<small>((Continued from Honored Guest))</small>


The next few days were a whirlwind for Marcus. There were a lot of orientations with precedures to learn, protocols and requirements to conform to. The CCD was a well oiled machine and he needed to be 'oiled' in order to fit into it. But he was fine with that. Beaurocracy was a necessary part of government, an apparatus of state, and made the order of the world possible- as long as it was efficient, departments working together, people knowing their place and responsibilities, redundancies reduced. And the CCD was just such a government, Marcus was learning from the inside.

He was soon to begin his internship in Communications. What better way to understand the role of the government than by helping shaping its public perception. He would assist in crafting and disseminating that perception, making sure that people's confidence and hope in the government was strong. It was a good motivation for the remaining Consulates he would rotate in to, always being aware how their actions and decisions factored into the public view. Obviously, much of what went on would be unseen and unknown by the people. But to do even that properly, one had to craft an image that would mask what was being really done.

But in the interim, Marcus met many functionaries, aides, and low level employees, people whom he'd be working with closely over the next year- and he hoped, long after that. His compelling of Tamm had had a curious effect. Tamm seemed to think that his talkativeness was an indicator of friendship. Malik didn't see the point in correcting him. Tamm could continue to be useful. He'd taken him to some high end clothiers and Marcus very quickly looked the part of a young and up-and-coming government employee. Through him, too, he met many young members of the bureaucracy and found himself cautiously accepted by that small cadre that viewed itself as the future of the CCD. And why not, he thought pragmatically? He himself knew he was the future. It would be to his advantage to have cultivated a core group of young individuals who could one day be useful tools in his ascent. Of course, his position as a Sigma gave him the proper preeminence in that group, which was on fitting.

So his evenings, in addition to his meditations and Force studies- which he had resumed with renewed vigor after his discovery of the eaves-dropping method- also consisted of socializing. He found that his exoticness proved to be a very charming lure, once he had expressed his honest opinions about America and the CCD and allayed any suspicions. Elena, an aide who worked in the Economic Cabinet in particular, seemed to find him alluring, though of course it was far to soon for him to be making those kinds of connections. He fully expected that his actions were being scrutinized and watched for any unorthodox behavior.

And that led him to a dilemma. He had a tool to eavesdrop, but from his experience in practicing with Andre, he knew that his weaves could be seen by another man who could use the Force. It wouldn't due to have his abilities noted so easily. It would give him away. There had to be a way for him to use the Force without other knowing. Last night he'd thought he might have hit on a clue. He was studying his knot equations describing the weaves of the Force and he noted that one term he was using- the one describing the twisting aspect of the power- was very similar to how the imaginary term i, or j in engineering equations, was used to describe the flow of electricity. It was interesting because being an imaginary number, the square root of -1 - which formed the basis for the complex number system- one would not naturally expect it to show up in something like electrical engineering. As he thought about it and played with those terms, in the back of his mind, the idea of complex numbers sat. In particular, the concept of complex conjugates, terms that mirrored exactly those of another complex number so that the imaginary components cancelled each other out, leaving just the real portion. There's something there, he thought, if I can just tease it out.

Of course, even if he solved it, there would be no other way to test it than by having another Force user try to see what he had done. He couldn't very well send for Andre. They had parted on amicable, though strained terms. Andre had never learned the lessons their childhood had taught them. He remained naive and hopeful about the system, willing to accept the dribbles of attempts at order. He didn't realize that the true solution lay in taking charge yourself. And...it wouldn't due for Andre to know what he was up too. Though he had been careful in what he taught him, Andre was the one most capable of at least exposing Malik and his plans.

So I need to make my weaves invisible. And I need a Force user to practice them with. But one I will have the upper hand with. What would be good would be to identify any Force-user in the government, whether a potential tool or not. Those he could not use, he would be aware of, watching carefully. So he began crafting a method of outing those users, at least to himself. He needed a display that only a Force user could see. That left out fire and earth and water. Wind and spirit then. But wind could be felt. So it would have to be spirit. One of the things Andre and he had practiced were ways to immobilize or confuse your opponent. Andre, surprisingly, had come up with a Force-based flashbang- a flash of light and sound and wind that momentarily surprised him. Malik had almost killed him the first time he'd done it, so stunned was he. But it might work if it was just made of spirit. The weave was fast and simple and almost instantaneous to form. It also dissipated rapidly, so he wouldn't have to hold onto it, giving himself away. Yes. That will do the trick.

