Walking Through Fire - Sign Ups

[Aleu]

The train cruised quietly along on its track, half-set into the side of a mountain. The cabins rocked gently from side to side in the full moon's light, their sleeping occupants unaware of the slight turn of the carriages as they glided through the stone of ages. The train was set flush against the side of the mountain, so to the casual winged passerby, no one would be the wiser -- just the way she had planned.

The train itself was a rustic affair, perhaps late nineteenth century, or early or mid twentieth? One couldn't tell from the outside. Each car was made of wood, varnished and painted a deep magenta, almost dark crimson, unemblazoned with any sort of emblem and patterned only by iron bands about its sides and the two windows to each wall. Within: two bunk beds, set between each side's windows, and three, maybe four, rows of seats. Down the middle was a narrow aisle, running from one wrought iron door to the other.

Back outside. The train had started to turn once more, leaving the mountainside and following its tracks into a tunnel leading deep into the stone. All was lonely darkness for a minute, save for the sparks of wheels on track and the creaking carriages, then -- moonlit night once more. The tunnel had opened into the center of the mountain, or rather, the top -- the summit held an enormous crater lake, sparkling a little in the night, itself holding a small island at its center, dominated by an expansive mansion.

The track had dropped to run just above the surface of the lake, and skimmed it gently, throwing up white wings of water as it traveled across the surface and slowed to a stop at the island's edge. The mansion, an impressive, Victorian-style building that took over most of the available space.

Well, this isn't where you meant to go...

--------------------

Okay, for characters, I'd like:

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personal Specifics:[/b] Almost anything extra should go here. Magic is both allowed and encouraged.
[b]History:[/b] An optional section, but suggested.

As this is a Masters Level RP, I'd like to ask anyone who wishes to join take a few standards into consideration first.

- The conventions of RPing as common sense dictates -- remember, an RP is an event to share, and the scenario writer is the one who directs the action. I expect this to be understood and adhered to, or I will ask you to leave.
- Respect and recognition of the core values of the RP -- that is, there's meaning lying under just the plot -- find it, further it. It's not a hack and slash mercenary romp: there's a message to be conveyed, and part of being a Master Roleplayer is being able to help that along.
- That being said, all the NPC characters that I will introduce can be controlled by you for the purposes of advancing point 2. However, if I'd like to strongly suggest you refrain from doing so until you have a clear grasp on their characters, mannerisms, etc.

But really guys -- I'm just asking that since it's a Masters RP, don't be stupid ^_^ Have fun~

[Arynielle]

Aleu, I read your last bit and it gave me an idea. New thread! Just to warn anyone who wishes to post here.

I'll make a character whenever I can... probably after AP tests blow over.

Name: Askala Nujeau
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Appearance: Askala has a fragile build and is considered to be small, even for her age. Her complexion is that of the average soldier-- healthy due to being out in the sun training. Her entire body is of the petite type, though she is faster than most because of her light weight. Askala uses this to her advantage in battle, usually to the dismay of her opponet. It may take her a bit of time to physically defeat the enemy since she doesn't have much in the way of brute force but her magic attacks are absolutely devastating and will be explained in a later paragraph.

When one glances at Askala, the first thing that catches one's eye is blue. This young girl is practically blue from head to toe-- it is not necessarily her favorite color. In fact, she likes all sorts of colors but her shoulder-length hair and her eyes are a vibrant shade of blue, the same hue as one would find in the sky on a clear day. Even the clothes given to her from the academy (purely by coincidence) are the same color, which simply adds to her physical appearance. She wears a tunic which ends at her mid-thigh and boots that crawl up just a bit above her knees. Upon her shoulders are two, sturdy pieces of armor, used to shield that vulnerable part of her body during battle. Askala also bears a cream-colored band around her forehead. As simple as the outfit may seem, she hoards countless items in her many pockets in case of an emergency.

She is blessed with the gift of flight. A pair of wings of the purest color grown from her back. They are both feathery and flexible though strong at the same time. Askala's wings are used for speed and travel and she can sustain flight for a fairly long time, probably for several hours before she needs to rest. Her mastery of flight is one of the things which separates her from others, for most girls of her age don't know how to use their wings so well.

