Alden
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 266
Age: 53(?)
Appearance: The reference image is a commissioned piece and is accurate.
Alden is 6 even, with shoulder-length messy black hair, and several days worth of beard stubble. He is handsome, with a powerful jaw, mid-set cheekbones, and a perpetual grin that makes him seem younger than he really is. His bright green eyes, constantly sparkle with barely contained mirth. He has the lithe well-muscled body of a swordsman, and he moves with considerable grace and dexterity.
If one were to do a more thorough examination of Alden's eyes they may notice a further detail. Around the outside edge of his iris, there's an intricate series of minuscule grey runes.
Underneath his shirt, Alden's skin is a mass of scar tissue. Starting from just below his neckline, there is very little space that does not sport some relic of a past injury. A particularly observant person may also note that among these scars, some are a bright scarlet. These scarlet scars form an intricate series of runes hiding amidst the rest of the scars.
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Equipment: Alden's general loadout when he goes fighting consists of the following:
A twin set of enchanted shortswords. The simple straight blades are unnatural dark, absorbing rather than reflecting light. Giving the enchanted steel an appearance closer to cold iron. The guard has the Isran sun emblem emblazoned in a medallion shape just above the guard, which is wrapped in simple leather. The enchantments increase their sharpness and durability, as well as being able to ignite the blood of anything that he has pierced with either blade.
Numerous braces and hidden throwing knives all over his body. At one point, these were also enchanted but when the calamity struck he didn't have time to grab his original set. So these are all well-made but ultimately mundane weapons. Still, with his strength and skill, they can be quite deadly.
Unfortunately, at present, he is also missing his armour. His preferred armour is leather dyed in mottled black and greys, with strike plates sewn between layers for added protection. His old set was also enchanted for increased protection from physical and magical attacks.
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Skills and Abilities: Alden is, for lack of a better term, a weapon master. He has been trained to use almost any weapon you can think to name. Relentless daily training with each, with extraordinarily demanding expectations on performance and harsh incentives for failure giving a level of skill with most of them that make him formidable.
However, his preferred style involves twin short swords. While he is skilled with all of his weapons thanks to training, he discovered a natural talent with the blade. His level of skill when wielding his short swords is on another level entirely, nearly transcendent in his skill.
On top of that, he is a living magical enchantment. Carved into his body are a variety of runes that grant him numerous innate abilities. He is inhumanly strong, around three to four times stronger than a man in a similar state of physical fitness would be. This also applies to his endurance, speed, reflexes, and other physical traits. He also has regenerative abilities exceeding human normal, able to heal from even broken bones in a matter of days rather than weeks.
In addition, he is immune to most poisons and resistant to the rest. The runes etched into his eyes ensure he can see the same no matter the level of light and reveal magical auras to him. Runes along his back make him impossible to scry on directly and provide him a measure of resistance to magical attack. This, combined with training, also makes him immune to magical mental influence. Finally, runes on his feet dampen any sound he might make taking his already considerable stealth abilities to another level entirely.
Speaking of his training also included all of the skills one would think an Assassin should have. He knows how to mix poisons, move without being seen or making noise, scale walls, lie or disguise himself, pick locks, pick pockets, just for starters. He is also quite skilled at clerical work and he has some diplomacy ability after thirty years leading the Sun Marshals.
Beyond all of this, Alden also possesses an incredible amount of willpower. If Alden decides that he will do something, there is very little that can stop him from doing it. In fact, at present, the only thing that could deter him from a course of action is Captain Naoki. The former Empress is the only person he has any loyalty to and he often values her judgement on matters above his own.
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Biography: Alden was born to a small farming family in an out-of-the-way village. His parents named him Toan and until he was five his destiny was most likely to live and die on the same farm he was born. However, that all changed when Pride arrived.
The leader of a criminal group known as The Set, Pride offered his parents a sum of money that would make any poor farmer's heart stop. Enough money to change their lives forever and all he wanted was Alden, one of nearly a dozen children. A child that wasn't even old enough to help with chores around the farm yet. And the man as so nice, he wanted a ward that he could train to be a retainer how bad of a life could that be?
The answer to that question was basically Hell. Pride was a potent alchemist, enchanter, and scholar and he had but one goal in mind. To create a superior warrior. Alden was subjected to hellish daily training along with six other children. Forced to learn to fight with every weapon, against any foe, in any condition. His limbs were broken deliberately and he was forced to continue to fight and train in constant agony. And this was among the mildest of the ways he was trained.