The next evening, Malik was in one of the dining halls. It was too bad there wasn't a balcony for this to work better. But he stood in the back where there less people- primarily wait-staff, since most were seated- for him to see over. He seized the force. He felt his stomach writhe with anticipation. He was taking a risk here. He could expose himself if he wasn't careful. But one did not get ahead without taking risks. He thought of the weave he wanted and then in his mind divided the room into quadrants. Quickly he struck, setting off the spirit flashbang. Immediately, he let he weave go and watched the occupants of that quadrant. Nothing. No one stirred. Well, you didn't expect the first time did you? Second quadrant had the same affect. Then, the third- and he heard a glass break. He focused. One of the waiters had dropped his tray but instead of apologetically picking it up he was looking around. Malik smiled broadly, watching the man. Perfect. Just perfect. Just the kind of person he could use. And the bonus was that the man would never be a threat to him.

"You seem happy,"
said Elena smiling as he returned to the table. For once, he couldn't keep his true emotions from showing. She had no idea how right she was.

"I am just very very glad to be here."
And then, to her. "And, of course, to be with you."
To the group. "With all of you."
Inside, Malik laughed and laughed.


Edited by Marcus DuBois, Jul 16 2014, 01:20 PM.

Character Name: Calvin Johnson

Age: 33
Birthday: April 3, 2012

Origin: Wisconsin, Currently – Moscow

Occupation: Farmer/Mechanic

Psychological Description: Calvin is a kind and caring man. He has been through a lot of tragedy in his life, but continues moving. He is resilient, calm, and a hard worker. He has very strong beliefs and adheres to them. Calvin gained an immense respect for nature from his mother’s teachings. He has a love for learning and desires to learn more about Native American culture. He doesn’t like hurting people and avoids doing it as much as possible, but won’t hesitate to defend himself if endangered. He likes to help those in need.

Physical Description: Calvin stands 5’10” tall. He is strongly built from manual labor since a young age. His hair is black, starting to gray, and his eyes were a dark brown before turning golden. He has a five o’clock shadow type of beard. His hands are callused from using tools. His attire is plain and functional. He tends to wear jeans, flannel work shirts, and work boots. When relaxing he will switch to t-shirts though.

Powers and Supernatural Powers: Wolfkin

Biography:

Early Life: Calvin was born to Lloyd and Charity Johnson. His father was the descendent of English Immigrants that built a dairy farm outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His mother was part Potawatomi. Native American. While growing up, Calvin would often walk with his mother to help find nuts and berries in the nearby woods. She taught him to respect nature and be thankful for whatever he found. From his father, he learned to work hard and complete all jobs to the best of his ability. Calvin’s father taught him how to milk the cows and take care of all the animals (they had cows and chickens). He also taught him how to care for the equipment and repair the tractors and other machines. His parents were loving parents and taught Calvin to always take responsibility for his own actions.

Tragedy: When Calvin was in his late teens, Charity was diagnosed with cancer. She was treated for several years and the doctors did all they could, but when Calvin was 23, his mother lost the fight and passed away. Lloyd lost something when his wife passed on, and began to lose interest in maintaining the farm. Calvin was grieving, but knew he had to be strong for his father, Calvin took over care of the farm full time. He did the chores and took care of his depressed father. His father’s condition never improved as he sank deeper into depression. A year later, his father committed suicide by throwing himself into the Milwaukee River. Calvin wouldn’t have known if his dad had not left the suicide note. He informed the police and a body was eventually found. The farm passed down to Calvin, and he was left alone with his grief. Finally allowed to grieve, Calvin grieved for his mother and father. He continued to work, but stayed by himself mostly. He studied more into his mother’s Native American beliefs and found solace in them. By studying, he began to understand that his parents would want him to be happy. Eventually, he began to work his way back into society. He would go into the city to meet and talk with people at local bars and became involved the community and helping others in community events. He enjoyed working with charities and helping the poor.

