Post by Blair on Jun 5, 2012 12:16:00 GMT -5
Blair
"As you wish."
"As you wish."
NICKNAMES[/color]: // None.
AGE[/color]: // Roughly 12 years old.
DATE OF BIRTH[/color]: // Unknown.
GENDER[/color]: // Female
ALIGNMENT[/color]: // True Neutral
OCCUPATION[/color]: // Maidservant, spy, assassin
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”Do not mind me, sir. It does not hurt terribly.”
Full body shot.
In full combat regalia, poised for espionage. Vayu’s Razors are sheathed behind her.
Blair with all her combat gear visible, equipped with one of Vayu’s Razors and the Azoth Dagger while displaying the Presence Killing Hairclips and Refinement of Flowing Shadows.
[url=http://oi46.tinypic.com/m1nkg.jpg[/url]Blair in modern clothing.[/url]
“...My master has taken me to the beach before, yes.”
One of the few times Blair has openly expressed genuine emotion.
Likewise.
HEIGHT[/color]: // 5’7
WEIGHT[/color]: // 135lb
EYE COLOR[/color]: // Red
HAIR COLOR[/color]: // Off-white silver.
PIERCINGS[/color]: // She may wear earrings from time to time.
TATTOOS[/color]: // An imitation of the Blickwinkel family’s emblem is imprinted on her back between her shoulder blades.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES[/color]: // Is a homunculus; is exceedingly quiet; lacks emotional fervor; has an off-putting aura about her and odd, listless eyes.
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- Law Primus
- Blair may not injure Nahash or, through inaction, allow Nahash to come to harm. A tool must not be unsafe to use; hammers have handles, screwdrivers have hilts. Blair will not harm those aligned with Nahash but, when ordered, will terminate his enemies with extreme prejudice.
- Law Secundus
- Blair must obey the orders given to her by Nahash, except where such orders would conflict with Law Primus unless specifically told to ignore aspects of it in pursuance of other priorities. Blair is incapable of killing Nahash or even assisting in his suicide. A tool must perform its function efficiently unless this would harm the user.
- Law Ultimus
- Blair must protect her own existence with lethal antipersonnel weaponry, because she was bloody expensive, as long as such protection does not conflict with Law Primus or Secundus. A tool must remain intact during its use unless its destruction is required for its use or for safety.
- Silent
- ……………………………………
- Stoic
- Blair does not usually seem to feel emotions very strongly, if at all. She maintains a demeanor of eerie calmness and impartiality at all times, no matter the subject, almost as though life and death are both just chores for her with no special significance. The number of times this default attitude has been breached in Blair’s life can be counted on one hand.
- Excessively Polite
- Blair was expected to speak with the utmost degree of courtesy and poise at all times. There were times when she breached this decorum long ago. After multiple beatings at the hands of Freudia using these instances as an excuse, she grew out of the habit of speaking in the most simplistic way possible, instead artificially garnishing her sentences sometimes to appear as ostentatious as possible. As Nahash really couldn’t care less, she has begun falling back into old habits, however.
- Loyal and Determined
- Blair will never betray you, even when you’re dead. She never gives up and will never let you down. She pursues all objectives with impunity and determination, no matter their difficulty, tediousness, or danger.
- Encroaching Feeling
- Ever so steadily, Blair seems to be gaining increased awareness and understanding. She cannot put her finger on the exact implications of this, almost as though it’s a word on the tip of her tongue, but it will come to her eventually. Although not made with very complicated thought patterns, she did have some capacity to learn and, perhaps because of the lack of several inhibitors on her psyche that many Homunculi tend to be coined with to prevent future complications, over a long period of time Blair has become marginally more human, in her thoughts if not in her disposition.
LIKES[/color]: // Things that are clean; the corpses of people she’s been told to kill; the ocean; mountains; wine; playing the piano; her master.
DISLIKES[/color]: // Things that need to be cleaned; people she’s told to kill; hangovers.
STRENGTHS[/color]: // Body is superbly crafted, blindingly swift/agile, excellent night vision, good degree of stamina, unerringly loyal, heightened senses.
