In many ways, the way Cadenza’s personality has grown, the face she approaches the world with, can be traced back to her twelve years serving in her late sister’s mafia. To be truthful and voice her genuine thoughts aloud was to earn herself a fiery whip to the face, or to compromise a mission, or to blow a cover, which could mean her death or the failure of her goal—often the same thing—so she learned to lie, and lie well. It became habitual, to the point where the falsehoods came easily, to the point where she could slither out of anything she needed to, could adapt to any unexpected changes in a mission, could adopt any new cover when she needed to, just with another expertly spun tale. She could sell it, could act it, could make her expressions and her body language and even her eyes tell the story she needed to—it was another survival skill.
She became stubborn, because to be stubborn meant to survive a fight, or endure torture, or to last through a particularly heinous assignment when nothing but your willpower could see you through that hell. She became tough, and hid her feelings behind layers of defense and prickliness, hardheadness and difficulty, because to show those weak spots, those vulnerabilities, was to show her enemy—or her sister—just where to strike home the hardest. And she became sarcastic, because in the most miserable times, humor became the only way she could keep her wits, keep her sanity, and keep going on. She learned to laugh at nearly anything, sometimes even the blackest things, and especially at herself. Sometimes it could be the only light in a situation that sorely needed some.
Cadenza learned to treasure innocence, as it is far more precious, and scarce, than she ever realized before—and even more, she has learned to cherish true friends, as those you can count on in this world are farther and fewer between than she ever could have imagined in her younger days. She has learned to be cautious, and slow to trust, to form quick impressions of people, and try to read and analyze as much as she can about them in that first glance. She is quick to size up a threat, to detect weapons, strength, posture, gait, and in some meetings, she’ll judge how you would be as an opponent before she’d guess how you might be like as a new friend or acquaintance. She’s found she comes across far more of the former than the latter. She also grew to be even more fiercely protective of family, because in some twisted way, her dysfunctional family was all she had for many years.
She learned to become dispassionate when killing, when in combat, but she also grew to have an even worse temper than she ever had before, when provoked into it.
An uglier side in her grew, one enraged by all the horrors it had seen, all the horrors it had been a part of, all the ways she had suffered at various people’s hands, most of all her own sibling’s, and to survive that, with some piece of her still preserved that could maybe go on living a normal life, part of her had to be sacrificed to that dark, become like it, to protect the whole. She knows that side to be her “beast”—but most who have ever seen it have not lived to tell about it later. When it takes hold, it behaves much like a mother jaguar—and such times have led to her being likened to a “sand panther” in stories around Rubato. It is a hateful and savage part of her heart, ferocious, yet also fiercely protective of the few it considers its own, and its foremost concern as always is the gypsy’s survival. She has lived now for over five years with her beast and has learned to control it, to coexist with that darker part of herself, but there are still times when it comes to the fore, beyond her rock hard walls of mental defense and reserve—most often when the safety of children, particularly her own family nowadays, are concerned.
Speaking of, her adopted daughter Kate has been hugely responsible for another turn in Cadenza’s life. Raising her has brought out parts of Cadenza’s personality she thought long dead. Her love of music has always been strong, but she finds herself listening these days with a lighter heart, dancing with a more cheerful step, and she laughs easier. She smiles almost like the woman she could have grown up to been, and in some ways, those smiles mean more for all she has been through otherwise. Her sense of humor has taken on a sillier side, as well, and although she rarely shows it away from her household, it finds its way into other moments, and steals into conversations with other friends as well. While her pessimism is still alive and well, she wants to be more hopeful for Kate’s sake, to believe that they can one day build a stable and loving family for the girl, and that she might find someone to be her partner, her husband again, the father of her children, despite how wrong things went in her marriage with Rain. This desire has taken a hit, yet only come back stronger now that she is pregnant with her twin babies, whom Rain fathered before their split.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, October 17, 2011
Major cities for imrp in Rubato
Blancwood: The beautiful, prosperous royal capital. It has one of only two national hospitals, as well as the only secondary school and university in the country, the Blancwood Academy. The academy is private, and tuition is very costly, but those who can get an education there from primary to university are very fortunate and become successful indeed. The nobles live mainly in this town, and it's very posh to live near the Blancwood Palace, where the current King Ferdinand Leon Olmo II resides. The castle courtyard is filled with statues of past kings, and some have been broken by disgruntled citizens in the past in revolutions. A grand fountain is also directly across from the palace gates. The Royal Mall is located in this city, as well as many boutiques and other stores. Farms are around the city limits, which are marked by a ring of white birch trees for which the city gets its name. The highway connects to this city.
The city, which is practically the size of a city-state in itself, has its own standing army. It once engaged in war with Cernilia when the emperor made a second attempt to claim it. Without Blancwood, Rubato's economy and population would come crashing down. Cadenza once went to school here, and her first husband Paris Valentia, who was long-believed to have died from war, resides here. The police station here is the center of the Rubatoian Police Department, and is headed by Chief Moreno. The police force here employs a Cernilian citizen, by the name of Inspector Daniela Cruz, and is also rumored to employ a vampire, named Otto von Blod.
Residents: Greene, Ernesto, Hunter, Louis, Celia, Selene, Arina, Yosha, Ms. Silva, King Olmo, Larena, Ace
Agra: Surrounded by canyons and jutting rock formations, it's one of the largest cities further north in Rubato, where the deserts turn to rockier mesas. Much of the soil is reddish in color. Agra is split up into various districts because of its sheer size, including the Western District, which is filled with many pubs, and conveniently the Agra Police Station, the Northern district, which is a bit more lawful than most of the others, and has some immigrants living there, and then the oh-so-infamous "Black Smog" District, which is the hub of the illegal drug trade in Rubato, as well as prostitution, and the black market. It was named for the black smog and smoke that seems to hang perpetually about the streets there. Agra in general is one of the more wild and lawless areas, and has a been of a spaghetti western feel to the bars and architecture. Outside the city limits, but grouped by many as still being part of Agra, is the "Pedra Roja" (literally "red rock") district, which is a community of hermit-like or reclusive mages and magical-drug dealers (who tend to call their shops "apothecaries") with an occult-like and seedy reputation throughout the country. These are seen as the weirdos among even the mages. The highway connects to Agra.
There is much gang and mafia activity throughout Agra, which once was controlled by the Madrigal and Dionne families, until Vivace Madrigal-Dionne's death (my character Cadenza's oldest sister.) Cadenza still has some dealings in this town with its drug trade, especially in Pedra Roja. The Madrigal family name is very well-respected here, as it is throughout most other cities.
Residents: Domingo Vargas
Allegre: Not a town I have written as much about, but Allegre is a border town with the nation of Cernilia. It was once half of a larger city with Denadoro (which is now part of Cernilia), but after the war when the emperor split the nation, the large city was also split. It's very hilly and has some sparse grass, and some of the few scattered nobles in Rubato live here, if they do not live in Blancwood. Their manors are occasionally the victim of higher-scale robberies. A primary school is located here.
Residents: Cindy, formerly Carla, on the outskirts of Denadoro
Pe del Fuego desert: The hottest desert in Rubato, and also the largest. The name translates literally to the "Foot of Fire" desert, because it is said that if you stepped onto the sand with your bare feet, they would be burned immediately.
Isla do Noir: Literally, the "Isle of Black", the Isla do Noir is a craggy, high-cliffed island in the blue-green, churning waters of the Miradic Ocean (think the Pacific) off the western coast of Rubato. It is covered with some grass, but its land is mainly taken up by the very large federal prison, which holds the nation's worst criminals.
Saguaro: A small town that was destroyed in a massive fight between Zorolo's character Monroe, and Mikey's character Cain.
Ceguera que Quema desert: The second hottest desert in Rubato. The name translates literally to "The Blindness that Burns", and it was named because the sun shines down so harshly and brightly that it is said staying there too long would blind you.
Santa Mariela: A growing town in southern Rubato, surrounded on all sides by desert. A river, called the Rio Primavera ("Spring River"), once flowed through the city, but it has dried up scores of years ago. It is connected to Rubato's system of sparse highways, and has one of the country's primary schools. It also has one of the larger bazaars in the nation, outside of Blancwood and Sereia. This city is heavily under the influence of the Madrigal family, as it is where they have lived for generations. Their reputation there is mixed, with the positive deeds of Galliard Madrigal, the inventor and patriarch, and the negative deeds of the mafia, once led by Vivace. But they are highly-respected for providing leadership in the town of whatever kind, and thwarting the police, who are widely believed to be corrupt by many of the poor who do not get such equal treatment. Cadenza Madrigal lives here with her boyfriend and adopted daughter, as do her three remaining sisters and father. It has its own police station, run by the strict Captain Romero.
Residents: Cadenza, Luminari, Arietta, Galliard, Ruin, Leo, Zach, Tyran
Rancha Rosa: One of the biggest cities in Rubato, and the location of one of the two national hospitals, as well as a large police station that is headed by Captain Buffon. Tracey de Carlo works primarily at this police station, and lives in this city with her husband Monroe. The highway connects to this city.
Residents: Con, Damien, Will, Linda, Tracey, Alex, Monroe
Sereia: Rubato's only functioning port town. The culture is somewhat different here, as fishing and seafaring are a part of every day life. The bazaar is down by the docks, and remnants and traces of mermaid statues and sailor life can be found all throughout the city. Many bars are pirate-themed, like the Buccaneer's Boot, and temples are devoted to the Spirit of Water. Sea-vines can be found clinging to some buildings. The genius blacksmith Omar Vargas keeps his forge by the docks, and is a dear family friend of the Madrigal's. The town's name, Sereia, literally means "Mermaid", and it was named by the first settlers there, who believed they had seen mermaids off the coast of the town. The highway's southern most part comes to Sereia.
Residents: Algretta, Omar
Forest of Renewal residents: Gaia, Morticus, Erik, Tierra, Suena
Selma Village (Rameses’ village) residents: Rameses, Malcolm, Magda, Eulie, Adrianne, Pauline, Hyde, other former purifiers
Citta residents (in Cernilia) – Dorian and family
The city, which is practically the size of a city-state in itself, has its own standing army. It once engaged in war with Cernilia when the emperor made a second attempt to claim it. Without Blancwood, Rubato's economy and population would come crashing down. Cadenza once went to school here, and her first husband Paris Valentia, who was long-believed to have died from war, resides here. The police station here is the center of the Rubatoian Police Department, and is headed by Chief Moreno. The police force here employs a Cernilian citizen, by the name of Inspector Daniela Cruz, and is also rumored to employ a vampire, named Otto von Blod.
Residents: Greene, Ernesto, Hunter, Louis, Celia, Selene, Arina, Yosha, Ms. Silva, King Olmo, Larena, Ace
Agra: Surrounded by canyons and jutting rock formations, it's one of the largest cities further north in Rubato, where the deserts turn to rockier mesas. Much of the soil is reddish in color. Agra is split up into various districts because of its sheer size, including the Western District, which is filled with many pubs, and conveniently the Agra Police Station, the Northern district, which is a bit more lawful than most of the others, and has some immigrants living there, and then the oh-so-infamous "Black Smog" District, which is the hub of the illegal drug trade in Rubato, as well as prostitution, and the black market. It was named for the black smog and smoke that seems to hang perpetually about the streets there. Agra in general is one of the more wild and lawless areas, and has a been of a spaghetti western feel to the bars and architecture. Outside the city limits, but grouped by many as still being part of Agra, is the "Pedra Roja" (literally "red rock") district, which is a community of hermit-like or reclusive mages and magical-drug dealers (who tend to call their shops "apothecaries") with an occult-like and seedy reputation throughout the country. These are seen as the weirdos among even the mages. The highway connects to Agra.
There is much gang and mafia activity throughout Agra, which once was controlled by the Madrigal and Dionne families, until Vivace Madrigal-Dionne's death (my character Cadenza's oldest sister.) Cadenza still has some dealings in this town with its drug trade, especially in Pedra Roja. The Madrigal family name is very well-respected here, as it is throughout most other cities.
Residents: Domingo Vargas
Allegre: Not a town I have written as much about, but Allegre is a border town with the nation of Cernilia. It was once half of a larger city with Denadoro (which is now part of Cernilia), but after the war when the emperor split the nation, the large city was also split. It's very hilly and has some sparse grass, and some of the few scattered nobles in Rubato live here, if they do not live in Blancwood. Their manors are occasionally the victim of higher-scale robberies. A primary school is located here.
Residents: Cindy, formerly Carla, on the outskirts of Denadoro
Pe del Fuego desert: The hottest desert in Rubato, and also the largest. The name translates literally to the "Foot of Fire" desert, because it is said that if you stepped onto the sand with your bare feet, they would be burned immediately.
Isla do Noir: Literally, the "Isle of Black", the Isla do Noir is a craggy, high-cliffed island in the blue-green, churning waters of the Miradic Ocean (think the Pacific) off the western coast of Rubato. It is covered with some grass, but its land is mainly taken up by the very large federal prison, which holds the nation's worst criminals.
Saguaro: A small town that was destroyed in a massive fight between Zorolo's character Monroe, and Mikey's character Cain.
Ceguera que Quema desert: The second hottest desert in Rubato. The name translates literally to "The Blindness that Burns", and it was named because the sun shines down so harshly and brightly that it is said staying there too long would blind you.
Santa Mariela: A growing town in southern Rubato, surrounded on all sides by desert. A river, called the Rio Primavera ("Spring River"), once flowed through the city, but it has dried up scores of years ago. It is connected to Rubato's system of sparse highways, and has one of the country's primary schools. It also has one of the larger bazaars in the nation, outside of Blancwood and Sereia. This city is heavily under the influence of the Madrigal family, as it is where they have lived for generations. Their reputation there is mixed, with the positive deeds of Galliard Madrigal, the inventor and patriarch, and the negative deeds of the mafia, once led by Vivace. But they are highly-respected for providing leadership in the town of whatever kind, and thwarting the police, who are widely believed to be corrupt by many of the poor who do not get such equal treatment. Cadenza Madrigal lives here with her boyfriend and adopted daughter, as do her three remaining sisters and father. It has its own police station, run by the strict Captain Romero.
Residents: Cadenza, Luminari, Arietta, Galliard, Ruin, Leo, Zach, Tyran
Rancha Rosa: One of the biggest cities in Rubato, and the location of one of the two national hospitals, as well as a large police station that is headed by Captain Buffon. Tracey de Carlo works primarily at this police station, and lives in this city with her husband Monroe. The highway connects to this city.
Residents: Con, Damien, Will, Linda, Tracey, Alex, Monroe
Sereia: Rubato's only functioning port town. The culture is somewhat different here, as fishing and seafaring are a part of every day life. The bazaar is down by the docks, and remnants and traces of mermaid statues and sailor life can be found all throughout the city. Many bars are pirate-themed, like the Buccaneer's Boot, and temples are devoted to the Spirit of Water. Sea-vines can be found clinging to some buildings. The genius blacksmith Omar Vargas keeps his forge by the docks, and is a dear family friend of the Madrigal's. The town's name, Sereia, literally means "Mermaid", and it was named by the first settlers there, who believed they had seen mermaids off the coast of the town. The highway's southern most part comes to Sereia.
Residents: Algretta, Omar
Forest of Renewal residents: Gaia, Morticus, Erik, Tierra, Suena
Selma Village (Rameses’ village) residents: Rameses, Malcolm, Magda, Eulie, Adrianne, Pauline, Hyde, other former purifiers
Citta residents (in Cernilia) – Dorian and family
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Cadenza's Musing on Gypsies (snippet, possibly for later use in something?)
When someone needs to be cursed in a movie or some TV show, that’s where you’ll see us. When someone needs to run afoul of some old mystic, my people will be there, as a widely accepted plot device, a little rabbit out of a hat, a tired but trusty trick up a sleeve to stand in as the spell-slinging substitute for the fairytale witches of old. Often we’re made out to be spiteful, stuck in the past, or just plain weird, dressed in exotic rags and waving around skulls and wooden staffs and things that reek of voodoo stereotypes we have nothing to do with. Except, of course, in the Hollywood-glazed eyes of the public. We get mystified, romanticized, knocked back several centuries in progress in their stories. When someone gets “gypped”, that’s a knock at us—and yes, even our current name, “gypsy”, was once a slur. No one’s going to take the time to call us the People of Arganthonios, or Children of Spirit, or any of the other names we once were known by. We’re the strange, the unknown, the cast-offs.
Except in Rubato. There, where so many, nearly all of us are gypsies or the descendants of gypsies, we are finally home.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arganthonios
Except in Rubato. There, where so many, nearly all of us are gypsies or the descendants of gypsies, we are finally home.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arganthonios
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Races of Earth -- DRAFT
“Race” is an imprecise word to use on the planet of Earth, and the means by which one is determined to belong to one race or another are rather inaccurate, existing instead in a fine gray area. The living beings do not fit into neat little pigeon-holes, “human” or “elf” or what have you, and each being’s make-up seems different. They have a mixture of traits and affinities and other little overlapping aspects that happen to tend in one direction or any myriad of others. But for the sake of labels, of tools to define their world, living creatures have always grouped themselves in some way. Below are many of the known “races” on this earth guided by the Spirit of Gaia.
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-Dreamers are the creators of the world, the pure, imaginative, vibrant souls from whom wishes and hopes take form. A Dreamer by nature animates the world around them; when they are young, living things spring forth from their most ardent dreams and hopes. However, their powers do not know how to distinguish from good or bad on their own, and a youthful Dreamer often conjures up a few horrible beasts from a nightmare, or changes inanimate things into living creatures without intending to, until they learn to control their vast powers. They can, by shaping in their mind, create things from pure force of energy—each new thing is granted a little piece of the Dreamer’s self, should they wish for it to last. The larger the creation, the more they must invest. Their energy can regrow, but it does take time and cultivation.
Youthful Dreamers must also face another worry; should they give of themselves sexually to another for the first time without love, many often find that they lose their gifts. Dreamers therefore must be very judicious in how they choose to share themselves, in both romance and creation. If they pledge themselves to another in that first time, with genuine love present, a very strong bond can be formed that prevents later corruption or loss of power. Older Dreamers are wise and powerful, the kind of beings that could change the very world itself if they truly believed in a cause. All of their kind possess great powers for healing illnesses and wounds, and the elder or more gifted can even raise the dead with a Kiss of Life. Dreamers can also change the natural landscape of the world around them, reviving a barren desert, or purifying a dead sea. Their imaginations are the limit. They are often known, for many of these reasons, as the First Children of Gaia. When classed as mages, they are almost always enchanters, and their powers always lie within the use of life magic.
