open Pandora's box! Sic 'em, baby! Just call me curious Trencher.



P.S. Thanks for starting this thread, its a great idea. No problem, but I think I should thank you people who tell us about your characters yes?

[Ghost Archer]

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Well, you might need a little history. Genocide in my world, is run by an old friend. Obviously he and Archer have become bitter enemies.

Is it an original character or is it one from the books.

Original character.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Archer altered their DNA to prove the three were genetically his and Raven's. The kids always have the option to have their original DNA restored but none wish to. Heck, all three love being elves though Josho is drawn to his godfather's Native American culture. If any ask to be returned to their natural DNA, I imagine it will be Josho.

Well Indian elf can work too. Besides there is advantages to being an elf, like plus in com and life support vs aging, I imagne people would banging down your door to be elfisized if they knew you could do that.


We don't advertise. :D



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
We don't think of characters as NPC's. Every one is a PC. Also, it isn't a matter of GM/Player, it is a matter of collective creative writing.

That’s interesting is it table top or play by mail?

We play online, WebRPG mostly.



Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
Raven is not afraid to rip out the heart strings and jump up and down on them. It was after this storyline that I asked her NOT to do that again for a while. Things got so intense it was all I could do not to walk away from it. I think she has another evil plot in mind, again.

She truly is an GM in her heart

Oh, yeah, that she is.

[Trencher]

Well, in this realm I am but a friend over the internet lines, and we have meet in this realm.In the Realm of the Wild Hunt, I am his woman, his mistress. So if you step into the other dimension, you are correct. He is my beloved. Well I get it now. :yes:



Creepy? What ever do you mean? If you had the power to make one that you love as your child to be your child, well if you just say, I genetically modified the children it comes across as a little creepy.


why would you not do it if out side forces where trying to steal your childern? Something creepy or creepyer.



Yes the forest is continually burning with flames that does not consume yet the fire water will skin you alive. How did you come up with the idea? Have you ever been in a forest fire or seen one?



By the way it's hard to Grill a fireoak Elf they tend to be immune to fire.
I guessed that, I was trying to make a joke. :yes:

As for the stories you posted I have to print them out to read them. I do that Friday the 7'th. :yes:



She works both with a team (a loose group and on-again-off-again with the Champions) and as a solo. She can usually take care of herself, but the extra backup is always nice. What kind of enemies does they face? Are the rest of the team as dark and shadowy as Midnight?


Shroud has a backstory. Oh, does she ever... I'll have to get it from John because he tells it better, Well you are a good author yourself..


Shroud is actually -----. Who else should she be?

[Trencher]

We don't advertise. Smart move.


We play online, WebRPG mostly. There you take away the "leaping over the table to strangle the GM" problem right there. :yes:

[Ghost Archer]

Smart move.
There you take away the "leaping over the table to strangle the GM" problem right there. :yes:

Very true or she might have been at least tied up and gagged for a while.

I just sent her the questionaire for her characters so will see what she has to say about things in the next few days.

[Cancer]

So what you are saying is that you won, but you think it’s a draw because some of the opposition managed to run away? Superheroes “win” by saving lives, it is not like you get xp for killing enemies.
I tend to think of mooks like I think of the disposeable wrappers on candy bars. You can't have an adventure without mooks, even though all you do is wade through them; therefore capturing all of them is of no importance. But every action you spend dealing with them is one less action spent on taking care of the real deal, the villain supers.

That adventure was a draw because of the outcome. It was an attack by the bad guys on the local jail's holding tank for supers. They succeeded in busting out the one super the jail was holding. It cost them a different super captured, and all their mooks. Having busted out their comrade, they left, and that's what they wanted. We were left in possession of the field, so to speak, and possession of a different super from their team. To me, that's at best a draw, depending on the relative importance of escaped and captured bad guy supers (again, I'm assigning zero weight to mooks). The GMs tried to tell us that capturing ALL the mooks was a positive accomplishment, but I just don't see it that way.


Sounds like the villains tried to set you up as murderers and butchers. Are you angry about getting hard resistance or are you angry about having to waste some rounds mopping up mind controlled thughs?

That could be, and that's a viable strategy for the bad guys.

I admit that as angry as I was, all I could think to do to stop the attacks by the unconcious animated mook bodies was turn the unconcious mooks into disarticulated body parts, or secondly perform crippling attacks (destroying knee joints, etc.) so that it became physiologically impossible for a body to stand up under its own muscle power: no amount of leg muscle strength will help you if none of those muscles are anchored to the bones any more. (This is, BTW, the real-life problem posed by thugs on PCP, and the only sure answer is massive firepower.)

I didn't do this, if only because my character had no means to do it. As a team we've designated that we're all carrying plastic restraining strips for use in the future, but as I've pointed out this means spending a full action by a super just to make sure some inherently-worthless sack of mook doesn't get up and try bashing on us after we've set him to negative STUN.


Make a grease gun.

That is an exceedingly useful suggestion :thumbup: even if it means the next time we'll be attacked by flying mooks.

[Samuraiko]

Well, the team for the most part is rather dark, with the exception of Amused's character (she's a little happy-go-lucky). Let's see, we have a professional hunter who has survived THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, a botched experiment of Viper (I think), two half-demons, the daughter of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell (stranded from Neverland), and me.

We are a weird bunch.

When I get hold of Shroud's story, I'll post it.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko

[ghost-angel]

That’s cool, such enemies I would like to fight for once.
The Demon Invasion is considered a pretty hopeless war, in fact the characters are on the losing end. It's the entire campaign focus and has been for some time. We're running into the problem of we can't win and the GM won't just end the world. Alas... it's a sticky situation. We're definitely outclassed on the grand scale of things at the moment. A recent alliance with the Fae may have tipped the fight.


Are they malleable or are their form fixed, how about soul hopping and spirit stuff and such? Can they do that? How tough are they compared to your character? How many of them has she killed?
There are millions of different kinds, the Demons have entire dimensions dedicated to creating new, and random, kinds of Demons so there's many different forms. They can be fixed. Some of the more powerful ones weild shapeshifting abilities. Some of the more powerful can Soul Hop, Steal your soul or possess your body, most of the minor forms are just really tough.

Physically my character is very outclassed, if a demon ever caught her it would make short work of her. Her main tactic is to remain invisible and not present a target. Even her attacks are invisible. The few times she'd been caught or seen have been some of the scariest moments of her life.

Sarah has personally killed hundreds of demons, she's looking into ways of creating a Dimensional Bomb that could destroy or at least cut off a dimension from the multiverse. Because this piddly dozen at a time tactic won't work.


Are they divided along racial or political lines? You mentioned earlier that you had successfully played them out against each other, how did you do that?
Political lines mostly, the Demons have a heirarchy - like a company. Each faction could be thought of as a seperate company, or factions within a larger company. Demons are one race with many many permutations and "class" levels. It's fairly complicated, most of them are ranked like a military, a few aren't. The Demons are trying to take over our dimension through subtlety at the moment, they don't want to distrupt the possible food supply it can be so aren't invading by force. We played the dummy corporations, and associated, humans off against each other in LA. Part of the deal was we would invade one of the groups areas of control (looking for someone in particular) and in return the second group would be able to finish them off and retain control of the area, we would leave LA for a year and not move directly against them and they can't expand beyond LA itelf. It mostly worked - the person we were trying to rescue ended up being killed so Sarah took his soul and is currently holding it, indefinately.

[Trencher]

I tend to think of mooks like I think of the disposeable wrappers on candy bars. You can't have an adventure without mooks, even though all you do is wade through them; therefore capturing all of them is of no importance. But every action you spend dealing with them is one less action spent on taking care of the real deal, the villain supers. Again the real deal is to save the victims a mook with gun is just as capable to kill a bystander as a villain.


That adventure was a draw because of the outcome. It was an attack by the bad guys on the local jail's holding tank for supers. They succeeded in busting out the one super the jail was holding. It cost them a different super captured, and all their mooks. Having busted out their comrade, they left, and that's what they wanted. What type of super did they get, what type of super is left behind? Is he talking? They might try to free him to, you roll your security systems roll and see when it would be most advantageous for the villains to free him again and then ambush them.


(again, I'm assigning zero weight to mooks). The GMs tried to tell us that capturing ALL the mooks was a positive accomplishment, but I just don't see it that way. :tsk: Allways listen to the GM. Your GM is trying to tell you something here and you should listen rather than think he just make up things as he goes. What he saying is probably that there are a limited number of mooks for the villains. Also you should make a big number out of the villains cold and calculating use of the unconscious mooks in the media. “It was horrible! They just forced them up with their mental powers again and again! Their bodies got torn up from all the abuse but the mind controller did not care. How can anybody treat their fellow team members this way!”
If you do this maybe some mooks will defect and give you clue. Or maybe the villian team are dependent on the mooks for continiuing to operate. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link.


I admit that as angry as I was, all I could think to do to stop the attacks by the unconcious animated mook bodies was turn the unconcious mooks into disarticulated body parts, or secondly perform crippling attacks (destroying knee joints, etc.) so that it became physiologically impossible for a body to stand up under its own muscle power: no amount of leg muscle strength will help you if none of those muscles are anchored to the bones any more. A gruesome but fair way of dealing with the problem.


(This is, BTW, the real-life problem posed by thugs on PCP, and the only sure answer is massive firepower.) Yes a person I know once saw six police men holding down one PCP user, the whole pile of men was jumping up and down on the floor so much were the PCP head shaking and thrashing about.


I didn't do this, if only because my character had no means to do it. As a team we've designated that we're all carrying plastic restraining strips for use in the future, but as I've pointed out this means spending a full action by a super just to make sure some inherently-worthless sack of mook doesn't get up and try bashing on us after we've set him to negative STUN. Glue bombs, you don’t need very strong ones to stop normals.


That is an exceedingly useful suggestion :thumbup: even if it means the next time we'll be attacked by flying mooks. Wrong way of thinking, it is not “if we do this they do that so nothing works” attitude that keeps the game going and the xp flowing in.
You WILL be attacked by flyers sooner or later no matter what! It is not because your GM is out to get you but because it is in a superhero world and people fly around there.
The answer is net/line guns or graviton guns if you feel extra sciency.
Attacks from all fronts and constant challenges are what superhero genre is about, how many times do you see Superman or the Thing in a straight up fight without complicating situations? Almost never. You have created an adaptable character and I think that the GM think that you will adapt and solve the situations he throws you in,
Never let yourself sink down in “no matter what I do it doesn’t matter” kind of attitude as long as you actually drive the villains away and save life’s.
I think you should try to do what I said earlier and in this post so you get a head start on the villains.


I just sent her the questionaire for her characters so will see what she has to say about things in the next few days. That’s nice, but she does not have to answer all the questions just the ones who she find interesting and fitting.


Well, the team for the most part is rather dark, with the exception of Amused's character (she's a little happy-go-lucky). Let's see, we have a professional hunter who has survived THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, What kind of game is that? Sounds like a creative group except for the Viper experiment.


a botched experiment of Viper (I think), two half-demons, the daughter of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell (stranded from Neverland), and me. The daughter of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell? But how? Nevermind.. :whistle:


When I get hold of Shroud's story, I'll post it. Please do :yes:

[Trencher]

The Demon Invasion is considered a pretty hopeless war, in fact the characters are on the losing end. It's the entire campaign focus and has been for some time. We're running into the problem of we can't win and the GM won't just end the world. Alas... it's a sticky situation. We're definitely outclassed on the grand scale of things at the moment. A recent alliance with the Fae may have tipped the fight. In favor of you or in favor of the Demons? :lol:


There are millions of different kinds, the Demons have entire dimensions dedicated to creating new, and random, kinds of Demons so there's many different forms. They can be fixed. Some of the more powerful ones weild shapeshifting abilities. Some of the more powerful can Soul Hop, Steal your soul or possess your body, most of the minor forms are just really tough. Sounds great!


Sarah has personally killed hundreds of demons, Coolness! :thumbup:
she's looking into ways of creating a Dimensional Bomb that could destroy or at least cut off a dimension from the multiverse. Because this piddly dozen at a time tactic won't work. Have you tried looking into creating a spell that lets all the souls in you out but they are in a form that is harmful to demons, sort of a “summon angel army spell”?
Other than that you can try create a spell like the one Dr Strange did in Marvel where he made a spell that killed all the Vampires on the earth and made it inhospitable for them.
Or you could mix the two concept and have the Demon killing souls work as Mother earths white blood cells.


Political lines mostly, the Demons have a heirarchy - like a company. Makes sense. :yes:

[ghost-angel]

The Demon Invasion is considered a pretty hopeless war, in fact the characters are on the losing end. It's the entire campaign focus and has been for some time. We're running into the problem of we can't win and the GM won't just end the world. Alas... it's a sticky situation. We're definitely outclassed on the grand scale of things at the moment. A recent alliance with the Fae may have tipped the fight.In favor of you or in favor of the Demons? :lol:
we're not sure. They did make an alliance with us, but it's the Fae. We're not sure they're reliable for much.


Sounds great!
Coolness! :thumbup: Have you tried looking into creating a spell that lets all the souls in you out but they are in a form that is harmful to demons, sort of a “summon angel army spell”?
Other than that you can try create a spell like the one Dr Strange did in Marvel where he made a spell that killed all the Vampires on the earth and made it inhospitable for them.
Or you could mix the two concept and have the Demon killing souls work as Mother earths white blood cells.
Makes sense. :yes:
Souls in the game can't change form - Take a Demon Soul and you have a Demon Soul, releasing makes a Demon. She can summon forth the souls she has under her domain, just not all 8.5 billion at once. There's a space concern for one thing - Souls become tangible when released again. Besides, at least some of her power comes from having that many souls with her.
Heh ... Sarah would love the Vampire Killing spell, she's less fond of Vampire than she is of demons.
Since she's a Dimensional Singularity most of her magic, and knowledge, lies with affecting Dimensions. There's a matter of scale as well. And the problem that at the moment she is part Demon (and doesn't mind that much) as well as knowing several Demons that have switched sides. So a blanket "Kill all Demons" spell would have adverse effects.
Sarah is reaching the point where if she can't figure out a way to save her own dimension may abandon it completely. Only the perseverance of her friends and lover is stopping her. And she is fiercely loyal to them.

[Trencher]

Souls in the game can't change form - Take a Demon Soul and you have a Demon Soul, releasing makes a Demon. She can summon forth the souls she has under her domain, just not all 8.5 billion at once. There's a space concern for one thing - Souls become tangible when released again. Besides, at least some of her power comes from having that many souls with her.
Heh ... Sarah would love the Vampire Killing spell, she's less fond of Vampire than she is of demons.
Since she's a Dimensional Singularity most of her magic, and knowledge, lies with affecting Dimensions. There's a matter of scale as well. And the problem that at the moment she is part Demon (and doesn't mind that much) as well as knowing several Demons that have switched sides. So a blanket "Kill all Demons" spell would have adverse effects.
Sarah is reaching the point where if she can't figure out a way to save her own dimension may abandon it completely. Only the perseverance of her friends and lover is stopping her. And she is fiercely loyal to them.
All these problems can be solved with making the souls like Sarha herself, same powers and everything, offcourse you don't make the spell kill half demons. The demons who have switched side will have to leave earth but with dimensions to choose from I don't feel sorry for them. Give the souls powers like yourself and set them at killing demons, the world salvation within her powers. You should look there for solutions I think.

[ghost-angel]

All these problems can be solved with making the souls like Sarha herself, same powers and everything, offcourse you don't make the spell kill half demons. The demons who have switched side will have to leave earth but with dimensions to choose from I don't feel sorry for them. Give the souls powers like yourself and set them at killing demons, the world salvation within her powers. You should look there for solutions I think.
You can't change the nature of a Soul, she can't give a soul her powers for instance. She can manifest the soul into it's corporeal form, but isn't strong enough to get more than a few out at a time.

And she's not that adept at magic to begin with, so spells are hard for her. Especially ones at the magnitude you're describing. She's able to take and manifest souls and travel the dimension-space pretty much at will. She's looking for ways to shut down and control all Dimensional Gates on her home plane thus cutting the demons off from their home-realities.

[Trencher]

If you can't give them powers then that would not work no.
Well cutting of the Dimensional gates could work if they are rare.

[ghost-angel]

If you can't give them powers then that would not work no.
Well cutting of the Dimensional gates could work if they are rare.
They aren't nearly as rare as Sarah would like them, luckily only a few Demons have the ability to create the portals. She got a map of the Demons Dimensional Space by stealing one of the map books from a Portal Demon which has helped her a lot. There are lots of portals on the Earth, not all of the demon controlled though. it'll be a long process most likely.

[McCoy]

Have you written up the adaptability power or are it just an sfx for his sea powers?
The adaptability is an Sx to justify a bunch of exotic defenses. He's a very simple character. 75 STR, campagine average DEX & SPD, Runs, swims, and leaps 15" each, some sciences, and the rest is defenses, starting with full life support. Any time he takes damage form an attack he spends his next XP on the approperate defense or immunity.


Do you mean seriously angry or _never_ angry at all?
He had a rather sheltered upbringing, and managed to make it through high school without ever becoming angry. Since the start of his days as a superhero he has been angered by injustices done to others. But he does understand that he "must master his anger, or anger will be his master." It is very, very difficult to get him angry.


It is good to see a character who takes the 20 point cvk seriously.
Very seriously.


How do you know it’s not they who have a thing for him? (Cue twilight zone music)
Because it's usually unrequited. He really sets himself up for a fall with this. I haven't actually counted, but I suspect that mentalist may be the rarest of the archtypes, and the one most likely to be female. So what are his chances of finding someone (1) metahuman (2) telepath (3) male (4) Gay (or at least bi-curious), and finally (5) interested in a non-telepath brick.

[Trencher]

He really sets himself up for a fall with this. Just remember to stay away from the Vandalour twins :mad: They are bad!
They are not really mentalist either even though they have some mind affecting powers.