WEAKNESSES[/color]: // Mediocre endurance (HP), bad at reading other people, simplistic thoughts, rudimentary sense of empathy, relies on Mystic Codes.
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MY FAMILY LINE[/color]: // Blair was commissioned by Nahash Blickwinkel’s father, Reynardine. Her creator was a Puppet Master Magus who was skilled in the coining of Homunculi. Being his subordinate, the Mage was a flatterer of Reynardine and owed him several not insignificant favors. This particular Magus, being a Puppet Master and a coiner of Homunculi, focused on comprehending the mysteries of the human form in their path to Akasha; thusly, the craftsmanship of Blair’s body is absolutely marvelous, even having the acute knowledge of a spell engraved directly into it. However, having less capability in the realm of the mind, the Puppet Master’s psyche design was more lax.
Although by no means basic or simple, Blair’s mental programming is not nearly as extraordinary as her body is and even lacks certain features that many other families would consider fundamental, such as innate restrictions on what she is able to learn. The “compensation” for this was her just not being able to comprehend the implications of many elaborate concepts, even if she knows what the words that signify them mean (though she seems to be slowly learning despite this handicap). Likewise, she has difficulty learning and grasping the nuances of pure Magecraft, although through reliance on Mystic Codes this weakness can be overcome to an extent. Her thoughts are very minimalistic, simple, straightforward, and efficient, like a computer. Having a mind like a machine has some certain benefits, allowing her to make quick calculations and measurements with accuracy. On the other hand, her own grasp of the ideas in her head are fleeting, as they are greatly based on what others tell her to do.
As for her creator, he was the first to enthusiastically jump to Nahash’s aid when the Blickwinkel heir offered him one of his father’s previous positions after Reynardine’s blatant murder. He quickly organized all of the transitions of power from the late Reynardine to his son and was of great assistance in forcing the silence and inaction of all who would have inherited the positions otherwise. Although thankful that he was such a sleazy bastard, Nahash was a little disheartened by his utter callousness and pretention, realizing he represented the norm within the Mage’s Association.
MY HISTORY[/color]: // Blair was not designed to be Nahash’s caretaker. Indeed, her creation was first ordered by Reynardine over a year before giving her to Nahash was even considered, the initial intention being to use her as an effective assassin and spy. However, after it became clear what exorbitant stints of downtime she was getting between assignments, Reynardine decided to put her to additional use. From the point Nahy received Blair on his eighth birthday onwards, she was his constant companion and caretaker, alongside him at all times. Except, that is, when Reynardine borrowed her so she could perform her original purpose or when Freudia was disciplining/beating her for whatever reason she arbitrarily happened to devise at any given time.
However, because a young Nahy gave her a very specific sequence of commands regarding who she should obey early on in her existence which he was able to formulate through the usage of the Pure Eyes of Clairvoyance, Blair’s programming afforded all authority permanently over to Nahash. This wouldn’t be a problem in itself – after all, she did technically belong to Nahash – if not for how his commands eventually conflicted with his father’s. This came to a head late one night when Reynard ordered Blair to assist in the assassination of a rival and she blatantly refused, as she had to stay home to finish a previously ordered, but entirely pedestrian task. When Reynard demanded to know who gave such orders, Blair admitted that Nahash’s command superseded his. After striking the homunculus furiously, Reynard told Blair to rescind that notion, however, Blair then made it clear that this could not be done without Nahash’s consent.
Freudia was incredibly amused as she witnessed the turn of events unfold. When Reynardine was about to wake up his young son to fix this issue, his wife halted him. Practically giggling, she pointed out how it was Reynard who gave Blair to Nahash in the first place and that, therefore, it was Nahash’s decision what to do with her entirely, implying she’d encourage their son to not hand over the homunculus’ leash. An enraged Reynardine huffed off and Freudia proceeded to become much friendlier to the maidservant. The stress-relief beat-down sessions ended entirely, while Freudia even began sharing wine with Blair at times. At some point, Freudia would even teach the homunculus how to play the piano (albeit while verbally abusing her abilities the entire time), which would end up becoming her favorite pastime and her primary method of waking Nahash up in the morning – playing very, very loudly. As for Blair’s feelings on the matter, she never understood why people hit her. Only over long periods of time did she make any association between such fleeting pain and punishment. She could not feel humiliated by the treatment and it did not threaten her existence, so, rather than let herself be confused, she simply ignored it all.