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-Those Who Can Alter the Nature of Bodies, whom have never existed in large enough numbers to have been given a proper name in any time period. They can change the very building blocks that physically compose themselves and often others; they can steal, copy, or swap appearances, powers, and/or genetics. Whether delving into genotypes or just the phenotypes, they deal with one’s DNA.
Some are not born gifted enough to do so consciously. These people will instead focus instinctively on one aspect of themselves, their strength, their looks, their smarts, or otherwise, and their energy will go towards bolstering this attribute; they will continue to develop and develop, even after going well beyond predictable human limits for such traits. Dangerous and unknown side-effects can arise from such growth. Those who can consciously control their gifts often live to long ages; but their kind is known to deceive, and often run across trouble.
Their powers do not derive from a single kind of magic; instead, they drawn upon the energies of life, beauty, strength, and potentially others to do their workings. Their powers often come the closest to science of any of the other kinds known, and indeed, biologists and doctors have often desired to know more of their kind in the rare times when they have crossed paths. It is often said that you can never truly know when you might be staring into the face of one of their kind, unless you are to witness them use their powers firsthand. They often run in long lines of families, one of which is the family of the Felujas (now the bloodline has run to the Dionnes.)
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-Humans are the cloth from which many of the other kinds are cut, the basic pattern that all of the intelligent races have followed on the earth. In their way, they have many gifts some may take for granted; they are mortal, and do not have to endure the hardships of longer lives, nor the passing of many loved ones; they do not have powers with which to struggle to learn or control; they are free to believe and live as they wish, without ever so much as a concern of running afoul of the Spirits or other rules or issues of magic. They are the most widespread and populous race on the earth. Even two parents who possess powers may not pass on their abilities to a child, and can sometimes instead have human offspring. How rare this is differs amongst many groups. Humanity is the thread that binds these many races together as a species.
They are called various things by the other races, such as “vanillas”, “mortals”, “plains”, “normals”, and others. All humans, and by extension, all their living races of earth have at least a small amount of life magic within their souls. They are comprised of flesh, a soul, and at least this little bit of magic from Gaia. Normal humans are often seen as defenseless “sheep” to supernatural predators.
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-Mages are humans that have been gifted with greater magic within their souls, beyond that which is needed solely for their own life force. They possess enough energy that, with talent, they can manipulate and control the energy that springs from them to perform spells and other feats. Often their specialty lies in one kind of magic, such as water or fire, that they possess an abundance of energy in, but they can also possess other types in conjunction with this, often life or strength magic. Dreamers are often viewed as a kind of special mage, highly gifted in the magic of life. Mages can have children that are simply human, or children that inherit magical abilities, following varying lines of inheritance amongst many groups (gypsies, for example, tend to pass magic from mothers to daughters, etc.) Children do not necessarily inherit the same type of magic as their parents (a water-mage mother could have a fire-mage son, and so on, depending on the various kinds of magic that may run in their bloodline.) Even a Dreamer may not have a Dreamer child (but they do more often than a mage would, should they retain their powers after losing their virginity.)
Some doubt the abilities of mages, but they are the second most widespread race on the earth, after humans, and have a governing body, the International Council of Mages, that regulates against the misuse of magic in the modern day. Mages who travel to other worlds are attractive to magical energies, and may grow greatly in raw power from such absorption. Many are able to heal physical injuries and some degrees of illness. They often make very powerful offensive and defensive foes. Their magic bends to the power of their will and experience. The strongest of their kind can shape and affect the very elemental forces of nature on earth.
Because of their greater numbers, humans have been more aware of their kind than any of the others amongst them. At different times throughout history, humankind has revered and feared the mages; two of the worst times were the Witch Trials and the Gypsy Purge of the 1600s and 1700s. They have been venerated as shamans by the Yavin, as seers by Remulans (Romans), and as respected advisors and protectors in the modern age. The monks of Zhenghe and the gypsies of Rubato are two large groups of mages that show the vastly different traditions and attitudes various societies of mages live and practice under. There is always much to learn for a mage.
Amongst themselves, mages are occasionally classified by their level of skill, potential, and power in using magic. Highest amongst these are enchanters; lowest are mere magicians, and between are sorcerers and wizards (between which, differences are more so based on their application of magic, rather than much difference in skill; sorcerers use it in a more raw form, while wizards are more scholarly, less practical, both of them wielding the energies at a mid-level. Enchanters masterfully apply magic in both ways, and more.) “Witch” has become a derogatory term against mages, taking on an especially negative association during the Witch Trial years. Countries in the modern day have taken to appointing Royal and/or National Mages to serve on the International Council of Mages (ICoM) and advise and work with their nation's rulers concerning all magical matters within their land and otherwise. Often times, these respected and powerful Mages are called upon in times of war and other crises, as well as to deal with abusers of magic. The individual traditions and practices of this post varies from nation to nation and ruler to ruler, but they most commonly are a position for life, and one of the highest callings for a mortal user of magic.
Most of the Spirits were once mages in life. Depending on their magic level, mages are often sensitive to supernatural and magical presences, powers, and influences that humans are not, and can detect and guard against these things better than a normal mortal could. Since their magic relies upon their willpower to be used, mages of strong wills can possess formidable defenses against the abilities of supernatural predators. Mages can specialize in nearly any kind of magic, from the major kinds represented by the Spirits (life, death, time, justice, love, sleep, beauty, fire, water, lightning, shadow, darkness, light, ice, wind, earth, or strength), or lesser-known kinds such as emotion and music/sound. Some kinds of magic are more prevalent in some areas of the world than others.
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-Healers are a special kind of mage, with great gifts not only in the area of healing physical injuries and illnesses, but even more. It is said that they can repair damage done to souls gradually, making them invaluable allies against fae and wraiths. The older and more powerful the healer, the more quickly and more fully this damage is repaired. Many mages do not, in fact, know they are healers, instead believing themselves just to be light magic-wielding mages. They often cannot manipulate their powers in these cases, and will instead simply give off an aura of healing that affects all those around them, but never is consciously focused on the repair of any one specific person. It is not until they become aware of their gifts that they can use them to more precise effect.
Their kind are often a dreamy, detached sort, with greater sensitivity to malicious spirits. Some have an affinity for the spiritual world and can communicate with departed souls, or see brief visions of the future. Meditation helps them even more than mages and Dreamers, and can center them and help them grow in awareness of their powers. Happiness and calm are aids in their healing. The stronger healers are a powerful deterrent against malicious spiritual predators.
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-Fae are soulless beings made of flesh and magic that feed upon life energy to sustain their forms and powers. They reside solely in Gaia’s personal realm, the Realm of Life, separate from the material realm of the living where humans exist. None but Gaia herself have seen these fae, but they are known through stories and legends in many cultures.
The fae are said to have sprung forth from the sheer abundance of life-giving magic in Gaia’s realm, well before the birth of humankind. They may wield many kinds of magic without specialization, and seem to possess boundless potential to learn to use more. Some serve as guardians to an Astral River that flows through their pristine, idyllic home realm. They regard Gaia as their mother and the reason for their existence, but have few apparent emotions or morals otherwise. This is not to say that they are evil--but rather, they do not understand right or wrong in the way humans do. Both concepts are foreign constructs to them. They live without conflict in their realm, flying on beautiful wings and absorbing more energy to sustain themselves, even as they release other positive energies into the realm in return. They are believed to be immortal.
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Spirits: While not a race of their own, Spirits are the souls of particularly magically-gifted humans who have passed on, and have the duty of governing the balance of the various kinds of magic in the world. Each type (such as light, water, fire, etc.) has its own singular Spirit. The first two original Spirits, Gaia, the Spirit of Life, and Morticus, the Spirit of Death, were the first two living beings left to care for the planet by the gods who created the world. Other Spirits have come and gone in the following millennia.
(More details to come, I'm just lazy/busy and there is a LOT of info to compile from over the years on this particular group)
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-Dreamers are the creators of the world, the pure, imaginative, vibrant souls from whom wishes and hopes take form. A Dreamer by nature animates the world around them; when they are young, living things spring forth from their most ardent dreams and hopes. However, their powers do not know how to distinguish from good or bad on their own, and a youthful Dreamer often conjures up a few horrible beasts from a nightmare, or changes inanimate things into living creatures without intending to, until they learn to control their vast powers. They can, by shaping in their mind, create things from pure force of energy—each new thing is granted a little piece of the Dreamer’s self, should they wish for it to last. The larger the creation, the more they must invest. Their energy can regrow, but it does take time and cultivation.
Youthful Dreamers must also face another worry; should they give of themselves sexually to another for the first time without love, many often find that they lose their gifts. Dreamers therefore must be very judicious in how they choose to share themselves, in both romance and creation. If they pledge themselves to another in that first time, with genuine love present, a very strong bond can be formed that prevents later corruption or loss of power. Older Dreamers are wise and powerful, the kind of beings that could change the very world itself if they truly believed in a cause. All of their kind possess great powers for healing illnesses and wounds, and the elder or more gifted can even raise the dead with a Kiss of Life. Dreamers can also change the natural landscape of the world around them, reviving a barren desert, or purifying a dead sea. Their imaginations are the limit. They are often known, for many of these reasons, as the First Children of Gaia. When classed as mages, they are almost always enchanters, and their powers always lie within the use of life magic.
---------------------------------------------------------
-Those Who Can Alter the Nature of Bodies, whom have never existed in large enough numbers to have been given a proper name in any time period. They can change the very building blocks that physically compose themselves and often others; they can steal, copy, or swap appearances, powers, and/or genetics. Whether delving into genotypes or just the phenotypes, they deal with one’s DNA.
Some are not born gifted enough to do so consciously. These people will instead focus instinctively on one aspect of themselves, their strength, their looks, their smarts, or otherwise, and their energy will go towards bolstering this attribute; they will continue to develop and develop, even after going well beyond predictable human limits for such traits. Dangerous and unknown side-effects can arise from such growth. Those who can consciously control their gifts often live to long ages; but their kind is known to deceive, and often run across trouble.
Their powers do not derive from a single kind of magic; instead, they drawn upon the energies of life, beauty, strength, and potentially others to do their workings. Their powers often come the closest to science of any of the other kinds known, and indeed, biologists and doctors have often desired to know more of their kind in the rare times when they have crossed paths. It is often said that you can never truly know when you might be staring into the face of one of their kind, unless you are to witness them use their powers firsthand. They often run in long lines of families, one of which is the family of the Felujas (now the bloodline has run to the Dionnes.)
---------------------------------------------------------
-Humans are the cloth from which many of the other kinds are cut, the basic pattern that all of the intelligent races have followed on the earth. In their way, they have many gifts some may take for granted; they are mortal, and do not have to endure the hardships of longer lives, nor the passing of many loved ones; they do not have powers with which to struggle to learn or control; they are free to believe and live as they wish, without ever so much as a concern of running afoul of the Spirits or other rules or issues of magic. They are the most widespread and populous race on the earth. Even two parents who possess powers may not pass on their abilities to a child, and can sometimes instead have human offspring. How rare this is differs amongst many groups. Humanity is the thread that binds these many races together as a species.
They are called various things by the other races, such as “vanillas”, “mortals”, “plains”, “normals”, and others. All humans, and by extension, all their living races of earth have at least a small amount of life magic within their souls. They are comprised of flesh, a soul, and at least this little bit of magic from Gaia. Normal humans are often seen as defenseless “sheep” to supernatural predators.
---------------------------------------------------------
-Mages are humans that have been gifted with greater magic within their souls, beyond that which is needed solely for their own life force. They possess enough energy that, with talent, they can manipulate and control the energy that springs from them to perform spells and other feats. Often their specialty lies in one kind of magic, such as water or fire, that they possess an abundance of energy in, but they can also possess other types in conjunction with this, often life or strength magic. Dreamers are often viewed as a kind of special mage, highly gifted in the magic of life. Mages can have children that are simply human, or children that inherit magical abilities, following varying lines of inheritance amongst many groups (gypsies, for example, tend to pass magic from mothers to daughters, etc.) Children do not necessarily inherit the same type of magic as their parents (a water-mage mother could have a fire-mage son, and so on, depending on the various kinds of magic that may run in their bloodline.) Even a Dreamer may not have a Dreamer child (but they do more often than a mage would, should they retain their powers after losing their virginity.)
Some doubt the abilities of mages, but they are the second most widespread race on the earth, after humans, and have a governing body, the International Council of Mages, that regulates against the misuse of magic in the modern day. Mages who travel to other worlds are attractive to magical energies, and may grow greatly in raw power from such absorption. Many are able to heal physical injuries and some degrees of illness. They often make very powerful offensive and defensive foes. Their magic bends to the power of their will and experience. The strongest of their kind can shape and affect the very elemental forces of nature on earth.
Because of their greater numbers, humans have been more aware of their kind than any of the others amongst them. At different times throughout history, humankind has revered and feared the mages; two of the worst times were the Witch Trials and the Gypsy Purge of the 1600s and 1700s. They have been venerated as shamans by the Yavin, as seers by Remulans (Romans), and as respected advisors and protectors in the modern age. The monks of Zhenghe and the gypsies of Rubato are two large groups of mages that show the vastly different traditions and attitudes various societies of mages live and practice under. There is always much to learn for a mage.
Amongst themselves, mages are occasionally classified by their level of skill, potential, and power in using magic. Highest amongst these are enchanters; lowest are mere magicians, and between are sorcerers and wizards (between which, differences are more so based on their application of magic, rather than much difference in skill; sorcerers use it in a more raw form, while wizards are more scholarly, less practical, both of them wielding the energies at a mid-level. Enchanters masterfully apply magic in both ways, and more.) “Witch” has become a derogatory term against mages, taking on an especially negative association during the Witch Trial years. Countries in the modern day have taken to appointing Royal and/or National Mages to serve on the International Council of Mages (ICoM) and advise and work with their nation's rulers concerning all magical matters within their land and otherwise. Often times, these respected and powerful Mages are called upon in times of war and other crises, as well as to deal with abusers of magic. The individual traditions and practices of this post varies from nation to nation and ruler to ruler, but they most commonly are a position for life, and one of the highest callings for a mortal user of magic.
Most of the Spirits were once mages in life. Depending on their magic level, mages are often sensitive to supernatural and magical presences, powers, and influences that humans are not, and can detect and guard against these things better than a normal mortal could. Since their magic relies upon their willpower to be used, mages of strong wills can possess formidable defenses against the abilities of supernatural predators. Mages can specialize in nearly any kind of magic, from the major kinds represented by the Spirits (life, death, time, justice, love, sleep, beauty, fire, water, lightning, shadow, darkness, light, ice, wind, earth, or strength), or lesser-known kinds such as emotion and music/sound. Some kinds of magic are more prevalent in some areas of the world than others.
---------------------------------------------------------
-Healers are a special kind of mage, with great gifts not only in the area of healing physical injuries and illnesses, but even more. It is said that they can repair damage done to souls gradually, making them invaluable allies against fae and wraiths. The older and more powerful the healer, the more quickly and more fully this damage is repaired. Many mages do not, in fact, know they are healers, instead believing themselves just to be light magic-wielding mages. They often cannot manipulate their powers in these cases, and will instead simply give off an aura of healing that affects all those around them, but never is consciously focused on the repair of any one specific person. It is not until they become aware of their gifts that they can use them to more precise effect.
Their kind are often a dreamy, detached sort, with greater sensitivity to malicious spirits. Some have an affinity for the spiritual world and can communicate with departed souls, or see brief visions of the future. Meditation helps them even more than mages and Dreamers, and can center them and help them grow in awareness of their powers. Happiness and calm are aids in their healing. The stronger healers are a powerful deterrent against malicious spiritual predators.
---------------------------------------------------------
-Fae are soulless beings made of flesh and magic that feed upon life energy to sustain their forms and powers. They reside solely in Gaia’s personal realm, the Realm of Life, separate from the material realm of the living where humans exist. None but Gaia herself have seen these fae, but they are known through stories and legends in many cultures.
The fae are said to have sprung forth from the sheer abundance of life-giving magic in Gaia’s realm, well before the birth of humankind. They may wield many kinds of magic without specialization, and seem to possess boundless potential to learn to use more. Some serve as guardians to an Astral River that flows through their pristine, idyllic home realm. They regard Gaia as their mother and the reason for their existence, but have few apparent emotions or morals otherwise. This is not to say that they are evil--but rather, they do not understand right or wrong in the way humans do. Both concepts are foreign constructs to them. They live without conflict in their realm, flying on beautiful wings and absorbing more energy to sustain themselves, even as they release other positive energies into the realm in return. They are believed to be immortal.
---------------------------------------------------------
Spirits: While not a race of their own, Spirits are the souls of particularly magically-gifted humans who have passed on, and have the duty of governing the balance of the various kinds of magic in the world. Each type (such as light, water, fire, etc.) has its own singular Spirit. The first two original Spirits, Gaia, the Spirit of Life, and Morticus, the Spirit of Death, were the first two living beings left to care for the planet by the gods who created the world. Other Spirits have come and gone in the following millennia.
(More details to come, I'm just lazy/busy and there is a LOT of info to compile from over the years on this particular group)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Damien (updated)
[B]Name:[/b] Damien
[B]Age:[/B] 19
[B]Sex:[/B] Male
[B]Race:[/B] Angel
[B]Height:[/B] 6'1"
[B]Weight:[/B] 151 lbs, or thereabouts since he last was weighed.
[B]Eye Color:[/B] A muddy, turbid brown color that's rather unremarkable, but often look friendly if they give off any impression.
[B]Hair Color/Style:[/B] Skunky blonde and slightly wavy, cut in a rather messy, shaggy style in short layers, the bottom-most reaching to his jawline. Has a cowlick in the front that never seems to want to stay down, no matter how much he wills (and excessively gels) it to.
[B]Skin Color/Complexion:[/B] A fair, peachy, healthy tone, with blemishes now and then. He has slight acne that is thankfully lessening as he gets older. It sunburns slower than most. Much of his skin is rather smooth, and he has never been able to grow much more facial hair than boyish peach fuzz.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/1damienprof.png[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/2damienprof.png[/img]
[URL="http://superaiko.deviantart.com/gallery/765176"]-More pictures of my characters, including Damien, on my DA account-[/URL]
[B]General Appearance:[/B]
[U][i]Face:[/i][/U] His face is neither handsome nor particularly unattractive--the best way you could really describe it would be to say it's "average", amiable, and still rather youthful. He gives off the appearance of having yet to grow into his features, and has a slightly bigger than normal nose, thin lips, and eyes set a little wider apart. He has a somewhat strong brow with decently trimmed eyebrows, and his face is longer than it is wide. His chin and jaw are a bit weak and not particularly overtly masculine or mature looking.