Joy and Happiness: Through his community involvement he met Mary Lawyer. They became quick friends. They both grew up on farms and loved spending time in the woods and seeing animals. Calvin and Mary got married when Calvin was 26. She moved into Calvin’s farm and a year later, they had a son, whom they named Benjamin. For the first time in a long time, Calvin felt true happiness.

Tragedy and Dreams: The years passed on. Calvin continued to farm and raise his son. His son grew quickly and Calvin felt a sense of pride as he watched Benjamin (who went by Benji) grow up. The young boy was 4 when his mother took him on a routine trip into the city to get some groceries. On the way back, their vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. Both Mary and Benji were killed in the crash. Once again, Calvin was pushed into grieving. He saw counselors and kept working to deal with his loss. At this time, the dreams began to manifest. He had dreams of wolves hunting in the nearby woods. They seemed so vivid and often Calvin would wake up and feel the need to go hunt. They disturbed him at first, but eventually became almost normal. He expected the dreams and in the dream, he was a wolf. He hunted with the pack and it made him feel alive. Through the dreams, he began to cope with his grief once more.

Political Activity: Calvin once more quit isolating himself and became involved. This time his route was more political. He learned of the Liberty First Party and began to help them campaign. Their ideals spoke to him and he became wary of the CCD. He found a kind of mentor in the words, both written and spoken of Nicholas Trano (used with permission). Calvin purchased all of his books and even got them signed by Trano. He hoped that Trano will get nominated for the Presidency and that will help counter the rise of the CCD.

The Wolf: Time continued to pass, and Calvin’s days were much the same as they had always been. He got up and did the work on the farm. He spent his free time in Milwaukee working with Liberty First or spending time at bars and pubs. His thoughts of his mother and father began to fade as time often makes happen and he had forgotten his research into his mother’s culture. The dreams also faded. On the night of his 32nd birthday, that changed however. He arrived back home to see his cows acting strangely. They were moving more than normal and were making loud and irritated moos. Worried, Calvin quickly grabbed the shotgun he kept locked up in his house and a flashlight to investigate the issue. He moved though the cows calmly, patting some on the head to help calm them down and swept his flashlight across the woods. Eventually seeing some gray fur moving through the brush, he brought up the gun. There was some predator out there upsetting his cows. He didn’t like to kill animals needlessly, but he would protect his cows. He finally saw what it was. A large gray wolf appeared in his vision and began to approach. Calvin felt fear, but brought the gun up to bear, realizing that this could go very badly. Wolves seldom traveled alone, and Calvin wondered why he couldn’t see the pack. The wolf continued to approach and Calvin began to see visions in his head. He saw the gray wolf attacking one of his cows and bringing it to the ground to feast. Calvin surprised even himself when he shouted, “No!” at the animal. The wolf cocked his head sideways, much like a dog does when its master is talking to him. More images flooded into Calvin’s mind as the wolf sat down on the ground. Calvin, confused by the wolf’s behavior, didn’t focus much on the visions as he waited for the wolf to pounce. For an unexplainable reason, Calvin couldn’t bring himself to shoot the wolf yet. Another image pounded into Calvin’s mind – the wolf urinating on a tree nearby – marking its territory? Calvin began to think of his mother again. He remembered her telling him about those that could communicate with animals, and his eyes widened as he realized that the wolf was talking to him. He needed to show this wolf that this was his territory and the cows were his as well. He thought of himself – and then changed it to the wolf form he had in the dreams. He thought of that wolf marking this territory as his own while meeting the gaze of the wolf. The wolf stood back up and readied to pounce as Calvin tried to focus the image and thought of “sending” the image to the wolf.

“No!”
Calvin thought. “This is my territory.”


He thought of himself in wolf form standing in front of his cows with teeth bared, ready to defend what was his to the death. His wolf form stood defensively in his mind, not wanting to attack the other wolf, but ready to accept his attack.
Calvin’s mind snapped back to reality as the other wolf turned and sniffed at a tree before meeting Calvin’s gaze again. Then the wolf turned and retreated back into the woods. Calvin brought the shotgun back down and released the breath that he had just realized he had been holding. He stood, dumbfounded, realizing that he had special abilities. He could talk to wolves.

