Duffy
05-19-13, 12:46 PM
The Thayne Tantalus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOjz5YkCgVc)
Duffy Bracken
2963
“I realise now we were never meant to live forever. We were meant to inspire others to live.”
Updates are in red.
Alias: Duffy
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 154lbs
Eye Colour: Marl
Hair Colour: Brown
Religion: Tantalus
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Occupation: Bard
Intelligence: Genius
Literacy: Genius
History: I do not think I know who I am any more. 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 redeeming feature. The refrain answered each cry for help I made through the wars, trials, and the tribulations we have endured.
Ever since that world tumbled down, I have known only blackness. I have felt only oblivion.
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 is 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 do not know if the passion is still there as strongly as it once was. It will never die, by all means, but it is blunted and dull. I guess I am thankful that I have 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. The Arboretum, an old rival playhouse is now mine to call a home of sorts, though it is 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 our 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 am mad.
Maybe I am…
Personality: In time, Duffy has become a stoic, bitter, and determined individual. His presence in a room, though commanding, is often with 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 the 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 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:
Swordsman: Duffy has five centuries of blade work under his belt. He can wield single bladed swords of various styles at a godly level, and is a fearsome opponent, despite his injuries. He draws much of his stance and style from the blade singers of Raiaera, with a hint of dirty street fighting for good measure.
Bardic Menagerie: Duffy constantly strives to recite, recant, and produce classical plays and witty comedies. Throughout most of his acting life, and his days as a playwright, he has amassed the skills required to perform in the various styles of theatre prevalent throughout Althanas.
Actor: Duffy is an outstanding actor of godly skill. He is familiar with all common plays, classic recitals, and famous speeches. He is able to method act flawlessly, and can easily portray a variety of roles as if the character possessed him.
Dancer: Duffy has a godly knowledge of all dances, such as the tango, waltz, and the foxtrot. He is intimate with the Scara Brae variations/court dances etc, and their respective histories. 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, and harpsichord to a legendary level. Duffy can spontaneously play common folk songs, ditties, and jigs suitable for street performances, tavern brawls, and courtly dances.
Rogue's Gambit: As the Tantalum, Duffy hears and sees a lot 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 has the following skills:
Local Knowledge: He has godly knowledge pertaining to the arts, culture, and flora and fauna of Scara Brae.
Forbidden Lore (Thayne): Duffy possesses 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 goes to wherever or not he would understand what it was he ‘overheard’.
Abilities:
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, and unbridled. It is a calm, serene, and harmonious plane of existence, which 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.
Duellist’s Gambit: Though his skill with the daggers has become a memory, he can wield short swords, long swords, and katanas. This extends to any similar one-handed bladed weapons. 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: Duffy can channel The Aria into a weapon that augments a blade with vibrating force. This has three effects; it increases the material of the weapon so that it is one tier higher. It makes the blade strike at X3 the normal strength of a blade swung with Duffy’s physical build. Finally, it protects the blade, so that it will not chip, crack, or tarnish against non-magical material as long as the orison continues.
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 are two levels higher or below. He can maintain this for four posts running. He cannot strike in return, and it requires song to maintain, as well a cool down period of one post. He can only utilise this ability using the Cane of Eraclaire, or The Katarhna.
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. 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).
The Union of Ages: Six times per thread, the profile ability of a member of the Tantalum Troupe may manifest as a non-NPC action. At present, this requires all the same conditions as the original ability, so that if the original requires PC permission, so too does Duffy’s usage. The members of the troupe to draw from are Ruby Winchester, Lillith Kazumi, Arden Janelle, and Leopold Winchester.
Cursed and Afflicted: Though Duffy is immortal, Wainwright Defoe cursed him with a wound that will never heal. His right shin fluctuates from bruised, to shattered, to bleeding. Duffy usually requires a cane, save for bursts of adrenaline and relying on his friends. He only possesses X2 reflexes and agility, as opposed to the previous levels. His eyes are also milky, marl, and blur his vision. He is prone to mishaps and concussion magic will have double the effect. He is, however, now very resilient to other magic; 40 percent resistance, and 60 percent to necromantic, dark, or ‘evil’ magic. There is, apparently, a blessing found in every curse.