[Trencher]

it'll be a long process most likely. It is great that you have come up with an solution to the problem on your own, just don't be too surprised if the prophesy turns out to be right. :yes:

[ghost-angel]

It is great that you have come up with an solution to the problem on your own, just don't be too surprised if the prophesy turns out to be right. :yes:
heh. The character has severely mixed feelings about the prophecy. She doesn't really want the responsibility, it may force her to confront her actual feelings for people in general. On the other hand she wouldn't trust anyone else with it, and secretly she gets a bit of a thrill out of it. Not that she'll ever admit that mind you.

[CBikle]

Codename: Enigma:

A eugenically-cloned super spy (with mental and physical traits well beyond the norm) who works for the mysterious and powerful govt. agency known as "Shadow Intelligence".

In addition to his catalog of espionage-related skills and commando-training, he also uses startlingly-advanced weapons and equipment that Shadow Intelligence has purchased or reverse-engineered from mad scientists and crashed UFOs.

Enigma's personality is quiet, methodical and purpose-driven, but occasionally leans toward elaborate and proactive plans and traps for villainous elements.

Although he comes across as mysterious and "enigmatic", occasionally he will display a dry sense of humor at odds with his persona.

[Trencher]

Codename: Enigma:

A eugenically-cloned super spy What is that?


(with mental and physical traits well beyond the norm) who works for the mysterious and powerful govt. agency known as "Shadow Intelligence". Did you invent them or did your GM.


In addition to his catalog of espionage-related skills and commando-training, he also uses startlingly-advanced weapons and equipment that Shadow Intelligence has purchased or reverse-engineered from mad scientists and crashed UFOs. What kind of costume does he wear? What does he look like?


Enigma's personality is quiet, methodical and purpose-driven, but occasionally leans toward elaborate and proactive plans and traps for villainous elements.
Although he comes across as mysterious and "enigmatic", occasionally he will display a dry sense of humor at odds with his persona. Is it like yourself?

[CBikle]

What is that?
Essentially a perfect specimen created out of human DNA. He was grown out of a vat.


Did you invent them or did your GM.
I did. When the game started, the GM wasn't really interested in fleshing out the details of the world (originally, the game was sort of set in a quasi Marvel Universe setting.) and tended to run more self-enclosed adventures. No real continuity. For whatever reason, I don't think the GM wanted PRIMUS in his game and I believe he just asked me to flesh out who my govt. contacts were, so I created Shadow Intelligence who were sort of a high-tech cross between the Impossible Missions Force from Mission: Impossible and the "Cigarette-Smoking Man" and his shadowy-pals from the X-Files.


What kind of costume does he wear? What does he look like?
Enigma's costume is overall black with silver gloves,boots, utility-belt and visor/faceplate that conceals his face completely. The costume is actually a synthetic "living" armor that also allows Enigma to change his appearance (armor and shapeshift, both IIF). His actual face has never been seen in game.


Is it like yourself?
We share some aspects, but he's smarter and calmer than I am.

[Trencher]

Essentially a perfect specimen created out of human DNA. He was grown out of a vat.
Yes but what does eugenically mean?



I did. When the game started, the GM wasn't really interested in fleshing out the details of the world Well I hope his adventures were good.



Enigma's costume is overall black with silver gloves,boots, utility-belt and visor/faceplate that conceals his face completely. The costume is actually a synthetic "living" armor that also allows Enigma to change his appearance (armor and shapeshift, both IIF). His actual face has never been seen in game. That is a pretty cool costume there.



We share some aspects, but he's smarter and calmer than I am. Good for you! I am a big beliver in playing characters that are simmelar to yourself.

[CBikle]

Yes but what does eugenically mean?

It means he was custom-designed from the genetic level and created with all the traits that would make him the perfect spy.

Wikipedia offers more detail on Eugenics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics)


Well I hope his adventures were good.
Now we have rotating GMs, but Mark's games have always been good. I can't think of a bad game he's run.


That is a pretty cool costume there.
Nothing special, but it fits the character. Very functional.


Good for you! I am a big beliver in playing characters that are simmelar to yourself.
I don't really have any strong feelings on that. Some characters share similar traits, some don't. In the past I've played flying bricks with Bill Murray's personality; cowardly Daffy Duck-esque Dwarves; a cyberpunk henchman with Joe Pesce's personality and a snarling, posing Image-style cyber-mutant(I posted "BloodDeath the Assassin" in the "I Want To Run A Bad Comic" thread awhile ago). Personality-wise, BloodDeath the Assassin is almost my complete opposite: a hostile, inarticulate, self-absorbed killer with a French accent.

[Raven_Fireoak]

How did you come up with the idea? Have you ever been in a forest fire or seen one?

Boy, no one has ever asked me how I came up with the forest before. The acutal mapping of the trees and underground was stolen from a game I played called below the roots (real old game) I mapped it out so I could use the trees as a elven home. I loved that game. I still have that orignal map I made too.

In my D&D world I have fire water. I adpoted that through the ardwin and grimore books.

I have never been in a forest fire or have I seen one but I have always been entranced by flames. At the time I also had a flaming bush in my backyard. The bush was green during the spring and summer but come fall the leaves would change to look like the bush was on fire.The fire burned but never consumed.

I was the GM for the a very high powered game and created an island. Since I had to create everything new based on the DMG, this included new friends and foes.

For a twist I made the elves hated by humans. I don't know about you but I find to many people do not play the monsters to there fullest and elves well they are so stero typed, I needed something a bit more to throw off my players. Slowly everything fell into place as I started to write the background to the forest and it's creation.

I had played Champions a few times in the late 80's, Glow baby and popeye,
but not many wanted to continue it so the game was set aside. When I was invited to play Champions with GA, I just had to bring back my old playground and Raven was reborn into the Wild Hunt.



I guessed that, I was trying to make a joke. :yes:

As for the stories you posted I have to print them out to read them. I do that Friday the 7'th. :yes:



:eg: I know it was a joke but Raven Fireoak would not have gotten it. As GA has explained I seledom step out of the Raven role because I just love playing her and her twisted view point on life

So this is MONDAY, did you like the stories? Want more? GA and I have created a lot of stories.

I do have a gift for coming up with storylines that have plots within plots and I love the fact that with GA we can actualy role play between the fights. I long ago put aside the hack and slash type games, they just get so old and boring.

[Ghost Archer]

So this is MONDAY, did you like the stories? Want more? GA and I have created a lot of stories.

I do have a gift for coming up with storylines that have plots within plots and I love the fact that with GA we can actualy role play between the fights. I long ago put aside the hack and slash type games, they just get so old and boring.

The girl has a gift for understatement. When she and I began playing together about seven years ago, it was in WebRPG. One of the things I love about Web is that is records EVERYTHING. Well, we RP it out then, when we get time, she'll convert all the raw text to rough draft then I edit it and add my two cents. The last time I looked we were a little behind, I think I have something like 110000 pages of raw RP. Yes, one hundred ten THOUSAND pages. We get on a roll it is hard to stop it.
Lately I've been the millstone to her because I am in the doldrums for some reason and haven't felt much like playing. She has started something new for us, migrating two characters we both enjoy the hell out of play from a campaign one of her family started and gave up on. The characters are just too good and too much fun to drop in the circular file.

[Trencher]

Boy, no one has ever asked me how I came up with the forest before. The acutal mapping of the trees and underground was stolen from a game I played called below the roots (real old game) I mapped it out so I could use the trees as a elven home. I loved that game. I still have that orignal map I made too.
What type of game was it?


In my D&D world I have fire water. I adpoted that through the ardwin and grimore books. Firewater?



I have never been in a forest fire or have I seen one but I have always been entranced by flames. At the time I also had a flaming bush in my backyard. The bush was green during the spring and summer but come fall the leaves would change to look like the bush was on fire.The fire burned but never consumed. Are the trees in the burning forest the same way or is it an actual burning forest.



I was the GM for the a very high powered game and created an island. Since I had to create everything new based on the DMG, this included new friends and foes. No monstermanual? Poor you. The monsterbooks are a GM’s very best friend.



For a twist I made the elves hated by humans. I don't know about you but I find to many people do not play the monsters to there fullest and elves well they are so stero typed, I needed something a bit more to throw off my players. Slowly everything fell into place as I started to write the background to the forest and it's creation. I used to think the same way then I saw the lord of the rings trilogy and now I am a big fan of traditional elves again.


:eg: I know it was a joke but Raven Fireoak would not have gotten it. As GA has explained I seledom step out of the Raven role because I just love playing her and her twisted view point on life She is not twisted.



So this is MONDAY, did you like the stories? Want more? GA and I have created a lot of stories. I thought the first one were a little confusing and repetitive but I liked the second one much more and I would like to see the next chapter I hope she kill the evil Cravenshaw.



I do have a gift for coming up with storylines that have plots within plots and I love the fact that with GA we can actualy role play between the fights. I long ago put aside the hack and slash type games, they just get so old and boring. Yes especially in the Hero system.


The girl has a gift for understatement. When she and I began playing together about seven years ago, it was in WebRPG. One of the things I love about Web is that is records EVERYTHING. Well, we RP it out then, when we get time, she'll convert all the raw text to rough draft then I edit it and add my two cents. The last time I looked we were a little behind, I think I have something like 110000 pages of raw RP. Yes, one hundred ten THOUSAND pages. :eek:


We get on a roll it is hard to stop it.
Lately I've been the millstone to her because I am in the doldrums for some reason and haven't felt much like playing. Well that happens from time to time with everybody.


She has started something new for us, migrating two characters we both enjoy the hell out of play from a campaign one of her family started and gave up on. The characters are just too good and too much fun to drop in the circular file. Good for you.

[Ghost Archer]

Originally Posted by Trencher
I thought the first one were a little confusing and repetitive but I liked the second one much more and I would like to see the next chapter I hope she kill the evil Cravenshaw.

Um . . . killing Cravenhaw would be my job and somewhere along the line, I'll settle it. Both Raven and I are able to travel dimensions, I call it Walking the Road, but hers is extremely limited. Where I can travel freely through time, she is limited by the fact that if she returns to a dimension she has visited, she does so at the exact moment she left. In some ways this is handy, like being able to save Baitee's life. So when she decides to take me to Cravenhaw's realm, she will have been gone but a split second, to him.

On another note, here's a story she and I did some time back that caught the eye of a literary agent. Raven's encounter with Capricorn of Zodiac.