The culmination of the training came when he was twelve. When he and the six other children were locked in a room and told that the only one who got to leave... was the only one to survive. Of course, surviving was hardly a reward.
Once Pride had only the strongest of the children left he proceeded to the next step of his plan. Alden's memories and identity were seared away as Pride carved runes into his flesh and his very soul. Transforming the young man into a living magical artifact and keeping him on a drug that suppressed all of his emotions.
From there Alden became the new Wrath of the set, a weapon meant only to slay those he was told to. That may have been all he would be but Pride made a miscalculation, Alden's runes helped him to build an immunity to the dosage meant to keep his emotions in check, a weakness made worse by Pride having let him keep his anger thinking it would make him a better weapon. Eventually, events conspired and Alden snapped when the only member of The Set to be kind to him, Sloth, was killed for threatening to expose Pride.
Alden, driven into a deeper rage than ever before killed Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and even disembowelled Pride. Greed manage to escape and Alden slaughtered everything in his path trying to catch the man. Eventually succeeding in his goal. Bereft of a target for his rage and the chase having left him in the middle of nowhere Alden finally collapsed the trauma and coming off of the dosage causing him to bury most of his memories.
He wound up in Isra where his talents and skill soon earned him the eye of the then, criminal Madam Naoki. She recruited him as one of her enforcers a role he continued as her power expanded and grew until she finally became Empress. His reward for his loyalty? Appointment to the head of The Sun Marshals her special police force, effectively making him her right-hand man.
During this time he also uncovered his own past and learned that Pride had survived, the man had made preparations for such an eventuality and his death only saw his soul moving to a phylactery as he became a lich.
Pride created a new Set, this time making each member just as he made Alden. Eventually, this culminated in Pride attacking Isra and his eventual, final defeat.
Decades have passed since that time and Alden, whose power kept him at his prime for years continued to serve Isra until the new calamity took him to The Island of Mists, his empress reduced to a captain and he now serving as her first mate.
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Allegiances: Naoki and Port Argentum
Place of Residence: Port Argentum
Registered: Mar 21, 2021 13:21:25 GMT -5
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Post by Alden on Apr 10, 2024 18:49:49 GMT -5
Last time on Journey to the East. After fleeing Isra due to feelings of isolation and dislike of his perceived role in the burgeoning port, Alden met Arianne Graves . This recent arrival to the isles was soon revealed to be sister to Katiana Graves, a friend from another life. Arianne opted to travel with him rather than head to Port Argentium and the two continued his meandering journey to the east. Not long after that, they stumbled upon a race of semi-intelligent jellyfish alongside Alden's old friend Jun of the Celadine . Before the pair could be properly reunited, they had to deal first with the hostile jellyfish and then the arrival of a killer orca monster. Defeating the latter with the aid of the former, they left the invertebrates in peace. The two caught up over a fire, sharing the existence of the settlements they'd come to call home, reminiscing about old times, and Jun deciding to take it upon herself to teach Arianne a few things about fighting mages. After a meal together, it was decided that Jun would go ahead to Vinya Lhann to prepare the village for his party's arrival and plan her trip to Argentium. Alden promised to go to the Village of Ma'ar at his own pace. Taking his time to properly explore, he found himself on a beach at a fortunate time for another newcomer to the mists. Iascor a strange person who seems to be unfamiliar with their own body and unable to talk. Going through a few different theories, Alden determined he was dealing with some kind of fae creature that had spent too long in the form of a seal, forgot they were a fae, but were then forced into their true form by the mists. He had quite a lot of time to develop it as he offered what aid he could to the newly named Iascor. He brought the figure back to the camp he shared with Arianne. They determined it would be best to get to Ma'ar sooner rather than later so they could get their new friend some pants and we join them now as they enter the village... "I think this is only the second treetop village I've ever seen." Alden said as they entered the boarders of the settlement. There were still buildings and people on the ground, but built around the trees of the forest he could see walkways, platforms, and buildings. He wasn't sure how he felt about it, he'd been sleeping in a lot of trees lately it felt strange to see a people that was doing the same. Lowering his eyes he glanced at his companions. Arianne looked as stalwart as she always did, Iascor was following with more alacrity than before and they'd managed to get the figure to wear a blanket wrapped around their gangly form like a robe. It was kind of strange that he'd left Argentium to get away from people and yet he'd wound up collecting new ones. There was probably some kind of lesson in that he was too dense and ill-adapted to parse, it felt significant at the very least. Alden's attention shifted from his companions and back to the people around them, trying to figure out who would be greeting them. He imagined new comers would cause a bit of a stir and that word would be spreading already, absently, he plucked at his sleeve. He had opted to wear a proper long-sleeved tunic. He didn't want people to see his scars, he'd gotten lax about that in Argentium and he didn't want to have to deal with the same looks in Ma'ar.