[U][i]Body:[/i][/U] Damien is neither cherub nor like an Adonis from a classical Michelangelo canvas, and cuts a rather gangling, tall, lanky figure that would seem more likely belong to a lazy college freshman majoring in general studies with a nickname like "Pizza Face" than an angel. He has large, skinny feet and hands, a long neck, and average-sized shoulders, with some slight muscle definition in his torso and limbs. His legs are his most toned and strong feature.
[u][i]Wings[/i][/u]: His first set of wings were stubby, pathetic, irregular-shaped things too flimsy to support flight and too embarrassing to pull out in front of the other fledglings--they have grown since then into more functional things, but are still not the perfectly plumed kind that one would expect from an angel (at least they're white, he often says.) Sometimes they make his back itch when he retracts them. He most often keeps them withdrawn, until needed.
[U][i]Clothing:[/i][/U] While in Heaven, Damien sticks to wearing the standard toga, leather belt, golden sandals, and laurels behind each ear. On earth, he likes to sport old, comfortable, worn-in t-shirts (often band t-shirts, thrift store, or rummage sale items), similarly old and battered jeans, brown leather sandals or well-worn white sneakers, and a blue South Carolina Tar Heels college windbreaker he feels helps him blend in more. He carries an off-brand backpack with his few possessions, covered in buttons and stickers of various places he's been, with the straps loose so its weight sags comfortably on his shoulders.
[U][i]Mannerisms and Movement:[/i][/U] He tends to slouch a bit, finding it more comfortable than standing upright, and walks with his hands in his pockets much of his time. He rarely keeps Floyd on a leash unless the local laws require him to, and even then it seems more like the dog is leading him around, than vice versa.
His smiles are a bit self-conscious and uncertain, but often genuine and good-natured. He smells of the open road, his dog Floyd, and occasionally fast food or the inn where he last slept.
[b]Theme Songs:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwkJfkl-clw"]Can’t Stop[/url] (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUaw0b8U6OE"]Last Train Home[/url] (The Lost Prophets)
[/LIST]
[b]Known Family:[/b] None.
[B]Familiars/Nonhuman Companions:[/B] His dog [url= http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/npc-repository/122187-dog.html]Floyd[/url], a strong and stolid Caucasian Ovcharka cross-breed.
[b]Homeplace:[/b] Heaven
[b]Current Residence:[/b] None. He is always on the road.
[b]Languages:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][i]The Angelic Language[/i], spoken in Heaven
[*][i]Any earthly language[/i], old or new, although he seems to be the most comfortable with English
[/LIST]
[B]Occupation:[/B] No fixed occupation, tends to pick up odd jobs as he wanders from city to city but is rather unskilled. Sometimes he does jobs for the Church, in return for food and shelter.
[B]Weapons:[/B] A slingshot, which he feels is rather pathetic and not worth pulling out, made of oak. The pellets are simply old, hard acorns. He's attempted to purchase a gun, but has always been too afraid to follow through and hasn't got an ID to prove his age.
[B]Armor:[/B] None but his cloth kneepads and a helmet he occasionally wears when skateboarding, but feels is too dorky to be seen in.
[B]Carried Possessions:[/B] Inside his backpack (described in appearance), Damien has a scuffed old red Walkman, repaired countless times with duct-tape, with a skip button that tends to stick; an assortment of CDs collected from yard sales all over the United States; a thermos with a slight leak, some pens, a spiral-bound notebook he sometimes likes to jot down thoughts or notes in, covered in band stickers; and a few changes of clothes which, when lucky, he scrounges up enough change to wash at local laundromats. He also carries a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and cheap soap whenever he can get them, but doesn't have quite the same need for the items that humans do.
He also carries a threadbare, fabric fold-up wallet with a few useless membership cards, whatever cash he may have on him, and a library card that is the only proof of his identity.
Buried underneath his spare clothes is an old gray Gameboy Advance he picked up at, yes, a yard sale, and he has a small collection of games in cheap plastic cases to go with it. He carries a blue, mesh-and-fabric South Carolina Tar Heels ballcap for the days when he simply can't tolerate his cowlick any longer. If he's got some extra cash, he tries to keep at least one package of batteries in his backpack, but has always been afraid of them getting damaged and leaking acid all over his things. His backpack often smells of half-finished food.
[B]Powers/Magic/Skills:[/B] As an angel, Damien has decently serviceable wings that can fly for short distances (a few miles at a time) and/or medium altitudes. He also possesses a few holy talents. If he visits a church or other holy location, he is able to return to Heaven with God's permission.
[I][U]~Holy skills:[/U][/I]
[i]Blessing[/i]- Damien possesses the power to heal small wounds, minor illnesses, and injuries, by using a specific prayer. He needs to focus to perform this, and then clasp his hands together, speaking the words earnestly and with genuine and selfless care for the person, plant, or animal he wishes to heal. The prayer takes about a minute to recite, and he cannot perform it repeatedly without tiring himself in the process.
[i]Sanctify[/i]- With a different prayer, Damien is able to bless a certain area or building (or if he wishes, a person), and make it holy for a limited period of time (at most, two days.) This blessing protects the area or person from any manner of dark or sinful magic or power. It can also purge an evil or demonic spirit from a person or place. Depending on how long the blessing lasts, this skill will consume more of his energy.
[B]Battle Strengths:[/B] Being a holy being, Damien is unharmed by gunshots and most mortal wounds that would kill a human, as well as lesser dark magics and curses. He can fly for short periods of time, and his wiry body possesses some strength, but not much. He may be immortal, and even if he dies eventually (not of age, but of serious injury), it is believed he would be reborn again as an angel after some time.
[B]Battle Weaknesses:[/B] He's awkward and often clumsy on his feet when under pressure, and does not possess much in the way of offensive magic or physical dexterity or power. He's not really very sure how to fight; his punches are sloppy, and he sometimes does not know where he should hit to make an effective blow. This leads him to waste a lot of energy punching someone in their sturdy shoulder when he should have gone for, say, the vulnerable Adam's Apple of their throat. More powerful dark or sinful magic can harm him and require him to flee or return to Heaven injured.
[B]Personality:[/B] Damien is not your typical angel. He can't carry a tune when singing, and harps and bows have never agreed with him well--he'd always hurt a finger on either. He goes through life feeling as though he's the butt of most jokes, and therefore has become rather mellow, jaded, and skeptical of any luck that comes his way. He has low expectations and takes little seriously. He's awkward around girls, but tries to pretend he's not. He feels most at home around earth, because people are more "average", he thinks, and he can fit in better. After about seven years on earth he's fairly well assimilated into the culture, especially the teenage culture, but still finds some habits and other things about humans strange or incomprehensible.
He's unused to kindness and can be easily flustered, but often tries to hide it and play things "cool" by not looking too eager. Damien speaks slang to even the most dignified of audiences and when he gets excited, he has trouble controlling how quickly or loudly he speaks. He gives off the impression of a grungy teenager slacker, and is well-aware of this perception others hold of him. Someone can easily endear themselves to him by not judging him in this way right off the bat. He doubts his own merits and has low self-confidence, despite the image he tries to project of a more laid-back, socially competent young man. He likes to sometimes try to act older or more mature and manly than he is.
At heart, however, he is kind, faithful, and loyal, and has respect for all kinds of people who try to get by and do good deeds in their own ways. He is caring and compassionate towards animals, children, the poor and the ill, and otherwise disabled, and tolerant and forgiving towards even some of the most sinful humans. He believes in love and hopes to someday find a girl who will like and accept him for what he is. He sometimes dreams of what it’s like to have a home, but he also has a love for the open road. He is a huge fan of music. The angel is a bit cowardly, but he tries to never abandon someone in need. Fights intimidate him a bit. All in all, while he has his flaws, Damien is a good friend to have on your side.
[LIST]
[*][I]Likes:[/I] Video games, rock music, inns, food, television, skateboards, girls, cars (despite never learning how to drive), movies, magazines, thriller novels, Dance Dance Revolution, thrift stores, dogs, cities, sleeping in a real bed.
[*]Food likes: Burgers, fries, cocoa, sugar, tea, chicken, pizza, Chinese food, sandwiches, steak, hot dogs, onion rings, pie, chocolate, fast food, chips, junk food, water, soda, milkshakes, he’ll eat just about any kind of food
[*][I]Dislikes:[/I] Bullies, snobs, demons, feeling dumb, feeling dorky, making a fool of himself in front of girls, his wings itching or tiring, violence, over-priced things, trains, elevators, car horns, car alarms, socks, harps, bows.
[*]Food dislikes: Artificial sweeteners, broccoli, beets
[*][I]Fears:[/I] Being rejected (especially by girls), being judged, being the worst, demons and other devilish creatures, fire, any harm befalling his dog Floyd
[*][I]Virtues:[/I] Modest, honest (except when trying to look cool for girls, but even then he often admits it later), kind, compassionate, loyal, faithful, trustworthy, a good friend
[*][I]Vices:[/I] Over-eats, can be a bit lazy and cowardly, doubts himself too much
[/LIST]
[B]History:[/B] He was an angel named Damien, and he had always felt there had been rather a mix-up between babies when he was being named. He was an ineffectual angel, been told he would never amount to much, and had been that way from the very start; when all the other fledgling angels had been practicing their hymns and stringing their harps, he was getting his fingers tangled and squeaking off-key, and tripping over his own sandals (just learning to strap those things had been a monumental chore--like shoe-tying, but with pointy metal buckles.) Something about him just always "screamed" average, and in a world of flawless divine beings, he always stood out like an awkward sore thumb. For many of his childhood years, he tried to ignore this--ignore it even though it stared him in the face each day, thwarted him in nearly every effort, followed him around like a tiny, personal stormcloud. He grew miserable and yet tried to stay positive for as long as he could manage, until finally, someone noticed.
Damien did not, actually, get an audience with God when the day came. But he was assured that the big man upstairs was very sympathetic to his plight, and yadda yadda, some heartening jabber they put together for his sake. But he at least got a brief sit-down with an Archangel, and a decently comfy cloud to sit on during it. The blonde, chiseled superior angel sat across from him, pulled out some impeccably clean reading glasses, and a file that materialized out of thin air. He spent some minutes skimming it, with the occasional half-interested "hrrm".
"I see that, perhaps, you have not been particularly happy here in Heaven, Damien, my boy," he said, without much feeling. "This seems somewhat contradictory, seeing as how this is... well, Heaven, the eternal paradise and all. Even if this place is meant for humans, angels are normally quite content here as well. Most don't know much else beyond this place."
"B-beyooond, sir?" his twelve-year old voice cracked.
"Yes, Damien, beyond--Earth, the living world, inhabited by humans and all of God's other creatures. Some angels have spent time there. We believe... perhaps you would like to spend some time there."
"M... me? You'd let me go...? Even though only a couple angels get to...?"
The archangel gave him a small smile. "Yes, Damien, we will let you go. He has decided it."
Damien was not sure what he could expect on earth, but even so, for the first time he could remember, he was thrilled. He was getting a chance to start somewhere new, where he could possibly fit in, and a chance to see a world few of his kind had seen and experienced in person. That made him different... and in a good way. He couldn't wait. He had no belongings aside from the clothes on his back, and after some further discussion with Michael, the archangel who had first talked with him, he soon learned that his clothing would not be well-suited for earth life anyway. He was given a small wad of bills, and directions to seek out some kind of place called a "thrift shop". They would become his new favorite sight, more welcome than a fluffy cloud or a bright patch of sun. They guided him and left him in a small city in South Carolina, where he would start his first day, as an angel on earth.
He has seldom wanted to go back to Heaven since.
He's recently adopted a [url= http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/npc-repository/122187-dog.html]stray dog[/url], a Caucasian Ovcharka cross-breed he has named "Floyd", after the band Pink Floyd. He has also met a girl he likes, by the name of [url= http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/characters-and-resources/103318-character-marissa.html#post3226467]Marissa[/url].
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[B]RPs:[/B]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/120558-demon-banishment-for-dummies-aikomira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/102644-in-over-his-head-stryder-aedernis.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/126921-heathens-heroes-and-hellfire.html[/url]
[B]Age:[/B] 19
[B]Sex:[/B] Male
[B]Race:[/B] Angel
[B]Height:[/B] 6'1"
[B]Weight:[/B] 151 lbs, or thereabouts since he last was weighed.
[B]Eye Color:[/B] A muddy, turbid brown color that's rather unremarkable, but often look friendly if they give off any impression.
[B]Hair Color/Style:[/B] Skunky blonde and slightly wavy, cut in a rather messy, shaggy style in short layers, the bottom-most reaching to his jawline. Has a cowlick in the front that never seems to want to stay down, no matter how much he wills (and excessively gels) it to.
[B]Skin Color/Complexion:[/B] A fair, peachy, healthy tone, with blemishes now and then. He has slight acne that is thankfully lessening as he gets older. It sunburns slower than most. Much of his skin is rather smooth, and he has never been able to grow much more facial hair than boyish peach fuzz.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/1damienprof.png[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/2damienprof.png[/img]
[URL="http://superaiko.deviantart.com/gallery/765176"]-More pictures of my characters, including Damien, on my DA account-[/URL]
[B]General Appearance:[/B]
[U][i]Face:[/i][/U] His face is neither handsome nor particularly unattractive--the best way you could really describe it would be to say it's "average", amiable, and still rather youthful. He gives off the appearance of having yet to grow into his features, and has a slightly bigger than normal nose, thin lips, and eyes set a little wider apart. He has a somewhat strong brow with decently trimmed eyebrows, and his face is longer than it is wide. His chin and jaw are a bit weak and not particularly overtly masculine or mature looking.
[U][i]Body:[/i][/U] Damien is neither cherub nor like an Adonis from a classical Michelangelo canvas, and cuts a rather gangling, tall, lanky figure that would seem more likely belong to a lazy college freshman majoring in general studies with a nickname like "Pizza Face" than an angel. He has large, skinny feet and hands, a long neck, and average-sized shoulders, with some slight muscle definition in his torso and limbs. His legs are his most toned and strong feature.
[u][i]Wings[/i][/u]: His first set of wings were stubby, pathetic, irregular-shaped things too flimsy to support flight and too embarrassing to pull out in front of the other fledglings--they have grown since then into more functional things, but are still not the perfectly plumed kind that one would expect from an angel (at least they're white, he often says.) Sometimes they make his back itch when he retracts them. He most often keeps them withdrawn, until needed.
[U][i]Clothing:[/i][/U] While in Heaven, Damien sticks to wearing the standard toga, leather belt, golden sandals, and laurels behind each ear. On earth, he likes to sport old, comfortable, worn-in t-shirts (often band t-shirts, thrift store, or rummage sale items), similarly old and battered jeans, brown leather sandals or well-worn white sneakers, and a blue South Carolina Tar Heels college windbreaker he feels helps him blend in more. He carries an off-brand backpack with his few possessions, covered in buttons and stickers of various places he's been, with the straps loose so its weight sags comfortably on his shoulders.
[U][i]Mannerisms and Movement:[/i][/U] He tends to slouch a bit, finding it more comfortable than standing upright, and walks with his hands in his pockets much of his time. He rarely keeps Floyd on a leash unless the local laws require him to, and even then it seems more like the dog is leading him around, than vice versa.
His smiles are a bit self-conscious and uncertain, but often genuine and good-natured. He smells of the open road, his dog Floyd, and occasionally fast food or the inn where he last slept.
[b]Theme Songs:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwkJfkl-clw"]Can’t Stop[/url] (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUaw0b8U6OE"]Last Train Home[/url] (The Lost Prophets)
[/LIST]
[b]Known Family:[/b] None.
[B]Familiars/Nonhuman Companions:[/B] His dog [url= http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/npc-repository/122187-dog.html]Floyd[/url], a strong and stolid Caucasian Ovcharka cross-breed.
[b]Homeplace:[/b] Heaven
[b]Current Residence:[/b] None. He is always on the road.
[b]Languages:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][i]The Angelic Language[/i], spoken in Heaven
[*][i]Any earthly language[/i], old or new, although he seems to be the most comfortable with English
[/LIST]
[B]Occupation:[/B] No fixed occupation, tends to pick up odd jobs as he wanders from city to city but is rather unskilled. Sometimes he does jobs for the Church, in return for food and shelter.
[B]Weapons:[/B] A slingshot, which he feels is rather pathetic and not worth pulling out, made of oak. The pellets are simply old, hard acorns. He's attempted to purchase a gun, but has always been too afraid to follow through and hasn't got an ID to prove his age.
[B]Armor:[/B] None but his cloth kneepads and a helmet he occasionally wears when skateboarding, but feels is too dorky to be seen in.
[B]Carried Possessions:[/B] Inside his backpack (described in appearance), Damien has a scuffed old red Walkman, repaired countless times with duct-tape, with a skip button that tends to stick; an assortment of CDs collected from yard sales all over the United States; a thermos with a slight leak, some pens, a spiral-bound notebook he sometimes likes to jot down thoughts or notes in, covered in band stickers; and a few changes of clothes which, when lucky, he scrounges up enough change to wash at local laundromats. He also carries a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and cheap soap whenever he can get them, but doesn't have quite the same need for the items that humans do.
He also carries a threadbare, fabric fold-up wallet with a few useless membership cards, whatever cash he may have on him, and a library card that is the only proof of his identity.
Buried underneath his spare clothes is an old gray Gameboy Advance he picked up at, yes, a yard sale, and he has a small collection of games in cheap plastic cases to go with it. He carries a blue, mesh-and-fabric South Carolina Tar Heels ballcap for the days when he simply can't tolerate his cowlick any longer. If he's got some extra cash, he tries to keep at least one package of batteries in his backpack, but has always been afraid of them getting damaged and leaking acid all over his things. His backpack often smells of half-finished food.
[B]Powers/Magic/Skills:[/B] As an angel, Damien has decently serviceable wings that can fly for short distances (a few miles at a time) and/or medium altitudes. He also possesses a few holy talents. If he visits a church or other holy location, he is able to return to Heaven with God's permission.
