Thursday
05-24-06, 04:46 AM
This character was level four when the old site was around. I'd like to keep it that way. I understand there are new people in charge, so I am posting what I have, you be the judge. Sadly, the history is mostly abridged from quests that are long gone, so I'm sorry if the later parts seem a little... lacking.
Name: Thursday (AKA Pepper to her friends/brother, AKA The Black Wolf)
Sex: Female
Race: Homunculus (Artificially created human)
Age: Ageless (Appears around 19-20 years of age, has been alive for 30)
Height: 6‘1”
Weight: 155 lbs.
Appearance: Skin that at times can be milk-white, and at others be ash-gray along with eyes of an equally dismal hue are what most people usually notice when first glancing at Thursday. Close cut black hair, immaculately trimmed to get gradually shorter towards the back of her head frames her face with two large bangs at either side, and shorter cut bangs dangling just at her eyebrows. Her face is blemish free, and coupled with her skin color, almost statuesque in it’s lack of wrinkles or any other distinctly human traits, including any body hair outside of the eyebrows and scalp.
Her outfit, while possessing little modesty, still seems to inspire not catcalls or leering stares, but wary glances at best. A black cloak of a velvety, water-resistant fabric clasps at her breastbone, more often than not obscuring much of the skin she reveals beneath it. Clasped in the front by a metallic pin, shaped like a bat, the cloak remains almost regal in appearance, belying the lack of clothing beneath. Beneath that, a simple leather tube of tight leather wraps around her chest, securing and covering her moderately sized bosom, yet leaving little else to the imagination. It, too, clasps in the front by a series of small hooks on the bottom side. Her bellybutton-less stomach remains unprotected and uncovered. Thursday’s forearms remain covered by violet sleeves that end at her elbows. Beneath these sleeves are scores of deep, blue scars from her creation and magical imbuing
Statuesque legs are left uncovered, as Thursday wears only a pair of very small leather shorts, leaving her with the maximum amount of flexibility and combat efficiency. They stop only 2/3 of the way down her thigh and remain skin-tight. Her legs otherwise remain bare until reaching her ankles, where a set of black boots, leather on the outside with cotton padding within. Small, inch-long hooks jut from the heels, curving upward only slightly. What they are for is really not pleasant.
She has a way of smiling and of looking at a person and grinning so maliciously, that even the most stout-hearted of men would shiver under her gaze.
Thursday does not tan or burn. Her skin merely turns a slate gray, as though she were made of stone. It fades with time, as all tans will do when not kept properly.
Personality: Thursday is, on first meeting her, a cold, nearly inhuman person. This is by no choice of hers of course, but when bred to kill, and when threats, cruelty, and warnings are all that are issued to your fellow man, you simply don’t learn to be sociable. However, with that life behind her, she’s learning to interact with people on a somewhat normal level, even if she doesn’t quite know how to manage certain emotional or social situations. A seemingly dull person by nature, Thursday seemingly only smiles or derives pleasure from the hunt and the kill. This is simply because she hasn’t really found anybody or anything else that makes her smile, and is not necessarily a permanent personality trait. She seems to be fearless and possess no open weaknesses, yet again, this is because she just hasn’t found anything to fear, or anything that would steal her strength. If any vice would be likely to claim her however, it would be the drink.
Whether or not Thursday or Pepper is her ‘real’ name, she lets only those closest to her refer to her as Pepper, leading one to believe that that is her ‘real’ name, if she has one at all.
Weaponry:
The Bracers: The two heavy bracers Thursday wears are somehow, when upon her arms, attuned to the very will and thoughts of their master. Whether it be the scars beneath them or the pure magic in her blood, they live when upon her. At will, the metal of the bracers reforms, creating a metal glove upon her hands and forearms that can move and bend as though it were her very flesh itself. However, in this, Thursday creates claws, tipped to render flesh and bone as easily as one would knead dough. Armor, while posing a problem, would be only a minor setback to one such as her, a woman who is dedicated to find her way to the flesh beneath. The bracers have since absorbed into her arms by way of her Absorb Magic skill. She is still able to form them into her claws, but they require a bit more concentration to keep active. The claws can vary from steel to titanium in strength, again varying in how much concentration is put into them.
Spikes: Summoned from the very depths of her magical being, Thursday is capable of producing, whether by magic or some other unknown force, metal spikes in her very hands. An inch in diameter and seven inches in length, they remain a very prominent weapon in her arsenal, as she is able to throw them with lethal speed and incredible accuracy. They are strong as (Damascus) and she is capable of producing (ten) in an hour.
Armor: None.
