UG@ application
Player Name: Cubey
Personal LJ: geometric-angst
AIM Contact: cubey@aol.pl
Character Name: Devon
Source Canon: Original Canon (Still Not Safe)
Community Tag: "Devon"
Notes: This application is obviously chock-full of spoilers. People who don't want to be spoiled, stay away!
Background: Four years ago, Earth faced yet another crisis. Like if the whole post-Second Impact environment wasn't enough, strange creatures started to appear around northern European regions. Named Shifting Entities, they were always singular, never encountered in groups - and each one was different, although two things they had in common was giant size (most were at least 15 feet tall) and vague resemblance to existing Earth animals. That, and almost total immunity to most weapons. It's like if bullets passed through the Entities, and since the SEs were transparent and ghost-like, that's probabably what happened. They turned solid only when (counter)attacking. Some SEs were aggressive, others not, but once they settled in an area they always exploded after a few hours of wait. Whatever was caught in the explosion was instantly annihilated.
This is when a group appeared - a small non-government organisation capable of fighting SEs. They were known as SECT, Shifting Entity Crisis Team, and the whole organisation centered on a handful of teenagers who possessed a mysterious power. Thanks to crystals that served as their transformation trinkets, the teens could summon suits of armor that provided them with amazing supernatural powers, strength, toughness - as well as ability to Shift, become ghost-like like the SEs. This allowed them to fight Shifting Entities on even ground. And Devon was the first member of SECT - others were found and recruited later.
Not much is known about Devon's past, not even her real name (unless by a stroke of luck it actually is Devon). She was most likely 17 at that time (which makes her 21 now), and lived in an orphanage - her parents perished in the Second Impact. When she was 9, she ran away to live on her own. And that's when she stumbled upon the first of (later known as Sophium) crystals. The crystal gave her strength to live alone, not outside society but on its verge. And when SEs appeared, she knew she had the power and obligation to fight them. That knowledge didn't come from any source, she just knew it subconsciously. Which is why she was the first of SECT's teenage recruits - they did not find her. She found them.
SECT fought the SEs as they appeared, expanded as it could (by finding more suitable Sophium crystals and people, always teenagers, able to use them - there were seven total), and angsted as its adult members felt helpless, having to send the young to do their dirty work. After a few months, another enemy appeared: a human cult known as Thoughts of Ascension, whose members believed people caught in all-disintegrating SE explosions were not dead, but ascended to a higher existence. To make matters worse, Thoughts of Ascension had Shifters (people who can Shift and have armor and powers of some sort) of their own, albeit theirs were weaker and flawed. Still, after nearly a year of fighting, SECT triumphed - with five out of its seven Shifters dead, as they have sacrificed themselves to prevent the SEs from appearing ever again. Devon was not among them: she tried to persuade the rest of the group not to sacrifice their lives, after arguments came threats of violence, but the rest was not swayed, so she just... fled. This is her hour of infamy and the moment in life that hurts her most. The second surviving member's situation is... unusual. More on that later.
Once the SE menace was stopped, SECT was disbanded - simply like that. Its members went in different ways, and Devon was alone once again. A state of existence which was both natural and preferable for her. For three years, she did little more but exist and grow bitter. Er, more bitter than she already was. The situation changed only very recently (a few weeks before the start of the game?), when she was contacted by one Roger Dantoinne. Dantoinne is a CEO in Blackstone Arts, a large European company dealing in electronics and one of SECT's major sponsors, although that sponsorship started only near the end of the organisation's brief existence. Dantoinne informed Devon something she suspected all the time: Thoughts of Ascension were not vanquished. They are still operational, working behind the scenes in small cells strewn various European countries. To make matters worse, they may have stumbled upon means to make SEs return. And even if they do not do that, Ascenders are dangerous on their own. Because of this, Dantoinne wants Devon to stop Thoughts of Ascension - react to their actions, and attack their facilities when they are discovered by his... personal agents. And because a single person can only do so much, he will arrange her to be transported to the White Chalice and cooperate with its crew. Devon is not the one for teamwork or being bossed around and the whole thing smells fishy to her - but there is no choice but to agree. Dantoinne had leverage, something which Devon cannot afford to lose...
SPECIAL BACKGROUND! What's the deal with Shifting Entities, Sophium and all that? Explained below in extra-spoilered paragraphs.
Millions of years ago, Earth was home to a race of advanced alien beings. They are not native, having arrived from their original planet and settled here - Earth already had other lifeforms living on it at the time. But the aliens decided to make their new home planet a questionable favor and speed up its evolution. How? By creating an automated system that generates beings known to humans as Shifting Entities. These beings emerge from underground on Earth's surface (the exit points are located somewhere in the European-north African territories), find a suitable location and self-destruct. The resulting explosion annihilates everything in range, but also captures and analyzes their genetic code (via another automated system, its facility hidden in Earth's core as well). Somehow, this is supposed to help planetary evolution. But the details are lost in history.
To stop SE incursions, one would have to find the final, largest and most pure Sophium crystal - the control crystal. Beings who are already able to channel Sophium powers (such as Shifters) can use this crystal, to either summon more SEs and direct them in a limited way, or to block their means of reaching the Earth's surface, sealing them away forever. However, the last function requires life force to be expended: the crystal's user would have to sacrifice their live, and not just that. Several Shifters have to give up their lives in order for the blockade to be effective. And that's exactly how the aliens intended it to be: in their reasoning, only beings noble enough to sacrifice their lives to save others are worthy.
Karma strikes hard as the aliens themselves were accidentally caught in a series of SE explosions and wiped out completely. Not even their name is known today - but the SE automated system continues to work, located deep in the Earth's core and sending out Shifting Entities when the time is right. One of these times was four years ago. Fortunately, SECT came across the largest, "control" crystal. Unfortunately, the Shifters had to sacrifice their lives to power it up and end the SE invasion. Fortunately, they were mostly successful. Unfortunately, Devon did not join the sacrifice - so their combined life force was lacking, if just barely. The path for the SEs is blocked, but not permanently, and the blockade will grow weaker in time, unleashing the menace once again. The time when the blockade is breached is soon...
And to make matters worse, Thoughts of Ascension have taken hold of the control crystal. It is powered down and requires both Sophium and more life force sacrifice for its functions to awaken - but once Ascenders figure out how to do that, they will undoubtedly use it to control SEs and "ascend" the whole human population.
How Sophium works: Sophium is a wonderous and extremely rare substance that exists on Earth courtesy of the aliens mentioned above. It exists in the form of crystals, and its power can only be harnessed by few: these people usually felt out of place in existing reality, but that's not a requirement and they were just lucky to be born with this potential. People who can work with Sophium can force it to change shape and manifest itself: Sophium is very sensitive to human subconscious and self-image, and will form a protective suit of armor in the form of whatever the Shifter feels should be an effective barrier between them and the dangerous world. The armor's powers likewise depend on the Shifter's subconscious beliefs.
By feeling emotions of trying to escape this world, Shifters who have their armor on can... well, Shift and throw themselves into that different plane of existence, which is closer to their subconsciousness. Likewise, they can Shift back by trying to return. SEs exist naturally on the Shifted plane, and whatever exists on it cannot affect things in normal existence and the other way around. The difference is Earth itself, as well as Sophium that is not currently "used" by anyone - which includes either crystals in their natural state or Sophium alloy, that is Sophium ground up into fine dust and mixed with metal. These things exist in both states of being at once. SEs are natural Shifters, and their bodies contain Sophium which they use to Shift - when they are killed, that Sophium can be collected.
Personality: Phew, where do we start? A whole book (a psychiatric book!) could be written on Devon's personality and what's wrong with it. She is obviously not a nice or well-adjusted person. She's the kind of human who could use the word "sheeple" non-ironically.
Devon is a fiercely independent loner. She values her own personal freedom, to do whatever she wants. She hates cooperating with others, and hates established rules even more. That includes both orders given from so-called superiors, and to a lesser extent established rules of the society. She does not harm others in her pursuit of freedom (unless she feels they deserve it, but that's mostly reserved for obvious villains) - there is a difference between freedom and anarchy, but her hatred of authority makes her difficult to work with. There were situations in her past when she acted AGAINST rules or orders, just because they were there, and then tried to evade punishment for doing so.