Personal Specifics: Despite her cheery appearance, Askala isn't usually as bubbly as a young girl would normally be. She is rather quiet, actually, usually trading in speech to simply listen to others talk amongst themselves. Her social skills aren't particularly good which is why she doesn't have very many friends. Secretly, she wishes that she were more social and willing to talk with others but she just can't seem to bring herself to do it when the chance arises. Askala isn't sure if it is because of the abuse she suffered as a toddler in the hands of the bandits or if it is because of her temperament. Either way, she has a difficult time trusting strangers and others who have just crossed her path.

However, unlike the impression which she gives most others, she is not weak. Askala may be physically fragile but she is also determined to fight for her beliefs, regardless of what others do or say. In situations that don't matter so much, she will often turn her cheek or simply back down because she doesn't like to start arguments; in situations that will change the course of life for many she will act much more differently. It all depends on the circumstances and the objects at stake.

Since she can't take blows and she can't give them, she was trained as a magic user. Though she is rather skilled with a javelin, she has not the power to deal damage with it. Still, she manages to carry one with her at all times, not necessarily for fighting purposes but because she feels safer with it. That and she can also use the javelin in a practical manner-- having a sharp blade is, indeed, useful at times. Askala specializes in lightening and wind magic, though the wind magic is used as a tool to guide her flight more often than not. It is only the lightening element that she uses offensively on a regular basis, and its powers are very dangerous.

History: The poor girl-- Askala was kidnapped when she was only a toddler by bandits who planned on raising her as a slave. Luckily, several nights after her capture, a battalion of soldiers from a nearby castle which was scouting the lands, chanced upon the brigands and defeated them. Askala was freed though her real parents could not be found; in fact, she had no idea if they were alive or dead. Thus, she was taken in by the soldiers to train as a knight. She has lived a decent life since then but she still doesn't know who her real parents are and is eager to search for them, wherever they might be, assuming that they are still alive.

[P-chan]

I believe I'm done now with my editing.

Name: Eori Ilitia

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Appearance: From what you can see past his dangling bangs, Eori’s face is typically stoic and expressionless other than his analyzing, sky blue eyes. They’re hardly seen either way, though, since his face is usually buried in a book. His skin is extremely pale as a result of his hate of the outdoors and the lack of sunlight he seen. He has long, cobalt blue hair that is lazily tied back and buried into the hood of his dark cloak that drapes around his shoulders. The robes underneath are a pale cerulean, and embroidered with silver lining. A braided, leather belt hangs from his waist, where he stores his vials and potions for magic. The staff Eori carries around is made of a slender ebony wood, the tip topped off with a silver, speckled blue sapphire.

Personal Specifics: A loner by nature, Eori prefers being by himself rather than talking to others. Unless he absolutely has to, he usually stays away from large groups and reads the book he carries with him everywhere. Other than his family, the only person he feels he can talk to freely without restrictions is Saelyr.

He’s always been extremely smart, the top of his class at pretty much everything he did, but has never gotten along with people well. He has a very black and white opinion on everything, not being very flexible with other’s ideas and always viewing his own as the best. He almost might have a condescending view on people and is very blunt about making that clear. Besides all this, though, Eori is a considerate person inside with people he is close to, especially his family, and has the idea that he’s responsible for taking care of them to the point where he goes overboard.

Eori’s choice of magic is Necromancy. He can summon the dead, usually just skeletal remains of beings that have died, and command them at will. This type of magic is extremely tiring, however, and can’t be used over an extended period of time. While in the summoning state, he also must stay as still as possible for fear of breaking the connection between the summoner and the summoned. Eori also has small knowledge of magical runes and deciphering them, while also having limited knowledge of healing magic.

History: Eori has three sisters, two older and one younger. His mother died after giving birth to his younger sister, and since their father is usually away from home, they have had to provide for themselves. This younger sister also is deaf, so their small family has to take extra special care of her. He lived in a small town of half-elves all his life along with his best friend, Saelyr, and attended the renowned magic school there. At age nine, he had a run in with a river running through the city, and almost drowned, resulting in his lone phobia of water. He has always loved books, and has read almost every one that’s in the town’s library. His studies over the years have been mostly focused on the art of Necromancy.