History:
Part I, The Beginning
Thursday is, for lack of a better phrase, the bastard child of magic, science, and a twisted mind. The first of seven children--only two of which were named after the day they were created--she and her brothers were made for the sole purpose of giving Father the money to devise and birth more horrible creations. As she was also the first, she did not exactly turn out as was planned. Father used her as his guinea pig, testing upon her for the bettering of her brothers. The cuts upon her arms are remnants of such testing. He would cut her open and insert magical properties such as powders, ingredients, dust, and even artifacts broken down and converted to liquid form. These tests, in the end, created the second most favored of his created children. A young woman with the magical gifts and enhancements that generations could not even perfect in their lifetimes of training and meditation. Not besides Sunday, her brother and only equal (If not better) was there ever such a horrible and wonderful amalgamation of power and beauty--in Father’s eyes.
Training with Father, and many a rogue, assassin, thief, and even knight, Thursday--or Pepper as she was affectionately known (For her black and white hues)--and her brothers became a feared force. Father would rent them out to the highest bidders, often rebel factions or great rulers who feared the loss of their throne. They held no allegiances, and worked only for the one with the largest pockets. Assassins, soldiers, murderers and propagandists, they were a shining example of what terrible things Father was capable of.
Thursday and Sunday were the two siblings that seemingly were fawned over the most. The rest, given normal, human names, and normal, human appearances, were thrust to the side, and forever remained the lesser of their pale brother and sister. They were not aware of their significance, but Father was, and thusly rented their services to only the most persuasive of buyers.
Pepper was only fifteen when he arrived. A regal man of somewhat noble grace and yet murderous cause, sought to hire only Sunday and herself, affectionately dubbing them The Twins, though they weren’t. The man was a General in the service of the Lord and King Benedict, the soon to be ruler of the entire island of Effaria. His name was Arnold, and the price he offered was freedom from persecution for the wicked acts that Father and his children had caused over the years. Father couldn’t help but accept, yet he did so with a smile. Sunday and Thursday would never see him or their brothers again.
Part II, The War That Claimed a King
General Arnold was not an honorable man, or even a respectable one, but his tactics, as underhanded and cruel as they were, got the job done. Rebel cells fell, and villages and towns burned as his ever growing army swept the land, and yet even still, nobody knew his name. A vain man by nature, this was an unacceptable outrage. He vowed that the next village that harbored a rebel cell would suffer a most terrible fate. A small squad of low lives, assassins, rapists, and thieves was put under the command of Sunday, and to a lesser extent, Pepper. It was a sunny day, beautiful even, when they happened upon the village of Tikar. A name that would live on in campfire tales around Althanas for years to come.
The following is a letter, as documented a young scribe and dictated to by the only surviving village elder.
The sun shone that day hot enough to cause our sweat to burn from our skin. Our village had since gone under the protection of the Dragonclaw Faction, a rebel group dedicated to keeping Effaria free. The patrolled our borders, kept watch of our mines, and made certain our daughters’ chastity and innocence were protected from those that would seek to invade and take it. I was in my own house at the time, my wife and I were, well, (He laughs, bitterly), in the midst of passion when we heard the first scream. I thought it was the children at first, you know kids, they just scream sometimes. The Dragonclaw Faction members had all been killed by the time our door was broken down…(He slips into a long silence, a pained expression on his face) My wife tried to protect our son, and fell in the process, our child joining her in paradise not long after. I was dragged outside as many others also were at the time. We were being herded to the center of our village to see those who had captured us. A young man and woman… almost children it seemed, stood upon the bodies of the fallen, staring at us as a man, a tall, regal man strode into town as though he ruled it himself. Immediately, as if he had thought of it before even setting foot on our soil, he deemed us all traitors, and commanded his men to execute us as examples. The Black Wolf, the woman, s-she turned to the man and spoke in hushed tones, bringing a horrible smile to his face. When she turned again, her own face was wicked, contorted as though… she enjoyed what was to come… as if she hated every last one of us. The black wolf spoke aloud to the soldiers… she… she told them “Rape the women, beat the men, and cut off all their hands. Feed the limbs to the dogs.” (He sobs and presses two ugly stumps to his eyes, attempting to wipe away his tears)
The soldiers stood still, as if unable to understand the orders that they had been given… however, that doesn’t mean it stopped them. Our wives, our daughters… (He closes his eyes and clenches his teeth in anger. I have as much of the story I need, and I no longer pain him with his memories)
------
General Arnold returned to King Benedict with an army of cutthroats. Benedict’s throat was the one that was cut. Pepper and Sunday were released from service upon his ascension to the throne. They returned home to a house of ash. Each and every one of their brothers was strung from the large, unnatural tree that overshadowed the home they once had. Father was nowhere to be found, assumed to have died within, clutching his research.
Part III, The End
Sunday demanded that he and Pepper seek vengeance upon Arnold for his betrayal, but she would not go along. She found Father’s death a relief, her chance at freedom. Whereas her brothers were subservient and obeying, Thursday, the first child, was an independent thinker. Ultimately, she was the failure. Sunday, cursing his sister’s very being, left her to do as she pleased. She doubted Arnold would be around much longer.
