Twisted Infinitum
07-16-06, 05:11 PM
I had 2396exp after the first AC round. The second gave me some more exp, but I can’t find the total. If no one can look it up, shall we say that I have 3200exp? That’s adding again what I had for AC round one, though I know round two scored higher.
I had 370gp at the end of round one, though none of my characters carry gold on this account. So, just have it at zero.
This account will have multiple characters. I will detail them below and then describe how I would like to work the respective exp.
Name: (numerous NPCs)
Race: Dream Demons
Age: Infinite
Appearance: They appear as whatever they choose, for they have no body. However, at their most primitive state, they are small spheres of light.
History:
In the hub of existence, the center of all dimensions, there exists a state of limbo where all matter is turned to energy and only thought has substance. It is known as the Dream World, for few have heard of it, and fewer want to justify its existence with a proper name. On this immaterial plane of space-time, one will find creatures that embody all the thoughts that pass through all mortal beings in the solid worlds. They are the dream demons, the misfits of the universes and beyond. With near godly powers and an eternity of nothingness, they once toyed with sleeping mortals’ minds to alleviate their boredom.
This utopian playground remained undisturbed for eons before it was intruded upon 1000 years ago. Using arcane artifacts and complex enchantments, monks from the Canun Hanchulan sect on Althanas began exploring this new world through their dreams. The dream demons were horrified at this, fleeing from the mere sight of the intruders. The unhindered exploration continued until the most experienced dreamers gained the ability to move their physical bodies, also, to the Dream World. Unintentionally, these Dream Walkers also brought with them the reality that was the complete opposite of the Dream World. Like poison, their presence spread, twisting almost everything with haphazard effects of gravity and magnetism.
Finally, a dream demon by the name of Crystal Griffin approached them and pleaded for them to leave. The Hanchulans refused. They believed that they were making contact with their gods. In fact, the entire sect had shifted its operations from prayer to sending themselves to their perceived “Holy World”. With all their religious beliefs behind them, the Dream Walkers declared that the dream demons were messengers of the evil, and they began attacking any that they could find. In the proximity of the mortals, the dream demons were poisoned by reality and easily fell to the human’s crude weapons.
As the slaughter began, Griffon found himself stuck in the position of leader. He resigned himself to the role and went forward to fight the humans. In an epic battle of matter and anti-matter, both Griffon and the monks were destroyed. But, while the mortals faded lifelessly into oblivion, Griffon’s remains turned to pure energy and rejuvenated the world to its original state. As soon as they realized this, the other dream demons sealed the monk’s entrance point with the life energy of the fading Dream Walkers. The sect was appalled that their religion had failed them. Many committed suicide while a few went back to the villages, never speaking of what had happened. And so, peaceful nothingness returned to the Dream World.
However, the dream demons, being eternal in both life and memory, could never forget the pain that had been caused to them. Now, and probably for the rest of eternity, they send nightmares to the humans with as much force as they can muster. They will never forget. They will never forgive. The hate will always be in them.
Abilities:
Immortality
The dream demons are immortal mainly due to the fact that there is nothing in the world of thought that can directly hurt them. There is a condition, called dispersion, which happens when they are overloaded with dream energy. They are turned to energy and scattered much as Griffon was. But they will eventually recover from this condition. In the presence of reality, their bodies are frail, though their souls have a way of surviving. It is not known to what extent they can die when completely in the real world.
Manipulation
Dream demons can reach out to all worlds to manipulate the thoughts of sleeping creatures, human and animal. Using this, they create nightmares to amuse themselves and take out frustrations left over from the invasion of the Dream Walkers. They can only affect the victims’ minds, seeing as they have no basis in reality. But, they have caused many already unstable dreamers to go over the deep end.
There is one large weakness in this ability, though. The dreams demons can only keep control if the dreamer doesn’t know, or isn’t clearheaded enough to care, that it’s all an illusion. Any mortals who discover this and focus clearly on escaping will be able to leave of their own free will.
