Against the Night OOC

[Goblin Cat 😸]

Apologies for the absence... Feel free to drop me from this RP as I can't seem to keep up. I apologize deeply, as I had fun here, but I have simply just not been around and would hate for an RP to die or get held up because of me.

[Eden-H]

Apologies for being so vague and loose with her history as well as for any inconsistencies. When I wake up tomorrow, I will read back over it and fix it as needed (if there winds up being a need for it), though the basic information will remain the same. It will likely just be worded slightly different if it seems to be required.

Name: Silverwing

Age: 32

Species: Samsara

Gender: Female

Class: Ranged/Shift mage* (see abilities)

Power Scale: 4.4

Description:
Silverwing stands a head taller than Nemael, making her impressive stature slightly unnerving when the viewer is forced to look up at the sharp point of her beak. Fortunately she can almost always be seen with a friendly expression, her long, pointed ears often held slightly aloft in what some may consider an ever-felt excitement. However, this is quickly made disconcerting by the fact that 3/4ths of the way down her ears they are encased in metal with two spikes; one point at the end and another a few inches down and facing inward. From the bottom offshoot hang three beads with a single, relatively large teardrop attached to them.

The severity of her appearance is further enhanced by the distinctive feather crest adorning her head from the middle of the forehead back. Some think it may function as a sign of her mood; others think it simply has a mind of its own. To top it all off, she has no discernible pupils, her heterochromatic eyes appearing to resemble varying nebula's on a completely black base. Every time she turns her eyes or looks elsewhere, the star patterns and placement of color shifts with them.

From the head down, the back of her neck, shoulders, mid-way down her arms and the sides of her rib cage are covered in a poof of feathers that almost looks like the fur ring on a coat. Beyond this unusual aspect of anatomy, her chest is divided into what appears to be two distinct and separate pairs of pectorals, in reality a cleverly developed keel. The top 'set' supports her massive wings and the bottom her arms.

Her wings are strangely similar to Nemael's in that they consist of six leathery, divided fingers with a coating of feathers on the back. However, unlike his own, the membranes appear to be shaped and edged similarly to that of a lunar moth, even including the tassels that hang from their wings near her body. An unfortunate addition is what appears to be round hooks that have been pierced into her wings, matching the loops attached to thick strips of cloth around her biceps. The leather has purposefully been forced through the membrane that connects the divide between her wings and body, allowing them to be attached to her arms when deemed necessary.

The membrane covering the gap between her body and wings is relatively thin, rounded and covering her side from the hip up. It specifically connects to her arms at the junction between where the large feathers adorning them end near the bicep, making her appear like a hybrid between a microraptor and a flying squirrel; at least where her arms and torso are concerned. Scaly hands peek out from the feathers when they are folded inward for writing or gesturing.

The rest of her body is relatively simple, covered in a fine coat of feathers that goes all the way down to her feet. Some may consider her similar to an owl in this regard as they go over her toes; yet they almost appear to be cut, giving them a sharp and angular look akin to carefully trimmed fur. Fortunately this does not impact her usage of all four of her toes; three of which are set normally while the fourth is attached more to the side, creating what some may consider an anatomical crutch that allows her to walk, run, and grasp things with ease. Great consideration was also given to the magical cuffs that adorn her legs, reshaping to fit around armor and clothing as required as well as removing any impact on her capabilities and never once disturbing her feathers.

Lastly, her tail feathers are long and bear a similarity in shape to that of the swallowtail butterfly.


History:
Silverwing worked as the lead aerial recon scout for the Samsara, a species who primarily existed on the side lines during a civil war between several other races. Initially they only observed the conflict and offered shelter to those who were harmed by the fighting. They were dedicated to skirting the edges of the war and refraining from participating. Not only did they not consider either side to be inherently 'right', they did not see them as being a force of change for the betterment of the people. However, even with the Samsara's vocally chosen stance on the politics of what was occurring, Silverwing eventually found that she could not simply stand aside and watch as civilians were slaughtered. Thus her work was two-fold, allowing her to uncover planned enemy strikes and razes as well as preventing unnecessary bloodshed, safely ferrying those in danger to Samarian lands. It also allowed her to aid those she considered the lesser of two evils, albeit by a slim margin.

Although she would never admit it, there was another reason as to why Silverwing joined: She was being plagued by nightmares of a country and people she cared for turned to ash because she was too stubborn and foolish enough to follow in her peoples footsteps.

