Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread
and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).
Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.
With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.
[[Current Time: Early Morning]
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD
This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.
Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.
Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.
edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns
The future of warfare in UC.
[Back of the Bar Building]
"That thing?" Samuel said. He didn't appear terribly surprised by Cyana's appearance. "Went that way," he pointed, "then decided running wasn't enough and decided to disappear entirely. Frankly it's a bit of a tryhard."
Nous restons ici.
[Behind Big Kahuna]
"If you want to get technical," Askeda said to Ian, "I'm an Animalia Chordata Reptilia Squamata Mistirithrae Chimaeram sapiens occidentalis. Or just plain chimera. Not to be confused with the mythological creatures from ancient Greece, who indirectly stole the name. And, thanks for the offer, but I'm not really in the mood for lunch right now."
The stranger passed, and Cyana came out. "Saw them," Askeda said, flaring her wings, "couldn't make much out." She glanced at Henderson's door. "Maybe..."
Cue Henderson sticking his head back around the door. "About the price... I get to keep the head, right?" When Askeda nodded, he said, "Alright. Two thousand it is." He handed Askeda a white envelope. "Pleasure doing business with you." He began to head back inside.
Before the door closed completely, however, Askeda pulled it back open and said, "Hang on a sec. You didn't happen to see anyone heading out here, did you? Kinda nondescript person?"
"Erm... No, I don't think so," said Henderson, shaking his head.
"Alright. Thanks, anyway." Askeda closed the door and flared her wings. "Ah, well." She glanced at Samuel. "You know, I didn't catch your name."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Behind the Bar]
"Samuel al-Faddil." Samuel replied. "Could toss in a rank and a few other things, but I doubt it'd mean much to you." He gestured to the door. "Two thousand much for that? I admit I'm not familiar with the prices around here."
Nous restons ici.
Laugh and grow dank!
Rikael’s head canted to the side, looking to Friedrich. Her expression turned thoughtful and she shrugged her scaly shoulders. “I wouldn’t exactly say we were running the show. Even if my colleagues disagree with me that economics is important, we don’t like to couch it in contentious terms. The world has enough needless competition in it as it is. For me, it’s just a pleasure to be able to do useful work. We all got our place in the Commonwealth, you know?” She shrugged again, turning over to regard Violet. Her look of enthusiasm had returned.
“Well hey! Aren’t you the big-shot weapons designer? That sounds fascinating! I don’t think the Commonwealth is anywhere close to being able to design something like that, and it’s the most technologically advanced power on the continent- planet! At least, if they do have something like that, I haven’t heard about it.”
It was only then that something Violet had said struck her. “Wait- you work with magic?” Evidently, her excitement had gotten the better of her. She paused, recalling some of what Violet had said. “What’s runeology? I take it that it’s some kind of science?” Her expression was inquisitive, but slightly perturbed. “... Are you a mage?” Her gaze took on a slight squint.
edited 13th Oct '13 9:05:22 PM by Gault
yey
[Town]
Thomas looked over at George, still writing notes, then at Nathan, who seemed a little unnerved with everything that had happened. Especially since they had just talking about how University was just a bizarre dream.
He needed he to leave for a while, find a room for all three of them.
"...I'm going to the hotel." he announced, turning around and walking away. "I'll meet you all there."
"Sure." George said, focusing more on his notes, "See you soon."
Nathan saw Kagyua returned, and gave a quick wave. "First meeting didn't go well?"
[Behind Big Kahuna]
"Eh, it's about usual," said Askeda, wiggling her hand a bit as she stuck the envelope into her bag. "That was a big chital, so I'm guessing it weighed something like a hundred eighty pounds. About half that is usable for meat, so ninety pounds. At that, that's a little over twenty dollars US per pound, which is a good balance between the prices of really good tenderloin and hamburger. Of course, that one also had some nice antlers, so they're probably going to mount the head somewhere, and that adds a bit more to the price, 'cause otherwise I keep it. Trophies, you know?" She flared her wings.
"And even if I was being ripped off, I don't need a lot of money. Pretty self-sufficient out there." She jerked a thumb inland. "Only really need it for small luxuries, like this." She reached down and pulled out her hunting knife, holding it up for Samuel to see. It was nothing particularly fancy, but it was hardy, looked like it had seen a lot of use, and was well-maintained. "For when I get tired of using my claws to cut it open for field dressing. All that blood can take a while to get out."