Althanas-bound dream demons: (those who have fallen from their godly perches)
Name: Jade Vipress
Chosen appearance: She is most comfortable in the image of a beautiful, tanned, buxom woman… with silver snakes for hair and a reptilian cast to her eyes and mouth. This is the form that, due to certain rude scholars, has become known as Medusa in many worlds. Also, she has embedded in her forehead a large jade gemstone. This apparently didn’t make it into those myths.
History: Vipress’ life as a dream demon was quite like the life of every dream demon. She only differed in style. While others would be happy with the amusement that they received from tormenting dreamers, Vipress wanted to control people in both their sleeping and waking state. Recently, the opportunity came to further this goal. There was a mortal half-elf name Veritas who, out of everyone on the world called Althanas, had been chosen to be the owner of the Crest of Siccus. It was a magical artifact stored in a temple in the frozen region of Salvar. But, it wasn’t the crest that interested Vipress. It was the room it lay in, which was only accessible by the chosen one. Monsters infested the temple, but the monster waiting in the crest chamber was special. It was a living shadow that fed on souls. Ages ago, its creators had called it a Hollow Sentinel. It was one of the few creatures that Vipress would exercise control over from the Dream World, and it was what she would use to possess Veritas. A half-elf was a phenomenally more useful tool than a living shadow, after all.
Through the dreams, Vipress was able to lure Veritas to the temple. However, Vipress hadn’t planned on Veritas bringing along Shadar Logath, who happened to be the vessel of Diamond Jackal, a dream demon who had fallen from the Dream World years ago. With the power of a dream demon on her side, Veritas was able to twist Vipress’ plans out of shape and set a ward upon her mind that would keep Vipress out. The dream demon’s potential tool was now impossibly out of reach. So, Vipress did the next best thing. She waited for Veritas to go to the crest, then she set the Hollow Sentinel upon her. It wouldn’t be able to possess her, but it could easily drink the life from her. And that was just what it did.
During the struggle, the souls of Veritas and Vipress met in the void that was the Sentinel’s mind. Vipress wanted to see Veritas’ spirit be devoured. However, in her final moments, Veritas gathered her emotions and rendered herself a being of pure determination. There was a battle between them then in the Sentinel, and it ended with Vipress being cast into the belly of the beast. Veritas survived, and her and Shadar left the temple with the Crest of Siccus.
The Hollow Sentinel had crumpled into a corner after the battle. But, long after the fight, life began to stir in it anew. Vipress’ soul was too strong to be digested, and the Sentinel eventually succumbed to it, giving Vipress full possession of its body.
Now, Vipress has awoken in the world of mortals. Her very nature as a dream demon is in question, and her pride is forever mangled. Thankfully, the only creature to witness her despair and outrage is a single, wounded monster that survived the battle with Shadar. Whether or not it will survive Vipress’ fury is questionable.
Abilities: (normal dream demon abilities have been lost)
Vapor form
Being in the body of a Hollow Sentinel, Vipress must live with its immaterial nature. When struck forcefully, the impact area will turn to a black mist. The mist will slowly return to its original shape. Small to medium impacts will reform in minutes. Very forceful trauma will result in her entire body turning to mist that won’t reform for days.
Shapeshift
With a body so immaterial as this, she is beginning to understand how to shape it at will. For now, she can only change superficial details. Mostly, this means adding a cloak or causing her serpentine hair to look simply like dreadlocks.
Telepathy
The mental powers she once had are gone. In their place is a far less powerful form of telepathy. When making physical contact with someone, she can have a telepathic conversation with them. And, if they are willing, she can look into the deepest parts of their minds. Yet, she cannot control those minds anymore.
Followers: (cause all god-wannabes need ‘em)
Name: Rask
Race: Scaled Knight
Age: somewhere in the hundreds
Appearance: Rask is a humanoid lizard, though leaning more toward the human than lizard side, as he stands upright. His head is purely reptilian, though expressive in the eyes and jaw, and he is endowed with a long and powerful tail.
History: There is not much that Rask remembers. The only glimmer came when he met Vipress. At that moment, he was nothing more than a dumb monster set there to protect the temple’s treasure. But, as he dragged himself, wounded, into the alter chamber where she lay, he was attacked by more than physical force. Vipress dug into his mind. Her goal was to find out where Shadar and Veritas had gone, but she instead unearthed long-faded scenes from Rask’s past. And so, he remembered himself.