Calvin took the dreams more seriously now as they began to reappear. During the day he could sense wolf packs in the nearby woods. They respected his territory and had a sort of respect for him as well. The images themselves began to translate to words inside his head, and communicating with the wolves became easier as he practiced. He learned their names, and would let them pass through his territory as long as they didn’t harm his animals. In his dreams, the wolves would help him learn. The wolves told him the dreams were dangerous, but didn’t elaborate much. The taught him how to swiftly move from place to place in the dream. Outside of the dream, he began to study the Native Americans again, trying to gain a deeper understanding of what he could do. He learned that he could sense other peoples emotions – he was able to “smell how they felt.

The Dream and the CCD: Another dream came to him. The wolf who had taught him the most – the same that he met when he discovered his talents – met him there. Calvin had learned his name was Whispering Leaf.

“The powerful two-legs return.”
Whispering Leaf sent to Calvin.

“I don’t understand,”
Calvin said.

“Come. You must follow.”


Calvin shifted to his wolf form and followed the wolf. They crossed the ocean until the wolf stopped with a large building behind him. A city was there, and the wolf would not approach farther. Wolves avoided the cities. Calvin immediately recognized the building. It was the Kremlin. Calvin returned to his human form to scowl at the building.

“Many powerful two-legs have come here,”
the wolf sent to him. “The packs come too. You must go. We cannot. Only in the dream can we cross the poison water.”


Calvin stared at the wolf wondering what happened. They very seldom told him what to do, only giving warnings about the dream and teaching him how to interact with them. Whispering Leaf moved behind him and pushed him forward, urging him to the city.

Calvin awoke with a start. His path was clear. He had to go to Moscow – the seat of CCD power. Why? He wouldn’t fit in there. Perhaps some grand purpose would appear to him there. He looked around and saw a picture of his mother and father sitting next to one of his own wife and child.

“What do I do?”
he asked aloud.

He decided to eventually leave and immigrate. It took almost a year to get all the legal issues done. His political friends were confused by his decision, and though maybe he had snapped from his grief. They tried to push him to stay, but he was resolute. He sold his farm and his possessions, keeping only the pictures of his family, some books (Trano’s mostly), and some clothing. He boarded a plane and went to Russia. He found a small place to live and hoped to eventually set up a garage to repair vehicles. The morning after he arrived, he went through his morning routine. He had a cup of coffee and as he passed the mirror he dropped the cup. It crashed to the floor, shattering the cup. A piece of the cup cut his foot and the coffee burned, but Calvin would never forget what he saw in the mirror. His dark eyes had changed to a golden color.

Edited by Calvin, Aug 1 2014, 03:19 PM.

Throwing this out there.

Terez's post about RJ's notes. In case anyone else was interested; although the formatting of the website makes my brain hurt.

On our scale, I was noticing the "minimum level to become adept, expert, master" numbers. Taking that information, since Jaxen is new, do I need to keep him under level 5? Or can you be a "new" channeler and still be stronger?

Also curious what happened to the 66 levels? And about the reversed order?

I like the expansion, though. Hope more good stuff comes out of RJ's notes.

((Continued from Taking out the trash))

Natalia came in to her apartment building late. The men at the door paid no mind. Ayden was dead tired. But worry and guilt weighed her down even more.

She made her way to her room. The wig and contacts and the remaining equipment, Ayden looked down at the case she carried, somewhere along the line she'd put her sniper rifle back in. She didn't remember doing it. The night played out over and over in her head, but she didn't remember putting it away.

The exhaustion weighed on Ayden. As she returned to the comforts of her self, the same pajama's she'd met Connor in and a blanket on her couch. She waited, patiently for any notion that Connor was home.

Exhaustion overrode worry and guilt, Ayden closed her eyes for only a second. Sleep took her away quickly...


Edited by Ayden, Jun 6 2014, 04:53 AM.