Name: Saelyr Diatre

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Appearance: Light green hair frames Saelyr’s face, the strands in the back tied up into somewhat of a messy ponytail. Her eyes are the color of striking emeralds in contrast to the brightly shining gold earrings she wears. The cloak around her shoulders is a green matching her hair, and the robes underneath are a simple shade of light brown. Her expression is usually a happy one, unless she’s gotten angry, and that face is very noticeable once she makes it. Her staff is a light mahogany wood with a shard of jade topping the tip.

Personal Specifics: Saelyr is a very outspoken girl. She doesn’t care what others think of her, and she lets them know that. She has no concern about what people think she looks like and insults she receive never have an impact on her self-esteem. Whatever she is thinking, she is bound to blurt out and expresses herself freely. She has a carefree view on life, and is the kind of girl who doesn’t do what she’s told by other people and hates being controlled. No matter what, she is confident in herself and her beliefs are unshakable. She’s amazingly pigheaded and stubborn.

She also has a very short, fiery temper, and even though she’s a magic-user, Saelyr usually prefers using her punches to resolve fights, and the recipients of these typically still have bruises to his day. When she meets someone she doesn’t like, she’s sure to let them know, by firing them glares and even flat out telling them to their face.

However, Saelyr is a slacker when it comes to work, and leaves things to the last minute. (Or doesn’t do them at all.) Unless she really wants to be, or if it has benefit to herself, she doesn’t have the tenacity to follow through with things.

Magic-wise Saelyr is well versed in both wind magic and telepathy. If she tries hard enough, she is able to control the air around her and manipulate it to her own free will. More interesting, though, is how she can use telepathy. After years of study at school, telepathy now comes easily to Saelyr, and sometimes she catches herself using it on accident.

History: Saelyr’s family of herself, her brother, and her mother and father are the proud owners of a pegusi ranch. She has attended the same school as Eori since she was a young girl. People have always known her as “that one loudmouthed girl who never knows how to keep her yapper shut about others.” Saelyr never did do the homework she was assigned and always went through her classes with barely passing marks. She’s been extremely close to Eori ever since she was a child, and he tends to always have to help her with all her homework and studies.

[Moses]

uh, i have a question. Can we use guns? and if so, like what year is this, so i know what kind of guns? I was thinking lust like some sort of pistol...

[Aleu]

Mo: Pistols are fine, you can even have a rifle if you'd like -- I'd warn against the effectiveness of projectile weaponry, however - it'll make sense as the RP goes on :3

I think I'll use Aleu and Serene this time around -- not a combination I do much x3

Name: Aleu Larkins
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Appearance: Aleu is of average height and slender build. She has a kind of light brown hair, with maybe a hint of yellow if one looks carefully. Her eyes, naturally blue but almost always shifted to golden yellow, are relaxed, a little playful. She wears the standard clothes for a Larkins -- a white and blue coat and tunic, the same pants, and brown boots. Her stole is usually draped in the standard fashion, across the back of the neck and falling to about knee level. Each end is marked with a white crescent moon.
Personal Specifics: Aleu, as a new graduate of the Larkins, specializes in one weapon, the katana, and has had magical training. She is especially adept at highly technical light and exorcism magics, but she doesn't have the raw power to use their full potential, unless she is with Kapu or breaks one of her Chimes.

Her Chimes are a set of three magical orbs that she keeps pocketed except in battle, at which point she releases them into orbit behind herself. They are repositories and converters for magical energy - at the end of each day she fills each one with fragments of he remaining magic. When filled with energy, each one, depending on its color, converts it for a different purpose: power (red, "Domination"), speed (blue, "Freedom"), or healing (green, "Tranquility"). All three Chimes can be used as energy weapons, and all three can be converted into magic to bolster or restore her own reserves. Each Chime has a second conversion, depending on its color: Domination can be converted to add power to her attacks, Freedom to speed her movement, and Tranquility to continuously heal wounds. Converting all three at once also give sher the power to use her only unconditionally lethal attack.

History: The Larkins family is a clannish organization, with a special focus towards combat tactics and military studies, that supports itself through hiring its members as high-class mercenaries. Each member is extensively trained in both magic and the use of at least one martial weapon before becoming a full member of the clan and beginning to take up jobs. Each full member of the clan wears and enchanted black stole, both a symbol of their status and a link to the family - a teleportation spell keyed to High Valley, the Larkins home, is sewn into the fabric.