Drynnan

I walked down the oh so familiar street. Away from the warehouse, away from the almost real to me. I closed my eyes to picture my dream, his long locks of black, his eyes green, his lips so gentle and warm.
A voice tore me from my thoughts, "Whither do you wander, fair kinswoman?"
I looked up from deep within my cloak. My eyes swept across the stranger. He was young, incredibly handsome, with a deep rich coffee colored hair, kept short and neat. He stood but a hand taller than me, about 5'5" or so. His was dressed immaculately in a fine winter weight suit and beautiful black ankle length overcoat. His face had a fey, elvish cast and his ears a marked point.
"I wander to no where." I answered. The stranger bowed very low, his hand elegantly sweeping to the side. He looked up from the bow, his eyes like mahogany. I inquired, "And where do you wander to?"
He stood straight and spoke gently; "I wander the realm in search of a story. Do you have one?"
I reflected only a moment before I answered, "Only if you like sadness. What is your land of birth? Is it here on the Cold and Green?"
"Nay...I am from the land of the fey." His eyes danced in the moonlight.
"How did you know I was kin? I cover myself to hide."
The stranger smiled brightly, "I can smell it upon you.."
"Ah, the flame gave me away again." I thought of the warmth of the cave and the bathing sands.
"I am Drynnan."
I moved right hand from my cloak, forgetting I wore my gloves. "I am Raven."
The stranger started to take my hand but paused. He inspected the glove before taking it and bent over it with a kiss. "I am ever honored to meet with one of our kind."
"Be happy you found me." I pained at the lost of my beloved, "Not many of our kin here."
"Nay...but a few... One day, perhaps...we will once more be plentiful in this world.."
That thought horrified me, "I hope not. It would be a sad day for our kind." The coldness of the Green, the evil of the Green, the darkness of the Green, Oh how my people would fall to it and die.
"And I hate to disagree with one so lovely, for it will be a day to remember." Drynnan smiled.
Silence covered the street as I looked at him for a short time. "You are right. I disagree." I pulled my cloak tighter around me. "Do you need aid?"
"You are shrouded so in the dark, fairest maid. Please allow me to endeavor lighten your burden."
His words felt strange to me, "I think your compliments are wasted on me."
"Nay...a compliment is never wasted, if truly meant."
"And in which meaning do you tend to lighten? How can I be fair if you never seen me?
Drynnan smiled.
"Only a smile?" I questioned his unspoken meanings, "that can be taken many ways in the Green."
"Maiden, I have been long of this world, over a three thousand years, and in all that time I have seen beauty...thou art high amongst those of the past." His words flowed with sweetness, "Who so ever say me nay shall face my sword."
"So if I disagree you will run me through?"
Drynnan laughed softly, a musical sound. "Nay, Lady, for I could ne'er destroy such as thee."
"So you can see through my cloak?" I talked like one of the Green with questions on my lips, "or you have been watching me?" I chuckled but it faded from my soul, as a the pain throbbed.
"I have lay eyes upon thee but now... and no matter of cover belies thy form." He explained.
"Than thee could not judge my beauty or fairness. You judge on shape? A shadow could look scary and only be gentle hands."
Drynnan seemed to enjoy our banter, " Nay.. for thy carriage, thy grace, give form to that which is not displayed.."
"Would you like to go for food?" I felt like his company might be nice, "I know a place that is vegetarian."
"Only if thou wouldst be mine guest."
"Yes."
"Then I am honored beyond words." He bowed deeply once more.
"Don't be. I eat a lot." I grinned under my hood at the false threat.
Drynnan chuckled softly. "Where might this wondrous abode of fine food be?."
I looked at the cloak and thought better of my dress. "One moment I need to change."
I stepped into an ally and faded from sight. I wasn't sure if he would watch but something inside of me told me to abide by the taboo of the Green. I became one with sight wearing my beloved's shirt tucked into my blue jeans all my other things was tucked safely into my bag. "Okay Drynnan, I am ready."
"As am I." He offered his arm as his eyes moved over me. Out of habit my arm slipped into his. "I fear you must lead, for I am not native..."
"Than how did you find your way to me? I sound like... Forgive the words." I realized I did nothing but question him, "I become more like the Cold and Green everyday."
"I have but come onto this city but this night, for I have a duty here, now discharged and is my want, I explore for new stories. Tell me of thy story that I might put thy words into a saga to stand for all time."
"Let's eat first." My mind slipped off to the star. This one was different. He touched something else. Something I was not afraid of but leery of.
"As you will, fair Raven."
I walked in silence as I guided through the shabby streets of the city. His voice lifted in a soft song. My pain grew as I tried to summons my voice, the star blinding my mind. The star scolded me, it had already allowed me voice this very evening and swore never again. Drynnan sang songs of the wood and the realm of enchantment. My spirit sank further. I walked up to the old building.
"Doesn't look like much outside but the food is good."
The room was filled with odd chairs and small tables. A very old lady showed us to a table. Her words obscured by her native language as she spoke that of this land.
"So sing about her." I thought how nice it would for Kowlee to be remembered for all time. I looked to the star and pleaded for but one song.
"About who?" Drynnan inquired as he removed a set of panpipes from the inside pocket of his overcoat.
"About the old woman. She traveled from a far away place in the land of Cold and Green and here she tries to make a way for the few of her family that still live. " The star refused.
"Hers is not the story I seek." Drynnan blew lightly across the pipes, a trill of notes filled the room. I looked out the corner of my eye at him.
Kowlee came back with two huge trays of food. Drynnan began a light and lively song, tapping a bass line as if his foot on a loose tile. Kowlee hurried as she sat up water glasses, plates and chopsticks Drynnan watched the woman from behind the pipe and subtly alters the tune to an odd a-tonal song. The woman eyed Drynnan, looking to me with the unasked question I knew. I shook my head no and declined the offer. Kowlee turned to depart. Drynnan played a bar that stopped her in her track.
I looked to the one I sat with, "How and why?" Drynnan played on, the woman turning, her body moving slightly to the notes. Anger or was it fear or a little of both stirred in me.
"She has other things to do. Who are you?"
Drynnan stopped the song with a trill. Kowlee disappeared to the kitchen. "I am a bard, a minstrel in the gallery..."
"What is the gallery? A bard I know."
"The gallery of the play.... I am the background music to the lives of the players."
A smile swept over me. He to must know the star and see the play. He smiled in kind.
"Now you speak something I understand."
"Once I did say to a bard of renown...'Life is but a play, and we are but the players...' I am grieved that he never thanked me for that line in his later work."
I nodded at his word and reached for some food passing it to him. He laid his pipes down and took the food. "This is really good stuff." I served my self a few bites of everything.
Drynnan nearly filled his plate. I passed the other dishes and began to eat. Drynnan ate his food with a passion I never seen. Between bites he stopped, "We pine for a fine vintage!"
I called out, "Kowlee, I changed my mind." As if magic Kowlee came back in with some warm saki.
Drynnan smiled, "Saki! Would that the wine matched the food! Then all will be well with the world." I looked at my dinner companion and took a small glass. "Thou art too morose for one so light." Drynnan poured a coffee cup of saki.
"When you collect stories who sees them?" I asked.
Drynnan held the cup up. "To the wonder of thy story and thy beauty."
I held mine, "To the wonders of the unknown."
Drynnan smiled as he drank from his cup. He returned to his food. I excused my self and went to speak with Kowlee. His eyes followed my movements. The music of his pipes filled the air once more.
I returned and spoke but his music played on, the song filling the room, the tune seeming to circle endlessly. Drynnan made the pipes almost speak, the words forming without effort in my mind *Nothing is so sweet as thy lips, all else is but sustenance*
"Did you wish to go elsewhere I am not dressed for many places but Kowlee will loan me something of her granddaughter's. If you wanted to see something else
"You dance... Would you join me then?" He asked in a strangely distracted way.
"It is the way of my people. " I corrected my self. "well the way of the land I came from and that of song." I tried to smile, "To a place of dance?"
Drynnan grinned, "Then dance we shall."
"Let me go change again." I sighed, "The Green is funny about clothes."
"I have noted."
I left him and Kowlee slid the silk oriental dress over my body suit. It barely came to the top of my boots. She dabbed a little perfumed oil on my neck and pulled my hair up, held by a comb. I walked back in, his eyes lifting to me, "She says this should do." I spoke feeling out of place.
He stood. A bright beaming smile covered his face as his eyes danced with passion. "It will more the 'do'!"
"I guess we should go."
"Will you be warm enough?" His eyes never leaving me, "Have you a cloak?"
"Not one for this."
"A moment." Drynnan disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a short silk jacket in black embroidered to match the dress.
"It is very nice." I spoke as he helped me on with it. Something like electricity ran up and down my spine..
"I have taken the liberty of calling for my car." He spoke softly. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you are uncomfortable, please do not hesitate to tell me, I will not be offended."
"I am not uncomfortable." I was not sure what I was feeling. He reminded me of Gene, my one and only friend of my childhood.
Drynnan inclined his head slightly, "Have you a preference, this evening?
I thought for a moment. "Yes, only two. That you can dance as a couple without the music . . . " How could I explain Linda's noise she called music, " to Green and one that I can truly dance."
Drynnan smile stayed on his lips, "I know of a place, if I may suggest...."
"Yes, but I thought you new to the city?"
Drynnan smile brightened, "We can always sense a place to dance, can we not?
"Sometimes if there is a dance to be danced." I felt funny about this but I wanted to follow. Just the I let Gene drag me off to a new adventure.
Drynnan slipped into his coat and straightened his cuff. He offered his arm I took it and nodded to Kowlee as she peeked out of the kitchen. At the curb a white limo awaited, a stunningly attractive young woman in a black tux waited at the door, opening it as we exited. I slide in and Drynnan moved next to me. The girl lowered the partition between the driver compartment and the passenger area.
"Where to, sir?"
Drynnan closed his eyes and seemed to scan the area. "North...cross a bridge..." He settled back and watched me. He laid the pipes on the seat beside him
"Tell me of your land." I requested.
Drynnan laced his fingers, his thumbs tapping his lips. "There is nothing like it."
His eyes looked into the far past. "The land is gentle with low hills, hidden hollows, luxurious meadows... All the colors of the rainbow delight the eye.. The water is like crystal in riles dancing over rounded rock ...it tastes....like ambrosia. The air is scented with flowers and the trees...the grass is plush and verdant... Dryads dance in the meadows, the unicorns pluck golden apples from the trees. I have sat for days on the shores and traded songs with the sirens."
"I sounds like a lovely piece of the Green."
‘It is not of the Green you speak, fair Raven... " His eyes looked off. "For it no longer touches this Green."
"This is the Cold and Green others travel to other lands."
"Nay.. in three thousand years, I am the only one to travel hither." He sighed, "You would not know that this is our mother realm, would you? Four thousand years ago.. this world was a paradise... as lovely as my lost realm is now... but the magic faded and with it...our people...those enchanted.... where trapped in the Fey."
"Than they should go to the land I was raised, " I slipped off to the stars out the window, "maybe..."
"Nay, fair one...we would return here and reclaim what was taken from us."
"Why take this dark land."
"We die." his eyes grew cold, "Slowly...we die...for we are away from the land that is so much a part of us... By the time I had departed many had gone into the darkness, never to return... The smaller go first... the fairies."
"You have a sad story too. So your duty you spoke of is to take this place back unto your people?" I paused and thought of the few little folk that fluttered in the forest of my birth. " I like fairies. They sing so pretty."
Drynnan looked up at me, his face filled with an incredible intensity. He hissed between clenched teeth "Yes.... We want back what was ours... Humans have raped the land, destroyed the forest." Drynnan sat back staring out into the night. "I am weary...." He closed his eyes.
I was in this play. His pain touched mine but I disagreed with him. The land was that of the humans. I fished for words to speak, "Than no dance?"
"We will dance...for thy beauty requires it." He looked at me with a small smile reappearing on his lips. "Ever will I have the where-with-all to dance...to play...to celebrate the beauty in life."
I turned my head and looked out the window. "You can see beauty here?"
Drynnan stared out into the night as the car crossed a bridge. "No.... I see humans... They do not see that which they destroy."
"Not all humans are bad." I defend the shadows of my lost soul. "many yes, but not all."
Drynnan turned his head slowly, his eyes considering. "No...not all."
"Play a tune, please." I shivered as we crossed the water. "I never did learn to play music."
He took up the pipes and held them to his lips as I watched him. A faint line sound drifted across the air. Drynnan closed his eyes and began a tune that evoked the songs of a myriad of birds in song. The pipes sang in two voices, one high and light, the other middle octave a counterpoint to the other. A third voice, deeper somber voice, one of bittersweet pain underlying the spritely duet joined in.
Drynnan stopped with a trill, "We are near..." He pushed a button and the partion lowered. "East" Drynnan looks out upon the terrain. Trees flowed past. "Here!"
The car slid to a stop, pulling off the side of the road into an unpaved verge.
"Guess I didn't need to change." I smiled and wonder where he was leading me.
Drynnan pushed the door open to the night. "Come...we have but a few minutes."
He climbed out, offering a hand.
I followed. "Only a few moments for what?" I questioned.
Drynnan kicked his shoes off. "The door...it will open...but only for a few moments."
"Where does it go?"
Drynnan tugged on my hand, "For us...nowhere...Come!" I took a deep breath as he almost pulled me down the side of the road and into the forest.
"Why do you need the door?" I followed unsure of my actions.
Drynnan moved quickly and without a sound. In the distance I saw a faint glow...like a candle in the fog...it grew brighter as we approached.
"By the flame what is that?" I froze at the sight. The star began to scream at me.
Drynnan broke into a fleet footed run, leaping fallen logs...pushing through briars... dancing around trees until he vanishes from your sight. The sound of the pipes whisper out of the night, the song slow and poignant
I moved slowly forward, "Drynnan?"
The glow expanses, the end sharply defined as I approached. It stopped a few feet from me, a warmth bathing my face. The pipes' song becomes glorious, bright, carefree... happy.
The happy song twisted me. The star shouted warning. I looked at the glow. Shadows, figures moved about within the glow. I heard the music. I turned away, my voice shook as I spoke, "I am sorry Drynnan. My carefree days have died." I felt part of me dying.
I walked feeling more pain in side as the Star punished me for not listening as it released selected pain to me. As I reach the road, the distant sounds of the pipes faded to nothingness. The night sounds slowly reestablish themselves...the crickets, the hoot of an owl.... I looked back into the woods, the glow has disappeared. Upon the road was the limo.
"Excuse me. Will he return to you?" I spoke out to the driver.
A single note song rose out of the forest, the tune melancholy and very lonely. I closed my eyes and strained to hear it. I found a song. I tried to hum it, the music floated in my mind as crisp as it played in the woods but my voice was a flat line. The sadness of it filled me but yet relived my own loneliness. The song now rich and full throated. I sat down on the trunk of the limo. An emptiness filled me,
"I can't."
I felt the sadness within, the music filled the void. I leaped from the trunk spinning to the sway of the sadness. Swaying to one side I brought up the images of little children of the forest. They danced in a circle and one small one danced off to it self, a dark one off alone. The others played happily, with all the lovely blondes and browns of the forest. I danced to the dark little one and the others children faded. Except a young male. Sweet Gene danced with the little dark one. The two little children danced together as I circled them in dance. The image became a stage of flame, a large Dragon in outlined stood tall.
I danced before the dragon Blue as two teen-age elves joined in . An older version of the dark girl and Gene. The dragon took wing to the sky carrying the boy into the darkness. The image faded and my dance was done. The loneliness filled me and the vast emptiness started to soothe the pain. The Star eased the pain.
Drynnan voice echoed from the shadows, "You would not join me...."
"I could not enter." I turned to where the voice spoke. Drynnan stepped silently out of the bushes, his suit gone, his chest bare, his pants barely more then a loin cloth. "I am sorry."
Drynnan turned his head slightly, the starlight gleaming off something on his forehead. I looked at his forehead, slowly I moved closer. Above each eyebrow a small upturned ivory horn that caught the light.
"I have not been able to share such with another of the fey in three thousand years...
I reached out and felt the one of the horns, "Do they hurt?"
Drynnan moved completely out of the shadows, his furred legs and hard little hooves revealed in the moonlight. He shook his head. "Why should they?" He took my hand and held it to his lips. "The fairy has gone...and with it the visions of my home. For those few moments.. " I single tear rolled unheeded down his cheek, followed by a steady stream. "I was home."
I took my free hand and wiped his tears. I fought the urge to take the pain of his tears. "At least you have a home A home. I cannot return to...," The pain welled as I thought of my love's arms. The only home I would ever know. I wiped another of Drynnan tears.
"What home is that? Three thousand years. "
I cut him off, "More than I have."
Drynnan looked into my eyes, "You know what it is like to love something you cannot have. As do I. Granted, our hearts desire differ...but does that matter to the broken heart?"
"I don't know. I am new to all of this. In the land I was raised we do not have this thing of the Green called love."
Drynnan looked up into the starry night. "Your realm must be sad indeed."
"No, it is very happy. All the songs and dance of joy. The great celebrations of the gift of flame. No one knows the pain I now feel. The Green did this." The star called out to me.
"I would hate to see others fall to the way of the Cold and Green."
Drynnan shook his head, "Would you give up love? If it could be taken from you this moment...would you give it up?"
I stood emotionless to his words as the pain of my action filled me before I could call for the help of the star, "I already did."
Drynnan shook his head again, "No.. you did not... It is still in you. You feel it now. . . This moment . . . If that feeling . . . the one that hurts you now . . . could be taken from you."
"No, I feel a torn, pain, that is not the love."
"Would you give it up? Love . . . Love hurts."
"I wish they would give a handbook out on it. How is one suppose to know how to deal with it? They don't even have good educational books."
Drynnan smiled. "You don't deal with it. You experience it. There is no other way."
"And if one refuses to?" I moved a wild strain of his hair back into place.
"Can you refuse it?"
I felt lost. "I have to. I should never have let the Green trick me in the first place."
Drynnan pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly. His touch felt good but strangely wrong. "How did two such as we end up in this realm?"
"I was created to fulfill a greatness. I was sent here to find it. I only find myself lacking in all things, Just like my wing told me."
"And I was sent to find my own greatness." He added. The scent of the green woods clung to his skin.
"Guess this is the land to test out greatness," I gave a half smile as I pulled from the embrace my stomach flipping. I so wanted to be held.
"Where would you go, fair one?"
"I don't go anywhere. I just wander Seattle. It is where I am but I do have to return these to Kowlee before I ruin them," I started unbutton the top button of the shirt. I remembered the taboo. Why was it so hard for me to remember something so simple, "Dam forgot but you're not from here." Drynnan fingered the silk. "Tell me of the taboos in your land."
"Taboos?" He laughed lightly, "In the fey, there are no taboos."
"Much like the land where I was raised." I felt strange in the silk dress. So out of place. I unbuttoned the shirt revealing my body suit and the dragons glowing through it. From bag I pulled my gloves and cloak and tucked the dress safely away.
Drynnan smiled softly "I am vindicated, I see..." His eyes danced on my form.
I pulled the comb from my hair. The hair fell freely to my knees. "Now what do you mean by that?"
"Thy form...entices as I knew it would."
I dropped the comb in the bag with a sigh, "I am but an ugly ducking in a pond of swans to use the terms of the Green." I shook my air out wishing Valoki was around to comb it.
Drynnan moved close again touching my hair. His finger stroking through the softness "How can you say that?"
"It is not hard to speak the truth."
He took my chin in his hand, "You eyes are beyond compare. Your lips beg to be kissed." He leaned in and brushed my lips with the warmth of his.
I pulled back unsure. My spirit pained my more. The vision of green eyes flashed in my mind. " I... I have to go." I grabbed my things.
"Do not let one's rejection color you world into shades of black and white."
He laid a hand on my arm. I pulled back my tears. "Feel, Raven. Don't hold it in. Let the tears come.... They heal."
"I will think on it." My mind spun, the star quiet allowing this scene,
"Maybe our paths will cross again." He smiled, "I did say I would give you a story."
"Yes, you did... "
"Not sure which tale to tell." I pulled my cloak around me tight, "What type where you looking for?"
Drynnan smiled "I have my story..."
I pulled the pain far inside. The star slept. I looked around the woods, "I should get back to my streets."
"I will have the limo take you back to the restaurant."
"Where will you go?" Something inside me didn't want to let go of the moment.
Drynnan smiled, "A friend comes for me."
"May the flame be with you than and I can walk. I need to work off all the food I ate."
"As you will...."
I tried to smile, "It has be wonderful to meet you." I brushed his cheek with my hand. So many males had approached in so many different ways. And only three had tempted my passion, besides my beloved. "Your music is.. well you know."
"You will see me again, fair one."
"One can dream. I am not easy to find as a rule."
Drynnan laughed lightly. I turned to walk away. Confusion filled me. He was not human nor was he elf. He was a creature of legend and lore. I looked back him. He looked off into the near distance. A huge figure stood in the shadows a few dozen meters away.
Drynnan laid a hand on my arm, "My friend has arrived."
"May the flame be with you in your travels." I watched the figure in the shadows. I felt so strangely odd. The Moonlight glinted off something metallic as the figure in the shadows shifted position. Drynnan smiled, his hand slid up my arm to my cheek.
His finger drew my eyes to his. I closed my eyes and remembered the touch of another.
Drynnan slipped his hand behind my neck, pulling me, his lips meeting mine. I hesitated but the flashes of the green eyes formed in my mind. He parted his lips, his tongue seeking mine as his body molded to me. Oh my beloved, how I want you. Drynnan caressed my body with his free hand, feeling the curves through the cloak.
I pulled from the kiss and whispered, "Your friend is waiting."
"He can wait..." His lips moving over the length of my neck, "Or...I can send him away."
I stood in silence feeling the tingles but wanting my beloved. I looked into Drynnan's eyes to read them. He placed both of his hands at the small of my back, his eyes gazing deep into mine. His eyes a flame. I looked the forest where his friend had been. He was gone.
My lost voice came to me, " I should go before... I should go"
"You don't have to go...." He brushed his cheek against mine.
"Your friend waits for you and..."
"My friend...is gone..." Drynnan nibbled on my earlobe,
I spaced my body from his. Urges where stirred in me but passion was not.
"It's just..."
The chattered began as I tried to sort the feelings the star was feeding me. Their suggestion to indulge this male, moved in my mind. Drynnan's sweet words fogging my mind. His fingers ran over my living art sending waves want through me as he caressed the skin under beneath. My mind spun to the teachings of mating. This is what they told of, not that of love.
His words broke the spell, "I feel something.." He closed his eyes with his palm over the head of a dragon that now rest between my breast. "She speaks."
"What do you mean?"
"E'en now I feel she pushing me away."
I looked to the living art, "The living art thinks? But I have always had it."
"It thinks...it also does not want me near. "
"Are you dark or are you light?"
"What must I do to be either? If I love my people....If I fight to give them back their world to save them... then I am Light. If I will do anything to accomplish me goal...am I Dark?"
He stated the question I had asked through out the journey of the road.
"I really should go." I moved from his reach and pulled my cloak tight around me the memory of my beloved touch slightly stronger.
"I will find you again, fair Raven."
"May be." I turned and ran into the darkness. My mind spun as I cried out "CUFAEN!" I felt wrong in my action with Drynnan. I wanted to be held, I wanted to be loved but I only wanted my one and only.
****
Drynnan turned to the figure that loomed up behind him as Raven ran off.
The voice was deep, from the bottom of a well. "Kindred spirit, my friend?"
The satyr looked up into the single living eye of his oldest friend.
"Perhaps an ally," he said softly.
Moonlight illuminated the massive steel-clad body of the Minotaur. Taurus chuckled, the laser red of his artificial eye flashing in the dark as he scanned the surrounding area.
"Perhaps," he rumbled.
****

[Super Squirrel]

Palon was born the only child of Animist Gemar in the city of Tallon. Gemar had hoped that Palon would have Spirit Sense but as is not uncommon, Palon was not so gifted. All the same, Gemar made sure his son had the best education possible. Palon excelled in his studies, particularly in the Way of the Word.

Partially because of Palon's constant exposure to Adepts, Masters, Grandmasters and partially because of his desire to please his father, Palon became interested in Palidins. At first, it was just the stories of Palidins. But as he progressed in his studies, he realized that he had an opportunity to become a Paladin.

Palon has since signed up on some mercenary runs, trained with the his own personal trainer, and fought in border skirmishs to become an excellent fighter. Now with his training in both knowledge and in combat, only one thing remains for Palon. Palon now needs to earn a name for himself. Only by first establishing himself can he take the next step in becoming a Paladin.

[Trencher]

Um . . . killing Cravenhaw would be my job and somewhere along the line, I'll settle it.

Yeah he smashed your girlfriends head into a wall, only fair that you return the favor.
Off course his head does not need to be attached to the body for it to hit the wall :yes:

The story was nice, a little more cozy than the first one so it did not do so much if it was a little confusing, what is this star thing she talks about? Her soul?

[Trencher]

Okay this overview of the character history raises more questions.

Palon was born the only child of Animist Gemar in the city of Tallon. What is an animist?

Gemar had hoped that Palon would have Spirit Sense but as is not uncommon, Palon was not so gifted. All the same, Gemar made sure his son had the best education possible. Palon excelled in his studies, particularly in the Way of the Word. What is the way of the word?


Partially because of Palon's constant exposure to Adepts, Masters, Grandmasters and partially because of his desire to please his father, Palon became interested in Palidins. At first, it was just the stories of Palidins. But as he progressed in his studies, he realized that he had an opportunity to become a Paladin. Are Palidins a variant of the classic paladin or did you just write the word wrong the first two times?


Palon has since signed up on some mercenary runs, trained with the his own personal trainer, and fought in border skirmishs to become an excellent fighter. Now with his training in both knowledge and in combat, only one thing remains for Palon. Palon now needs to earn a name for himself. Only by first establishing himself can he take the next step in becoming a Paladin. Okay the character history is well and good but you did not really tell me anything about your character, what does he look like? What does he do? How does he behave?