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Anatolius
Committed
Roleplay posts: 53
Appearance: On the border of youth and middle age, blond-brown hair at points starts greying (giving it a look of a more solid blond) and wrinkles form from stress and too much sun on an otherwise young face.
Registered: Apr 9, 2021 22:01:35 GMT -5
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Post by Anatolius on Apr 18, 2024 17:24:32 GMT -5
Leaving Faisine to sleep with a note by the fire in the event she woke up before his return, Anatolius would go to the village nearest. After ambling about in the forest, cursing every so often as he accidentally bumped into some spiky foliage or took a wrong step in a rabbithole he did see lights in the distance. "There we go!" he grumbled to himself, making his way there.
He didn't really know what to expect. Faisine saying they were almost all women certainly caught him off guard. For most of his life he had the absolute inverse experience, that is to say surrounded entirely by other men. Maybe if he was a good deal younger he would have thought a place like this to be a paradise to seek out at his earliest convenience. But at this moment, he had only practical concerns. There was to be a midwife, a Moir to seek out. Of course he had nothing beyond that to go on, no appearance or the like. Well, she was supposed to be old according to Faisine. What else? No, he had nothing. But he figured if Faisine knew this woman by name than some others here would know her too.
When finally he was close enough to make out individuals in the village, he would approach the nearest one. "Hullo!" he'd call out, hoping to get their - presumably her - attention.
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Moir
Established
Roleplay posts: 14
Age: 79
Appearance: She is an old woman who stands at a stooped and petite height. Her eyes are both covered in cataracts, making them appear milky.
Registered: Jun 14, 2021 9:45:10 GMT -5
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Post by Moir on May 2, 2024 14:13:34 GMT -5
One person approached the group Alden was in and another approached Anatolius.
The first was a young lass, clearly a youth. The girl was one of many in the bustling village. Things were a mix, some buildings that were built down upon the ground for the feeble and sick, the tired and the hungry. The youth peered at the dark haired man with curiosity and said, "Oh!" Then she took off and ran toward the largest tree, scaling it and disappearing into one of the homes, what looked like the largest of the tree's homes. The lass had scaled the ladders.
The one who approached Anatolius was an old woman, feeble and walking with a gnarled walking stick. She seemed to look at him in particular with mostly blind eyes. Hmm.. he seemed anxious.
The crone cleared her throat and said, "I feel as though you are here for me, perhaps, but I could be wrong... I'm old."
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Tana the Tongue-Tied
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 189
Appearance: ***********
Age: 19
Race: Human
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Light Brown
Build: Almost Athletic
Height: Average
Marks: A birthmark in the shape of a crescent, various freckles, a mole or two, and faint scars from life.
Equipment: ***********
Cloak
Light Robes
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Staff
Rucksack filled with: Extra clothes, cookware, other utensils and personal things.
Torch
Flute
Fishing Rod
Other things
Skills and Abilities: ***********
Class: Cleric
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Music: Plays the flute
Drawing
Elemental magics, specifically healing
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Healing: Healing can be done in four ways for her...
Depending on the strength of the magic, she will:
If no magic is necessary, she will make a tincture, potion, elixer, or salves of varying strength with herbs.
If the wounds are of a moderate state, she may use a combination of the prior stated, and magic of various strengths depending on severity.
If the wound is severe, i.e. life threatening, she relies only upon magic
Biography: ***********
Mute
Inquisitive
Intelligent but not genius
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Tana is a young, shy girl who has a voice but doesn't use her vocal chords to produce it. She was born deep in the usque, a tribe of Humans who had descended from fae of the Usque. She has such a stutter that she chooses not to speak for she was perpetually tongue tied, but instead does her best to communicate in her own version of sign language.
