#they’re two rival assassins who are bound to kill each other over and over again

[cherrysnax]

been thinking abt my dumb old dnd ocs a lot recently

[st-just]

A Setting: The City of Sethennai

Because I’ve spent long enough tinkering on this that I might as well share it with a population of more than a half-dozen potential players. Also it could almost certainly use an editing pass, and I don’t want to lose it all next time my computer dies.

So, a collection of densely packed plot hooks in the shape of a city

City History

The City of Sethennai is quite possibly the oldest city in the world, or at least the oldest still inhabited. When the first Dwarfs and Goliaths fled the Titans for the coast, they found ziggurats already rising from the water and tunnels dug beneath their feet, ruined by some already ancient cataclysm. Supported by fertile soil and full waters, they built their own city over it, and welcomed their own gods to it, a center of resistance to the Titanomarchy that became an empire in its own right.

Centuries passed and power drifted inland, to the mountain palaces of the Titans’ Giant heirs and the divinely appointed heroes who sometimes overthrew them. The City was rich, but peaceful, its soldiers only raised when one princess or another took it as a capital during a civil war. Such was the case when the first ships appeared from the East.

The adventurers from the League of Free Cities had been spurred across the sea by visions of fortune and glory, overwhelming the defenders with armies of goblin slaves and the ability to evoke demons far beyond what they could deal with. Their leader Sethennai proclaimed himself Emperor and renamed the city in his honour, taking it as his capital. After his assassination some years later the ‘empire’ fell into an anarchy it has never quite recovered from, but the name has stuck, and for the two hundred years since wonders and riches have flowed across the eastern ocean while mercenaries and adventurers have poured west in ever greater numbers.

The city’s ruler for the last fifteen years has been Prince Cael, an adventurer universally believed to be supported by the League’s political rivals back East. If so, they got what they paid for – experts and financiers have been imported and sponsored, and trade opened to anyone capable of paying the reasonable import duties.

Until two years ago, he had been the picture of brutal decadence, rousing himself from luxurious hedonism only to brutally deal with any threats to his power. Recently though, he changed – sponsoring vast expeditions into the ancient palaces of the interior and the ruins buried on the city’s outskirts, and installing a self-proclaimed Hierophant whose heresies had earned her a death warrant back East in the city’s grandest temples (violently banishing the cults which had held them since the Conquest in the process).

One week ago, at exactly noon, the sun vanished from the sky for one minute, and the entire city was filled with a deafening scream. Since then, the Prince’s grand palace has been sealed tight, with ingeniously horrifying magical defences ensuring that anyone who tries to force a door or window isn’t around to try again. Everything’s very rapidly falling apart, and the city’s traditional power brokers are reacting like so many rabid weasels in too small a cage.

It is, then, a perfect opportunity for people with the will to seize it.

Districts

The Palantine

If Sethennai is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, the vast palace complex which crowns its central hill is probably likewise the oldest building still in use. Its foundation is burrowed deep into the hill on which it stands, to the point that some delvers and historians have theorized that it was once a truly massive pyramid now mostly buried by the ages. Rising out of it are two great peaks - impressive ziggurats in their own right - of obvious dwarven make, fashioned to house their ancient Ancestors-Kings and gods in suitable splendor, and since renovated and built over to house the city’s rulers and most favored priesthoods. Surrounding them are a dozen smaller peaks, each the estate of one of the city’s foremost patrician families, teeming with retainers and servants. The land around them is pristine and perfectly manicured, full of wondrous botanical gardens and menageries for the amusement of Sethennai’s greatest citizens.

Location of Interest: The Throne 

A palace built on the ruins of a palace built on the ruins of a palace. The grand ziggurat which the city’s rulers have called home since time immemorial is built into and sits at the peak of its highest hill, the highest point in the sky for dozens of miles in every direction. Its labyrinthine apartments, kitchens, vaults, galleries and corridors house the Prince and his family, dozens of favorites and notables, and hundreds of guards, servants, retainers and entertainers. 

Or, well, housed. 

One week ago, the sun vanished from the sky, and a scream echoed through the city. Since then, the palace complex has proven impenetrable. Every door and window is closed, and attempts to open them by force have fared...poorly. In a ‘never going to walk again’ sort of way. Scrying and other means of magical surveillance so far attempted have simply failed. No one has tried to escape, and no noises have been heard - the whole complex is simply silent. 

Of course, that means that all its secrets and riches are there for the taking. Or that’s the growing consensus - at least three separate groups have camped out near various gates and major entrances, each preparing their own scheme to break in and seize everything within. There’s no fighting between them. Yet. 

Faction of Note: The Hierophant 

    Yri Cenred is many things. A self-proclaimed ‘experimental theologian’. One of shockingly few mortal humans to piss off the Illyrin clergy enough to be specifically declared Anathema. A member of the Commonwealth’s very exclusive list of ‘Enemies of Reason’. Empirically immune to thunderbolts from cloudless skies and most other signs of divine disfavor. Easily one of the most powerful mages in the city. And, for most of the last two years, its High Priestess and Hierophant. 

    No one knows quite how her first meeting with Prince Cael went, and whether she was responsible for her change in personality or if he sought her out because of it. All anyone knows is that shortly after she arrived in the city a few days ahead of Imperial Witch-Hunters looking for her head on a pike, Cael forcibly expelled the Khasali cults which had occupied the Palantine’s grand temples since the Conquest, and installed her in their place with the newly minted title of Hierophant for the city. Since then she and her growing coterie of acolytes (bright-eyed, motivated and young, though you can flip a coin as to whether their hands are stained with ink or blood) have been extremely busy, though no one can say exactly what with. Certainly they haven’t held any public rituals or services. Despite the costs - both political and monetary - in protecting and sponsoring her, Cael never seemed to question whether it was worthwhile. 

    The general opinion on the streets is that she’s probably to blame for anything and everything worth complaining about. The only real divide is between those who think she bewitched the Prince and turned him into her puppet, those who think she’s the one who killed him, and the moderates who think the correct answer is probably ‘both’.

Foundrytown

The New World is absolutely full of exotic reagents, fuel sources, and materials to craft and invent with. It is also absolutely full of people who will pay in your currency of choice for finished goods, armor, weaponry, and whatever nasty alchemical tricks you can keep from blowing up in their face until they want them to. Foundrytown is the sprawling mass of smokestacks, workshops, factories and markets that has spilled to the north of Sethennai’s walls, exploiting both opportunities to the fullest while limiting the chance that some idiot will burn half the city down (again). Robber barons, militant workers, loose fraternities of tinkerers and half-trainer artificers, and the occasional rogue clockwork or alchemical monstrosity all jostle for space and control of the beating heart of Sethennai’s economy. 