Long ago, he had once been a great warrior of a proud elven race. They were a people known to experiment in the most bizarre forms of magic, the kind that would alter a child even in the womb and chart their whole life with blood-born instructions. For that reason, Rask (or whatever his name had originally been) was far stronger than modern elves. Though, he apparently wasn’t strong enough.
The elves were at war with a powerful demon nation, one that outpaced and outmatched them at every turn. As the fear among his people grew, if began to effect his own personal relations. His lover, whose name he still hasn’t remembered, wished to fight as well. He forbid it, but she didn’t listen. During one long campaign that kept him from home, she answered the call of the greatest alteration mage in the kingdom. He had shown a strange amount of interest in her, and was very relieved that she came forward with her services.
Rask never did find out what services the mage wanted. All he knew was that when he returned, she was gone.
Days later, he managed to track her last known whereabouts to the mage’s citadel. As he stood before the massive structure, he knew what had happened to her. Those who volunteered their services to this man… ceased to be members of their proud elven race. As he entered, he cast his armor and bastard sword off the edge of the drawbridge. They probably would no longer fit him.
After that, all he remembered was an apparatus of great power, like a tunnel of light propelling him upward. Then, he became the monster he had been for so long.
Startled by this revelation, he had no choice but to follow Vipress in her quest for revenge. She was the key to his past, but also the only other creature that seemed to sympathize with him in this world. For that reason, he refers to her as “Jade”.
Equipment:
-three steel short swords, sheathed vertically at each hip and horizontally at the back
-red iron plate over the torso, forearms, and shins
-green woolen cloak
Abilities:
Tri-blade style
As a monster, he would be useless if he didn’t know how to fight. All Scaled Knights were gifted with skill in this style, which uses the tail as another limb to hold a blade, though their proficiency is only enough to hack down weaker mortals and was designed to be used in a mob effort. In a one on one fight, he is able to defend and counterattack, but he does not have the skill of one with proper training.
Current history: Soon after their meeting, an interdimensional trap in the temple activated and both Vipress and Rask were confined in the world where the long dead owners resided. Thankfully, at the moment it snapped shut, they had been in physical contact. So, Vipress still had some mental connection with Rask. That was what kept him from going insane in the years of near-solitude that followed.
Eventually, the spirits of that realm grew nervous of having a dream demon near them. So, they dumped the two unceremoniously in a creek near the outskirts of Radasanth.
Althanas-effecting dream demons: (they stay upon their perches, but case their influence downward)
Name: Onyx Calico
Chosen appearance: She enjoys (and I mean REALLY enjoys) the form of a brown-furred catgirl with long white hair atop her head. She wears a purple, long-sleeved tank top with netting over it as well as short shorts. On her feet are hiking boots and socks up to the knee. As per all dream demons, she has her namesake stone in her forehead.
History: The story of Calico is a strange one, which is also very fitting since she is the dream demon most aligned with insanity. She was one of the casualties in the war against the Canun Hanchulan as a sword pierced her chest and the vengeful thoughts of the attacker ripped through her. She was dispersed, which is to say that she lost all hold upon her form and was scattered to the farthest reaches of the Dream World. Only recently did she reform. But, she is now different. Perhaps due to the unusual nature of her destruction, she was reformed with no aura. It is the wall of influence that normally kept dream demons from interacting with each other, for the conflict of two auras could easily lead to dispersion. Calico, however, was now exempt from that. She was free to, ahem… in her words, “Cuddle and squeeze all her friends.”
The first dream demon to receive that cuddling and squeezing was one named Ruby Lynx. He, like any sane dream demon, was horrified and will probably carry numerous emotional scars from the encounter. However, he did work with Calico long enough for them to try influencing the Acolyte Wars, a mere squabble among some backwater Althanas gods.
For this purpose, Calico created a physical vessel with which to affect the world. His name was Edgar. He was squooshy.