[Ghost Archer]

Yeah he smashed your girlfriends head into a wall, only fair that you return the favor.
Off course his head does not need to be attached to the body for it to hit the wall :yes:

The story was nice, a little more cozy than the first one so it did not do so much if it was a little confusing, what is this star thing she talks about? Her soul?

The Star is an alien entity that Raven made a deal with, I believe she traded her ability to sing for the Star taking her pain at the loss of Archer. (She'll probably have a LOT more info on that. If I remember correctly, the Star turned out to be a collective consciousness that eventually manifested in Star, a very naive young woman. The Star had evolved pasted the point of feeling emotions and Raven's raw pain was intriguing. The girl Star was the next evolutionary step for the Star that was attained by her actually developing emotions of her own.

At the time of the meeting with Capricorn, Raven believed she had lost Archer forever and was pretty devastated. It led to her wandering the Road and ending up in places like Cravenhaw's land. As I said, for her it was love at her first sight of Archer but at the time Archer was very much involved the the Russian assassin Sable Kirov. He gave very little notice of her beyond the attraction of her elvishness. I don't know how many years Raven traveled the Road and I doubt she can tell you but a lot of very bad stuff happened to her in her travels. She has never really chronicled the whole story. Archer, meanwhile, remained involved with Sable for some number of years before he even thought about Raven. When he did, however, being adapt at time travel, he returned to an earlier time as Raven's own time travel was only to the specific time she'd left that world. Everytime she returned to the Cold and Green, her name for Archer's world, she had been gone only a split second. She'd remember exactly what brought him back, I am sure.

As for Cravenhaw? Removal of his head is a bit too quick.

For game purposes, the Road is merely the SFX of Archer's Dimensional Travel power.

[Trencher]

The Star is an alien entity that Raven made a deal with, I believe she traded her ability to sing for the Star taking her pain at the loss of Archer.
These are things I like to know. Or atleast learn in the story.


As I said, for her it was love at her first sight of Archer but at the time Archer was very much involved the the Russian assassin Sable Kirov. He gave very little notice of her beyond the attraction of her elvishness. I don't know how many years Raven traveled the Road and I doubt she can tell you but a lot of very bad stuff happened to her in her travels. She has never really chronicled the whole story. Archer, meanwhile, remained involved with Sable for some number of years before he even thought about Raven. When he did, however, being adapt at time travel, he returned to an earlier time as Raven's own time travel was only to the specific time she'd left that world. Everytime she returned to the Cold and Green, her name for Archer's world, she had been gone only a split second. So these things never happened?


As for Cravenhaw? Removal of his head is a bit too quick.
Are that attitude typical for Ghost-Archer?

[Ghost Archer]

These are things I like to know. Or atleast learn in the story.

You'll have to get more out of Raven.


So these things never happened?

Everything happens in everything we do.



Are that attitude typical for Ghost-Archer?

Oh, yes. Archer's a good guy and all that but he can be a very cold, hard man and thinks nothing of toying with a particularly deserving foes.

[Trencher]

Everything happens in everything we do.
Yes but if you went back in time to meet her right when she met you for the first time...
Anyway how do you deal with paradoxes and extra time lines?

[Ghost Archer]

Yes but if you went back in time to meet her right when she met you for the first time...
Anyway how do you deal with paradoxes and extra time lines?

When time traveling, there is a simple rule: "Nothing you can do will change the past." I can't go back and kill Hitler, or stop Booth from getting into Ford's theatre. I do, however, tend to bend the rules. For example, Pam, Icehawk's wife: her mother, Rachael, died a few years ago, while Pam was living in LA and astranged from her family. After I heard the circumstances of her dead, childbirth, I stepped back into the past to a point just before her death. I have a huge variety of powers from a 'cosmic power pool' (I HATE that term). I couldn't change the fact that to her family she died. So once she 'died', I revived her and replaced her body with an exact duplicate. Her family buried 'her' and suffered the grief of their loss. I brought her forward in time, explained what had happened and presented her to Pam and her family at the wedding. It was probably the closest I have ever come to changing history. Was it a paradox? I don't think so.
The way alternate timeline work is pretty standard. There can be any number of lines that are very close to another, even to the point of having nearly the same people and history but two never cross or touch. In 'Existence' there are 'Uniques', beings that have two thing in common, the ability to time travel and the fact that they are exactly that, unique, no copies, no near clones, no alternate timeline forms. My Road is an inter-dimisional Path to anywhere and anywhen and until Raven traveled it, I believed only Rathorn and I had been there. There is a small problem with the Road, though, both Raven and I have suffered from it, on occasion a traveler will lose their memory. It's happened any number of times to me. It makes life interesting.

[Trencher]

There is a small problem with the Road, though, both Raven and I have suffered from it, on occasion a traveler will lose their memory. I can imagne, if you travel in time you need your memories.
I like the way you have dealt with time travel. No Kang infestitation of the multiverse.

[Ghost Archer]

I can imagne, if you travel in time you need your memories.
I like the way you have dealt with time travel. No Kang infestitation of the multiverse.

One of the things I do is carry a note to myself as to the date and time I leave the Wild Hunt's dimension and time, so I'll know when and where to return with virtually no time lost to those left behind. I used to carry Kruggerands but when the US started minting the gold American Eagle in various denominations, I switched over. Sometimes it can be difficult to get change for a Troy ounce of gold and the one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce Eagles are a whole lot easier to work with. Some of the places I end up I could buy with a couple of dozen Troy ounces and I hate to wreck the local economy.
Oh, I did fail to mention the Oldest of Dragons. He exists across ALL times and dimensions simultaniously. He's sorta like Raven's Star in that he resembles a 'collective' but is actually only a single being with an infinite number of independant 'Galileos'. I guess they are like avatars but appear to be totally independent while still being part of the whole. What one knows, the whole knows.
I call them Galileos as this is the name I came to know him by when I met him. My particular Galileo may have spawned himself free of the whole when he actually forgot his mission was merely to observe. He met a cat-girl by the name of Cheeto and fell in love. At one point Oldest of Dragons appeared to have chastised Galileo by trapping him in a human form. It was such torture being forced to live with Cheeto. ;)

[Super Squirrel]

Okay this overview of the character history raises more questions.
What is an animist?
This is in Keith Curtis' Savage Earth Campaign. Masters are people able to use magic. There are three categories of magic, anima, morphia, and spirit. An Animist is a Master of Anima and is able to give animation to physical objects.


What is the way of the word?It is kind of hard to answer, but Masters follow what are called the Books of the Standing Stones. The Way of the Word is essentually the "laws" of the land and also dictates the Spirit Ladder which is where people stand in the Heirarcy of life.


Are Palidins a variant of the classic paladin or did you just write the word wrong the first two times?In the Savage Earth, Grandmasters are Masters who have mastered all three forms of magic mentioned above. Grandmasters are very busy and important people. Most Grandmasters have Paladins that act as representations of them. A Paladin, while not as high on the Spirit Ladder as a Grandmaster are higher on the ladder than average individuals. They speak the law and can have normal people arrested. They are usually magically enhanced to be faster and stronger well above human. You see, in the magic system, Masters and Grandmasters hold what are called Lay Lines to keep magical enhancements effective. My character has an Enhanced Sword that is currently being maintained by his father. A Paladin has the duty to serve his Grandmaster and is given, in return, great power. Paladins also have songs and stories told about them. This is what my character desires.


Okay the character history is well and good but you did not really tell me anything about your character, what does he look like? What does he do? How does he behave?
Characters always take a while before I fully get into them and understand how they behave, think, etc. As it is a Play-by-Post game, it is taking a while, but I am starting to get into the character.

Palon is a very tall man requiring him to kneel or duck in certain places where others should have no problem traversing. He wears metal armor which is rare in a world as hot as this one is. He wears the Symbol of Chthon around his neck and engraved on his armor. Chthon was one of the three disciples of Prometheous and is the representation of Morphia. He wears it as a symbol of his strength and determination. Palon has long black hair that hangs in a pony tail and determined blue eyes.

Palon is very respectful of anyone, but of those he considers equals or higher, he displayers higher respect. This is because of his training in the Spirit Ladder. One of the quirks on his sheet which I love roleplaying is that he always uses a title in front of a human's name unless he has been told he can refer to them by just their name. He, however, does not apply this to those lower than him on the Spirit Ladder (which is pretty much Beasts and Riven). Palon currently trusts all Masters completely and is completely Loyal to any Master he has offered his services. If this Master told him to fight to the death, he would do so. Palon has hatred to anyone who attempts to harm or hurt Masters and should he see such a display, the person responsible may very well end up dead.

Palon is very well educated. He thinks things over before he makes decisions on any course of action unless it is within the heat of the moment. And while he may look like a big brute, he is quite a warm, loving man.

[Raven_Fireoak]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
Boy, no one has ever asked me how I came up with the forest before. The acutal mapping of the trees and underground was stolen from a game I played called below the roots (real old game) I mapped it out so I could use the trees as a elven home. I loved that game. I still have that orignal map I made too.

What type of game was it?


Below the Root was an old apple game, it ran off a 5 1/4 floppy



Quote:

Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
In my D&D world I have fire water. I adpoted that through the ardwin and grimore books.

Firewater?

I found fire water first in an ardwin grimore monster book, one of the dragons used it to protect there home. I took the idea and made a moat of firewater around my major keep in my D&D world and converted the stats. Fire water is basicaly a liquid acid. Great cure for that mess sewer problem under the keep and a great way of getting rid of the bodies for the thives and assasians




Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
I have never been in a forest fire or have I seen one but I have always been entranced by flames. At the time I also had a flaming bush in my backyard. The bush was green during the spring and summer but come fall the leaves would change to look like the bush was on fire.The fire burned but never consumed.

Are the trees in the burning forest the same way or is it an actual burning forest.


The flame is quite real in the forest but because of the magic it does not consume the trees nor any other mythical creature trying to find a safe place to live.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
I was the GM for the a very high powered game and created an island. Since I had to create everything new based on the DMG, this included new friends and foes.

No monstermanual? Poor you. The monsterbooks are a GM’s very best friend.


OH! I had all the monster manuals and I had the rule pounders that would quote off all the stats to all the monsters. So the only way I could keep the control of the game at high levels was to make my own.





Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
For a twist I made the elves hated by humans. I don't know about you but I find to many people do not play the monsters to there fullest and elves well they are so stero typed, I needed something a bit more to throw off my players. Slowly everything fell into place as I started to write the background to the forest and it's creation.

I used to think the same way then I saw the lord of the rings trilogy and now I am a big fan of traditional elves again.


I have nothing against the traditional elves either, but which ones are you talking about? If you haven't guest it, the tuatha de Danann is the irish version of elves. I have a a few books on Irish fables. They are all so tragic



Quote:

Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
:eg: I know it was a joke but Raven Fireoak would not have gotten it. As GA has explained I seledom step out of the Raven role because I just love playing her and her twisted view point on life

She is not twisted.

Oh I see. You are afraid of what my big strong beloved might do to you if you didn't say that.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
So this is MONDAY, did you like the stories? Want more? GA and I have created a lot of stories.

I thought the first one were a little confusing and repetitive but I liked the second one much more and I would like to see the next chapter I hope she kill the evil Cravenshaw.

The untold story is five parts. It is written with alot of flash backs from RAV. Who is Raven Mother and binds the magic. The seven mages summoned the flame of life and used there own life force (flame) to make the true flame obey them. This is where my imananation is to big for my word skills and I need my beloved to FIX it for me. I need some way to tell the story of Raven's birth and to tell the story of how the forest came to be and the world in which she (Raven) was rasied.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
I do have a gift for coming up with storylines that have plots within plots and I love the fact that with GA we can actualy role play between the fights. I long ago put aside the hack and slash type games, they just get so old and boring.

Yes especially in the Hero system.


I can't argure that! It leaves all avenues wide open for any one with a little bit of imanganation. (I am a rotten speller too)


Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
The girl has a gift for understatement. When she and I began playing together about seven years ago, it was in WebRPG. One of the things I love about Web is that is records EVERYTHING. Well, we RP it out then, when we get time, she'll convert all the raw text to rough draft then I edit it and add my two cents. The last time I looked we were a little behind, I think I have something like 110000 pages of raw RP. Yes, one hundred ten THOUSAND pages.

:eek:

Gee only 110,000 that proves we haven't been playing much. I need to get a fire burning under my beloved's *** to get back in the game. I'm overflowing with ideas again. This time we are going to an alternate U.S where there is an island off the coast of CAlifornia. I have so many plots lined up :D



Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
We get on a roll it is hard to stop it.
Lately I've been the millstone to her because I am in the doldrums for some reason and haven't felt much like playing.

Well that happens from time to time with everybody[quote]

WEll take two asprians and lets get moving!

[quote]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
She has started something new for us, migrating two characters we both enjoy the hell out of play from a campaign one of her family started and gave up on. The characters are just too good and too much fun to drop in the circular file.

Good for you.

Yep Dusty Bottoms and ummm ummmm, well I can't give you his name. Secert ID and all that.


There is a small problem with the Road, though, both Raven and I have suffered from it, on occasion a traveler will lose their memory. It's happened any number of times to me. It makes life

Yeah right, small problem. and he thinks I under state things.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
The Star is an alien entity that Raven made a deal with, I believe she traded her ability to sing for the Star taking her pain at the loss of Archer.


These are things I like to know. Or atleast learn in the story.


He's right on the money.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
The Star is an alien entity that Raven made a deal with, I believe she traded her ability to sing for the Star taking her pain at the loss of Archer.


These are things I like to know. Or atleast learn in the story.


That story was only a session of role play we where doing. At the time even GA didn't totaly understand what Raven had done.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
As I said, for her it was love at her first sight of Archer but at the time Archer was very much involved the the Russian assassin Sable Kirov. He gave very little notice of her beyond the attraction of her elvishness. I don't know how many years Raven traveled the Road and I doubt she can tell you but a lot of very bad stuff happened to her in her travels. She has never really chronicled the whole story. Archer, meanwhile, remained involved with Sable for some number of years before he even thought about Raven. When he did, however, being adapt at time travel, he returned to an earlier time as Raven's own time travel was only to the specific time she'd left that world. Everytime she returned to the Cold and Green, her name for Archer's world, she had been gone only a split second.

So these things never happened?


Oh all of it did happen. For a short period of time there was two archers in the champion but the other archer had left off world with a group of people



Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghost Archer
As for Cravenhaw? Removal of his head is a bit too quick.


Are that attitude typical for Ghost-Archer?

Very typical when you do harm to one of his. And heaven sakes why would you want to hurt poor Cravenhaw? After all he fell in love with her, never raped her and was about to marry her? What did he do worng? (HEE HEE HEE)

If there was going to be any head bashing it would be by Archer. He likes going in like a bull in a china shop from time to time.

Raven just looks back on it all and accepts the lessons she learned from it. She doesn't harbor anger against anyone. Well she will never admit she harbors it. That would be dark(= evil). But within her is a very dark spot.

[Ghost Archer]

Originally Posted by Raven_Fireoak
Very typical when you do harm to one of his. And heaven sakes why would you want to hurt poor Cravenhaw? After all he fell in love with her, never raped her and was about to marry her? What did he do worng? (HEE HEE HEE)

If there was going to be any head bashing it would be by Archer. He likes going in like a bull in a china shop from time to time.

Raven just looks back on it all and accepts the lessons she learned from it. She doesn't harbor anger against anyone. Well she will never admit she harbors it. That would be dark(= evil). But within her is a very dark spot.


I am NEVER a bull in a China shop. I am always very calculating when exacting rev . . . er . . . Justice. Icehawk's the bull in the China shop. Ask his limo driver! And Raven should know. I told you it wasn't nice to tease the boy. Bathroom emergency my butt.

[Trencher]

This is in Keith Curtis' Savage Earth Campaign.
Okay I have seen the website it looks really good.


In the Savage Earth, Grandmasters are Masters who have mastered all three forms of magic mentioned above. Grandmasters are very busy and important people. Most Grandmasters have Paladins that act as representations of them. ---
A Paladin has the duty to serve his Grandmaster and is given, in return, great power. Paladins also have songs and stories told about them. This is what my character desires.
Sounds like a different version than dnd Paladins. More like samurai of an sort.


Characters always take a while before I fully get into them and understand how they behave, think, etc. As it is a Play-by-Post game, it is taking a while, but I am starting to get into the character. Yes that is very common with players.


Palon has hatred to anyone who attempts to harm or hurt Masters and should he see such a display, the person responsible may very well end up dead. Hai! :yes:


Palon is very well educated. He thinks things over before he makes decisions on any course of action unless it is within the heat of the moment. And while he may look like a big brute, he is quite a warm, loving man. Now that is telling about the character. :thumbup:



I found fire water first in an ardwin grimore monster book,
Could you please tell me everything you know of this monster book, I searched for it on the net but could not find anything. I collect monsterbook so any information you could have would be nice.


OH! I had all the monster manuals and I had the rule pounders that would quote off all the stats to all the monsters. So the only way I could keep the control of the game at high levels was to make my own. Mine too in the beginning gray worms were very popular to hunt for a while.



I have nothing against the traditional elves either, but which ones are you talking about? If you haven't guest it, the tuatha de Danann is the irish version of elves. I have a a few books on Irish fables. They are all so tragic When I think of traditional fantasy elves I think of the Tolkien version. Scandinavian myths about elves have a tendency to mix trolls/spirits/elves/gnomes/ghost together not all of the myths but enough to get confusing. The difference between fairytales and fantasy is that in fantasy things like elves are more defined.



Oh I see. You are afraid of what my big strong beloved might do to you if you didn't say that. He would nod his head and say I was right? :yes:




The untold story is five parts. It is written with alot of flash backs from RAV. Who is Raven Mother and binds the magic. The seven mages summoned the flame of life and used there own life force (flame) to make the true flame obey them. This is where my imananation is to big for my word skills and I need my beloved to FIX it for me. I need some way to tell the story of Raven's birth and to tell the story of how the forest came to be and the world in which she (Raven) was rasied. Well you could practice yourself a little too. You could start by cutting down on the references too what you already have told the reader and concentrate on telling more.