<big>Mass combat </big>



Introduction


Role playing games encompass a spectrum of competition that spans from highly combative, statistic based outcomes to fully collaborative team fiction. The former relies on character sheets, equipment lists, dice and random chance. The latter involves highly collaborative plot and outcome development where tense scenes are worked out off-screen between two writers. Together, collaborative writers intend to craft a story that is a surprise to other readers.

Forum based RPG's, such as The First Age, lies somewhere between those two extremes, but we lean more closely to collaborative-fiction than combative table-top gaming. However, there comes a time when data needs to be incorporated into the hierarchy of the site in order to maintain a sense of order when combat arises. Examples include channeler strength and experience levels as a viable gauge of dueling outcomes. While these are gray-areas in and of themselves, because creativity of the writer themselves must be taken into consideration, definitions allow us to grasp and utilize a rules-based magic system. From quantification and certainty comes the freedom to write stories out of what might otherwise be a mechanical role of the dice.

As there needs to be clear definitions among individual characters, there also needs to be a continuance of such rules that we can extrapolate into large-scale combat.

As the site and story of The First Age continues to grow, we are therefore going to implement our own version of "Campaign Sheets" to be used as reference for future large-scale warfare. These sheets will be relevant to anyone that writes on behalf of- or commands- a nation's armed forces, mercenary group, or otherwise establishes their own military following.

When your character comes into control of a group of armed forces, you will need to submit a filled out Forces Campaign Sheet. As Game Master, Ascendancy will monitor and approve these sheets and discern what information on them would be considered Common Knowledge, and therefore is allowed to be shared with the rest of the players, in- and out-of-character (OOC). Likewise, Ascendancy will discern what information is kept a strategic secret and withhold it from other players, OOC. As tactical and strategic information becomes shared In Character (IC, ie, in story), such information will likewise be updated for the rest of the site to see.

There may come a time that your character expands their power, influence, and armies beyond what the original Campaign Sheet lists. The only way this may occur is to parallel this expansion with posts made IC that describes how and why the character manages to implement substantial increases in their authority. Just as we require posts showing your character's use of the One Power as a basis to justify an expansion in their strength and experience, we will likewise require similar threads that justify the character (or nation's) growth in armed forces.


Play Report


If your forces engage in battle with those of another nation's or mercenary's armed forces, you'll be required to submit a Play Report that documents the outcome of the battle including a description costs in terms of personnel, life, and money.

<small>(Examples of a completed Campaign Sheet and Play Report are in following posts.)</small>

Potential strength in the Power only


About:

You need not have read the Wheel of Time books to play a channeler so long as you have a grasp of our magic system, but names which appear in parentheses alongside the following level are best estimates of strengths of famous characters from the books.  This information is meant to provide context and examples.

Updated scale:

This is an update to the 21-level One Power scale classically used across WoT groups to gauge strength in the One Power.  Due to new information revealed by Robert Jordan's notes, an updated scale has been released.  What follows is an adaptation of that scale PC's in The First Age.

The stronger the channeler, the higher on the scale they are.  In brackets you will find estimates of strength from famous characters in the books; additional information is meant to provide context and examples. If levels are indicated as full, contact Ascendancy to acquire permission to use that level.





Level 42 (Lews Therin; Rand; Ishamael  (highest male level))
The Ascendancy


Level 41 (Demandred, Aginor)
Men - Level full
Alric Xavier Ranier
Michael Vellas
Tan Li
Bastian Völsung


Level 40 (Sammael, Balthamael, Logain, Taim)
Men - Level full
Marcus Dubois
Nolan Trace
Manix Lir (deceased)
Elend Braithwait


Level 39 (Be’lal, Rhavin)
Men - Level full
Joseph Sinclair
Damien Oakland
Ryker Petrović
Aiden Finnegan


Level 38 (Lanfear (highest female level))
Men - Level full
Giovanni Cavelli
Elias Donovan
Sören Lindgren
Jared Vanders
Women - Level full
Rowan Finnegan
Nhysa
Sofia Vesilieva
Edurne Ferrón Arriaga