Followers:
Name: Edgar
Race: something icky
Age: Left side 1000+, right side a few months
Appearance: Edgar is… gross. To understand why, one would have to know his origins. He was created through the combined work of Calico and the Elder Thayne Deity V’dralla. Construction began when Calico traveled to the portal from which the Hanchulan invasion had come. There lay the remains of the mortals. Organ-filled, nearly transparent, moaning husks of humanity with large bright orange eyes. In Calico’s words, “Cute lil’ Chullios.”
She selected one at random and sliced it down the middle. Now, it wouldn’t be wise to go into detail. Let’s just say there was a lot of screaming and dripping of unnamed fluids. That Hanchulan, she threw away. It wasn’t sliced symmetrically enough. “It was being stupid and moved while I was cutting!”
So, about five dissected bodies later, she had one that was geometrically satisfying. This half-Hanchulan, she passed down do V’dralla at the border between worlds. It was then given to V’dralla’s artisans and mechanics, who fashioned a wooden prosthetic right half that looked exactly like a hollow-eyed manikin. Cuddly, eh?
The other half of Edgar is still in the Dream World as a control device and conduit for life-sustaining energy.
History: Upon waking, Edgar was very much an infant. Even at the present, walking is kind of difficult. Thankfully, his first mission was to play ‘possessed demon puppet’ as the Acolyte Wars began. It didn’t last long, though. Calico and Lynx claimed it was no longer a concern, though it’s very likely that Calico just got bored and Lynx wanted an excuse to get the hell away from her. So, Edgar participated in the Adventurer’s Crown instead. There, he made many friends, notably the kendergoyle named Chromanon. Well, to be honest, Calico made the friends. All that Edgar gained from the experience was a few tools and one glimmer of a thought. He liked to see people dying. In that instant, as their souls faded from the world, they had as much life in them as he did. Hopefully, he’ll get to see that again someday.
Equipment:
-steel poisoner’s dagger, currently filled with sleeping potion (found during the AC)
-four vials of sleeping potion (given to him by V’dralla and stored in slots in his right hip)
-black woolen cloak
Abilities: (As if this guy had any skills. He barely functions when not possessed by Calico, and even then he’s clunky.)
Nappy time
Using the dagger or the vials, Edgar often puts people to sleep as per Calico’s instructions. Or, at least, he tries. His dagger skills are below child-like. When he does get the job done, Calico can go to work using dreams.
The sleeping potion is quite potent. When it enters the bloodstream through a minor wound, the target will feel groggy for a few seconds and then fall into a deep sleep. The effect of the potion lasts only a few second, long enough for them to hit the ground. At that point, the effect is exhausted and they are sleeping normally, so they will wake up for loud noises or being touched. While asleep, they will not bleed to death because the potion will cause the wound to clot quickly. (The dagger can be used five times before it needs to be refilled with a full vial.)
If someone can be tricked into ingesting the potion, it will take more quantity but they will be in a drugged sleep for longer. Half a vial normally induces a half hour of sleep.
However, since the ties with V’dralla have been cut, he will get no more of the potion once it runs out.
Dream World Terminology
Void: The emptiness between the viewer and the horizon. This area contains nothing but invisible energy.
Horizon: The point at which the dream energy becomes visible. The viewer percieves a sphere of multi-colored ripples at roughly a mile from his/her eyes. This sphere appears to move with the viewer, but that is just because their perceived vision will always remain the same distance from them. In truth, the energy of the Dream World stretches into infinity.
Dispersion: A condition which occurs when a dream demon is overloaded with energy. They break down into a mass of formless thought and are scattered across the Dream World. But, they will eventually recover from this condition.
Reformation: The recovery from dispersion. The details of it are unknown, even to the dream demons.
Twisted: Refers to dream demons who have mutilated their auras so as to stop the interference with the auras of others. Side effects are unknown.
Auraless: When a dream demon is dispersed due to the energies of reality, their reformation process becomes tainted in the aura phase. This can lead to the aura completely collapsing. Its effects on dream demon interaction are similar to those with twisted auras, but its other effects may be very different.
How it’s gonna work
I’m know that the problem with multiple PCs on an account is the distribution of EXP. So, I will only have these characters gain abilities through questing. No magical appearance of spells and the like. Therefore, the characters will likely be weaker than the level that is shown on the account.
