Tempest of Pride

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Aedan777

Aedan777

Location
America
Once, long ago before recorded history, an entity of great power was sealed in Earth by the gods. The stories of this sealing which come down to us are fragmented and disputed. What is not, by those with requisite knowledge, is that this entity is very real, and its bindings are not unbreakable.

Periodically it has awakened. Though unable to break its own bindings, its struggles reverberate into the physical world. Two groups were formed in opposition over this entity. The Guardians have spent millennia protecting the seals that bind the entity when they appear, while the Liberators seek to break the seals and free the entity. So far the Guardians have won every time, but the Liberators have not given up, they must only achieve victory once for their goals after all.

Now, in 1999, the awakening is occurring in New York City. As is practically tradition, the Liberators and Guardians call upon their members, allies, and affiliates to wage their war once more. But this time a third side has formed. Frustrated by the periodic conflict over the entity which could upend human civilization, potentially even end it, the Iconoclasts seek a permanent solution- the death of the entity.

The sides have gathered, and there are now seven weeks until the entity is fully awake. At that point it will either become free If the seals are all broken, or be forced back to sleep if they are not. Until it is free the entity does not exist in the physical world, and so the Iconoclasts must see it awakened and freed to have a chance to kill it. In the end only one group can achieve its goals, and a bloody war is about to break out in their struggle for supremacy.​


In this game you will be playing participants in a fight between three organizations struggling for potentially the fate of the world. All participants will start with one of the three organizations, and may only switch sides through in character developments and justifications. The game will play out over seven in game weeks, which will more or less translate to seven turns. Due to the short run aim and focus of the game, player characters will die, and will (probably) not be replaced.

Organizations

The Liberators: By their teachings, the imprisoned entity was once a god, one of many who had created the Earth and humanity. The entity broke from its fellows though, and empowered humanity with gifts and knowledge, which brought it special love and devotion from humanity. Jealous, the other gods punished the entity and sealed it away in eternal torment. The Liberators believe that humanity must free its greatest benefactor, both as a matter of repayment and to further its capabilities even more.

Led in the present day by Maxine Kaspar, a meticulous woman devoted to righting the wrongs of the past. With the support of a god, she believes any change will be possible. Her preparations and efforts strengthen the occultic rituals performed by the Liberators.​

The Guardians: Tradition tells them that the imprisoned entity is an abnormally powerful demon, a trickster that pretended to grant gifts to humanity, but instead invited discord and division. The gods punished it for its transgressions and sealed it away. But the gods are limited in their influence on mortal affairs, and left the containment of the entity to a chosen few. A failure to keep it bound would be a mortal failure, and one the gods would be slow to respond to. And so the Guardians have worked for all of human history to keep it contained and humanity safe, guided by the responsibility granted to them by the gods.

Presently led by the blind seer Cassandra Warrick. Her life is devoted to the ideals and mission of the Guardians, as her family had intended. She is the one who first provided the warning that the entity was awakening and it would appear in New York City this time. She grants a blessing to Guardian channelers, improving the abilities and control of their powers.​

The Iconoclasts: For too long has humanity lived under the shadow of an entity which could throw human civilization into chaos, regardless of its intentions. Humanity must rise above the influences and threats of gods and demons. Freedom can only be achieved by destroying these threats. And so the Iconoclasts will break the self-empowering stagnation of the "Guardians" and the slavish devotion of the "Liberators". Even if they don't yet know how to kill the entity.

Their primary founder and leader is Rafael Cardozo, publicly known as an eccentric billionaire, but in private a clear sighted and ambitious man. Shirking reliance on the supernatural, he has invested vast sums of money into state of the art technologies, a great boon for the technologically minded members of the Iconoclasts.​

Powers

All participants in this struggle will possess exceptional powers. There are three main disciplines of powers (Occultic Ritual, Spirit Channeling, and Technological Mastery), as well as Divine Arms, which are special. Participants may have experience in any combination of the three main disciplines, however the more disciplines they specialize in, the less capable they are in each.

Divine Arms are different from the disciplines. A participant with a Divine Arm will have a powerful artifact, and no power discipline. This artifact will remain in play even if the original owner dies or otherwise loses it. It also may be destroyed without necessarily killing the owner. Finally a practitioner of the disciplines may attempt to utilize a Divine Arm acquired over the course of the game, however there will be side effects and potential consequences for doing so.

Occultic Ritual: Though human civilization has claimed dominion over much of the physical world, there still linger old powers in the shadows. For those with the right disposition and knowledge these powers can be called upon, for a price. Practitioners of the Occult need notable prep time for the rituals, and what assistance they receive may have certain conditions or other limitations, but the raw power which they can potentially unleash is second to none among mortals, for a time.

Spirit Channeling: The mass production of human civilization has closed off most from affinity with the deeper world. Through great effort, or exceptional luck, some still make a linkage with the spirits and echoes of ages past. This has unlocked within themselves exceptional, often superhuman, powers. Most channelers have a field in which they specialize. Though not overwhelming in power, Channelers are never defenseless and can always call upon their powers, giving them a great deal of flexibility.

Technological Mastery: Though the strength and spread of the old ways have decreased, this does not mean that humanity's capabilities are declining. Some have surpassed conventional human limits through the incorporation and utilization of modern technologies. Far more than merely using modern technologies, these individuals have gone beyond simple humanity. Be it by almost instinctive utilization of technologies or the blurring of the barrier through man and machine, these individuals are as removed from regular humans as any Spirit Channeler or Occultic Ritualist. Yet the comparative youth of this discipline leads to a certain lack of sophistication in technique and form, as well as a reliance upon the particularities of technology.