In personal contact, Devon is no easier to deal with. Despite being intelligent and well-read she has almost no social skills, and her general appearance is unwelcoming and unkempt (including clothes which can be generously described as ragged and sweaty). But superficial difficulties aside - she considers her point of view superior to others', and tries to steer conversations into them realizing that obvious superiority. She does not do that directly, but rather by asking existential questions and giving cryptic hints - to make the conversation partner start doubting authority and society more, and learn to be more independent and self-sustaining. These are good qualities to have, but definitely not in magnitude Devon hopes for.
It is not only the human social system that Devon lashes against. In fact, she prefers humans' organized society to the brutality of wilderness and nature. The natural order disgusts her - it is not that she actively kills animals and sets fire to forests, but rather believes that strong, independent people (like her, obviously - but hopefully the whole humankind, eventually) should create their own rules rather than live by standards established by nature or humanity. In a way, she is fascinated by Nietsche's idea of an Ubermensch - as he intended it, not how the idea was perverted by a 20th century German dictator.
Due to her general unpleasantness and the need to eat a whole bouffet of humble pie, Devon does not make friends easily. However, people eventually do grow on her if she's forced to coexist with them for a while. Do not expect her to be much nicer when that happens, but at least she does act more loyal and cooperative to those she considers friends. She also tries to protect them from danger, even if it includes berating at the end for them getting in danger in the first place. But this is what tears her apart - is it better to focus your efforts on making friends or strangers safe, if the former have no extra virtue other than being known by you?
Devon is a violent person by nature. She tries to suppress that and doesn't attack others even if they annoy her (except verbally, although with harsh criticism rather than dropping F-bombs). However, if someone does start a fight, she is merciless. A pragmatic and dirty fighter, she does not kill or permanently injure unless the opponent strikes with killer intent too, but she will bite, claw, choke and strike at vulnerable areas. Fighting dirty and quickly overpowering the opponent (despite being tall and lanky, she is both strong and tough) is what Devon uses in place of tactics or finesse. She has little actual martial skill, in- or out of her armor, just pure force. And she does not intend to change that - learning and hard work is something she detests, so everyday training in the gym is out. That doesn't stop her ego from taking defeats poorly, either on the battlefield or in a conversation.
Despite all these negative qualities, Devon is not a bad person per se. She utilises her power to help humankind, does so willingly, and always tries to prevent unnecessary loss of human life (well, except for the villains). She is determined to succeed at this, and even willing to sacrifice her own well-being - but not her life, halfway because she feels like it would be a loss to the world, and halfway because she is just... afraid to die. Also, like it is said above - she stays loyal and dedicated to her friends, although it's hard to notice as physical contact and anything affectionate make Devon uncomfortable. Romance of any kind is downright out - she associates it with physical processes that disgust her. Too bad that Devon is not asexual, although she wishes she was.
Devon has few hobbies and few belongings - the latter are pretty much clothes on her back and a few personal items. She likes to read, although few libraries would accept her card if she wanted to apply one anyway, so books have to be found in different ways (outright theft is rarely involved, surprisingly enough). She is also aware of fictional archetypes and roles in teams - almost like if she had some contact with sentai hero shows and similar media at one point of her life. That totally never happened though. It'd be ridiculous.
Capabilities and Resources: Devon has as much prominence and resources as a homeless bum - because that's pretty much what she is. A superpowered one, but a homeless bum nevertheless. She probably could have stayed in contact with some of SECT's personnel as the organisation was disbanded, and have some influence that way. But she left on bitter terms due to her friends' deaths, so she did not. As far as her personal capabilities go, the situation changes. Due to her rather extreme lifestyle, even out-of-armor Devon is a real piece of work. Her frame is intimidatingly lean, but that's deceptive: she is strong, agile and tough like few people are, to an almost superhuman extent. Her analytical mind is sharp as well, although not as sharp as she thinks she is. In particular, she is easy to manipulate if people know which buttons to push.
Robot Name: Sophium Armor - Black Cloud
Robot Description: Not quite a robot, but rather a summoned suit of armor, Black Cloud appears whenever Devon activates her Sophium crystal. The crystal is kept in a wristwatch-like device, made by SECT many years ago. Devon has to physically touch it (which is not a problem with the device on, because it's made in such a way that the crystal is pressed against her skin when she wears it), so if it's taken away from her or lost she cannot transform. This device also has a radio built in, because others have to communicate with Devon somehow whenever she leaves shouting distance.
Black Cloud looks like this. Whenever it is summoned, black globs of matter appear as if from under Devon's skin, and solidify into the armor's plates. This transformation is nigh instant and almost impossible to stop. Black Cloud's shape is not constant, and its design can change slightly between summonings or even shift around as it's activated. The changes are small and cosmetic, however.
When worn, Black Cloud improves Devon's physical abilities to insane levels. She is incredibly fast and agile, able to comfortably run at 100 mph. Her stamina and toughness are enough to survive being stepped on by a mobile suit, and her might is fierce enough to punch that mobile suit down - or rip its head off. The drawbacks here is that giant robot weaponry (especially beams) are still enough to turn Devon into a bloody smear in a single well-placed shot, so she has to dodge when facing such opponents. Likewise, she cannot RIP AND TEAR heavily armored opponents, and has to aim at their weak points. Being human sized is an advantage that works both ways.
Other than brutal punches and kicks, Devon has two special attacks: thanks to her armor, she can create and throw shards of glass-like crystal. These shards are strong enough to cut through all but thickest armor (although their small size makes damage minimal unless it's aimed at particular weak points), and Devon can either hurl them with her hands or emit them from her whole body, Ideon-style. The process of shard creation is extremely painful so she is reluctant to use this attack too often. The shards are light and can be thrown up to several hundred feet - long range for a human-sized combatant, not so much for a giant robot.
The other special attack is a focused punch: Black Cloud's whole fist is covered in crystal shards, and then Devon punches whatever she wants gone. If hit, the area of the impact (radius of about 10 feet in most cases, but may change wildly depending on enemy difficulty and importance) turns into similar glass-like crystal, and then shatters. In most cases, it's enough to destroy an enemy in a single hit - but the danger Devon subjects herself to is significant, because the transmogrified crystal may wound her as it shatters. And of course, this attack too is painful and exhausting.
Black Cloud provides Devon with means to breathe underwater and ignore vacuum of space. She cannot fly, but she can jump high enough that it makes only a slight obstacle - especially if there are things in the sky to leap on and jump off, and while in armor Devon is just agile enough to do that. Black Cloud also bestows the power of regeneration: all of Devon's wounds slowly close and heal while she has it on, but the process is not quick enough to prevent death from trauma. And any lost limbs would not regrow. Also, just because the injuries heal, does not mean her body cannot enter shock from too much damage. These powers aside, the most useful quality of the Black Cloud is its Shifting ability.
With Black Cloud on, Devon can Shift pretty much at will. When Shifted, matter of the normal plane passes through her like through air - and the other way around, so it can be used to evade attacks (although you need to see an attack to Shift through it effectively, so it's not that big of an advantage compared to normal dodging). Also, this means water and other substances feel like nothing to her, allowing for quick movement. The exception is solid earth and rock - as long as it's a "part" of the planet Earth and connected to it directly, it is just as solid on the Shifted plane. Also, plates and other objects made from special Sophium alloy (Sophium was obtained in small quantities from killed SEs and then mixed with metal to form an alloy) are solid on both planes. Devon cannot Shift back if it means she'd be partially or completely trapped in a solid substance. Shifting back underwater is fine, but inside an enemy's cockpit - not so much (too little free space).
Having the Black Cloud on is physically exhausting and you cannot do it for too long. Even an experienced Sophium Armor user like Devon cannot maintain it for longer than 2 hours without the risk of immediate collapse on the spot. And post-battle rest and recuperation has to take at least five times longer than the operational time. The more time Devon spends Shifted, the greater the tax on her physical stamina.