Crazy Kiwi
"That's a nice knife," said Ian, "looks like you look after yours better'n I do, as well. Great meeting you, Askeda, always a pleasure meeting another hunter." He turned to Samuel, "you're welcome to join us for lunch, if you wish."
Teri said her farewells to Askeda and Samuel and headed off towards the table. Ian strolled along after her, looking around at the variety of people.
A Chimera, he thought. He'd followed Askeda's "technical" description as far as Reptilia with no problem but he lost it at Squamata. Sapiens and Occidentalis were easy enough to comprehend, though. What a great place they'd come to!
.gif_100.jpeg){kind=avatar}
[Big Kahuna]
"Table for one, please." Aya seated herself and pulled up a menu. A glass of ice water, while she browsed for an entree. Plenty of barbeque... might sample the native fruits... been a while since I've had some good seafood. Medium steak, fruit salad on the side. Yeah, that sounds good. Any meat would do— well, except poultry; she lost her taste for bird meat quite some time ago.
Arc, despite being built on an arid plain, had a decent variety of food grown in the terraformed layers. Most of the meat had to be imported from nearby cities, but none of it compared to what Aya could find in her hometown. Hopefully this vacation would allow her a taste of what she'd missed.
As she waited for her meal, Aya took a better look at her surroundings. Mahogany-red walls, bamboo decor. Red and blue lighting, displays from island cultures unfamiliar to her. Multiple floors and a balcony, something to check out later. All in all, an aesthetically pleasing structure; if anything, the place reminded her of a seafood restaurant back home. Aya saw it as a welcome departure from the metallic brasses and bronzes of Arc.
The bar looked lively; the bartenders seemed to make a point of being as flashy as possible in mixing drinks for their patrons, as if putting on a show for the crowd. She was tempted for a moment to slip over and order a drink, but quickly recalled the old tradition— more of a taboo, really —about alcohol and unfamiliar places.
A bit of context for the last line of the third paragraph: my characters hail from an arcanepunk setting, but Arc (a key location in said setting, also happens to be Jubal's home city) is distinctly gearpunk. Jubal is accustomed to it; Aya is not.
edited 13th Oct '13 10:09:01 PM by Blueeyedrat
Drummer Boy
[[Harbor]]
"Well, if you say so," Friedrich muttered.
"Runeology? Well, it's kind of like physics, chemistry, and magic put together. It's hard and it's terrible and no one's good at it, really. And yes, I'm a mage. A Vesper, more specifically, since my entire lineage is mages. Friedrich can use magic too, but only one parent was a carrier, so that makes him one. But he's educated, so the Republic calls him a mage. I don't live in the Republic, thank the Elders. So... why that look on your face?"
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Laugh and grow dank!
Rikael faltered. A short silence followed, which she tried to break with a halting, “Um- look? Wh –what look? I have a look?” The look she denied having only deepened. Now, her expressiveness was playing to her disadvantage. If she had been bad at hiding her excitement before, she was just as bad at hiding her misgivings now.
After a few more awkward moments of trying to gather her thoughts, Rikael composed herself and managed to say, “Okay, um, just so I- just so I have things straight here, both of you are Mages? And this- the ability to use magic is something that your parents- that was inherited genetically from your parents, right?” She started to fidget.
yey
"Yes, speech is one of its functions. It does other things. The data it stores says that you are a Kitsune. A creature of Japanese folklore and not an regular fox. I'm not a nekomata or bakeneko, but I could become one one day. Is this correct?"
edited 14th Oct '13 6:04:16 AM by m8e
[Behind Big Kahuna >> Sky]
Seeing that everyone was going about their business, Cyana said, "well, thanks for your help."
She decided that the stranger was probably just shy, and so morphed again into a beam of light, hitting a cloud in the sky and turning it iridescently multicolored.
. . .
[Ocean >> Harbor]
A large pirate ship approached the Harbor, scattering a few seagulls with its surprisingly fast approach for what appeared to be an ordinary sailing ship. It was about the size of a frigate
◊, with three main masts, black sails at full along them, 30 cannons at the ready on each side, a mermaid carving with an eyepatch at the bow, and a jolly roger flag flying atop. It pulled into the Harbor and docked gracefully, the sails furling themselves as the ship came to a stop. If one were to look closely, a faded-out name, The Swashcoupler, could be seen on the wooden sides, mostly visible through the rough and barnacled hull.