Part IV, Same Shit, Different Time
She hadn’t even been free for a day before Thursday found herself roped into a new job. The employer was a woman named Jumpin’ Kate. This, of course, was a ruse, as Thursday knew the real Jumpin’ Kate quite well. She’d had her raped and cut off her hands in Tikar years prior. Intrigued by the woman, she took the job anyway. To escort her to the new Dragonclaw Establishment was all the woman asked. How hard could it be?
Thursday found quite quickly that putting up with the naïve and whiny woman was more than a chore, but despite this she grew to like the company of the woman (whose real name was in fact Veela). It was not until halfway through their journey that Veela revealed her camp was in fact in the village of Tikar, reformed and still loyal to the rebellion. An act of defiance, no doubt, to Effaria’s current Lord. In the howling wastes, an area not far from Tikar, they were ambushed and Thursday was attacked and rendered unconscious.
When she awoke, she was bound to the town well. Tikar instead was regarding her, their prisoner, much in a mockery of her actions during the war. The acts she had perpetrated among their townspeople were to be done to her tenfold. It wasn’t until nightfall that she made her move. Defiant until the end, she broke free of her bindings and started on a slow escape, her wounds from the beating she received earlier having quite an effect on her legs. Only just near the edge of town did Veela make an appearance. Claiming that she was helping her escape, Thursday took the woman’s arm, trusting her completely.
The trust--like it usually was--had been misplaced. Veela snuck an attack, stabbing her in the stomach and brutally beating her before leaving her dead on the ground. Jumpin’ Kate had been like a mother to her, and she felt it was her place to exact revenge. Lying on the ground, her blood spilling to the grass, Thursday silently agreed, resigning herself to her fate.
Part V, The Coming Storm
Thursday awoke in a tent. Sunday, the one who’d seemed so disappointed in her before, her saved her life. Even merely in his presence, she could feel him having grown stronger. When, at last letting her grief become anger, Thursday rose from her bed, Sunday introduced her to the two hundred strong army of men and women that he’d created. Mercenaries, ex-soldiers, traitors, and murderers. The lowest of the low, and all of them served him unflinchingly. It was the beginning of a dark time for Effaria. The first town to fall was Tikar, Veela and every other Dragonclaw in its vicinity as well. Arnia was next.
Egol fell not soon after to Sunday’s ever growing numbers. Now a member of her brother’s growing mercenary army, Thursday was given an assignment. In Riul, she was to assassinate any heroes, and otherwise high-ranking military officials in order to weaken their strength in what would soon be a battle for the domination of the island. Her party was to consist of two people, two she found quite easy. Angel, a man torn apart by an Arnian soldier’s murder of his wife and unborn child, and Daisy, a young up and coming mercenary with a single eye and shaggy hair. With them, she left Egol and started toward the capitol city of Riul, where all of their lives would be changed forever.
Part VI, Soul Searching
Not far from Egol, Thursday’s party became witness to a most startling of events. Animals of all type, from bear to squirrel, walked side by side in a slow yet steady evacuation of the forests that lined Arnia’s borders. Having no other possible way of arriving in Arnia, they traveled through the forest that was most certainly under the influence of some kind of evil. A thick mist, and out of season snow were some of the things they were victim of, not to mention trees that writhed and killed as though they were trained to. Just barely surviving, the trio made it to Riul where, outside of the city, Angel encountered the man who’d murdered his wife. He challenged him to a duel and brutally defeated him, thus landing himself a spot in prison as a murderer of a military official. The party had been reduced to two in less than a day.
Their first night in Riul, they encountered a woman that spoke with a strange accent. Wielding a crossbow and stealth, she attacked Thursday on the street and fleed upon failing to kill her. It would not be the last time they met.
Thursday and Daisy, having some unspoken bond, grew closer over the few days they’d been in one another’s company. Somehow, they felt closer than they had to another person before, and Thursday, unable to deny this, took the plunge and succumbed to passion. In one night, Thursday found something even better than killing: sex. Unfortunately, killing was the name of the game, and Thursday did have a mission to accomplish, however, it was not the one she was assigned.
Worried that Angel may have been hemmhoraging information to the Arnians, Thursday made a ballsy endeavor to the prison, where she murdered all who would have hindered her entrance to the cells. Inside she found their old comrade in silent meditation, accepting his fate. He was to be executed the next day, and as far as the Arnians knew, Thursday and Daisy didn’t even exist. Satisfied, Thursday was going to leave until the assassin that had made the attempt on her life the prior day arrived, determined to finish the job.
A long battle ensued, stretching from the prison all the way to the inn where Daisy was reluctantly staying behind at Thursday’s command. Zola the Huntress, wanting nothing more than to make her victim suffer, attacked and impaled Daisy before Thursday’s eyes. Unaware of the effects of such an act, Zola did not see her grisly end coming. Having defeated her, Thursday sought to check Daisy’s condition. Unfortunately, there was nothing to check. Daisy’s body had disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but a ball of solid black lying in a pile of empty clothes. Thursday took the thing, unsure of what it was or where Daisy had gone. The guilt overwhelmed her, and she resigned herself to her fate, allowing the Arnian soldiers to take her into custody.