Terrain Stats:
Land: S
Air: B
Sea: A
Space: C
Upgrades: Nothing
Job: None, unless "professional pain in the ass" counts
Notes: Before I start describing the Event List, I think I should describe other characters involved in the plot.
Dramatis Personae:
Laura Ericks: She was the youngest member of SECT's Shifter team (one year younger than Devon) and the second survivor. Her powers were possibly the most powerful, but also most taxing and unstable - to shape and rewrite reality itself. She was not present at the sacrifice because she was already out of action at that time: overuse of power in a desperate but futile attempt to save the life of her teammember (the only Shifter to die from means other than the sacrifice) against the Ascenders' attack, caused her to fall into a comatose state. In that state she remains to this day, even though 4 years have passed. Laura was a known, if closeted lesbian, and harbored crushes on the fallen teammember, and possibly on Devon as well.
Roger Dantoinne: CEO of the electronics corporation, Blackstone Arts. As said before, during the last months of SECT's existence he was its major sponsor and supporter. He is an eccentric and grandiose (but humble) man, and an excellent specimen of humankind: extremely handsome, with flowing black hair and a great physique, he believes these qualities should be shared with the world - so usually goes around without any clothing. Under his amusing eccentricies and generosity, however, Dantoinne is a master manipulator, who can easily read and control others. Others, such as Devon. In fact, Dantoinne is the leader of Thoughts of Ascension, and blackmails Devon into doing his work for him. The leverage he possesses is still-comatose Laura - Devon knows that Dantoinne has her and cannot guarantee her safety if she does not follow his instructions. However, Laura's location is unknown to her - and snooping around to find it out is one of the things Roger Dantoinne explicitly ordered her NOT to do.
Dantoinne is a Shifter, but his power has no combat use whatsoever. It allows him to change his appearance, voice or even become invisible - so it's excellent for infiltration.
Thoughts of Ascension: it's a cult that infiltrated all nations and layers of society, however it exists in small cells and bubbles rather than being omnipresent. There has been a break in its ranks about a year ago: the splinter faction decided that Ascension via SE explosion is a fate worthy for all humans, while the conservatists (ruled by Roger Dantoinne) hope to Ascend only in small numbers, and doom the rest of humanity - but not before killing or otherwise punishing those that hurt their precious Shifting Entities first. The split into two factions remains a secret for everyone who is not an Ascender, and for many cultists as well. Thoughts of Ascension have developed a technology to create their own, artificial Shifters: you just have to gather loose Sophium left behind by a killed SE, process it and inject into a (willing or not) victim. This will turn the patient into a Shifter, albeit one with mental or physical deformities and limited power - assuming they do not die outright in a failed experiment.
Acolytes: the lowest-ranked and most numerous of Ascenders, they come from all paths of life in hope of Ascension. They have been brainwashed to think in similar ways and often act as sleeper agents, acting like normal people in one second and like dangerous cultists in the other. The brainwashing was tailored to make them suitable for Shifter transformation, and many Acolytes are Shifters - their armor is a white, flowing robe, and they are armed with ribbons of light that can be used in either melee range or at a short distance. They also have the ability to float in air, although it's slow levitation rather than fast flying around. The ribbons are strong enough to cut through tank armor and robes offer light protection, but they still need swarm tactics because even 3-4 acolytes are no match for the simplest giant robot. Unfortunately, they have the numbers to pull this off. Acolytes who are not Shifters sometimes pilot mecha of their own, but only the easiest to obtain, mass-produced models.
Weapons: an experiment to create an advanced form of an artificial Shifter, and pretty much a failed one. Despite that, whomever survived the experiment is still being used as foot soldiers, for both Ascender factions. Each Weapon varies in appearance and ability, but what they have in common is: each part of their body can be used as a weapon (be it grotesque but deadly club-like growths, using bones as sharp stabbing implements, creating chains out of nowhere or using one's blood as boiling acid), or rather they are a weapon as a whole, hence the name. Also, the Weapons are physically deformed and grotesque, and their minds went down into madness because of the process that was used to create them. Despite these shortcomings, they are very difficult to deal with - not much more durable than Acolytes, but much faster and stronger, each one has firepower equivalent to a main battle tank, or perhaps a fighter jet.
Knights: the successful experiment, far superior to Weapons - but deployed much later, only recently and in (relatively) small numbers. Thanks to an efficient brainwashing process, their insanity is replaced with single-minded determination: they focus on combat and dealing death exclusively. Knights are armored from head to toe, their suits sometimes medieval-like, sometimes futuristic, but always dark and twisted in appearance. They wield huge lance-like spikes, which they can either stab enemies with or throw at great distances - in which case they can just generate new ones from their very own bodies. They also possess the ability to levitate in the air, and unlike Acolytes theirs is swift. Should one try to strip a Knight off their armor, they will make a macabre discovery - they have no skin as their armor IS the skin now. Knights are few in numbers, but each one has combat potential of an advanced mass-produced mecha: a mass-produced mecha the size of a human.
Quicksilver: this young man is a lieutenant for the Ascenders' splinter faction. His real name is unknown, Quicksilver is only a callsign. He is mentally immature, cocky and easy to manipulate, probably as a result of his Shifter transformation, and believes that having powers is awesome - and all humans should have them, which is exactly what will happen once everyone Ascends. Appearance-wise, he seems to be cosplaying Dante from Devil May Cry: white hair, red jacket, two guns (that fire with the strength of howitzers), and for extra fanboy points: two katanas (able to cut tanks in half) and an eyepatch. He is extremely fast as his name suggests, and packs a lot of firepower, but his toughness and stamina are lacking.
Sage: slow but tough and mentally stable, he is Quicksilver's opposite - but opposites attract so they usually work together. Appearance-wise, he is a middle-aged, worn-looking black man. His armor takes the form of a gigantic (for a human - about 12 feet) bronze statue without a head. He is incredibly loyal, but unfortunately for the splinter faction his loyalty lies elsewhere: he is Dantoinne's agent, sent with mission to infiltrate and gather information. He owes Dantoinne his life, as he personally saved Sage's settlement from destruction in the post-Second Impact chaos.
Albion: she is the leader of the splinter Ascender faction. A woman with vision, harsh life experiences make her hate prejudice of any kind and humanity in general. But despite that, she forgives the human kind and wants to give it all salvation via Ascension. Rather than manipulate things from afar, she leads by example - and being a Shifter, she is more than capable of participating in battle. Her armor is golden, with a long red crest and armed with a simple (in design, but deadly in effectiveness) normal-sized longsword. Her stamina, strength and speed are all exceptional, higher than Devon's - especially stamina, as she is able to maintain the Shifter form for a long time, in fact nobody saw her outside the armor (and few wonder if there is anything inside it at all). Additionally, she can manipulate the environment, twisting existing matter of anything she directly touches into new shapes. It does not work on living beings, but robots and other complex mechanical devices are not exempt.
Suggested Event List:
1. Sophium raid: Dantoinne receives an information from his inside man (Sage) that the splinter faction will attempt to raid a Sophium processing facility in [city of Game Masters' choice, somewhere in Europe because that's where this canon is centered] for its Sophium deposits. So, he informs Devon and the White Chalice via a radio transmission. No matter how fast Devon and whomever else feels like following her move out - they are too late, as the facility was already attacked, its security overwhelmed or killed outright. On the spot are left large groups of Acolytes (some of them possibly piloting mook mecha from other canons), as well as Quicksilver - who arrived only recently once all action was over and does not know about the guards' deaths. He is too naive to piece together that they died, either - and cheerfully asks Devon to join him in Ascenders, because that'd be much more fun. A fight breaks out: its outcome does not matter anymore, although Quicksilver should make a getaway once he is injured or it looks like his side is losing.
