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The gods have not abandoned us.

Armies from across the three great regions used to march with the favor of the divine – human soldiers fought alongside the gods' most fearsome monsters and most holy archons. The mortal ranks so bolstered were nigh unstoppable, but when one deity gained too much ground, another would retaliate by sending reinforcements of their own. In this way, a kind of balance was maintained for millennia.

Then the gods went quiet. Prayers were no longer answered. Archons across various battlefields became trapped there, unable to return to their patrons' sides in the heavens. Empires became unstable without their divine figureheads to keep them in order. While some faithfully awaited their return, most of humanity gave up hope. Now, missionaries from the west are spreading a new Word.

Headed by Pyr, Lord of Fire and Light, the Dysian Pantheon is filling the void left by the Old Gods. While this new religion is finding easy purchase among humans desperate for guidance, the monsters that have always lurked outside civilization are wisely left unproselytized. They remain largely untouched by the Dysian movement, but mankind's armies are beginning to rally around Pyr's ideals of purity, order, and human-centrism, and this brief age of peace seems to be nearing its end.

But it appears the Old Gods have not vanished entirely; they've got one last desperate ploy to return to their former glory: Ancient temples and seers of every race have suddenly become conduits for their power, tasking worthy champions with a quest, and granting these heroes with a measure of their divine might that they may succeed. While some undertake this holy mission gladly, the gods tempt the less altruistic with rewards indescribable; untold riches, the command of armies, even immortality are promised.

You are such a hero. Be it the vision of a half-mad soothsayer or the direct words entering your mind as you stumble into a dusty, forgotten shrine, you have been chosen to save the very gods themselves. Now burned into your mind is a singular command:

Go to the ruins of Theoclea in Gaios.

---

This RP is intended as a sort of cross between Titan Quest and Age of Mythology, two of my favorite games, but it is not explicitly tied to either. You shouldn't need to have played either to join this.

You will play as mythological creatures tasked by the gods of the Greek, Norse, and Egyptian pantheons to restore them to power in the face of a new wave of gods spreading from foreign lands. Of course, the Old Gods do not expect you to do this alone; they have granted you amazing powers to fulfill your task.

While it's heavily drawn from games and real-world mythology, I've created a great deal of material for this RP to try to make this a fun setting in which to create a character and have an interesting world to explore. Below you will find links to background information that will be helpful, if not necessary to create your character. I've tried to keep a low word-count so as not to overwhelm you, and you can feel free to gloss over any information that does not pertain to your character.

• The World
• The Races
• The Masteries

---

Character Sheet

• Name:
• Gender: Keep in mind that a few races are limited to one gender.
• Age: No children.
• Race: A list of available races can be found here.
• Class: Class Name: Mastery 1/Mastery 2
  
  Your class is a combination of the two Masteries of your choice found here. Once those are chosen, come up with a class name that describes your role, or choose one from here. Note that some races have one Mastery preselected. For now, no two characters may have the same Mastery combination.
• Appearance: Write as much description as you like. I would prefer you don’t link pictures, unless you yourself created the content of the image.
• Deity: Choose any one god from the Asgardian, Olympian, or Pharaonic pantheons. They must be thematically related to (and are probably responsible for) at least one of your Masteries.
  
  You may choose cross-pantheon, for example, a Minotaur champion of Thor. Non-god figures important in the mythologies of those pantheons can be chosen instead, such as Fenrir or Arachne. Your Deity is not necessarily a god your character was faithful to, or even aware of prior to being made their champion.
• Blessed Weapon: Weapon Name
  