As time continued to pass and the civil war raged on, she continued to perform her duties as required--until a foolish mistake led to her being caught by enemy forces. While she will not speak of what occurred, they renamed her to Silverwing and even created a slogan that would follow her to this day: False Hope comes on Silver Wings. Unfortunately this occurrence was common, for every high-ranking prisoner they captured was subsequently broken, renamed and turned into living propaganda. This tactic would eventually turn the tide in favor of those she opposed and win the war for them, as well as their other taboo methods.

A few years after the final declaration of their total control, she would meet Nemael and escape through his clever usage of portals. Where once she had been trapped by guilt, the overwhelming feelings of the Samsara and the people, a false sense of duty and even esoteric magical means, he had given her a clean way out that she was incapable of not accepting. She would even remain by his side for a time and eventually meet Dragonhawk, learning about the world at large and understanding there was a greater conflict that required her attention; one that would eventually change her home country for what she believed was the better.


Noteworthy gear:
Carries a pocket watch at all times, rarely stowing it in a pouch suspiciously similar to Nemael's. When out, she will typically wrap the chain around her fingers or part of her wrist. There is also a strip of cloth with a ring pierced through a portion of her wings, matching those on her arms; typically used as clips. Uses a hand-made bow, yet carries no arrows or even modified bolts. And like Dragonhawk and Nemael, she too wears a key of similar design to their own.


Abilities:
Samsara is both the name of the species and a title. In their tongue, it means 'Waking Dreamer', directly correlating to the capabilities every last one has, while not accounting for the unique magics they may develop. Strictly speaking, the entirety of the species shares memories and emotion with one another while maintaining their unique personalities. Openness and truth are the tenets of her people, thus she is always 'open' and affected by the emotions and thoughts of those around her. When someone says that a person is radiating fear, in her case it is a literal and physical thing. She does not simply feel it; she experiences it fully depending on how strong it may be. Another ability all Samsara have is melding with a target entity; though it is not nearly as ominous as it sounds and comes in two forms. The first is a flash access, in which they temporarily gain the abilities of the person they have connected to. This may increase their agility, heighten certain senses, make them better capable with a ranged weapon when they are strictly a melee fighter, etc. However, it lasts a few minutes at best and is used in extreme cases, typically seen as a last resort maneuver. It can be used within a short distance of the intended target.

The second is essentially full access. Not only will she gain the skills of the person in question, she will also gain access to their emotions, thoughts and memories; the latter of which is experienced and explored during a dream state. She can visit moments in the past and even change the way events played out; though this is not remotely warping or actually changing reality. The effect of her presence will only last so long as she is asleep and will immediately dissipate as soon as she wakes; essentially an alternate reality that collapses in on itself and will never continue to exist. Thus what she experiences during her time in a persons memory may not consist of the actual events; though there is always a truth to them that she is meant to learn. She may only perform this ability either through physical contact or when in extremely close proximity with the person in question. Both can be forced and done without permission from whoever she needs to obtain these abilities from, though she will never take this route.

*The above aside, the ability she has personally developed and maintained is thanks to her relationship with Nemael and having fully accessed his mind numerous times. While she is not remotely capable of the same magics that he employs, even if she desperately wishes she could, Silverwing has learned how to harness the wild nature of the Shift and turn them into intense arrows of energy. She is also capable of communicating with the Shifts spirits, seeing into their realm and even entering it. The latter is typically done while in a dream or meditative state as it is safer and less likely to cause physical harm, though it can be done physically. Unlike Nemael who can open rifts that allows multiple people to go through, only she can pass in and out of the Shift through her own miniature tears. She is also capable of the simplest Shift-magic possible: recreating the memory of torches, small pathways and other minutiae.


Noteworthy skills:
Quick and light on her feet, she is incredibly agile both on the ground and in the air; the latter being her preferred realm of combat. Do not mistake this as meaning she is not competent when it comes to one-on-one melee fights, however; she knows how to use her bow in an offensive manner that requires being within the range of fisticuffs. She will also happily turn the arrows into piercing or bladed crossbow bolts that she will slash or stab at her attacker with, fending them off until she can get to a range that better suits her normal combat style.


