Duffy
01-15-13, 08:20 AM
Duffy Bracken
2886
Sometimes life takes you right back to where you started, and you realise this is exactly where you're meant to be.
Duffy Bracken, on realising his place is in Scara Brae.
Alias: Duffy, Brandybuck, Defoe, Monkeyman
Title: Lord, Tantalum, Bard
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Age: 542yrs (appears late twenties).
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 135lbs.
Eye Colour: Marl.
Hair Colour: Brown.
Languages: Scara Brae, Tradespeak, High Elven.
Intelligence: Genius.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Occupation: Bard.
Accent: Corone (Neutral).
Literacy: Unrivalled.
Distinguishing Features: Snakebite Piercings, Unhealthy Gait
History:
Scara Brae - Present Day
Murnday, Mid-Morning, Day Fourty of Not Writing
I don’t think I know who I am anymore. I used to be so headstrong, an idealist, you might say. Everything in my life, and everybody, they all had their place. I thrived on being in control of that order; the hierarchy of my life was my one and only saving grace. It was the refrain that answered each and every cry for help I made through the wars, trials, and the tribulations we’ve endured.
Ever since that world came tumbling down – blackness. Oblivion. Nothingness.
Certainty is something now foreign to me, and my companies in my misery are bourbon and blame. The troupe, after all, was such a huge part of all of our lives, that without it, it’s akin to losing a love one, or in my case, losing a leg.
Our work was our identity, and after we gave that up to help Sei, and Sei gave up so much to give us another chance, I don’t the passion is still there as strongly as it once was. It will never die, by all means, but it’s blunted and dull. I guess I am thankful that I have been given this sabbatical, by which I mean the opportunity to run away, to recuperate. I will not be seeing the Ixian Knights again, least not in the capacity as a captain amongst their number. I have not seen Ruby in five months, and I feel as ambivalent about seeing her again as I was when we first fell out.
That day will come…
Ironically, in Scara Brae’s thespian district, now a ruin, I have found a new frontier to fight in. The Arboretum, an old rival playhouse is now mine to call a home of sorts, though it’s more a hovel. For so long we forsook our origins as playwrights, and for so long I have been writing nothing but deaths and tragedies, I hope here to find a spark from the days before Lucian’s Call, when we were ‘happy’.
I guess we had to lose everything we had before we could realise just how happy we were with out lot.
We will never be quite as brilliant as we were. I am now a bard half blind and crippled. Ruby is with child, and married to a marvel of a man. Arden and Lilith have been in Akashima fighting with the Greater Oni for over a year, and I am glad…it means that somewhere out in the world, people still believe in heroes. Maybe, in Scara Brae, they will believe in them once more. I will have to find the words to put on this battered parchment before that happens.
I feel hollow.
I feel sad.
Ruby thinks I’m mad.
Maybe I am…
Personality:
In time, Duffy has become a stoic, bitter, and determined individual. His presence in a room, though commanding attending, is usually accompanied by bitter resentment and nervous disposition. He is, after all, a celebrity - perhaps, in some circles, for all the wrong reasons. He is prone to quiet contemplation and long, unexplained silences. He is forgiving, though he never forgets. He is utterly loyal to the Tantalum, and their extended families, but will almost certainly be quick to remind those people of their fealty.
If tested, he will fight. There is no doubt in his, or anyone who knows him well mind. He is stubborn, so much so he will seldom accept help with his injury, or with his troubles - he relies on his friends to know when to ignore his protections, just as much as they rely on him to draw them together in a crisis. He is, despite his embattled nature, prone to drunken enthusiasm, happy endeavours, and quirky, off he cuff witticisms that can cut through tension like a hot knife through salty butter. As time goes by, however, the highs, and the lows, become longer and more extreme. Somewhere in the menagerie of persona that fight beneath the surface of the creature known as Duffy Bracken, perhaps, and just perhaps, we will finally see who, or what, his persona shall settle upon.
Skills:
Bardic Menagerie: As a bard, Duffy constantly strives to recite, recant, and produce eternally more pompous renditions of classical plays and witty comedies. As part of his stage life, and his early progeny as a street runner and later as a thief, he has amassed the skills required to perform in the various styles of theatre prevalent throughout Althanas.
• Actor: Duffy is an outstanding actor of unrivalled skill. He is familiar with all common plays and the classics, and can method act almost as if he were possessed, even if he invariably 'Duffyfies' the role.
• Dancer: Duffy has a legendary knowledge of the performance of most common dances, tango, waltz etc., as well as the Scara Brae variations/court dances etc. Due to his injury, he can no longer perform these dances, but can instruct others to do so.