  Choose and describe a weapon, or a set of weapons that can be wielded together (such as a sword and shield). It is a gift from your god, sort of like an up-front payment for your help, and cannot be broken or handled by another. The weapon need not reflect what your deity would wield, but period-appropriate weapons are preferred.
  • Blessing: A single innate ability within your weapon. Can include elemental damage, magical projectiles, effectiveness vs. a certain race, etc. Try to keep it somewhat in theme with your Masteries.
• Spells/Abilities: Choose four spells or enhanced abilities related to your Masteries. Can include fireballs, super strength, flight, concealment, supreme weapon mastery, team buffs, summoned creatures, etc. Summoned creatures are likely to be subjected to additional scrutiny before approval. All races have a free inborn ability, which need not be listed here.
  • Name: Description
  • Name: Description
  • Name: Description
  • Name: Description
• Equipment: Any gear your character has in addition to their Blessed Weapon. This may include armor, clothing, secondary weapons, or various accessories.
• Personality/Backstory: Who was your character prior to being chosen? What mundane skills do they have as a result of their upbringing or profession? How has the gods' absence affected them? Are either of their Masteries simply learned (such as arcane sorcery or martial discipline) and not divinely fueled? What boon was promised them in return for their help? How are they getting to the ruins of Theoclea?

---

Accepted Characters:

• Zak-thaael, a Lich Deciduator (Spirit/Frost) Inactive
• Melqarth, a Jackalman River-Bound (Warfare/Water)
• Roxane, a Harpy Trickster (Hunting/Mind)
• Buliwyf, an Einherjar Hersir (Warfare/Defense)
• Whisperswift, a Wood Elf Ranger (Hunting/Nature)
• Solhildr, a Valkyrie Dawnbreaker (Spirit/Sun)
• Xyka, a Lizardman Heirophant (Hunting/Defense)
• Ishaq, a Falconman Smith (Defense/Earth)
• Sethos, a Petsuchos Desertmaker (Sun/Earth)
• Glaukon, a Merman Stormguard (Storm/Defense)

edited 27th May '14 8:35:20 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

So is this Mythological Creatures only, or can humans who are badass enough be a race as long as they stay a rarity?

Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.

I'd allow a human, but I can't figure out a racial ability for them. If you're okay with missing out on an arguably minor bonus, or if you can think of something that makes sense, go for it.

Flesh is a design flaw.

I was thinking "these" particular humans (I'll nickname them Champions) being gifted with good luck and able to turn things that should be impossible, possible (although, that doesn't mean it will be likely).

These guys would be like the heroes of humanity, those who stand above the rest of their race in power.

Would that idea be okay?

edited 16th Apr '14 8:08:27 PM by JustaUsername

Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.

You got it. I'll add them to the race list.

edited 12th Aug '15 7:29:49 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Interested.

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

An RP inspired by Age of Mythology? Consider me interested.

Definitely interested.

Will probably do up an Anubite character later.