Faction of Note: The Grand Bazaar 

    Official Imperial theology accords true dragons a place of honour - the Princes of the Earth, entrusted by Heaven with containing the fury of the elements within themselves so as to render the world peaceful enough for cultivation by the younger races - and forbids very few things to wyrms willing to play the part. (Principally, do not become undead, a god in your own right, or an archdemon of the elements. Though some justification can usually be found for how any sufficiently problematic dragon is actually doing one of those). 

    And Tyramara the Magnificent, the Fire of the Deeps has not technically done any of those things. Still, the ancient wyrm has little interest in allowing the wasting disease which has crippled her continue to spread, and her solution is unorthodox enough that she thought it prudent to abandon her palace-lair in Imir and relocate to the New World, six treasure galleons worth of her hoard in tow. 

    One of the city’s wealthiest residents from the moment she landed, she has bought a plaza in Foundrytown and offered her sponsorship to nearly every tinker and engineer who cares to set up shop there, provided they help sustain and improve the mechanical and hydraulic prosthetics that supplement and replace her dying organs. She has promised a full half of her hoard to any who can permanently deal with her condition, a fortune men have killed for in the past, and certainly will again. 

Faction of Note: The Hellworks 

They’re not officially called the Hellworks - there are, in fact, absolutely no devils involved. Still, between the billowing clouds of soot and steam pouring from their chimneys at all hours of the day, the severe architecture, and the bound spirits who keep the looms running at all hours of the day and eagerly take any opportunity to leave anyone who gets too close crippled or maimed to vent their anger - well, the name stuck. 

One of the most obvious consequences of Prince Cael’s turn towards the esoteric these last years, the ' ‘Royal Sethennai Weaver’s Trust” is the brainchild and absolute domain of the Lady Binder Katerine sol Dalme sol Telrin ir’Paimon. An Illyrin magister with heterodox opinions on the proper uses of magic, popular opinion is divided on whether it’s more accurate to say Cael invited her to reside in the city, or just offered her asylum before her elders had a chance to properly condemn her. 

Regardless, after six months of operation she - and her half-dozen strictly bound and extremely unhappy ifrit, and several hundred eminently replaceable more mundane workers - are already well on their way to supplying all the clothing and textiles Sethennai’s teeming masses require single-handedly, produced at a scale and speed far beyond what any traditional artisans guild could hope to compete with. 

Crossroads

Dominating the Old City - synonymous with it, really - that the district is called the ‘Crossroads’ is often considered something of a cruel joke by new arrivals. The ‘Labyrinth’ is usually offered instead. Ancient stone tenements and storehouses are basic facts of geography, surviving through conquest and fire, and over and around and through them are generations of newer building - mansions of imported oak and marble, shantytowns of cannibalized carts and derelict ships built on rooftops, and nondescript inns and stores conveniently built on top of trap doors and tunnels leading to much more exciting locales. Natives of a neighborhood who know all the secret passages and blind alleys can quickly get to anywhere they like. New arrivals are strongly advised to pay well for a reliable guide. 

Faction of Note: The Dreamers 

    There’s something under the harbor. There always has been. There probably always will be. Most people can go their whole lives without noticing it, but a certain few find living in the Old City a haunting experience, their nights spent dreaming of drowned palaces and impossible angles, their days spent lost in alleys and markets that have never existed. Inevitably, they come out of a daze and find themselves perched on the waters edge, staring into the filthy, polluted depths with an intense sense of longing. 

    Called the Dreamers, they’re an eclectic and informal fraternity, living in makeshift houseboats or the cheapest tenements that press against the water. Quite a few simply sleep on the streets. They’re something like a religion, and something like a guild - the most personable and talkative are merchants, selling the fish that others catch, the strange relics and minor treasures that their divers retrieve from the harbor, and the often beautiful - if always uncanny - art they produce. They take care of each other and, though no one has ever seen a dreamer raise a hand in anger, every attempt by syndicates or rival cults to extort or expel them has ended with their opponents going mad, screaming and clawing at their flesh in the middle of the night, or found poised in some elaborate and improbable suicide. After the third time, everyone more or less got the idea. 

    No one knows who leads them - if anyone does. Insofar as they have a public face, Zoe Alvane is it - a street urchin who ‘found the sea’ before she had hit puberty, for the last few years she has been the one who spends seemingly every hour of the day ensuring her ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’ have food and shelter, and looking after the other beggars and poor in the neighborhood while she can as well. She’s also the one outsiders deal with when they come looking to buy information - it’s a disquieting fact of life in Sethennai that the Dreamers’ know almost everything there is to know about almost everyone. They are generally content to be left alone, and Zoe is very sympathetic and willing to offer personal advice and play the part of fortune teller to anyone desperate and willing to trade or do a favor - but it’s generally agreed that trying to force information from them is a bad idea. 

Faction of Note: Ironfang Mercenary Company 

    When Prince Cael seized the throne, he didn’t do so single handedly. He needed trained, disciplined soldiers to seize the Palantine and coastal forts, ensure no one escaped the palace, and keep order on the streets while the messy business of extinguishing the previous dynasty was carried out. For all this and more, he relied on the professional expertise of the Ironfang Company. 

    Formed around a core of hardened hobgoblin veterans of various border wars and colonial filibusters in the Free Cities, the Company has for the last fifteen years been the Prince’s favorite tool for securing his interests, keeping order, and bloodily making examples of any threats to his rule. For their trouble, they’ve grown fat and happy - a steady paycheck and yearly bonuses have left every officer with a townhouse, and most common soldiers with coin for families and apartments for them to live in. 

    Despite the lack of real combat - and the need to take on locals as new recruits, as more and more soldiers retire or die over the years - Captain Azaersi is a leathery old warehouse who has never let her troops grow soft. Even week the grand parade ground in Crossroads echoes with screaming drill sergeants and the crack of muskets, and it’s an open secret that the Prince paid to import stocks of grenades and munitions from Quepta for her arsenal. No one knows quite how she plans to deal with the sudden disappearance of her patron and employer, but for the moment the Ironfang seem content to keep order in the corner of Crossroads around the arsenal and parade ground that they call home. 

The Ruins

The ruins are not, legally, part of Sethanni, and absolutely no one with anything resembling sense would ever actually choose to live there. No one actually knows where the eponymous ruins come from - or at least, no one can agree which section is from where. Shantytowns of the most despised and desperate and built on top of their predecessors, which are built on top of battered and broken pre-Conquest ziggurats and homes, which are built on top of - well, some of it is just a natural cave system, and no one is sure about the rest. Or ever found just how deep it goes. Aside from the casualties of the Prince’s attempts to map it, the Ruins are inhabited exclusively by those that would be strung up or burned alive if they tried to live anywhere else, or those sufficiently dedicated to their greed or ambition that they’re absolutely certain they alone can unlock the secrets and find whatever wonders are buried beneath all the traps and monsters. Not great company, either way. 