• Virtuoso: Duffy can sing at an above average level. He can play the flute, common harp, harpsichord (, or similar) to a legendary level. Duffy can spontaneously play common styles, utilising the arts/culture knowledge skill.
Rogue's Gambit: As the Tantalum, Duffy hears and sees allot that he should not, and he has the rapport to talk his way into a location where most would resort to a large axe. To represent this, Duffy is considered to possess the following skills:
• Local Knowledge: unrivalled knowledge skill pertaining to the arts, culture, and flora and fauna of the island of Scara Brae.
• Forbidden Lore (Thayne): Duffy possess an unrivalled understanding of the history of the creation of the Thayne, especially N’Jal and Tantalus.
• Street Slang: Duffy is more than likely to have heard a rumour or tit bit that is relevant to the topic at hand, but careful consideration should be applied to wherever or not he would understand what it was he ‘overheard’.
Abilities:
Cursed and Afflicted: Though Duffy is immortal, his mortal enemy, Wainwright Defoe, cursed him with a wound that will never heal. He has become, as a result, ‘crippled’, though his Bladesinger abilities and spell song mitigates this somewhat. His right shin fluctuates from bruised, to shattered, to bleeding and agonising. As a result, Duffy usually requires the use of a cane, save for bursts of adrenaline and summoning the strength of his friends through The Aria. His movement is thus restricted, and he only possesses X2 reflexes and agility, as opposed to the previous levels. His eyes are also milky, marl, and sometimes blur his vision. He is prone as he ever was to mishaps, and concussion and magic that affects vision will have double the effect. He is, however, now very resilient to magic; X2 resistance to normal spells, and X3 to necromantic, dark, or ‘evil’ magic aligned to shadow. There is, apparently, a blessing to be found in every curse.
The Aria: The Aria has changed; it sings no more as if Duffy were the only one who could hear it. The Silver Sea, both metaphor and quasi-reality in the minds of the avatar of Tantalus is no longer turbulent, unfettered, unbridled; it is a calm, serene and harmonious plane of existence that harbours the creative endeavours of all the multiverse. The name Tantalum no longer means ‘gifted,’ it is simply a leader’s name, a formulaic and stuffy title given to the one who leads, through choice or election, a troupe born of Scara Brae. It has developed in time, and his former method acting ability has caused him to reincarnate not as a vessel, but as the Hero Lysander himself – crossed with Defoe, his first life, and peppered with the woes of all his former lives:
Persuasion: A convincing aura that applies to characters up to three levels higher, and three levels lower. (Those outside of this range are beyond his curtailing charm). This, crossed with his speechraft, allows Duffy to attempt to convince others to do his bidding, part ways, and lay down their blades, but it cannot and never will be able to cause others to directly harm themselves (he can, however, instruct them to take arms up against another. Any command he makes with persuasion must remain within his moral alignment).
Bladesinger of the Western Weald: Reborn as Lysander Brandybuck and William Defoe combined, Duffy now possesses the memories of the Bladesinger, and those of the blood mage Defoe. His abilities have thus changed, as below, and he has lost all of his combat abilities with his daggers.
• Duellist’s Gambit: Though his skill with the daggers has become a memory, he can however wield short swords, long swords, and katanas. This extends to any similar one handed bladed weapons in any combination. He wields these instruments at a legendary level, and can switch between simplistic but swift styles of the blade singer’s art with ease. He can summon any weapon he owns using Leopold’s vault ability, this is not part of the Union of Ages – Duffy has begun to personify the desire to protect his friends, and The Aria delivers through time and space.
• Recanting Orison: Twice per thread, by channelling his vocal chords and summoning The Aria into this realm, Lysander can augment a single weapon with a vibrating force. This has two effects; firstly, it augments the material of the weapon so that it is one tier higher (this is cumulative with the effects of The Katarhna) and strikes at X2% the normal strength of a blade swung with a man of Duffy’s physical build. Secondly, for the duration of the subsequent post or attack (whichever transpires first) the blade in question cannot be tarnished or broken by non-magical means.
• Note-bound Reflexes: using stoic steps, a defence of steel, and a keen sight that is beyond a mortal’s, Duffy can instigate a fighting stance that is all but impervious to blows from bladed weapons from opponents who or one level higher or below. He can maintain this for four posts running. When in such a stance he cannot strike in return, and it requires patience and song whilst engaging in this form, as well a cool down period of one post before retaliatory strikes can be delivered. He can activate this ability only whilst wielding his cane, or the Katarhna.