edited 17th Apr '14 5:32:37 PM by RegularDefender

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

• Name: Zak-thaael
• Gender: Female.
• Age: 834
• Race: Lich
• Class: Deciduator: Spirit/Frost
• Appearance: Zak-thaael looks like a skeleton dressed in tattered clothes with a jeweled bracelet and a crown and scepter made of ice. In her eye sockets there are two balls of yellow light.
• Deity: Boreas.
• Blessed Weapon: Winter's Authority, an ice scepter and an ice crown.
  • Blessing: The scepter and crown can slowly freeze anything they touch if Zak-thaael so chooses.
• Spells/Abilities:
  • Death's Secret: After whispering secrets about death into the target's ear for half a minute, the target dies. Any investigation into the cause of that death will come up with no cause since the cause was simply the target's soul being torn out of their body and bound to her jeweled bracelet.
  • Northern Wind: A cold and icy wind comes in from the north, buffeting the area around Zak-thaael and peppering everyone in the area with shards of ice.
  • Spirit's Remorse: Zak-thaael whispers the name of a dead person and she calls up that person's dead spirit under her control. If she whispers the name of someone she killed with Death's Secret or who's soul has been fragmented, though not destroyed, instead many weak and fragmented spirits that look identical to the person invoked appear in the area around her under her control which cannot touch anything or speak, though, when they pass through something, they cause the area they passed through to freeze instantly.
  • Icy Tomb: A whirlwind surrounds a target and the area of the whirlwind slowly freezes from the out in until the target is trapped in a pillar of ice.
• Equipment: Her phylactery, a jeweled bracelet, which is the source of her power, where her soul resides, and what must be destroyed to kill her. It is nigh invulnerable, though, and only powerful magic can damage it.
• Personality: Zak-thaael is reserved and somewhat shy. She has no social skills to speak of and can often be overly blunt. She doesn't have much fear, but, when it comes to the things she does fear, she is quite cowardly. She doesn't get bored or lonely easily. She is quite intelligent, but has very little intuitive ability to figure anything out.
• Backstory: Legend tells of a young boy, though some, mostly earlier ones, say it was a young girl, from far to the south, further south than even Horakht or Kemmuria, obsessed with death ever since he saw his parents die. He was young, and young children can be cruel. His peers were no exception. His lack of parents meant that he had no one to protect him but himself, so they bullied him mercilessly. He would pray to the gods of his lands every night for release from his torment. Each day he would get no response, but he persevered. He grew, and, as he became a young man, and, again, some say that she became a young woman, she became increasingly isolated from her peers, filling with hate and fear and bitterness. Finally, one night, his prayer changed. He whispered a prayer of power and death. The power to kill his peers and find his freedom. This time, someone answered. It was a dark and deep voice. It was a dark and evil god of his land, one that those of his land dared not speak of. It told him that he could have what he so desired. But, this god warned, nothing comes free of consequences, and he might not want the power he will be given. The boy asked the god what the god was getting from it. The god laughed and told him, "Just what you are, death." And, so, the boy agreed. He felt the power rush through him and a jeweled bracelet appear on his wrist. He rose and left his home. That night, he went through town, stopping at the domed homes of every single person who had mocked and bullied him. At each house, he crept in and whispered secrets of death into their ears, killing them instantly. When everyone awoke that morning, they found the beds inhabited by the dead and the boy was gone, never to be seen again.
  
  But the story does not end there. This man traveled north, giddy with his power, and finding himself without need for food or water or sleep. He endured the heat of the desert and climbed mountains with ease. He thought to himself of what a fool the god had been. He found no consequences that he disliked. He didn't notice as his body began to deteriorate and rot. He didn't notice as his flesh began to be torn from his bone. By the time he reached the south of Horakht, for it was just Horakht back then, he was naught but a skeleton. It was only there, when all fled from his sight, that he realized that he was a horror. Only then did he realize that the god was right. And, so, he continued north. He went further and further north, passing through Gaios, passing through Varlund, and, each land he went through, all who saw him fled. He kept going north. He went far enough north that nothing came there, not even the frost giants. He went to the top of the world, the furthest north he could go. There he sat, all by his lonesome, and began to meditate. And there he stays, to this day, or so the legend goes.
  
  And that is but a legend, but a legend born from truth. Zak-thaael doesn't remember the name she was born with, nor the name of her homeland or the dark god who granted her the power she wields or the children who bullied her. She has spent the last 812 years meditating at the North Pole. However, her isolation was interrupted one day when the wind spoke to her, "Go to the ruins of Theoclea in Gaios, and you shall find your heart's desire, acceptance and friends, people who do not run in fear of you." And she felt power course through her, a crown made out of ice condensed on her head with a scepter of ice condensing in her hands. She stood from her meditations and headed south.

edited 18th Apr '14 5:29:28 PM by deathpigeon

Instakills make me feel uneasy.

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

It's an instakill that requires her to spend a minute just whispering into the target's ear. If she gets interrupted, she has to start over. If the target doesn't hear part of it, she has to start over. It is really only effective when no one is around and the target is immobilized or asleep.

Name: Melqarth

Gender: Male

Age: 29

Race: Jackalman

Class: River-Bound: Warfare/Water

Appearance: Unusually pale for an Jackalman, Melqarth is a lighter shade of brown than most other Anubites, those with the blackened fur. Usually wearing a plain toga over his armor in a calm situation outside of combat, beneath the toga he wears a sort of Leather Linothorax in a scaled pattern, with bronze greaves and vambraces. Melqarth's armor is very heavily inspired by Hellenic armor, but has a distinctive flair reminiscent of our world's Carthage.