Faction of Note: The Weavers’ Masquerade 

    Sethennai never really followed its ‘sister cities’ in the League in religion, with a sort of tolerant anarchy of different gods and sects almost always predominating over the gleefully blasphemously sublime demon-cults that the conquerors originally brought with them. But the small cultists that did exist at least enjoyed a luxurious, privileged irrelevance, with sanctums in the city’s grand temple. That finally changed when Cael seized the temples for his new Hierophant - and every relic and sacred text in them, as bloodily as necessary. Which with demon worshippers meant a massacre - letting one escape and beseech their patron for aid in crafting some horrible vengeance being generally agreed to be a terrible idea. 

    Not that that actually worked, of course. One acolyte managed to escape - no one’s quite sure how, but then, probably best not to ask unless you’ve got a particularly strong stomach. Well, that’s one of her stories, anyway - she goes by Maia Dayal, Beloved of the Architect, Wearer of Ten Thousand Faces, and sometimes she prefers to say she’s a recently arrived priestess from Celmy, or a street urchin who found enlightenment entirely on her own. As might be expected by the self-proclaimed title, she also changes her face (and build, age, species…) about as often as everyone else bathes. 

    While she has shown no interest in actually taking bloody revenge on the Prince, Dayal has done plenty to earn the price on her head. The Masquerade that has grown around her is a carnival of wonders and horrors, where all manner of temptations are offered to the truly desperate, debauched and vile. Skinweavers and facetakers always need raw material, and secrets and deaths can both be easily bought for the right price - though in keeping with their patron, the Masquerade is hardly a safe or stable place to do business, and offending the wrong cultist can easily lead to a shift from ‘visitor’ to ‘canvas for artistic expression’. 

Faction of Note: The Keendream Expedition

    Over the last two centuries, the actual facts about the pre-Conquest city has (with few exceptions) been buried under the weight of legends, rumors and (when necessary) several tons of rock. Despite this (or because of it) whenever things get bad (...worse) for the original population of goliaths and dwarves who can trace their lineage back to that time, stories about some hidden savior or buried relic that will free them spread like wildfire. This is just such a time. 

Ilidak Keendream Kathu-Viano is an explorer from a family with some grounds for its claim of being pre-conquest nobility. For the last year he has worked on commission for the Prince, leading a large and incredibly well-armed expedition into the ruins across the water from the Old City, digging into them in search of..something. No one who knows the goal has been willing to talk, but certainly it has involved hiring every historian and scholar with anything like knowledge of the city before it was Sethennai (not to mention half the charlatans and rumor mongers who might know something). 

Once news of the Prince’s disappearance reached Kathu-Viano, work shifted from its previous sedate pace to something much more determined. Certain paranoid minds have said it’s almost like he was waiting for this. Other, moderately less paranoid ones have pointed out it’s a bit odd that the government-sponsored expedition is so short on patricians and city notables and so high on mercenaries form the interior and goliath clans with far more reason to listen to Kathu-Viano than the Prince, should some conflict break out. 

The Stacks

Museums, exhibitions, satellite campuses, mystical archives, storehouses of eldritch knowledge, and one actual wizard tower - if the faint taste of ozone in the air doesn’t warn you what you’re getting in for leaving the city’s eastern gates, then the architecture certainly will. Wedged between variously reputable bookstores and inquisitives, different formalized and longstanding campuses are dedicated to the arts of conjuration, enchantment, sparkcraft, and practical cosmology. Competition for new discoveries and to fully unlock ancient secrets are good natured and nonviolent - at least, that’s all you can get out of anyone left standing once the smoke clears. 

Faction of Note: The Bookhounds 

    The Bookhounds aren’t any sort of formal organization - and at least half of them would roll their eyes at the name - but rather a loose network of gutter mages, disreputable academics, private inquisitives and researchers for hire, and people with a little talent or cash to burn and far too much curiosity for their own good. They act as a sort of volunteer police force in the Stacks, passing each other clues and leads and doing each other favors to track down stolen (or escaped) relics and curses, stop idiots from unleashing anything really dramatic, and generally help people and save the day. Not to mention accumulate really impressive bags of tricks and rare books themselves in the process. 

    While they don’t have anything like a real leader, the group’s beating heart is Nikos Roth, an Esheri academic who arrived in the city as a fresh-faced student on a three month expedition a decade back and who never intends to leave. Running a small, incredibly ramshackle-looking secondhand book store wedged between two tenements, he nonetheless has one of the more impressive collections of occult lore in the city, and is more than happy to trade for more of it, or connect anyone in need with a specialist who can help them. As more than one would-be thief has discovered, he’s also a fairly talented mage, and for all that being entirely self-taught has left him with some obvious holes in his training, it’s also left him with some tricks that basically no one comes prepared to counter. 

Redgate

Once, Redgate Prison stood alone, a fearsome warning of the Prince’s power to anyone looking south from the city center. Eighty-some years of steady urban sprawl later, most of its inmates would probably just need a running start from the prison walls to land back home. Filled mostly with those whose dreams of a new world fell flat, but with too little cash or too many enemies to get home, the slums of Redgate are a natural habitat for street gangs, drug peddlers, flesh traders, and everyone else looking to take advantage of the desperate and vulnerable. The prison itself - and its infamous and heavily armed wardens - has stumbled into being the center of law writ large, dealing out summary justice for criminals that are (correctly) assumed to be beneath the Prince’s notice. 

Faction of Note: Regate Prison 

    Sitting on a steep hill across the water from the Old City, Redgate prison was at one point a fortress, but for generations has been put to use housing the city’s worst, most dangerous, and most profitable criminals. Given the sprawling, crime-ridden slums that now surround it, its wardens also work as a sort of brutal police force, keeping the pretence of order on the street and preserving the Prince’s Peace. Usually. 

    The problems with discipline start at the top, really. The Prison’s infamously brutal First Warden is also its oldest and most dangerous prisoner. Before the Conquest, Vrocdruk was one of the city’s lesser gods, enthroned in one of the Palantine’s grand temples. When Sethennai - the man - defeated him, he chose to pull his demons away before they could tear the god into so much bloody aether. Instead he was crippled, lessened, and bound to a new home in the fortress and a new purpose; defending the city and its rulers. Later, less skillful, princes altered the binding, making him responsible for most crime and punishment and hoping that his sacred nature would make the native dwarves and goliaths more obedient. 

    Vrocdruk is still crippled, still bound to the prison, still forced to obey the orders of the city’s acclaimed ruler, and still extremely unhappy about it. He takes any excuse to work out his unhappiness on criminals or troublemakers with the incredible bad luck to catch his direct attention. His wardens largely follow his example, often acting less like agents of justice and more like a particularly well armed gang - to the point of semi-officially collecting fees for ‘security’ from nearby businesses, supplementing the cash extorted from prisoners and their families for both necessities and luxuries while incarcerated.