I can't argure that! Against or for?


(I am a rotten speller too) Join the club, I would give you an brochure but it is unreadable.



And heaven sakes why would you want to hurt poor Cravenhaw? He is evil. There are several ways to see if people are evil.
1: first he say he is in the other room if you need him, when you go over to his room to talk to him he :slap: you around for entering his room.
2: He gives you new name, he is a control freak, and control freaks are evil.
3: He gives you degenerating pet name, which makes him an authoritarian and a control freak- both evil.


After all he fell in love with her, never raped her and was about to marry her? What did he do worng? (HEE HEE HEE) Now that is twisted.




Raven just looks back on it all and accepts the lessons she learned from it. She doesn't harbor anger against anyone. Well she will never admit she harbors it. That would be dark(= evil). But within her is a very dark spot. The amount of anger one set of actions generate has very little to do with how evil they are. A man must answer for his actions even though the victim forgives.

[Super Squirrel]

Sounds like a different version than dnd Paladins. More like samurai of an sort.I think Royal Knight is a more appropriate comparison.


Now that is telling about the character. :thumbup:It is hard to sit and completely describe a character and cover everything in paragraph form.

[AmadanNaBriona]

one of my favorite Star Hero characters:
Captain Jared "Iron Jad" Hiller. A retired Confedration Naval officer, now freelance escort, bodyguard, bouty hunter and general Frontier dwelling drifter. A craggy, shaggy, greying foul tempered bitter giant of a man. Former commander of a deep reconassaince Asteroid hulled spy ship on long surveillance into Alliance terrritory. Lost his command, his ship, his reputaion, and most of his life after breaking his orders to reveal his ship and come to the assistance of a Confed Destroyer, Captained by a friend of his from OCS, that was being hard pressed and overwhelmed by a patrol of Alliance gunships. His assistance proved to be the turning pint in the battle, but his ship was destroyed in the fight, and he was one of the few survivors recovered by the Destroyers rescue crews. The damage was too extensive and went untreated for too long for Regen tank therapy to rebuild his body, so now he's about 75% cybernetic. Once the Navy put him back together, he was in rapid succession awarded a medal, a courts martial, and a medical discharge in leiu of a dishonorable one... The only reason he escaped time in the brig was the Navy wanted a hero for the media to help sugar coat the overall facts of the great FUBAR, and to distract form the fact that they had been in violation of certain terms of the Alliance/Confed treaty.

Now he's a bitter frontiersman, far older than his 50 something odd years would normally reflect in a society where medicine lets most live 150 years or more. Spends most of his time in dive spacer bars playing cards and drinking. Smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish. Does a credible imitation of an old drunk despite the fact that alcohol has next to no effect on his largely mechanical system. Occasionally suckersbets the odd greenhorn into a drinking contest or pool game (His onboard electronics can target the trajectory of a sublight torpedo... a cue ball is childs play). Makes a sporadic but decent living through both bounty hunting and bodyguarding. Tho he doesn't look like much, his cybernetic enhancements make him exceedingly tough and dangerous in a fight (Like Robocop level..DAMN tough). While he'll take the odd shipboard job to make ends meet or to work for passage from system to system, he refuses to command a ship again, out of a deep sense of guilt and anger over the fate of his last crew.

Eventually was in the right place at the right time to rescue famous Dreamdancer (Empathic rockstar, basically) Lena Cameron from a Mafia kidnapping attempt, and later was sucked along as her bodyguard when she became the spokeperson for the Rebellion. Currently residing in the rebellion formed Freezone, and enjoying a bit of time in the spotlight as an honest to god war hero.

Still regrets the fact that he spent years bodyguarding the most desireable woman in Known Space and no longer has functioning (human, anyway)sex organs.

[Trencher]

It is hard to sit and completely describe a character and cover everything in paragraph form. You manage :yes:


one of my favorite Star Hero characters:
Captain Jared "Iron Jad" Hiller. How long have you played him?



A retired Confedration Naval officer, now freelance escort, bodyguard, bouty hunter and general Frontier dwelling drifter. _snip background story_
Great backgroundstory!


Tho he doesn't look like much, his cybernetic enhancements make him exceedingly tough and dangerous in a fight (Like Robocop level..DAMN tough). How does he fare against the guns of the future?


enjoying a bit of time in the spotlight as an honest to god war hero.
What are the confedration, the alliance and the rebellion?


Still regrets the fact that he spent years bodyguarding the most desireable woman in Known Space and no longer has functioning (human, anyway)sex organs. Who came up with that idea? You or the GM?
Are the dreamdancer another playercharacter? What are the other player characters like?

[Constantine]

Lt. Col. Christopher “Carnage” Call, USAF

Call started in the army as a heavy weapons specialist who would also be called upon for his mechanical skills in the motorpool. Smart, strong, and a crack shot, he was looking for a special forces posting to continue his army career. He saw a vague posting about a special forces unit being put together by the Airforce, and looking for applicants from any branches of the armed forces that met their qualifications. Call applied for a transfer to this unit, and was quickly informed that posting wasn’t available to him. However, just the attempt attracted attention, and after an interview with a recruiting officer, he was brought into the unit.

The unit had been formed to stop alien incursions into US territory, and had been running for some time. They had built several “Watchtowers” around the US in strategic points, and each Watchtower would have several fast action teams and a few heavy combat teams for more serious incursions. Call was moved into a newly formed fast action team, and his career with Project Blue Boy began.

Call has been part of Project Blue Boy for about 12 years know, and has quickly moved up the ranks after starting as a 2nd Lt. Call took place in the first offworld military campaign defending Shimsalen space, when the Shimsalen empire, an allied alien race, were being invaded by the Ko To’Thoan, a warlike race of 4 armed, red-skinned gorilla like beings. He and his team are in possetion of several alien devices and weapons, which they have incorporated into their unit make up. One such weapon he calls an Alien BB gun, which fires hundreds of small round projectiles via rail gun like technology with each pull of the trigger. He is now team leader and field commander of Striker Team 1, which has discovered several dormant alien bases both on and around Earth.

Call enjoys poker, and has gotten fairly good at it over the years. A bad habit from his youth of modifying and illegally street racing cars has finally been left behind. His team recently discovered the existence of vampires and the supernatural when his Striker team tangled with an NSA team in the field called Division 3, when the “alien activity” they were tracking turned out to be vampires.

[Trencher]

Lt. Col. Christopher “Carnage” Call, USAF

Call started in the army as a heavy weapons specialist who would also be called upon for his mechanical skills in the motorpool. Smart, strong, and a crack shot, he was looking for a special forces posting to continue his army career. That’s an great character there Constantine. How is his personality? Easy going or hard?


The unit had been formed to stop alien incursions into US territory, and had been running for some time. They had built several “Watchtowers” around the US in strategic points, and each Watchtower would have several fast action teams and a few heavy combat teams for more serious incursions. Wow that is the exact same premise that one guy I know once suggested, he never did anything with it tough.


Call was moved into a newly formed fast action team, and his career with Project Blue Boy began. This something I would like to play myself one day.



Call took place in the first offworld military campaign defending Shimsalen space, when the Shimsalen empire, an allied alien race, were being invaded by the Ko To’Thoan, a warlike race of 4 armed, red-skinned gorilla like beings. He and his team are in possetion of several alien devices and weapons, which they have incorporated into their unit make up. Does the general population know of the aliens or is it an government secret?


One such weapon he calls an Alien BB gun, which fires hundreds of small round projectiles via rail gun like technology with each pull of the trigger. He is now team leader and field commander of Striker Team 1, which has discovered several dormant alien bases both on and around Earth. How much damage does it do?



His team recently discovered the existence of vampires and the supernatural when his Striker team tangled with an NSA team in the field called Division 3, when the “alien activity” they were tracking turned out to be vampires. Killing vampires too? Only thing that could make that campaign cooler is if you added ninjas.
How do you feel about the change in campaign focus? How long have you played in the campaign?

[Constantine]

That’s an great character there Constantine. How is his personality? Easy going or hard?[QUOTE=Trencher]

He's a hard charger, to borrow a line. He wants to be in the action, as much as possible, because he knows the mission is so important, and that the alien menace is real. He's frustrated by politcs curtailing the response of the military. After spending 3 years cooling his heels on an extended mission of mercy to Shimsalen space after a natural disaster, he has learned patience, though.

[QUOTE=Trencher]Wow that is the exact same premise that one guy I know once suggested, he never did anything with it tough. This something I would like to play myself one day.[QUOTE=Trencher]

I'll let the GM know. I'm sure your praise will be appreciated.

[QUOTE=Trencher]Does the general population know of the aliens or is it an government secret?[QUOTE=Trencher]

Just recently, the decision was made to reveal the existance of aliens (and project blue boy)to the general public. That revelation hasn't happened quite yet, though.

[QUOTE=Trencher]How much damage does it do?[QUOTE=Trencher]

This is a *ahem* d20 modern game, so the weapon does 2d10, or 4d10 with a burst.

[QUOTE=Trencher]Killing vampires too? Only thing that could make that campaign cooler is if you added ninjas.
How do you feel about the change in campaign focus? How long have you played in the campaign?
Can't tell if you are being serious or not. :-) Its not a shift in campaign focus. It was a brief crossover. Division 3 was another campaign this GM ran. They ran into an opponent they couldn't handle, and one of them had a contact in the military. They asked for backup, and they sent in Striker One, figuring all our alien goodies, which at that point included power armor, would give us the edge. The creature in question was a methusalah vampire who specialized in killing and war. With our gear, we were able to beat him. It was a neat guest appearance kind of thing.

[Trencher]

This is a *ahem* d20 modern game, so the weapon does 2d10, or 4d10 with a burst. In this game how much damage does a nine millimeter caliber gun do and how much does a shot gun do?


Can't tell if you are being serious or not. :-) Hey ninjas are cool. :D, overdone perhaps but still cool.

[Constantine]

A nine mil. does 2d6. The BB guns damage is on par with other heavy weapons, where it excels is ammo conservation, ease of reloading, and increased area effect from a spray. It also has a "concentrated spray ability" with allows the increased burst damage to multiple opponents with a sizeable ammo expenditure. The other characters also now have weapons that do, 2d10/4d10, without all the nifty extras that my bb gun gets.

[AmadanNaBriona]

How long have you played him?
He was one of the 2 characters I played back and forth during the course of the campaign, which lasted some 12 years or so, and started way back in HERO prehistory (Initally it was started using a modified version of the Espionage rules, convberted to DI when DI came out, and then finally converted to 4th edition towards the end of the campaign.
I played Jad for about half the campaign. We tended to have a couple characters each so we could have multiple storylines ongoing that impacted each other


Great backgroundstory!
Thanks :D I've always liked the character myself too



How does he fare against the guns of the future?
Fairly well, which came as kinda a suprise to me, seeing as I had designed all the guns to be quite a bit more lethal than modern day weaponry. Between the inherent toughness of his cybernetic bits, the rules we used to reflect cybernetics (we were using a modified verion of the old JI gadget rules to reflect his cybernetic limbs.... they were essentially breakable Foci) and the bulletproof duster he wore, he wound up being WAY more bullet resistant than expected... mostly because he could take a shot to a 'borged bit that'd kill a normal man and wind up damaged and in need of spare parts, but otherwise fine. It became a fairly common sight in the game for me to be holding a rearguard position while the rest of the PC's ran for the ship, standing in the middle of a hail of small caliber gunfire calmly returning fire with a pair of machine pistols.



What are the confedration, the alliance and the rebellion?
Hooo boy.. thats the biggee ain't it :P
Our game took place around the 30th century. Space colonization had happened in several waves, broken up twice in history by catastropic wars.
The Confederation was the central government that had arose in the 600 years since the last war, based on Earth. It was basically a corrupt capitalistic democratic republic, very similar to a combonation of the US and the UN. Most citizens considered them the "good guys", but they had a very american" we have the biggest stick, and might makes right" attitude that is reflected in todays politics kinda scary well.
The Alliance was a large rival government that predated the last big war on earth, and occupied about a third of known space on the eastern edge. They were a very efficient Millitaristic fascist/socialist government.... basically modeled on the eastern block with a few WW2 german bits thrown in to taste.
If the Confed were the "bad guys" then the Alliance were the "worse guys".
The Rebellion was a recent thing, started in campaign about 30 game years earlier, in the first incarnation of the campaign (Started by one of my characters, in fact). The Rebels operated off privledged knowlegde... some 30 years earlier, they had made first contact with scouts from an alien race(the Caprans, who were fleeing from a worlds destroying bio-cybernetic hivemind species, the Knar, which had annihilated their civilization, rendered their worlds down into raw materials and were heading towards Human space. The Rebellion was formed as a way to try and hopefully overthrow the existing governments and unify humanity against the impending threat of the Knar. It failed.


Who came up with that idea? You or the GM?
Are the dreamdancer another playercharacter? What are the other player characters like?
It was my idea :D I like playing characters with some good tragic elements built in. The Dreamdancer was another PC, who was my GF for a good portion of the campaign, and one of the few female gamers I've played with who was really happy playing the damsel in distress :D Tho she ended up being the saviour of humaity, in the end, weilding a empathic crystal enhancement artifact from a lost and forgotten ancient alien race to confront the queen of the hive mind in psychic combat and resulting in an 11th hour save of the human race....

Other characters included my second character,
Caspian D'Artangan, owner, operator and commander of a mercenary company, The Musketeers, who worked out of a somewhat dilapidated Broadsword class Mercenary cruiser (yeah, straight from traveller :D). He was a charismatic, somewhat cocky vaguely Han Soloish character, who DID have an ongoing affiar with Lena.
Jason Blank, a replicant inflitrator/spy/assassin built and trained by the Confed to inflitrate the Rebellion, who eventually broke his conditioning and joined up.
Rupert Starr, a Frontier Ranger strong jawed hero lawman type (who was a TOTAL American Flagg homage character) who was very sincere, but not always that bright.
Erich Wagner, another of Lena's various bodyguards, who was a former professional hitman who was, at the time of joining the party, trying to avoid the same Mafia family that had it in for Lena, and who was a highly ranked Flexwalker ( stollen from Steve Perry's Matador series, the Musashi Flex is an underground ongoing martial arts competition where participants follow rankings on public message boards and issue challenges to other flexwalkers to single combat to prove whos the best fighter). Very much a gunslinger mentality character.
Dirk, a long range confed Scout, a man out of time. Until recently in the setting's history, unassisted FTL travel didn't exist (due to power requirements). What DID exist was jump routes, established by setting up a power transmission satelite relay system. Which means that scouts pushing new jump routes had to travel at sublight speeds in cryofreeze. As a carrier Long range scout, Dirk had been around since the inception of the Confed, and was a bit out of place and out of sorts to finish his last 40 year mission and discover that his job was now obsolete. The power problem had been solved with the introducion of Caparan technology onto the market by Rebel affiliated business men, both funding the rebellion and perparing Humanity to be able to meet the Knar on slightly more even footing. Died in a shootout with a quad of enhanced Confed Jumptroopers.
Sawyer Mott, Halfbreed Capran/Human hybrid, son of the Capran Scout, Wolffe, who first made contact with humanity and helped found the Rebellion. Fanatically dedicated to the Rebel cause, mostly because he had grown up with his fathers stories and warnings about the unstoppable and unrelenting nature of the Knar hive. Inheritor of his fathers semi-sentient scoutship, and thus possessing the only ship in human space capapable of near instant interstellar travel (his ship could fold space in a manner unreproducable by human tech).
Fenris, a former elite Alliance solider and member of ACE (Alliance Corps of ESPers) who had the distinction of being one of the only human Psi's to ever confront the Knar hivemind and survive. Several orders of magnitude more powerful than Lena, he was a utter wreck... Completely brainburned and addicted to a whole suite of psi enhancement drugs. Run him through a blood scrub, Wrap him in his Cerebral Enhancement Equipped Powered armor, load up the auto injectors with the best combat and psi enhancement drugs on the market, and he becomes a planet busting psi. Leave him in his natural state, and he twiches, shakes, drinks too much, and barely can levitate a 10 credit slip. Inspired by the song "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" by BOC
And a variety of other characters over the years, including a Former Alliance Special Forces Officer, Eugenically bred and biologically enhanced to levels similar to a 40K Space Marine, An ex Confed Jumptrooper Power armor pilot, A semi-operant telepathic grifter, and more I can't even recall.

As an interesting side note....
This campaign passed on to us from a previous generation of players, changed radically, but kept some core elements the same. The earlier players (who were a couple years older than we were) went off to college in Santa Cruz, became friends with Mike Pondsmith, and eventually helped with the creation of Cyberpunk. Thus, Arisaka Industries was our big badguy megacorp years before Cyberpunk hit the market.Weird but true :D

[Trencher]

I played Jad for about half the campaign. We tended to have a couple characters each so we could have multiple storylines ongoing that impacted each other Is he dead or alive?


It became a fairly common sight in the game for me to be holding a rearguard position while the rest of the PC's ran for the ship, standing in the middle of a hail of small caliber gunfire calmly returning fire with a pair of machine pistols. Did you use hit locations in your campaign? Or perhaps helmet like Robocop?


The Alliance was a large rival government that predated the last big war on earth, and occupied about a third of known space on the eastern edge. They were a very efficient Millitaristic fascist/socialist government.... basically modeled on the eastern block with a few WW2 german bits thrown in to taste. Face covering helmets?


The Rebels operated off privledged knowlegde... some 30 years earlier, they had made first contact with scouts from an alien race(the Caprans, who were fleeing from a worlds destroying bio-cybernetic hivemind species, the Knar, It is an lame question after such an great back-story, but.. what do they look like?


she ended up being the saviour of humaity, in the end, weilding a empathic crystal enhancement artifact from a lost and forgotten ancient alien race to confront the queen of the hive mind in psychic combat and resulting in an 11th hour save of the human race.... Sounds like movie material. :yes:

I have to say that you have a talent for creating characters all of them are very impressive concepts, except for the half breed who is good but not great.
I am a little overwhelmed, I wish the players in my sci-fi campaign created such concepts.