[I][U]~Holy skills:[/U][/I]
[i]Blessing[/i]- Damien possesses the power to heal small wounds, minor illnesses, and injuries, by using a specific prayer. He needs to focus to perform this, and then clasp his hands together, speaking the words earnestly and with genuine and selfless care for the person, plant, or animal he wishes to heal. The prayer takes about a minute to recite, and he cannot perform it repeatedly without tiring himself in the process.
[i]Sanctify[/i]- With a different prayer, Damien is able to bless a certain area or building (or if he wishes, a person), and make it holy for a limited period of time (at most, two days.) This blessing protects the area or person from any manner of dark or sinful magic or power. It can also purge an evil or demonic spirit from a person or place. Depending on how long the blessing lasts, this skill will consume more of his energy.
[B]Battle Strengths:[/B] Being a holy being, Damien is unharmed by gunshots and most mortal wounds that would kill a human, as well as lesser dark magics and curses. He can fly for short periods of time, and his wiry body possesses some strength, but not much. He may be immortal, and even if he dies eventually (not of age, but of serious injury), it is believed he would be reborn again as an angel after some time.
[B]Battle Weaknesses:[/B] He's awkward and often clumsy on his feet when under pressure, and does not possess much in the way of offensive magic or physical dexterity or power. He's not really very sure how to fight; his punches are sloppy, and he sometimes does not know where he should hit to make an effective blow. This leads him to waste a lot of energy punching someone in their sturdy shoulder when he should have gone for, say, the vulnerable Adam's Apple of their throat. More powerful dark or sinful magic can harm him and require him to flee or return to Heaven injured.
[B]Personality:[/B] Damien is not your typical angel. He can't carry a tune when singing, and harps and bows have never agreed with him well--he'd always hurt a finger on either. He goes through life feeling as though he's the butt of most jokes, and therefore has become rather mellow, jaded, and skeptical of any luck that comes his way. He has low expectations and takes little seriously. He's awkward around girls, but tries to pretend he's not. He feels most at home around earth, because people are more "average", he thinks, and he can fit in better. After about seven years on earth he's fairly well assimilated into the culture, especially the teenage culture, but still finds some habits and other things about humans strange or incomprehensible.
He's unused to kindness and can be easily flustered, but often tries to hide it and play things "cool" by not looking too eager. Damien speaks slang to even the most dignified of audiences and when he gets excited, he has trouble controlling how quickly or loudly he speaks. He gives off the impression of a grungy teenager slacker, and is well-aware of this perception others hold of him. Someone can easily endear themselves to him by not judging him in this way right off the bat. He doubts his own merits and has low self-confidence, despite the image he tries to project of a more laid-back, socially competent young man. He likes to sometimes try to act older or more mature and manly than he is.
At heart, however, he is kind, faithful, and loyal, and has respect for all kinds of people who try to get by and do good deeds in their own ways. He is caring and compassionate towards animals, children, the poor and the ill, and otherwise disabled, and tolerant and forgiving towards even some of the most sinful humans. He believes in love and hopes to someday find a girl who will like and accept him for what he is. He sometimes dreams of what it’s like to have a home, but he also has a love for the open road. He is a huge fan of music. The angel is a bit cowardly, but he tries to never abandon someone in need. Fights intimidate him a bit. All in all, while he has his flaws, Damien is a good friend to have on your side.
[LIST]
[*][I]Likes:[/I] Video games, rock music, inns, food, television, skateboards, girls, cars (despite never learning how to drive), movies, magazines, thriller novels, Dance Dance Revolution, thrift stores, dogs, cities, sleeping in a real bed.
[*]Food likes: Burgers, fries, cocoa, sugar, tea, chicken, pizza, Chinese food, sandwiches, steak, hot dogs, onion rings, pie, chocolate, fast food, chips, junk food, water, soda, milkshakes, he’ll eat just about any kind of food
[*][I]Dislikes:[/I] Bullies, snobs, demons, feeling dumb, feeling dorky, making a fool of himself in front of girls, his wings itching or tiring, violence, over-priced things, trains, elevators, car horns, car alarms, socks, harps, bows.
[*]Food dislikes: Artificial sweeteners, broccoli, beets
[*][I]Fears:[/I] Being rejected (especially by girls), being judged, being the worst, demons and other devilish creatures, fire, any harm befalling his dog Floyd
[*][I]Virtues:[/I] Modest, honest (except when trying to look cool for girls, but even then he often admits it later), kind, compassionate, loyal, faithful, trustworthy, a good friend
[*][I]Vices:[/I] Over-eats, can be a bit lazy and cowardly, doubts himself too much
[/LIST]
[B]History:[/B] He was an angel named Damien, and he had always felt there had been rather a mix-up between babies when he was being named. He was an ineffectual angel, been told he would never amount to much, and had been that way from the very start; when all the other fledgling angels had been practicing their hymns and stringing their harps, he was getting his fingers tangled and squeaking off-key, and tripping over his own sandals (just learning to strap those things had been a monumental chore--like shoe-tying, but with pointy metal buckles.) Something about him just always "screamed" average, and in a world of flawless divine beings, he always stood out like an awkward sore thumb. For many of his childhood years, he tried to ignore this--ignore it even though it stared him in the face each day, thwarted him in nearly every effort, followed him around like a tiny, personal stormcloud. He grew miserable and yet tried to stay positive for as long as he could manage, until finally, someone noticed.
Damien did not, actually, get an audience with God when the day came. But he was assured that the big man upstairs was very sympathetic to his plight, and yadda yadda, some heartening jabber they put together for his sake. But he at least got a brief sit-down with an Archangel, and a decently comfy cloud to sit on during it. The blonde, chiseled superior angel sat across from him, pulled out some impeccably clean reading glasses, and a file that materialized out of thin air. He spent some minutes skimming it, with the occasional half-interested "hrrm".
"I see that, perhaps, you have not been particularly happy here in Heaven, Damien, my boy," he said, without much feeling. "This seems somewhat contradictory, seeing as how this is... well, Heaven, the eternal paradise and all. Even if this place is meant for humans, angels are normally quite content here as well. Most don't know much else beyond this place."
"B-beyooond, sir?" his twelve-year old voice cracked.
"Yes, Damien, beyond--Earth, the living world, inhabited by humans and all of God's other creatures. Some angels have spent time there. We believe... perhaps you would like to spend some time there."
"M... me? You'd let me go...? Even though only a couple angels get to...?"
The archangel gave him a small smile. "Yes, Damien, we will let you go. He has decided it."
Damien was not sure what he could expect on earth, but even so, for the first time he could remember, he was thrilled. He was getting a chance to start somewhere new, where he could possibly fit in, and a chance to see a world few of his kind had seen and experienced in person. That made him different... and in a good way. He couldn't wait. He had no belongings aside from the clothes on his back, and after some further discussion with Michael, the archangel who had first talked with him, he soon learned that his clothing would not be well-suited for earth life anyway. He was given a small wad of bills, and directions to seek out some kind of place called a "thrift shop". They would become his new favorite sight, more welcome than a fluffy cloud or a bright patch of sun. They guided him and left him in a small city in South Carolina, where he would start his first day, as an angel on earth.
He has seldom wanted to go back to Heaven since.
He's recently adopted a [url= http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/npc-repository/122187-dog.html]stray dog[/url], a Caucasian Ovcharka cross-breed he has named "Floyd", after the band Pink Floyd. He has also met a girl he likes, by the name of [url= http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/characters-and-resources/103318-character-marissa.html#post3226467]Marissa[/url].
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[B]RPs:[/B]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/120558-demon-banishment-for-dummies-aikomira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/102644-in-over-his-head-stryder-aedernis.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/126921-heathens-heroes-and-hellfire.html[/url]
Tracey (Updated)
[B]Name[/b] [i](and title)[/i]: Inspector Tracey Alice de Carlo
[B]Nicknames[/b]: “Red” and “Redlock Holmes” by the Madrigal family and their friends, “Inspector Bulldog” from some of her colleagues at the police station.
[B]Age:[/B] 22
[B]Sex:[/B] Female
[B]Race:[/B] Human, of English and Irish origin. (She possesses no magical ability, explained a bit more in the terms of her world [URL="http://aikies.blogspot.com/2011/08/races-of-earth.html"]here[/URL]. Just scroll down to the section for "humans".)
[B]Height:[/B] 5’6”
[B]Weight:[/B] 118 pounds
[B]Eye Color:[/B] A strikingly bright green.
[B]Hair Color/Style:[/B] Short, vivid red-orange hair cut into wavy, varied layers, ending at just around her jaw line. Her natural hair texture is a bit poofy and airy. She has wavy, full bangs that cover her forehead.
[B]Skin Color/Complexion:[/B] A fair, pinkish peach tone with freckles, especially over her nose and cheeks, with a slight bit of rosiness in her cheeks as well. It’s smooth and doesn’t show much of her lightly-colored hair.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/1profiletracey.png[/img]
[URL="http://superaiko.deviantart.com/gallery/765176"]-More pictures of my characters, including Tracey, on my DA account-[/URL]
[B]General Appearance:[/B]
[U][i]Face:[/i][/U] Tracey is a cute, comely young woman, with a charming face and eyes. Her fair skin is speckled with light brown freckles, which gives her a natural and down-to-earth quality. Her eyes are of a slightly almond-like shape, but upturned at the corners, and very bright and keen, often looking amiable behind her reddish lashes. Her eyebrows are neat, as is her bright, white little smile. Her lips are a bit thin and pinkish, with a pronounced cupid’s bow. They are framed on either side when she smiles by noticeable dimples. Her upturned, perky little nose adds character to her face and adds to a sprightly rather than mature look. Her face is somewhat of an upside-down triangular shape, but with a more rounded chin. Her red locks often overtake much of her forehead, and some jokingly refer to it as her “carrot-colored cloud” of hair.
[U][i]Body:[/i][/U] Tracey is slender and of average height, with a thin waist and average-sized shoulders, and slim hips. Her bottom and legs are a bit more shapely, thanks to toning and training from police work, and her arms are also slender but toned. She has modest but pert bosoms, and proportionately-sized hands and feet for her height. Her smooth skin is lightly-to-moderately freckled along her shoulders, neck, and limbs, and more lightly along her back.
[U][i]Clothing:[/i][/U] Her most common outfit is her khaki-colored police uniform, with darker tan slacks, a black tie, a sandy-colored button-up shirt, black shoes, and a tan and black cap with a golden police badge emblazoned on it. Over this, she sometimes wears a long, loose-fitting tan trenchcoat covered with faded red patches where the fabric has worn.
Her favorite outfit from home is a burgundy turtleneck sweater with a pair of brown trousers, tucked into ankle-high, tan leather boots, but this often proves too hot for Rubato, and so she often opts for button-up short sleeved shirts or polos when not in uniform, along with khakis or other slacks, and Converse sneakers or flat, short boots. She favors red, green, and brown hues in her clothing, and tends to wear her police hat or other hats even when off duty.
Whether in street clothes or her uniform, she wears a brown or black leather belt at her waist, to which her pistol’s holster, radio, and sometimes a magnifying glass in a case are attached. On her back, she carries a brown leather duffle bag, which contains her prized silver watch, among other things. As far as jewelry goes, she prefers to keep things simple, often only wearing a set of small pearl earrings.
[U][i]Mannerisms and Movement:[/i][/U] Her green eyes become even more keen and bright whenever she discovers a new clue or important detail in a case—and at these moments, she could not seem any happier. Her smiles are brightest when she’s making progress in a mystery. Those who know her most personal goals believe that each time she solves a mystery, she feels a little closer to finding her family, and this is the reason for such glee to show in her expressions.
She often looks distracted when she walks, as if lost in thought or analysis. She’ll stroke her chin or rest her chin upon her hand if she’s sitting and considering something. Otherwise she strides with a cop’s easy pace, covering ground. She’s a bit of a wild driver in a chase. Tracey often smells of clean, fresh soap, and a laundered uniform.
[b]Theme Songs:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][url="httphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml62aEbQISo"]Sorakara Koboreta Story [/url] (Sherlock Hound)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk"]Here Comes the Sun[/url] (The Beatles)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g2qJF-4yWM"]The Game Is On![/url] (BBC Sherlock)
[/LIST]
[b]Known Family: [/b]
Chief of Police, Captain Truman de Carlo – paternal grandfather
Morgan de Carlo – father (missing)
April de Carlo – mother (missing)
Alessandra “Alex” Zaniah Dionne (Vossler) – adoptive daughter
[b]Homeplace:[/b] Montebelle City, [url="http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2637/gaiamap3.png"]Rochester Republic[/url], Airopa, Earth [I](city, country, continent, world)[/I]
[b]Current Residence:[/b] A sizeable townhouse in Rancha Rosa, Rubato, only a block away from the city’s police station. It doesn’t have much of a yard.
[b]Languages:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][i]Gaian[/i] (English, her world's global language, and her own native language) spoken with a clipped British accent, she would say she speaks proper Rochesterian English[/LIST]
[b]Vehicles:[/b] A black [url=http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2183/1361/30455680011_large.jpg]Crown Victoria Police Interceptor[/url], with a police siren on top when on the job. As a detective, she drives her own unmarked Crown Vic rather than a squad car in most situations.
[B]Occupation:[/B] A police detective for the Rancha Rosa police department of Rubato, transferred from the Rochester Republic.
[B]Weapons:[/B] A [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock_pistol]Glock 17[/url] semi-automatic pistol, issued by the police, is her most tried and true weapon. She more recently has been given other weapons, designed for her by her boyfriend [url=http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/2090495-post3.html]Monroe Vossler[/url]. She also carries a police baton and a canister of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mace_%28spray%29]Mace[/url] to subdue suspects in less violent ways.
[list][*][u]Electro-gun[/u]: A gun that fires a shockwave that functions much like a strong [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser]Taser[/url], but still at a non-lethal voltage. Unlike a Taser, the gun does not need to attach electrodes to its target, instead being capable of firing the energy over a short distance of a foot and a half at maximum, up to point-blank range. The gun is metallic silver, black, and green in color, and not much larger than a normal handgun, but with a more cylindrical shape for the body and a spherical section at the back (where it generates its power.) The user is protected from the electricity by the special rubberized grip. The electro-gun has been deemed legal by the police department for use against magically or otherwise specially-gifted and dangerous suspects.
[*][u]Net-launcher gun attachment[/u]: When affixed to the mouth of her Glock or her electro-gun, this device deploys a large net of strong, yet flexible fibers to trap a target in its path.
[*][u]Grappling gauntlet (with smoke grenade launcher)[/u]: Affixed to her nano-armor, this gauntlet can launch metallic wires to grasp onto targets or give Tracey a hold when climbing. The gauntlet can also launch smoke grenades, which begin to act as soon as released, to cloud vision and help escapes and diminish visibility for foes (therefore making them less likely to want to shoot and waste ammo.)
[*][u]Energy knife[/u]: A blade of thrumming, low-powered energy that can cut through bonds and ropes.[/list]
[B]Armor:[/B] Her standard issue armor as a police officer is a small, black bulletproof Kevlar vest worn underneath her clothes. More recently, Monroe Vossler has upgraded her armor to a suit worn underneath her clothing that harnesses nano-technology to improve her resistance to bullets, physical blows, electricity, fire, and some magical damage (more info found in “Battle Weaknesses” section.) The bodysuit is slim-fitting, with a metallic look to it, segmented along her limbs and other areas for flexibility. Tracey is still very new to using most of its features, and mainly wears it for her most dangerous cases.
The nano-armor has some features built into the wrist gaunlets, detailed above in “Weapons”.
[B]Carried Possessions:[/B] Her wallet, keys, police badge, police radio, a small black leather notebook, pens, and her green and black Blackberry Curve smartphone. When on the job, she also carries a set of police-issue handcuffs to apprehend suspects, and a forensic kit. She always has her grandfather’s silver pocket watch with her, as her most prized possession. It was his gift to her when she transferred well across the Seria Ocean to Rubato. Many of her more recent crime-solving tools and gadgets were crafted by her boyfriend, Monroe Vossler.
[list][*][u]Communicator watch (with tripwire mechanism)[/u]: A silver watch crafted by Monroe, with different frequencies and channels with which she can communicate to the police station, their home, the police radio line, and other lines of communication. A compass is built into the watch, along with a black button that fires a thin, barely visible fiber with high-tensile strength to act as a tripwire.
[*][u]Electromagnetic handcuffs[/u]: Powered with the force of electromagnets, these handcuffs are stronger than the standard police issue, and are bound to one another by the unseen force of magnets, making them far harder to break apart. They are most often stored in Tracey’s bag.
[*][u]Multi-function goggles[/u]: These silver and green goggles, equipped with numerous settings, help enhance Tracey’s normal human vision in many ways. Available for use are settings for night-vision, infrared, ultra-violet, x-ray, long-range/telescopic (to an extent), and thaumaturgical (magical energy-detecting) vision.
Many of these settings can be very disorienting to Tracey, and she struggles and fumbles a bit when using them and trying to move or otherwise act while processing what she’s seeing. She’s most accustomed to the night-vision and infrared settings. When not in use, she wears these goggles on top of her head, or keeps them in her bag.[/list]
[B]Powers/Magic/Skills:[/B] Tracey’s greatest skill is her observational prowess. She is also a decently skilled marksman when her focus and nerves are under control.
[B]Battle Strengths:[/B] Tracey has respectable aim with her pistol, and is not startled by the recoil of it, as some may be. She has no reservations about shooting to stop or subdue a criminal, and isn’t frightened by the idea of being shot at or attacked herself in most situations. She also has decent strength and speed for a girl of her age, and remarkable observational skills. Her cleverness and keen eye for detail are her greatest assets in any conflict. She is very dogged in any pursuit of a suspect or criminal, earning her the nickname “Inspector Bulldog”—and her own grandfather Truman, chief of police back in her home country, is known as “The Bulldog of Rochester”—so it seems to be a family trait.
[B]Battle Weaknesses:[/B] The young detective is very easily distracted by clues and other interesting oddities she spots, and is terrified by magic and most other abilities that can’t be explained by science or logic. Her lack of physical strength has prevented her from winning several skirmishes, and she’s also somewhat on the clumsy side, but that trait is often diminished when the adrenaline and reality of a serious situation kicks in, her police training coming to her aid. She can have a tendency to gloat or declare victory too soon on some occasions.
While she can usually maintain a level-head, adrenaline can get the better of her for more extended or heated conflicts. She is not a natural fighter, and her first instinct will always be to disarm and arrest, not to brawl. When it does come to a hostile confrontation, she often will fall back to a range where she can take a shot, rather than getting in the foe’s face. She does not have the nerves or cold resolve to intentionally cause serious harm to another human being, but she will shoot to stop or subdue a criminal, often aiming for extremities that will slow them down but not be life-threatening. She has not yet had to kill.
