Discussion Topic

[The Frostbourne he/him]

I'm reposting this here after editing for clarity's (and Cuaiir's) sake.

Username: The Frostbourne

Contact: PM

Character Name: Erika Melodi

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Hometown: Spiral Falls

Marital Status: Single

Appearance: Erika was given her mother's looks, with short, dark red hair, green eyes, and skin with a Native American hue. She wears a dark green, oversized sweater, black pants tucked into knee-high leather boots, a squat cylindrical cap, and thin, fingerless gloves. Her SphereMorph is set on an iron band clasped around her left wrist, the metal protruding beyond the wrist to hold it, looking a bit like an oversized wristwatch.

Personality: Erika is highly precocious and rather nosy. She has an understandably difficult time talking about herself, and will either change the subject, cut off the conversation, or tell a lie. In Crook of the Plains, there were probably dozens of rumors about her, and she had started most of them herself. About things and people other than herself, though, she is honest, and often brutally blunt with the truth. She is untrusting of others, in that she expects them to be foolish lummoxes with only half of a brain. If another person proves themselves intelligent, her expectations change from extremely low to demandingly high, sometimes impossibly so. Only if a person can draw close to her does that change, at which point she becomes loyal and protective.

History: Born in Spiral Falls to a merchant named Dominak and a Defender named Felicity, Erika learned to walk by the age of five months, and was talking barely three days later. By three years of age, she could write more clearly than many adults, with either hand. Things changed, though, when much of her extended family, and both of her parents, were murdered in one night, right in front of her.

Years ago, Felicity and her brother Seth had attracted the attention of a powerful gang, led by a man called Spectre, in the Crook of the Plains, but they managed to arrest their leader and escape town. The gang had tracked them down, under a new leader by the name of Destron.

Erika had created a plan to pretend that Felicity and her brother were in the middle of the family, on the way to a tavern, so that Felicity and Seth could escape undetected. The gang members shot anyway. They killed over half of Erika's family, as well as Dominak. Erika took a glancing blow in the right leg.

She limped into a safehouse to hide, where she found her mother fighting another SphereMorph, with Seth nowhere in sight. Her mother managed to strike the other down. Out the small peephole of the safehouse, Felicity spied two more SphereMorphs approaching. She took off her SphereMorph, gave it to Erika, and told her that she needed to run. Erika fled the building through the back door, and ran. She looked back just in time to see her mother snatch the SphereMorph from the unconscious and begin to glow. Felicity settled into Form just in time to find a blade between her ribs. Erika was seven at the time.

After hiding in Spiral Falls and learning to use the SphereMorph, Erika joined a merchant caravan as a guard, wandering with the caravans for eight years. Ironically, she ended up in the Crook of the Plains. In this, she saw the perfect opportunity, ending her contractual guard duties and involving herself in the underground that was always so persent in the area. She spent years there, building a reputation as a criminal mastermind, which wasn't hard to do, with the fools she was surrounded by. She made alliances, broke them, killed, and became ruthless. Soon, she was ruler of the fifth most powerful gang of the city, and in reach of her goal; to take down Destron once and for all. She planned, spied, and prepared. Unfortunately, her attack was expected. Despite careful planning and thirteen planted spies, her plan failed, and Erika was forced to go into hiding once more. On that night, she again had to watch as those she trusted were killed. Still reeling from the blow, she wandered into the Vast Plain, where she was approached by a strange armored man with the most tantilizing offer she had ever heard...

Grid: Equilibrium

This Grid is a diamond, split into four Quadrants. When held level, it will act as a compass. The Northern Quadrant is called the Farcast Mentality, the Eastern Quadrant Farcast Physicality, the Southern is Closedrawn Physicality, and the Western is Closedrawn Mentality. Each Quadrant grants added prowess in its specific trait to the Sphere placed within; however, its weakness lies in the fact that if a Sphere which does not sufficiently utilize the trait a Quadrant grants is placed in said Quadrant, the Sphere is limited by the opposing Quadrant and abilities, hampering its effectiveness for as long as it remains in the Quadrant. This severely limits the Sphere combinations one can have while using this Grid.

Erika has her Toa Sphere to the West, Closedrawn Mentality, her Thief Sphere to the South, Closedrawn Physicality, her Infiltrator Sphere to the East, Farcast Physicality, and her Scribbler Sphere to the North, Farcast Mentality.