Deity: Charon, the Ferryman of the Styx

Blessed Weapon: The Guided Passage. A spear with engraved markings depicting the waves of the River Styx. Given to Melqarth when he discovered his calling to Charon's aid.

Blessing: The spear has an innate ability in navigating the holder across water, and to potentially avoid death. This manifests in combat as giving him greater reaction-times the closer he is to a river. As while guiding a boat across the water- one would need to respond to the ever-changing waves, especially in a river so dangerous as the Styx.

Spells/Abilities:

• Flowing Rivers: Melqarth summons up water from the ground in a small wave. Usually this is powerful enough to knock most foes down, but it can be used in a more constant stream when under intense focus, as a way to pin down a foe.
• The Waters of the Styx: Melqarth is able to call upon a small part of the River of the Styx to temporarily grant him the same invulnerability of Achilles, however it requires much preparation and ritual, and the Goddess of the Styx does not appreciate her waters being wasted.
• Hopilite's Valor: From his days under the tutorage of the Veteran, Melqarth is able to call upon the same resolve that the Hopilites find under the shield wall, at a point of near-break in Morale, Melqarth instead of giving up finds himself with a new resolve to fight beyond the limits of his subconscious, becoming a death-seeker in the process thinking that it is his time to finally meet the Ferryman again, and so he must guide as many as he can with him.
• Ancestral Familiarity: Melqarth has the skills of combat deep within him, and is innately familiar with his Race's favorite type of weapon- wielding two swords. Although he now favors the spear as his blessed weapon, he is still much more skilled than the common man, though by no means a master, as he is with the spear. As part of this combative blood, he can also learn the techniques of other weaponry faster than a human can.

Equipment: Plain White Toga, Leather Linothorax, Bronze Greaves and Vambraces. Two Makhaira (Greek Cavalry Swords, slightly curved and Falchion like for heavy slashing blows at speed) to fall back upon, and a coin attached to a necklace, ready for his passage to the Styx should the time come, also serving as a memento.

Personality/Backstory: Melqarth was born out of a lost group of Jackalmen who had made their way to the lands of Gaios, and while he was young he was kept behind as the elders went out to pillage for their survival when foraging didn't provide enough. His parents noted how he seemed attached to the rivers, and often enjoyed going into the water whenever he could and so they thought that perhaps Amek had blessed him. But despite this he was despised as he was born paler than the rest.

When his parents, respected members, were killed during one raid on a nearby town, one that the Jackalmen were unaware that it had a locally-known hero residing within it. Although the "Hero" was slain by the rest, this Hero had taken his parents with him as well as many of the others. The rest of the Jackalmen had dispersed and none had returned to take care of Melqarth, fearing that there may be others like that Hero. From this point on, Melqarth learned to fend for himself, but always stuck close to the river, learning how to Fish and how to grow and survive, some parts defending himself from various wild beasts.

One day while he was a mere teenager, an Old veteran from the many wars that plague Gaios came upon Melqarth, and took him in, as he saw that the boy was young and had potential to serve as an apprentice. The old Veteran trained him in how to use a spear properly, and taught him many parts of warfare noting that Melqarth took them up quite quickly- and had a profound preference towards using two swords. But the Veteran soon made that a second preference over using a spear without a shield as the Old Veteran showed that he would be able to fish better if he was using a spear, rather than the two training swords.

Over-time though he was viewed with suspicion in the local village, he grew to respect the ways of Gaios and to revere the Olympian Gods. While originally he was devoted to Poseidon as he saw the Sea as a larger river, a brush with death when he found himself beset by Bandits near a river showed that the Olympians were welcoming of him.

Though Melqarth refused to board Charon's boat, Instead insisting that he wished to serve the River, but he did not want to cross it just yet. He was tasked with guiding others to the river, mostly those who were seen as criminals, or disliked by the Olympians who had not been able to find them, or simply did not have time. He was thus given the Guiding Passage as a token from both Charon, who fashioned the shaft out of his Oar, Styx who engraved the shaft, and Hermes who provided the blade. With the promise that those killed by it would pass across the river to the underworld, Guided there by his spear.