2. Counter-Ascension: any investigation concerning the Ascenders' whereabouts is futile until Dantoinne shares more info once again: his men discovered the location of an Ascender base somewhere in a sleepy (German?) town. Supposedly they followed Quicksilver, actually it was Sage who gave him this information. The base is hidden in a hospital, which means there is a lot of civilian casualties and destruction to either cause or avoid. However, as soon as good guys get within visual range, Ascenders move out on their own to fight, defend their base, and die. This time their numbers include Weapons, as well as both Quicksilver and Sage. The two named splinter-factionists stay in the back and look like they're trying to evade fighting - very suspicious behavior. And indeed, they will run away at the first possible opportunity: Quicksilver is not happy about it, but he was persuaded by his friend Sage after all. Searching through the Ascender base will reveal terrifying Shifter transformation and brainwashing facilities, but nothing of any use. Their databanks were emptied and there is no Sophium or useful supplies anywhere.
3. Ratty business: Albion is not stupid. She figured out Sage is a double-agent - and decided to use him as a trap. She lets Dantoinne know that she's aware of Sage's nature, and has him held on an abandoned oil derrick on the North Sea. Dantoinne suspects a trap, doesn't care, calls Devon&company again, tells them about a new supposed Ascender base on the derrick. Devon moves out, falls into a trap - Sage is found on the oil platform's center, out of armor and unconscious, but suddenly the whole place is crawling with cultists! There are all kinds of Ascender Shifters here, including even a group of elite Knights - and Albion herself. Quicksilver is not there, he was left at home. Before attacking, Albion tries to apply to Devon's reason: she explains how Ascension will make the world a beautiful place where everyone is equal and can live in happiness. But she does not ask the ex-SECT agent to switch sides, as that is dishonorable - instead, she offers Devon to just sit back and wait for SEs, as they will return soon enough. This shocking revelation is followed by the obvious - the offer being thrown down and trampled, so once again the only solution is combat. Albion uses the terrain (that is, changing the platform's shape for both offense and defense) to a great effect, but when it looks like she's losing, she tries to take Sage hostage. "You do not want your ally to get hurt, do you?" Albion asks. Devon is surprised and annoyed - an Ascender is not her ally! This is when Albion realizes she screwed up - either Devon is colder than she looks like or she is being manipulated. Also, Albion herself just stooped low enough to take hostages. She is ready to die, disgusted by her own actions: but still-living Ascenders sacrifice themselves to create an opening for their leader to escape, and she changes her mind to fight another day.
4. Knightly deal: Sage has been captured by the good guys, and despite not looking wounded he's dying. With his final words, he whispers to Devon the name of a location: that's where Dantoinne is holding Laura. But before Devon can go out and rescue her friend, the good guys' base of operations receives a transmission directly from Albion herself. She admits to having disgraced herself, and offers a deal to attone: one final battle to settle it all. If Thoughts of Ascension win, they will no longer be pursued. But if they lose - then the master Sophium crystal is for Devon to have. In fact, it has already been delivered to the place of the pitched battle - middle of nowhere in Scandinavian wilderness, away from all the pesky civilians. She does not wait for the answer, so it looks less like a bet and more like a really elaborate way to commit suicide. But Albion refuses to go out into the night silently, she brought only her best for the final battle. There is as many as 30-40 Knights (all the splinter faction had), and even Quicksilver - saddened by Sage's demise, he wants to know if people Ascend after they die as well. Albion does not say anything - it's time for combat, not words. No quarter is given or offered, and all Ascenders die (even Quicksilver, who repeats his question as he expires - and receives a positive answer this time, whatever it may mean). And indeed, it turns out the SE control crystal is there. In addition, it has been powered up by many deaths of today's battle, and it's fully functional. Too bad then that it's snatched by Sage, who is both alive (he was only pretending to be dead! Seriously though, it's his armor's power that allowed him to enter a death-like trance) and much sneakier than you would expect from such a hulk. The crystal is given to Dantoinne, who was waiting on the battlefield all along, cloaked and invisible! Dantoinne reveals his true colors now - he says he is the leader of the Ascenders, thanks Devon for finishing off the splinter faction and promises Ascension in return. But he also warns - do not try to thwart him, for he still has Laura Ericks in his hands. And then he departs, him and strangely saddened Sage cloaked away.
5. Ericks rescue operation: Devon is furious. She should try to locate and chase after Dantoinne - but she won't. She knows Laura is in danger now, and she will rescue her even if the whole world tries to stop her. There is only one lead she has, but that's enough: the location given to her by traitorous Sage. Once again, it is a hospital. But this time it's a luxurious but shady facility, situated in forest-covered mountains, where doctors do not ask questions about their patients or the nature of their ailements. Or that's the official coverup. Actually, the whole place is swarming with Dantoinne's Ascenders - Acolytes, Weapons, Knights, pilots in giant robots, you name it, everyone is there. No other option but to break through - it's hard due to enemy numbers, but rather straightforward. Too straightforward, it's almost like a trap. And when Devon finds the only real patient of the facility (who is Laura - and indeed, she is as fine as a person in coma like her might be), it turns out that it was only a distraction. Sage is with Laura, and he explains: Devon being here means she is not in the Atlas mountains (Africa), where Dantoinne is now, summoning a Shifting Entity in an attempt to control it and Ascend the world. The diversion worked fine so Laura is no longer needed - Devon can take her, Dantoinne cannot be stopped either way. Sage is not looking for a fight, but suddenly he changes his mind. No, it is not that - he transforms into a hideous spider-like being, whose constant cries of agony can be silenced only by death. The characters do not discover this yet, but Dantoinne managed to summon a weak SE and fuse it together with Sage, creating this monstrosity.
6. It's Safe Now: Laura is no longer held captive (too bad she's still comatose...) but there is still Dantoinne to stop. His location is obvious - there are reports of a giant, transparent serpent-like being levitating above Atlas mountains in North Africa. The SEs have returned. When the protagonists arrive at the location, they find the usual large groups of Ascender Shifters to chew through - no named characters, they all dead. Well, all but Dantoinne, who already is fused with the serpent (it has his face) and is quite insane now. He shouts that he can see forever and it is beautiful, that he Ascended already - and in his grace will share this honor with everyone present! That's right, the unholy Roger Dantoinne-SE hybrid wants to explode here and now. He tries to - and then in his enlightenment he sees (and narrates) the SEs' origin, the aliens that created them and their reasons for doing so. It is enough to break his spirit, and turn his joy into despair. So be it, he decides - if Ascension is useless, he will just kill everyone! And then he dies in battle. Two groups of Ascenders are defeated, but there will be more. Someone sooner or later will get their hands on the control crystal, which is now in Devon's grasp. And even if they do not, the way for the SEs was unblocked enough for two to get out, although with assistance. Others will come out naturally, and most likely pretty soon - in years, if not months or weeks. On the other hand, to permanently stop the SEs, only one more sacrifice is needed.
Devon's sacrifice. Will she do it?
Notes: Other than events described here, Devon likes to butt into business that is not her own, especially if it means learning about information someone hides from others. She will probably make a lot of information-gathering Action Posts, although their effectiveness may vary.
Also, I think I should describe the Sage and Roger Dantoinne Shifting Entity mutants.
Sage: Sage turned into a huge (10 meters tall and about 30 long) spider-like being, although its limbs are human arms rather than something that belongs on a spider. Its head is the same as his, only turned upside down and in a constant grimace of absolute agony. He can howl terribly, creating feelings of despair in all nearby combatants, and also pummel opponents with his limbs - they are strong enough to pulverize all giant robots in but a few hits. He can also shoot a strong, immobilizing web - just what the doctor ordered for those small, pesky stuff that is good at dodging and cannot be pummeled easily. And unlike usual Ascender Shifters, but just like Devon, Sage can Shift now. His weak point is lack of mobility - he is earthbound and has little in the way of defense other than thick armor.
Dantoinne: Dantoinne is a majestic serpent-like being now - he looks like a Chinese dragon, if such dragons had human heads and faces. He has tiny hands, but they are not used for combat. Rather, he tries to crush combatants under his bulk, or blow them away with a giant beam shot from his mouth. More insidiously, the visions of human evolution and possibly even the future he is seeing all the time? He can bestow them on others, causing them to just stand there and do nothing in amazement until they snap out of it. Despite being like 100 meters tall, Dantoinne is agile and extremely flexible, making landing a hit on him a real challenge. Oh, and he can Shift as well.