In prison, Thursday did not sleep. On the second day, Sunday arrived bearing two unusual things. A large black ball and a journal, apparently Father’s. Told to read through it, she did, and came upon a simultaneously inspiring and terrible discovery. Daisy’s lost eye was replaced by a magical orb that was connected to the massive one she was now in possession of. It was an artificial soul of sorts, and Daisy was Father’s first attempt to bring the dead back to life. He was successful. She was also able to be revived through it, but only a mage of immense power would be able to do such a thing. Thursday knew such a mage and just how to find him.
Escaping from prison, Thursday, disguised as a murdered Lieutenant, snuck her way into the castle, where she found the famous mage Gildareon, official wizard of Effaria and loyal subject of the Royal bloodline until Arnold broke it. Now he lived like a slave, forced to remain in his laboratory and stew on the future to inform Arnold of what was to come. A student of Father’s and a friend of Thursday’s, Gildareon would perform the services in exchange for ownership of the journal. Thursday agreed wholeheartedly, and Gildareon brought Daisy to life, her body reforming around the fake eye as though she’d never died at all. All that remained was a scar to mark the wound, as if she’d healed from such a thing. Arnold became aware and demanded information in exchange for the services. In an instant, Thursday betrayed him.
Thursday was happy for the moment, finally admitting to herself that she was capable of, and in love with the woman. However, it was not to last. Sunday, somehow being aware of the treachery she’d committed, attacked early, his own forces annihilating those of Arnia in a bloody battle outside the gates of Riul. They stormed the city, and eventually the castle without hinderance, and a mighty seige occurred outside of the castle that raged on for a day until Sunday, seeking to rule Arnia himself, began to kill his own men with the aid of Black Fiends, monsters of evil spawn. Before long, his own army was reduced to corpses along the Arnian fields, and he alone stormed the castle. Gildareon the mage fell while fighting him, and Thursday discovered her new talent. Absorbing the mage’s staff into herself, she defeated Sunday soundly, brutalizing him beyond recognition.
It was then that Thursday met her final brother, the one created to destroy her and Sunday. Ultima was his true name, but he introduced himself as Tim, and not only spared Thursday for the time being, but helped her escape the island, promising that he’d complete his mission on Corone.
She ignored the threat. She ignored it all. On the boat leaving Effaria, she held the woman she loved and she let it fade away forever. Effaria no longer existed for her, all she ever wanted she had in Daisy, the woman who helped her realize that even someone inhuman could still be alive.
Innate Skills
Bad Blood: Due to the highly caustic nature of Thursday’s blood from the tampering, it is a glowing violet hue and is capable of burning through most metals rather quickly as though it were an acid. The state of her blood renders her immune to disease and poisons. If one is in fact potent enough to last more than a minute in her bloodstream, it will have a much lesser effect on her person. The acidic blood of Thursday would rend cloth and skin (other than her own) very quickly, but would only slowly weaken metals until imbued with more magical essence to increase its potency.
Indomitable Strength: Gifted and cursed with the magic in her veins, Thursday is capable of strength far beyond her limit or appearance. She possesses the strength of (10) well-muscled men.
Ruthlessness: Thursday’s training and innate abilities have given her the skill to kill with the best of them. Although better in a situation that involves sneaking or stealth, her melee combat skills and battle handling capabilities are quite impressive. She’s not the one you’d find on the front lines, but most opponents one faces aren’t exactly the most skilled fighters around.
Absorb Magic: Discovered upon awakening the next tier of Thursday’s magically imbued powers, she discovered her ability to absorb magical items in their entirety. Broken down much like vitamins and nutrients, the energies are absorbed into her already volatile blood. When a thing is absorbed, she is placed into a momentary trance-state of heightened power, allowing wounds to regenerate much quicker and her Energy Charge spell to be projected from afar. She is currently unable to absorb weapons being wielded against her unless already in her trance state.
Offensive Skills
Needler: Needler is Thursday’s only currently known offensive skill is directly tied to the creation of her spikes. Needler, as opposed to creating a single spike, divides said singular spike and divides it into five smaller ones, firing them from her palm or fingertips at a speed of (500)ft. per second. This, however, is especially draining, and simply isn’t viable as a useful skill. Because of this, it remains a tool for very dire circumstances.
Energy Charge: One of the second tier of offensive powers Thursday discovered is the ability to emit a stream of energy into inanimate or animate objects. When used upon inanimate objects (Most woods and tier 2-3 metals) they will deconstruct simply. Wood will splinter, metal will melt. When wielded upon flesh, the specific part grabbed will explode. Thursday must press at least all five fingers to the intended object to be charged. This is unable to be used while her claws are activated. This skill also detracts from the magic already within her blood and if used too often, death can and will be imminent unless she absorbs more magical energies. The faster the charge, the more energy is used.
Charge-Shot: An offshoot of the Energy Charge attack, Thursday is capable of imbuing her spikes, most woods, and metals up to the strength of steel with enough energy to cause them to explode. The amount of energy, of course, is determined by the size of the object and desired explosion size. Much like the Needler, this skill remains too draining at the time.