The Union of Ages: Five times per thread the profile ability of one other member of the Tantalum Troupe may be called upon as a non-NPC action, working for all intent and purpose as described in the original biography. At present, this requires all the same conditions as the original ability, so that if the original requires PC permission, so too does Duffy. An OOC note, or profile link to the utilised ability should be added to either the post in question, or the judging submission.
Equipment:
The Katarhna: A simple dehlar katana with a black handle and gold hilt. It is a magical blade that is held in a simple black Akashima sheath. It can be drawn with either hand but requires adjustment to do so with the left, making any such movement risky and more time consuming. It now strongly resists blows from non-magical weapons and if Duffy is singing, or using spell singing via the Union of Ages, the blade strikes at an additional X1.5 multiplier as it begins to vibrate at a high frequency (which can stack with other modifiers).
The Cane of Eraclaire: A reinforced, black lacquered cane, which has a steel spherical tip made out of the materials of the chain given to Duffy by Visla Eraclaire, long ago. It possesses no magical properties, except that it is very durable and suitable for parrying and swordplay (strikes as hard wood).
The Beast of Tongues: A ceramic fox masque in the traditional Akashiman geisha style, with red ribbon to secure it to the face and a broad bright smile moulded into it. It conceals the face completely. Whilst wearing the mask, Duffy can understand every language spoken throughout time and space fluently. It does not afford him the ability to speak it, though it will boost his ability to learn through absorption.
The Bonds of Artistry: Duffy has purchased a matching set of four master-work platinum bangles, each delicately inscribed with the leading, most memorable line from I Want To Be Your Canary spoken by the intended recipients. He will give them to Lillith, Ruby, and Arden in their next updates. They afford the wearer the ability to teleport to and from Brandybuck Castle, but only during a quest with partner permission. During a battle they may call on Arden's Blink ability, as described in his original profile:
Blink: Blank can manipulate his own chronotrons once per thread to, quite simply, Blink himself from existence, fluttering between the reality that is Althanas and the alternative realm of The Aria for precisely two seconds. He will re-appear in exactly the same place, and continue on exactly the same momentum and trajectory should he have been moving when activated. The practical uses of this are self-defence, to avoid, if given warning a projectile or moving object, or to dash through an opponent to attack from behind; it takes considerable focus to activate at present, and leaves ripples and a vacuum in its wake. When he disappears and re-appears, snippets of text, song or noises darker still will emerge, flying out from the heart of creativity itself.
2886
Sometimes life takes you right back to where you started, and you realise this is exactly where you're meant to be.
Duffy Bracken, on realising his place is in Scara Brae.
Alias: Duffy, Brandybuck, Defoe, Monkeyman
Title: Lord, Tantalum, Bard
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Age: 542yrs (appears late twenties).
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 135lbs.
Eye Colour: Marl.
Hair Colour: Brown.
Languages: Scara Brae, Tradespeak, High Elven.
Intelligence: Genius.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Occupation: Bard.
Accent: Corone (Neutral).
Literacy: Unrivalled.
Distinguishing Features: Snakebite Piercings, Unhealthy Gait
History:
Scara Brae - Present Day
Murnday, Mid-Morning, Day Fourty of Not Writing
I don’t think I know who I am anymore. I used to be so headstrong, an idealist, you might say. Everything in my life, and everybody, they all had their place. I thrived on being in control of that order; the hierarchy of my life was my one and only saving grace. It was the refrain that answered each and every cry for help I made through the wars, trials, and the tribulations we’ve endured.
Ever since that world came tumbling down – blackness. Oblivion. Nothingness.
Certainty is something now foreign to me, and my companies in my misery are bourbon and blame. The troupe, after all, was such a huge part of all of our lives, that without it, it’s akin to losing a love one, or in my case, losing a leg.
Our work was our identity, and after we gave that up to help Sei, and Sei gave up so much to give us another chance, I don’t the passion is still there as strongly as it once was. It will never die, by all means, but it’s blunted and dull. I guess I am thankful that I have been given this sabbatical, by which I mean the opportunity to run away, to recuperate. I will not be seeing the Ixian Knights again, least not in the capacity as a captain amongst their number. I have not seen Ruby in five months, and I feel as ambivalent about seeing her again as I was when we first fell out.
That day will come…
Ironically, in Scara Brae’s thespian district, now a ruin, I have found a new frontier to fight in. The Arboretum, an old rival playhouse is now mine to call a home of sorts, though it’s more a hovel. For so long we forsook our origins as playwrights, and for so long I have been writing nothing but deaths and tragedies, I hope here to find a spark from the days before Lucian’s Call, when we were ‘happy’.
I guess we had to lose everything we had before we could realise just how happy we were with out lot.