Sample Post: http://testrun-box.livejournal.com/236537.html
Personal LJ: geometric-angst
AIM Contact: cubey@aol.pl
Character Name: Devon
Source Canon: Original Canon (Still Not Safe)
Community Tag: "Devon"
Notes: This application is obviously chock-full of spoilers. People who don't want to be spoiled, stay away!
Background: Four years ago, Earth faced yet another crisis. Like if the whole post-Second Impact environment wasn't enough, strange creatures started to appear around northern European regions. Named Shifting Entities, they were always singular, never encountered in groups - and each one was different, although two things they had in common was giant size (most were at least 15 feet tall) and vague resemblance to existing Earth animals. That, and almost total immunity to most weapons. It's like if bullets passed through the Entities, and since the SEs were transparent and ghost-like, that's probabably what happened. They turned solid only when (counter)attacking. Some SEs were aggressive, others not, but once they settled in an area they always exploded after a few hours of wait. Whatever was caught in the explosion was instantly annihilated.
This is when a group appeared - a small non-government organisation capable of fighting SEs. They were known as SECT, Shifting Entity Crisis Team, and the whole organisation centered on a handful of teenagers who possessed a mysterious power. Thanks to crystals that served as their transformation trinkets, the teens could summon suits of armor that provided them with amazing supernatural powers, strength, toughness - as well as ability to Shift, become ghost-like like the SEs. This allowed them to fight Shifting Entities on even ground. And Devon was the first member of SECT - others were found and recruited later.
Not much is known about Devon's past, not even her real name (unless by a stroke of luck it actually is Devon). She was most likely 17 at that time (which makes her 21 now), and lived in an orphanage - her parents perished in the Second Impact. When she was 9, she ran away to live on her own. And that's when she stumbled upon the first of (later known as Sophium) crystals. The crystal gave her strength to live alone, not outside society but on its verge. And when SEs appeared, she knew she had the power and obligation to fight them. That knowledge didn't come from any source, she just knew it subconsciously. Which is why she was the first of SECT's teenage recruits - they did not find her. She found them.
SECT fought the SEs as they appeared, expanded as it could (by finding more suitable Sophium crystals and people, always teenagers, able to use them - there were seven total), and angsted as its adult members felt helpless, having to send the young to do their dirty work. After a few months, another enemy appeared: a human cult known as Thoughts of Ascension, whose members believed people caught in all-disintegrating SE explosions were not dead, but ascended to a higher existence. To make matters worse, Thoughts of Ascension had Shifters (people who can Shift and have armor and powers of some sort) of their own, albeit theirs were weaker and flawed. Still, after nearly a year of fighting, SECT triumphed - with five out of its seven Shifters dead, as they have sacrificed themselves to prevent the SEs from appearing ever again. Devon was not among them: she tried to persuade the rest of the group not to sacrifice their lives, after arguments came threats of violence, but the rest was not swayed, so she just... fled. This is her hour of infamy and the moment in life that hurts her most. The second surviving member's situation is... unusual. More on that later.
Once the SE menace was stopped, SECT was disbanded - simply like that. Its members went in different ways, and Devon was alone once again. A state of existence which was both natural and preferable for her. For three years, she did little more but exist and grow bitter. Er, more bitter than she already was. The situation changed only very recently (a few weeks before the start of the game?), when she was contacted by one Roger Dantoinne. Dantoinne is a CEO in Blackstone Arts, a large European company dealing in electronics and one of SECT's major sponsors, although that sponsorship started only near the end of the organisation's brief existence. Dantoinne informed Devon something she suspected all the time: Thoughts of Ascension were not vanquished. They are still operational, working behind the scenes in small cells strewn various European countries. To make matters worse, they may have stumbled upon means to make SEs return. And even if they do not do that, Ascenders are dangerous on their own. Because of this, Dantoinne wants Devon to stop Thoughts of Ascension - react to their actions, and attack their facilities when they are discovered by his... personal agents. And because a single person can only do so much, he will arrange her to be transported to the White Chalice and cooperate with its crew. Devon is not the one for teamwork or being bossed around and the whole thing smells fishy to her - but there is no choice but to agree. Dantoinne had leverage, something which Devon cannot afford to lose...
SPECIAL BACKGROUND! What's the deal with Shifting Entities, Sophium and all that? Explained below in extra-spoilered paragraphs.
Millions of years ago, Earth was home to a race of advanced alien beings. They are not native, having arrived from their original planet and settled here - Earth already had other lifeforms living on it at the time. But the aliens decided to make their new home planet a questionable favor and speed up its evolution. How? By creating an automated system that generates beings known to humans as Shifting Entities. These beings emerge from underground on Earth's surface (the exit points are located somewhere in the European-north African territories), find a suitable location and self-destruct. The resulting explosion annihilates everything in range, but also captures and analyzes their genetic code (via another automated system, its facility hidden in Earth's core as well). Somehow, this is supposed to help planetary evolution. But the details are lost in history.
To stop SE incursions, one would have to find the final, largest and most pure Sophium crystal - the control crystal. Beings who are already able to channel Sophium powers (such as Shifters) can use this crystal, to either summon more SEs and direct them in a limited way, or to block their means of reaching the Earth's surface, sealing them away forever. However, the last function requires life force to be expended: the crystal's user would have to sacrifice their live, and not just that. Several Shifters have to give up their lives in order for the blockade to be effective. And that's exactly how the aliens intended it to be: in their reasoning, only beings noble enough to sacrifice their lives to save others are worthy.
Karma strikes hard as the aliens themselves were accidentally caught in a series of SE explosions and wiped out completely. Not even their name is known today - but the SE automated system continues to work, located deep in the Earth's core and sending out Shifting Entities when the time is right. One of these times was four years ago. Fortunately, SECT came across the largest, "control" crystal. Unfortunately, the Shifters had to sacrifice their lives to power it up and end the SE invasion. Fortunately, they were mostly successful. Unfortunately, Devon did not join the sacrifice - so their combined life force was lacking, if just barely. The path for the SEs is blocked, but not permanently, and the blockade will grow weaker in time, unleashing the menace once again. The time when the blockade is breached is soon...
And to make matters worse, Thoughts of Ascension have taken hold of the control crystal. It is powered down and requires both Sophium and more life force sacrifice for its functions to awaken - but once Ascenders figure out how to do that, they will undoubtedly use it to control SEs and "ascend" the whole human population.
How Sophium works: Sophium is a wonderous and extremely rare substance that exists on Earth courtesy of the aliens mentioned above. It exists in the form of crystals, and its power can only be harnessed by few: these people usually felt out of place in existing reality, but that's not a requirement and they were just lucky to be born with this potential. People who can work with Sophium can force it to change shape and manifest itself: Sophium is very sensitive to human subconscious and self-image, and will form a protective suit of armor in the form of whatever the Shifter feels should be an effective barrier between them and the dangerous world. The armor's powers likewise depend on the Shifter's subconscious beliefs.
By feeling emotions of trying to escape this world, Shifters who have their armor on can... well, Shift and throw themselves into that different plane of existence, which is closer to their subconsciousness. Likewise, they can Shift back by trying to return. SEs exist naturally on the Shifted plane, and whatever exists on it cannot affect things in normal existence and the other way around. The difference is Earth itself, as well as Sophium that is not currently "used" by anyone - which includes either crystals in their natural state or Sophium alloy, that is Sophium ground up into fine dust and mixed with metal. These things exist in both states of being at once. SEs are natural Shifters, and their bodies contain Sophium which they use to Shift - when they are killed, that Sophium can be collected.
Personality: Phew, where do we start? A whole book (a psychiatric book!) could be written on Devon's personality and what's wrong with it. She is obviously not a nice or well-adjusted person. She's the kind of human who could use the word "sheeple" non-ironically.
Devon is a fiercely independent loner. She values her own personal freedom, to do whatever she wants. She hates cooperating with others, and hates established rules even more. That includes both orders given from so-called superiors, and to a lesser extent established rules of the society. She does not harm others in her pursuit of freedom (unless she feels they deserve it, but that's mostly reserved for obvious villains) - there is a difference between freedom and anarchy, but her hatred of authority makes her difficult to work with. There were situations in her past when she acted AGAINST rules or orders, just because they were there, and then tried to evade punishment for doing so.