Name: Thursday (AKA Pepper to her friends/brother, AKA The Black Wolf)
Sex: Female
Race: Homunculus (Artificially created human)
Age: Ageless (Appears around 19-20 years of age, has been alive for 30)
Height: 6‘1”
Weight: 155 lbs.
Appearance: Skin that at times can be milk-white, and at others be ash-gray along with eyes of an equally dismal hue are what most people usually notice when first glancing at Thursday. Close cut black hair, immaculately trimmed to get gradually shorter towards the back of her head frames her face with two large bangs at either side, and shorter cut bangs dangling just at her eyebrows. Her face is blemish free, and coupled with her skin color, almost statuesque in it’s lack of wrinkles or any other distinctly human traits, including any body hair outside of the eyebrows and scalp.
Her outfit, while possessing little modesty, still seems to inspire not catcalls or leering stares, but wary glances at best. A black cloak of a velvety, water-resistant fabric clasps at her breastbone, more often than not obscuring much of the skin she reveals beneath it. Clasped in the front by a metallic pin, shaped like a bat, the cloak remains almost regal in appearance, belying the lack of clothing beneath. Beneath that, a simple leather tube of tight leather wraps around her chest, securing and covering her moderately sized bosom, yet leaving little else to the imagination. It, too, clasps in the front by a series of small hooks on the bottom side. Her bellybutton-less stomach remains unprotected and uncovered. Thursday’s forearms remain covered by violet sleeves that end at her elbows. Beneath these sleeves are scores of deep, blue scars from her creation and magical imbuing
Statuesque legs are left uncovered, as Thursday wears only a pair of very small leather shorts, leaving her with the maximum amount of flexibility and combat efficiency. They stop only 2/3 of the way down her thigh and remain skin-tight. Her legs otherwise remain bare until reaching her ankles, where a set of black boots, leather on the outside with cotton padding within. Small, inch-long hooks jut from the heels, curving upward only slightly. What they are for is really not pleasant.
She has a way of smiling and of looking at a person and grinning so maliciously, that even the most stout-hearted of men would shiver under her gaze.
Thursday does not tan or burn. Her skin merely turns a slate gray, as though she were made of stone. It fades with time, as all tans will do when not kept properly.
Personality: Thursday is, on first meeting her, a cold, nearly inhuman person. This is by no choice of hers of course, but when bred to kill, and when threats, cruelty, and warnings are all that are issued to your fellow man, you simply don’t learn to be sociable. However, with that life behind her, she’s learning to interact with people on a somewhat normal level, even if she doesn’t quite know how to manage certain emotional or social situations. A seemingly dull person by nature, Thursday seemingly only smiles or derives pleasure from the hunt and the kill. This is simply because she hasn’t really found anybody or anything else that makes her smile, and is not necessarily a permanent personality trait. She seems to be fearless and possess no open weaknesses, yet again, this is because she just hasn’t found anything to fear, or anything that would steal her strength. If any vice would be likely to claim her however, it would be the drink.
Whether or not Thursday or Pepper is her ‘real’ name, she lets only those closest to her refer to her as Pepper, leading one to believe that that is her ‘real’ name, if she has one at all.
Weaponry:
The Bracers: The two heavy bracers Thursday wears are somehow, when upon her arms, attuned to the very will and thoughts of their master. Whether it be the scars beneath them or the pure magic in her blood, they live when upon her. At will, the metal of the bracers reforms, creating a metal glove upon her hands and forearms that can move and bend as though it were her very flesh itself. However, in this, Thursday creates claws, tipped to render flesh and bone as easily as one would knead dough. Armor, while posing a problem, would be only a minor setback to one such as her, a woman who is dedicated to find her way to the flesh beneath. The bracers have since absorbed into her arms by way of her Absorb Magic skill. She is still able to form them into her claws, but they require a bit more concentration to keep active. The claws can vary from steel to titanium in strength, again varying in how much concentration is put into them.
Spikes: Summoned from the very depths of her magical being, Thursday is capable of producing, whether by magic or some other unknown force, metal spikes in her very hands. An inch in diameter and seven inches in length, they remain a very prominent weapon in her arsenal, as she is able to throw them with lethal speed and incredible accuracy. They are strong as (Damascus) and she is capable of producing (ten) in an hour.
Armor: None.
History:
Part I, The Beginning
Thursday is, for lack of a better phrase, the bastard child of magic, science, and a twisted mind. The first of seven children--only two of which were named after the day they were created--she and her brothers were made for the sole purpose of giving Father the money to devise and birth more horrible creations. As she was also the first, she did not exactly turn out as was planned. Father used her as his guinea pig, testing upon her for the bettering of her brothers. The cuts upon her arms are remnants of such testing. He would cut her open and insert magical properties such as powders, ingredients, dust, and even artifacts broken down and converted to liquid form. These tests, in the end, created the second most favored of his created children. A young woman with the magical gifts and enhancements that generations could not even perfect in their lifetimes of training and meditation. Not besides Sunday, her brother and only equal (If not better) was there ever such a horrible and wonderful amalgamation of power and beauty--in Father’s eyes.