As an interesting side note....
This campaign passed on to us from a previous generation of players, changed radically, but kept some core elements the same. The earlier players (who were a couple years older than we were) went off to college in Santa Cruz, became friends with Mike Pondsmith, and eventually helped with the creation of Cyberpunk. Thus, Arisaka Industries was our big badguy megacorp years before Cyberpunk hit the market.Weird but true :D Small world.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Is he dead or alive?
Tho the campaign has been dead for a while, when it was last played, Iron Jad was still quite alive, tho largely retired from active adventuring.

Did you use hit locations in your campaign? Or perhaps helmet like Robocop? We used ALL of the optional combat rules, including hit locations, critical hits, Imparing & Disabling wounds and the rest. Jad seldom wore a helmet, but as most of his skull was rebuilt out of high grade alloy, he was usually pretty resistant to small arms fire. Heavier weapons would definitely prompt him to get his *** under cover tho. He was dropped in a few firefights, but never put down for good. His head was one of his more vunerable locations, and head shots put him down on at least 2 occcasions I can recall.

Face covering helmets? Yep... they're the bad guys, after all :D
Actually, the basic idea of the Alliance was ganked from the Eastern Alliance from the original Battlestar Galactica series, including the uniforms. It evolved quite a bit from that simple origin tho.

It is an lame question after such an great back-story, but.. what do they look like?
The Caprans were an offshoot of humanity who had been transported in prehistoric times by the same lost alien race that produced the artifact that ended up saving the universe. The Knar were largely influenced by the original Mechanoids, from the Mechanoid Invasion (I have the original newprint comic book sized 3 book set I bought at a convention back in the early 80's, long before Palladium bacame a real game company. K.S. has always had some good ideas for flavor, but his system blows goats). The Caparans refugees fleeing the Knar were another thinly veiled BSG homage... we wanted a similar feel without ganking the Colonials and Cylons whole hog.
EDIT: And because I just realized that if you don't get the references, I didn't really answer your questions...
The Caprans were human like with some minor evolved differences (hence why thecross breed was possible)
The Knar were mostly robotic, with literally hundreds of different possible specialist forms. All tended to be more or less insectoid in appearance. They ranged in size from about the size of a small dog to massive "Death Star" scale capital ships, including the ones designed to disassemble planets into raw materials. the biological components were minimal... mostly brains and attached nervous systems, with a few other associated organs, buried deep inside the armored carapaces.

Sounds like movie material. :yes:
It was a very cinematic campaign, and one of the best I've ever participated in creating.


I have to say that you have a talent for creating characters all of them are very impressive concepts, except for the half breed who is good but not great.
I am a little overwhelmed, I wish the players in my sci-fi campaign created such concepts. I'm lucky in that the majority of my old gaming group were Genre Feinds, and the few who weren't got caught up in the fervor. Part of the reason I don't play much anymore is that my standards for players got set almostly unreasonably high by these folk.
And yeah, I didn't really dig the half breed chracter much either... he was a bit munchkiny for my taste, but he belonged to one of the original GM's of the first generation of the campaign, so we kinda let the character slide. In a lot of the games he was a semi NPC anyway, acting as a "GM's mouthpeice" to provider the rest of the PC's with tidbits of information they needed to know in order to keep the main storyarc (the impending invasion) running smmoth.

Small world.
Yeah, thats what I thought too :P

[Trencher]

Tho the campaign has been dead for a while, That is too bad.


EDIT: And because I just realized that if you don't get the references, I didn't really answer your questions... I know what mechanoids look like although I see you have made more out of them.


The Knar were mostly robotic, with literally hundreds of different possible specialist forms. All tended to be more or less insectoid in appearance. They ranged in size from about the size of a small dog to massive "Death Star" scale capital ships, including the ones designed to disassemble planets into raw materials. the biological components were minimal... mostly brains and attached nervous systems, with a few other associated organs, buried deep inside the armored carapaces. That is pretty cool enemy.


It was a very cinematic campaign, and one of the best I've ever participated in creating.
Well it sounds amazing.

[Trencher]

Well I am still bored out of my skull.
And I still like to see if someone want to tell me about their character.

[ghost-angel]

I'll post a second character ... I've only had a chance to play them once unforetunately, and am still figuring them out.

Silence.

Silence (her birth name has been lost to history) was born to the Cimbri Germanic tribe around 125 B.C., as she came of age she showed exceptional skill with the sword. As the tribe migrated south towards the Roman Empire she rose in their ranks as a warrior. While her skill with a sword was exceptional it was her approach to battle that garnered her fame. While most warriors intimidated with shouts and taunts she showed no emotion in the field, quickly moving from combantant to combatant without so much as a snarl her seeming passive nature caused as much fear as the warcries from the largest warriors.

Moving south with the Cimbri was the Teutoni Tribe, it was one of thier warrios that caught the eye of Silence. Bodvar was a great warrior amongst the Teutoni and showed a mutual interest in Silence, while the two tribes didn't always travel together they met often enough for the two of them to maintain a relationship.

By 103 B.C., at the battle of Aurasio, the Cimbri utterly destroyed two Roman Legions, killing 120,000 men. This was the largest defeat the Romans had suffered in a long time. As the Teutoni and Cimbri marched first towards Spain and then back the Romans prepared their defeat. Bodvar, seeing that they had finally cause the Romans to really notice them as a threat, forsaw both the Teutoni and the Cimbri's defeat. Behind the scenes he started to make alliances with the Romans.

In 102 B.C. The two tribes split to go around the Alps. The Teutoni went southward and were defeated and killed off by the Romans. It was Bodvar who helped this by assuring his own place amongst the Legions in return for information on the Teutoni and Cimbri.

It didn't take long for the news of the Teutoni defeat to reach the Cimbri, where Silence heard that her love was dead at the hands of the Romans. And she made a promise to avenge her lovers spirit and utterly defeat the Legions. When they engaged in battle she fought with demonic ferocity, taking the place of any ten warriors. The Cimbri defeated and drove back the Legions of Rome. After they wintered and resupplied they pressed southward again.

It was before the battle of Vercellae in 101 B.C. that Silence learned that not only was Bodvar still alive but he was alied with Rome. He came to see her the night before the battle to petition her to join him. She rejected him outright, forcing him to leave. Silence now felt she had taken a false vow of vengence, something she would not live with.

What happened next is know only by Silence and Death itself. Death visited Silence, and they made a pact. She would have her one wish to redeem herself by killing Bodvar, in return she would serve Death. The next day she walked to the battle field weilding a sword unlike any other of the day, a massive blade taller than herself. She cut through Roman legions like they were children, finding Bodvar on the battle field she cut him down without so much as a word. And then she stopped fighting.

The Romans destroyed the Cimbri tribe that day, Silence watched on, the battle raging around her as if she didn't exist. When the fight was over she faded from the field to complete her contract with Death.

Silence served as a Psychopomp for Death for over 2000 years before she was summoned to the Mortal world again. She has no voice, being mute, and cannot kill a living being leaving that task to Death alone. She still wields the magical blade "Sensemann" given to her all those years ago, though the blade is magical and disappears when not in use, the Hilt is always on her person so she can call forth the sword when required. She is a masterswordswoman, though it has been so long since she fought some of her skills are a bit rusty.

While she understands something of human nature, she is confused by modern society, especially the technology - the public transportation trains make her nervous as they move a bit quickly. She also stands out in a crowd as she has a pair of large black wings, while they can fold in to appear as a cloak it is obvious upon inspection they are attached to her back.

[Trencher]

That is an nice character you got there Ghost-angel!


Silence served as a Psychopomp for Death for over 2000 years before she was summoned to the Mortal world again.
What is an Psychopomp? And why was she summoned to the mortal world? What is she doing there now?

[ghost-angel]

A Psychopomp is a entity that guides the deceased from the land of the living to the land of the dead.

She was summoned by a Black Magician/Necromancer (she assumes) for some unknown reason. The GM was introducing a new villain, her first act in the mortal world was to beat up the PCs, which she did with incredible effectiveness. She thought the Black Magician was Death and followed his orders, as the battle concluded she realized she had been tricked and is very unhappy about that. Death, it seems, is leaving her to her own devices for now and she solicited the help of the other PCs to track down the Black Magician before he did worse.

Right now she's she's both searching for the Black Magician and wandering a bit aimlessly to figure out her new home. She is completely tireless and very patient - if worse comes to worse she figures she'll outlive her quarry.

[Trencher]

Right now she's she's both searching for the Black Magician and wandering a bit aimlessly to figure out her new home.


Are she a team player? Or did she just beat them up? :D

[ghost-angel]

Are she a team player? Or did she just beat them up? :D
She's a team player, in that she understand the best way to learn is to hang around with other people. The hero's around here are a bit strange and certainly amusing. And there's a strength to numbers. She can be a loner but wouldn't go out of her way to do so - if invited she'll go along without arguement.

I just got another chance to play her again this past weekend too - turns out she gets very agressive when her friends are threatened, though in a very controlled way.

That and she learned a big GM secret .. we have a reformed bad guy in the game that sits in the Neutral coffee house and hangs out 24/7. She scared him by walking in the door, apparently he's nervous about the nature of her being. Had fun with that, now she needs to learn how to play chess.

[Trencher]

The hero's around here are a bit strange and certainly amusing. What are they like? Have they asked her to join yet?



now she needs to learn how to play chess.
I thought that one was standard issue for all death's.

[ghost-angel]

What are they like? Have they asked her to join yet?



I thought that one was standard issue for all death's.
They have, more or less. One of the characters, named Charletain, likes working with her because Silence doesn't tell her to shut up (charletain talks incessently) and goes along with most plans. Silence is very easy to work with becaue she has no reason not to do something and has a lot of free time.

Well, she's not a Death - she's a Psychopomp, one of Death's servents. And being summoned abruptly into the Mortal Plane left her a bit amnesiac, she knows a lot of things - she just has to remember them. After all she has access to the combined knowledge of everyone who has ever died, at least when she's home Between Places, on the Mortal Plane she has to "relearn" everything which takes some time.

[Trencher]

Ahh sounds like a true GM friend character. :yes:

[ghost-angel]

Ahh sounds like a true GM friend character. :yes:
Oh yeah, Silence even has a Psych Lim - Must obey Death at a high level, the GM has Carte Blanche to send her on missions if need be. Or as a tool to convey information - the cool part is getting her to convey it to the rest of the team, sometimes she writes stuff on a pad she's started keeping with her and sometimes she doesn't. Very challenging and fun character.

[daeudi_454]

Firedrake: Half retired. Dan's true love was killed by a demon she accidentally summoned with her high school friends. Shortly after a masked sorceror trained him in magic. He then used the knowledge to summon the spirit of an ancient dragon that died fighting a horde of demons, and bonded with it. They hunted the demomn while working with the Indy supergroup. After finally defeating it, Firedrake and his human half separated, Dan going back in time to train himself in magic, the dragon to sleep until called. Mostly used as a guest star when visiting the old gaming group. POWERS: he's a (were-)dragon.... Growth, armor, firebreath, flight, some magic (not as much as when he was bonded with the human mage.) The were-part of it is because of the bonding.

ION: retired. a Borderline Personality Disorder who sought power to defeat his brother, a super sadist. Unfortunately, the treatment fractured his mind. Positive is very much a 4 color hero, believing good should always act by a code. Negative is all the repressed parts of his personality. A Machiavellian Anti-Hero full of rage, passion, and willing to do anything to defeat what he considers BLACK in his B&W worldview. Including becoming black himself. Both aspects are aware of the other, but keep them a secret from his team mates. POWERS: Desol, Electrical control, EMP, Electrical travel, Cyberspce-VPP.

The PC, (a.k.a: Teleos, Dane, Shade, The Player, many others.): Started as a barely powered version of the player with the powers of Scarlet Witch. The GM decided to be a smart *** one day when I "Hexed" a dimensional shunter, and the PC was given a vision of the room the game was running in. It was supposed to cause mental trauma, I played it differently. Spent XP on powers the GM never should have allowed, and the PC learned far too much of the truth. At first he tried to convince his team mates, to kill himslef, and to go against orders. Now he is used only for one-shots and Mini-series. He's prone to waking up at the start of the game and go "CRAP! Can't ya let me die! (sigh) Is this spandex or phasers this time?" This character gets interesting when I have to roleplay him rebelling against my wishes, requires HEAVY roleplaying and voice work, and pretty much means Daniel the player plays 2 characters: Daniel the PC, and Daniel the Player PC (who is technically another incarnation of the PC, and sometimes the GM insists that gets played out too!). Don't think about it too much. POWERS: 100 Locked points, plus additional as campaign dictates. Mindlink, any distance or Dimension, to player, Fuzzy and Unclear. (replaced with Clairsentience: Transdimensional when possible.) KS: RPGs 14-, KS: Plot twists 16-, KS: Real World 11-, KS: Player Knowledge 8- Disads: Psych Lim: Distrusts and disrespects his player. Psych Lim: Knows truth about his own existence. (causes melancholy, sense of futility.)

Quantum Cat: Tried to make a wormhole bridge across realities to alternate dimensions. It worked/did nothing/killed him. The wave function was observed/unobserved/self observed/never formed. He saw a tunnel of light, and his spirit followed it. Followed it right back to his own living body. He is haunted by his own ghost. or actually, several of them. Everytime he dies, his spirits are drawn through the still open wormhole inside of him back to his living form. (Bought high level of Regeneration(ressurection only) with duplication (altered, x32, can not merge, triggered by ressurection only) So far he only has 5 of him floating around. POWERS: Invisible Ghost Duplicates who can add their energy to his (Attributes, UBO) and have possesion (mind control(4d6, requires EGO vs EGO roll). Also an Improbability Field: ResDamamge Reduction (PD/ED/MD) and a + DCV (11-) Wormhole has Naked Mod (megascale travel) or XD with a lot of limitations. Side effect to the Duplication: Naked Modifier: All ranged effects he does have a 11- activation per phase. (This includes non-inherent senses like phone or TV.)

[Trencher]

Firedrake: Half retired.

Sounds like a dependable character, what was his enemies like? Did the demons he fight have like horns and stuff?


ION: retired. a Borderline Personality Disorder who sought power to defeat his brother, a super sadist. Unfortunately, the treatment fractured his mind. Did the other team members find out?



The PC, (a.k.a: Teleos, Dane, Shade, The Player, many others.): Poor guy, you should stop playing with his life like that. It's not right.



Quantum Cat: Oh man :lol: I can imagne the GM going crazy trying to created adventures for him! What kind of adventures does he go on?
--
I see you are going for a theme of multiple personas/mental causation with all your characters here, how did you come up with the idea?

[daeudi_454]

Firedrake was a very dependable and well loved member of the group. He was played weekly for 2 years, and biweekly for 3 more. His personal enemies were everything from Black Paladin to Balrogs to demons from the move Fallen. But most adventures were team themed, and were the same type the Champions or the Avengers would fight.
He got too powerful, so I retired him, but GMs from the old group tend to request his presence on occasion. (Concept: Loss, anger, revenge)

Ion: The other team members found out. Our resident Lawful-Stupid talked the rest of the team into trusting me to control myself. So 2 of them ended up bait for the BBD, and the rage-aholic in the group mutilated Ion for it. (Concept Borderline Personality and the B&W worldview)

The PC is never going to be free. He dies with me. and If I get someone to take over him when I die.... a Godplayer :P At GenCon, his first words were " Huh? August? Already? no spandex, no spandex. Crap. Spidermonkey? you woke me up for Spidermonkey?" (Concept: Started as a Probability manipulator. The GM changed it. I magnified it. Its a prank. A cruel Joke) http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37808

Quantum Cat, just another team player. Spends most of his free time arguing with himself. Got attacked by the Linear Men once. and a Uatuu wanna-be got his team involved in a war with a Kang wanna be. (Concept: Haunted by himself. Was originally going to be a ghost from the far future.)

The powers never really mattered. I think the way a character interacts with himself, his player, and other characters is much more interesting than raw Power. but Firedrake WAS raw power ;) .

[Trencher]

Firedrake was a very dependable and well loved member of the group. He was played weekly for 2 years, and biweekly for 3 more. His personal enemies were everything from Black Paladin to Balrogs to demons from the move Fallen.
What happened to Black Paladin in your campaign?

Ion: The other team members found out. Our resident Lawful-Stupid talked the rest of the team into trusting me to control myself. So 2 of them ended up bait for the BBD, and the rage-aholic in the group mutilated Ion for it. (Concept Borderline Personality and the B&W worldview)
Duality is a concept in all your characters you told me about. You got a weredragon, a multiple personality guy, the pc and a guy who is haunted by his future selves.
Again: I see you are going for a theme of multiple personas/mental causation with all your characters.

(Concept: Started as a Probability manipulator. The GM changed it. I magnified it. Its a prank. A cruel Joke) http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37808
Cruel is the word, you really should shelf the whole character.


Quantum Cat, just another team player. Spends most of his free time arguing with himself. Got attacked by the Linear Men once. and a Uatuu wanna-be got his team involved in a war with a Kang wanna be. (Concept: Haunted by himself. Was originally going to be a ghost from the far future.) Who are the Linear men?


The powers never really mattered. I think the way a character interacts with himself, his player, and other characters is much more interesting than raw Power. but Firedrake WAS raw power
Well it is not that duplication is powerful and one of the most abused powers in the system. Off course multiple personas can be balanced, but a GM’s work is increased the more characters he have to pay attention too. Quantum Cat can get 64 more characters involved in combat even though you have only used five as so far.

[daeudi_454]

What happened to Black Paladin in your campaign?
GM kept abusing a little power called Teleport.

Duality is a concept in all your characters you told me about. You got a weredragon, a multiple personality guy, the pc and a guy who is haunted by his future selves.
Again: I see you are going for a theme of multiple personas/mental causation with all your characters.
Uhm- guess I am in tune with my own duality.