We will never be quite as brilliant as we were. I am now a bard half blind and crippled. Ruby is with child, and married to a marvel of a man. Arden and Lilith have been in Akashima fighting with the Greater Oni for over a year, and I am glad…it means that somewhere out in the world, people still believe in heroes. Maybe, in Scara Brae, they will believe in them once more. I will have to find the words to put on this battered parchment before that happens.
I feel hollow.
I feel sad.
Ruby thinks I’m mad.
Maybe I am…
Personality:
In time, Duffy has become a stoic, bitter, and determined individual. His presence in a room, though commanding attending, is usually accompanied by bitter resentment and nervous disposition. He is, after all, a celebrity - perhaps, in some circles, for all the wrong reasons. He is prone to quiet contemplation and long, unexplained silences. He is forgiving, though he never forgets. He is utterly loyal to the Tantalum, and their extended families, but will almost certainly be quick to remind those people of their fealty.
If tested, he will fight. There is no doubt in his, or anyone who knows him well mind. He is stubborn, so much so he will seldom accept help with his injury, or with his troubles - he relies on his friends to know when to ignore his protections, just as much as they rely on him to draw them together in a crisis. He is, despite his embattled nature, prone to drunken enthusiasm, happy endeavours, and quirky, off he cuff witticisms that can cut through tension like a hot knife through salty butter. As time goes by, however, the highs, and the lows, become longer and more extreme. Somewhere in the menagerie of persona that fight beneath the surface of the creature known as Duffy Bracken, perhaps, and just perhaps, we will finally see who, or what, his persona shall settle upon.
Skills:
Bardic Menagerie: As a bard, Duffy constantly strives to recite, recant, and produce eternally more pompous renditions of classical plays and witty comedies. As part of his stage life, and his early progeny as a street runner and later as a thief, he has amassed the skills required to perform in the various styles of theatre prevalent throughout Althanas.
• Actor: Duffy is an outstanding actor of unrivalled skill. He is familiar with all common plays and the classics, and can method act almost as if he were possessed, even if he invariably 'Duffyfies' the role.
• Dancer: Duffy has a legendary knowledge of the performance of most common dances, tango, waltz etc., as well as the Scara Brae variations/court dances etc. Due to his injury, he can no longer perform these dances, but can instruct others to do so.
• Virtuoso: Duffy can sing at an above average level. He can play the flute, common harp, harpsichord (, or similar) to a legendary level. Duffy can spontaneously play common styles, utilising the arts/culture knowledge skill.
Rogue's Gambit: As the Tantalum, Duffy hears and sees allot that he should not, and he has the rapport to talk his way into a location where most would resort to a large axe. To represent this, Duffy is considered to possess the following skills:
• Local Knowledge: unrivalled knowledge skill pertaining to the arts, culture, and flora and fauna of the island of Scara Brae.
• Forbidden Lore (Thayne): Duffy possess an unrivalled understanding of the history of the creation of the Thayne, especially N’Jal and Tantalus.
• Street Slang: Duffy is more than likely to have heard a rumour or tit bit that is relevant to the topic at hand, but careful consideration should be applied to wherever or not he would understand what it was he ‘overheard’.
Abilities:
Cursed and Afflicted: Though Duffy is immortal, his mortal enemy, Wainwright Defoe, cursed him with a wound that will never heal. He has become, as a result, ‘crippled’, though his Bladesinger abilities and spell song mitigates this somewhat. His right shin fluctuates from bruised, to shattered, to bleeding and agonising. As a result, Duffy usually requires the use of a cane, save for bursts of adrenaline and summoning the strength of his friends through The Aria. His movement is thus restricted, and he only possesses X2 reflexes and agility, as opposed to the previous levels. His eyes are also milky, marl, and sometimes blur his vision. He is prone as he ever was to mishaps, and concussion and magic that affects vision will have double the effect. He is, however, now very resilient to magic; X2 resistance to normal spells, and X3 to necromantic, dark, or ‘evil’ magic aligned to shadow. There is, apparently, a blessing to be found in every curse.
The Aria: The Aria has changed; it sings no more as if Duffy were the only one who could hear it. The Silver Sea, both metaphor and quasi-reality in the minds of the avatar of Tantalus is no longer turbulent, unfettered, unbridled; it is a calm, serene and harmonious plane of existence that harbours the creative endeavours of all the multiverse. The name Tantalum no longer means ‘gifted,’ it is simply a leader’s name, a formulaic and stuffy title given to the one who leads, through choice or election, a troupe born of Scara Brae. It has developed in time, and his former method acting ability has caused him to reincarnate not as a vessel, but as the Hero Lysander himself – crossed with Defoe, his first life, and peppered with the woes of all his former lives:
Persuasion: A convincing aura that applies to characters up to three levels higher, and three levels lower. (Those outside of this range are beyond his curtailing charm). This, crossed with his speechraft, allows Duffy to attempt to convince others to do his bidding, part ways, and lay down their blades, but it cannot and never will be able to cause others to directly harm themselves (he can, however, instruct them to take arms up against another. Any command he makes with persuasion must remain within his moral alignment).