The reason that I’m not making separate accounts is because the dream demons’ stories are very connected. I need a place to play all the ones in the Dream World, as well as play all the ones who are currently on Althanas (they’ll move back and forth as the story dictates).
I had 370gp at the end of round one, though none of my characters carry gold on this account. So, just have it at zero.
This account will have multiple characters. I will detail them below and then describe how I would like to work the respective exp.
Name: (numerous NPCs)
Race: Dream Demons
Age: Infinite
Appearance: They appear as whatever they choose, for they have no body. However, at their most primitive state, they are small spheres of light.
History:
In the hub of existence, the center of all dimensions, there exists a state of limbo where all matter is turned to energy and only thought has substance. It is known as the Dream World, for few have heard of it, and fewer want to justify its existence with a proper name. On this immaterial plane of space-time, one will find creatures that embody all the thoughts that pass through all mortal beings in the solid worlds. They are the dream demons, the misfits of the universes and beyond. With near godly powers and an eternity of nothingness, they once toyed with sleeping mortals’ minds to alleviate their boredom.
This utopian playground remained undisturbed for eons before it was intruded upon 1000 years ago. Using arcane artifacts and complex enchantments, monks from the Canun Hanchulan sect on Althanas began exploring this new world through their dreams. The dream demons were horrified at this, fleeing from the mere sight of the intruders. The unhindered exploration continued until the most experienced dreamers gained the ability to move their physical bodies, also, to the Dream World. Unintentionally, these Dream Walkers also brought with them the reality that was the complete opposite of the Dream World. Like poison, their presence spread, twisting almost everything with haphazard effects of gravity and magnetism.
Finally, a dream demon by the name of Crystal Griffin approached them and pleaded for them to leave. The Hanchulans refused. They believed that they were making contact with their gods. In fact, the entire sect had shifted its operations from prayer to sending themselves to their perceived “Holy World”. With all their religious beliefs behind them, the Dream Walkers declared that the dream demons were messengers of the evil, and they began attacking any that they could find. In the proximity of the mortals, the dream demons were poisoned by reality and easily fell to the human’s crude weapons.
As the slaughter began, Griffon found himself stuck in the position of leader. He resigned himself to the role and went forward to fight the humans. In an epic battle of matter and anti-matter, both Griffon and the monks were destroyed. But, while the mortals faded lifelessly into oblivion, Griffon’s remains turned to pure energy and rejuvenated the world to its original state. As soon as they realized this, the other dream demons sealed the monk’s entrance point with the life energy of the fading Dream Walkers. The sect was appalled that their religion had failed them. Many committed suicide while a few went back to the villages, never speaking of what had happened. And so, peaceful nothingness returned to the Dream World.
However, the dream demons, being eternal in both life and memory, could never forget the pain that had been caused to them. Now, and probably for the rest of eternity, they send nightmares to the humans with as much force as they can muster. They will never forget. They will never forgive. The hate will always be in them.
Abilities:
Immortality
The dream demons are immortal mainly due to the fact that there is nothing in the world of thought that can directly hurt them. There is a condition, called dispersion, which happens when they are overloaded with dream energy. They are turned to energy and scattered much as Griffon was. But they will eventually recover from this condition. In the presence of reality, their bodies are frail, though their souls have a way of surviving. It is not known to what extent they can die when completely in the real world.
Manipulation
Dream demons can reach out to all worlds to manipulate the thoughts of sleeping creatures, human and animal. Using this, they create nightmares to amuse themselves and take out frustrations left over from the invasion of the Dream Walkers. They can only affect the victims’ minds, seeing as they have no basis in reality. But, they have caused many already unstable dreamers to go over the deep end.
There is one large weakness in this ability, though. The dreams demons can only keep control if the dreamer doesn’t know, or isn’t clearheaded enough to care, that it’s all an illusion. Any mortals who discover this and focus clearly on escaping will be able to leave of their own free will.
Althanas-bound dream demons: (those who have fallen from their godly perches)
Name: Jade Vipress
Chosen appearance: She is most comfortable in the image of a beautiful, tanned, buxom woman… with silver snakes for hair and a reptilian cast to her eyes and mouth. This is the form that, due to certain rude scholars, has become known as Medusa in many worlds. Also, she has embedded in her forehead a large jade gemstone. This apparently didn’t make it into those myths.