Forms:

• Toa - As a Toa, Erika gains a dark purple and black body of protodermic metal, shaped tall and light-footed. Besides being granted with limited gravity manipulation and twin battleaxes, used in tandem to glide short distances, Erika gains a powerful Kanohi Mahiki, Mask of Illusions.

Basic Form

• Thief - As a Thief, Erika replaces her sweater with a tight green shirt, and gains sashes around waist and arms, as well as a light scarf around her neck. Her knives have sheaths hidden within the sashes on her arms.

Basic Form

• Infiltrator - Erika dons white Energized Armor with glowing blue details as an Infiltrator, and weilds an MP7 SMG in hand. She also has an AI AS-50 Sniper Rifle hooked onto her back, and a Whitney Wolverine in the pistol holster strapped onto her waist.

Spectre --> Infiltrator

• Scribbler - With thick glasses perched on her nose and pencil case strapped to her right forearm, it is obvious that Erika spends a lot of time as a Scribbler, mostly scoping out and scetching possible locations of battle, ambush, etc. She has a full notepad of scetches stored for various streets and roads in and around the Crook of the Plains.

Summoner --> Scribbler

Roleplaying Example:

"I'm done with this."

Her tutor, new this week, stopped her sentence and turned toward me. "I haven't finished the instructions. How can youhave finished already?"

I sighed, then declared exaggeratedly, "I extrapolated what you've told me with what is on the board. It wasn't terribly difficult; I managed to solve them without even having to writing any work. Can't you at least give me something challenging?"

The tutor glared at me for a long moment before turning to the board. She began to write furiously. "The answer is three over the cube root of seventy X squared, multiplied by the cosine squared of three X." I glanced around the well-furnished room, saw her pictures, her various books on romance, her bitten nails. "Also, your new boyfriend is cheating on you. Expect to be dumped within two months."

The tutor didn't turn this time. She just said, cold as the Frozen Foothills, "Thank you for letting me know. Also, that was the correct answer; congratulations."

I recognized that tone of voice. "I'm not getting another lesson from you, am I?"

The tutor turned then. She had the most frightening glare of any so far. Small wonder about her boyfriend... She nodded once, curtly. "I assume you can find the door?"

I left. Father would not be pleased, but I was planning on mitigating that with the news that, from my trip to the market this morning, he should definitely pour more investment funding into the new fishery...

I sighed. This stuff is of no use to me any longer. Into the fire the journal went, with the others. I stood, exited the room. Father was dead, the tutor was a city away. It shows how much has changed, that I thought to bring those along when I left town. I entered the main room of the gang hall and called for the new reports from the night. Looking around, I couldn't help muttering to myself. "He'll betray soon. He's going home. She's planning on a power seize soon to gain position. He hates me. He doesn't trust me."

A new evaluation stopped me in my tracks. "He... fears. Me."

Finally. The fear begins, and thus the power does as well. I would be in charge in a few month's time. Then, the real planning could begin.

Edited February 13, 2012 by The Frostbourne

[Cuaiir he/him]

For those keeping track at home, Erika has six Forms instead of the normal 5. This is because of a shiny new ruling I've made: You can trade 2 Grid Rating points for one Formsphere or evolution thereof. Feel free to apply as necessary, though we can't ret-con this to affect already approved and active characters. Sorry, guys.

Erika Melody: approved. Her number is 9, and she's up next in the Waterfall Cavern. Feel free to introduce her as you see fit, Frostbourne.

[The Frostbourne he/him]

Well then. Not giving me much time to prepare, are you? not that I mind.

(SUDDEN THOUGHT: ONE PERSON; TWO FIGHTERS. Erika VS Top, Jack VS Ambrosius, etc. CHAOTIC HILARITY ENSUES)

[Cuaiir he/him]

Jack vs Ambrosius is a possibility (They're both in Glyph Cavern), but Erika vs Top is unlikely unless both make it to the Finals. We'll discuss that as it gets closer.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

That could get awkward. Expect gore. Lots of gore.

@frostbourne

Have fun with that one.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Emeralis00

[The Frostbourne he/him]

@Emeralis: In regard to this curse, you say that both the afflicted and the afflictors must die. I am not certain I understand though - would either party return to life after the deed is done? If not, that hatdly seems the proper way to go about making your daughter's life better.

Also, I have a question that somewhat affects everyone. I have three options; follow Em's pattern for handling two characters by dividing up a post into two halves, post separately for each character, or make a whole other profile for Miss Erika. Any thoughts or preferences? I am alright with any of the above.