Training with Father, and many a rogue, assassin, thief, and even knight, Thursday--or Pepper as she was affectionately known (For her black and white hues)--and her brothers became a feared force. Father would rent them out to the highest bidders, often rebel factions or great rulers who feared the loss of their throne. They held no allegiances, and worked only for the one with the largest pockets. Assassins, soldiers, murderers and propagandists, they were a shining example of what terrible things Father was capable of.
Thursday and Sunday were the two siblings that seemingly were fawned over the most. The rest, given normal, human names, and normal, human appearances, were thrust to the side, and forever remained the lesser of their pale brother and sister. They were not aware of their significance, but Father was, and thusly rented their services to only the most persuasive of buyers.
Pepper was only fifteen when he arrived. A regal man of somewhat noble grace and yet murderous cause, sought to hire only Sunday and herself, affectionately dubbing them The Twins, though they weren’t. The man was a General in the service of the Lord and King Benedict, the soon to be ruler of the entire island of Effaria. His name was Arnold, and the price he offered was freedom from persecution for the wicked acts that Father and his children had caused over the years. Father couldn’t help but accept, yet he did so with a smile. Sunday and Thursday would never see him or their brothers again.
Part II, The War That Claimed a King
General Arnold was not an honorable man, or even a respectable one, but his tactics, as underhanded and cruel as they were, got the job done. Rebel cells fell, and villages and towns burned as his ever growing army swept the land, and yet even still, nobody knew his name. A vain man by nature, this was an unacceptable outrage. He vowed that the next village that harbored a rebel cell would suffer a most terrible fate. A small squad of low lives, assassins, rapists, and thieves was put under the command of Sunday, and to a lesser extent, Pepper. It was a sunny day, beautiful even, when they happened upon the village of Tikar. A name that would live on in campfire tales around Althanas for years to come.
The following is a letter, as documented a young scribe and dictated to by the only surviving village elder.
The sun shone that day hot enough to cause our sweat to burn from our skin. Our village had since gone under the protection of the Dragonclaw Faction, a rebel group dedicated to keeping Effaria free. The patrolled our borders, kept watch of our mines, and made certain our daughters’ chastity and innocence were protected from those that would seek to invade and take it. I was in my own house at the time, my wife and I were, well, (He laughs, bitterly), in the midst of passion when we heard the first scream. I thought it was the children at first, you know kids, they just scream sometimes. The Dragonclaw Faction members had all been killed by the time our door was broken down…(He slips into a long silence, a pained expression on his face) My wife tried to protect our son, and fell in the process, our child joining her in paradise not long after. I was dragged outside as many others also were at the time. We were being herded to the center of our village to see those who had captured us. A young man and woman… almost children it seemed, stood upon the bodies of the fallen, staring at us as a man, a tall, regal man strode into town as though he ruled it himself. Immediately, as if he had thought of it before even setting foot on our soil, he deemed us all traitors, and commanded his men to execute us as examples. The Black Wolf, the woman, s-she turned to the man and spoke in hushed tones, bringing a horrible smile to his face. When she turned again, her own face was wicked, contorted as though… she enjoyed what was to come… as if she hated every last one of us. The black wolf spoke aloud to the soldiers… she… she told them “Rape the women, beat the men, and cut off all their hands. Feed the limbs to the dogs.” (He sobs and presses two ugly stumps to his eyes, attempting to wipe away his tears)
The soldiers stood still, as if unable to understand the orders that they had been given… however, that doesn’t mean it stopped them. Our wives, our daughters… (He closes his eyes and clenches his teeth in anger. I have as much of the story I need, and I no longer pain him with his memories)
------
General Arnold returned to King Benedict with an army of cutthroats. Benedict’s throat was the one that was cut. Pepper and Sunday were released from service upon his ascension to the throne. They returned home to a house of ash. Each and every one of their brothers was strung from the large, unnatural tree that overshadowed the home they once had. Father was nowhere to be found, assumed to have died within, clutching his research.
Part III, The End
Sunday demanded that he and Pepper seek vengeance upon Arnold for his betrayal, but she would not go along. She found Father’s death a relief, her chance at freedom. Whereas her brothers were subservient and obeying, Thursday, the first child, was an independent thinker. Ultimately, she was the failure. Sunday, cursing his sister’s very being, left her to do as she pleased. She doubted Arnold would be around much longer.
Part IV, Same Shit, Different Time
She hadn’t even been free for a day before Thursday found herself roped into a new job. The employer was a woman named Jumpin’ Kate. This, of course, was a ruse, as Thursday knew the real Jumpin’ Kate quite well. She’d had her raped and cut off her hands in Tikar years prior. Intrigued by the woman, she took the job anyway. To escort her to the new Dragonclaw Establishment was all the woman asked. How hard could it be?