History: Vipress’ life as a dream demon was quite like the life of every dream demon. She only differed in style. While others would be happy with the amusement that they received from tormenting dreamers, Vipress wanted to control people in both their sleeping and waking state. Recently, the opportunity came to further this goal. There was a mortal half-elf name Veritas who, out of everyone on the world called Althanas, had been chosen to be the owner of the Crest of Siccus. It was a magical artifact stored in a temple in the frozen region of Salvar. But, it wasn’t the crest that interested Vipress. It was the room it lay in, which was only accessible by the chosen one. Monsters infested the temple, but the monster waiting in the crest chamber was special. It was a living shadow that fed on souls. Ages ago, its creators had called it a Hollow Sentinel. It was one of the few creatures that Vipress would exercise control over from the Dream World, and it was what she would use to possess Veritas. A half-elf was a phenomenally more useful tool than a living shadow, after all.
Through the dreams, Vipress was able to lure Veritas to the temple. However, Vipress hadn’t planned on Veritas bringing along Shadar Logath, who happened to be the vessel of Diamond Jackal, a dream demon who had fallen from the Dream World years ago. With the power of a dream demon on her side, Veritas was able to twist Vipress’ plans out of shape and set a ward upon her mind that would keep Vipress out. The dream demon’s potential tool was now impossibly out of reach. So, Vipress did the next best thing. She waited for Veritas to go to the crest, then she set the Hollow Sentinel upon her. It wouldn’t be able to possess her, but it could easily drink the life from her. And that was just what it did.
During the struggle, the souls of Veritas and Vipress met in the void that was the Sentinel’s mind. Vipress wanted to see Veritas’ spirit be devoured. However, in her final moments, Veritas gathered her emotions and rendered herself a being of pure determination. There was a battle between them then in the Sentinel, and it ended with Vipress being cast into the belly of the beast. Veritas survived, and her and Shadar left the temple with the Crest of Siccus.
The Hollow Sentinel had crumpled into a corner after the battle. But, long after the fight, life began to stir in it anew. Vipress’ soul was too strong to be digested, and the Sentinel eventually succumbed to it, giving Vipress full possession of its body.
Now, Vipress has awoken in the world of mortals. Her very nature as a dream demon is in question, and her pride is forever mangled. Thankfully, the only creature to witness her despair and outrage is a single, wounded monster that survived the battle with Shadar. Whether or not it will survive Vipress’ fury is questionable.
Abilities: (normal dream demon abilities have been lost)
Vapor form
Being in the body of a Hollow Sentinel, Vipress must live with its immaterial nature. When struck forcefully, the impact area will turn to a black mist. The mist will slowly return to its original shape. Small to medium impacts will reform in minutes. Very forceful trauma will result in her entire body turning to mist that won’t reform for days.
Shapeshift
With a body so immaterial as this, she is beginning to understand how to shape it at will. For now, she can only change superficial details. Mostly, this means adding a cloak or causing her serpentine hair to look simply like dreadlocks.
Telepathy
The mental powers she once had are gone. In their place is a far less powerful form of telepathy. When making physical contact with someone, she can have a telepathic conversation with them. And, if they are willing, she can look into the deepest parts of their minds. Yet, she cannot control those minds anymore.
Followers: (cause all god-wannabes need ‘em)
Name: Rask
Race: Scaled Knight
Age: somewhere in the hundreds
Appearance: Rask is a humanoid lizard, though leaning more toward the human than lizard side, as he stands upright. His head is purely reptilian, though expressive in the eyes and jaw, and he is endowed with a long and powerful tail.
History: There is not much that Rask remembers. The only glimmer came when he met Vipress. At that moment, he was nothing more than a dumb monster set there to protect the temple’s treasure. But, as he dragged himself, wounded, into the alter chamber where she lay, he was attacked by more than physical force. Vipress dug into his mind. Her goal was to find out where Shadar and Veritas had gone, but she instead unearthed long-faded scenes from Rask’s past. And so, he remembered himself.