As a result of Melqarth's background, he is a good fisherman, he knows how to read and write in the Gaios tradition and has an insight into battlefield tactics from his Mentor, that Old Veteran. Though since the God's absence, he has had to grow his own sense of justice and thus tries to interpret what the Olympians would wish of him. He learned to control Water when he was blessed by the Ferryman, but he also knew how to navigate it from a young age learning how to Fish and Swim, while the mastery of Warfare was both Taught to him by his Mentor, and some taught by his Parents as part of his instinctive knowledge in warfare, as part of his Jackalman heritage. Charon promised Melqarth that when his time would come, that he would be granted a place in Elysium close to a River that would be plentiful with Fish. Though until then- Melqarth has set out towards the ruins on his own, trying to get there by the rivers, and by sea across a boat much like his ancestors did from the deserts of Horakht to Gaios.

---

Al right- there we have it.

Sorry if I went over-board on the background.

And off the top of my head, I can't figure out how to name his Mentor. So for now, he's just- The Old Veteran.

Let me know if you think there are any problems with this.

Hold on- seeing my post, I can see one problem. Let me just- make that paragraph easier to read...

Second Edit: Al right, I've exchanged Sailor's Foot and Desert Ancestry with two new powers.

edited 18th Apr '14 4:49:32 PM by RegularDefender

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

@ Deathpidgeon: I would like you to nerf the Death's Secret power to some extent. Souls can be shattered or fragmented, but that's something even many gods cannot do. Necromancers sometimes learn how to displace the soul, forcibly (but slowly) ripping it out and causing death in much the same way - but it only works on the weak-willed. Optionally you could simply have an attack that tears at the soul, widening your options for targets and allowing you to cause damage through armor, so long as they don't have magical protection; "Vorpal" damage, but not an instant-kill.

The first option seems closer to your original intent, and shouldn't screw up your backstory. You may have to alter the wording for the Spirit's Remorse skill regardless since it was tied to it.

Also, I would like some clarification as to why Zak-thaael is undertaking this mission. What boon was promised her by Boreas for his return to power?

Edit: I almost forgot, give the Blessed Weapon a name.

@ Regular Defender: Anubites are the archons (servants, angels) of Anubis, whereas Jackalmen are the disgraced mortal counterpart. While one could probably pass as the other in-game (Anubites are probably just taller, maybe with some glowing eyes), your character seems to be the latter. It's just semantics, and you don't have to change it if it's a bother.

Now, your powers seem a little weak. The first power Flowing Rivers: a "small wave," how small are we talking? Because if it can't knock most people down, it's too small.

The Sailor's Foot, I'll just give to you as a freebie - call it a side effect of Flowing Rivers. I didn't mention swimming speed with the Mermaids or Naiads because it seemed like a non-power that wouldn't get much use.

Desert Ancestry is as much a racial power as anything. Basically, if it's a power that several races probably have, and I didn't mention it, then you don't need to mention it. Another non-power freebie.

Ancestral Familiarity sounds like "extraordinary skill with melee weapons." That one's solid.

edited 18th Apr '14 4:36:01 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Al right.

Will edit it to be a bit more clarified.

But yeah, I was kind of using Anubite as a short-hand for Jackalman. I do apologize.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

Those powers are good. I like the Achilles/Styx reference.

Flesh is a design flaw.

Thank you!

I tried to keep him to a theme.

And I do apologize if I gave his background a bit too much of a wall-of-text.

Trying to justify why someone would serve the Ferryman and not someone like Hades was a challenge I wanted to take.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

I edited it so that Death's Secret instead stores the soul in her bracelet, if that's a sufficient nerf, I named her Blessed Weapon Winter's Authority, and included a promise from Boreas. Also, edited Spirit's Remorse to be clear on something that was intended, but was never clear.

edited 18th Apr '14 5:30:01 PM by deathpigeon

interested

@ Deathpidgeon: Okay, everything looks good. I forgot to mention it earlier, but I'm glad you gave her a phylactery. I should have made that a requirement for a Lich character in the first place, but it seems you know your stuff.