Divine Arms: There are relics of ages past, artifacts which hold exceptional powers that still possess meaning to the present day. Few have survived intact, but this makes those who possess them all the more to be feared. Though not necessarily of divine origin or descent, these artifacts are typically called Divine Arms as a reflection of their tremendous power, and often suspected origin. Even otherwise ordinary humans can be formidable combatants if they possess a Divine Arm. In fact it is usually ordinary humans who utilize Divine Arms, as they typically interfere with other supernatural disciplines, sometimes fatally.


To sign up, create a character in the below format. I will aim to equalize the rosters of the three factions as evenly as I can. I will probably set a maximum of seven players per faction. I'm flexible about the details for character powers, talk to me if you have questions.

Characters should not be based on real life people. Characters do not have to be normally living or operating in New York City, but they must presently be in the city and will remain so for the duration of the game.

Name: [I hope I don't need to explain this]
Age: [Should be an adult]
Affiliation: [Liberator, Guardian, or Iconoclast]
Power(s): [Occultic Ritual, Spirit Channeling, Technological Mastery, or Divine Arms, see Powers for details]
Biography: [Background on your character, how they're affiliated with their organization, and some details about their powers]

Sign ups will be open until Friday, February 2. Selections will not be first come first serve.
 
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Name: Darrell St. Jude
Age: 44
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Powers: Divine Arms
Biography:

Darrell St Jude is a lifetime resident of the Bronx, never truly successful, never truly dishonest. Never a parent but often an uncle, what he lacks in a consistent career he makes up for in decades of practical, mostly blue collar skills: among other things he's been a janitor, a handyman, a construction worker, and a bail bondsman. Before he was brought onto Cardozo's payroll he was last working as a short order cook.

He came to the attention of the Iconoclasts for killing a monster haunting his neighborhood. They helped him recover, then asked if he wanted to do it again. They gave him a magic shield that helps him kill more, and found him surprisingly invested in the more radical, man-killing aspects of their mission. He's spent a lot of time laying low. Now he's been given a cause, and one where he can blame his enemies for decades of frustration.

His shield is the Ring-Rime of Chaos, a dull bronze-fronted shield in the style of a Hellenic argive shield but lighter and stranger. It absorbs hits and power uses and builds them up into vibrations, which it releases in an unnerving mixture of ricocheting shield tosses (that tend to bounce back), infrasound, and unpredictable vibrations. It is in practice a defense+countermagic suite carried around by a scrappy action survivor.
 
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Name: Wise Hand Fish
Age: 62
Affiliation: Liberator
Power(s): Occultic Ritual
Biography:
Son of a son of an American congressman, Wise Hand followed in his familial background and inherited plenty of connections and patronage networks.

Among these was the backing of the local Freemason group, which he joined as a youth. Within them he found the Liberators, a steady balm for an unquiet young man.

Now he is older, and wiser, but only more steeped in the knowledge of ritual and pomp, of the ceremonies and sacrifices necessary to bring forth power from the beyond. To take light out, to bring fire in, to rend the earth and call for the greatness of the God. This is, now, his wish; no matter his party affiliation nor oaths of loyalty.
 
Name: Laurel Tseng Hongyang
Age: 24
Affiliation: Guardian
Powers: Occultic Ritual, Spirit Channeling
Biography:

"Aiya! Such a good draw, if only this was a real game. Eh eh, wait why, you sure you know what you're doing, ah girl?"

Laurel kept her lips pursed as she took the mahjong tiles drawn by the impatient middle-aged lady opposite her and laid them back down in their designated formation. Singaporean aunties were as fussy and arbitrary as her friends had warned. Part of her regretted this impromptu decision to setup a mahjong fortune-reading stall in this pale imitation that the locals proudly call a night market. Like the rest of the city, it was too sterile, completely devoid of personality, a touristic edifice flogged to those who didn't know better. Nothing like the far more characterful, if less... hygienic pasar malams of nearby Malaysia, and certainly a far cry from the superlative night markets of home.

The tile had been infused with a regular dash of good luck to appear favourable to customers. Unfortunately, once she arranged the tiles, the reading was less than stellar. Goals unfulfilled, deep wishes suppressed, great dreams and aspirations cast away for what is mediocre and easy. Just another common soul inflicted with the condition of modern humanity.

She looked up at the lady and put on a well-practiced smile. "The windows of opportunity are ever open in your life, auntie. As with the serene blue dress you are adorned with, invite calmness back into your life and embrace the clarity that comes with it. There will ever be winds of positive energy with which you can seize upon; peace and prosperity is just one refreshing breeze awa—"

"Hah? What are you talking about? One look can tell straight away you making some fengshui nonsense up on the spot, che." Annoyed, the woman got up with a harrumph and stormed off, leaving Laurel with her unfinished sentence and polite smile behind. This was why she always asked to be paid first.

A crow perched on a street lamp a few meters away. That was as close as it could get, lest it be chased away with extreme prejudice by the local denizens, who had little fondness for stray animals of any kind. Laurel recognised it as one of her familiars instantly, though instead of the regulars she kept around her, this one was a messenger from home.

Is it time to go back to Taipei?

Actually, you have been summoned, Mistress... to New York City.

She grimaced inwardly. Of all the places to go to, it had to be the filthiest city in the filthiest country. She wondered if she had any handy excuse to not go. Maybe she could use the handy fact that she was barred from entering the US - her last visit resulted in her overstaying her 90-day visa-free entry by over a year, even if it was because she left by portal for a routine check on the Bermuda Triangle seals and forgot to retrace her steps on the way out. Some things were unavoidable.

Unfortunately, so was this summons.

She started packing up her little stall immediately. Unable to get there by plane, the Maiden of Mazu instead had a portal to prepare.
 
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Name: Thomas Monfort
Age: 32
Affiliation: Liberators
Powers: Divine Arms
Biography:

Never quite feeling like he belonged in the real world he had naturally drifted towards the occult underground. Unsatisfied with the world as it was the the doctrine of the Liberators had appealed to him. Transforming this world with divine revelation and taking his place on the right side of the god as a king-priest of this new age.