Long ago, he had once been a great warrior of a proud elven race. They were a people known to experiment in the most bizarre forms of magic, the kind that would alter a child even in the womb and chart their whole life with blood-born instructions. For that reason, Rask (or whatever his name had originally been) was far stronger than modern elves. Though, he apparently wasn’t strong enough.
The elves were at war with a powerful demon nation, one that outpaced and outmatched them at every turn. As the fear among his people grew, if began to effect his own personal relations. His lover, whose name he still hasn’t remembered, wished to fight as well. He forbid it, but she didn’t listen. During one long campaign that kept him from home, she answered the call of the greatest alteration mage in the kingdom. He had shown a strange amount of interest in her, and was very relieved that she came forward with her services.
Rask never did find out what services the mage wanted. All he knew was that when he returned, she was gone.
Days later, he managed to track her last known whereabouts to the mage’s citadel. As he stood before the massive structure, he knew what had happened to her. Those who volunteered their services to this man… ceased to be members of their proud elven race. As he entered, he cast his armor and bastard sword off the edge of the drawbridge. They probably would no longer fit him.
After that, all he remembered was an apparatus of great power, like a tunnel of light propelling him upward. Then, he became the monster he had been for so long.
Startled by this revelation, he had no choice but to follow Vipress in her quest for revenge. She was the key to his past, but also the only other creature that seemed to sympathize with him in this world. For that reason, he refers to her as “Jade”.
Equipment:
-three steel short swords, sheathed vertically at each hip and horizontally at the back
-red iron plate over the torso, forearms, and shins
-green woolen cloak
Abilities:
Tri-blade style
As a monster, he would be useless if he didn’t know how to fight. All Scaled Knights were gifted with skill in this style, which uses the tail as another limb to hold a blade, though their proficiency is only enough to hack down weaker mortals and was designed to be used in a mob effort. In a one on one fight, he is able to defend and counterattack, but he does not have the skill of one with proper training.
Current history: Soon after their meeting, an interdimensional trap in the temple activated and both Vipress and Rask were confined in the world where the long dead owners resided. Thankfully, at the moment it snapped shut, they had been in physical contact. So, Vipress still had some mental connection with Rask. That was what kept him from going insane in the years of near-solitude that followed.
Eventually, the spirits of that realm grew nervous of having a dream demon near them. So, they dumped the two unceremoniously in a creek near the outskirts of Radasanth.
Althanas-effecting dream demons: (they stay upon their perches, but case their influence downward)
Name: Onyx Calico
Chosen appearance: She enjoys (and I mean REALLY enjoys) the form of a brown-furred catgirl with long white hair atop her head. She wears a purple, long-sleeved tank top with netting over it as well as short shorts. On her feet are hiking boots and socks up to the knee. As per all dream demons, she has her namesake stone in her forehead.
History: The story of Calico is a strange one, which is also very fitting since she is the dream demon most aligned with insanity. She was one of the casualties in the war against the Canun Hanchulan as a sword pierced her chest and the vengeful thoughts of the attacker ripped through her. She was dispersed, which is to say that she lost all hold upon her form and was scattered to the farthest reaches of the Dream World. Only recently did she reform. But, she is now different. Perhaps due to the unusual nature of her destruction, she was reformed with no aura. It is the wall of influence that normally kept dream demons from interacting with each other, for the conflict of two auras could easily lead to dispersion. Calico, however, was now exempt from that. She was free to, ahem… in her words, “Cuddle and squeeze all her friends.”
The first dream demon to receive that cuddling and squeezing was one named Ruby Lynx. He, like any sane dream demon, was horrified and will probably carry numerous emotional scars from the encounter. However, he did work with Calico long enough for them to try influencing the Acolyte Wars, a mere squabble among some backwater Althanas gods.
For this purpose, Calico created a physical vessel with which to affect the world. His name was Edgar. He was squooshy.
Followers:
Name: Edgar
Race: something icky
Age: Left side 1000+, right side a few months
Appearance: Edgar is… gross. To understand why, one would have to know his origins. He was created through the combined work of Calico and the Elder Thayne Deity V’dralla. Construction began when Calico traveled to the portal from which the Hanchulan invasion had come. There lay the remains of the mortals. Organ-filled, nearly transparent, moaning husks of humanity with large bright orange eyes. In Calico’s words, “Cute lil’ Chullios.”