In personal contact, Devon is no easier to deal with. Despite being intelligent and well-read she has almost no social skills, and her general appearance is unwelcoming and unkempt (including clothes which can be generously described as ragged and sweaty). But superficial difficulties aside - she considers her point of view superior to others', and tries to steer conversations into them realizing that obvious superiority. She does not do that directly, but rather by asking existential questions and giving cryptic hints - to make the conversation partner start doubting authority and society more, and learn to be more independent and self-sustaining. These are good qualities to have, but definitely not in magnitude Devon hopes for.
It is not only the human social system that Devon lashes against. In fact, she prefers humans' organized society to the brutality of wilderness and nature. The natural order disgusts her - it is not that she actively kills animals and sets fire to forests, but rather believes that strong, independent people (like her, obviously - but hopefully the whole humankind, eventually) should create their own rules rather than live by standards established by nature or humanity. In a way, she is fascinated by Nietsche's idea of an Ubermensch - as he intended it, not how the idea was perverted by a 20th century German dictator.
Due to her general unpleasantness and the need to eat a whole bouffet of humble pie, Devon does not make friends easily. However, people eventually do grow on her if she's forced to coexist with them for a while. Do not expect her to be much nicer when that happens, but at least she does act more loyal and cooperative to those she considers friends. She also tries to protect them from danger, even if it includes berating at the end for them getting in danger in the first place. But this is what tears her apart - is it better to focus your efforts on making friends or strangers safe, if the former have no extra virtue other than being known by you?
Devon is a violent person by nature. She tries to suppress that and doesn't attack others even if they annoy her (except verbally, although with harsh criticism rather than dropping F-bombs). However, if someone does start a fight, she is merciless. A pragmatic and dirty fighter, she does not kill or permanently injure unless the opponent strikes with killer intent too, but she will bite, claw, choke and strike at vulnerable areas. Fighting dirty and quickly overpowering the opponent (despite being tall and lanky, she is both strong and tough) is what Devon uses in place of tactics or finesse. She has little actual martial skill, in- or out of her armor, just pure force. And she does not intend to change that - learning and hard work is something she detests, so everyday training in the gym is out. That doesn't stop her ego from taking defeats poorly, either on the battlefield or in a conversation.
Despite all these negative qualities, Devon is not a bad person per se. She utilises her power to help humankind, does so willingly, and always tries to prevent unnecessary loss of human life (well, except for the villains). She is determined to succeed at this, and even willing to sacrifice her own well-being - but not her life, halfway because she feels like it would be a loss to the world, and halfway because she is just... afraid to die. Also, like it is said above - she stays loyal and dedicated to her friends, although it's hard to notice as physical contact and anything affectionate make Devon uncomfortable. Romance of any kind is downright out - she associates it with physical processes that disgust her. Too bad that Devon is not asexual, although she wishes she was.
Devon has few hobbies and few belongings - the latter are pretty much clothes on her back and a few personal items. She likes to read, although few libraries would accept her card if she wanted to apply one anyway, so books have to be found in different ways (outright theft is rarely involved, surprisingly enough). She is also aware of fictional archetypes and roles in teams - almost like if she had some contact with sentai hero shows and similar media at one point of her life. That totally never happened though. It'd be ridiculous.
Capabilities and Resources: Devon has as much prominence and resources as a homeless bum - because that's pretty much what she is. A superpowered one, but a homeless bum nevertheless. She probably could have stayed in contact with some of SECT's personnel as the organisation was disbanded, and have some influence that way. But she left on bitter terms due to her friends' deaths, so she did not. As far as her personal capabilities go, the situation changes. Due to her rather extreme lifestyle, even out-of-armor Devon is a real piece of work. Her frame is intimidatingly lean, but that's deceptive: she is strong, agile and tough like few people are, to an almost superhuman extent. Her analytical mind is sharp as well, although not as sharp as she thinks she is. In particular, she is easy to manipulate if people know which buttons to push.
Robot Name: Sophium Armor - Black Cloud
Robot Description: Not quite a robot, but rather a summoned suit of armor, Black Cloud appears whenever Devon activates her Sophium crystal. The crystal is kept in a wristwatch-like device, made by SECT many years ago. Devon has to physically touch it (which is not a problem with the device on, because it's made in such a way that the crystal is pressed against her skin when she wears it), so if it's taken away from her or lost she cannot transform. This device also has a radio built in, because others have to communicate with Devon somehow whenever she leaves shouting distance.
Black Cloud looks like this. Whenever it is summoned, black globs of matter appear as if from under Devon's skin, and solidify into the armor's plates. This transformation is nigh instant and almost impossible to stop. Black Cloud's shape is not constant, and its design can change slightly between summonings or even shift around as it's activated. The changes are small and cosmetic, however.
When worn, Black Cloud improves Devon's physical abilities to insane levels. She is incredibly fast and agile, able to comfortably run at 100 mph. Her stamina and toughness are enough to survive being stepped on by a mobile suit, and her might is fierce enough to punch that mobile suit down - or rip its head off. The drawbacks here is that giant robot weaponry (especially beams) are still enough to turn Devon into a bloody smear in a single well-placed shot, so she has to dodge when facing such opponents. Likewise, she cannot RIP AND TEAR heavily armored opponents, and has to aim at their weak points. Being human sized is an advantage that works both ways.
Other than brutal punches and kicks, Devon has two special attacks: thanks to her armor, she can create and throw shards of glass-like crystal. These shards are strong enough to cut through all but thickest armor (although their small size makes damage minimal unless it's aimed at particular weak points), and Devon can either hurl them with her hands or emit them from her whole body, Ideon-style. The process of shard creation is extremely painful so she is reluctant to use this attack too often. The shards are light and can be thrown up to several hundred feet - long range for a human-sized combatant, not so much for a giant robot.
The other special attack is a focused punch: Black Cloud's whole fist is covered in crystal shards, and then Devon punches whatever she wants gone. If hit, the area of the impact (radius of about 10 feet in most cases, but may change wildly depending on enemy difficulty and importance) turns into similar glass-like crystal, and then shatters. In most cases, it's enough to destroy an enemy in a single hit - but the danger Devon subjects herself to is significant, because the transmogrified crystal may wound her as it shatters. And of course, this attack too is painful and exhausting.
Black Cloud provides Devon with means to breathe underwater and ignore vacuum of space. She cannot fly, but she can jump high enough that it makes only a slight obstacle - especially if there are things in the sky to leap on and jump off, and while in armor Devon is just agile enough to do that. Black Cloud also bestows the power of regeneration: all of Devon's wounds slowly close and heal while she has it on, but the process is not quick enough to prevent death from trauma. And any lost limbs would not regrow. Also, just because the injuries heal, does not mean her body cannot enter shock from too much damage. These powers aside, the most useful quality of the Black Cloud is its Shifting ability.
With Black Cloud on, Devon can Shift pretty much at will. When Shifted, matter of the normal plane passes through her like through air - and the other way around, so it can be used to evade attacks (although you need to see an attack to Shift through it effectively, so it's not that big of an advantage compared to normal dodging). Also, this means water and other substances feel like nothing to her, allowing for quick movement. The exception is solid earth and rock - as long as it's a "part" of the planet Earth and connected to it directly, it is just as solid on the Shifted plane. Also, plates and other objects made from special Sophium alloy (Sophium was obtained in small quantities from killed SEs and then mixed with metal to form an alloy) are solid on both planes. Devon cannot Shift back if it means she'd be partially or completely trapped in a solid substance. Shifting back underwater is fine, but inside an enemy's cockpit - not so much (too little free space).
Having the Black Cloud on is physically exhausting and you cannot do it for too long. Even an experienced Sophium Armor user like Devon cannot maintain it for longer than 2 hours without the risk of immediate collapse on the spot. And post-battle rest and recuperation has to take at least five times longer than the operational time. The more time Devon spends Shifted, the greater the tax on her physical stamina.