Without her nano-armor, she is as vulnerable as any normal human to countless threats, and even when wearing it, her head, neck, feet, and hands are exposed. The armor cannot stand up against the force of stronger magical attacks, some of which can short out the nano-technology in the armor until it can be repaired.
[B]Personality:[/B] While Tracey tries her hardest to come off as elegant and coldly analytical, she’s truly a somewhat bumbling but friendly young gumshoe who’s a little accident-prone. The girl is extremely observant, and will sometimes get distracted by an interesting detail and begin to go off on a spiel about its significance or novelty. She’s been known to bluff and over-exaggerate in some instances to try and seem like a more astute and deeper-thinking detective. While highly intelligent, she is known to only show interest in subjects that either stimulate her intellectually or have a bearing on her work as a police detective, such as science and the history of crime. Therefore, in this single-mindedness, she might know the shoe size of every single member of a mafia group, but not realize that a man was trying to flirt with her at a café. She is not aware that she appears to ignore these details, and sometimes this can cause her social difficulties she does not intend.
Tracey is very ambitious and goal and career-oriented, and sometimes can get overly proud or boastful about her detective skills, especially when she has solved a difficult case. She wishes to get all the credit and recognition she can—much of this, however, is to further get her name out there in the world, in case her missing parents are searching for her. But over years of working towards her goal in this way, this behavior has slowly become part of her personality, just as much as her desire to further sharpen of her skills, in the effort to search for them, has become a constant aspect of her. These are the traits that seem to define her in the public eye.
At home, she can still be oblivious to some social cues, but she tries to take her time to slow down and appreciate things when she can. She cares very much about her adopted daughter Alex and her future, and loves Monroe for putting up with her long work hours and all her quirks. She is a bit awkward when it comes to affection, but her care shows in other ways. She’s not very handy with cooking, but does all right with other household tasks. She has been taking care of herself, essentially, all her life while her grandfather worked.
If in a conflict with one she knows to be stronger or quicker, Tracey may get nervous initially, but pushes herself to regain her composure as soon as she can. Insults to her detective abilities tend to faze the quirky girl more than wounds.
Like her idol Sherlock, she craves mysteries and intellectual stimulation—but unlike him, she also pursues detective work because of her firm belief in the letter and spirit of the law. Justice is one of the highest virtues in her eyes.
[LIST]
[*][I]Likes:[/I] Mysteries, riddles, puzzles, Sherlock Holmes novels, mystery movies and books, Agatha Christie novels, word searches, car chases, making arrests, fame, recognition, showing off her police badge, that moment when she gets to turn on her police car siren, Beatles music, watching TV (Top Chef, BBC Sherlock), making deductions, playing her daughter’s DS (Professor Layton), newspapers, reading, food, math, science (especially forensics and chemistry), running, writing
[*]Food likes: Tea, Chinese takeout, burgers, eggs, cereal, muffins, meat pies, fish and chips, scones, pizza, tacos, burritos, salad, potatoes, roast beef, pot roast, meatloaf, Yorkshire pudding, Marmite on toast, tapioca pudding, ice cream, banana bread, walnuts, sandwiches, turkey, chicken, pears, bacon and cabbage, bangers and mash, prawns, fish, crab, lobster, sushi, clams, cheese, milk, yogurt, Indian food, coffee, peanut butter
[*][I]Dislikes:[/I] Being stumped, being disrespected, traffic, very hot weather, misplacing something, having a thought just on the tip of her tongue, criminals, rugby, uncomfortable shoes, being distracted by hunger when on a case, insubordinate officers, being teased or made fun of, working with someone who slows her down, having her sleep interrupted, being interrupted when thinking about a case or solution, losing her case files
[*]Food dislikes: Liver, onions, guacamole, tofu, wasabi, beets, undercooked/rare meats, and greasy doughnuts
[*][I]Fears:[/I] Losing his family or friends, failing to protect someone, being faced with a supernatural or magical threat he cannot defend innocents against, and the fears that come with living a Christian life
[*][I]Virtues:[/I] Intelligent, observant, honest, hard-working, morally upstanding, lawful, trustworthy, kind to children and the poor, can think outside the box sometimes
[*][I]Vices:[/I] Can be single-minded, a workaholic, bad cook, impatient with interruptions or questions when absorbed in thought or close to a solution, a bit egotistical when it comes to taking credit for solutions, bad at noticing some social cues or takes jokes seriously, can be suspicious of people too quickly, can be a little snobbish but is slowly getting over this as she lives more in Rubato, is slow to learn other languages and cultures, pride
[/LIST]
[B]History:[/B] Tracey de Carlo was born to April and Morgan de Carlo, in Montebelle City of the Rochester Republic on a rainy day. She was the couple’s pride and joy, their first and only child, and they wished for her to have everything. But that joy was short-lived. When the girl was only two, on a stormy night, far more intense than the rainy day she was born on, something happened and the girl was left alone, parentless and too young to remember how or why. Her grandfather Truman, the chief of police in Montebelle, took her in to raise her in her parents’ stead. He was a strict man, rarely at home, and Tracey had to learn quickly under his care. She would come home to study and eat TV dinners while he worked long nights. As she grew older, she vowed to become a great detective and learn what had happened to her parents. And as she did, she hoped she would grow famous with her cases and spread her name, so that they might find her, if they were still out there, searching too.
The puzzles, thrills, and glory involved in the fighting of crimes and unraveling of mysteries has always enticed Tracey de Carlo. Motivated by this passion and her goal of finding her parents, the girl worked for years studying old crimes and deduction methods in order to become the best detective imaginable. When the fledgling young gumshoe attained the age of eighteen, her services were requested by the local branch of the police, and she accepted the job offer with great joy and gratitude. She was the youngest officer they had hired in many generations. This was finally her chance.
Throughout her three years on the Montebelle City police force, Tracey always believed she had risen up the ranks as quickly as she did because of her own skill as an officer and a detective. In her innocence, she never fathomed a guess as to the true nature of her success: the deplorable practice of nepotism. “Never in the police force,” had she asserted to those who suggested the theory to her; “Never would the lives and properties of the good people of Rochester Republic be jeopardized just because someone’s uncle or father wanted to stick their little relative in a position of high esteem.” Upon her premature promotion to inspector status, however, she had to face the grim possibility that her grandfather, chief of police, had in fact hired her and given her the new position without a single consideration of her merits as an officer. She began to doubt her abilities. Was she really good enough to find her mother and father?
Deeply disillusioned, Tracey seemed to change in her habits at work, and her zealousness for mysteries waned for several months. No longer did she proudly proclaim herself “The Detective Prodigy”, as she had dubbed herself at the beginning of her tenure on the force, and no longer did she carry herself with an air of importance and confidence. When the offer of a world-round trip came, on which the representative of Rochester Republic would meet with sister police institutions around the globe, rallying for anti-crime reforms, Tracey eagerly accepted the opportunity to leave home, hoping to reestablish herself as an inspector somewhere where she would be solely judged on her own worth, and perhaps find new leads on her own personal case.
Her travels brought her to South Cordelia, where the broiling, rugged, and wretched deserts of Rubato and the wild, tangled, unruly rainforests of Florheim were overflowing with crime. There, an endless cat-and-mouse game seemed to persist between the thinly spread forces of the law and the myriad and elusive criminals. Urged on by her ambition, Tracey offered her services to police stations across the two nations, advising them to save her special talents for only the extraordinary and the dire. A case the girl had specifically shown interest in becoming involved with in the future was the case of the Madrigals of Santa Mariela, in Rubato. At the time, she did not quite realize the full gravity of their case—the family, led by Vivace Madrigal-Dionne, Cassandra Dionne, and Anton Dionne, ran the criminal underground that ruled over Rubato and Florheim, as well as the nation of Cernilia. These and other players were working behind the scenes, keeping their names from the public eye.
After arriving in Rubato, Tracey was assigned a new partner from Cernilia who was a part of the same program she participated in. The twenty-seven year old woman was a fellow inspector by the name of Daniela Cruz. She was temporarily replaced as Tracey’s partner by Johnny Bones, who wormed his way onto the force mostly for the irony, but demonstrated keen mental abilities and provided invaluable physical back-up against criminals on cases. Tracey and Johnny clashed numerous times over his drug use, borderline criminal activities, and his suspected protection of the Madrigal family’s dealings from police knowledge. Tracey was outraged to later learn that he was dating Cadenza, whom she considered the worst of the Madrigals after Vivace Madrigal-Dionne’s death. But when Johnny passed away, the detective came to look back upon him as a friend, in their own strange, bickering way.
During that time, Tracey would finally meet many of the Madrigals face to face, including her first encounter with the elusive Cadenza. But things didn’t exactly go as she had hoped, and she often found herself on the losing side of each encounter, outclassed by the family’s cunning and magical talents. When Tracey met and began dating Monroe Vossler, a superhumanly strong man with a gift for technology, he began upgrading many of her weapons and gadgets in the hopes that they would help balance the scales between Tracey and her foes. But the Madrigals continued to elude and defeat her, until eventually the King of Rubato pardoned Cadenza Madrigal in a deal they struck. Badly disappointed and upset, the detective realized she would have to give up on chasing her biggest case yet for now. But she still retains her suspicions and distrust towards the family to this day.
Some of those feelings, however, are mitigated by the adoption of her new daughter, Alessandra “Alex” Dionne. Tracey and Monroe discovered the orphan hiding in the Temple of the Sun on an excursion of their own, and took her in so that she would have food and shelter while they searched for her parents. Tracey discovered in the national records that Alex was an orphan—but her biological parents had been none other than the crime lords Vivace Madrigal-Dionne and her husband Anton Dionne. Shocked, the detective and her boyfriend were unsure of what to do with the girl. She was a nice enough child, spunky and clever and full of energy like many eight year olds. She had a big appetite and an apparent untrained talent for lightning magic that neither knew much about handling. Eventually, they decided to become her legal guardians and let her stay with them, hoping to guide her onto the right path her parents never followed. Tracey did not know much about raising children, but she resolved to try her best with Alex. The girl has since then met her aunts, the Madrigal sisters, and began studying magic with her aunt Cadenza. This relationship has made Tracey have to reconsider some of her feelings about the family, but she still has her misgivings.
The detective has now turned her sights on finding what happened to her parents, all those years ago. She lives with her boyfriend, Monroe Vossler, and their adopted daughter, Alex Dionne, in a townhouse in Rancha Rosa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Awards:
The Person Award (Awarded to the Most Developed Character) - EH Summer 2008
Best Character Name - Spring BA Awards 2010
[B]RPs:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/82560-settling-score-altamira.html"]Settling the Score[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/67901-strange-development-altamira.html"]A Strange Development[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/68319-unloading-chamber-two-before-job-altamira.html"]Unloading a Chamber or Two Before a Job[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/68753-unsolved-murder-marks-manor.html"]Unsolved Murder: Mark's Manor[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73085-farewells-all-those-who-wish-join.html"]Farewells.[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73772-winter-comes-desert-altamira.html"]Winter Comes to the Desert[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/80781-first-turnabout-sista-luff.html"]The First Turnabout[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81035-temple-sun-altamira.html"]Temple of the Sun[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/82901-land-down-under-altamira.html"]The Land Down Under[/url] (dropped)
[URL="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/89333-meet-dionnes-zorolo-wispy.html"]Meet the Dionnes[/URL] (dropped, but conclusion decided)
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/87151-lets-start-anew-altamira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/110739-man-and-wife-insaney-and-all-those-invited-many-cameos.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/104864-the-nineteen-year-mystery-insaney-possibly-z-later.html[/url]
[B]Character Fiction:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/61441-test-merit-locked-room-mystery.html#post1379266"]A Test of Merit: The Locked Room Mystery[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/71082-chain-pursuit.html"]The Chain of Pursuit[/url] (complete)
[B]Nicknames[/b]: “Red” and “Redlock Holmes” by the Madrigal family and their friends, “Inspector Bulldog” from some of her colleagues at the police station.
[B]Age:[/B] 22
[B]Sex:[/B] Female
[B]Race:[/B] Human, of English and Irish origin. (She possesses no magical ability, explained a bit more in the terms of her world [URL="http://aikies.blogspot.com/2011/08/races-of-earth.html"]here[/URL]. Just scroll down to the section for "humans".)
[B]Height:[/B] 5’6”
[B]Weight:[/B] 118 pounds
[B]Eye Color:[/B] A strikingly bright green.
[B]Hair Color/Style:[/B] Short, vivid red-orange hair cut into wavy, varied layers, ending at just around her jaw line. Her natural hair texture is a bit poofy and airy. She has wavy, full bangs that cover her forehead.
[B]Skin Color/Complexion:[/B] A fair, pinkish peach tone with freckles, especially over her nose and cheeks, with a slight bit of rosiness in her cheeks as well. It’s smooth and doesn’t show much of her lightly-colored hair.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/1profiletracey.png[/img]
[URL="http://superaiko.deviantart.com/gallery/765176"]-More pictures of my characters, including Tracey, on my DA account-[/URL]
[B]General Appearance:[/B]
[U][i]Face:[/i][/U] Tracey is a cute, comely young woman, with a charming face and eyes. Her fair skin is speckled with light brown freckles, which gives her a natural and down-to-earth quality. Her eyes are of a slightly almond-like shape, but upturned at the corners, and very bright and keen, often looking amiable behind her reddish lashes. Her eyebrows are neat, as is her bright, white little smile. Her lips are a bit thin and pinkish, with a pronounced cupid’s bow. They are framed on either side when she smiles by noticeable dimples. Her upturned, perky little nose adds character to her face and adds to a sprightly rather than mature look. Her face is somewhat of an upside-down triangular shape, but with a more rounded chin. Her red locks often overtake much of her forehead, and some jokingly refer to it as her “carrot-colored cloud” of hair.
[U][i]Body:[/i][/U] Tracey is slender and of average height, with a thin waist and average-sized shoulders, and slim hips. Her bottom and legs are a bit more shapely, thanks to toning and training from police work, and her arms are also slender but toned. She has modest but pert bosoms, and proportionately-sized hands and feet for her height. Her smooth skin is lightly-to-moderately freckled along her shoulders, neck, and limbs, and more lightly along her back.
[U][i]Clothing:[/i][/U] Her most common outfit is her khaki-colored police uniform, with darker tan slacks, a black tie, a sandy-colored button-up shirt, black shoes, and a tan and black cap with a golden police badge emblazoned on it. Over this, she sometimes wears a long, loose-fitting tan trenchcoat covered with faded red patches where the fabric has worn.
Her favorite outfit from home is a burgundy turtleneck sweater with a pair of brown trousers, tucked into ankle-high, tan leather boots, but this often proves too hot for Rubato, and so she often opts for button-up short sleeved shirts or polos when not in uniform, along with khakis or other slacks, and Converse sneakers or flat, short boots. She favors red, green, and brown hues in her clothing, and tends to wear her police hat or other hats even when off duty.
Whether in street clothes or her uniform, she wears a brown or black leather belt at her waist, to which her pistol’s holster, radio, and sometimes a magnifying glass in a case are attached. On her back, she carries a brown leather duffle bag, which contains her prized silver watch, among other things. As far as jewelry goes, she prefers to keep things simple, often only wearing a set of small pearl earrings.
[U][i]Mannerisms and Movement:[/i][/U] Her green eyes become even more keen and bright whenever she discovers a new clue or important detail in a case—and at these moments, she could not seem any happier. Her smiles are brightest when she’s making progress in a mystery. Those who know her most personal goals believe that each time she solves a mystery, she feels a little closer to finding her family, and this is the reason for such glee to show in her expressions.
She often looks distracted when she walks, as if lost in thought or analysis. She’ll stroke her chin or rest her chin upon her hand if she’s sitting and considering something. Otherwise she strides with a cop’s easy pace, covering ground. She’s a bit of a wild driver in a chase. Tracey often smells of clean, fresh soap, and a laundered uniform.
[b]Theme Songs:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][url="httphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml62aEbQISo"]Sorakara Koboreta Story [/url] (Sherlock Hound)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk"]Here Comes the Sun[/url] (The Beatles)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g2qJF-4yWM"]The Game Is On![/url] (BBC Sherlock)
[/LIST]
[b]Known Family: [/b]
Chief of Police, Captain Truman de Carlo – paternal grandfather
Morgan de Carlo – father (missing)
April de Carlo – mother (missing)
Alessandra “Alex” Zaniah Dionne (Vossler) – adoptive daughter
[b]Homeplace:[/b] Montebelle City, [url="http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/2637/gaiamap3.png"]Rochester Republic[/url], Airopa, Earth [I](city, country, continent, world)[/I]
[b]Current Residence:[/b] A sizeable townhouse in Rancha Rosa, Rubato, only a block away from the city’s police station. It doesn’t have much of a yard.
[b]Languages:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][i]Gaian[/i] (English, her world's global language, and her own native language) spoken with a clipped British accent, she would say she speaks proper Rochesterian English[/LIST]
[b]Vehicles:[/b] A black [url=http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/2183/1361/30455680011_large.jpg]Crown Victoria Police Interceptor[/url], with a police siren on top when on the job. As a detective, she drives her own unmarked Crown Vic rather than a squad car in most situations.
[B]Occupation:[/B] A police detective for the Rancha Rosa police department of Rubato, transferred from the Rochester Republic.
[B]Weapons:[/B] A [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock_pistol]Glock 17[/url] semi-automatic pistol, issued by the police, is her most tried and true weapon. She more recently has been given other weapons, designed for her by her boyfriend [url=http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/2090495-post3.html]Monroe Vossler[/url]. She also carries a police baton and a canister of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mace_%28spray%29]Mace[/url] to subdue suspects in less violent ways.
[list][*][u]Electro-gun[/u]: A gun that fires a shockwave that functions much like a strong [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser]Taser[/url], but still at a non-lethal voltage. Unlike a Taser, the gun does not need to attach electrodes to its target, instead being capable of firing the energy over a short distance of a foot and a half at maximum, up to point-blank range. The gun is metallic silver, black, and green in color, and not much larger than a normal handgun, but with a more cylindrical shape for the body and a spherical section at the back (where it generates its power.) The user is protected from the electricity by the special rubberized grip. The electro-gun has been deemed legal by the police department for use against magically or otherwise specially-gifted and dangerous suspects.