As the ship stopped alongside a pier, a few ropes were tossed over by crewmembers unseen, as a single pirate leaped off the ship. He was at least 6ft/1.8m tall, wearing almost stereotypical 18th-century pirate garb, a bright red and blue swashbuckling outfit, sporting a thick black beard, and what appeared to be a cutlass sheathed on his right side, along with a pistol on his left. He landed with a thud onto the pier, apparently unharmed, probably due to the fact that he appeared to be half-machine, his entire left side constructed out of clockwork-mechanical devices, including a telescoping eyeglass for his left eye. He secured the ropes to the dock, and looked around at the island.
"Arr, this looks like a good place t' find some new blood," he said, walking towards the beach with an alternating step-thunk-step-thunk sound.
The pirate is looking for brave new members to explore and/or loot an uncharted island in this Archipelago. More details available upon inquiry.
WARNING: The island they're headed to is in an unstable region of reality, and lots of crazy nonsensical things are going to happen on this trip, so don't get on the ship if you're not prepared for a zany interdimensional adventure! 
Of course, nobody has to get on, and I'll cancel this if nobody is interested. Or just have the pirates talk to people.
Also note that if anyone were to inspect the pirate ship, they would notice that there doesn't seem to be anyone on the deck, and the hull/interior is mysteriously impenetrable to teleportation/scans/etc.
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Attitude is prohibited
[Al's Bar]
Tamara nervously glanced between Layi and the bourbon. "Uh..." She said, with great uncertainty. This was not the kind of adventure she'd been hoping for, and the way Layi described it made it sound even worse. She picked up the glass, but her mouth stubbornly refused to open.
"Oh, don't worry." Said Al. "You'll probably still be fighting beasts of some kind. I hear there's some nasty things out in the off-island jungles. The cops busted the thieves a while back, remember? They were never much for fighting anyway. All you're likely to find now is some wannabe punk kids... And if you do run into some, try not to kill 'em. That just means more trouble for me." He shook his head and set about cleaning another glass and watch Tamara stare down her bourbon. "Also," He added. "I don't know where you're from, lady, but the cops around here tend to be pretty clean. Don't go trying ta bribe 'em, if you know what's good or you."
After staring intently at her drink for several moments, Tamara finally built up enough courage to open her mouth and down the remaining half a glass, swallowing as quickly possible. This time, she was unsuccessful in stopping herself from grimacing.
Al chuckled at the display and went to the back room for a moment, returning with a map and a sheet of paper. "Okay, you want to go out there on my behalf, here's the island you need to get to, and here's where we are now." He said, pointing to the approximate locations of both his bar and a small island off the coast of the mainland. "It's a pretty small island, so I'm sure you'll find the old base pretty quick." He took out a pen and handed it to Layi. "You and your little party just sign the bottom of the page. All it says is that you're heading out to get me something, that you know it could be dangerous and that you won't try to sue me." True to his word, the document was quite short and to the point, detailing exactly what Al had said that it would, albeit in slightly more robust language, probably for legal purposes. "Once you've signed, just pass it to your friends, then give it back. You can take the map too, if you want."
"Hey," Said Tamara, tapping on the bar. "Water please." Her voice was a little bit hoarse. "Quickly..."
Not entirely dead.
[Al's Bar]
Layi chuckled as she watched Tamara and said, "you clearly hated that stuff the first time. And yet you finished it off... just because you had a fat old lady egging you on?" She rolled her eyes. "By the spirits, girl. You're lucky you're my apprentice now. Lesson one: any coward can down a swig of whatever when they're scared of looking a fool. It takes courage to say no. Follow?"
She signed the document Al handed her, then looked at him, mildly mystified. "Wait, if you can't bribe cops, how does anything get done?"
edited 14th Oct '13 8:09:56 PM by KillerClowns
They/Them
[The Ocean -> Harbor]
Pulling up into the island's harbor, was a rather peculiar looking boat. It was about the size and shape of a small recreational trawler, but it was mainly colored gray, moved much faster, and it lacked many of the instruments that were typically found on a regular trawler. It pulled into the harbor slowly, docking into a spot near the end of the pier.
When the ship finally stopped along the pier, a claw-like device extended out of the ship and held it to the pier. Coming out the back of the housing compartment of the ship, were two individuals.