Level 37 (Graendal, Asmodean)
Men
Jaxen Marveet
Yuri Obrechennyy
Aleksandr Vasilievich Petrova
Women
Nadia Sokolov
Oriena Rusayev


Level 36 (Nynaeve, Semirhage) 
Men
Jensen James
Nazariy Moroz
Women
Zoya Bocharov
Meera Alam


Level 35 (Mesaana)
Men
Cain Belasis
Leon Corlinson
Kaelan Müller
Women
Tehya Alisdelisgi
Katya Alokhin
Melany Alvarez Tai Terrones


Level 34 (Moghedien)
Men
Sámiel Pekelniak
Women
Claire Novak
Zhenya Disir
Roza Vas


Level 33
Men
Allan Rikovi

Level 32
Men
Vladimir Perov, (deceased before reaching full potential)
Women
Katchina Makawee
Danika Zayed

Level 31
Men
Carolyne Weber (Transgender)
Idris kidani
Women
Victoria Wolff
Morven Kinnaird
Evelyn Avalon


Level 30 (Egwene, Elayne, Aviendha)
Men
Nox Durante
Alexander Knight
Jet Terrone
Women - Level full
Aeva Morgan
Natalie Northbrook-Grey
Ayden Hayes


Level 29
Men
Ivan Sarkozy
Gideon Marquis
Women
Spectra Lin
Emily Shale


Level 28 (Cadsuane)
Men
Panteni Saladin
Matías Amengual
Women
Annika Mikhalka
Anna Rodriguez


Level 27
Men
Jay Carpenter
Andrew Koehler
Women
Nesrin Aziz

Level 26 (Elaida, Moiraine – Minimum level to use the Chodean Kal)
Men
Tony Soloyov
Quillon Hawke
Theron Finnegan
Women
Aurora Durante (deceased before reaching full potential)
Kemala

Level 25
Men
Deveny Sándor (Ezekiel)
Women
Cadence Mathis

Level 24


Level 23
Men
Mikhail Sergeyev
Daniil Myshelovich Tarasovich

Level 22
Dane Gregory


Level 21 (Average Asha'man strength)
Men
Sebastian Volodin, (decreased before reaching full potential)
Women
Serena Morrigan


Level 20
Men
Cruz Vega
Women
Ilesha Fisher
Rachel Shale

Level 19
Thalia Milton
Katya
Colette Moreau


Level 18 (Verin – Minimum level to Travel – Necessary to become Master)
Daiyu Sòng
Helena Asquith


Level 17


Level 16 (Average Aes Sedai strength)


Level 15
Eliot Lagueux

Level 14


Level 13


Level 12 (Minimum level to become Expert)


Level 11


Level 10
Men
Pyotr Grigory
Women
Liv Sokolov


Level 9 (Average strength of all male channelers on planet)


Level 8


Level 7


Level 6 (Average strength of all female channelers on planet.)


Level 5 (Diagian – Minimum level to become Aes Sedai –Minimum level to become Adept)


Level 4


Level 3


Level 2


Level 1

About six feet tall, Akantha could see the immigrant males in the eyes, though most preferred not to return her gaze. Reptilian and with a vertical slit for a pupil, the Naga’s eyes were found to be rather unsettling to most humans. Her skin too, scaled in beautiful shades of brown, seemed to upset them. The older generations, used to these reactions, took to hiding their features; at first disguised amidst the lepers and their bandages; then, as time went on, through similarly concealing garb.

She wore dark shirts and trousers; made of a comfortable material that easy to move in. For the time being, in the safety of the deeper levels of the underground tunnels, Akantha could walk about without the need of using her hood and scarf to veil her face. A face that, for the moment, found itself glowering at nothing in particular.

Another day had passed without Sato’s return. She needed to do something. Why were their scouts not returning? Sato worried her. He was, dependable. Whenever he left the safety of their small colony, he always returned as promised… when promised. If something ha---


A human child nearly ran into her. He came to an abrupt stop, panting, with eyes wide and uneasy just before bumping onto her legs. Small pointed chin tilted as far up as his neck would allow, he stared at her and gulped as her eyes narrowed. Of course, none of the immigrants truly feared them, having lived together so long, but many stepped lightly around her. The small, scaleless creature was lucky she managed to spot him and stopped in time.