He had been a faithful paladin of the Liberators willing to do whatever is necessary for the greater good. Every sin was justified in the pursuit of divine liberation.

Unsuited for the more occult disciplines and not gifted with a head for technology he had been a henchmen. This changed when he was sent to raid a secret guardian vault in Switzerland.

It had been a formidable mountain fortress but they had planned for it. What they hadn't planned for was triggering the second circle qlippoth guarding the place. Impervious to bullets the eyeless entity started turning his fellow liberators inside out. That's when Tyrfing called to him. Without knowing why Thomas smashed in a display case and drew the sword. Effortlessly cleaving the demon in half should have made him the hero of the day. Instead he discovered the curse.

Everytime Tyrfing is drawn a man dies (or a woman the sword doesn't discriminate). The Guardians had managed to secure the sword at some point in the 30 Years War and decided to lock it away. Having been starved for that long the sword made Thomas turn on his companions in an orgy of blood. After he left the fugue state he was the last man standing. With an eldritch entity purring in his mind satisfied by the bloodshed. Thomas fled - unable to leave the sword behind.

Since then Thomas has been scared to draw the sword. He has done it a few times and he never lost control like he did on that faithful day but death always follows in his wake when he draws the sword.

Tyrfing is sharp enough to cut reality itself and makes it master the best swordsmen to have ever lived. It also whispers in the mind of its master filling their dreams with old memories of carnage and begging them to be used during their waking hours.

Thomas is determined to break all the seals so that the divine can free him from this curse. The alternative scares him because what he can't admit is that the day he drew Tyrfing first was the best day of his life. All pleasures are shallow compared to the sword tasting flesh again and everyday is a struggle to not just draw Tyrfing and drown the world in a tidal wave of blood.
 
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Name: Simon Burg
Age: 31
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Powers: Technological Mastery
Biography:
Simon grew up in a very religious household, and spent his early years relatively happily. However, it quickly became apparent to his family that Simon was a budding genius, and as he suffered through puberty it became clear to Simon specifically that he was very gay (not that he had a word for it at the time). His family believed his genius was a gift from god and sought to nurture it, scrounging together the funds to send him to a top tier university (with the help of some scholarships).

At university, Simon became an engineer, easily excelling at all his class. He also found himself in an environment not surrounded by religion for the first time. The process of abandoning his religious beliefs was long and painful, but hating himself for his sexuality for the rest of his life would have been more so. He took to his atheism with the zeal of a new convert, passionately arguing against religion at every turn.

At the same time, he got his PhD in engineering and starting working for one of Rafael Cardozo's companies. They too realized his genius, and quickly decided to sponsor him through a masters in engineering. Everything was looking up for Simon.

Then he got AIDS. The epidemic had been ever present during his college years, but he'd managed to dodge the deadly disease until he'd graduated. He hadn't managed to dodge it forever, though. Simon's life was on a timer.

But that was something Simon refused to accept. There was no cure for AIDS, but if the flesh could not survive, he would turn to the machine. He spent months in feverish research and development, trying to find a way to save himself. At some point, he even met with Rafael Cardozo himself, who decided to throw resources and funds behind Simon seemingly on a whim. Eventually, even as his body was failing him, Simon designed his own salvation.

Simon couldn't carry out the surgery on himself, but Cardozo acquired a team of elite doctors and scientists to help him. Over the next forty-eight hours, flesh and veins were stripped out and replaced by steel and wires, until by the end Simon was more machine than man. And only then, in recovery for his life saving operation, was Simon Berg informed of Cardozo's real goals. And after everything he'd gone through, what could he do but accept?

Power: Simon is primarily an engineer, specialized in the construction of prosthetics. While Simon's background is in "normal" science and engineering, Cardozo provided him access to research on developments that bordered on magic. In order to save his life, Simon pushed that research forward leaps and bounds, designing what is essentially a full body prosthetic. The use of synthetic skin and heavy clothing mostly obscures the mechanical nature of his body, but in truth there is very little of Simon's body that remains flesh and blood. As a result, his body is much stronger and tougher than that of a normal human, though much heavier as well. Furthermore, it is designed with future upgrades in mind, and indeed already a number of tools have been installed so that he can more easily perform self-maintenance at any time. Simon considers himself an engineer, however, not a fighter, and though he is fully on board with Cardozo's plan he has so far resisted installing any true weaponry into his own body.
 
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Name: José Velasquez, the Torchbearer
Age: 27
Affiliation: Guardian
Power(s): Spirit Channeling
Biography:
José is the scion of an ancient sorcerous family of Spanish origin, which immigrated to the New World somewhere in the 1590s. Their name and identity have often changed with the eras to trick their enemies, the only constants being their unwavering affiliation to the Guardians, their mission to keep the Chained God in his bindings... and the Spirit they have made a contract with.

His name is Ignis. Ignis, the Firekeeper. Ignis, the Brightborn, the Lightbringer, the Enlightened One. A powerful fire-attuned spirit who agreed to lend their power to the descendants of his captor for a price; their life. No descendant of the Velasquez family has ever lived past their thirties--a small price to pay for the power offered to them by the Flame spirit.

Powers:
Ignis: A powerful spirit with control over the element of fire. To be bound to him by contract grants the Torchbearer control over the flames as well as a plethora of minor blessings: the Torchbearer can see bright as day in the Night and stare at the face of the Sun unbothered. Fire, Ash, and Smoke will no longer cloud their senses as well.
 
Name: Charles "No-Fear" Gauthier
Age: 37
Affiliation: Guardian
Power(s): Divine Arms
Biography: A second-generation outlaw biker, No-Fear Gauthier tore up much of Canada and the eastern United States as a member of the Heretics MC, serving as both courier and enforcer for a ruthless criminal operation. One night, high and careless, he planted a bomb that resulted in the death of not just his target, but the target's immediate family, including three children. Horrified and traumatized by the consequences of his actions, he left his MC and went into a downward spiral, only saved from a premature demise by the intervention of his long-time family priest.