Blair would serve the Blickwinkel family doggedly and faithfully for years to come, primarily acting as Nahash’s personal aid. Over time, as her behavior became more nuanced, she’d naturally take her place as Nahash’s most trusted cohort and confidant. As Nahash came into the family business of Magus hunting, she often took the roles of secretary, scout, emissary, and even assailant against weaker targets. Reynardine had eventually managed to get Nahash’s consent all those years ago, so it wasn’t as though she didn’t have ample combat experience to offer. Always helpful, devoted, and useful, Nahash was not above asking her for her advice and opinion, her very straightforward thinking contrasting his often roundabout logic that tended to overlook the simple truths in front of him. During what may have been the greatest crisis Nahash ever encountered in his life, Blair was the only person he confided in about the clairvoyant visions he was having that prophesized his parents murdering him to attain the Family Crest and his Pure Eyes. Completely at a loss with what to do, Nahash asked Blair what she thought of the matter.
At this time, something welled up deep inside her, a feeling she couldn’t recognize. Blair had never before selfishly thought “an opportunity has arisen.” Never had words like “they were never there, like I was,” or “they never cared, like I have,” so abruptly blinked into her embryonic mind. Without truly understanding why she did so, Blair lied. She explained that she had overheard many years ago Reynardine claim that he intended to replace Nahash with a new heir during the events of the divorce and, more recently, had eavesdropped on Freudia as she divulged how she would recycle Nahash’s eyes to her new husband; therefore, it would only be rational to assume that was their scheme. Of course, these were falsehoods. Normally, the Pure Eyes of Clairvoyance are able to anticipate other people’s behavior, including lies, as humans subconsciously are able to read one another, however, despite noticing her very gradual growth and deciding to let her come into it on her own, neither Nahash nor Freudia could have anticipated such an abrupt and drastic shift in Blair’s behavior, especially not when that influence disappeared just as suddenly. Blair’s unforeseeable words pushed Nahash over the edge. He proceeded to systematically carry out the assassination of his own parents and, indeed, the slaughter of his other relatives as well.
Months went by after this fateful event, then years, and Nahash began pursuing his occupations less and less until he stopped entirely. One day, he unceremoniously fired every single servant who still worked at the Blickwinkel estate, telling them to get out of his house because they were all just a bother. They emptied out of the mansion until only one remained – Blair. Nahash told her that she was free now and could go do anything she wanted, whatever that should be. She knew how to access the Blickwinkel’s bank accounts and could use the money however she wished, Nahash didn’t care. But Blair didn’t really get what Nahash meant by “free.” Sure, she knew the definition - being under one’s own power - but it’s not something she could comprehend. The concept of “free” was completely alien to her. Like a machine that couldn’t be run without human direction, being “free” was not something she understood enough to desire. So, in response to Nahash’s words, all she did was smile impartially, nod, and continue working within the mansion. Nahash took this to be her answer.
However, his words weighed heavily on her mind. For once, it began to be troubling that she didn’t truly understand what her master had told her. A thought slowly unveiled itself in her mind that something was amiss. Perhaps she was overlooking something important, something that could very well be crucial to her service of the Blickwinkels, so it had to be rectified. When she was coined, she was already supposed to be a “complete entity” with all the knowledge she could possibly need already etched within her and yet, by struggling fiercely, she had learned so many important things already that seemed so simple and crucial to her life now, like how to play the piano… she didn’t know why she so compelled herself to play the piano, she just did so while having no idea why. Most other homunculi were incapable of learning like this by nature, but she could do it. As she worked, no matter the task, her thoughts were constantly clouded by repeated analysis of her knowledge bases, scouring over every memory in an almost obsessive, desperate fashion, trying to find what she was missing, trying to find what the bonds between ideas she didn’t know were, trying to find how these ideas connected at all… Like a blind person groping around in the darkness for a flashlight. And then she made a breakthrough.