Terrain Stats:
Land: S
Air: B
Sea: A
Space: C
Upgrades: Nothing
Job: None, unless "professional pain in the ass" counts
Notes: Before I start describing the Event List, I think I should describe other characters involved in the plot.
Dramatis Personae:
Laura Ericks: She was the youngest member of SECT's Shifter team (one year younger than Devon) and the second survivor. Her powers were possibly the most powerful, but also most taxing and unstable - to shape and rewrite reality itself. She was not present at the sacrifice because she was already out of action at that time: overuse of power in a desperate but futile attempt to save the life of her teammember (the only Shifter to die from means other than the sacrifice) against the Ascenders' attack, caused her to fall into a comatose state. In that state she remains to this day, even though 4 years have passed. Laura was a known, if closeted lesbian, and harbored crushes on the fallen teammember, and possibly on Devon as well.
Roger Dantoinne: CEO of the electronics corporation, Blackstone Arts. As said before, during the last months of SECT's existence he was its major sponsor and supporter. He is an eccentric and grandiose (but humble) man, and an excellent specimen of humankind: extremely handsome, with flowing black hair and a great physique, he believes these qualities should be shared with the world - so usually goes around without any clothing. Under his amusing eccentricies and generosity, however, Dantoinne is a master manipulator, who can easily read and control others. Others, such as Devon. In fact, Dantoinne is the leader of Thoughts of Ascension, and blackmails Devon into doing his work for him. The leverage he possesses is still-comatose Laura - Devon knows that Dantoinne has her and cannot guarantee her safety if she does not follow his instructions. However, Laura's location is unknown to her - and snooping around to find it out is one of the things Roger Dantoinne explicitly ordered her NOT to do.
Dantoinne is a Shifter, but his power has no combat use whatsoever. It allows him to change his appearance, voice or even become invisible - so it's excellent for infiltration.
Thoughts of Ascension: it's a cult that infiltrated all nations and layers of society, however it exists in small cells and bubbles rather than being omnipresent. There has been a break in its ranks about a year ago: the splinter faction decided that Ascension via SE explosion is a fate worthy for all humans, while the conservatists (ruled by Roger Dantoinne) hope to Ascend only in small numbers, and doom the rest of humanity - but not before killing or otherwise punishing those that hurt their precious Shifting Entities first. The split into two factions remains a secret for everyone who is not an Ascender, and for many cultists as well. Thoughts of Ascension have developed a technology to create their own, artificial Shifters: you just have to gather loose Sophium left behind by a killed SE, process it and inject into a (willing or not) victim. This will turn the patient into a Shifter, albeit one with mental or physical deformities and limited power - assuming they do not die outright in a failed experiment.
Acolytes: the lowest-ranked and most numerous of Ascenders, they come from all paths of life in hope of Ascension. They have been brainwashed to think in similar ways and often act as sleeper agents, acting like normal people in one second and like dangerous cultists in the other. The brainwashing was tailored to make them suitable for Shifter transformation, and many Acolytes are Shifters - their armor is a white, flowing robe, and they are armed with ribbons of light that can be used in either melee range or at a short distance. They also have the ability to float in air, although it's slow levitation rather than fast flying around. The ribbons are strong enough to cut through tank armor and robes offer light protection, but they still need swarm tactics because even 3-4 acolytes are no match for the simplest giant robot. Unfortunately, they have the numbers to pull this off. Acolytes who are not Shifters sometimes pilot mecha of their own, but only the easiest to obtain, mass-produced models.
Weapons: an experiment to create an advanced form of an artificial Shifter, and pretty much a failed one. Despite that, whomever survived the experiment is still being used as foot soldiers, for both Ascender factions. Each Weapon varies in appearance and ability, but what they have in common is: each part of their body can be used as a weapon (be it grotesque but deadly club-like growths, using bones as sharp stabbing implements, creating chains out of nowhere or using one's blood as boiling acid), or rather they are a weapon as a whole, hence the name. Also, the Weapons are physically deformed and grotesque, and their minds went down into madness because of the process that was used to create them. Despite these shortcomings, they are very difficult to deal with - not much more durable than Acolytes, but much faster and stronger, each one has firepower equivalent to a main battle tank, or perhaps a fighter jet.
Knights: the successful experiment, far superior to Weapons - but deployed much later, only recently and in (relatively) small numbers. Thanks to an efficient brainwashing process, their insanity is replaced with single-minded determination: they focus on combat and dealing death exclusively. Knights are armored from head to toe, their suits sometimes medieval-like, sometimes futuristic, but always dark and twisted in appearance. They wield huge lance-like spikes, which they can either stab enemies with or throw at great distances - in which case they can just generate new ones from their very own bodies. They also possess the ability to levitate in the air, and unlike Acolytes theirs is swift. Should one try to strip a Knight off their armor, they will make a macabre discovery - they have no skin as their armor IS the skin now. Knights are few in numbers, but each one has combat potential of an advanced mass-produced mecha: a mass-produced mecha the size of a human.
Quicksilver: this young man is a lieutenant for the Ascenders' splinter faction. His real name is unknown, Quicksilver is only a callsign. He is mentally immature, cocky and easy to manipulate, probably as a result of his Shifter transformation, and believes that having powers is awesome - and all humans should have them, which is exactly what will happen once everyone Ascends. Appearance-wise, he seems to be cosplaying Dante from Devil May Cry: white hair, red jacket, two guns (that fire with the strength of howitzers), and for extra fanboy points: two katanas (able to cut tanks in half) and an eyepatch. He is extremely fast as his name suggests, and packs a lot of firepower, but his toughness and stamina are lacking.
Sage: slow but tough and mentally stable, he is Quicksilver's opposite - but opposites attract so they usually work together. Appearance-wise, he is a middle-aged, worn-looking black man. His armor takes the form of a gigantic (for a human - about 12 feet) bronze statue without a head. He is incredibly loyal, but unfortunately for the splinter faction his loyalty lies elsewhere: he is Dantoinne's agent, sent with mission to infiltrate and gather information. He owes Dantoinne his life, as he personally saved Sage's settlement from destruction in the post-Second Impact chaos.
Albion: she is the leader of the splinter Ascender faction. A woman with vision, harsh life experiences make her hate prejudice of any kind and humanity in general. But despite that, she forgives the human kind and wants to give it all salvation via Ascension. Rather than manipulate things from afar, she leads by example - and being a Shifter, she is more than capable of participating in battle. Her armor is golden, with a long red crest and armed with a simple (in design, but deadly in effectiveness) normal-sized longsword. Her stamina, strength and speed are all exceptional, higher than Devon's - especially stamina, as she is able to maintain the Shifter form for a long time, in fact nobody saw her outside the armor (and few wonder if there is anything inside it at all). Additionally, she can manipulate the environment, twisting existing matter of anything she directly touches into new shapes. It does not work on living beings, but robots and other complex mechanical devices are not exempt.
Suggested Event List:
1. Sophium raid: Dantoinne receives an information from his inside man (Sage) that the splinter faction will attempt to raid a Sophium processing facility in [city of Game Masters' choice, somewhere in Europe because that's where this canon is centered] for its Sophium deposits. So, he informs Devon and the White Chalice via a radio transmission. No matter how fast Devon and whomever else feels like following her move out - they are too late, as the facility was already attacked, its security overwhelmed or killed outright. On the spot are left large groups of Acolytes (some of them possibly piloting mook mecha from other canons), as well as Quicksilver - who arrived only recently once all action was over and does not know about the guards' deaths. He is too naive to piece together that they died, either - and cheerfully asks Devon to join him in Ascenders, because that'd be much more fun. A fight breaks out: its outcome does not matter anymore, although Quicksilver should make a getaway once he is injured or it looks like his side is losing.