Aleu herself lived a quiet life in High Valley for most of her life -- she did well at everything asked of her and never ran into many problems. At the age of 16 she passed her graduation exam with flying colors, and, as of now, is just doing odd jobs and occasional things for the family. Her current mission had her paired with Serene, an outcast recently reinstated in the family, in an investigation and elimination mission for a small town in the country, purportedly under siege by professional bandits.

Name: Serene Larkins
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Appearance: Serene is slightly taller than Aleu, has a more frail-looking stature, and shock-silver, instead of brown, hair -- other than that, they resemble each other like sisters. Serene used to wear a plain white dress with gold trim, especially while working crystal, but has now donned the typical Larkins attire, see top.
Personal Specifics: Serene is almost completely bereft of magic, save for during a rage or from her crystals, but she wields a set of three swords with deadly efficiency to make up for it. One is a broadsword, and the other two are falchions -- her standard approach involves fighting with a falchion in each hand and either throwing the broadsword or using it as a kind of post to stand on, block with, etc. She has a set of crystals, infused with either Kapu or Aleu's magic, that, upon breaking, allow her some small feats - healing, increasing movement, etc.

From her mother, she inherits a berserker wrath, which at this point is still mostly uncontrolled - when she returned to her family at the age of 17, she began learning to use its power at will but still hasn't been able to grasp it yet. During a rage, she can distinguish between friend and foe, but her inhibitions towards attacking leave -- she will kill indiscriminately, even someone who has surrendered, unless she is stopped. Her attacks became powerful enough to break most conventional weaponry, and she is temporarily able to tap into her latent magic, for the purpose of killing.

History: A long an convoluted one -- Serene comes from the same family as Aleu, but was branded as a failure and ejected from the clan when she was 12, in an accident that left her with her trademark wings. She found herself in a small city down the river from High Valley, in the 5-year apprenticeship of a crystal-worker. This is where she gains her affinity for glass and crystal, and what prompted her to try and use it as a medium for storing energy.

Aleu and Kapu, sent by their father to find her, encountered her not long after she finished her apprenticeship and became an official journeyman crystal-worker. A bit of persuading found her returning to the place of her exile, and, after a long duel, being restored as a clansman. Her five-year absence saw her woefully behind in the martial arts, so she was restricted from any kind of undertaking of missions for two years, at the end of which she would take her graduation exam like a normal member of the family (she passed, albeit later than most).

Figuring that they'd help her transition back to their way of life slowly, the family put her on easy missions, usually paired with her brother, sister, or both -- this is one of them.

[Aleu]

We're going to start as soon as the profiles are finished! That means if you want in, better hurry!

[Moses]

It's fine with me if guns aren't that effective in this RP. I just want to use a character with guns XD




Name: Dante Stren
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Appearance: Dante has black, messy hair that stops just below his hazel eyes. He stands at 5’ 10”, and is slightly buff. Generally, he wears dark green cargo pants and a black, long-sleeve shirt, with a tactical bulletproof vest over it. He also sports a black finger-less glove on his right hand, and a large gauntlet of metal plates and chain mail on his left arm and hand capable of blocking some weapons. On his right hand he has a strange magical symbol, with the same thing lightly carved into his glove. Sometimes he keeps a short sword in a sheath across the back of his belt, and he almost always wears a thigh holster on his right leg, where he keeps his slightly modified Springfield Armory HS2000 handgun.

Personal Specifics: Dante is a quick thinking marksman above anything else, able to land more bullets on the spot quicker than most gunmen he knows. In haste, he often forgets how many bullets he has fired, or how many rounds his gun holds (12 in the case of his handgun). This can sometimes leave him in a tough situation with no time to reload his gun. Therefore, he keeps a short sword with him if he feels the going will get tough. However, he has the skill to do little more than swing it around wildly, so he only keeps it for an emergency.

With the help of a little magical ability and a few magic crystals in the hilt of his sword and the handle of his gun, he can power up his weapons. In the case of his handgun, the range and velocity of the bullets increase by a remarkable amount. His short sword becomes a large, powerful broadsword that he can use to blow through the enemy. However, it is extremely temporary (sometimes as little as one swing of the sword or one shot of the gun), limited in uses, and drains his strength with each use.