Eight years later, following a spiritual rebirth, rehabilitation program, and extensive educational curriculum, Charles Gauthier is a Knight of Penitence of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, as well as the sanctioned wielder of the First Spear. His aim in this latest conflict is as it always is: to defeat those individuals who would endanger society through the misuse of their powers, and to suppress any and all entities which might pose a threat to humanity as a whole.

The First Spear: Believed variously to have belonged to Odin, Longinus, and St. George, the First Spear is the pieces of an ancient iron-headed spear encased within a modern steel and composite-material frame, which can be broken down or detached into multiple segments. Supernaturally sharp and resilient, its powers only work for a single bonded user, who must not be otherwise enhanced and possess both the weight of great sin and the capacity for great self-sacrifice. Firstly, while bonded, it grants its user heightened physical, regenerative, and sensory abilities. Secondly, any entity struck with it by a bonded user will find their superhuman durability and regeneration powers either completely suppressed or sharply curtailed for a period. Finally, it will unerringly return to the user after a brief period of separation. Only death ends the bond.
 
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Name: Anastasia Perestroika
Age: Forever 29
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Power(s): Spirit Channeling of the demon Vainglory (who grants mortal fame and a modicum of angelic perfection that makes feats that would tax ordinary people seem effortless) and Technological Mastery over video.
Biography: Who would suspect a famous music producer for the record labels and Hollywood had sold her soul for fame and glory? A nonzero number of people. Once an uppers-addicted, homeless EDM artist from Detroit living in a squat with her synthesizer, a camcorder and VideoToaster; the past ten years have been a testimonial ad for joining the Brotherhood of Belial - a secretive Michigan based demon-cult. The bloody ritual (her blood) was messy and painful but afterwards she was reborn as a Woman of Wealth and Taste. People couldn't explain why they suddenly knew who she was but there she was on the list; at Paris Fashion Week, the Grammy's, Davos. And you don't have to be an exceptional singer or dancer when you never sweat, you never trip up. Turns out being perfectly slightly above average is more than enough to be a superstar with slavishly devoted fans. But when the cult reached out to her, after being acquired in a hostile (there were deaths) takeover by a eccentric billionaire, who was she to deny her talents to a new patron? After all, what would make you more of a legend than killing a god?

Name: B.B. Dangriga
Age: 61
Affiliation: Guardian
Power(s): Divine Arms - an cursed shamisen made with the skin of a rakshasa, the Asura Tiger must be strummed, going wild and seeking innocent blood to shed if its not picked up morning and night. To play it is to ride the tiger, having a murderous spirit beast moving to your rhythym; a feat beyond most Channelers, but one that will inevitably destroy its user. The tiger is more than just speed and violence, its ability to detect hunters and the hunted transcends ordinary senses, and its wordless anticipation of danger is borderline precognitive.
Biography: A politically radical guitarist from Honduras, BB has lived in the Big Apple from 1974 and seen it all. You meet enough people and you start to believe in aliens, and exorcisms and the power of curses. Maybe your friend knows a bokkor or a witch, maybe you've seen a ghost on the stairs to your apartment at night. Nothing surprises you. So the last thing you would expect after thirty years would be to find out the solid floor, the limit on weirdness you thought you navigated so well in your everday interactions with people, was actually a bottomless pit. Specifically, you never could have guessed that your easy trust and eagerness to listen to the tales of strangers would leave you with a dead monk from the other side of the world on your couch and a stringed instrument you've never seen before yet are supernaturally compelled to play. The monks friends are good people though, you have a hell of a bullshit detector and you can tell that while they might be odd they're shooting straight about the end of the world and trying to stop it from happening. They need your help, and the way you figure it you can't just ignore the trust the monk put in you, a total stranger, when their burden got too heavy to bear.
 
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Name: Dayna Rothsmere
Age: 22
Affiliation: Liberator
Power(s): Occultic Ritual and Technological Mastery
Biography:
The Hacker has taken its place in American mythology - An entire subculture of leather-coated, roller-skate riding, payphone-scamming young adults, who spend their nights in clubs and their days battling corporate greed and 'the Man'. This does not exist, in reality, as most irate corporate computer programmers and professional software geeks would inform you, or as many punk youth and nascent internet users would lament - But perception is a powerful thing, and other forces take note of when perception shifts and changes.

Dayna Rothsmere was into the computer scene, the punk scene, and the occult scene. She was a dabbler, at best, a poseur at worst, inspired more by aesthetics and the percieved 'coolness' of doing strange rituals while dressed up in cool garb, either of the computer-hacking variety or of the more occult variety. Except, perhaps out of sheer luck, or some innate spiritual potential, when she did these things? They tended to work, more often than not. She found herself sliding into secure digital mainframes and slicing through cybersecurity protocols when she undertook specific steps and preparations, anointing and enhancing her shitty homebrew computers with the occult paraphenalia she'd collected.

She dove deeper and deeper, enriching herself and engaging in performative 'fuck the man' vandalism with her increasing skillset, learning how to combine ancient occult rituals with her idea of hacking, until she crossed the border into becoming a full on practicioner of her own specific blend of actual computer know-how and social hacking, ritualistic magic empowerment, and bullshit movie-inspired technomancy that would make an actual computer engineer tear their hair out in frustration. To her, the digital realm and the physical realm co-mingle, as she sees the connections, both magical and technological, real and imagined, that bind together everything and everyone around her - And who's to say which realm is real or false?

When she discovered the Liberators through one of her sweeps for more esoteric knowledge using search engine-powered ritualistic scrying, she joined up without a second thought. What's more 'fuck the man' than releasing an imprisoned god?
 