Bladesinger of the Western Weald: Reborn as Lysander Brandybuck and William Defoe combined, Duffy now possesses the memories of the Bladesinger, and those of the blood mage Defoe. His abilities have thus changed, as below, and he has lost all of his combat abilities with his daggers.
• Duellist’s Gambit: Though his skill with the daggers has become a memory, he can however wield short swords, long swords, and katanas. This extends to any similar one handed bladed weapons in any combination. He wields these instruments at a legendary level, and can switch between simplistic but swift styles of the blade singer’s art with ease. He can summon any weapon he owns using Leopold’s vault ability, this is not part of the Union of Ages – Duffy has begun to personify the desire to protect his friends, and The Aria delivers through time and space.
• Recanting Orison: Twice per thread, by channelling his vocal chords and summoning The Aria into this realm, Lysander can augment a single weapon with a vibrating force. This has two effects; firstly, it augments the material of the weapon so that it is one tier higher (this is cumulative with the effects of The Katarhna) and strikes at X2% the normal strength of a blade swung with a man of Duffy’s physical build. Secondly, for the duration of the subsequent post or attack (whichever transpires first) the blade in question cannot be tarnished or broken by non-magical means.
• Note-bound Reflexes: using stoic steps, a defence of steel, and a keen sight that is beyond a mortal’s, Duffy can instigate a fighting stance that is all but impervious to blows from bladed weapons from opponents who or one level higher or below. He can maintain this for four posts running. When in such a stance he cannot strike in return, and it requires patience and song whilst engaging in this form, as well a cool down period of one post before retaliatory strikes can be delivered. He can activate this ability only whilst wielding his cane, or the Katarhna.
The Union of Ages: Five times per thread the profile ability of one other member of the Tantalum Troupe may be called upon as a non-NPC action, working for all intent and purpose as described in the original biography. At present, this requires all the same conditions as the original ability, so that if the original requires PC permission, so too does Duffy. An OOC note, or profile link to the utilised ability should be added to either the post in question, or the judging submission.
Equipment:
The Katarhna: A simple dehlar katana with a black handle and gold hilt. It is a magical blade that is held in a simple black Akashima sheath. It can be drawn with either hand but requires adjustment to do so with the left, making any such movement risky and more time consuming. It now strongly resists blows from non-magical weapons and if Duffy is singing, or using spell singing via the Union of Ages, the blade strikes at an additional X1.5 multiplier as it begins to vibrate at a high frequency (which can stack with other modifiers).
The Cane of Eraclaire: A reinforced, black lacquered cane, which has a steel spherical tip made out of the materials of the chain given to Duffy by Visla Eraclaire, long ago. It possesses no magical properties, except that it is very durable and suitable for parrying and swordplay (strikes as hard wood).
The Beast of Tongues: A ceramic fox masque in the traditional Akashiman geisha style, with red ribbon to secure it to the face and a broad bright smile moulded into it. It conceals the face completely. Whilst wearing the mask, Duffy can understand every language spoken throughout time and space fluently. It does not afford him the ability to speak it, though it will boost his ability to learn through absorption.
The Bonds of Artistry: Duffy has purchased a matching set of four master-work platinum bangles, each delicately inscribed with the leading, most memorable line from I Want To Be Your Canary spoken by the intended recipients. He will give them to Lillith, Ruby, and Arden in their next updates. They afford the wearer the ability to teleport to and from Brandybuck Castle, but only during a quest with partner permission. During a battle they may call on Arden's Blink ability, as described in his original profile:
Blink: Blank can manipulate his own chronotrons once per thread to, quite simply, Blink himself from existence, fluttering between the reality that is Althanas and the alternative realm of The Aria for precisely two seconds. He will re-appear in exactly the same place, and continue on exactly the same momentum and trajectory should he have been moving when activated. The practical uses of this are self-defence, to avoid, if given warning a projectile or moving object, or to dash through an opponent to attack from behind; it takes considerable focus to activate at present, and leaves ripples and a vacuum in its wake. When he disappears and re-appears, snippets of text, song or noises darker still will emerge, flying out from the heart of creativity itself.