2. Counter-Ascension: any investigation concerning the Ascenders' whereabouts is futile until Dantoinne shares more info once again: his men discovered the location of an Ascender base somewhere in a sleepy (German?) town. Supposedly they followed Quicksilver, actually it was Sage who gave him this information. The base is hidden in a hospital, which means there is a lot of civilian casualties and destruction to either cause or avoid. However, as soon as good guys get within visual range, Ascenders move out on their own to fight, defend their base, and die. This time their numbers include Weapons, as well as both Quicksilver and Sage. The two named splinter-factionists stay in the back and look like they're trying to evade fighting - very suspicious behavior. And indeed, they will run away at the first possible opportunity: Quicksilver is not happy about it, but he was persuaded by his friend Sage after all. Searching through the Ascender base will reveal terrifying Shifter transformation and brainwashing facilities, but nothing of any use. Their databanks were emptied and there is no Sophium or useful supplies anywhere.
3. Ratty business: Albion is not stupid. She figured out Sage is a double-agent - and decided to use him as a trap. She lets Dantoinne know that she's aware of Sage's nature, and has him held on an abandoned oil derrick on the North Sea. Dantoinne suspects a trap, doesn't care, calls Devon&company again, tells them about a new supposed Ascender base on the derrick. Devon moves out, falls into a trap - Sage is found on the oil platform's center, out of armor and unconscious, but suddenly the whole place is crawling with cultists! There are all kinds of Ascender Shifters here, including even a group of elite Knights - and Albion herself. Quicksilver is not there, he was left at home. Before attacking, Albion tries to apply to Devon's reason: she explains how Ascension will make the world a beautiful place where everyone is equal and can live in happiness. But she does not ask the ex-SECT agent to switch sides, as that is dishonorable - instead, she offers Devon to just sit back and wait for SEs, as they will return soon enough. This shocking revelation is followed by the obvious - the offer being thrown down and trampled, so once again the only solution is combat. Albion uses the terrain (that is, changing the platform's shape for both offense and defense) to a great effect, but when it looks like she's losing, she tries to take Sage hostage. "You do not want your ally to get hurt, do you?" Albion asks. Devon is surprised and annoyed - an Ascender is not her ally! This is when Albion realizes she screwed up - either Devon is colder than she looks like or she is being manipulated. Also, Albion herself just stooped low enough to take hostages. She is ready to die, disgusted by her own actions: but still-living Ascenders sacrifice themselves to create an opening for their leader to escape, and she changes her mind to fight another day.
4. Knightly deal: Sage has been captured by the good guys, and despite not looking wounded he's dying. With his final words, he whispers to Devon the name of a location: that's where Dantoinne is holding Laura. But before Devon can go out and rescue her friend, the good guys' base of operations receives a transmission directly from Albion herself. She admits to having disgraced herself, and offers a deal to attone: one final battle to settle it all. If Thoughts of Ascension win, they will no longer be pursued. But if they lose - then the master Sophium crystal is for Devon to have. In fact, it has already been delivered to the place of the pitched battle - middle of nowhere in Scandinavian wilderness, away from all the pesky civilians. She does not wait for the answer, so it looks less like a bet and more like a really elaborate way to commit suicide. But Albion refuses to go out into the night silently, she brought only her best for the final battle. There is as many as 30-40 Knights (all the splinter faction had), and even Quicksilver - saddened by Sage's demise, he wants to know if people Ascend after they die as well. Albion does not say anything - it's time for combat, not words. No quarter is given or offered, and all Ascenders die (even Quicksilver, who repeats his question as he expires - and receives a positive answer this time, whatever it may mean). And indeed, it turns out the SE control crystal is there. In addition, it has been powered up by many deaths of today's battle, and it's fully functional. Too bad then that it's snatched by Sage, who is both alive (he was only pretending to be dead! Seriously though, it's his armor's power that allowed him to enter a death-like trance) and much sneakier than you would expect from such a hulk. The crystal is given to Dantoinne, who was waiting on the battlefield all along, cloaked and invisible! Dantoinne reveals his true colors now - he says he is the leader of the Ascenders, thanks Devon for finishing off the splinter faction and promises Ascension in return. But he also warns - do not try to thwart him, for he still has Laura Ericks in his hands. And then he departs, him and strangely saddened Sage cloaked away.
5. Ericks rescue operation: Devon is furious. She should try to locate and chase after Dantoinne - but she won't. She knows Laura is in danger now, and she will rescue her even if the whole world tries to stop her. There is only one lead she has, but that's enough: the location given to her by traitorous Sage. Once again, it is a hospital. But this time it's a luxurious but shady facility, situated in forest-covered mountains, where doctors do not ask questions about their patients or the nature of their ailements. Or that's the official coverup. Actually, the whole place is swarming with Dantoinne's Ascenders - Acolytes, Weapons, Knights, pilots in giant robots, you name it, everyone is there. No other option but to break through - it's hard due to enemy numbers, but rather straightforward. Too straightforward, it's almost like a trap. And when Devon finds the only real patient of the facility (who is Laura - and indeed, she is as fine as a person in coma like her might be), it turns out that it was only a distraction. Sage is with Laura, and he explains: Devon being here means she is not in the Atlas mountains (Africa), where Dantoinne is now, summoning a Shifting Entity in an attempt to control it and Ascend the world. The diversion worked fine so Laura is no longer needed - Devon can take her, Dantoinne cannot be stopped either way. Sage is not looking for a fight, but suddenly he changes his mind. No, it is not that - he transforms into a hideous spider-like being, whose constant cries of agony can be silenced only by death. The characters do not discover this yet, but Dantoinne managed to summon a weak SE and fuse it together with Sage, creating this monstrosity.
6. It's Safe Now: Laura is no longer held captive (too bad she's still comatose...) but there is still Dantoinne to stop. His location is obvious - there are reports of a giant, transparent serpent-like being levitating above Atlas mountains in North Africa. The SEs have returned. When the protagonists arrive at the location, they find the usual large groups of Ascender Shifters to chew through - no named characters, they all dead. Well, all but Dantoinne, who already is fused with the serpent (it has his face) and is quite insane now. He shouts that he can see forever and it is beautiful, that he Ascended already - and in his grace will share this honor with everyone present! That's right, the unholy Roger Dantoinne-SE hybrid wants to explode here and now. He tries to - and then in his enlightenment he sees (and narrates) the SEs' origin, the aliens that created them and their reasons for doing so. It is enough to break his spirit, and turn his joy into despair. So be it, he decides - if Ascension is useless, he will just kill everyone! And then he dies in battle. Two groups of Ascenders are defeated, but there will be more. Someone sooner or later will get their hands on the control crystal, which is now in Devon's grasp. And even if they do not, the way for the SEs was unblocked enough for two to get out, although with assistance. Others will come out naturally, and most likely pretty soon - in years, if not months or weeks. On the other hand, to permanently stop the SEs, only one more sacrifice is needed.
Devon's sacrifice. Will she do it?
Notes: Other than events described here, Devon likes to butt into business that is not her own, especially if it means learning about information someone hides from others. She will probably make a lot of information-gathering Action Posts, although their effectiveness may vary.
Also, I think I should describe the Sage and Roger Dantoinne Shifting Entity mutants.
Sage: Sage turned into a huge (10 meters tall and about 30 long) spider-like being, although its limbs are human arms rather than something that belongs on a spider. Its head is the same as his, only turned upside down and in a constant grimace of absolute agony. He can howl terribly, creating feelings of despair in all nearby combatants, and also pummel opponents with his limbs - they are strong enough to pulverize all giant robots in but a few hits. He can also shoot a strong, immobilizing web - just what the doctor ordered for those small, pesky stuff that is good at dodging and cannot be pummeled easily. And unlike usual Ascender Shifters, but just like Devon, Sage can Shift now. His weak point is lack of mobility - he is earthbound and has little in the way of defense other than thick armor.
Dantoinne: Dantoinne is a majestic serpent-like being now - he looks like a Chinese dragon, if such dragons had human heads and faces. He has tiny hands, but they are not used for combat. Rather, he tries to crush combatants under his bulk, or blow them away with a giant beam shot from his mouth. More insidiously, the visions of human evolution and possibly even the future he is seeing all the time? He can bestow them on others, causing them to just stand there and do nothing in amazement until they snap out of it. Despite being like 100 meters tall, Dantoinne is agile and extremely flexible, making landing a hit on him a real challenge. Oh, and he can Shift as well.
Sample Post: http://testrun-box.livejournal.com/236537.html