Thursday found quite quickly that putting up with the naïve and whiny woman was more than a chore, but despite this she grew to like the company of the woman (whose real name was in fact Veela). It was not until halfway through their journey that Veela revealed her camp was in fact in the village of Tikar, reformed and still loyal to the rebellion. An act of defiance, no doubt, to Effaria’s current Lord. In the howling wastes, an area not far from Tikar, they were ambushed and Thursday was attacked and rendered unconscious.
When she awoke, she was bound to the town well. Tikar instead was regarding her, their prisoner, much in a mockery of her actions during the war. The acts she had perpetrated among their townspeople were to be done to her tenfold. It wasn’t until nightfall that she made her move. Defiant until the end, she broke free of her bindings and started on a slow escape, her wounds from the beating she received earlier having quite an effect on her legs. Only just near the edge of town did Veela make an appearance. Claiming that she was helping her escape, Thursday took the woman’s arm, trusting her completely.
The trust--like it usually was--had been misplaced. Veela snuck an attack, stabbing her in the stomach and brutally beating her before leaving her dead on the ground. Jumpin’ Kate had been like a mother to her, and she felt it was her place to exact revenge. Lying on the ground, her blood spilling to the grass, Thursday silently agreed, resigning herself to her fate.
Part V, The Coming Storm
Thursday awoke in a tent. Sunday, the one who’d seemed so disappointed in her before, her saved her life. Even merely in his presence, she could feel him having grown stronger. When, at last letting her grief become anger, Thursday rose from her bed, Sunday introduced her to the two hundred strong army of men and women that he’d created. Mercenaries, ex-soldiers, traitors, and murderers. The lowest of the low, and all of them served him unflinchingly. It was the beginning of a dark time for Effaria. The first town to fall was Tikar, Veela and every other Dragonclaw in its vicinity as well. Arnia was next.
Egol fell not soon after to Sunday’s ever growing numbers. Now a member of her brother’s growing mercenary army, Thursday was given an assignment. In Riul, she was to assassinate any heroes, and otherwise high-ranking military officials in order to weaken their strength in what would soon be a battle for the domination of the island. Her party was to consist of two people, two she found quite easy. Angel, a man torn apart by an Arnian soldier’s murder of his wife and unborn child, and Daisy, a young up and coming mercenary with a single eye and shaggy hair. With them, she left Egol and started toward the capitol city of Riul, where all of their lives would be changed forever.
Part VI, Soul Searching
Not far from Egol, Thursday’s party became witness to a most startling of events. Animals of all type, from bear to squirrel, walked side by side in a slow yet steady evacuation of the forests that lined Arnia’s borders. Having no other possible way of arriving in Arnia, they traveled through the forest that was most certainly under the influence of some kind of evil. A thick mist, and out of season snow were some of the things they were victim of, not to mention trees that writhed and killed as though they were trained to. Just barely surviving, the trio made it to Riul where, outside of the city, Angel encountered the man who’d murdered his wife. He challenged him to a duel and brutally defeated him, thus landing himself a spot in prison as a murderer of a military official. The party had been reduced to two in less than a day.
Their first night in Riul, they encountered a woman that spoke with a strange accent. Wielding a crossbow and stealth, she attacked Thursday on the street and fleed upon failing to kill her. It would not be the last time they met.
Thursday and Daisy, having some unspoken bond, grew closer over the few days they’d been in one another’s company. Somehow, they felt closer than they had to another person before, and Thursday, unable to deny this, took the plunge and succumbed to passion. In one night, Thursday found something even better than killing: sex. Unfortunately, killing was the name of the game, and Thursday did have a mission to accomplish, however, it was not the one she was assigned.
Worried that Angel may have been hemmhoraging information to the Arnians, Thursday made a ballsy endeavor to the prison, where she murdered all who would have hindered her entrance to the cells. Inside she found their old comrade in silent meditation, accepting his fate. He was to be executed the next day, and as far as the Arnians knew, Thursday and Daisy didn’t even exist. Satisfied, Thursday was going to leave until the assassin that had made the attempt on her life the prior day arrived, determined to finish the job.
A long battle ensued, stretching from the prison all the way to the inn where Daisy was reluctantly staying behind at Thursday’s command. Zola the Huntress, wanting nothing more than to make her victim suffer, attacked and impaled Daisy before Thursday’s eyes. Unaware of the effects of such an act, Zola did not see her grisly end coming. Having defeated her, Thursday sought to check Daisy’s condition. Unfortunately, there was nothing to check. Daisy’s body had disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but a ball of solid black lying in a pile of empty clothes. Thursday took the thing, unsure of what it was or where Daisy had gone. The guilt overwhelmed her, and she resigned herself to her fate, allowing the Arnian soldiers to take her into custody.