Sootcliff

Trailing south of Foundrytown, on and under the steep slope beneath the city’s western walls, the densely packed tenements of Sootcliff are certainly stained grey enough to earn the name. Existing primarily as a source of blood and sweat to feed into the ever-hungry foundries and assembly lines to the north, The buildings are cheap, massive, and constructed at the lowest possible cost, with all the consequences you would expect from that. With easy access to weapons and alchemical supplies from Foundrytown and (literally) beneath the notice of the Old City, Sootcliff is famous as the home of militant bands, revolutionary conspiracies, disgraced artificers, and generally anyone who has a dream for a new world and a plan that will require a lot of explosions to get there. 

Faction of Note: The Painted Doctors

    Less a single organization and more an extraordinarily loose confederation of - often feuding - crimelords, the Painted Doctors are a fraternity of (largely half- or self-) taught alchemists who have over the last year grown to be the dominant criminal guild in Sootcliff. The name sometimes refers to the incredibly distinctive tattoos each ‘Doctor’ has covering much of their body, universally agreed to be somehow enchanted or cursed. Otherwise it refers to the incredibly alien and vibrant skin tones that their test subjects and muscle develop after repeatedly ingesting their ‘miraculous’ potions and tonics. 

    While possessing remarkably little actual magical talent among them, the Doctors have perfected the recipes for several extremely useful potions - several incredibly addictive drugs, a half dozen forms of acids and grenades, and a dizzying variety of enhancing tonics to improve themselves and distribute to their thugs - and have managed to keep both the recipes and their sources for the necessary reagents entirely secret. This has left them in the enviable position of being able to promise anyone signing on with them that they’ll be able to more or less become a regenerating ogre for an hour whenever they need to fight, while their opposition has had to settle with advising their men to stock up on fire and acid. 

    The leading light of the Doctors is one ‘Dr’ Fadre - almost certainly not his real name - an alchemical savant whose ‘miracle cures’ are bought and resold across the city. A flashy and well dressed sort whose patronage has turned several of Sootcliff’s most prominent dens of vice into something close to palaces for those who can afford it, he’s said to be far less interested in the nuts and bolts of running a criminal empire than enjoying its fruits and indulging his passion for the Sciences. It doesn’t hurt his reputation that he doesn’t look a day over thirty, and has for as long as anyone has known him. 

Chance

Facing Oldport from across the river’s mouth, the docks of Chance are significantly new, cheaper, and altogether more ramshackle. Not really a part of any conscious design, Chance grew organically as the city sprawled beyond its original walls, essentially smuggling docks so successful it was easier to legitimize and start taxing them than it was to hang everyone involved. They now provide the city with a constant infusion of nerdowells and fortune seekers, and the district around them takes great pride in fleecing new arrivals of every penny to their name by the end of their first night on land. Hostels and boarding houses are usually safe, traditional vice dealers less so, and anyone selling treasure maps or magical amulets not at all. Still, they’re probably more harmless than the various mercenary recruiters and ‘exiled princes’ promising to give new arrivals exactly the thrill and fortune they came searching for. 

Faction of Note: The Red Ocean Trading Company

    What is now the Red Ocean Trading Company has gone through several dramatic changes over it’s eighty years of existence. First a privateer fleet hired by the Free City of Celmy during the First Armada War. Then eventually growing strong enough to seize several islands as an independent pirate state, before being crushed by the Esheri Navy during the Second Armada War. It’s remnants learned a bit of humility from that, and it is now seemingly content with its existence as either (depending on who you ask) a obscenely profitable shipping firm, or one of the most widespread criminal syndicates in the world. 

The Company’s significant interests in Sethennai - nearly half the docks in Chance, guides and guards for anyone heading into the Interior, and fingers in quite a few less legitimate pies as well - are ably represented by Captain Arun Prem, a(n in)famous adventurer and scoundrel in his own right, apparently enjoying his semi-retirement behind a desk by getting outrageously drunk with his favorite mercenaries and criminals every night and swapping incredible (and implausible) old war stories. 

There’s plenty of rumors, of course - that he’s here in de facto exile after angering the Company’s mysterious senior leadership. That he’s a thousand-year-old vampire and is the Company’s mysterious senior leadership. That he ate a kraken’s heart, and is immortal as long as he doesn’t lose sight of the water. That he’s biding his time to prepare an army before heading inland to carve a new kingdom for himself. That he’s only in the city for as long as it takes to carry out some truly spectacular heist. That he killed Prince Cael in a secret duel and trapped his soul in the pocketwatch he wears at all times. And so on. Of course, other rumours say that he started all of those himself to preserve his mystique as he grows fat in his old age.

Oldport

Facing out to the harbour but safely ensconced within the city walls, Oldpot is, as the name implies, one of the oldest ports in the new world - and certainly one of the busiest. Fully loaded merchant ships arrive daily, their cargoes emptied and replaced with the plunder of the New World almost overnight so they can return home on the next turn of the wind. Beyond the grand ports themselves, this district is home to all the most respectable shipping companies, merchant banks, hotels, and townhouses and apartments, as well as all the official consulates and embassies that Sethennai plays host to. 

Faction of Note: First Bank of Sethennai

    Despite only being as old as Prince Cael’s reign, the Bank already feels like an eternal and irreplaceable part of Sethennai. This isn’t something people are necessarily happy about, but its leadership had done a truly amazing job at keeping dissent to grumbling and resentment of the inevitable, and not actual resistance. They’re good at that sort of thing, even when they used Prince Cael’s (and, thus, the City’s) massive debts to his foreign benefactors as justification for taking control of the city’s tariffs and tolls, and began rigorously enforcing them, possibly for the first time ever. 

    Combined with a legal monopoly on the ability to mint coins, this has of course made the Bank incredibly wealthy. But not to the degree that might be assumed - the riches collected are to a large degree shipped back east to foreign creditors. Of the remaining, quite a bit is invested with as much an eye for politics as strict profit. 

    Executive Director Salman Ticaret, like most of his staff, is a Sethennai native who sought education in the Commonwealth (like most, he took a new name on gaining citizenship). Along with modern accounting and investing techniques, he came home with a firm grasp of political economy - and so for the last decade and a half has been more than happy to offer favorable rates to well positioned patrician and merchant houses, in exchange for their own favors and consideration in turn. The result is that the bank’s marble halls and adamant vaults house information as much as money. And Ticaret is perfectly willing to invest both, if the opportunity is promising enough. 

Foreign Interests

The League of Free Cities

The League of Free Cities is not so much a single power as a collection of fiercely independent deomcratic city-states held together by the intertwined private empires of their leading citizens, deep and interdependent trading relationships, and a common religion that the rest of the world calls demon-worship - they view this as deeply offensive. Also they’ve been doing it for hundreds of years and they’re not all dead yet, so clearly everyone else is just doing demonology wrong. Politics are a mess of knives in the dark and openly bribing the voting populace with feasts and spectacles, with glory and riches to anyone who can hold the mob’s favor for long. 