[*][u]Net-launcher gun attachment[/u]: When affixed to the mouth of her Glock or her electro-gun, this device deploys a large net of strong, yet flexible fibers to trap a target in its path.
[*][u]Grappling gauntlet (with smoke grenade launcher)[/u]: Affixed to her nano-armor, this gauntlet can launch metallic wires to grasp onto targets or give Tracey a hold when climbing. The gauntlet can also launch smoke grenades, which begin to act as soon as released, to cloud vision and help escapes and diminish visibility for foes (therefore making them less likely to want to shoot and waste ammo.)
[*][u]Energy knife[/u]: A blade of thrumming, low-powered energy that can cut through bonds and ropes.[/list]
[B]Armor:[/B] Her standard issue armor as a police officer is a small, black bulletproof Kevlar vest worn underneath her clothes. More recently, Monroe Vossler has upgraded her armor to a suit worn underneath her clothing that harnesses nano-technology to improve her resistance to bullets, physical blows, electricity, fire, and some magical damage (more info found in “Battle Weaknesses” section.) The bodysuit is slim-fitting, with a metallic look to it, segmented along her limbs and other areas for flexibility. Tracey is still very new to using most of its features, and mainly wears it for her most dangerous cases.
The nano-armor has some features built into the wrist gaunlets, detailed above in “Weapons”.
[B]Carried Possessions:[/B] Her wallet, keys, police badge, police radio, a small black leather notebook, pens, and her green and black Blackberry Curve smartphone. When on the job, she also carries a set of police-issue handcuffs to apprehend suspects, and a forensic kit. She always has her grandfather’s silver pocket watch with her, as her most prized possession. It was his gift to her when she transferred well across the Seria Ocean to Rubato. Many of her more recent crime-solving tools and gadgets were crafted by her boyfriend, Monroe Vossler.
[list][*][u]Communicator watch (with tripwire mechanism)[/u]: A silver watch crafted by Monroe, with different frequencies and channels with which she can communicate to the police station, their home, the police radio line, and other lines of communication. A compass is built into the watch, along with a black button that fires a thin, barely visible fiber with high-tensile strength to act as a tripwire.
[*][u]Electromagnetic handcuffs[/u]: Powered with the force of electromagnets, these handcuffs are stronger than the standard police issue, and are bound to one another by the unseen force of magnets, making them far harder to break apart. They are most often stored in Tracey’s bag.
[*][u]Multi-function goggles[/u]: These silver and green goggles, equipped with numerous settings, help enhance Tracey’s normal human vision in many ways. Available for use are settings for night-vision, infrared, ultra-violet, x-ray, long-range/telescopic (to an extent), and thaumaturgical (magical energy-detecting) vision.
Many of these settings can be very disorienting to Tracey, and she struggles and fumbles a bit when using them and trying to move or otherwise act while processing what she’s seeing. She’s most accustomed to the night-vision and infrared settings. When not in use, she wears these goggles on top of her head, or keeps them in her bag.[/list]
[B]Powers/Magic/Skills:[/B] Tracey’s greatest skill is her observational prowess. She is also a decently skilled marksman when her focus and nerves are under control.
[B]Battle Strengths:[/B] Tracey has respectable aim with her pistol, and is not startled by the recoil of it, as some may be. She has no reservations about shooting to stop or subdue a criminal, and isn’t frightened by the idea of being shot at or attacked herself in most situations. She also has decent strength and speed for a girl of her age, and remarkable observational skills. Her cleverness and keen eye for detail are her greatest assets in any conflict. She is very dogged in any pursuit of a suspect or criminal, earning her the nickname “Inspector Bulldog”—and her own grandfather Truman, chief of police back in her home country, is known as “The Bulldog of Rochester”—so it seems to be a family trait.
[B]Battle Weaknesses:[/B] The young detective is very easily distracted by clues and other interesting oddities she spots, and is terrified by magic and most other abilities that can’t be explained by science or logic. Her lack of physical strength has prevented her from winning several skirmishes, and she’s also somewhat on the clumsy side, but that trait is often diminished when the adrenaline and reality of a serious situation kicks in, her police training coming to her aid. She can have a tendency to gloat or declare victory too soon on some occasions.
While she can usually maintain a level-head, adrenaline can get the better of her for more extended or heated conflicts. She is not a natural fighter, and her first instinct will always be to disarm and arrest, not to brawl. When it does come to a hostile confrontation, she often will fall back to a range where she can take a shot, rather than getting in the foe’s face. She does not have the nerves or cold resolve to intentionally cause serious harm to another human being, but she will shoot to stop or subdue a criminal, often aiming for extremities that will slow them down but not be life-threatening. She has not yet had to kill.
Without her nano-armor, she is as vulnerable as any normal human to countless threats, and even when wearing it, her head, neck, feet, and hands are exposed. The armor cannot stand up against the force of stronger magical attacks, some of which can short out the nano-technology in the armor until it can be repaired.
[B]Personality:[/B] While Tracey tries her hardest to come off as elegant and coldly analytical, she’s truly a somewhat bumbling but friendly young gumshoe who’s a little accident-prone. The girl is extremely observant, and will sometimes get distracted by an interesting detail and begin to go off on a spiel about its significance or novelty. She’s been known to bluff and over-exaggerate in some instances to try and seem like a more astute and deeper-thinking detective. While highly intelligent, she is known to only show interest in subjects that either stimulate her intellectually or have a bearing on her work as a police detective, such as science and the history of crime. Therefore, in this single-mindedness, she might know the shoe size of every single member of a mafia group, but not realize that a man was trying to flirt with her at a café. She is not aware that she appears to ignore these details, and sometimes this can cause her social difficulties she does not intend.
Tracey is very ambitious and goal and career-oriented, and sometimes can get overly proud or boastful about her detective skills, especially when she has solved a difficult case. She wishes to get all the credit and recognition she can—much of this, however, is to further get her name out there in the world, in case her missing parents are searching for her. But over years of working towards her goal in this way, this behavior has slowly become part of her personality, just as much as her desire to further sharpen of her skills, in the effort to search for them, has become a constant aspect of her. These are the traits that seem to define her in the public eye.
At home, she can still be oblivious to some social cues, but she tries to take her time to slow down and appreciate things when she can. She cares very much about her adopted daughter Alex and her future, and loves Monroe for putting up with her long work hours and all her quirks. She is a bit awkward when it comes to affection, but her care shows in other ways. She’s not very handy with cooking, but does all right with other household tasks. She has been taking care of herself, essentially, all her life while her grandfather worked.
If in a conflict with one she knows to be stronger or quicker, Tracey may get nervous initially, but pushes herself to regain her composure as soon as she can. Insults to her detective abilities tend to faze the quirky girl more than wounds.
Like her idol Sherlock, she craves mysteries and intellectual stimulation—but unlike him, she also pursues detective work because of her firm belief in the letter and spirit of the law. Justice is one of the highest virtues in her eyes.
[LIST]
[*][I]Likes:[/I] Mysteries, riddles, puzzles, Sherlock Holmes novels, mystery movies and books, Agatha Christie novels, word searches, car chases, making arrests, fame, recognition, showing off her police badge, that moment when she gets to turn on her police car siren, Beatles music, watching TV (Top Chef, BBC Sherlock), making deductions, playing her daughter’s DS (Professor Layton), newspapers, reading, food, math, science (especially forensics and chemistry), running, writing
[*]Food likes: Tea, Chinese takeout, burgers, eggs, cereal, muffins, meat pies, fish and chips, scones, pizza, tacos, burritos, salad, potatoes, roast beef, pot roast, meatloaf, Yorkshire pudding, Marmite on toast, tapioca pudding, ice cream, banana bread, walnuts, sandwiches, turkey, chicken, pears, bacon and cabbage, bangers and mash, prawns, fish, crab, lobster, sushi, clams, cheese, milk, yogurt, Indian food, coffee, peanut butter
[*][I]Dislikes:[/I] Being stumped, being disrespected, traffic, very hot weather, misplacing something, having a thought just on the tip of her tongue, criminals, rugby, uncomfortable shoes, being distracted by hunger when on a case, insubordinate officers, being teased or made fun of, working with someone who slows her down, having her sleep interrupted, being interrupted when thinking about a case or solution, losing her case files
[*]Food dislikes: Liver, onions, guacamole, tofu, wasabi, beets, undercooked/rare meats, and greasy doughnuts
[*][I]Fears:[/I] Losing his family or friends, failing to protect someone, being faced with a supernatural or magical threat he cannot defend innocents against, and the fears that come with living a Christian life
[*][I]Virtues:[/I] Intelligent, observant, honest, hard-working, morally upstanding, lawful, trustworthy, kind to children and the poor, can think outside the box sometimes
[*][I]Vices:[/I] Can be single-minded, a workaholic, bad cook, impatient with interruptions or questions when absorbed in thought or close to a solution, a bit egotistical when it comes to taking credit for solutions, bad at noticing some social cues or takes jokes seriously, can be suspicious of people too quickly, can be a little snobbish but is slowly getting over this as she lives more in Rubato, is slow to learn other languages and cultures, pride
[/LIST]
[B]History:[/B] Tracey de Carlo was born to April and Morgan de Carlo, in Montebelle City of the Rochester Republic on a rainy day. She was the couple’s pride and joy, their first and only child, and they wished for her to have everything. But that joy was short-lived. When the girl was only two, on a stormy night, far more intense than the rainy day she was born on, something happened and the girl was left alone, parentless and too young to remember how or why. Her grandfather Truman, the chief of police in Montebelle, took her in to raise her in her parents’ stead. He was a strict man, rarely at home, and Tracey had to learn quickly under his care. She would come home to study and eat TV dinners while he worked long nights. As she grew older, she vowed to become a great detective and learn what had happened to her parents. And as she did, she hoped she would grow famous with her cases and spread her name, so that they might find her, if they were still out there, searching too.
The puzzles, thrills, and glory involved in the fighting of crimes and unraveling of mysteries has always enticed Tracey de Carlo. Motivated by this passion and her goal of finding her parents, the girl worked for years studying old crimes and deduction methods in order to become the best detective imaginable. When the fledgling young gumshoe attained the age of eighteen, her services were requested by the local branch of the police, and she accepted the job offer with great joy and gratitude. She was the youngest officer they had hired in many generations. This was finally her chance.
Throughout her three years on the Montebelle City police force, Tracey always believed she had risen up the ranks as quickly as she did because of her own skill as an officer and a detective. In her innocence, she never fathomed a guess as to the true nature of her success: the deplorable practice of nepotism. “Never in the police force,” had she asserted to those who suggested the theory to her; “Never would the lives and properties of the good people of Rochester Republic be jeopardized just because someone’s uncle or father wanted to stick their little relative in a position of high esteem.” Upon her premature promotion to inspector status, however, she had to face the grim possibility that her grandfather, chief of police, had in fact hired her and given her the new position without a single consideration of her merits as an officer. She began to doubt her abilities. Was she really good enough to find her mother and father?
Deeply disillusioned, Tracey seemed to change in her habits at work, and her zealousness for mysteries waned for several months. No longer did she proudly proclaim herself “The Detective Prodigy”, as she had dubbed herself at the beginning of her tenure on the force, and no longer did she carry herself with an air of importance and confidence. When the offer of a world-round trip came, on which the representative of Rochester Republic would meet with sister police institutions around the globe, rallying for anti-crime reforms, Tracey eagerly accepted the opportunity to leave home, hoping to reestablish herself as an inspector somewhere where she would be solely judged on her own worth, and perhaps find new leads on her own personal case.
Her travels brought her to South Cordelia, where the broiling, rugged, and wretched deserts of Rubato and the wild, tangled, unruly rainforests of Florheim were overflowing with crime. There, an endless cat-and-mouse game seemed to persist between the thinly spread forces of the law and the myriad and elusive criminals. Urged on by her ambition, Tracey offered her services to police stations across the two nations, advising them to save her special talents for only the extraordinary and the dire. A case the girl had specifically shown interest in becoming involved with in the future was the case of the Madrigals of Santa Mariela, in Rubato. At the time, she did not quite realize the full gravity of their case—the family, led by Vivace Madrigal-Dionne, Cassandra Dionne, and Anton Dionne, ran the criminal underground that ruled over Rubato and Florheim, as well as the nation of Cernilia. These and other players were working behind the scenes, keeping their names from the public eye.
After arriving in Rubato, Tracey was assigned a new partner from Cernilia who was a part of the same program she participated in. The twenty-seven year old woman was a fellow inspector by the name of Daniela Cruz. She was temporarily replaced as Tracey’s partner by Johnny Bones, who wormed his way onto the force mostly for the irony, but demonstrated keen mental abilities and provided invaluable physical back-up against criminals on cases. Tracey and Johnny clashed numerous times over his drug use, borderline criminal activities, and his suspected protection of the Madrigal family’s dealings from police knowledge. Tracey was outraged to later learn that he was dating Cadenza, whom she considered the worst of the Madrigals after Vivace Madrigal-Dionne’s death. But when Johnny passed away, the detective came to look back upon him as a friend, in their own strange, bickering way.
During that time, Tracey would finally meet many of the Madrigals face to face, including her first encounter with the elusive Cadenza. But things didn’t exactly go as she had hoped, and she often found herself on the losing side of each encounter, outclassed by the family’s cunning and magical talents. When Tracey met and began dating Monroe Vossler, a superhumanly strong man with a gift for technology, he began upgrading many of her weapons and gadgets in the hopes that they would help balance the scales between Tracey and her foes. But the Madrigals continued to elude and defeat her, until eventually the King of Rubato pardoned Cadenza Madrigal in a deal they struck. Badly disappointed and upset, the detective realized she would have to give up on chasing her biggest case yet for now. But she still retains her suspicions and distrust towards the family to this day.
Some of those feelings, however, are mitigated by the adoption of her new daughter, Alessandra “Alex” Dionne. Tracey and Monroe discovered the orphan hiding in the Temple of the Sun on an excursion of their own, and took her in so that she would have food and shelter while they searched for her parents. Tracey discovered in the national records that Alex was an orphan—but her biological parents had been none other than the crime lords Vivace Madrigal-Dionne and her husband Anton Dionne. Shocked, the detective and her boyfriend were unsure of what to do with the girl. She was a nice enough child, spunky and clever and full of energy like many eight year olds. She had a big appetite and an apparent untrained talent for lightning magic that neither knew much about handling. Eventually, they decided to become her legal guardians and let her stay with them, hoping to guide her onto the right path her parents never followed. Tracey did not know much about raising children, but she resolved to try her best with Alex. The girl has since then met her aunts, the Madrigal sisters, and began studying magic with her aunt Cadenza. This relationship has made Tracey have to reconsider some of her feelings about the family, but she still has her misgivings.
The detective has now turned her sights on finding what happened to her parents, all those years ago. She lives with her boyfriend, Monroe Vossler, and their adopted daughter, Alex Dionne, in a townhouse in Rancha Rosa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Awards:
The Person Award (Awarded to the Most Developed Character) - EH Summer 2008
Best Character Name - Spring BA Awards 2010
[B]RPs:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/82560-settling-score-altamira.html"]Settling the Score[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/67901-strange-development-altamira.html"]A Strange Development[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/68319-unloading-chamber-two-before-job-altamira.html"]Unloading a Chamber or Two Before a Job[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/68753-unsolved-murder-marks-manor.html"]Unsolved Murder: Mark's Manor[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73085-farewells-all-those-who-wish-join.html"]Farewells.[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73772-winter-comes-desert-altamira.html"]Winter Comes to the Desert[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/80781-first-turnabout-sista-luff.html"]The First Turnabout[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81035-temple-sun-altamira.html"]Temple of the Sun[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/82901-land-down-under-altamira.html"]The Land Down Under[/url] (dropped)
[URL="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/89333-meet-dionnes-zorolo-wispy.html"]Meet the Dionnes[/URL] (dropped, but conclusion decided)
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/87151-lets-start-anew-altamira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/110739-man-and-wife-insaney-and-all-those-invited-many-cameos.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/104864-the-nineteen-year-mystery-insaney-possibly-z-later.html[/url]
[B]Character Fiction:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/61441-test-merit-locked-room-mystery.html#post1379266"]A Test of Merit: The Locked Room Mystery[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/71082-chain-pursuit.html"]The Chain of Pursuit[/url] (complete)
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Louis (Updated)
[B]Name:[/b] Louis Alan Fritz
[B]Age:[/B] 41
[B]Sex:[/B] Male
[B]Race:[/B] Human, of mixed medieval Western European origin.
[B]Height:[/B] 6’0”, rather tall for his era.
[B]Weight:[/B] 183 pounds, much of it in muscle from his days as a farmer.
[B]Eye Color:[/B] An earthy brown with a grayish tint.
[B]Hair Color/Style:[/B] Messy, dirty blonde-colored hair he keeps cut short, with somewhat neatly trimmed sideburns, thick stubble, and a small, newly graying goatee. He’s also going slightly gray at the temples.
[B]Skin Color/Complexion:[/B] A fair, healthy, peachy tone that has over the years acquired a farmer’s deep golden tan.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/louisprofile-1.png[/img]
[URL="http://superaiko.deviantart.com/gallery/765176"]-More pictures of my characters, including Louis, on my DA account-[/URL]
[B]General Appearance:[/B]
[U][i]Face:[/i][/U] Louis is attractive in a rugged way, with sharp, pronounced features, reflecting a possibly mixed German-and-Scandinavian heritage somewhere further back in his family. He has wise, fatherly brown eyes of an average size, and a straight, long nose that suits the long, lean lines of his face. His facial structure could almost considered an oval, were it not for the angular lines of his cheeks, and the strength of his jaw, which is more squarish than round, but still lean. Louis has slightly bushy, more masculine eyebrows, but they’re not wild or overwhelming, instead adding character to his expressions. They’re a dirty blond color that matches his hair, but slightly darker, tending toward a light goldenrod hue. His smiles are warm and expansive, his teeth clean but yellowing some due to his smoking, age, and the hygiene of the middle ages. Since coming to live in a modern world, his teeth have improved. His chin is rough with stubble, and covered with a small beard, almost small enough to be called a goatee. The area around his eyes show the most signs of his age, where he has light wrinkles and crows’ feet. When he laughs, his laugh lines show more deeply, beginning to wrinkle. His ears are on the slightly larger side.