Inventory: Over the years, Duffy has amassed many trinkets, which he holds dear. He has recently taken to giving each artefact a first name, reflecting whoever gave it to him, or which past life took most pride in using it.
Leopold: This appears to be a dehlar katana with a black handle and gold hilt. It is however, an ancient magical blade in a simple black Akashima sheath. It strongly resists blows from non-magical weapons and if Duffy is singing, the blade strikes at a X1.5 multiplier as it begins to vibrate at a high frequency (which can stack with other appropriate modifiers). Duffy affectionately refers to it as the ‘Katarhna’.
Visla: This cane is a reinforced, black lacquered length of wood, which has a steel spherical tip made out of the materials of the chain given to Duffy by Visla Eraclaire. It possesses no magical properties, except that it is very durable and suitable for parrying and swordplay (strikes as hard wood). It is often conjured using the Duellist’s Gambit. Once per thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25499-The-Tantalum-s-Menagerie), Duffy can trigger a six foot, searing blast of flame from the sphere at the cane's tip. The sphere can be unsheathed to a flat ended steel short blade.
Marcus: Duffy owns a masterwork platinum bangle, delicately inscribed with the most memorable line from I Want to Be Your Canary. They afford the wearer the ability to teleport to and from Brandybuck Castle, but only during a quest with partner permission. Twice during a battle, they may call on Arden Janelle’s Blink ability, which is outside the charges normally permitted via The Union of Ages.
Ruby: A red steel cutlass captured from the captain of the Red Scourge. In the future however, there might just be room for Duffy to take on the mantle of a pirate...who knows, maybe the Red Scourge will terrorise Scara Brae again someday...
Arden: (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25499-The-Tantalum-s-Menagerie) The dagger formally known as Tooth reformed into a short sword made of steel. It possesses a potent piercing enhancement, which allows it to strike at X1.5 strength of its wielder. The closing line from I Want to Be Your Canary glows along the blade when thrust.
Lillith (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25499-The-Tantalum-s-Menagerie): The dagger formally known as Nail reformed into a short sword made of steel. It possesses a potent slashing enhancement, which allows it to strike at X1.5 strength of its wielder. The opening line of I Want to Be Your Canary glows along the blade when swung.
Duffy Bracken
2963
“I realise now we were never meant to live forever. We were meant to inspire others to live.”
Updates are in red.
Alias: Duffy
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 154lbs
Eye Colour: Marl
Hair Colour: Brown
Religion: Tantalus
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Occupation: Bard
Intelligence: Genius
Literacy: Genius
History: I do not think I know who I am any more. 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 redeeming feature. The refrain answered each cry for help I made through the wars, trials, and the tribulations we have endured.
Ever since that world tumbled down, I have known only blackness. I have felt only oblivion.
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 is 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 do not know if the passion is still there as strongly as it once was. It will never die, by all means, but it is blunted and dull. I guess I am thankful that I have 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. The Arboretum, an old rival playhouse is now mine to call a home of sorts, though it is 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 our 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 am mad.
Maybe I am…
Personality: In time, Duffy has become a stoic, bitter, and determined individual. His presence in a room, though commanding, is often with 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 the 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 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:
Swordsman: Duffy has five centuries of blade work under his belt. He can wield single bladed swords of various styles at a godly level, and is a fearsome opponent, despite his injuries. He draws much of his stance and style from the blade singers of Raiaera, with a hint of dirty street fighting for good measure.
Bardic Menagerie: Duffy constantly strives to recite, recant, and produce classical plays and witty comedies. Throughout most of his acting life, and his days as a playwright, he has amassed the skills required to perform in the various styles of theatre prevalent throughout Althanas.
Actor: Duffy is an outstanding actor of godly skill. He is familiar with all common plays, classic recitals, and famous speeches. He is able to method act flawlessly, and can easily portray a variety of roles as if the character possessed him.
Dancer: Duffy has a godly knowledge of all dances, such as the tango, waltz, and the foxtrot. He is intimate with the Scara Brae variations/court dances etc, and their respective histories. 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, and harpsichord to a legendary level. Duffy can spontaneously play common folk songs, ditties, and jigs suitable for street performances, tavern brawls, and courtly dances.