In the wake of the next cataclysm, she and a few of her people drifted through the mist... Not many people made it out alive, or in the same area.
Allegiances: Usqueans
Registered: Mar 22, 2021 10:50:44 GMT -5
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Post by Tana the Tongue-Tied on May 2, 2024 14:20:24 GMT -5
A woman came down the ladders with ease. Mara was with the girl now while Tana, pregnant enough to be showing but not heavily, ambled toward the new people. She had a quiet presence, the young queen.
The woman gave a soft bow and then a smile. The stance she seemed to have was one of confidence despite the stutter she had that had yet to be revealed.
The simple circlet she wore marked her as someone important but it was yet to be revealed that she was the queen.
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Anatolius
Committed
Roleplay posts: 53
Appearance: On the border of youth and middle age, blond-brown hair at points starts greying (giving it a look of a more solid blond) and wrinkles form from stress and too much sun on an otherwise young face.
Registered: Apr 9, 2021 22:01:35 GMT -5
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Post by Anatolius on May 3, 2024 22:56:29 GMT -5
Searching about, Anatolius bowed to the woman approaching. When he was before Moir, his heart sank a little bit. She was old, and not the charming kind of old you saw making cookies. The sad kind of old, where every time you heard a loud noise you were scared she fell and was in need of urgent medical care. Suffice to say, he was not eager to entrust care for his pregnant wife to this woman. While he was sure experience counted for a lot, he reckoned there were diminishing returns when compounded with age.
"Err, yes, I am. How'd you know?" he asked, leathery knuckles rubbing against one another with some anxiety. "Look, Faisine, I'm sure you know her. We never met, but she and I have, and you know, we're close now. As in, married, and one thing leads to another and...." a man of his size blushing would make a sizeable portion of Moir's vision suddenly pink and red. "Well, we're going to have a baby. But I'm really concerned for her. She doesn't want people around but I'm scared that things might go wrong. Probably wont', but might, but she's stubborn, but so am I, and well...." finally he met the elder's eyes. "Well, I'd ask if a midwife can stay close by closer to the date. But... a younger one maybe? I intend no offence of course but well...." he trailed off yet another time, looking for a word that was descriptive but not insulting to someone who was old.
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Moir
Established
Roleplay posts: 14
Age: 79
Appearance: She is an old woman who stands at a stooped and petite height. Her eyes are both covered in cataracts, making them appear milky.
Registered: Jun 14, 2021 9:45:10 GMT -5
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Post by Moir on May 8, 2024 18:31:38 GMT -5
Searching about, Anatolius bowed to the woman approaching. When he was before Moir, his heart sank a little bit. She was old, and not the charming kind of old you saw making cookies. The sad kind of old, where every time you heard a loud noise you were scared she fell and was in need of urgent medical care. Suffice to say, he was not eager to entrust care for his pregnant wife to this woman. While he was sure experience counted for a lot, he reckoned there were diminishing returns when compounded with age. "Err, yes, I am. How'd you know?" he asked, leathery knuckles rubbing against one another with some anxiety. "Look, Faisine, I'm sure you know her. We never met, but she and I have, and you know, we're close now. As in, married, and one thing leads to another and...." a man of his size blushing would make a sizeable portion of Moir's vision suddenly pink and red. "Well, we're going to have a baby. But I'm really concerned for her. She doesn't want people around but I'm scared that things might go wrong. Probably wont', but might, but she's stubborn, but so am I, and well...." finally he met the elder's eyes. "Well, I'd ask if a midwife can stay close by closer to the date. But... a younger one maybe? I intend no offence of course but well...." he trailed off yet another time, looking for a word that was descriptive but not insulting to someone who was old. Moir nodded sagely and gestured for him to follow her. Assuming he followed, she took him toward the new temple this way.
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Anatolius
Committed
Roleplay posts: 53
Appearance: On the border of youth and middle age, blond-brown hair at points starts greying (giving it a look of a more solid blond) and wrinkles form from stress and too much sun on an otherwise young face.
Registered: Apr 9, 2021 22:01:35 GMT -5
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Post by Anatolius on May 9, 2024 22:16:54 GMT -5
Anatolius raised an eyebrow. Why couldn't they talk here? Oh well. Dutifully he nodded and followed the woman to the temple.
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