Nahash found Blair sobbing uncontrollably, far and away the most emotion she had ever shown in her entire life. He had no idea what had happened and, to some degree, Blair was even more confused by her tears. It wasn’t that she hadn’t cried before, but her tear ducts were for vacating visual impediments that were thrown in her face like sand or acid. She had no real concept of such a reaction, but after sifting through a series of realizations that had come to her all at once, she came to a conclusion that shook her to her very core, a clump of Ether and Circuits as it was. She realized why Nahash had changed after the incident and she realized why the incident happened along with a cornucopia of things that any human would find to be commonsensical; the conclusion she came to was very simplistic and very backwards, but Blair blamed herself and the lie she told for the ruination of the Blickwinkel family and her master’s subsequent despair. She had so completely failed in her duty, the reason she was born - the reason she was coined, she reminded herself - that she didn’t deserve to exist.
Yet, I am treated as a person and… nevertheless, I-
Blair returned to her typical bearing overnight. She told Nahash nothing, though he assumed it was indeed an aspect of her expanding consciousness and, besides asking if she wanted anything, even to simply leave, he let the matter be. This time, Blair affirmed that she wanted to stay. What she didn’t say was that she now had a reason and knew what it was. Having a reason is different than having a purpose, she then realized. She likewise jumped the gap between mere “recompense for her failure” to “atonement.” Beyond that, she did not know what would unravel, but at least now she had a reason to exist, rather than just a purpose in existence.
MY GOALS[/color]: // To serve her master to the best of her abilities.
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RANK[/color]: // N/A
ELEMENT[/color]: // Wind.
EXPERTISE[/color]: // Household chores, playing the piano, stealth/espionage, CQC/CQB, assassination.
MAGIC CIRCUITS[/color]: // 20 Circuits of 8 Prana quality each, for a total of 160 Prana.
SPELLS[/color]: //
[Combat Reinforcement] ([Reinforcement])
Rank: [C]
Cost: [15+ Pr]
Range: [Self]
Effect:
[Vayu’s Razors] ([Wind])
Rank: [D]
Cost: [3-18 Pr]
Range: [28m]
Effect:
[A Mystic Code in the shape of a pair of katara that belonged to an Indian Enforcer befriended long ago by a young Freudia. The two worked together many times. He was an alcoholic, but had a dry and cynical wit that Freudia enjoyed. Having no remaining family of his own, Freudia procured his Mystic Code after he was killed in the line of duty rather than let it disappear into the Association along with the rest of his liquidated assets. There it hung up in a foyer for years until Reynardine noticed it and endeavored to use it to further weaponize Blair. Freudia remained silent on the issue.
The katara have the ability to activate a Single Action derivation of the ever-popular Razor Gale spell. By channeling Prana into them and scraping them across another Prana medium – such as each other – a single gust as would be generated from a Razor Gale spell can be produced (using both on one another produces two parallel gusts). As with Razor Gale, Prana is used to manipulate the atmosphere into a vacuum that can dice a target quite effectively with (a) ‘sharp’ gust(s) capable of cutting through Kevlar, leather, wood, and most 'light' materials. The individual gusts cost 3 Prana each, slightly more than they would usually cost in the process of a typical casting of Razor Gale, likely to compensate for the lack of incantation. Additionally, the katara themselves by design are inimical to other currents of wind and, though not capable of dispelling other wind spells, seem to be able to naturally pierce through wind-based barriers, probably due to their unique elemental properties.
The full Razor Gale spell can be activated using the Mystic Code as a medium by chanting the full three-line aria and swinging a katar through the air. As usual, this generates a barrage consisting of seven gusts, costing 2 Prana each for a net loss of 14 Prana. During the initial casting, it's possible to contribute an additional 4 Prana to the spell, which will recycle the Prana-saturated air and allow the user to cast the spell again in a Single Action manner. The result is a quicker follow-up of barrages that can potentially end up with a target shredded to bits.]