Rogue's Gambit: As the Tantalum, Duffy hears and sees a lot 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 has the following skills:
Local Knowledge: He has godly knowledge pertaining to the arts, culture, and flora and fauna of Scara Brae.
Forbidden Lore (Thayne): Duffy possesses 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 goes to wherever or not he would understand what it was he ‘overheard’.
Abilities:
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, and unbridled. It is a calm, serene, and harmonious plane of existence, which 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.
Duellist’s Gambit: Though his skill with the daggers has become a memory, he can wield short swords, long swords, and katanas. This extends to any similar one-handed bladed weapons. 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: Duffy can channel The Aria into a weapon that augments a blade with vibrating force. This has three effects; it increases the material of the weapon so that it is one tier higher. It makes the blade strike at X3 the normal strength of a blade swung with Duffy’s physical build. Finally, it protects the blade, so that it will not chip, crack, or tarnish against non-magical material as long as the orison continues.
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 are two levels higher or below. He can maintain this for four posts running. He cannot strike in return, and it requires song to maintain, as well a cool down period of one post. He can only utilise this ability using the Cane of Eraclaire, or The Katarhna.
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. 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).
The Union of Ages: Six times per thread, the profile ability of a member of the Tantalum Troupe may manifest as a non-NPC action. At present, this requires all the same conditions as the original ability, so that if the original requires PC permission, so too does Duffy’s usage. The members of the troupe to draw from are Ruby Winchester, Lillith Kazumi, Arden Janelle, and Leopold Winchester.
Cursed and Afflicted: Though Duffy is immortal, Wainwright Defoe cursed him with a wound that will never heal. His right shin fluctuates from bruised, to shattered, to bleeding. Duffy usually requires a cane, save for bursts of adrenaline and relying on his friends. He only possesses X2 reflexes and agility, as opposed to the previous levels. His eyes are also milky, marl, and blur his vision. He is prone to mishaps and concussion magic will have double the effect. He is, however, now very resilient to other magic; 40 percent resistance, and 60 percent to necromantic, dark, or ‘evil’ magic. There is, apparently, a blessing found in every curse.
Inventory: Over the years, Duffy has amassed many trinkets, which he holds dear. He has recently taken to giving each artefact a first name, reflecting whoever gave it to him, or which past life took most pride in using it.
Leopold: This appears to be a dehlar katana with a black handle and gold hilt. It is however, an ancient magical blade in a simple black Akashima sheath. It strongly resists blows from non-magical weapons and if Duffy is singing, the blade strikes at a X1.5 multiplier as it begins to vibrate at a high frequency (which can stack with other appropriate modifiers). Duffy affectionately refers to it as the ‘Katarhna’.
Visla: This cane is a reinforced, black lacquered length of wood, which has a steel spherical tip made out of the materials of the chain given to Duffy by Visla Eraclaire. It possesses no magical properties, except that it is very durable and suitable for parrying and swordplay (strikes as hard wood). It is often conjured using the Duellist’s Gambit. Once per thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25499-The-Tantalum-s-Menagerie), Duffy can trigger a six foot, searing blast of flame from the sphere at the cane's tip. The sphere can be unsheathed to a flat ended steel short blade.
Marcus: Duffy owns a masterwork platinum bangle, delicately inscribed with the most memorable line from I Want to Be Your Canary. They afford the wearer the ability to teleport to and from Brandybuck Castle, but only during a quest with partner permission. Twice during a battle, they may call on Arden Janelle’s Blink ability, which is outside the charges normally permitted via The Union of Ages.
Ruby: A red steel cutlass captured from the captain of the Red Scourge. In the future however, there might just be room for Duffy to take on the mantle of a pirate...who knows, maybe the Red Scourge will terrorise Scara Brae again someday...
Arden: (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25499-The-Tantalum-s-Menagerie) The dagger formally known as Tooth reformed into a short sword made of steel. It possesses a potent piercing enhancement, which allows it to strike at X1.5 strength of its wielder. The closing line from I Want to Be Your Canary glows along the blade when thrust.
Lillith (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25499-The-Tantalum-s-Menagerie): The dagger formally known as Nail reformed into a short sword made of steel. It possesses a potent slashing enhancement, which allows it to strike at X1.5 strength of its wielder. The opening line of I Want to Be Your Canary glows along the blade when swung.