Cruel is the word, you really should shelf the whole character.
Who are the Linear men?
You realize the character is just a piece of me, not a real person, right? lol, jk.
Linear Men= Temporal busybodies from DC.

Well it is not that duplication is powerful and one of the most abused powers in the system. Off course multiple personas can be balanced, but a GM’s work is increased the more characters he have to pay attention too. Quantum Cat can get 32 more characters involved in combat even though you have only used five as so far
I generally don't Involve the ghosts in combat. They boost the attributes of the living, that's it- well, and can act as anothher set of eyes. Besides- He has to "die" to get more ghosts, and he only heals at a normal rate.
Besides, Those who have gamed with me know that I refuse to abuse.

[Doomsdave]

O.k. I am a Cliche.
I am the Brick.
I am the Invulnrable one.
Everyone needs protection and I am the only one who can.
I am the annoying guy who has:
Damage reduction:Energy and Physical 75%
Healing:Resurrection
Psionic Immortality
Full Life Support
Super-Strength

I also abide by the "Old-School" Code of honor common amoung WWII Heroes.

It may be "Cliche" but needed on most teams.


Think of "VENOM" of Spiderman Fame. He hates Spiderman. He will Kill evil men. But will protect and save the innocent. Think of me as a Hybrid of Superman and Punisher. "Eradicator in DC is very similar.

[Trencher]

You realize the character is just a piece of me, not a real person, right?
Hmm? Whats your point? :confused:

[Trencher]

Think of me as a Hybrid of Superman and Punisher.

So what kind of adventures does he have?
What does he look like?
I don't have a problem with "invunrable characters" the only thing I would disallow is the dam red.
I know that it is not your fault over time dam red has run rampant around the Heroverse. It's the new speed race. :yes:

[daeudi_454]

Quote:
Originally Posted by daeudi_454
You realize the character is just a piece of me, not a real person, right?

Hmm? Whats your point?
Just that I don't feel anymore pity or empathy toward the character than I would towards a Rook, PacMan, or the little car in a Monopoly game.
He's only real inside my head. Which is a kind of mercy after all.
See: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37808

[daeudi_454]

Sorry- didn't notice that I had already posted that link.
DoomsDave is part of my group. He gets to pull the Dam Red because it has been a staple of his characters since he started. Dam Red, Armor, Regen, Ressurection. Whether he is playing is typical brick, or one of his metamorphs, he doesn't like dying.

I think everyone puts the most primal element of their own personality into their characters. With Doomsdave- a dislike for death (he won't let me call it fear). And with my PCs it is, as you so astutely indicated, my own mind warring against itself.

[Trencher]

Just that I don't feel anymore pity or empathy toward the character than I would towards a Rook, PacMan, or the little car in a Monopoly game.
Still characters you create are a reflection of what you want. The rook exist to rook exist to show tactical and strategic aptitude, pacman exist to show your manual dexterity and the little car in the monopoly game exist to collect monopoly money.
To create a fictional fly just so that you can pretend to pull its wings is cruel because it is created just to suffer (fictionally off course).

[daeudi_454]

Trencher said
To create a fictional fly just so that you can pretend to pull its wings is cruel because it is created just to suffer (fictionally off course).
daeudi_454 said
I think everyone puts the most primal element of their own personality into their characters. ... And with my PCs it is, as you so astutely indicated, my own mind warring against itself.
Perhaps creating a part of myself just to suffer is the idea. Everyone exhibits self-destructive behavior at some point. I'm just more adept at it than some.

[Trencher]

Perhaps creating a part of myself just to suffer is the idea. Everyone exhibits self-destructive behavior at some point. I'm just more adept at it than some.
Hmm, have you ever tried to let the Pc try to convince the player to convince the GM to let the Pc have an adventure in paradise or just go somwhere plesant and safe?

[daeudi_454]

Shock stage: Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news.
This was covered in his first adventure post-awareness.
Denial stage: Trying to avoid the inevitable.
The next 3 or 4 sessions. A lot of fictional beer.
Anger stage: Frustrated outpouring of bottled-up emotion.
This lasted a VERY long time, and still flares up occasionally.

Bargaining stage: Seeking in vain for a way out.
This covers your question. Yes, he tried, he begged, etc.

Depression stage: Final realization of the inevitable.
See the freeverse I wrote, referenced twice above.
Testing stage: Seeking realistic solutions.
This lasted about a year. it was sparse, so as to not dominate the campaign.
Multiple times tried to cross over to the Real Reality.
Acceptance stage: Finally finding the way forward.
Basically here, with flashes back to depression and anger.

I suppose it is better to pull the wings off of an imaginary fly than to pull the real ones off of your own ego.

[Trencher]

Acceptance stage: Finally finding the way forward.
Basically here, with flashes back to depression and anger.
What does it entail?



I suppose it is better to pull the wings off of an imaginary fly than to pull the real ones off of your own ego. No I don't think so.

[daeudi_454]

What does it entail?.
He wakes up in a game, does his duty, but *****es about it. Occasionally does things to screw with the GM and Player- like Listening in on Player knowledge, or doing suicidal actions like throwing himself in the path of Mechanon when he happens to be holding the only key to plot.

No I don't think so.
We all have our own perspective, I guess. I think it is in the same area as a show and its writers. Do you think the writers of Farscape say "Ah man! we gotta quit frelling with Crichton, its cruel."? No- they keep it up because it keeps the audience watching. At least until SciFi Channel gets stingy and promotes that blasted SG-1.

[Trencher]

I think it is in the same area as a show and its writers. Do you think the writers of Farscape say "Ah man! we gotta quit frelling with Crichton, its cruel."? No- they keep it up because it keeps the audience watching.
It does not matter if the audience is watching or not. Art must exist for its own sake before the audience, the average audience would watch gladiator fights if they could.

But even so it is okay to create fictional characters and situations where they are suffering.
Having a fictional fly wings torn of is allright if it is to show how evil the fictional tearer of wings are or to show what the risks are for the next fly that comes flying along on the adventure. It is when the fly is created just to get its wings torn of that the story takes on a somewhat cruel twist.

[starblaze]

Evidently.


Yes, but it's a long story that would involve rehashing the entire campaign for you, and it's really not that interesting to listen to someone whine.


Ignore her. Give her a hard time for getting the job done. Ignore her some more. Argue with her. Yell at her.

Again, getting into details is a long, involved story, but the short version is that she's the eager to please sort, and being a hero is rather thankless and frustrating, whereas there's SOME sign of when she's doing a good job with wenching. She'd much rather deal with drunks all day and be able to gauge their satisfaction with how much they leave on the table than beat people up, get shot at, get yelled at, and wonder whether she did the right thing or not.


Looks that way. I don't see how I can keep this character in this campaign, under the circumstances, and it's unfair to expect the rest of the party to read her mind and change it for her.

What is their problem with her?

[Trencher]

I think it is great that other people also asks questions. :yes:

[starblaze]

I've not got a character in any Hero game. I'm the only one in my group with the books who is GMing.

I feel your pain brother.

[Trencher]

Wow this thread was so gone that I had to search to find it. :yes:
Please tell more character stories.

[Blue]

Any particular genre? Or you want a free-for-all? ;)

[Trencher]

Any particular genre? Or you want a free-for-all? ;)
Free for all!

[BcAugust]

Hmm.

Nox: Dark Shadow paladin in a street level Champions game. An interesting try by me to play with the genre of CvK, which worked out bizzarely because only two(out of five) of us had one. And the two had it at total. Basically, Sherry had been orphaned at the age of eight, grew up unexeptionally, got a dead end job as a bank teller... then was shot multiple times in a firefight between Viper and the Chicago police. She was offered a choice to come back.. and did. Her powers are shadow based(teleportation, clariviounce, desolidification, armor, a staff... she even got martial arts.) Oh, and in shadow form, Nox is creepy. Even her teammates, that are used to it, kind of find her intimidating when she gets going. (+40 Pre, only for intimidation and fear, plus distinctive feature: creepy) Recently(in game time) found out she's been harboring an entity of pure darkness, a human soul that's given itself up to darkness and will try to eat her soul, and did in an alternate future.... and ended up killing our world's version of superman. First reaction: "Can you bind this into me, then put us into stasis so she can't get out?" Right now her friends are trying to find a way to send the evil spirit on without killing Sherry.

Cyrande: Has been described elsewhere, though portions of her backstory are GM only so far.... I'll ask for permission to post them.

Ruth: A Gangrel dhampir from WOD game that went very poorly, then rescued for another series of game. Will write on her later...

[Trencher]

Okay did you kill superman or is it a possible future?
And how does the extra pre work out in game? Does it not sting if you get pre attacked right back?
Also a description of what she looks like would be nice.

[Chuckg]

Hi, I'm the DM of the game that Nox was in.

The world's equivalent of Superman was murdered in an alternate future timeline where VIPER ended up successfully conquering the world... by Shadowstrike, VIPER's then-chief assassin, and what remained of Nox after her soul done got itself conquered finally by the evil spirit living within her.

[Trencher]

Glad to hear that she did not kill good old Superman. :yes:

What is the world like when it is run by viper?

[Chuckg]

It's a bleedin' dictatorship, what else? :)

Seriously, no point in detailing it all. Let it be imagined by whatever the reader knows of dystopian futures and totalitarian hells.

[Blue]

Moira Blaise was born in Ireland but brought over to Lancashire, England by her parents when she was very young. This being the Dark Ages and all, she was somewhat isolated to begin with, living on her parents' farm. Uncharacteristically, her father could read, and would read to her from the bible, but in order to instill the fear of god in her, he would change the words of the lord to suit his purpose.

Moira was sixteen when the crows came. One early morn she awakened and they were there, all over the exterior of the house. They would go away at night. Neither she nor her family ascribed their presence to her until after a couple mornings of this happening, she was awakened when they were in her room, having rushed through the small opening in the shutters.

Her parents had her sleep in the barn while they decided what to do. Sure enough, they clustered around the barn and raised a ruckus. Her parents, the god-fearing and yet demented people they were, decided the could never let the neighbors know about this. The girl would be labeled as some sort of demon or as posessed, and by association her parents would be witches or wicked people who invited this plague.

Moira awakened before dawn one morning to the sound of shoveling. When she arose, she found her father outside the barn digging a hole; a hole she knew was for her. He couldn't make eye contact with her because he could see in her eyes that she knew what he'd planned. She took whatever she could carry and left, never looking back.

It was a couple of nights in the cold fall countryside, her flock following her by day and departing at night that she was awakened by something inexplicable. As she lay down to begin slumber, she saw the crows depart and began to follow them, like one of the flock, somehow drawn by an irresistable call.

At the other end of the call was a man with long, razor sharp talons and beastial gait; His eyes were red pinpoints deepset in his skull, his face angular, predatory. Upon waking at dusk, he'd set out a call to the animals of the area, a summons for food upon which to prey. And his reach had netted Moira's flock.

While first considering how nice it was to have human blood upon which to feed, he began to marvel at her synchronicity to these animals. And so rather than feasting on the wayward child, he turned her into one of his kind.

Now long seperated from her domitor, a cruel and vicious animal, she now walks the world as a gangrel vampire, trying desperately to be the human she once was, but having to abide the Vampire society that exists just below the surface of Dark Ages England.

She's since discovered from another vampire, a crazed priest who was likewise cursed by another type of vampire, just how much her parents made up the things they told her to keep her subject to them.

[Peregrine]

I played in that campaign also. Trust me. When VIPER runs the world, you almost want Luther Black to win instead.

What? I said almost...

[Trencher]

Seriously, no point in detailing it all. Let it be imagined by whatever the reader knows of dystopian futures and totalitarian hells.

Just looking for ideas to steal..

[Trencher]

Moira Blaise was born in Ireland but brought over to Lancashire, England by her parents when she was very young.

What.... does... she... look... like...?
Do you know why the crows hung around her? Does she know other vampires besides the crazy priest? What kind of adventures does she have?

[Trencher]

I played in that campaign also. Trust me. When VIPER runs the world, you almost want Luther Black to win instead.
If you have any stories from viperworld please share them.. :king:

[Blue]

What.... does... she... look... like...?
Do you know why the crows hung around her? Does she know other vampires besides the crazy priest? What kind of adventures does she have?
She's got the classic Irish red hair. I've actually got, oh, about two dozen pieces of artwork featuring her in various versions.

She is one of my two characters in our ongoing Vampire Dark Ages campaign. The priest and his ghoul (both played by another player) are her only true allies. I've purposely had her and my other character at odds so that I never have to play them simultaneously. He's a beastly lech and she won't stay around him ;)

So far she's tried to make allies of the lupines (werewolves) of the region, was a prisoner of danish (viking) vamps; But so far my favorite action she's taken was that when the characters had an impossible situation to figure out (read: the 'storyteller' wasn't giving us any real clues as to how to solve this), I had her user her Medium merit to contact the spirits of the castle they were in, and the only way they would agree to assist the characters was to allow them to possess her. So for about 3 games she walked around with one of those exorcist-like multiple-voice sounds when she spoke.

Currently she resides on a tiny farm outside of Lancastre, maintained by a ghoul who was an "elephant man" (like John Merrick in the movie of the same name) until she used her powers to mold his deformities to make him nearly normal. Enough so anyway as to gain his eternal gratitude.

As for why the crows, the originally were just a character hook. And there's a flaw you can take for your character in which you are pursued by a certain type of creature (bugs, rats, etc.) I just like the crows as symbolism to use as I did drawings during games. And here's the reasoning I came up with later on:

The myth they talk about in the movie THE CROW (that crows ferry the spirits between the land of the living and the dead) is an old Celtic belief, which fits perfectly with the environment the characters are in. She has the "Medium" merit, as I mentioned, which means she's in contact with the spirit world. I've decided that she is visible to both spirit and the living worlds simultaneously; The crows use her as a "marker". She's a landmark they use to navigate.

[BcAugust]

Okay did you kill superman or is it a possible future?
And how does the extra pre work out in game? Does it not sting if you get pre attacked right back?
Also a description of what she looks like would be nice.

1) Possible future(as explained elsewhere)

2) In game, it works out two ways. One, I can activate it to help in Intimadation(Which I also have bought only in hero ID)or to make people pause/stop. And yes, I would imagine it would hurt like heck to get Presenced attacked back. Didn't happen in game. *shrugs* Though even without the extra, Sherry still had a good Presence/Ego.

Geeze, don't have my character sheet with me, but.. Sherry is a young, fairly average looking woman, with brown hair and eyes. She stands around 5'8", weighs about 180 lbs(yes, she is a bit chubby. But she's the cook for the base and the entire team while they're there. You'd be a bit big too if you were cooking for four active guys) The main thing you'd notice after any time with her is Sherry is the nicest person to be around. She bubbles slightly, and is a little too defering. Another thing most notice is that she never doubts Good exists and will win, and her profound belief in the sacredness of life.

Nox... Almost elflike, but not delicate, Nox stands about 5'10, in smoky black crystal plate mail, engraved with runes in an unknown language. Her skin is pale white, almost corpse like, with streaks of black shadow forming runes to cover her face, the long black hair only restrained by a simply helmet and flowing down her back. Nox has an air of chillingness to her, as if she walks halfway between this realm and a darker one, and her occasional petting of the shadows or talking to them doesn't help this. Her unhumanly easy movement also adds to her creepiness, and the shadows occasionally moving around while she's there, as if they're alive in her presence, leaves most glad to leave her presence.

[Trencher]

She's got the classic Irish red hair. I've actually got, oh, about two dozen pieces of artwork featuring her in various versions.
Yes I think I have seen them before nice to know the character behind it,




Currently she resides on a tiny farm outside of Lancastre, maintained by a ghoul who was an "elephant man" (like John Merrick in the movie of the same name) until she used her powers to mold his deformities to make him nearly normal. Enough so anyway as to gain his eternal gratitude.
How does ghoulism work in the white wolf world anyway?

She has the "Medium" merit, as I mentioned, which means she's in contact with the spirit world. I've decided that she is visible to both spirit and the living worlds simultaneously; The crows use her as a "marker". She's a landmark they use to navigate.
"Lets meet by the medium caw-caw."




2) In game, it works out two ways. One, I can activate it to help in Intimadation(Which I also have bought only in hero ID)or to make people pause/stop. And yes, I would imagine it would hurt like heck to get Presenced attacked back. Didn't happen in game. *shrugs* Though even without the extra, Sherry still had a good Presence/Ego. That’s is good, you should be prepared for a return presence attack remember that the higher number of dice you are using the crazier results can happen.



Nox... Almost elflike, but not delicate, Nox stands about 5'10, in smoky black crystal plate mail, engraved with runes in an unknown language. Her skin is pale white, almost corpse like, with streaks of black shadow forming runes to cover her face, the long black hair only restrained by a simply helmet and flowing down her back Does the helmet cover her face? Nice description btw.

[Blue]

How does ghoulism work in the white wolf world anyway?
Pretty much you make a human drink your blood and become addicted then they become beholden to you. They still walk in daylight hours, they retain their age (until you stop feeding them), but they can be trained in certain abilities of the vampire domitor. I can't speak to how much they let the ghoul learn in the traditional system; I can only speak for our GM, who lets you teach them their disciplines; In this case, the ability to form claws that are highly leathal to vampire, werewolf, and human alike. It takes blood points to activate these effects, and ghouls can only store as many blood points of their domitor as they are given. When they burn these points off they become less a problem to others, so most try to retain at least a point of that blood in their system.

[Trencher]

Can a ghoul become a vampire?

[Chuckg]

Yes, just like any other human can.

[Trencher]

Thanks for answering, the reason I ask is that I allways have gotten the impression that ghouls were somehow a lesser class of vampire.
If it is just that the vampire grant some powers to her human servants then that is a point for the world of darkness for me.

[BcAugust]

Well, the helmet doesn't cover her face. It's more simple head protection. And given that Nox was, surprisingly, the MA/ShadowMage(was just buying an EB when the game ended, but I had a lot of tricks to pull against enemies), her apperance was very deceptive. Not that she couldn't take rockets to the chest in armored form.. But her main skill was staying out of the way. Helped quite a few times by just calling darkness and entangles.