The katara have the ability to activate a Single Action derivation of the ever-popular Razor Gale spell. By channeling Prana into them and scraping them across another Prana medium – such as each other – a single gust as would be generated from a Razor Gale spell can be produced (using both on one another produces two parallel gusts). As with Razor Gale, Prana is used to manipulate the atmosphere into a vacuum that can dice a target quite effectively with (a) ‘sharp’ gust(s) capable of cutting through Kevlar, leather, wood, and most 'light' materials. The individual gusts cost 3 Prana each, slightly more than they would usually cost in the process of a typical casting of Razor Gale, likely to compensate for the lack of incantation. Additionally, the katara themselves by design are inimical to other currents of wind and, though not capable of dispelling other wind spells, seem to be able to naturally pierce through wind-based barriers, probably due to their unique elemental properties.
The full Razor Gale spell can be activated using the Mystic Code as a medium by chanting the full three-line aria and swinging a katar through the air. As usual, this generates a barrage consisting of seven gusts, costing 2 Prana each for a net loss of 14 Prana. During the initial casting, it's possible to contribute an additional 4 Prana to the spell, which will recycle the Prana-saturated air and allow the user to cast the spell again in a Single Action manner. The result is a quicker follow-up of barrages that can potentially end up with a target shredded to bits.]
[Presence Killing Hairclips] ([Mental Interference])
Rank: [E]
Cost: [–]
Range: [Self]
Effect:
[Mystic Codes taking the form of a pair of cat ear shaped hairclips connected by a thin wire. With just a little bit of Prana channeled through them, they have the ability to automatically cast the ‘Presence Killing’ spell: simple mass hypnosis that makes others completely ignore the user practically as though they don’t exist, no matter the circumstances. By constantly putting out a hypnotic suggestion to all those who would remotely lay eyes on them, the user can automatically deflect vestiges of attention before any actual scrutiny is able to materialize. Effective when dealing with mundane humans, allowing the user to walk totally unnoticed in large crowds (even when wearing ridiculous clothing), but actually only makes one more conspicuous to other Magi for all the obvious reasons. At a certain level, many higher tier Magi are simply able to do this inherently. One of the methods of “killing one’s own presence,” as it were; there seems to be a variety of styles and methods among different schools – ninja are, or were, said to possess a parallel ability. As for the Mystic Code, they seemed to have been developed by a Magus with exceedingly peculiar taste. Nahash just happened to come into possession of a box of them, so they’re easy to replace.]
[Azoth Dagger] ([Ether])
Rank: [–]
Cost: [N/A]
Range: [Melee]
Effect:
[An Azoth Dagger with an exceptional capacity to store and channel Prana. Weapons made from "Azoth" (an Ether variant/derivation with a broad history) are amplifier-type Mystic Codes, the equivalent of a classical wand. They are popular “graduation” presents given to those pupils that have finished their training as Magi. Apparently, there are a number of different designs and types to fit different users. Fairly powerful weapons in the right hands, but general output can't be compared to the detonation of high-tier jewels. Not held to the same ethical standards as his Enforcer colleagues, Nahash snagged this from the Workshop of a Magi he had tracked down in an act of defiance after the people he was currently working with revealed they couldn’t pay him immediately. Nahash had originally intended to sell it, but on an act of whim placed it in Blair’s hands and decided they looked way too cool together. It became Blair’s secondary weapon of choice, capable of usage with one of Vayu’s Razor, but, her not having the proper knowledge to utilize the Azoth’s unique traits, the dagger remained fairly banal. Nahash finds the dagger to be practically useless as he is not suited to the design and, while she is quite capable of wielding it as a weapon, Blair’s capabilities with its powers are medial at best, but perhaps an ally could put it to better use.]
[Refinement of Flowing Shadows] ([Wind])
Rank: [E]
Cost: [5 Pr attunement; 2 Pr per activation]
Range: [Support]
Effect:
[Refinement of Flowing Shadows is the moniker of a Mystic Code appearing as a collection of decorative rings, three of which hang from Blair’s combat apparel and are the size of bracelets, two of them fitting wrists and the other sized for a neck. The command terminal of the entire platinum-hued apparatus is a belt-like metallic loop that goes around the user’s waist. After committing five units of Od to attune to the Mystic Code, the wielder can then expend Prana in a single-action evocation of the aria Enlil to make localized distortions to the pressure and friction of the atmosphere around them through the various metallic rings that make up the Formalwear.