[U][i]Body:[/i][/U] His body is tall and lean, but with dense, whipcord like muscles earned over years of hard farm work and travels through rugged terrain. His shoulders are a bit broader than average, giving his frame a sturdiness, like a tall oak tree that has weathered many storms. His legs and arms are a bit hairy, as is his chest, covered with hairs the color of straw. All his body is tough and tanned, his hands and feet on the rougher side and scarred, with calluses on his fingers from work and playing instruments. He has large hands and feet, befitting his tall frame. He has put on a bit more weight as he has gotten older, but still maintains his toned muscles and natural tall 'n' lean build. He looks every bit the picture of an old farm hand.
[U][i]Clothing:[/i][/U] His favorite travelling outfit consists of loose, dark brown slacks fastened at the waist with a tan leather belt, and tan boots on his feet, along with an old white shirt (although it's now yellowing at the edges) with wooden buttons open down to his hairy chest, and a loose-fitting, dark red vest over top. Otherwise, he wears rather similar, casual outfits in his day-to-day life, but more modern and clean, often a button-up shirt of any neutral or earthy color, and blue jeans or slacks in various shades of brown. He prefers boots over other footwear, preferring brown leather over other kinds.
People have grown to recognize him by the floppy, tall, brown hat with a wide brim he has taken a liking to wearing since becoming a minstrel and leaving Brantmill.
On his back, he occasionally carries a tan suede bag for supplies, and both his small, oaken clarinet case, and larger, brown, hard leather fiddle case. The straps of the bag and cases are worn across his chest.
[U][i]Mannerisms and Movement:[/i][/U] Louis walks with relaxed, long strides, often taking his time to see the sights and smell the roses, so to speak. He often walks with his hands in his pockets, in a casual posture, and enjoys chewing on a sprig of hay when he can (it serves as a healthier alternative to his pipe.) It's rare to see him standing perfectly upright and at attention, but if he does, you can expect that there's danger or something else grave going on.
He'll remove his hat when in church, at meals, or meeting a lady, and occasionally when he's indoors otherwise. He usually smells of faint pipe smoke, hay, and the outdoors.
[b]Theme Songs:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][url=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjRTvMAptg"]Secret of the Forest[/url] (Chrono Trigger)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go"]Hurt[/url] (Johnny Cash)
[*][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg]Devil Went Down to Georgia[/url] (The Charlie Daniels Band)
[*][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svuyjzfjpjU]Dandelion[/url] (Audioslave)
[*][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfHDi-2EA]The Man Comes Around[/url] (Johnny Cash)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J28KhdB8kE&feature=related"]Ixtapa[/url] (Rodrigo y Gabriela) - song for him and his best friend Cadenza, the guitar for Cadenza and the violin for him
[/LIST]
[b]Known Family: [/b]
Julianne Fritz – ex-wife
Melinda Fritz – eldest daughter (deceased)
Caroline Fritz – youngest daughter (deceased)
[URL="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/characters-and-resources/70881-sakumes-friends-of-mental-instabilities.html"]Katherine "Kate" Anne Seraph[/url] – adoptive daughter
[B]Familiars/Nonhuman Companions:[/B] A male, tan, beige-speckled pony, Eram, who was born to Mannie (Hunter Merridale’s mare) and a strong stallion. The young horse belongs to Louis’ daughter Kate, but since the minstrel’s home is better suited to the animals’ needs than the girl’s home with her mother in the desert, Louis looks after Eram much of the time. The pony lives in the grassy meadow of his Dome room, grazing free and drinking from clear, clean streams.
[b]Homeplace:[/b] Brantmill, Choras, Guardia, Medina [I](city, country, continent, world)[/I]
[b]Current Residence:[/b] His room at the Dome, described below, is his main residence:
“Beyond the plain oak door is a grassy meadow, with stars perpetually twinkling overhead and trees interlocked in a sort of natural border before the simple dark brown walls. If one looks closely enough at the trees, they may find doors in a few of them. These doors are said to lead to a kitchenette, a bedroom, a full bathroom, and a few locations scattered throughout the Dome complex.
Despite all the shifting of the Dome halls, Melody Ferrier’s former room is always right beside Louis’ quarters, and joins with it by a door that runs between the two of them. The lilac-colored door opens to a lavender-hued room that is very easy on the eyes, and consists of a soft bed covered with sheets that have musical notes printed on them, a small white writing desk, and a dresser of the same tone. Kate has since taken the room as her own, and repainted it pink and decorated it for herself. The two doors at the east end of the dorm lead to a full bathroom and a music studio.”
Besides his dorm, Louis also owns a small townhouse with a garage in the residential side of Blancwood, Rubato, on Earth.
[b]Languages:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][I]English[/I], spoken with less medieval flourishes than noblemen because of his upbringing on a farm
[*]Some [I]German[/I], mostly learned from music
[*]A few words in [I]Rubatoian[/I] (a mix of Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese), learned from time spent around his friend Cadenza Madrigal
[/LIST]
[b]Vehicles:[/b] A tan [url=http://images.usedcheapcars.org/used-ford/1994-ford-taurus-station-wagon-ford-3-8l-6-cylinder-ffs-4-speed-automatic/thumbs/ford_taurus_sho_silver_lights_1994-ucc.jpg]Ford Taurus[/url] station wagon he uses often, and an old, white [url=http://images02.olx.com/ui/1/24/67/f_901767_1_1170101286.jpg]Ford pickup[/url] truck he keeps at the townhouse.
[B]Occupation:[/B] Minstrel and song-writer, occasional tutor at the Dome
[B]Weapons:[/B] He favors a short, lightweight sword made of titanium steel with an onyx-colored hilt, which he keeps hidden in a thick cloth inside his clarinet within its case. A custom-forged, medieval-style steel halberd, which he has had reinforced with diamond-hard adamant, is similarly hidden within his deceptively large fiddle case.
[B]Armor:[/B] Louis wears a byrnie (down to the waist) shirt of chainmail crafted of mythril rings underneath his clothing, which can protect against any mundane metals (such as steel, bronze, etc.), and against all but the strongest force from magic or mythical metals.
[B]Carried Possessions:[/B] His wallet, keys, Zippo lighter, some tobacco, a wooden pipe, and a simple cell phone to keep in touch with his daughter and friends.
[B]Powers/Magic/Skills:[/B] Louis possesses no magical skills of his own, but he is a former soldier, and a warrior to be reckoned with in combat with swords, axes, knives, spears, and other forms of fighting. He specializes in armed combat over unarmed, but is a formidable boxer and wrestler in his own right. Thanks to his friend and protégé Melody Ferrier (a newly awakened Muse of music), he has a few abilities that can manipulate sound or that draw upon the girl's own mysterious energies.
[LIST]
[*][I]Dome doors[/I]: As a privilege granted to him as a former Teacher of the Dome, Louis is capable of summoning up Dome doors at will, by visualizing the place or person he wishes to find. Destinations he is already familiar with are far easier to summon doors to than new, unfamiliar destinations. With the former, he can call a door by with just the will to do so. With the latter, it often helps to imagine many sensory details or other known information about the place or person, such as looks, smells, sounds, etc.
[/LIST]
[i][u]~Special battle skills:[/u][/i]
[I]
Sonic Whistle[/I]- A special technique taught to Louis by his protégé, the musical prodigy Melody Ferrier, where Louis emits a high, shrill, whooping whistle. It makes all metal or metal-like weapons vibrate, and causes his own sword or halberd to let out a sonic-wave that can harm opponents. The attack is powerful enough to knock a human male onto the ground, but its main purpose is to surprise a foe. Louis first used the skill against Zachary Leos in "Misadventures of the Minstrel - Northern Dojo".
[I]
Sound Barrier[/I]- A special technique taught to Louis by his protégé, the musical prodigy Melody Ferrier. By playing a tune with special qualities on his harmonica, which he composed together with the girl, he can generate a clear, rectangular barrier around his body, which can last for a duration of 10 minutes.
[I]
Healing Sonata[/I]- Louis begins this spell by playing the first few measures of a song with magical qualities, which was specially composed for him and Cadenza Madrigal by the minstrel’s own protégé, Melody Ferrier. As the melody flows, energy gathers at the man’s feet, and rises in bright rings until it has traversed his whole body, healing any non-lethal injuries, internal or external, as it goes. Melody’s flute can be heard echoing in unison with the song when the spell is cast.
[I]Sonic Strike[/I]- Using his impressive strength, Louis can produce a strike with his blade that can cut through the sound barrier and is powerful enough to sever a human's arm if they are without armor. The strike can be performed with both his sword and halberd, but is more effective with the latter. Because of the speed of the attack, the minstrel needs more energy to use this attack than to slash normally, and the more he uses it, the more it tires him out.
[B]Battle Strengths:[/B] Louis is a very versatile fighter who is proficient with a number of weapons and fighting styles. He is patient, able to wait for the right opportunity to make a strike, and knows how to roll with the punches. He is quick-thinking, and has a great degree of physical power and stamina beyond that of normal humans, thanks to Melody’s blessings.
[B]Battle Weaknesses:[/B] Louis lacks magical abilities of his own and is somewhat slow on his feet. He refuses to harm women or animals, and is still new to guns and some other modern weapons. In the areas unprotected by his armor, he is as vulnerable as any normal human to bullets, fire, poison, etc. He is more of a close range or sword or spear range fighter than a long-range one.
[B]Personality:[/B] Louis is an eccentric and puzzling character to many; he respects lofty ambition in one person and down-to-earth realism in the other. With age, wisdom and a sense of gentle humor have come to him; he’s not bothered by callousness, especially if he believes it’s justified. Often his motives confuse younger people, only for them to learn he has greatly helped them in some way later. He retains his fatherly side from when his daughters Melinda and Caroline were alive, and is kind and protective towards children and others weaker than himself. Underneath all of this placidity, however, is the side of him that’s pained by his grave losses, and it shows itself in his dislike and distrust of the Merridale monarchy, and in quiet moments when he’s reflecting on his own.
In battle, he’s always willing to fight a formidable opponent, and always gives the match his all if he thinks his foe is worthy—seeing it as a sign of disrespect not to. He’ll only become gravely serious if his life or the life of one he cares about is in great danger. Occasionally, he’ll play a song after a victory in honor of his defeated foe’s efforts.
Since adopting Kate, Louis has become even warmer and more fatherly in his manner. He jokes more often, shows pride in his daughter whenever he can, and seeks to always do what is in her best interest. He is protective and affectionate toward her, and very patient; his experience as a father in the past helps him now, even though it also brings with it old, sometimes bittersweet memories. He tries to look upon these memories from a distance, appreciating them for what they were, and cherishing what he has now. He is not afraid to be strict with her, but often goes about teaching her lessons in more fun ways, and being a father again means the world to him. He tends to put others before himself and rarely thinks anything of it. He makes self-deprecating jokes about his age, but the concern is sometimes present in his mind. The minstrel has tried to lessen his smoking since adopting his daughter, but finds it hard to quit. His pipe has often accompanied him while he has been relaxing or thinking.
Louis loves music and storytelling. He can play virtually any instrument, and when introduced to a new one, takes the time to appreciate its qualities and to try and understand how to play it to its best. He has adapted well to the modern world, embracing it with open arms, and while he still finds some technology challenging, he has assimilated impressively into modern culture. However, there will always be something of the country boy in him, and his sometimes old-fashioned or more rural metaphors or turns of phrase sometimes reflect this. He loves breakfast foods, a holdover from his days as a boy on the farm, and gets along well with animals. Since adopting Kate, he is open to telling stories about his younger days more readily. He fondly remembers his family and their home of the past. You can take the minstrel out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the minstrel.
[LIST]
[*][I]Likes:[/I] Loves all kinds of music, especially country, big band, blues, and classical (Johnny Cash is a favorite, along with Mozart and Beethoven), food (especially breakfast foods), spending time with family and friends, comedy, good conversation, the outdoors, fishing, taking walks, playing his fiddle and other instruments, singing, animals, especially dogs, horses, sleeping, people who can take a joke, people who can laugh at themselves, telling stories, writing songs, poetry, a good laugh, history, farming, smoking a good pipe, baseball, hockey, women
[*]Food likes: Any kind of breakfast food, honey, ale, steak, eggs, bread, baked goods, potatoes, chicken, pork, corn, venison, mutton, raisins, apples, pears, cherries, peaches, crackers, nuts, sausage, bratwurst, fish, home-cooked meals, milk, cool water, ice cream, cake (especially chocolate), pie (especially cherry, apple, pecan), tea, coffee (three sugars, sometimes milk), butterscotch, he’ll eat just about any kind of food.
[*][I]Dislikes:[/I] Bigots, people who mistreat women, children, or the poor or otherwise unfortunate or defenseless, negligent or otherwise unfair monarchs, ignorant nobles, being cooped up indoors for too long, people who mistreat animals, heavy snowstorms, violent drunks, airplanes, war and the losses that come with it, being woken up in the middle of a good nap, wasting food
[*]Food dislikes: Brussel sprouts, asparagus, pigs’ feet
[*][I]Fears:[/I] Losing his family or friends, failing to protect someone, being faced with a supernatural or magical threat he cannot defend innocents against, and the fears that come with living a Christian life
[*][I]Virtues:[/I] Understanding, faithful, kind, good sense of humor, wise, a good father, a good friend, reliable, trustworthy, loyal, knows the value of hard work, doesn’t judge too quickly
[*][I]Vices:[/I] Smoking, can hold some grudges too long
[/LIST]
[B]History:[/B] Louis Fritz the minstrel hails from the imperial-minded Choras, land ruled by the royal family of Merridale. He once lived peacefully in the farming village of Brantmill, several miles from the tragedies and bloodshed of the ongoing wars. But when the latest conflict brought the battling to Bartholomew, merely ten miles away from quaint Brantmill, panic began to brew in the village. Men from Brantmill volunteered to join the ranks of the army to defend their home and way of life, and Louis Fritz was among them.
The small auxiliary force of Brantmill was called upon as the fighting progressed to Bartholomew Fields, between the city and the farming village. When the day was over, Louis and his comrades believed they were successful in holding off the enemy’s army from penetrating Brantmill, but when they returned home, they found that their foes had razed the farming community to the ground. The grief was almost too much for the men to bear. Foremost among the mourners was Louis Fritz: a single father raising two daughters his disloyal wife Julianne had left him with twelve years prior. Now both of those children were gone.
Louis could feel his sanity slipping in the following months. Efforts were made to rebuild Brantmill, but he refused to participate. He needed to leave. He needed a fresh start.
Taking what supplies he had left from the packs the army had provided, Louis set off to travel the world of Medina, singing songs and telling stories of Brantmill, the Choras wars, and his life. He made money doing odd jobs, going on journeys and protecting people or small towns. But the bard’s main quest remained the same: to find a new purpose in life.
Louis has, since leaving Choras, traveled to the mysterious Dome and become both a teacher and student. On his way there, he met a young girl named Melody Ferrier, who he discovered was a musical prodigy, and who was heading to the Dome for some unknown reason as well. He and Melody later encountered an orphaned girl named Kate who was being cruelly mistreated by her guardian Pyralis at a music festival. Melody tried her best to help, but her awakening as a Muse of Music drew her away. She could only contact Louis’ friend Cadenza to come to their aid before she was gone. Louis and his friend rescued Kate, but soon learned that Pyralis was only an employee for an even more powerful man named Marcus, who considered the girl his. In order to adopt Kate and save her from more cruelty, Louis and Cadenza had to enter into a contract with this man, and were later subject to occasional visits from his other employee, a man called Ruin.
Louis has since retired from the Dome, but occasionally still tutors students and takes part in other Dome activities. He's taken a liking to a baker named [URL="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/npc-repository/102893-sakumes-many-npcs.html"]Celia Everfields[/URL] and the two have since begun dating. The former farmer now writes music for country artists and other musicians, and plays his own music on the side as well. He still considers himself a minstrel and spreads his stories and songs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[B]RPs:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59276"]Misadventures of the Minstrel - Northern Dojo[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/77282-knockin-heaven-s-door.html"]Knockin' on Heaven's Door[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/75912-shadows-mourn-puck-altamira-insaney.html"]Shadows of Mourn[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/67018-excitement-operahouse-southern-belle.html"]Excitement at the Operahouse[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/69223-misadventures-minstrel-away-sea-hurripen.html"]Misadventures of the Minstrel - Away at Sea[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/71016-forgotten-lore-altamira-sabbo-vn.html"]Forgotten Lore[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73085-farewells-all-those-who-wish-join.html"]Farewells.[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81646-send-me-friend-sakume.html"]Send Me a Friend[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81726-winning-end-altamira.html"]Winning In The End[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/82650-its-easier-hate-mikey-mike.html"]It's Easier to Hate[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/87105-spell-gone-awry-sakume.html"]A Spell Gone Awry[/url] (in progress)
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/89898-whos-your-daddy-kiri-alti.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/88679-a-place-in-my-heart-insaney-sakume.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/101411-fashion-police-sakume-alti.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/107203-blackbird-altamira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/109843-mommys-little-girl-sakume.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/110010-daughter-dearest-mikey-b-kiri-kraze.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/110739-man-and-wife-insaney-and-all-those-invited-many-cameos.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/113593-until-death-do-we-part-those-invited.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/121875-just-another-day-altamira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/127196-hay-and-honey-alti.html[/url]
[B]Character Fiction:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/70585-common-cause-work-progress-everything-still-entirely-subject-change.html#post1789099"]A Common Cause (tentative title)[/url] (dropped)
[B]Age:[/B] 41
[B]Sex:[/B] Male
[B]Race:[/B] Human, of mixed medieval Western European origin.
[B]Height:[/B] 6’0”, rather tall for his era.
[B]Weight:[/B] 183 pounds, much of it in muscle from his days as a farmer.
[B]Eye Color:[/B] An earthy brown with a grayish tint.
[B]Hair Color/Style:[/B] Messy, dirty blonde-colored hair he keeps cut short, with somewhat neatly trimmed sideburns, thick stubble, and a small, newly graying goatee. He’s also going slightly gray at the temples.