Name: Alexander "Xander" Mueller P.H.D.
Age: 47
Affiliation: Guardian
Power(s): Occultic Ritual
Biography: Alexander was born in a sleepy town in rural Ohio, mostly left alone by the rest of the world and thus unaware that it housed those who still believed in the supernatural. For generations, since his family immigrated from Germany (then Switzerland) in the 1700s, Alexander's family belonged to the Guardians who watched over Humanity and kept it safe from the great dangers that most of the world had long forgotten.

Because of this Alexander soon gathered a collection of old books and manuscripts based on the Occultic practices of various cultures and beliefs and worked to put them into good use. Always considered very intelligent, Xander excelled at studying and quickly went off to gain a greater education and access to more natural to not just educate himself but use to protect those he cared about and those that couldn't protect themselves.

In these he became a scholar in both Religion and the Occult, writing several books and papers, most sounding beyond belief and with many of his colleagues calling him a "quack" or "deranged" or half a dozen other labels that tried to discredit him. This, however, was all part of his plan, allowing him to research in peace and assist as best he was able when needed. The bubbling Doctor many called him but through this he was able to go under the radar and attain knowledge that he hoped would be put to good use.

Power: Alexander's real power in his collection of books and manuscripts and an eye for detail. Making sure to have the right ritual used and the right ingredients or spelling or even knowing the language used is important and in this, Alex has dedicated his life to these pursuits. Being able to open a portal to get out of a complex situation or simple travel is always needed, or being able to block off a rising of some demon or their minion by a simple or complex trap only known from the civilizations long since gone or some Grandmother in the depths of corn filled Iowa, Alex is one to call upon when needed.
 
Name: Florence Song
Age: 31
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Power: Divine Arms
Biography:
Born in San Francisco, California to second-generation Cantonese parents, Florence studied physics at UC Berkeley and, after obtaining her doctorate, went to work at Lawrence Livermore National Labs. She was assigned to work on what most of her colleagues deemed a crank's project: quantum mechanical experiments that were intended to create a prototype time machine, capable of bringing back samples of futuristic technology. Against all odds, and in defiance of all known natural laws, it somehow succeeded. Before the top-secret particle accelerator she was operating overloaded and self-destructed, rendering it inoperable, it brought forth an incredible artifact: a rapier of remarkable construction, with a monomolecular point able to pierce anything. When Florence touched the artifact, it spoke to her: the blade called itself Mo Ye, claiming to come from an apocalyptic future where humanity had been devastated by eldritch powers beyond its control. The voice of the blade asked if she would accept its "draconic power" and if she "possessed the strength of will to free humanity from the whims of gods and demons." Stunned, and feeling a strange kinship with the voice, she agreed, and took on its power.

It was only a matter of time before a representative of Rafael Cardozo heard about the strange accident and contacted her. Meeting with the eccentric billionaire, she learned the truth of the mysterious entity and of the dangerous rivalry between the Liberators and the Guardians. Realizing that this might well be the event her blade spoke of, she agreed to join the Iconoclasts, and has been on Cardozo's payroll for the past two years, putting out metaphorical fires across the country as required. Now that the stars are right, she has flown into New York for what may well be her last mission. For all Cardozo talks of liberating humanity, she has felt as if her life has been out of her control ever since she bonded with her sword. She wonders if this struggle will set her free, as well.

Power: 0104-76 SWS-MO YE, or just Mo Ye, is a sentient rapier allegedly from a post-apocalyptic future. It is bound to Florence's DNA, and is only usable by her. When its name is invoked, it creates a suit of light armor and a helmet seemingly made of dragon scales. This armor boosts her speed, strength and agility. The point of Mo Ye is sharpened to a monomolecular degree, enabling it to pierce anything. The weapon also speaks to its wielder and has a will of its own, although it appears to be largely benevolent.
 
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Name: Bartholomew "Barry" Roberts
Age: 82
Affiliation: Liberator
Power(s): Technological Mastery
Biography: A fantastically wealthy magnate with investments in multiple industries who benefitted massively from the American victory in World War Two, the great wars of the 20th century and the following Cold War left him increasingly myopic about mankind's future and his own legacy. In particular, he began investing heavily in technology in the hopes of creating a "better" form of humanity, often applying the resulting innovations to himself as his body began to weaken with age, with mixed results. This inevitably led to him falling into the orbit of Rafael Cardozo, whose vision of a humanity freed from the shackles of the past, truly master of its own destiny, inspired Bartholomew to become a firm member of the Iconoclasts, lending his wealth and connections to the cause. But as time wore on, he grew disillusioned. Cardozo seemed too eager to destroy an entire world of hidden secrets that they could learn from and exploit, and who even knew if the Entity could be killed? At the same time, a far more personal motive was eating away at his resolve. He knew he was dying. He had consigned much of his body to be replaced with machinery, but he had come to view the increasing advance of steel as a prison slowly closing in on him. He could extend his life further, perhaps even beyond a century, but what kind of life would that be? He needed something else. Something that the Iconoclasts, that Cardozo, could not provide him.

Barry broke with the Iconoclasts and joined the Liberators, seizing on the desperate hope that the Entity would be able to grant him the perfect immortality he so craved. In this regard, the clandestine nature of his old allegiance proved convenient, as he was able to turn his coat with much of his resources and connections still intact. With the news that New York is where the next battle will be, he is there-this is likely to be his last chance.

Logistically, he brings a great deal of liquid wealth to the table, and physically, he is a hulking mass of steel limbs and powered armor, rarely ever leaving the protection afforded by it out of a well founded fear of retaliation from his old comrades. He is still capable of using mundane weaponry, but he mostly relies on the electrical surges and sheer raw strength of his armor and body to deal with any threat. He has replaced all of his limbs and most of his internal organs with mechanical equivalents that also act as internal power sources.
 