She’d seen him before, of course, always being chased by two more of his kind. Looking past him, Akantha immediately saw the following pair. One stopped some distance from her and the boy, pulling his companion to an abrupt halt next to him. It wasn’t difficult to decipher what was going on, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

The small ruffian that had nearly ran her over shifted uneasily in his feet and glanced back behind him. He must have been twelve years old, or at least she guessed as much. It was difficult to tell how old the humans were, sometimes. They matured much faster than the Naga, growing like weeds and wilting just as rapidly.

Disheveled curly hair, scraped, and dirt smudges on pale skin gave her the impression he’d been rolling around on the tunnel grounds… and not due to any sort of odd human game. The other two boys seemed winded, but not as worse for wear as their apparent prey. The leader of the two possessed a strange orange tint to his hair while his face was covered with an odd splattering of light brown flecks. His friend was perhaps the skinniest boy she’d seen in the entire miserable human group, with a long nose that seemed as pointy as his chin.

Her thin forked tongue darted out to taste the air while her eyes remained on the other boys. Oh, there was fear in the air alright, and she had the feeling it had nothing to do with her. With a grumble, the Naga reached out for the boy in front of her with a clawed hand and set him aside. She had no time to deal with childish concerns, but she was irritable, and something tugged at her.

Lips drawn, poisonous fangs revealed, Akantha hissed at the two in front of her. “Looking for sssomething?”
The hiss and low sibilant sounds and rasp of her voice made the children take a step back. The boy in her grasp flinched, causing her to squeeze his shoulder a slight bit harder.

“n-n-no… nothing, nothing. We… ah… just going home.”

“Then go.”


The boys turned and ran. From her side, she could hear a small sigh and feel the boy relax slightly.

“Now you… go to your parentsss. There are worse things than bullies in these tunnelsss”


For a moment, she watched as the human child ran and turned down a different tunnel in the opposite direction than the other two. One of these days she’d have to ask the creature why it was that he was always running away from them.

Right then, however, what she meant to do was to gather her things and advice the elders of her departure. Sato had not returned, but she would find him. Her mind was made.
Edited by Akantha, Jun 5 2014, 12:42 AM.

Name: Akantha
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Race: Naga
Clan: Evakiri
Colony: Moscow


Appearance:

Sleek and dangerous Akantha is about six and a half feet long while in snake form. An Indian Cobra, the soft to darker brown scales and hooded ribs can both mesmerize and intimidate. As a humanoid, she is slender and as tall as most human males, retaining her scaly skin and reptilian eyes. While the extent of the human appearance among her kind ranges from the most minimal to the more reptilian like, she seems to favor more human features. However, like the rest of her people, her fangs and forked tongue are very much that of the snake's.

Personality:

Around her kind, Akantha is calm and relaxed. She does, however, hold very culture-centric notions. Her main concern is to ensure the safety and well being of her clan. To her, the Naga come first. Cautious around humans, she views them with a measure of distrust and dislikes the amount of dependency her people have towards them. This makes her seem distant and a tad bit too serious. However, she understand the benefits of the exchange, even if she is reluctant to follow through with it.

Biography:

Raised with the premise that the clan came first, Akantha had always viewed the humans with mild distrust and perhaps, even a seed of fear. As a result, she had always treated them with a certain amount of distance, reluctantly ensuring their safety if it meant the well-being of her kind.

Safety in exchange for food; it was an arrangement that had benefited both sides in equal measures.

In some ways, the humans were as much the outcasts as she was. Immigrants hiding underground, they lived with them, receiving protection from criminals in exchange for food and supplies. Thanks to this arrangement, her people no longer had to risk venturing to the surface and being discovered by more unsavory characters.

She could live with that exchange.

If Akantha could have had it her way, however, they would have left the Moscow underground some long years past. Unfortunately, reality was against her. They weren’t a large group, but they had some that were too young or too old to risk a journey that could expose them; and where would they go in any case? Like it or not, as some humans said, they were safest with the devil they knew than the one they did not.