[B]Skin Color/Complexion:[/B] A fair, healthy, peachy tone that has over the years acquired a farmer’s deep golden tan.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/sailormichiru/louisprofile-1.png[/img]
[URL="http://superaiko.deviantart.com/gallery/765176"]-More pictures of my characters, including Louis, on my DA account-[/URL]
[B]General Appearance:[/B]
[U][i]Face:[/i][/U] Louis is attractive in a rugged way, with sharp, pronounced features, reflecting a possibly mixed German-and-Scandinavian heritage somewhere further back in his family. He has wise, fatherly brown eyes of an average size, and a straight, long nose that suits the long, lean lines of his face. His facial structure could almost considered an oval, were it not for the angular lines of his cheeks, and the strength of his jaw, which is more squarish than round, but still lean. Louis has slightly bushy, more masculine eyebrows, but they’re not wild or overwhelming, instead adding character to his expressions. They’re a dirty blond color that matches his hair, but slightly darker, tending toward a light goldenrod hue. His smiles are warm and expansive, his teeth clean but yellowing some due to his smoking, age, and the hygiene of the middle ages. Since coming to live in a modern world, his teeth have improved. His chin is rough with stubble, and covered with a small beard, almost small enough to be called a goatee. The area around his eyes show the most signs of his age, where he has light wrinkles and crows’ feet. When he laughs, his laugh lines show more deeply, beginning to wrinkle. His ears are on the slightly larger side.
[U][i]Body:[/i][/U] His body is tall and lean, but with dense, whipcord like muscles earned over years of hard farm work and travels through rugged terrain. His shoulders are a bit broader than average, giving his frame a sturdiness, like a tall oak tree that has weathered many storms. His legs and arms are a bit hairy, as is his chest, covered with hairs the color of straw. All his body is tough and tanned, his hands and feet on the rougher side and scarred, with calluses on his fingers from work and playing instruments. He has large hands and feet, befitting his tall frame. He has put on a bit more weight as he has gotten older, but still maintains his toned muscles and natural tall 'n' lean build. He looks every bit the picture of an old farm hand.
[U][i]Clothing:[/i][/U] His favorite travelling outfit consists of loose, dark brown slacks fastened at the waist with a tan leather belt, and tan boots on his feet, along with an old white shirt (although it's now yellowing at the edges) with wooden buttons open down to his hairy chest, and a loose-fitting, dark red vest over top. Otherwise, he wears rather similar, casual outfits in his day-to-day life, but more modern and clean, often a button-up shirt of any neutral or earthy color, and blue jeans or slacks in various shades of brown. He prefers boots over other footwear, preferring brown leather over other kinds.
People have grown to recognize him by the floppy, tall, brown hat with a wide brim he has taken a liking to wearing since becoming a minstrel and leaving Brantmill.
On his back, he occasionally carries a tan suede bag for supplies, and both his small, oaken clarinet case, and larger, brown, hard leather fiddle case. The straps of the bag and cases are worn across his chest.
[U][i]Mannerisms and Movement:[/i][/U] Louis walks with relaxed, long strides, often taking his time to see the sights and smell the roses, so to speak. He often walks with his hands in his pockets, in a casual posture, and enjoys chewing on a sprig of hay when he can (it serves as a healthier alternative to his pipe.) It's rare to see him standing perfectly upright and at attention, but if he does, you can expect that there's danger or something else grave going on.
He'll remove his hat when in church, at meals, or meeting a lady, and occasionally when he's indoors otherwise. He usually smells of faint pipe smoke, hay, and the outdoors.
[b]Theme Songs:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][url=" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjRTvMAptg"]Secret of the Forest[/url] (Chrono Trigger)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go"]Hurt[/url] (Johnny Cash)
[*][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg]Devil Went Down to Georgia[/url] (The Charlie Daniels Band)
[*][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svuyjzfjpjU]Dandelion[/url] (Audioslave)
[*][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfHDi-2EA]The Man Comes Around[/url] (Johnny Cash)
[*][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J28KhdB8kE&feature=related"]Ixtapa[/url] (Rodrigo y Gabriela) - song for him and his best friend Cadenza, the guitar for Cadenza and the violin for him
[/LIST]
[b]Known Family: [/b]
Julianne Fritz – ex-wife
Melinda Fritz – eldest daughter (deceased)
Caroline Fritz – youngest daughter (deceased)
[URL="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/characters-and-resources/70881-sakumes-friends-of-mental-instabilities.html"]Katherine "Kate" Anne Seraph[/url] – adoptive daughter
[B]Familiars/Nonhuman Companions:[/B] A male, tan, beige-speckled pony, Eram, who was born to Mannie (Hunter Merridale’s mare) and a strong stallion. The young horse belongs to Louis’ daughter Kate, but since the minstrel’s home is better suited to the animals’ needs than the girl’s home with her mother in the desert, Louis looks after Eram much of the time. The pony lives in the grassy meadow of his Dome room, grazing free and drinking from clear, clean streams.
[b]Homeplace:[/b] Brantmill, Choras, Guardia, Medina [I](city, country, continent, world)[/I]
[b]Current Residence:[/b] His room at the Dome, described below, is his main residence:
“Beyond the plain oak door is a grassy meadow, with stars perpetually twinkling overhead and trees interlocked in a sort of natural border before the simple dark brown walls. If one looks closely enough at the trees, they may find doors in a few of them. These doors are said to lead to a kitchenette, a bedroom, a full bathroom, and a few locations scattered throughout the Dome complex.
Despite all the shifting of the Dome halls, Melody Ferrier’s former room is always right beside Louis’ quarters, and joins with it by a door that runs between the two of them. The lilac-colored door opens to a lavender-hued room that is very easy on the eyes, and consists of a soft bed covered with sheets that have musical notes printed on them, a small white writing desk, and a dresser of the same tone. Kate has since taken the room as her own, and repainted it pink and decorated it for herself. The two doors at the east end of the dorm lead to a full bathroom and a music studio.”
Besides his dorm, Louis also owns a small townhouse with a garage in the residential side of Blancwood, Rubato, on Earth.
[b]Languages:[/b]
[LIST]
[*][I]English[/I], spoken with less medieval flourishes than noblemen because of his upbringing on a farm
[*]Some [I]German[/I], mostly learned from music
[*]A few words in [I]Rubatoian[/I] (a mix of Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese), learned from time spent around his friend Cadenza Madrigal
[/LIST]
[b]Vehicles:[/b] A tan [url=http://images.usedcheapcars.org/used-ford/1994-ford-taurus-station-wagon-ford-3-8l-6-cylinder-ffs-4-speed-automatic/thumbs/ford_taurus_sho_silver_lights_1994-ucc.jpg]Ford Taurus[/url] station wagon he uses often, and an old, white [url=http://images02.olx.com/ui/1/24/67/f_901767_1_1170101286.jpg]Ford pickup[/url] truck he keeps at the townhouse.
[B]Occupation:[/B] Minstrel and song-writer, occasional tutor at the Dome
[B]Weapons:[/B] He favors a short, lightweight sword made of titanium steel with an onyx-colored hilt, which he keeps hidden in a thick cloth inside his clarinet within its case. A custom-forged, medieval-style steel halberd, which he has had reinforced with diamond-hard adamant, is similarly hidden within his deceptively large fiddle case.
[B]Armor:[/B] Louis wears a byrnie (down to the waist) shirt of chainmail crafted of mythril rings underneath his clothing, which can protect against any mundane metals (such as steel, bronze, etc.), and against all but the strongest force from magic or mythical metals.
[B]Carried Possessions:[/B] His wallet, keys, Zippo lighter, some tobacco, a wooden pipe, and a simple cell phone to keep in touch with his daughter and friends.
[B]Powers/Magic/Skills:[/B] Louis possesses no magical skills of his own, but he is a former soldier, and a warrior to be reckoned with in combat with swords, axes, knives, spears, and other forms of fighting. He specializes in armed combat over unarmed, but is a formidable boxer and wrestler in his own right. Thanks to his friend and protégé Melody Ferrier (a newly awakened Muse of music), he has a few abilities that can manipulate sound or that draw upon the girl's own mysterious energies.
[LIST]
[*][I]Dome doors[/I]: As a privilege granted to him as a former Teacher of the Dome, Louis is capable of summoning up Dome doors at will, by visualizing the place or person he wishes to find. Destinations he is already familiar with are far easier to summon doors to than new, unfamiliar destinations. With the former, he can call a door by with just the will to do so. With the latter, it often helps to imagine many sensory details or other known information about the place or person, such as looks, smells, sounds, etc.
[/LIST]
[i][u]~Special battle skills:[/u][/i]
[I]
Sonic Whistle[/I]- A special technique taught to Louis by his protégé, the musical prodigy Melody Ferrier, where Louis emits a high, shrill, whooping whistle. It makes all metal or metal-like weapons vibrate, and causes his own sword or halberd to let out a sonic-wave that can harm opponents. The attack is powerful enough to knock a human male onto the ground, but its main purpose is to surprise a foe. Louis first used the skill against Zachary Leos in "Misadventures of the Minstrel - Northern Dojo".
[I]
Sound Barrier[/I]- A special technique taught to Louis by his protégé, the musical prodigy Melody Ferrier. By playing a tune with special qualities on his harmonica, which he composed together with the girl, he can generate a clear, rectangular barrier around his body, which can last for a duration of 10 minutes.
[I]
Healing Sonata[/I]- Louis begins this spell by playing the first few measures of a song with magical qualities, which was specially composed for him and Cadenza Madrigal by the minstrel’s own protégé, Melody Ferrier. As the melody flows, energy gathers at the man’s feet, and rises in bright rings until it has traversed his whole body, healing any non-lethal injuries, internal or external, as it goes. Melody’s flute can be heard echoing in unison with the song when the spell is cast.
[I]Sonic Strike[/I]- Using his impressive strength, Louis can produce a strike with his blade that can cut through the sound barrier and is powerful enough to sever a human's arm if they are without armor. The strike can be performed with both his sword and halberd, but is more effective with the latter. Because of the speed of the attack, the minstrel needs more energy to use this attack than to slash normally, and the more he uses it, the more it tires him out.
[B]Battle Strengths:[/B] Louis is a very versatile fighter who is proficient with a number of weapons and fighting styles. He is patient, able to wait for the right opportunity to make a strike, and knows how to roll with the punches. He is quick-thinking, and has a great degree of physical power and stamina beyond that of normal humans, thanks to Melody’s blessings.
[B]Battle Weaknesses:[/B] Louis lacks magical abilities of his own and is somewhat slow on his feet. He refuses to harm women or animals, and is still new to guns and some other modern weapons. In the areas unprotected by his armor, he is as vulnerable as any normal human to bullets, fire, poison, etc. He is more of a close range or sword or spear range fighter than a long-range one.
[B]Personality:[/B] Louis is an eccentric and puzzling character to many; he respects lofty ambition in one person and down-to-earth realism in the other. With age, wisdom and a sense of gentle humor have come to him; he’s not bothered by callousness, especially if he believes it’s justified. Often his motives confuse younger people, only for them to learn he has greatly helped them in some way later. He retains his fatherly side from when his daughters Melinda and Caroline were alive, and is kind and protective towards children and others weaker than himself. Underneath all of this placidity, however, is the side of him that’s pained by his grave losses, and it shows itself in his dislike and distrust of the Merridale monarchy, and in quiet moments when he’s reflecting on his own.
In battle, he’s always willing to fight a formidable opponent, and always gives the match his all if he thinks his foe is worthy—seeing it as a sign of disrespect not to. He’ll only become gravely serious if his life or the life of one he cares about is in great danger. Occasionally, he’ll play a song after a victory in honor of his defeated foe’s efforts.
Since adopting Kate, Louis has become even warmer and more fatherly in his manner. He jokes more often, shows pride in his daughter whenever he can, and seeks to always do what is in her best interest. He is protective and affectionate toward her, and very patient; his experience as a father in the past helps him now, even though it also brings with it old, sometimes bittersweet memories. He tries to look upon these memories from a distance, appreciating them for what they were, and cherishing what he has now. He is not afraid to be strict with her, but often goes about teaching her lessons in more fun ways, and being a father again means the world to him. He tends to put others before himself and rarely thinks anything of it. He makes self-deprecating jokes about his age, but the concern is sometimes present in his mind. The minstrel has tried to lessen his smoking since adopting his daughter, but finds it hard to quit. His pipe has often accompanied him while he has been relaxing or thinking.
Louis loves music and storytelling. He can play virtually any instrument, and when introduced to a new one, takes the time to appreciate its qualities and to try and understand how to play it to its best. He has adapted well to the modern world, embracing it with open arms, and while he still finds some technology challenging, he has assimilated impressively into modern culture. However, there will always be something of the country boy in him, and his sometimes old-fashioned or more rural metaphors or turns of phrase sometimes reflect this. He loves breakfast foods, a holdover from his days as a boy on the farm, and gets along well with animals. Since adopting Kate, he is open to telling stories about his younger days more readily. He fondly remembers his family and their home of the past. You can take the minstrel out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the minstrel.
[LIST]
[*][I]Likes:[/I] Loves all kinds of music, especially country, big band, blues, and classical (Johnny Cash is a favorite, along with Mozart and Beethoven), food (especially breakfast foods), spending time with family and friends, comedy, good conversation, the outdoors, fishing, taking walks, playing his fiddle and other instruments, singing, animals, especially dogs, horses, sleeping, people who can take a joke, people who can laugh at themselves, telling stories, writing songs, poetry, a good laugh, history, farming, smoking a good pipe, baseball, hockey, women
[*]Food likes: Any kind of breakfast food, honey, ale, steak, eggs, bread, baked goods, potatoes, chicken, pork, corn, venison, mutton, raisins, apples, pears, cherries, peaches, crackers, nuts, sausage, bratwurst, fish, home-cooked meals, milk, cool water, ice cream, cake (especially chocolate), pie (especially cherry, apple, pecan), tea, coffee (three sugars, sometimes milk), butterscotch, he’ll eat just about any kind of food.
[*][I]Dislikes:[/I] Bigots, people who mistreat women, children, or the poor or otherwise unfortunate or defenseless, negligent or otherwise unfair monarchs, ignorant nobles, being cooped up indoors for too long, people who mistreat animals, heavy snowstorms, violent drunks, airplanes, war and the losses that come with it, being woken up in the middle of a good nap, wasting food
[*]Food dislikes: Brussel sprouts, asparagus, pigs’ feet
[*][I]Fears:[/I] Losing his family or friends, failing to protect someone, being faced with a supernatural or magical threat he cannot defend innocents against, and the fears that come with living a Christian life
[*][I]Virtues:[/I] Understanding, faithful, kind, good sense of humor, wise, a good father, a good friend, reliable, trustworthy, loyal, knows the value of hard work, doesn’t judge too quickly
[*][I]Vices:[/I] Smoking, can hold some grudges too long
[/LIST]
[B]History:[/B] Louis Fritz the minstrel hails from the imperial-minded Choras, land ruled by the royal family of Merridale. He once lived peacefully in the farming village of Brantmill, several miles from the tragedies and bloodshed of the ongoing wars. But when the latest conflict brought the battling to Bartholomew, merely ten miles away from quaint Brantmill, panic began to brew in the village. Men from Brantmill volunteered to join the ranks of the army to defend their home and way of life, and Louis Fritz was among them.
The small auxiliary force of Brantmill was called upon as the fighting progressed to Bartholomew Fields, between the city and the farming village. When the day was over, Louis and his comrades believed they were successful in holding off the enemy’s army from penetrating Brantmill, but when they returned home, they found that their foes had razed the farming community to the ground. The grief was almost too much for the men to bear. Foremost among the mourners was Louis Fritz: a single father raising two daughters his disloyal wife Julianne had left him with twelve years prior. Now both of those children were gone.
Louis could feel his sanity slipping in the following months. Efforts were made to rebuild Brantmill, but he refused to participate. He needed to leave. He needed a fresh start.
Taking what supplies he had left from the packs the army had provided, Louis set off to travel the world of Medina, singing songs and telling stories of Brantmill, the Choras wars, and his life. He made money doing odd jobs, going on journeys and protecting people or small towns. But the bard’s main quest remained the same: to find a new purpose in life.
Louis has, since leaving Choras, traveled to the mysterious Dome and become both a teacher and student. On his way there, he met a young girl named Melody Ferrier, who he discovered was a musical prodigy, and who was heading to the Dome for some unknown reason as well. He and Melody later encountered an orphaned girl named Kate who was being cruelly mistreated by her guardian Pyralis at a music festival. Melody tried her best to help, but her awakening as a Muse of Music drew her away. She could only contact Louis’ friend Cadenza to come to their aid before she was gone. Louis and his friend rescued Kate, but soon learned that Pyralis was only an employee for an even more powerful man named Marcus, who considered the girl his. In order to adopt Kate and save her from more cruelty, Louis and Cadenza had to enter into a contract with this man, and were later subject to occasional visits from his other employee, a man called Ruin.
Louis has since retired from the Dome, but occasionally still tutors students and takes part in other Dome activities. He's taken a liking to a baker named [URL="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/npc-repository/102893-sakumes-many-npcs.html"]Celia Everfields[/URL] and the two have since begun dating. The former farmer now writes music for country artists and other musicians, and plays his own music on the side as well. He still considers himself a minstrel and spreads his stories and songs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[B]RPs:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59276"]Misadventures of the Minstrel - Northern Dojo[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/77282-knockin-heaven-s-door.html"]Knockin' on Heaven's Door[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/battle-arena/75912-shadows-mourn-puck-altamira-insaney.html"]Shadows of Mourn[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/67018-excitement-operahouse-southern-belle.html"]Excitement at the Operahouse[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/69223-misadventures-minstrel-away-sea-hurripen.html"]Misadventures of the Minstrel - Away at Sea[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/71016-forgotten-lore-altamira-sabbo-vn.html"]Forgotten Lore[/url] (postponed)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/73085-farewells-all-those-who-wish-join.html"]Farewells.[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81646-send-me-friend-sakume.html"]Send Me a Friend[/url] (complete)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/81726-winning-end-altamira.html"]Winning In The End[/url] (dropped)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/82650-its-easier-hate-mikey-mike.html"]It's Easier to Hate[/url] (in progress)
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/crossroads/87105-spell-gone-awry-sakume.html"]A Spell Gone Awry[/url] (in progress)
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/89898-whos-your-daddy-kiri-alti.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/88679-a-place-in-my-heart-insaney-sakume.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/101411-fashion-police-sakume-alti.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/107203-blackbird-altamira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/109843-mommys-little-girl-sakume.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/110010-daughter-dearest-mikey-b-kiri-kraze.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/110739-man-and-wife-insaney-and-all-those-invited-many-cameos.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/113593-until-death-do-we-part-those-invited.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/121875-just-another-day-altamira.html[/url]
[url]http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/the-crossroads/127196-hay-and-honey-alti.html[/url]
[B]Character Fiction:[/B]
[url="http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/character-fiction/70585-common-cause-work-progress-everything-still-entirely-subject-change.html#post1789099"]A Common Cause (tentative title)[/url] (dropped)
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