He is not extremely talkative, but he has no problem with talking to people if they initiate a conversation. Other people problems are extremely important to him, and he feels a sort of rush if he can resolve them. Quite often, though, he doesn’t deal very well with his own personal problems. If not in immediate danger, he is often seen staring into space. He could be thinking about any number of things: songs, foods, or quite often his plan for the day.

History: Dante’s mother, Lauren, died while giving birth to Dante’s younger brother, Colale, when Dante was 4. Though he knew deep down that it wasn’t his fault, he outwardly blamed Colale for his mother’s death to deal with the grief. He also has an older brother, named Jack. Dante’s father died when he was fifteen, leaving him and Jack to take care of Colale. It was tough going, but they managed to make it through life. When Colale turned 18, the three brothers split up to try to live on their own.

Dante jumped around for a few years before settling into his lifestyle as mercenary. Though he was married for a few years, the strain of being gone for a long time on jobs was too much for it to work, and his wife got a divorce. Since then, he has simply continued making money and taking jobs.

[Arynielle]

Character sheet has been finished. ^-^ Is it ok, Aleu?

[Aleu]

Fourteen? Is she going to be alright on an overnight train by herself, let alone be a soldier? XD

You may or may not want to change that -- it might be a bit brutal out there for her~ x3 But other than that, we're set! Let's rock everyone!

[Arynielle]

She's somewhat of a magician prodigy. Besides, she's been alone all of her life; she's used to it. She is quite mature for a fourteen year old. :3 If you read her history, she didn't really have a choice.

[Shiori Ailill]

I think I finally found this site after this RP actually started........... me wants to join, is there any way I can hop in Aleu? Not on the train obviously but somewhere else perhaps?

edit: yay Sasami gets to join! This won't be finished yet 'cause I have my niece's b-day to go to but I'll at least get it started so I can hop in quickly.

Name: Sasami (but she won't tell you that)
Age: 13
Gender: female

Appearance: Her clothing depends upon the situation because of her line of work, but when traveling she'll wear somber clothes, as dark as she can get away with (since sometimes making something black actually attracts attention). Currently she's wearing dark brown hakama (in her time period womens still wore them occasionally) and a slightly lighter brown robe.

She's a petite asian girl, and I do mean girl, as she barely showing any signs of puberty. Her black hair reaches half-way down her back when let loose, but is normally put up in various styles for missions using her "decorative" chopsticks. Currently her hair is up in a simple bun, with plain brown chopsticks holding it in place.

Her dark eyes are very quiet and serene. Most would look at her and think "innocence", but those who are more perceptive than many would sense a bit of coldness behind this veil of childlike purity. Warmth is only seen in these eyes when she's with her brothers.

There is one object that she always wears, a silver necklace that has a large black onyx set in the center of it. In actuality it's a bracelet, but she found a chain to make it into a necklace. This is a gift from her closest brother and wears it always.

Personal Specifics: Sasami is an assassin-in-training. She has very little magic ability unfortunately.
weapons:
Her hairsticks: they're very sharp. Can be thrown or used as a sneak-kill. If she needs to hide the weapon, it is sharp and thin enough to completely insert it inside a person. She has many on her in case she needs to replace any. Usually not covered in poison unless she feels she needs to have then coated for the mission.
Sais: her main melee weapon.
Tanto: Her secondary melee weapon, tends to use it more like a pocket knife than actually fighting though.
Shurkin: throwing weapon. She uses these only if she's stuck in combat. Unlike her hairsticks, these are always coated in deadly poison. Usually made of old coins or other random pieces of scrap metal she finds.
Other items: In her sack she always has things that she needs, anecdotes for poisons, bandages, and she knows how to use them well.

necklace: Actually she doesn't have this at this age, but since she doesn't have any magical abilities to speak of, I figured that she should at least have this. It's actually a protective talisman of sorts that her "brother" gave her. He was the one who put the spell on it, so Sasami doesn't know what it's capable of, only that she feels a lot more at ease with it on, like he was there with her.

History: Sasami only remembers vague snipits of her original family, but she doesn't let that get to her, as she adores her current family. However, this "family" is a group of assassins and has been training to become one ever since she was found as a small child. She has two "brothers" (one she considers more than a brother, but let's not get into that now) whom she cares for dearly.

Since Sasami is technically still in training, she has to be accompanied by a full fledged member on any mission, but somehow she has been separated from said accompaniment and had gotten herself captured somehow...