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Name: Shikari (a channeler like her could never reveal their real name safely).
Age: 34.
Affiliation: Guardian.
Power(s): Spirit Channeling.
Biography: There are many beasts that prowl the cracks of humanity. They hunger for the meek and possess powers far beyond the natural. The present age has foolishly dismissed them as fantasy( superstition) . But there remain a select few who know what they( demons) are and how they can be defeated( sealed) . The hunters subsequently formed the Guardians as the first and only line of defense against the occult.

Shikari was born into one of these families. Allied with the Warricks, her lineage also had a long-standing relationship with spirits. Two of them occupy her eyes, making each milky white without the use of contact lenses. Through them, Shikari can perceive past the veil of the mystical( false) to the real( true) nature of whatever she observes. Another of her weapons is a fearsome shotgun holstered in her leather jacket. As ammunition, she has twenty shells with pieces of the Sessho-seki( Killing Stone) , a potent poison from the east.

She had long since made peace with her fate. She was a weapon, and her end could not be kind. A call from Cassandra sent her to New York City. The so-called Liberators had crawled out of their hiding places to throw the world into chaos again. They had to be utterly crushed.​
 
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Truth! Certainty! That in which there is no doubt!
That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above,
working the miracles of one [thing]. As all things were from One.
Its father is the Sun and its mother the Moon.
The Earth carried it in her belly, and the Wind nourished it in her belly,
as Earth which shall become Fire.
Feed the Earth from that which is subtle,
with the greatest power. It ascends from the earth to the heaven
and becomes ruler over that which is above and that which is below.

Name: Alastair Lowell
Age: 36
Affiliation: Guardian
Power(s): Divine Arms
Biography: Alastair is the quiet and retreating Professor of Egyptology at Harvard University, a man whose near empty classes often lead to the question "Why do we even still have a Egyptology professor?" But secretly he is the latest in an ancient line of secret keepers and occultists sworn to the order of Guardians. Though Lowell is a great student of the secret world, he has always been a disappointment as a heir for try and he might he has always proven near completely bereft of talent when it comes to magical matters. However he has a secret-he is the keeper of the Emerald Tablet, the mother source of all Hermetic Magic, inscribed by the hands of Hermes-Thoth himself. Using its powers he is able to channel the talent and spirit of that ancient god-sorcerer and his unprecedented power over the hermetic arts. Hermes-Thoth is everything Alastair is not, powerful, brave, arrogant and impulsive but one thing the two agree on is the duty and need for those in the know to protect mortal society and maintain the seals that he claims at times to have first crafted.
So the Three-In-One has driven the Professor to take a sabbatical from his Sinecure and head to New York City, Emerald Tablet clutched desperately in his hands​


If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god.

Name: Solomon Daniels
Age: 29
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Power(s): Technological Mastery
Biography: A technological and engineering wunderkind, Solomon Daniels has from a young age been fascinated by life giving and death dealing power of the sun. In college he worked on the practicality of Archimede's Mirror, out of college his first startup made solar panels and with his first Billion he worked with Rafael Cardozo on the possibility of constructing an orbital solar weapon. Such a massive project of course attracted opposition and very recently, during early stages of the endeavor, the project site was raided by libertarian agents and the prototype denoted in spectacular fashion. Daniels was one of the only survivors of the explosion, stumbling from the rubble somehow changed by the forces that were unleashed that day. His body now burns with solar energy, meshed with metal and wire to barely contain it. Having only recently experienced this, Daniels is still blindly fumbling with the full potential of what has happened to him. Mostly he just channels the power of the sun into a handgun to fire 'bullets' of pure heat and light, and its worked on most everything that he's tried it on. Now Cardozo has sent him to New York to try and kill a god, with the promise that when the world has been saved, a proper investigation into what has happened to Daniels and ways to improve his quality of life will be given all the resources possibly imaginable.​
 

Name: Alice Miller
Age: 24
Affiliation: Liberator
Power: Spirit Channeling​

Biography: When she was younger, Alice thought she was insane. It's hard not to when you feel things which don't make sense, hear things which supposedly aren't there, and see things which, as far as most people are concerned, shouldn't and don't exist. She called them faeries, like the strange, terrifying creatures in the old stories her grandfather told her, and not at all like the cutesy, frilly, things that newer stories deign to use the term for.

As she grew older, she learned that telling people about the faeries began to yield changed reactions. When a small child tells her mother that a pretty bird made of wind sang to her in the backyard, she gets a laugh in return and is told how imaginative and creative she is. She gets praised for how good she is at playing pretend. When a twelve-year-old claims with in seriousness that the deep scratches on her arms came from a tree that doesn't like her, and thus attacked her, she gets to talk to a psychologist.

From there, the story is rather boring, so she claims. She cooperated. She accepted every so-called "reasonable explanation." She ignored the faeries because reacting to them just upset people. She let herself live in that pretty little mundane world she chose to believe really existed. Then, one day, she stopped playing pretend.

The faerie that came to her is a simple one; albeit a destructive one. It saw the fake little world so carefully constructed around her, and it convinced her to shatter it all to pieces. She then learned that people don't like it when their safe, normal world starts looking less normal, and less safe. When a poor, troubled, young woman can carve slices from objects with a gesture, or shatter them like glass with a simple command, people's concern starts to turn into fear, and their pitying words become something far more dangerous.

Alice's newly affirmed sanity made her no less alone, but that's when the Liberators found her. For the first time in her life, Alice met other people like herself. Other people who recognized that the world most accepted was little more than a facade to be broken and discarded when their god wakes. Let the world tremble as its true nature is laid bare. Let the chains be shattered.
 