In prison, Thursday did not sleep. On the second day, Sunday arrived bearing two unusual things. A large black ball and a journal, apparently Father’s. Told to read through it, she did, and came upon a simultaneously inspiring and terrible discovery. Daisy’s lost eye was replaced by a magical orb that was connected to the massive one she was now in possession of. It was an artificial soul of sorts, and Daisy was Father’s first attempt to bring the dead back to life. He was successful. She was also able to be revived through it, but only a mage of immense power would be able to do such a thing. Thursday knew such a mage and just how to find him.
Escaping from prison, Thursday, disguised as a murdered Lieutenant, snuck her way into the castle, where she found the famous mage Gildareon, official wizard of Effaria and loyal subject of the Royal bloodline until Arnold broke it. Now he lived like a slave, forced to remain in his laboratory and stew on the future to inform Arnold of what was to come. A student of Father’s and a friend of Thursday’s, Gildareon would perform the services in exchange for ownership of the journal. Thursday agreed wholeheartedly, and Gildareon brought Daisy to life, her body reforming around the fake eye as though she’d never died at all. All that remained was a scar to mark the wound, as if she’d healed from such a thing. Arnold became aware and demanded information in exchange for the services. In an instant, Thursday betrayed him.
Thursday was happy for the moment, finally admitting to herself that she was capable of, and in love with the woman. However, it was not to last. Sunday, somehow being aware of the treachery she’d committed, attacked early, his own forces annihilating those of Arnia in a bloody battle outside the gates of Riul. They stormed the city, and eventually the castle without hinderance, and a mighty seige occurred outside of the castle that raged on for a day until Sunday, seeking to rule Arnia himself, began to kill his own men with the aid of Black Fiends, monsters of evil spawn. Before long, his own army was reduced to corpses along the Arnian fields, and he alone stormed the castle. Gildareon the mage fell while fighting him, and Thursday discovered her new talent. Absorbing the mage’s staff into herself, she defeated Sunday soundly, brutalizing him beyond recognition.
It was then that Thursday met her final brother, the one created to destroy her and Sunday. Ultima was his true name, but he introduced himself as Tim, and not only spared Thursday for the time being, but helped her escape the island, promising that he’d complete his mission on Corone.
She ignored the threat. She ignored it all. On the boat leaving Effaria, she held the woman she loved and she let it fade away forever. Effaria no longer existed for her, all she ever wanted she had in Daisy, the woman who helped her realize that even someone inhuman could still be alive.
Innate Skills
Bad Blood: Due to the highly caustic nature of Thursday’s blood from the tampering, it is a glowing violet hue and is capable of burning through most metals rather quickly as though it were an acid. The state of her blood renders her immune to disease and poisons. If one is in fact potent enough to last more than a minute in her bloodstream, it will have a much lesser effect on her person. The acidic blood of Thursday would rend cloth and skin (other than her own) very quickly, but would only slowly weaken metals until imbued with more magical essence to increase its potency.
Indomitable Strength: Gifted and cursed with the magic in her veins, Thursday is capable of strength far beyond her limit or appearance. She possesses the strength of (10) well-muscled men.
Ruthlessness: Thursday’s training and innate abilities have given her the skill to kill with the best of them. Although better in a situation that involves sneaking or stealth, her melee combat skills and battle handling capabilities are quite impressive. She’s not the one you’d find on the front lines, but most opponents one faces aren’t exactly the most skilled fighters around.
Absorb Magic: Discovered upon awakening the next tier of Thursday’s magically imbued powers, she discovered her ability to absorb magical items in their entirety. Broken down much like vitamins and nutrients, the energies are absorbed into her already volatile blood. When a thing is absorbed, she is placed into a momentary trance-state of heightened power, allowing wounds to regenerate much quicker and her Energy Charge spell to be projected from afar. She is currently unable to absorb weapons being wielded against her unless already in her trance state.
Offensive Skills
Needler: Needler is Thursday’s only currently known offensive skill is directly tied to the creation of her spikes. Needler, as opposed to creating a single spike, divides said singular spike and divides it into five smaller ones, firing them from her palm or fingertips at a speed of (500)ft. per second. This, however, is especially draining, and simply isn’t viable as a useful skill. Because of this, it remains a tool for very dire circumstances.
Energy Charge: One of the second tier of offensive powers Thursday discovered is the ability to emit a stream of energy into inanimate or animate objects. When used upon inanimate objects (Most woods and tier 2-3 metals) they will deconstruct simply. Wood will splinter, metal will melt. When wielded upon flesh, the specific part grabbed will explode. Thursday must press at least all five fingers to the intended object to be charged. This is unable to be used while her claws are activated. This skill also detracts from the magic already within her blood and if used too often, death can and will be imminent unless she absorbs more magical energies. The faster the charge, the more energy is used.
Charge-Shot: An offshoot of the Energy Charge attack, Thursday is capable of imbuing her spikes, most woods, and metals up to the strength of steel with enough energy to cause them to explode. The amount of energy, of course, is determined by the size of the object and desired explosion size. Much like the Needler, this skill remains too draining at the time.