Of late, things seemed to have become a bit more difficult for her people. The tunnels had grown more dangerous and causing more trouble than in the past. A few, like her friend Sato, had ventured out in search for answers. None of which had returned.

Three weeks had passed since Sato had left, days since he had been expected to have returned. Despite herself, unease crept under her scales and refused to be displaced.

Age: 32
Origin: Sora, Italy
Occupation: CCD Psychological Profiler

Powers: Sentient

Psychological Description: There are two sides to Alex. She enjoys her work, she is very professional and almost always has that intellectual vibe about her. But Alex knows how to let her hair down and have fun. Alex is very family oriented despite the lack of having a family of her own. Not that she hasn't been trying.

Physical Description: 5'4" 126lbs brown hair with blond highlights, green eyes. Alex dresses in business attire while working, but loves wearing everything but when she's not on the job. She keeps her hair pulled up in a bun while working, she looks scholarly, but she loves to leave it down and have fun.

Biography:

Feb 2, 2015

Dear Diary,

Today I turned 5. The world pressed in on my for the first time. I was with Lucio. He helped me as father had helped him. Lucio became my calm center, my safety net. He walked me through everything. He told me what I am. Told me I was Sentient. That it was my gift to feel what other's felt. To know how to help them, or how to hurt them. Lucio is wise, he's six. Father taught Lucio last year how to be unique. He taught him how the world worked, and Lucio taught me.

It's very weird feeling everyone. Mom, protects us from others like us, Mara too. Mara is 9. Everyone has special powers. Father is good at manipulating others. But mother says he's good at it all, he is one of the most powerful Sentients in a long time, or so mother says. Lucio as like father, he could manipulate people, make them feel and do what he wanted. Christina was too young, she was only 3. She's a sweet little girl. Mother and father are back together because of me, but it was Christina who united us all again, forever.

Sören (Sir-in) Lindgren

2026

The room drips shadows. The dark places writhe, calling him like crooked fingers. Trinkets hang from the ceiling, beads and tiny skulls, feathers and dried skin. Noises shuffle. Somewhere in the darkness sounds the tinkle of chimes, disturbed by no wind. She sits on the floor amid the chaos, a square of white cloth in front of her. It is a dare to be here. He thinks she is a cliché, a charlatan. But he does not like the weave of her fingers, the glint of carved stones in her grip, clacking together conspiratorial of his fate. He senses his mistake too late. The lack of control rolls anger in his gut, but submission to his curiosity lulls him closer. He needs to know what she knows, even if it is lies, and though he holds the price he is willing to pay close to his chest, the curve of her smile suggests she knows the answer. <em>Anything.

There is nowhere to sit but the floor. He doesn't want to, but even at fourteen he is tall; he towers and it makes him uncomfortable. "Mamsell."
That's an old honorific, something he shouldn't know, but he reads old things. Her brows flicker surprise but she accepts the words and nods. Finally, he sits.

When she speaks it is in Swedish. The words are mechanical, and he watches her hands more than he listens. Her fingers are very pale, her nails short and clean. The stones peek dark between the flesh. They whisper.

The secrets they keep irritate.

He flips his wallet and offers two crisp CCD notes, but she scowls at him - he has obviously caused an offence. Then she drops the runes. He stares curiously at their alignment on the cloth, drinking in the knowledge that is utterly indecipherable to his gaze. The cut of the shapes and symbols forge a link even so. He wants to know more. Intent, he reaches out. His finger touches one in the same moment her hand moves to stop him. In the brief moment of contact she snatches her hand away, speaking in a rush. Her eyes have widened, afraid he thinks, though the breathy rush of her voice suggests that maybe she is just shocked. He does not know what has happened.

He stays for more than an hour. When he leaves, his expression is heavy.</em>

• <li style="display:none">
  
• Fragments (Ivan)
  
  
  
• Changing Course (Alone/Declan NPC)
  
  
  
• In Due Course (Declan NPC)
  
  
  
• Accepting Consequences (Morven)
  
  
  
• Celebration Time (Dane - Methos, Hood, Danika)
  
  
  Edited by Soren, Sep 26 2016, 01:23 PM.