Edit: I guess I should start an accepted characters list.

edited 18th Apr '14 6:21:48 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

I'm interested. Let me parse over some ideas and see if a character idea comes to me.

"It all depends on how we look at things, and not on how they are themselves." -C.G. Jung

That was actually added in mostly last minute because I realized I had forgotten it. But phylacteries are a necessary part of being a lich. Like, if you don't have one, then what's the point?

Zak-thaael doesn't actually know the significance of the phylactery, though. She thinks it's just a magic bauble.

A Lich without a Phylactery is just a posh zombie wizard.

• Name: Roxane Doron
• Gender: Female
• Age: 25
• Race: Harpy
• Class: Trickster: Mind/Hunting
• Appearance: Tall and slender with tanned skin and wings that are brown and flecked with black akin to a brown owl's, while Roxane has long and straight auburn hair and hazel colored eyes.
• Deity: Hermes
• Blessed Weapon: Vanishing Death
  • Consists of 4 throwing axes and two throwing knives. Two of the axes are on Roxane's back, two more on her belt, while her two throwing knives are in her sleeves. The weapons are all different sizes and shapes, some spiked while others aren't. They are also all balanced.
• Blessing: Can instantly reappear in Roxane's hand, or their place, at Roxane's command. They can also return with whatever they hit or not, again depending on Roxane's command.
• Spells/Abilities:
  • In Your Imagination: Gives Roxane control over illusions, and she is able to control these quite well, however the bigger ad more numerous they are , the harder they become to control, and the less senses she can fool.
  • Tracker: As long as Roxane can see it, Roxane can place a mental tracker, allowing her to know where her target is. She can track both objects and living beings, but there is a limit of 12.
  • Telepathy: Roxane is able to read the minds of others around her, and is also able to communicate with them through it. However, if realizing that Roxane is mind-reading them, people with a lot of mental will are able to shut her out. Furthermore, she cannot read the minds of deities, and if a person is praying or meditating she is unable to communicate nor mind-read them.
  • Ranged Skills: Roxane has an innate ability with ranged weapons, being far better than the common man on her first try with any ranged weapon, and exceptional with her throwing knives and axes as she's practiced with
• Equipment: Is fond of leather with metal layered on, resulting in a bizarre mix of black and silver clothing. Has a lot of scavenged metallic accessories, like bracelets, rings, earrings, etc. Also has a leather satchel that she packed filled with three days worth of food and drink.
• Personality/Backstory:
  • Born within a fairly normal murder, her merchant father discarded as soon as she was born, Roxane was partly selected, partly willing, to become a Hunter, developing and honing her skills and abilities with the other hunters in her murder and trained in how to use her powers by the Hag of her murder, along with the other young members of the murder.
  • As she came into her late teen years, Roxane survived for a week in the wilderness, and was deemed fit to go on her first raid, which she did reasonably well in. Accepted fully into the murder, Roxane gleefully tracked down and caught those worthy of going into the Underworld, growing fond of Hermes and his charming personality, like many harpies before her, enjoying playing with her victims the most. She also went on raids to poorly defended towns and trade caravans, reveling in it.
  • Rather unaffected by the Olympians disappearing, Roxane's murder continued thieving and bringing terror to the towns they visited, now punishing any nay-sayers instead of bringing people to the underworld. During one such raid, Roxane entered Hermes temple to pay tribute to the forgotten god when she found herself meeting an avatar of the God of Thieves. Commanded to pay a visit to Theoclea with the promise of endless metal accessories and pretty looking things, as well as the God's company and favor. Roxane didn't hesitate and after packing and informing her Hag of her intentions, Roxane bid the rest of her murder farewell and began the journey to Theoclea by flight.

edited 20th Apr '14 3:13:13 AM by Tricksen

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

@ Tricksen: While the first two powers seem fine, the third and fourth need work.