The first individual was a man, a little over six feet tall with a skinny athletic build and dark tan skin, sporting medium length black hair and sky blue eyes. He was wearing a pair of black shoes, black cargo pants, a light gray button-up T-shirt and a peculiar looking blue longcoat with black and gold linings. If one were to look inside the longcoat, they would notice the star-like pattern that adorned the inside.
The second individual, also male, was about five and a half feet with a slim build and pale skin, with a head of dark brown hair and golden hazel eyes. He was clad a pair of brown shoes, blue jeans and a black shirt with a yellow radiation warning symbol on it. What was most obvious was his cybernetic right arm, which was mostly white, save for the black elbow and a strange red, unmoving, tentacle like mass that was around the shoulder.
As the two got off the ship, the guy with the coat noticed the pirate ship, hoping off the boat to run toward it to check it out, the cyborg following shortly. The two had stupid looking smiles on their faces as they looked at the ship, speechless.
As a note, they definitely want to go on the ship and go on the "zany interdimensional adventure". They're just smiling like idiots at it right now.
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Al's Bar]
"Sounds fine to me," Kevin said, also signing the document, looking ready to go whenever the others were.
I hope Kevin isn't turning into too much of a third wheel given the dynamic between Layi and Tamara. :(
[Harbor]
"Arr, I see ye've noticed me ship!" said the clockwork-cyborg pirate, approaching the two who had just disembarked, "she might be a bi' rough around the edges, but she's still packs a mighty good punch."
Then, looking the two newcomers over with his eyeglass, he said, "Say, I dinnae suppose you two would be up for some ... adventure?"
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
[Al's Bar]
Layi looked over at Kevin and said, "and you! You've been real quiet over there! Ain't had a drop to drink either." She shook her head. "Your choice, but ain't it kinda rude to go into a bar and not at least pick up a glass of fern tea or something?" She took a look at the bottles behind the bar. "Huh. A bar that don't serve tea? Must be an outsider thing." Then she turned back to Kevin and said, "anyhow, you! Said you were an adventurer? Professionally?" She looked at him quizically. "Shit, hasn't been much money in that since we killed the gods. Least not where I come from." She frowned. "What kinda 'adventures' you usually do?"
edited 14th Oct '13 6:34:28 PM by KillerClowns
They/Them
[Harbor]
The two looked toward the pirate that approached them, big, almost childish, smiles appearing on their faces.
"Oh hell yeah, we'd like to go," the one in the coat expressed enthusiastically, "Always wanted to go on a pirate ship."
The one in the coat bowed to introduce himself, "My name's Adrian Ramses, and this is my friend Virgil Maro." Virgil kept his eyes on the ship, but lazily waved his arm to express recognition.
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Al's Bar]
"Oh! Yes, I'm a professional adventurer," Kevin said, slightly startled, "well, technically I'm still in training, but I'm at Level 6 now, so not too shabby."
"As for what kinds of adventures, well, all sorts of stuff: I've fought goblins, bats, mummies, trolls, golemns and all sorts of monsters. The quests have been mostly around finding treasure, lost, or stolen items. I did even rescue the princess of Kavolia once (even though I didn't know she was the princess at the time.) Most of them have been reasonably profitable, but I'm not from around here, so I can't speak for anything local."
"What kinds of adventures have you been on before?" he said to Layi, "oh, and I guess I could get something, but I don't really drink much..."
Kevin's just a bit shy - that and I didn't want to ruin that great dynamic between Layi and Tamara. 
[Harbor]
"Excellent!" The pirate said to Adrian, holding out his normal right hand for a hearty handshake, "the name's Captain Cogbeard."
"We're lookin' fer some new crew to join us on looting an island near the east pole of this here ocean, 'bout a day or two journey from 'ere," Cogbeard said, "however, before I c'n be lettin' ye join me crew, I have to make sure ye be up for the challenge - so what talents and experience you be bringing on board?"
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
They/Them
[Harbor]
Adrian shook Captain Cogbeard's hand before explaining.
"Well, we're both experienced fighters and we can handle most physical labor. We don't know much about ship sailing, but we can learn pretty quickly," he thought for a second, "Also we really wanna go on a pirate adventure."
Virgil managed to take his eyes off the ship toward the conversation, "We've also dealt with an assorted amount of monsters, so there's probably not a lot we can't handle."