Demonic evocation - and the arts learned as a result of it, like fleshweaving, orienomarchy , breaking reality down into elemental chaos and shaping it to your whims, and so on - are in the rest of the world generally met with very thorough execution, making the freethinkers of the League the world’s bleeding edge in magical innovation. The entire culture of the League is also nearly custom-made to produce bold idiots willing to do what it takes to get rich or die trying, and the various Free City’s Adventurers Guilds are (in)famous the world over. 

Until recently, the Free Cities considered Sethennai, if not one of them, then at least a younger sibling or benevolent dependency. Prince Cael’s coup has been taken as something of a wound, and the merchant interests who have lost out as he opened trade have made sure that in the decades since his name has become synonymous with bloody-handed tyranny. The first broadsheets celebrating his death will sell out in moments, and the acclaimed merchant adventurer Vyas Asraya, said to be en route to the city, is said to be very optimistic about future trading opportunities. 

Holy Illyric Empire

Technically speaking a vast and sprawling feudal state unified only in the person of the Sovereign (Empress of Illyrin, Queen of Belthaya, Defender of the Hierophant of Imir, Grand Duchess of Abhari, etc, and so on, and so forth), the Empire dominates the better part of two continents, and in terms of size and prestige is unquestionably the foremost state on the globe. It is also a bureaucrat’s nightmare, its aristocracy distracted from their internal feuds only when they need to defend their ancestral rights from central overreach. 

Ancient controls and long established relationships make Imperial binders the most fearsome conjurers and thaumaturges in the known world, a process not at all hurt by the wholesale incorporation of any powerful spirits or terrestrial god who will sign on the dotted line into the official pantheon. Illyrin Paladins are also easily the most storied heavy cavalry the world has ever seen, and Abharic necromancers are generally held to be the heirs (or direct pupils) of the inventors of the craft. 

Illyric interests have prospered under Prince Cael’s reign, but the last years have seen Sethennai become a haven for heretical priests and radical binders, something Ambassador Konrad Reingard has been rumored to be increasingly frustrated with, though no one heard a word from his Oldport estate since the chaos began.

The Sublime Esheri Commonwealth

A thoroughly modern and enlightened state, the Commonwealth is history’s gift to the cartographer, an empire with firmly delineated borders and clear, rationally determined administrative divisions. Governed by a Janissary Corps educated and conditioned from childhood to put principle above self interest and the good of the Commonwealth above friends or (nonexistent) family, the Esheri control far less land than the Illyrin Empire, but has been able to fight it to a standstill and even force it to abandon certain far flung dependencies over a series of wars across the last century. 

Beyond a ruthlessly efficient system for taxation and conscription, the Commonwealth’s military might is credited to two sources - on the one hand, its marines are the finest and most disciplined line infantry anyone is likely to ever see, experts in the use of gas and artillery and famously cool under fire. One the other, their heavy automata are an answer to any conjured devil or bound beast, enlightened clockwork providing enough force to cleave through scales and enchanted plate without missing a beat. But the Janissaries are as happy as their enemies to admit that they prefer unfair fights - though they credit their infamous spy network to the fruits of their scientific studies of society and history, while their enemies instead blame the corrupting effects of gold, blackmail, and a complete indifference to the morals of those they work with. 

While the Commonwealth does have an embassy in the city, it mostly exists as an appendage of the First Sethennai Bank, the private institution responsible for printing and guarding the solvency of the city’s currency, its entire upper rung staffed by experts trained in the Commonwealth and generally considered Prince Cael’s way of paying back their support for his coup. More recently, it has been rumored that the Secretariat has taken an interest in the struggles in the interior. Coincidentally, an ‘Academic’ has been seen floating around various less than reputable bars in Chance, ostensibly as part of a project to record the city’s myths and folklore. 

The Warlord States

For the last two hundred years, the interior has been an evershifting patchwork of successor kingdoms, native revolts, monstrous empires, released horrors, and stranger things besides, the unending tide of weapons and adventurers ensuring that no single player was ever able to secure dominance (and the various rulers of Sethennai have certainly played their part in keeping things that way). At the moment the foremost powers are a giantblooded kingdom led by a messaniac priest-king claiming to be the reincarnation of a Titan, a personal union enforced at sword point between a Khasli pirate queen and a goliath ‘emperor’, a red dragon who has claimed an old giant palace and forced the dwarves living in the mountains around it to provide tribute and worship, and several dozen more minor principalities. It should go without saying that war is the natural state of being, and soldiers are sucked up like ships in a whirlpool.

Adventurers are the lifeblood of Sethennai, and they don’t only flow one way. A constant stream of veterans - either enriched or embittered - skulk, limp or run back once they’ve had their fill of the wonders of the new world, usually missing something important or carrying something priceless - sometimes both. The courts and inner circles of every powerful warlord are composed exclusively of this sort of hard, tricky and generally insufferable type of rogue, and they’re often the only agents trusted enough to be dispatched on delicate missions. The line between warlord and criminal kingpin or pirate magnate is also extremely thin - sometimes nonexistent - as smuggling, sabotage and assassinations are simply basic tools of statecraft in the ruthless arena of the interior. More than once, an ambitious Prince of Sethennai has attempted to recreate their ancestor’s short lived empire, only to be found butchered in their bed but the agents of one warlord or another.

The Warlord States view Sethennai as a vital artery for supplies and funding, and for manpower to refill their armies with disposable bodies for their constant border wars. On a grander scale, those with ambition view it as either a crown jewel and future capital, or a bleeding ulcer on the land which needs to be razed to its foundations. In either case, few are interested in a strong, stable government for it. Regardless of their opinions, sending emissaries and embassies to the city is the first (and often only) diplomatic initiative of every new warlord state - though in truth their role is often closer to mercenary recruiter and fundraiser.

[nadziejastar]

What are your thoughts on the various types of lesser Nobodies?

The members of the Organization each had their own distinctive weapons that didn’t exactly cooperate if someone else tried to use them, but Keyblades were even more particular. If someone else so much as tried to pick it up, a Keyblade would simply return to its wielder’s hand. Or so Xion had heard.

We should have gotten to learn how the members of the organization got their weapons.

Nobodies derived their personalities and abilities from memories of their human lives. But what exactly were those abilities? What gave rise to them? The answer that came to mind was the presence of memory itself. They were chained by their memory, and in those bonds was power. So it was probably fair to say that Roxas and Xion were bound by the same memory.

And we should have learned how they got their “personalities” and abilities, too. The Nobodies they control are one of those abilities, no doubt. They should be based off of specific memories from when they were human. Which means that the organization members should have gotten a MUCH more flesh out backstory than they got. I’m really disappointed that most of them remained so flat, even including the popular ones like Axel. He may have been very likable, but his backstory in KH3 left him very flat.

Sorcerer

A sorcerer, magician, or “witch” attempts to influence the surrounding world through occult (i.e., hidden, as opposed to open and observable) means.

There should have been a story/lore based reason for each of their fighting styles. There are no lesser Nobodies based on Vexen/Zexion. It probably means that those two did not have any fighting abilities as humans, which makes sense. But the rest of the organization probably did fight as humans, thus they can control Nobodies based off of that fighting style.