Magnetism is totally unrelated to Hunting or Mind, and would be more appropriate under the domain of Earth, or maybe Storm. I get the Magpie idea but it just doesn't really fit here.

Predator, on the other hand, is well within the purview of Hunting, but it's like four powers all at once: Super (duper) senses, super agility, super strength, and supreme thrown weapons mastery are all full powers in their own right.

If I were you, I'd take Agility or Strength and Throwing Mastery as the two powers to replace Magnetism and Predator. Harpies already have good vision and hearing, being biologically similar to birds of prey, and you have Tracker to pick up any slack those might leave.

Also, the name is a little weird. There is a close Greek equivalent in "Roxana," but I won't force you to change it.

edited 19th Apr '14 6:42:59 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Alrighty, here I go.

---

• Name: Ishaq the Miner - "Shaq"
• Gender: Male
• Age: 27
• Race: Falconman
• Class - Smith: Defense/Earth
• Appearance: Like this. Wears armor that obscures all of that.(See below)
• Deity: Hephaestus
  • Blessed Weapon - Eagleheart: A full-body set of pitch-black armor, the quality of the metalwork makes it clear that it wasn't made by mortal hands. This is a good reference for style,◊ but the torso is forged in a way that the outlines of muscles are embedded into the metal, and the helmet is longer to accommodate a beaked wearer. There are Talon covers instead of boots, and it extends over his wings. The plates over the wings culminate in a sharp edge at the base of his wings, and the talons are also sharp, which are the extent of its limited offensive options.
  • Blessing - Mettle: It resists being magically altered by outside forces, meaning that the armor is like a magical "dead zone", within which it cannot be affected by magic and sorcery. Directly. If someone were to use ice magic to freeze water into an ice spike or something, and propel it at him it, then that's one thing. But a spell like "corrode metal" or "paralysis" that directly targets him would be negated. This also is not selective, meaning that if someone were to use a beneficial magical buff on him, it wouldn't work. Likewise, when he gets injured, a healing spell would require that he remove the armor covering that part of his body in order to allow it to work, otherwise he'd remain there bleeding out.
• Spells/Abilities:
  • Advanced Forging: Forging skills, both mundane and magical, granted by Hephaestus. Shaq can magically summon a temporary forge at which you work quickly, with quality, and can repair magical items. If there are nearby metal reserves, they can be harnessed as materials without having to be mined.
  • Colossus Form: Shaq doubles in size, slowing him down tremendously, but adding weight, making him a more capable defender.
  • Smith's Strength: Super strength, which has the benefit of allowing unimpeded movement despite being covered in armor.
  • Automaton Creation: The ability to conjure forth metal automatons he's previously constructed. Two man-sized automatons, or one large 8-foot tall one.
• Equipment: None. Fights using his own body/armor, and isn't particularly skilled with another weapon to merit carrying it around. (Plus if the need ever came up, he could just make it.)
• Personality/Backstory: Shaq was always someone who people considered as someone who had his head in the clouds. Which, considering said people were also Falconmen, is saying something. He just never seemed to fit in right. Ra's probably a cool enough god, and he didn't hate him or anything like that, but the whole extremism of Horakht just wasn't for him. And the idea that he might come back if they just prayed louder and built bigger monuments to him wasn't something he agreed with.
  But everybody's got to eat, and the only way he could survive was being a miner. Toiling away in the mines was alright, since that meant that sometimes he'd get to use the smelter, and he liked seeing the metal boil. But whenever he had the chance, he'd soar around the countryside, sometimes trying to reach the heavens himself, sometimes just killing time, always wishing things weren't so bleak. On one such flight, he found an old temple in the mountains, though he would have swore he'd flown past there a thousand times before and never seen it. Inside, the voices in his head gave him a good deal. His mission? They'd give him powers and armor he could previously have only dreamed of, in order to save the gods. His boon? He'd get to keep them. (As for how he's getting there... on foot. And wing.)

edited 21st Apr '14 4:30:55 PM by nman