Essentially, this allows the wielder to create surges of wind to carry their movements at a moment’s notice. The generated winds are surprisingly gentle and cannot pose an effective offensive threat on their own, nor are the gusts particularly sustained, but they are just powerful enough to assist in performing otherwise nigh-impossible feats of midair acrobatics. For example, the caster may do incredibly intricate aerial flips, regain momentum in midair, briefly drift or hover to somewhat slow their descent, or unleash a sudden burst to dash with the wind. This sort of thaumaturgical effect has been achieved by other Magi before and is more often referred to as the general spell Air Hike, although the idea no doubt has many names. The effect produced by Refinement of Flowing Shadows has some additional utility, however, as it need not be used to enhance movement – the produced wind is limited in versatility only by its aforementioned nonthreatening faintness.
The Mystic Code is actually an attempted replica of a much older, far greater artifact described in a tantalizing amount of detail within the mostly accurate though somewhat self-aggrandizing codex of the Sangria family’s lineage. The artifact was referred to as the Divine Witness of Utter Safety and, much like the Aegis Bequeathed by Forgotten Divinities, was said to be an ancestral blessing from the gods. Taking the form of a holy vesture, the powerful Conceptual Weapon was said to have been owned by the greatest champion of the Canaanite faith once preached by the Sangria. There were several attempts made to locate the lost artifact or otherwise recreate it, but all ended in failure. The name “Refinement of Flowing Shadows” comes from what the experimental project that created this Mystic Code was called at the time. It was one of the last and most interesting attempts made by the Sangria family and, though it was ultimately a disappointment, it still remained as a derelict family heirloom until it eventually found use in the possession of Blair, who is in fact rather fond of the Mystic Code. The Divine Witness of Utter Safety does in fact still exist, though it was recovered by the Church and has been sealed away since long ago.]
Essentially, this allows the wielder to create surges of wind to carry their movements at a moment’s notice. The generated winds are surprisingly gentle and cannot pose an effective offensive threat on their own, nor are the gusts particularly sustained, but they are just powerful enough to assist in performing otherwise nigh-impossible feats of midair acrobatics. For example, the caster may do incredibly intricate aerial flips, regain momentum in midair, briefly drift or hover to somewhat slow their descent, or unleash a sudden burst to dash with the wind. This sort of thaumaturgical effect has been achieved by other Magi before and is more often referred to as the general spell Air Hike, although the idea no doubt has many names. The effect produced by Refinement of Flowing Shadows has some additional utility, however, as it need not be used to enhance movement – the produced wind is limited in versatility only by its aforementioned nonthreatening faintness.
The Mystic Code is actually an attempted replica of a much older, far greater artifact described in a tantalizing amount of detail within the mostly accurate though somewhat self-aggrandizing codex of the Sangria family’s lineage. The artifact was referred to as the Divine Witness of Utter Safety and, much like the Aegis Bequeathed by Forgotten Divinities, was said to be an ancestral blessing from the gods. Taking the form of a holy vesture, the powerful Conceptual Weapon was said to have been owned by the greatest champion of the Canaanite faith once preached by the Sangria. There were several attempts made to locate the lost artifact or otherwise recreate it, but all ended in failure. The name “Refinement of Flowing Shadows” comes from what the experimental project that created this Mystic Code was called at the time. It was one of the last and most interesting attempts made by the Sangria family and, though it was ultimately a disappointment, it still remained as a derelict family heirloom until it eventually found use in the possession of Blair, who is in fact rather fond of the Mystic Code. The Divine Witness of Utter Safety does in fact still exist, though it was recovered by the Church and has been sealed away since long ago.]
PLAYER'S NAME[/color]: // Nahash
FACE CLAIM[/color]: // Kataasa-ko OC from Ragnarok Online
OTHER CHARACTERS[/color]: // Nahash, Solomon
MISC. INFORMATION[/color]: //
*As much as I wanted to put the Blickwinkel emblem right above her navel, one of the images prevented me from doing so…
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