Sniper

A sniper is a marksman who operates to shoot people from a concealed position. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision rifles and high-magnification optics, and often feed information back to their units or command headquarters.

Braig was a sniper when he was a castle guard.

Dragoon

Dragoon, in late 16th-century Europe, a mounted soldier who fought as a light cavalryman on attack and as a dismounted infantryman on defense. The terms derived from his weapon, a species of carbine or short musket called the dragoon.

Dilan was a dragoon.

XaldinHe has the image of a medieval Chinese military commander. He is excellent at strategizing, and a powerful soldier. I’m sure the players all know that he is a contender for the first or second strongest in the Organisation. I’m satisfied that I was able to depict that strength in his personality, too. I personally really like this character.–Nomura

But he was also based on a Chinese military commander. We didn’t get to learn much about Dilan. What was his motivation? Why did he side with Xehanort? 

Watching that foolish beast flail about only deepens my disdain for humans and their incessant need to be pinned down by feelings. We became Nobodies precisely to avoid the shackles of emotion. It was only later that we realized the scale of that loss: that some things simply cannot be done without a heart. Nonetheless, I see nary a pleasant thing about it.

Why did he want to get rid of his emotions and why did he consider them a weakness? What was his opinion of Ansem the Wise, and how did he feel when he was banished? Did he want to take over Radiant Garden?

Samurai

The ideal samurai was supposed to be a stoic warrior who followed an unwritten code of conduct, later formalized as Bushidō, which held bravery, honour, and personal loyalty above life itself; ritual suicide by disembowelment (seppuku) was institutionalized as a respected alternative to dishonour or defeat.

Aeleus was a samurai.

LexaeusHe’s a character with strength to rival Xaldin. While Xaldin has power plus technique, I’d say to Lexaeus is more of a samurai, or that he has bushido-style strength. If you listen to his very last line in Re:COM, I think you’ll be able to see his spirit. I wanted to do more with this character.–Nomura

Nomura said his final words showed his spirit.

Lexaeus: You are the Superior’s—Forgive me, Zexion. This was a fight I should not have started.

In Re:CoM, these are his last words. He seems to have some honor and was loyal to Zexion.

Lexaeus gave him a cruel smile. “Hmph…so I must accept my defeat here. But do not make the mistake of underestimating the darkness in me! As I am destroyed, it will leave this ruined vessel and drown you!” 

Then there was a terrible shock wave far greater than what Riku had felt from the darkness that Lexaeus radiated before the battle. 

“Wh…what’s happening?!” A relentless swirl of darkness surrounded him, swallowing him up until he disappeared into it. 

Lexaeus laughed madly. “This is my strength… I, number five in the organization… I who was once his favorite pupil!” Those were Lexaeus’s final words before he vanished into the darkness.

In the novel, there’s an extended final scene with his final words where he apparently commits seppuku and says he was “his” favorite pupil. Who’s favorite pupil? Ansem? Xehanort? We’ll probably never know.

Berserker

Berserker, Norwegian berserk, Old Norse berserkr (“bearskin”), in premedieval and medieval Norse and Germanic history and folklore, a member of unruly warrior gangs that worshipped Odin, the supreme Norse deity, and attached themselves to royal and noble courts as bodyguards and shock troops. The berserkers’ savagery in battle and their animal-skin attire contributed to the development of the werewolf legend in Europe. These Viking berserkers were infamous for fighting in a violent rage, recklessly charging at their enemies without armor or any other protection, and seemingly without concern for their own health.

Saïx is a strange case. Unlike the apprentices, we never saw Isa fighting as a human. He was just a kid. So how did he become a berserker of all things?

Prayers are uttered to Odin, as the object of contemplation. Why Odin and not the wolf, bear, or whatever? The berserk trance is brought about by Odin, he is the inspirer, that which brings something outside the self within the self. This is ond, inspiration, or vital breath. This triggers the wod, or fury and possession, which is where the wolf, bear, or whatever comes in. As a god, Odin is a “larger” concept than the animal, and so the effect he has upon the mind during the ritual will be the greater.

Berserkers worshiped Odin. To go berserk, they needed to meditate on him and receive divine inspiration. In other words, they couldn’t just go berserk at will. The needed to meditate upon a divine purpose to go berserk.

Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves.

I think Saïx was the same.

It infuriated me how you just exited our lives. I lost…all sense of purpose.

He needed a purpose to go berserk. 

Yes, I thought you didn’t need me anymore. If you didn’t need me, then I no longer held meaning.

For him, it was Lea. 

Saïx hesitated for a second, and Roxas ran at him.

He blocked the Keyblade.

Long ago—I remember, I didn’t hate fighting. Saïx flung his claymore at Roxas.

And so, Saïx remembered things from a long, long time ago.

My theory is that Saïx would need to meditate on his purpose before he could go berserk. Before he went berserk fighting Roxas, he thought back to a time before he hated fighting. Back when he had someone to protect and fighting actually had meaning.

Assassin

A murderer of an important person in a surprise attack for political or religious reasons.

One of the things I disliked about KH3 was its characterization of Axel/Lea and seemingly retconning his role as an assassin. On the clock tower, Axel and Saïx revealed their shared goal of finding Subject X. Saïx wanted to work his way to the top of the organization hierarchy so he could find out what happened to her. Axel said that he couldn’t keep up with Saïx and his willingness to do the icky jobs Xemnas wanted them to do to achieve that rank.

This flies in the face of ALL the hints from the previous games about their shared objective:

In order for Sora—no, for Roxas to live, and also for us to accomplish our own goal, Zexion is in the way. And, if it’s for the sake of our own goal, we already decided what to do, that time.

In the novel, Axel references their shared goal and how they decided to do whatever it took. Zexion was in the way and Axel killed him.

Given the right memories, the Replica could mimic the powers of the original. Which meant that if he were implanted with somebody else’s memories, he would, hypothetically, gain other powers. Somebody’s—or maybe even a Nobody’s. He had one particular Nobody in mind. All the members of the Organization were still influenced by the memories of their human lives.

Here, it references Axel’s memories of his human life as a reason he wants to use the Riku Replica to defeat someone and absorb their powers. Sounds like Axel was, at least partially, motivated by revenge.

Axel let out a breath. “Look, I knew Vexen and Zexion would cause trouble for you. That’s why they’re not around anymore.”

That sounded more like he was justifying it to himself, Axel thought. Their lack of hearts didn’t render their actions meaningless. It wasn’t as if they never thought carefully or acted without objectives in mind. Humans and Nobodies alike would pursue their own purposes.

“The dirty work doesn’t bother me,” Axel went on. “You just make for the top.” There was nothing false in that, and he looked Saïx in the eye as he said it. Saïx stared hard back at him. Right. We have our own agenda.

Again, it demonstrates how Axel was always the one willing to do the dirty work to achieve their goal.