She selected one at random and sliced it down the middle. Now, it wouldn’t be wise to go into detail. Let’s just say there was a lot of screaming and dripping of unnamed fluids. That Hanchulan, she threw away. It wasn’t sliced symmetrically enough. “It was being stupid and moved while I was cutting!”
So, about five dissected bodies later, she had one that was geometrically satisfying. This half-Hanchulan, she passed down do V’dralla at the border between worlds. It was then given to V’dralla’s artisans and mechanics, who fashioned a wooden prosthetic right half that looked exactly like a hollow-eyed manikin. Cuddly, eh?
The other half of Edgar is still in the Dream World as a control device and conduit for life-sustaining energy.
History: Upon waking, Edgar was very much an infant. Even at the present, walking is kind of difficult. Thankfully, his first mission was to play ‘possessed demon puppet’ as the Acolyte Wars began. It didn’t last long, though. Calico and Lynx claimed it was no longer a concern, though it’s very likely that Calico just got bored and Lynx wanted an excuse to get the hell away from her. So, Edgar participated in the Adventurer’s Crown instead. There, he made many friends, notably the kendergoyle named Chromanon. Well, to be honest, Calico made the friends. All that Edgar gained from the experience was a few tools and one glimmer of a thought. He liked to see people dying. In that instant, as their souls faded from the world, they had as much life in them as he did. Hopefully, he’ll get to see that again someday.
Equipment:
-steel poisoner’s dagger, currently filled with sleeping potion (found during the AC)
-four vials of sleeping potion (given to him by V’dralla and stored in slots in his right hip)
-black woolen cloak
Abilities: (As if this guy had any skills. He barely functions when not possessed by Calico, and even then he’s clunky.)
Nappy time
Using the dagger or the vials, Edgar often puts people to sleep as per Calico’s instructions. Or, at least, he tries. His dagger skills are below child-like. When he does get the job done, Calico can go to work using dreams.
The sleeping potion is quite potent. When it enters the bloodstream through a minor wound, the target will feel groggy for a few seconds and then fall into a deep sleep. The effect of the potion lasts only a few second, long enough for them to hit the ground. At that point, the effect is exhausted and they are sleeping normally, so they will wake up for loud noises or being touched. While asleep, they will not bleed to death because the potion will cause the wound to clot quickly. (The dagger can be used five times before it needs to be refilled with a full vial.)
If someone can be tricked into ingesting the potion, it will take more quantity but they will be in a drugged sleep for longer. Half a vial normally induces a half hour of sleep.
However, since the ties with V’dralla have been cut, he will get no more of the potion once it runs out.
Dream World Terminology
Void: The emptiness between the viewer and the horizon. This area contains nothing but invisible energy.
Horizon: The point at which the dream energy becomes visible. The viewer percieves a sphere of multi-colored ripples at roughly a mile from his/her eyes. This sphere appears to move with the viewer, but that is just because their perceived vision will always remain the same distance from them. In truth, the energy of the Dream World stretches into infinity.
Dispersion: A condition which occurs when a dream demon is overloaded with energy. They break down into a mass of formless thought and are scattered across the Dream World. But, they will eventually recover from this condition.
Reformation: The recovery from dispersion. The details of it are unknown, even to the dream demons.
Twisted: Refers to dream demons who have mutilated their auras so as to stop the interference with the auras of others. Side effects are unknown.
Auraless: When a dream demon is dispersed due to the energies of reality, their reformation process becomes tainted in the aura phase. This can lead to the aura completely collapsing. Its effects on dream demon interaction are similar to those with twisted auras, but its other effects may be very different.
How it’s gonna work
I’m know that the problem with multiple PCs on an account is the distribution of EXP. So, I will only have these characters gain abilities through questing. No magical appearance of spells and the like. Therefore, the characters will likely be weaker than the level that is shown on the account.
The reason that I’m not making separate accounts is because the dream demons’ stories are very connected. I need a place to play all the ones in the Dream World, as well as play all the ones who are currently on Althanas (they’ll move back and forth as the story dictates).