NationStates Jolt Archive


On the Nature of Belief

Ordo Drakul
25-10-2008, 20:14
Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.-Albert Einstein
This was my Einstein quote for the day, and it got me to thinking. If the liberals are right, Mankind is far too stupid to ever come up with the wondrous perverse thoughts it has, be it the ancient gods, faeries, or whatever the belief of the day is. Certainly, some things are explained by anthropomorphism-Mankind's tendency to try and attribute human, thus understandable, rationale to impersonal forces.
Other things defy this-certainly, Mankind's only universal myths-vampires and ghosts-are a sort of wish fulfillment, a hope that our sentiences will survive the passing of our physical forms, as well as the understanding that some of us will do whatever it takes to ensure such survival.
To that end, I propose a thread in which each player will assume the persona of whatever myth strikes their interest, be it some hoary old thing dredged out of the Bronze Age or the relatively recent beliefs in the Men in Black or the Soviet's old moneyhole of psychic abilities.
Firstly, I don't intend to argue for or against any belief, or any rationalisation of any belief, and I should not like anyone else to use the thread as a forum for that sort of thing-there are more than enough threads to disparage another's beliefs, and a bit of sifting should bring you happily to them.
Whatever is rationalised, please spell it out-in the examples I'm offering, there are grey areas, wherein an NPC will need to access certain abilities to deal with the unforseen-these individuals are given "magic", which requires extensive and lengthy preparation and time to convey, but other abilities readily available for use at a moment's notice. These are all rather sketchy, as this is a post sort of thing, and I'll try to be civil, but if an ability isn't spelled out in the initial posting, here, then it will be ignored, and I'll happily state it as such in my first post after it's use.
The characters I propose to use are based in various myths that have caught my attention, some ancient, some modern, some purely literary. Use the same format for your own proposals if you have an interest.
The setting is FT, on a satellite where several Powers are having a summit of some sort, and in which my characters intend to intervene to the detriment of all. My little cabal has a lovely selection of mad cultists and monstrosities to use as cat's-paws, mainly as the villain's job is to move the plot forward-such creations may be dispensed with readily, but the main characters will require a TG exchange to kill off-failure to adhere to this rule will result in repercussions most dire, as here we will establish all major players, and anyone else is not important. Don't enter your Chief Diplomat into the RP thread without placing them here first, or they'll be considered just as disposable.
That said, here is the opposition:
The Holy Mother
Real Name:Victoria Elizabeth Urquhart
Origin:Alien(baobhan sidhe)
Abilities/Powers: Victoria Elizabeth Urquhart is a baobhan sidhe, a dark muse known to the ancient Celts who traded inspiration for years of life-those patronised enjoyed brilliant, if short careers. Like all sidhe, she is an empathic energy field in her natural form, but can assume any shape desired, preferring that of a ravishingly beautiful blond woman. Adjusting mass is difficult, as condensing her form to smaller makes her slower, and larger forms are too strenous to maintain in combat or other stressful situations.
Her sidhe nature gives her various powers: her senses are heightened to superhuman levels-she can perceive the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, identify individuals and their emotional state by hearing alone, and perform complex chemical analyses by smell. However, this is the least of her sensory aptitudes-she can pinpoint emotional states with total accuracy so long as the individual is in her presence, read emotions from inanimate objects, and is a skilled and powerful telepath. She also receives occasional instances of prophecy, but she cannot control this aspect of her psychic sensitivities.
Secondarily, she is a projecting empath, capable of inducing emotional states in others for a variety of effects-lending herself supernatural charisma is one of her standard abilities, as is stunning an individual with awe or fear, and she is adept at enthralling others with her emotional projections, forcing them to love her dearly and gaining their loyalty and obedience thereby. She can affect anyone who can see her, provided she performs the same effect on all.
Her last set of natural abilities is her ability to shape flesh and bone-while her natural shapeshifting is an aspect of this power, allowing her to perfectly mimic others when desired, she may also perform this on others with a touch. Flesh and bone become malleable as clay to her hand, and she is adept at shaping this medium. She can ignore damage to her physical form by reshaping as her true form is an energy field.
She is an adept ritual magician, having pacts with numerous spirits that allow her certain effects-by entering a meditative trance, she may become aware of all that occurs within a 20 mile radius of her location, this ability forcing her to do no more than speak. With a focussing of her will, she may cause 5' pits of magma to open in natural earth, this requiring such thought as to negate her other powers. Lastly, she may send a message on the winds or bring any message carried by them to her ear. Other effects require ritual purification and lengthy preparation to perform.
Her most potent abilities are her social prowess and scheming tactical mind. She is fanatically convinced of the rightness of her ways, and the power her cult should wield over the city and it's most influential citizens.