“Everything is back to normal. Of course this is for the best, isn’t it?”

The reason I’m unable to answer Saïx is probably because I depend on him, thought Axel.

“Xemnas has also been irritated at the recent changes in plan. Everything has to go back to normal, for the sake of our goal too… Lea.”

Axel finally looked over at the sound of that nostalgic name. Saïx was looking at him. It made him think of his time as a human, and the memories came surging back.

Here, Saïx is trying to coerce Axel into killing Xion for the sake of their goal. He never even considers doing it himself. It sounds like Axel was always the one who handled the icky jobs like killing, not Saïx. Because, obviously, that was Axel’s job. He was the assassin.

I just did what I thought was the best thing at the time. For Roxas, for Xion, for the Organization—and for Isa. But most of all for me.

Axel was at first willing to kill Xion. And who was he doing it for? Isa. And for himself. Because he needed Isa. He emotionally depended on him. Saïx knew Axel needed him and manipulated him by calling him “Lea”.

Axel didn’t care anymore about what the Organization needed, what Xion or Roxas wanted, or even what was supposed to be good for the worlds. He had been using the Organization for his own ends from the start. The only thing that had changed in the meantime was who it was all for. Maybe Saïx would call that a betrayal. But his world had changed.

It doesn’t sound like Axel’s willingness to kill had anything to do with Subject X or finding information about her. It sounds like Axel was wiling to kill for Saïx. He and Saïx wanted to take over the organization for Saïx’s sake.

What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it’s just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

When Axel refused to do what Saïx wanted and left the organization, he apparently didn’t need him anymore. And Saïx couldn’t handle that.

Yes, I thought you didn’t need me anymore. If you didn’t need me, then I no longer held meaning.

Of course, Axel’s motivation was retconned in KH3. Instead of Isa being his reason for staying in the organization, it became Subject X/Skuld. And along with that change, Axel’s role as an assassin was whitewashed. Maybe the idea of the fan-favorite Axel being happily willing to ruthlessly murder people didn’t seem appropriate anymore. Especially if it was no longer not for his best friend, but for a girl who is basically a stranger to him. I dunno. But I think it’s BS.

Dancer

A warrior who dances across the battlefield, garbed in colorful raiments. Tends to have low stats and specializes in support magic.

Demyx was a dancer.

DemyxFrom the beginning he was created as a light-hearted character, but his voice actor really made him stand on his own as a character despite the short appearances he had. He is by no means strong, so I think it’s funny how you don’t see it coming when his abilities make him a formidable opponent. His line before exiting was something I thought of on the spot and had them add in.–Nomura

He is described as not very strong. We never got to see him as a human, but he was probably a performer.

Gambler

(Bakuto, 博徒) were itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century. They were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza. Bakuto plied their trade in feudal Japan, playing traditional games such as hanafuda and dice. They were mostly social outcasts who lived outside the laws and norms of society.

Luxord has still not received a backstory. I think we can tell a lot about him with this, though.

LuxordIn all honesty he is my absolute favourite Organisation member. I like how he treats everything as a gamble, like Setzer from FFVI of old. I actually wanted to make him stand out more. At least I got him to say some things during the meeting scene added to KH2 FM+… but Luxord should have been able to do so much more…–Nomura

Nomura wanted to do more with him.

The nation of Lucis was said to have worked akin to a mafia crime family since the nation’s ancient beginnings, and despite its peace was said to have engaged in strict rule, including a ban on firearms and a lockdown in the capitol city. Noctis was the crown prince, and Regis the current king. Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto—Noctis’s team members—acted as his entourage akin to a Yakuza kyodai-shatei structure.

Maybe his gambler/bakuto job is the reason why he’s apparently going to have a connection to the Verum Rex world. In Re:Mind, Yozora’s driver sounded like Luxord. And Luxord’s wild card is apparently going to be what helps Sora return.

Reaper

Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper causes the victim’s death by coming to collect that person’s soul. Other beliefs hold that the Spectre of Death is only a psychopomp, serving to sever the last ties between the soul and the body, and to guide the deceased to the afterlife, without having any control over when or how the victim dies.

The Reaper and Ninja Nobodies were introduced in KH3. I think Marluxia’s intentions were supposed to be known by the time KH3 started. He wanted to bring his sister back. That’s why he wanted to control Sora and the Keyblade and take over Castle Oblivion. That’s something that should have been explored in the Dark Seeker Saga, explaining how Marluxia became a vessel. Maybe Xehanort convinced him that if he helped open Kingdom Hearts, he could reunite with his sister.

Ninja

A ninja (忍者) was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included espionage, deception, and surprise attacks. Their covert methods of waging irregular warfare were deemed dishonorable and beneath the honor of the samurai.

Larxene’s backstory is a Keyblade wielder from the age of fairy tales. But why was she a knife wielding ninja archetype character? What was her life like before she became a Nobody and tried to take over Castle Oblivion? How did she get so twisted and when did her hatred of men develop? What is the nature of her feelings for Marluxia? That’s what I wanna know.

[svitia]

hi hello hey here’s a couple of quick oc run downs while i still set everything up

◈ clovis is bazett’s cousin that took over the fraga family when bazett left. after hearing word that bazett died, clovis summons berserker (alter cu chulainn) to fight in the holy grail war; only there’s a lot of shit wrong going on. clovis suffers from a lot of insecurity & abandonment issues as well as abuse she dealt with as a child. 

◈ elisaviol is a homunculus created by the gressil family using a mix of alchemy and necromancy. the gressil’s are a small magus family that held a lot of hatred towards the eizberns. her existence in stay night kicks off an early apocrypha war.

◈ seri is basically a gudako replacement in fate/grand order. though, their personalities are completely different.

◈ athanasia is the daughter of leonardo in an alternate universe and master in the fate/extra setting.

◈ sae is the lieutenant of the 13th division and an anomaly. they were found one day in one of the districts in rukongai because of their insanely large reiatsu. it was a bit of goose chase for awhile as sae learned to conceal their reiatsu and hide away in the woods with a couple of orphans they picked up. they were caught not long after taking an asauchi off a shinigami in order to protect one of the kids they picked up. sae is a genius despite their laziness & habit of falling asleep in the craziest place; they tend to gear more towards long range than short range. 

◈ tsuyoshi was born through one of orochimaru’s experiments with hatake and tenro (not based on the game) dna. they escaped the lab they were stationed at with their older half brother shitsurai and caretaker mitori at the age of 5 but were found and taken in by konoha’s anbu and placed in (incredibly) kakashi’s care. they have a kouton (steel release).

◈ silla mysterious student and leader of the white dragon house which is aligned with the church. seems to be related to rhea in some way. 

◈ sigyn known more commonly on asgard as hylla who grew in the realm of light elves, alfheim, as the half-elf, half-asgardian daughter of freya and eldrinn. her mother, who once trained and led the valkyries, fled to alfheim in sorrow and grief after hela’s massacre. freya fell in love with king eldrinn, eventually having hylla. hylla was loved and adored by her mother, father and the people of alfheim. she is bound to loki by fate. when she becomes the asgardian equivalent of 18 she moves to asgard. as her mother’s daughter she’s skilled in the art of magic and war. 