Name: Abdulkarīm Al-Ma'yūf
Age: 56
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Power: Divine Arms
Biography: One may believe the Al-Ma'yuf clan of Jidda, Saudi Arabia was secretive due in part to its adherence to Sufism. Indeed, its role in spreading the Inayatiyya creed did force it into the shadows. However even deeper than its religious proclivities was its ancestral role in the true war waged for the sake of humanity. The Al-Ma'yuf clan could trace its role in the conflict over the Entity back into the 10th-century A.D. And through the entirety of that time, it served on the side of the Guardians, faithful devotees to what they saw as a righteous peace. But that supposed peace was bought in blood.
Growing up, Abdulkarim Al-Ma'yuf allowed the stories of ancient battles belie the gruesome cost of war. As a young man, he was an ardent Guardian, travelling the world as a hunter of djinn and demons, and a wandering preacher for the Inayatiyya. While he explored the world, he returned to a smaller and smaller family. Eventually taking custodianship of his family, Abdulkarim grew disillusioned with the Guardian sect, leading to a bitter schism between the surviving members of the Al-Ma'yufs. All similarly committed against the Entity, the divided family nevertheless struggled to reconcile. Rafael Cardozo offered a guiding path; while Abdulkarim mistrusts the man, his iconoclast ideology had reunited most of the Al-Ma'yufs towards a single goal - finishing what their ancestors started.

Hatf: Known contemporarily as one of several swords possed by the Prophet Muhammad, the ancestry of the blade known as Hatf runs much deeper. The Levites had received the sword from King David, who had in turn taken bits of its metal from the slain Goliath. But unbeknownst to even them, the shards taken from Goliath were remnants of Sharur, the speaking mace of Sumerian legend. The voice that once guided Ninurta was the very same that filled Goliath with hubris, that gave sage wisdom to David, and who counseled the Prophet Muhammad. Now, it speaks to Abdulkarim, promising a final victory over the Entity.
Name: Gianfelice Chiavolini
Age: 36
Affiliation: Liberator
Power: Divine Arms
Biography: Possessing the verminous nature of cockroaches, the Chiavolini have one way or another not merely survived but thrived in the chaos of the world. During the Second World War, they appeared as ardent fascists and soonafter appeared just as ferociously anti-fascist. They rose in the business world during the instability of the post-war period and excelled in the murky shades of grey of the new world order.

In 1977, however, the Chiavolini received a glimpse of the real world behind the curtain. Enricco Chiavolini attended a fateful meeting of the Bohemian Grove, that being the real one held a day after the publicized one for San Franciscans, and purchased a most peculiar item: a heart in a cooper box. Gifting it to his son, Gianfelice Chiavolini, the elder Chiavolini inadvertently spurred on the greatest evolution of the family grift. Touching the heart, Gianfelice was overcome with strange feelings that led him to uncover the truths behind the Guardian-Liberator War.

The young Gianfelice saw the profit factor in becoming a prophet of a new god, one that could remake the world. With his family wealth, he was fast-tracked into the Liberators as a benefactor. While an untrusted actor in the organization, Gianfelice had at least some degree of notability by 1991. And it is for good reason he remains untrusted; while claiming the heart is of little significance, his own privately-funded research has revealed a horrible truth: the heart supposedly belongs to a demon from Hell itself, a malicious fraudster known as the Goblin from Dante's Inferno.

The Goblin Heart: Supposedly the heart of Farfarello (trans: Goblin), a malebranche demon from Dante's Inferno, the Goblin Heart is coated in a foul-smelling ichor. This liquid preserves the heart and traps within it the souls of the damned fraudsters stolen from Hell itself by an unknown thief. By holding the heart, its wielder can bend the hearts of Men with the promise of wealth and power. It is only natural that it belongs in the hands of Gianfelice Chiavolini.
 
Name: Pattern Spider (real name possibly Alex Daniell)
Age: probably 40
Affiliation: Iconoclast
Power(s): Technological Mastery
Biography: Ever since the internet started spread its way across the world a being has lived among it's web. Going by the nom de guerre 'Pattern Spider' they have so far managed to do a rather successful job of remaining the ghost in the machine that's haunted the service since the early days, possibly even literally if rumours are to be believed. At a minimum they have been on the internet since the early days of the 1970s, having appeared on ARPANET as early as 1972, at the same time an engineer at Cambridge known as Alex Daniell seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. This has caused rumours among hacker and net groups that Alex had somehow uploaded themselves onto the internet. Less fanciful rumours believe they instead went into some form of black ops service for the government to monitor ARPANET and later the internet for first communist and later anti-American sentiments.

Eitherway, be they man or machine at this point, Pattern Spider only joined in on the ongoing war over a slumbering being when they broke into a secured chat service and found conversations regarding the upcoming conflict between some more tech progressive Iconoclasts. Fundamentally believing that the internet would eventually bare out as the creation of a truly human god, and that as a result, humanity was greater then any such ancient creature. Pattern Spider traced back the Iconoclasts until they found their leader, and sent an email to Cardozo offering their services. Said email also happened to contain, as proof of competency, a worm that locked up several critical systems to Cardozo's companies before system administrators even knew what was happening, only releasing the systems when they were hired on.

Ever since then Pattern Spider has been lurking, waiting for the day proper, and infiltrating every piece of technology they could get their hands on. Now they are ready to support the other Iconoclasts as best they can as the fight for humanity's future begins.
 
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Name: Kirill Dimitrovich Sima
Age: 43
Affiliation: Liberator/Iconoclast
Power(s): Occultic Ritual/Spirit Channeling- Kirill Sima is a master of gu sorcery. His body is home to a hundred and eight of these poisonous insect demons, slaved to his command via his impressive mastery of Daoist arts. He can use them to force his body to take on the form of animals, particularly insects, expel them to bewitch and bedevil others, grant his body increased strength and speed, as well as never truely dying, as long as enough insects remain alive to reconstitute himself.
Biography: Man has seventy years on this earth, the majority of which is spent in denial of his end or spent in every effort to avert his end.