[Trencher]

Well, the helmet doesn't cover her face. It's more simple head protection.
Okay, I just got the image of her with a feature face plate in my mind. :yes:

[BcAugust]

Well, if I ever rework Nox for another game, or hopefully get a chance to replay her, she's likely to become a full shadowmage, instead of a hybrid MA. The alt form is likely to disappear when Nox can get rid of Shadowstrike, but since she's learning magic... Hey, Champions needs a few good Shadowmasters.(Like, say, Cloak)

[BcAugust]

Ah, Ruth. One of my few World of Darkness characters. Was told it was going to be a Buffy type game, went with a young Gangrel dhampir(Hey, it's Buffy enough), did the character like a starting vampire with 10 less points for skills and a limit on my Disipline Growth(Couldn't get above two in any Disipline for the first two seasons) ... everyone else made Adventure characters. Yes, Adventure. (For those of you not familiar, an equalivance... I built Ruth on about 250-300pts, with nothing fancy. Everyone else was playing 700-900 pt characters with VPPs and obscene amounts of skills/powers)

That went... poorly, my character got a rewrite, but not enough of one(To give an example... my best pool was a seven(soak pool). Everyone else was throwing on average 9 to 14 dice) and the game drowned of other issues(Including the fact that the GM didn't know what Adventure characters could do... so he gave our tinkerer three months of downtime... with a sanctum that doubled that and gave him unlimited access to resources.)

Rezzed her for a game after that... which went on to be a ton of fun(And did include the Buffy cast. Allison was a Cult of Ectasy Mage, Anthony was a Order of Hermes Spirit Master, Nicholas was a beginning Shih and Sarah... was a normal. Oh, and Josh was a Seer. Anything that happened on the show echoed in the world. Ruth became Faith). She eventually ended up a Master Mage(Life and Mind, naturally) and a lot of other things.

The main reason I had fun playing her, though, was she was innocent in a lot of ways(especially the concept of sex and nakedness) and totally ruthless in others(She killed... about six people by the time she was eighteen). Oh, and had the power of cuteness, to the point where demonlords were going "Oh, she's so cute."

[Blue]

Thanks for answering, the reason I ask is that I allways have gotten the impression that ghouls were somehow a lesser class of vampire.
If it is just that the vampire grant some powers to her human servants then that is a point for the world of darkness for me.
Yup, they're just servants. But they can be turned into a vampire.

In fact, Moira is lobbying the priest to turn his ghoul into a vampire. He's got a loyal subject who he has often assigned to protect Moira, and she's got a bit of a crush on him.

Moira herself wouldn't normally have a ghoul; It's just not her style. But I came up with the hook to get her one because she's the only character without one, and there are significant portions of our campaign (daytime!) when I wouldn't have a character to play.

Bradley, my other vampire, is a serial ghouler ;) He picks someone (always a woman), makes her his ghoul, then when he gets bored he cuts her off and she ages. And you know, it's hard to do as a player; I'm not good at being the villain. And I sometimes like the ghouls I make and hate to see them go. But that's all part of playing a bastard.

[Trencher]

In fact, Moira is lobbying the priest to turn his ghoul into a vampire. Allways kill the priest first. :yes:


it's hard to do as a player; I'm not good at being the villain.
If the role is no fun, why play it?

[Blue]

Allways kill the priest first.

With vampire's you'd think so, wouldn't you? Moira would never do that. He's correcting all the spiritual misrepresentations her parents created about God. He's teaching her to read also.

Bradley, on the other hand, would do so if either the priest directly crossed him or if there was something in it for him.


If the role is no fun, why play it?

It has it's moments. Also, it's probably the only character I have in any game that I can describe as being the party's "Combat monster".

Also, I knew the character had come together when we encountered a viking (the same one that had Moira captive when she was introduced to the campaign). He came out as representative for their side, and Bradley came out for ours. After the fight, the viking's axe was left behind, so Bradley took it. Suddenly, he became enthralled with it in the sense that he would let no one else have it, like it was meant for him. He announced to the party "This is mine."

That created a standoff that is measured now in other games. "Are we going to have a Bradleyesque standoff?"

The downside is there are moments where it would be totally out of character to do the "nice" thing; The thing that is my natural inclination (and that of every other character I've ever played). This happens about once every other game.

[Trencher]

The downside is there are moments where it would be totally out of character to do the "nice" thing; The thing that is my natural inclination (and that of every other character I've ever played). This happens about once every other game.

Have you ever tried to play the "unpredictable bastard" rather than the "regular bastard"?

[Peregrine]

If you have any stories from viperworld please share them.. :king:
Stories from VIPERWorld... It's been a year since the campaign ran. I'll have to pull from the transcripts (we ran it in AIM chat).

... best thing I can relate is a description. Think of the Chicago skyline. Now put a VIPER logo on the side of the Sears Tower. Set that in your classic post-apocalyptic northern Illinois. VIPER openly patrols the land and skies.

The Resistance doesn't have a plan, doesn't have a prayer; they resist because surrender is simply unimaginable; they will not go gently into the night.

And all the PCs can do is make a data run and try to find a way back to stop this from ever happening, because even their presence isn't enough to make a difference. VIPER has won, and it's all over but the mop-up. If you've ever read Stirling's Draka novels, think about how Stone Dogs ends, [SPOILER] with the bad guys in control of the planet, and the last remaining 'free' humans used as prey for the Draka to hunt to keep their skills sharp. [SPOILER]. Same thing here.

[Trencher]

The reason I ask is that I wonder what they would do if they take over.
In the viper book they work more like a professional mafia way of being a parasitic presence rather than a threat to the world. I wonder how they would run things when they controlled the world.

[Peregrine]

Think about how an organized crime group runs a neighborhood. Everything is peaceful and quiet, as long as you pay protection money. If you refuse to pay, or resist the organized crime group or challenge its claimed authority in any way, you get smacked down hard. And you have no say in how things are handled unless you are a member of the organized crime group.

(Of course, substitute 'nation', city', etc. for 'neighborhood', 'government' for 'organized crime group', and 'taxes' for 'protection money', and you have everything other than a representative republic (and even that has some parallels) that's been tried or conceived of by humanity in its civilized history... but I digress.)

[Trencher]

(Of course, substitute 'nation', city', etc. for 'neighborhood', 'government' for 'organized crime group', and 'taxes' for 'protection money', and you have everything other than a representative republic (and even that has some parallels)
The difference is that the state exist for the people while for organized crime the people exist for them.

[Trencher]

But that is a nice description anyway.

[Peregrine]

The difference is that the state exist for the people while for organized crime the people exist for them.

Nice theory. However, in the absence of any external checks (e.g. a binding and controlling document whose content and meaning are changed only by a supermajority of the citizenry and/or their representatives, an armed citizenry, etc.) government (which is not equivalent to the state, though it behaves as if it is) exists for its own sake, that is, for the acquisition and exercise of power; whether for the benefit of the people so governed is not a concern for the institution of government as a whole, but only by individual officeholders as they each have that concern as a personal value.

We probably need to take this to NGD for further discussion as we are way OT for this board.

[Trencher]

Nice theory. However, in the absence of any external checks (e.g. a binding and controlling document whose content and meaning are changed only by a supermajority of the citizenry and/or their representatives, an armed citizenry, etc.)
I agree with this as long as it is supermajority. No need for the ngd.

[Chuckg]

A rough timeline of the alternate-future VIPER conquest, as best as I can remember it. Where I can't remember, I'll revise. :)

* 1994 -- The Supreme Serpent launches Operation Fever Dream, a biological warfare attack using mutated airborne-contact Ebola. Targeted releases of the virii hit North America, Europe, and Asia the hardest and Africa the least hardest, as the primary vector spread is international air travellers. Additional virus releases are allocated for China.

* 1995 -- Casualties from the virus attack have approached 30 million in the United States before the epidemic finally burns out. Eurasian casualties are worse. First and Second World economies are severely overstrained. VIPER steps up African takeover operations. North American Council of Thirty members launch various psy-ops and covert ops (scandals, blackmail, distractions) to distract American government response during the critical period. UNTIL relief efforts already overstrained by economic crises and plague response.

* 1996 -- The Supreme Serpent has Tel Aviv destroyed with a tactical nuclear weapon, using Iranian proxies to take the blame. Israel launches a savage retaliation strike against Iran. The Middle East is ablaze.

Note: At no time up until this point has VIPER openly declared any of its actions. The plague is known to be a biological warfare attack, but the identity of the attackers are not. VIPER is suspected, but so are Al Qaeda, Teleios,

* 1996 -- VIPER openly declares rulership of South and Central Africa. US military assets are already tied up in the Middle Eastern crisis. UNTIL tries a quick decapitation strike with the _Ragnarok_ and a high-tech UNTIL strike force, but is destroyed by the Supreme Serpent's unveiling of new VIPER assets, and the Warlord's own flying carrier. The Warlord accepts membership in the Council of Thirty.

In Europe, Duchess Industries begins the economic turnaround of the devastated European Union using secret VIPER automated factories in Greenland, as well as favorable trade agreements with Africa brokered by DI. Much question is attached to these actions, but various EU political factions prefer this to bankrupted economies.

* 1997 -- Duchess Industries becomes the EU's primary defense contractor. UNTIL starts to piece together DI's connections with VIPER. UNTIL and PRIMUS form strategic anti-VIPER alliance.

* 1998 -- a surprise VIPER-backed coup in the Soviet Union installs a hardliner extremist government. The Soviet Union openly allies with VIPER's African superstate.

* 2000 -- After several years of buildup, the VIPER/Soviet Union alliance invades Europe. Since much of Europe is armed with Duchess Industries' technology -- which is of course sabotaged -- the conquest is quick and effective. China (egged on secretly) then launches a ground war against the Soviet Union, attempting to cripple its threatening rival before its rival can finish consolidating its gains and turn on it. This fits in with the Supreme Serpent's plans, as he wishes his Russian "allies" to eventually fall before him later, and would much rather play "let's you and him" fight than do it all himself.

* late 2000 -- The US, the last European holdout of Great Britain, and the UN and UNTIL (mostly South American-backed by now) form a grand alliance to break VIPER's grip on Europe. A grand offensive is prepared.

The grand offensive is assembled and ready for launch... and at the greatest moment of hope, destroyed, as the Supreme Serpent finally turns over his hole card. Doctor Destroyer had more than one orbital nuclear platforms. Only one was used at the Battle of Detroit. One of the others had been found by VIPER... and saved very carefully until this day, until the last and strongest of his enemies had gathered their forces in one place.

* July 4th, 2001 -- the Supreme Serpent's sense of humor has him wait until this day to launch his assault upon America. Washington DC falls. Kevin "VIPER-X" Armstrong, the commander of the first wave, dies in the battle. The Supreme Serpent uses this opportunity for a little propaganda, desecrating the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by having it converted into a VIPER monument, VIPER-X's monument and mausoleum.

2002+ -- much hard fighting, interspersed with limited nuclear exchanges.

End Result -- VIPER rules the world. Africa is the centerpiece of their dominion, Europe the next-best off. The Soviet Union is farmland and massed slave industry. China and the US are solidly conquered, but pretty much devastated.

Status of various NPCs and game elements7:

* Doctor Destroyer -- dead... finally. It took strategic nuclear bombardment of his hidden valley in India, and mucho casualties first, but they finally got him.

* Gravitar -- dead. She wouldn't accept VIPER rule and was eventually killed.

* The Warlord -- as previously mentioned, he joined VIPER, and sits on the Council of Thirty.

* Teleios -- accepted the Supreme Serpent's offer to become one of VIPER's chief scientists, replacing the disloyal Dr. Timothy Blank.

* Istvatha V'Han -- is monitoring developments on Earth and waiting to see what develops.

* Takofanes -- the plague and nuclear devastation of Oklahoma provided him with hundreds of thousands of corpses to animate. Much of the Midwest is now a necropolis, a teeming mass of Undead Zombie Horde that VIPER operates to keep contained. (They'd gladly nuke him, except a) they don't know where in that teeming mass of undeath he is, and b) they're not entirely sure nuking him would *work*.) In a sad irony, the Resistance uses the undead scourge as cover, as their headquarters redoubt is based in the extensive underground tunnels that used to be the old SAC facility underneath Omaha. (They enter and leave via teleportation -- they have one mutant who is a long-range teleporter/gatemaker, as well as access to mystic-based teleportation via ley lines, as they have another member who is a mid-ranged sorcerer.)

* Eurostar -- dead. (Hey, overwhelming force *works*.)

* Menton -- in a great stroke of luck for VIPER, Menton was one of the casualties of Operation Fever Dream.

* Atlantis -- the Supreme Serpent intends to kill them later, but their isolationist tendencies, as well as his carefully fostering their belief that he will leave them alone, is giving him more than enough time to prepare for that. He's in no rush.

* Arcadia and the Empyreans -- there are problems that require subtle solutions, and there are problems that you just plain nuke. VIPER finally managed to unlock Augur Maxwell's memories of where the city was in 2002.

The Resistance -- not the only resistance, but the group's visit to alt-future-VIPERworld wasn't intended to be a world tour. This is the organization of holdouts in North America.

Leader -- Dr. Alexander Valor (campaign NPC), father of one of the PCs. Old-style pulp adventurer, archaeologist, and mid-ranked sorcerer, with some life extension (he dates back to the 30s). Was living in retirement in Arcadia with his Empyrean wife until his son's death in the 2001 offensive. Fortunately for him, VIPER didn't nuke Arcadia until mid 2002.

Deputy Leader -- Astra Valor (campaign NPC), Empyrean, daughter of Zadin the Builder. A self-defense-only pacifist, Astra doesn't take the field, despite being one of the resistance's most powerful members. Instead, she's in charge of managing the refugees, arranging for food and supplies, running the Redoubt, and in general making what attempts she can to preserve something to fight *for*.

Field Commander -- Sir Giles de Morphant. ... yes, I made Black Paladin the Resistance's military field commander. :D Hey, he freely admits that he's on the side of the angels for purely profane motives -- specifically, hatred and vengeance. Operation Fever Dream claimed Talisman as a casualty, you see, and, well, in this timeline, Sir Giles and her were genuinely sweet on each other.

Also, since Dr. Valor was knighted by King George in the late 30s, well, man's a fellow knight, they can work together.

Science Chief -- Kevin Poe, a brilliant young scientific prodigy. (Actually not evil in this timeline... having everybody he gave a damn about killed by VIPER, and having the Valors as foster parent figures, meant he grew up a bit different.)

Cameos were also made by Bluejay (one of the Resistance's seniormost technicians, specializing in keeping their Turtle Armor suits running), Chloe Watson (campaign NPC, and the PC team receptionist in the main timeline), and Warp (the Resistance's main gatemaker, and an alt-timeline version of a PC from the New Sentinels campaign.)

[Trencher]

That is an great alternative world ChuckG! :yes:

[Chuckg]

Ah, forgot a detail. The Fever Dream virus had been tweaked so that it worked especially well against the immune systems of mutants. Not perfectly -- it didn't kill off every mutant alive, or even 90% of them -- but statistically speaking, a lot more 'enhanced' people died during the initial plague than would normally have, going strictly off of percentage of population. This was done for DM convenience, so that I could answer a whole lot of 'Where Are They Now?' questions with 'they done died in the plague, shaddap.'

And if you're wondering where VIPER got the tech for this? They bought a mutant-genome-seeking virus from Teleios, and then had their own labs reverse-engineer it (with his permission, natch -- no sense in alienating the one guy on Earth who could build a *cure* for Fever Dream) for splicing into their own Ebola Mark IX.

Granted, the Supreme Serpent didn't tell Teleios ahead of time what they planned to *do* with his creation, for opsec purposes, but they did mention that it would be a good idea for him to vaccinate anyone or anything he didn't care to live without, like himself. (And VIPER had a vaccine for its own people, of course.)

[Trencher]

Do you have the viper book? How is the state of the viper as a religion?

[Chuckg]

Yes, and didn't really put much thought into that religion thing.

[Trencher]

What I reallly wanted to ask is what the Supreme serpent thought of the state of the world.

[BlackSword]

From Aeon:

Ludwig Schatten is a former holovid star turned Aeon celebrity. He was a latent psychic and awakened with Vitakinetics. He is still often recognized and uses his fame, social contacts and social skills to the benefit of the group (both the team he is assigned to and Aeon in general). When he wants to be low key, he uses his behind the scenes skill to disguise himself and wander incognito. Because of his fame and fortune he has been a natural fit in the Aeon's Diplomatic corps. He can hold his own in fight, but feels more comfortable in social situations where his charm, wit and charsima help get him by. He also is benefited from that fact that many people overlook him as 'just an actor' or 'just a pretty face.' They find out much too late that a keen mind hides behind his vapid smile.

[Trencher]

That is a good char, but... what... does... he... look.... like...?
Also, what is Aeon?

[BlackSword]

That is a good char, but... what... does... he... look.... like...?[QUOTE]
6 foot, blond hair, trim figure, dashing good looks. He was a star in numerous romantic comedies and still drives the ladies crazy. (think Hugh Grant)
[QUOTE]Also, what is Aeon?
Aeon (also called Trinity) is one of White Wolf's non-World of Darkness games. There were three games published in the series:
Adventure! - Pulp action
Aberrent - Iron Age Superheroes
Aeon (Trinity) - Science Fiction, near future (2121 I think). The Aberrents caused wide scale damage when they eventually went insane. Certain parts of the world are in bad shape, governments collapsed, chaos reigned, and the political groups that still exist are looking at ways to take advantage of the chaos, usually at a detriment to their neighbors. Some segment of the population has the ability to develop psychic abilities. There are number of ways in which the psychic can manifest, such as electrokinesis, vitakinesis (ability to heal others), telepathy (also known as plot breaker), etc.

[Trencher]

I know that world somewhat I bought the miniatyre game, I got some info on the world from there. Where was the game sentred in the world?

[BlackSword]

I know that world somewhat I bought the miniatyre game, I got some info on the world from there. Where was the game sentred in the world?
The campaign is based in Eastern Europe, our home Chapterhouse is currently Prague. Typically operate in Germany, or the region known as The Shatter.