Edited February 13, 2012 by The Frostbourne

[Emeralis00 she/her]

No, they don't come back to life. The daughter isn't one of the afflicted because the curse hasn't manifested on her yet. She doesn't have to die. The afflicted must die so that there is no valid target for the backlash of killing the afflictors. So, essentialy, the only thing Ambro is doing to help his daughter is preventing the curse from ruining her life.

[Cuaiir he/him]

For handling two characters, I'd go with either of your first two options: split the post, or make a separate post for each character. Making a new account for your character seems a bit extreme.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

For handling two characters, I'd go with either of your first two options: split the post, or make a separate post for each character. Making a new account for your character seems a bit extreme.

What he said.

[The Frostbourne he/him]

Thanks for the answers; I believe I will go with the second option.

EDIT: I find writing Top to be a fascinating excersise in balancing confusion with clarity. I appear to have slipped a bit though - sorry about that.

Edited February 14, 2012 by The Frostbourne

[Comatose he/him]

So I'm not exactly sure if it's me or Eero who is supposed to be going next... Before the barkeep, I was the last to post, so Eero hasn't gotten a chance to reply, but the barkeep addressed both of us... clarification anyone?

[Eerongal he/him]

So I'm not exactly sure if it's me or Eero who is supposed to be going next... Before the barkeep, I was the last to post, so Eero hasn't gotten a chance to reply, but the barkeep addressed both of us... clarification anyone?

yeah, i keep intending to catch back up with it and make a post, but i just never seem to get around to it. (honestly, i don't even really remember what exactly i was up to at this point )

[Comatose he/him]

That's fine, haha. I'm in a similar boat. Which is why I thought I'd try to get back on track.

IF you think you should go first, take your time, I have more than enough to keep me busy with school and MBI. I just wanted to make sure no one was waiting on me.

[Cuaiir he/him]

Honestly, whoever wants to speak first in that situation is free to. Just realize Keep will continue commenting if you guys stay at the bar.

[Cuaiir he/him]

I'm slowly attempting to overhaul the Data Topic and make it easier to find things. There's only one thing standing in my way right now: I don't have Feruchemical Electrum changed to fit Nexus. So, I'm crowdsourcing this: what do you guys think stored and tapped Determination would do? Keep in mind that shrugging off ailments is already taken by Bronze.

[Eerongal he/him]

shrugging off damage/mind affecting things?

[The Frostbourne he/him]

shrugging off damage/mind affecting things?

The ability to temporarily ignore pain would work; plus, it makes for interesting strategies.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Electrum Ferrings look like they have manic depressive disorder.

Shrug off psionic abilities and/or enchantments while tapping, and increases the duration of psionics and enchantments while storing.

That way they have an abilitty for soloing, and an ability if they have a comrade with them to buff them.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Emeralis00

[Bunyod he/him]

You both got tired of writing?

Can anyone explain me what is this game all about? Is it a story written by many people or what?

[Cuaiir he/him]

Something like that, Bunyod. Nexus is a forum-based RPG designed by Silus, who is away on a mission trip. I've taken over in his absence, and he'll be able to step right back in once he gets back. Think of it as a completely home-brew version of DnD, from characters to monsters to the very system of magic. It's both nothing you're familiar with and everything you know and love. And if that didn't make sense, check out the first post in either Story or Discussion. Silus does a much better job of describing things than I do. I moved your post to the Discussion Topic, since Story is supposed to be for in-character posts only. Hope you don't mind.

Everyone else: I'm working on this in a piecemeal fashion, which is why it's taking so long for new content. It is happening however. I'll post as soon as I have something substantial. Again, my apologies as a GM.

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Everyone else: I'm working on this in a piecemeal fashion, which is why it's taking so long for new content. It is happening however. I'll post as soon as I have something substantial. Again, my apologies as a GM.

I have enough on my plate at the moment so take your time.

[The Frostbourne he/him]

Just make sure to tell us when you're ready to start this up again. I enjoy this too much to let it lie for longer than I have to!

[Emeralis00 she/her]

Nurse: "Doctor, there is no pulse and he isn't breathing!"

Doc: "Step back, I'm applying the paddles. CLEAR!"

*BZZZZT*

Doc: "Don't die on me" *CPR*

Nurse: "Will he make it?"

Doc: "Its hard to say."

[The Frostbourne he/him]

I'm still around every few days, if we're getting a head count.

[Comatose he/him]

Hey reader, I think Silus meant the data topic for confirmed forms only. In the past, I believe most have been posted here first and then copy and pasted by a moderator (Cuairr, you can feel free to contradict me if I'm wrong).