Shade
Real Name: Seth
Origin:Alien (svartalfar)
Abilities/Powers: Small and wiry, Seth is a svartalfar, one of the "dark elves" of Norse myth. His gaze may force an individual to obey a simple, one-word command or induce a hypnotic state, and he is supernaturally strong, capable of hoisting 1000 pounds with ease. However, his most used power is his ability to generate darkness or strengthen shadows to solid form. He can form shadows into many shapes, creating tendrils hard as steel or more intricate shapes into images he can project his voice through, as well as translate his physical form into a shadow that can fly or transport from any shadow to any other.
Seth is also an expert marksman with any firearm, preferring heavy calibers and specialty bullets, usually phosphorus rounds or other explosives.
Seth is devoted to the Holy Mother above all save his lover Victor, but otherwise is an amoral sociopath who regards nothing so important as his own gratification.

Victor
Real Name:?
Origin:enchanted (human?)
Abilities/Powers: Victor was son of a wealthy man who rebelled without thought or reason until his path crossed Seth's. The dark elf changed him, making him a puppet, but somehow bonding Seth to him, as well. He is invulnerable to most forms of damage, ignoring small arms, fire, and any non-magical forms of inflicting damage, and can stun another with fear by growling or hissing at them-this limited form of empathic projection is largely hamstrung by his muteness, a side effect of his enchantment. He can sprout nasty claws from his hands, capable of slashing a manhole cover to shreds. His mind is simple, that of a loyal dog more than a man, and he is wholly devoted to Seth.

Misery
Real Name: Jean-Yves Sareau
Origin:Undead
Abilities/Powers: Jean-Yves Sareau was an archaeologist who attempted to steal certain artifacts from the corpse-city of Carcosa. These items were sacred to the god Yog-Sothoth, and he found himself unhinged in Time and Space, something which proved lethal. Unfortunately, it was not the end, and his restless spirit found itself capable of translating itself from the interstices of Reality to the physical realm, where he was an intangible but horrific wraith, bringing death to all who gazed upon him. Slaying all who saw him proved problematic, until he was given a mask by the Holy Mother that allowed him to control his powers, as well as hiding his true form from others, allowing interaction. Sareau can manipulate the Space-Time Continuum with ease, allowing him to teleport himself or others, redirect attacks from himself, and adjust his material form to pass through objects. Without his mask, he is intangible and merely looking upon him is Death.
Sareau is a thief of no small ability, able to move with stealth even while solid as well as open locks, locate and disarm traps, and bypass almost any security system.
Sareau believes he will be restored to normalcy by service to the Holy Mother, but if convinced she will not do so, will probably work towards destroying Reality to end his existance. He really wishes to be normal or dead, as either will end the torment of his current "life".

King Nothing
Real Name:Grimfang
Origin:Alien(goblin)
Abilities/Powers: King Nothing is a horrific shambling thing, a monstrous warty creature with horrid fangs and claws. He can speak with animals and summon large numbers to his aid, preferring swarms of vermin over other beasts, though he may command any in a pinch. He is possessed of a sort of psionic invisibility, which he has honed to allow himself to appear as he desires, though mechanical devices and mirrors reveal his true form, though he can disappear in full view of witnesses, sometimes causing them to forget his presence entirely. His goblin strength is the equal of Seth's.
King Nothing is enamored of the Holy Mother, and acts as her spy and informant.

Ward
Real Name:Ward Bouvier
Origin:Psychic
Abilities/Powers: Ward is a psionic of great power, with vast telepathic and telekinetic potential. Telepathically, he can induce a hypnotic stupor in others, rewriting their personalities given adequate time, as well as render himself invisible once he is out of sight, though once invisible, he can move freely about. Telekinetically, he can fly as well as manipulate up to 400 pounds of material, and can generate flames pyrotically capable of melting steel or causing combustion in flammable materials. Like the Holy Mother, he is adept in ritual magics, but has no established abilities, instead requiring ritual purification, preparation, and intensive focus to achieve any effect.
Ward is deeply entrenched in the politics of the city, with extensive contacts in city services. He is on a first name basis with many of the movers and shakers in both government and the criminal underworld.
Ward is very loyal to the Holy Mother, as she has saved his life repeatedly. He is a stone cold professional with a flair for sarcasm.
Ordo Drakul
26-10-2008, 01:11
Bump