Mortality weighed heavy on Sima. Since he was a child, he saw his grandparents hack their way into the open grave. Because of this, he redoubled his efforts in atheleticism, as to stave off his end with vitality. When he was older, his father passed on into the next life, a simple illness. Because of this, he went into medical school. And when he was older still, surrounded with the sick and the dead, half mad from the very thing he sought to flee, he went to a temple which his great-great grandmother once served, before the Reds, before the Japanese, and before the warlords came.

There, upon a simple pedastal, was a jar. There, in the ruins of the past, he contemplated mortality, and allowed the spiritual insects, half beast and half ancestor, to feast on his flesh, to eat his mortal brain and heart. There, he attained the methods to avert death, to expel illness, to take the forms of animals and spirits, and to live forever and ever.

And yet, it was not enough. Indeed, the increasing length of his lifespan (forever, if he played his cards right) would run up against cruel entropy. No matter how deathless he was, the reaper would still come, in the form of dying suns, the universe itself dissolving into a soundless, waveless, sea.

In many ways, Sima is still that child he was. A thousand years, a billion years of life is not enough, he screams, we must all be immortal! Perfect! The world itself!

That is why he reached out to Maxine Caspar. The power of a god could reorder the universe and set it all alright. And if the god disagrees?

Well.

There is a certain wasp that lays their eggs in caterpillars.
 
Application Approval
  • Threadmarks
    • The following characters are accepted. Fortunately we had applicants divisible by three and pretty evenly distributed, so just had to pick from the two players who submitted multiple characters to match it all up.

    Liberators
    Wise Hand Fish (@DanBaque)
    Thomas Monfort (@Anchises)
    Dayna Rothsmere (@TheMaskedReader)
    Bartholomew "Barry" Roberts (@Fancy Face)
    Alice Miller (@CobaltCloyster)
    Kirill Dimitrovich Sima (@Laplace)

    Guardians
    Laurel Tseng Hongyang (@Valleron)
    José Velasquez (@Red Robyn)
    Charles "No-Fear" Gauthier (@Etranger)
    Alexander "Xander" Mueller (@Skrevski)
    Shikari (@Carol)
    Alastair Lowell (@JuliusNepos)

    Iconoclasts
    Darrell St. Jude (@Potato Anarchy)
    Simon Burg (@Theaxofwar)
    Anastasia Perestroika (@Namaroff)
    Florence Song (@Scrapknight507)
    Abdulkarīm Al-Ma'yūf (@Noco)
    Pattern Spider (@Ranger)

    For those not on it yet, a significant portion of the game will take place on the GSRP discord, in the #tempest-of-pride channel near the bottom. Each faction will have their own secret channel for coordination and me to give specialized information.

    For orders, each player will send me a PM in a conversation on SV each turn, consisting of no more than 250 words. There's a lot of flexibility in how you can use them, but their scope should be limited to within NYC. The first order due date will be Saturday, February 10.

    Edit: Link to the IC Thread
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Name: Vullo Morley
    Age: 29
    Affiliation: Iconoclasts
    Power(s): Spirit Channeling(main specialization Water based cold powers and bounded to a spirit of Ice, Cold and Water for life though can still call upon other spirits)
    Biography:

    Vuloq was mostly a boring man who led a boring life and was mostly unremarkable They went to school somewhere within North America where they went to classes like everyone else and it was a boring school. They went to math class and complained about it like everyone else. They snuck beers out of there parent cabinets and then drank them with there friends. He was completely unremarkable- this is what 22 year old Vuloq going to graduate school would say, this is what 17 year old Vuloq in senor year would say. Other would not

    Other would say sure he seem fine but...he always a little distant. Sometimes he will scream in pain or cover his ears and then ask why saying he heard something awful. When no one else says they heard something he laugh it off or say it was a joke or say they were messing with him. Vuloq no matter how loud the whispers got would not acknowledge whatever they said, he was normal, normal people don't hear stuff and what would his, friends! parents say! So he ignored it and gritted his death no matter how loud they got...

    Then one day one of these whisper he saw in real life...that whisper IT asked why it had ignored him. Vuloq stared anywhere else to avoid it gaze screaming YOU ARE NOT REALL and then his roommate walked in... IT then provided proof...Vuloq ran...No matter how far he drove, how far he went he could still hear IT laughing and promising IT would see them soon...that was the least of his problem for his face was everywhere...

    Vuloq in desperation ran into the deepest coldest part of the wood in the dead of winter unbeknownst this winter was a record cold one for temperature...it would only get colder far below any records.

    as Vuloq after hiking for a day straight out of exhaustion, feeling very warm despite it being -40 and below fell onto the snow feeling exhausted.... he heard IT this time not in his head...

    There Vuloq in desperation finally acknowledge he was wrong, he was not normal, he was strange, weird, otherworldly and SCREAMEd for help...

    Something answered...something out of pity perhaps they saw opportunity or perhaps something else... it said it could save him but there be a cost...they would be bonded forever and he needed to acede to the spirit wishes...but he be saved the spirit promised

    Vuloq said yes...he screamed(it was more of a whimper but that was all that was needed)

    Vuloq does not remember much, he remember standing up, he remembers flashes of fighting of throwing ice dagger, of a snow but only flashes...despite all that he was weak and as IT stared over him dying he remembers a flash of light. He remembers a vague face picking him up.

    He woke up in Iconoclasts facility where he would recover and grasp with his new powers...and also his changed being...he was now quite pale...ice pale now and his skin was cold to the touch. The Iconoclasts experts helped him adjust the best he could and then told them of there mission. The spirit told him to say yes but he was silent...but then they told him IT worked for this entity and Vuloq smiled again...

    Vuloq after many years of training and mastering his power his now going to new york finally declared ready and with a cold wind on his back is ready for big apple.
    ---

    got carried away while writing
     
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