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
[Harbor]
Near Rikael, Friedrich, and Violet a small burst of green magic flashes, followed immediately by the appearance of a rather bulky man. Clad in a rather odd combination of long black cotton pants, a rather tight shirt, white cotton, collarless and short sleeved, yet buttoned down the front. He looks down at the small group, blade of his long glaive peeking over his shoulder, hovering behind him.
"So,"
He folds his rather pale muscular arms together, "I hope I haven't interrupted anything. Didn't pick where they dropped me in."
He smiles, memories of the last time he'd taken a dip in another dimension faint on his mind. Hopefully, he could do even better than last time.
Bet you didn't see that coming
[Harbor]
"Aye, sounds good," Cogbeard said, "and dinnae worry about the sailin', she mostly sails herself."
"So, if'n ye think ye arr ready, do ye want to head on up, and check out th' ship?"
Danger: Intense gravimetric distortions nearby. Please reverse the polarity on your deflectors now.
Harbor
Kaguya frowned. "That group...wasn't particularly friendly," she said, looking back briefly where they had been and rubbing the spot on her head where she'd been smacked. She quickly looked at Hayate, who was still engaged in conversation with the now-talking cat, before looking back at Nathan and dropping her voice to a whisper. "I did learn that the winged lizard person is mystical somehow, and that there's someone capable of picking up on my mind-reading no matter who I'm using it on. The hard way." She shuddered a bit upon recalling that memory.
"Maybe you'll be a little more conservative with it from now on, hm?" Hayate said to her, revealing that he did in fact hear her despite her best efforts. He rolled his eyes before turning back to Claire. "Again, I apologize for the interruptions. It is my duty to serve as her mentor, and unfortunately she hasn't quite learned what is and what isn't proper in youkai society." He sighed. "But back to the subject at hand. I am a kitsune, although in most circumstances 'kitsune' is just another way of saying 'fox.' The proper term for my kind is 'bake-gitsune.' But before we continue this line of discussion further, I have a different question to ask you." He glanced around the surrounding area. "We were mislead by a nue and found ourselves here. Beyond 'an island in an archipelago,' we have little idea where we are. Would you be able to provide a more specific description?"
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Drummer Boy
[[Harbor]]
"Yeah, we got magic from our parents. You got a problem with that?" Friedrich narrowed his eyes at Rikael. She was sounding a bit like a top Republic official, the kind that would rather get rid of the mage population than learn to control it better.
"HIIII!" Violet spun around and waved her arms at Sven to make sure he noticed her. "I'm Violet. What's your name? And that teleportation thing you just did was so amazing. How does it work?"
edited 20th Oct '13 4:22:13 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Town
As Kaguya went through the winged reptile's mind, she looked over the rest of its group. The first thing she noticed was the weapons most of them seemed to be carrying. They didn't seem to be particularly friendly by looks alone; but maybe a quick mind prod would say something about them....
Right at that moment, something smacked her on the back of the head. She flinched, though more out of surprise than out of pain, before looking behind her to see where it might have come from. A quick look around revealed nothing, but the most probable cause showed itself seconds later as a voice went through her head, telling her to mind her own business or at least have the courtesy to properly talk to it. Kaguya, correctly guessing that the voice came from the reptile, took the hint and shut off her telepathy before casting a sheepish glance in Hayate's direction. Thankfully, he was still speaking to the cat and didn't seem to notice the affair.
She took one last glance at the other group before making a move to rejoin her original group, before somebody else decided to shove an image of two men fighting into her brain. The general lack of blood and emotion ensured Kaguya didn't find the scene too disturbing, although she was thoroughly disgusted nevertheless. Stuff like this was why she only scanned superficial thoughts; she never went too deep unless she really, really didn't trust someone. This image didn't seem to come from the reptile though; as yet another, different sounding voice seemed to prove.
I get the hint, I get the hint, she thought, though mostly to herself. She didn't think either of the two telepaths in the other group were listening, as they seemed to be moving away. This experience made sure Kaguya didn't want to follow them, and so she went ahead and returned to George, Nathan, and Hayate.
Hayate, meanwhile, continued his discussion with the cat. "You're quite the special case to me as well," he said, nodding, "Talking cats are nothing new to me; I've met many a nekomata or bakeneko during my 500 years of existence, but you don't seem to be either of those." Taking the hint from Claire, his own voice went back to normal. He cast a glance at the device on Claire's back, and after a brief pause came to his own conclusions about it. "I take it that gadget is how you speak?"
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!