Flaws or Weaknesses:
Flash access to a persons abilities can momentarily cause her to freeze in place as the effect of the transition takes hold, leaving her vulnerable to attack. The short lived nature of this skill also poses a problem when she needs it to last much longer in a fight. Flash and full access can also only be done once before being utilized again. The former takes little time to come back from, while the latter can last days and sometimes even weeks. Thus when one variant has been used, the other cannot be employed until, again, the period of time required has passed. This can also be incredibly disorienting, for she may take on a physical aspect that lasts as long as the skill that has been used. For example, she is incredibly light weight and swift on her feet. If she tapped into someone who was the opposite, she would immediately become used to this new skill set as she would also be making use of their muscle memory. Once it wore off, however, she would have to become used to her original capabilities again, which can take anywhere from a minute to an hour. Accessing and using the memories and skills of another who do not share her own throws her mind completely off; though she can still loose energy bolts from her bow with relative accuracy.

Another downside comes from the way her species and society works. Since they function on honesty, openness, the free sharing of memories and experiences as well as emotions, she is constantly under 'threat' of being negatively effected by someone nearby. For example, if she walked into an inn where many people stood in close proximity to her, she may be overwhelmed by the sheer strength of the emotions they are experiencing or even adopt them for a time. If someone is angry, she may suddenly share this feeling and even feel slightly compelled to fix the issue; whether it comes in the form of revenge or a heated conversation with the offender. Of course, without experiencing their exact memory of why they are furious, she can become slightly lost in the moment. Fortunately she is actively working on curbing this unfortunate circumstance, only bearing moderate success due to the tenets and belief system all Samsara share.


Imagery: http://sta.sh/229wmgodocuh

[Cyril]

To deal with Mort, whoever was tailing him can return with the cash and claim that he had something come up and took his leave?

[Xavier Akafur]

That would be my recommendation. Also I think that brings us down to 5 players, 6 if Silas is still around.


Also that character seems fine to me, Nemael.

[Eden-H]

It does indeed. Should the RP be re-opened this time, given Mort's post on leaving the forums and the possibility of Silas missing? Or stick to what we have like before?

As for the character, fantastic! I'll whip up a post for her once I am done doing some things around the house.

[tangletail]

Still waiting on you Cyril

[Drakeyboy]

Yeah i guess i can do that... so sad he jad to leave. As for the new addition i think i might make a second character too. I have one in mind that isn't a mage.

[Goblin Cat 😸]

If we're still at the same spot, I can make an exit post unless someone else is game to.

[Drakeyboy]

I don't think it really matters. You can make the exit post from what i can see.

And a second note. Where is everyone? I don't really want to read through all that text. Also i'm going to need to warm up a bit to get back to the level you guys are doing. I haven't been RPing in a while.

[Eden-H]

If I recall correctly, Xavier is in the tavern with Nemael and Silverwing (about to post). Your character is walking with Mort to collect the bounty on the Hound. Cyril's character is with Tangletail inside of the inn off of the tavern and Silas was last finishing a brew after purchasing some herbs from a merchant. As for Khaki, we're pretending he is off somewhere in the village since his player is currently gone.

[Drakeyboy]

Thank you for updating me.

[Xavier Akafur]

If you are considering switching characters that is fine with me, Nemael isn't writing for two characters though if that's what you were thinking. I think he is just hopping onto an alt, so to speak. His title character isn't fitting his writing mood, which I entirely understand. Plus having a character that isn't a mage may be wise, as we're currently pretty magic-heavy.

But! Now would be a good time to swap if anyone wants to switch characters around. I'm more than open to the idea when we're in a setting like the current one where other PCs walking into the plotline would make sense. For future rules I would just say that any time we're in a civilized area, feel free to hop on alternate characters. Just make sure to post a CS and let us know over here, just in case there would be some issue. You guys all seem to be quite competent writers so I doubt there would be any issues

I'm not currently going to switch but it's something that I may do down the line, as Xavier is a somewhat static character and sometimes I like being more dynamic. That's the issue with the old experienced PCs, they can't improve much in the short-term.

[Cyril]

Tangle; I'm waiting for at least three people to put posts before I do. Note that if like 3 people post in 24h I might miss it because work.
I just don't want to jump too far ahead of everyone else, you see.

As for Mort.. I think he could be dropped by Drake's character stating that he split off on his own. It'd make sense if he just wanted his portion of the cash reward.

[Xavier Akafur]

Not to worry, I'm back to work and in better health now so I will be posting here in a couple hours. I've kinda been in recovery mode the last few days due to a hospital visit. xD

[Cyril]

That's chill. I messaged Silas, and he said he doesn't know if he's going to continue. Given where he put himself IC, we should be able to continue without him until he returns.