◈ kira a powerful psionic mutant taken into xavier's school for gift children at a young age. her power rivals jean grey's, whom kira dates in their teenage years. she's the host for the cosmic entity kishin who amplifies her powers. kishin originally wished to destroy the world; feeding on kira's hatred for it when she was younger due to the abuse she'd gone through and the societal stigmatism against mutants- but as kira grows older and learns to be more of a person instead of a weapon, loving the world and all the good in it, kishin's morality shifts along with her. kira travels the world with logan.

◈ asha an omega level mutant with the power to create, shape, and manipulate aura; she was found by charles during the events of the movie first class using the cerebro. asha is extremely protective of the younger mutants brought in and acts as something like the team mom. out of all the recruits, she seems to be the one to have the most control over her powers and isn't afraid of them either, making her a powerful asset. her abilities allow for an incredible wide range of capabilities from enhance her own and other's strength to healing to telepathy and so on. her powers are based off the seven chakras.

◈ astaroth is a fallen archangel now archdemon of hell and twin sibling of asmodeus as well as the older sibling of the archangel anael. lives on earth with john constantine. they can shapeshift between male and female forms depending on their mood. goes by the human names venus and david constantine. asmodeus and them are able to grant wishes similar to djinn (judaism) and are the embodiment of lust.

◈ lyta demigod daughter of ares. spent a lot of her life unknowingly feeding off the anger of other people until it drove her mad. lived her life as a pawn for her father's plans to destroy wonder woman but wanted to part of it. after a long drawn out fight with wonder woman ending her lyta's defeat, she disappeared and was never heard of again for months. she turned up again, alongside red hood, starfire and arsenal, joining their team of outlaws. her and jason are currently in a relationship as well as the both of them flirting with tim drake. lyta has similar powers to her father; superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and endurance, being able to summon and control any weapon, as well as minor necromancy.

◈ nezha born zahra al ghul, known among the league of assassins as al sahira. the daughter of ra's al ghul. her parents sold her to ra's in order to repay debts they owed and growing up under the assassin's tutelage is all she's ever known. she's a decade younger than talia but the two were often pitted against each other and grew to see the other as nothing but competition. before damian was born, nezha was an unfeeling killing machine who held no remorse for her targets. unlike talia who seemed to grow no maternal instincts during the birth of her son damian, nezha grew it in her stead. nezha became extremely doting and protective of damian and in the process gained a something of a conscious and a moral compass. nezha later swore her allegiance to damian, acting as a retainer for the young boy as well as something of an older sister figure in his life. she helped damian to gotham and with meeting his father. when damian became robin, nezha stayed with him at the wayne mansion. 

◈ azrael deserter of heaven. she loved michael and lucifer so much their fight brought her to depression. during the war she faked her death and hid among humans for centuries. azrael resurfaces after fallen in love with a sickly human; bending laws in order to keep him alive. sadly because she was attracting the attention of heaven and hell & she was pregnant with a nephilim, azrael had to part ways with her human and allow him to die. leaving her and her son to travel the world hiding from angels and demons. 

◈ marcia formerly from a big and notorious hunting family, the clarks, marcia went into hiding to live a normal life after finding out her mother was actually her aunt and that her birth mother died in order to fulfill azrael contract and make marcia one of the special children who would become apart of lucifer’s army. marcia was unknowingly given small doses of demon blood all throughout her life until she turned 18 and found out the truth. when she left her family she went to school to become a doctor. when her husband dies from a demon attack, she goes back to hunting.

◈ bilith was once considered the weakest of the princes of hell until she developed a bit of cannibalistic tendencies towards demonkind. she gets stronger the more she absorbs other demons; taking their powers as well. bilith never had an interest in human souls, and only cared about knowledge and strength. she’s the only demon who’s been on earth the longest, making contracts with witches, hunters and humans alike but instead of their souls she’d traded them for a valuable/powerful item; growing her collection of trinkets. during her time on earth she developed an order of hunters that focuses on collecting magical artifacts known as the shield of saint benedict (who was known to protect against moral corruption and supernatural dangers)-- to outsiders they claim they are protecting humanity from dangerous magic items but in truth they hand them over to bilith in exchange for favors, these hunters capture any demons they hunt and bring them back for bilith to absorb. bilith doesn’t damn the hunters to hell either or bother taking their souls, the items they bring her sufficing for they’re deals. still, with all the powers she’s gained over the years she’s still rightfully terrified of lucifer, lilith and azazel and despite her confidence is quite a coward when it comes to them. 

[murdertrialimagines]

Failed Surprises

“Hello, I'm really loving your blog and hope you're having a great day! I was wondering if I could please request Kokichi, Rantaro, Nagito, Gundham, Hajime, and Makoto with a male S/O who they're each trying to surprise (or maybe prank in Kokichi's case haha) but but their attempts end up going terribly yet hilariously wrong because the S/O was trying to surprise/prank them as well?”

I love this trope not gonna lie! Sorry if they seem a bit repetitive!

Imagine: Trying and failing to surprise their S/O because they also set up a surprise with M! S/O

Kokichi Oma

Kokichi was bored

Really bored.

Days like this where neither him or Y/n had anything errands usually consisted of laying around the house, watching t.v. or getting into a heated board game

They had been doing that for hours when Y/n decided he needed to go to the store and pick up a few things

Kokichi, being the mischievous kid he is, saw this as the perfect opportunity to scare him

When Y/n called to say he was on his way home, Kokichi went to their room and hid in the closet, ready to jump out when his boyfriend walked in

After a few minutes, he heard the door open and someone drop some bags near the door. He then heard some shuffling and some more doors shutting, before total silence

Kokichi tried to wait, but with how impatient he is, felt like he had been in their closet for hours

He had really been in there for fifteen minutes but

With a huff, he got out and swung open the bedroom door

“Y/n, this is no fun! I was supposed to scare you!”

He looked around, and realized he was talking to an empty house

“Y/n? Did you finally run away? Or maybe you were kidnapped by a rival secret organization!”

He heard some muffled laughter come from the kitchen, and went to investigate

“Did I hear someone? Maybe an assassin?”

He swung open the cabinet under the sink with his foot, and Y/n tumbled out

“Y/n! This isn’t fair! I was supposed to scare you!”

Y/n got up and brushed himself off, laughing. “I saw you weren’t in here so I wanted to scare you too!”

Kokichi sighed and gently leaned on his S/O

“Oh how could you ever?! I am but a sad, fragile boy!”

Y/n laughed, patting Kokichi on the back

“Sure you are. Now, help me unpack the groceries”

“Ughhhh!”

Rantaro Amami

Rantaro knew how much Y/n wanted to go see their favorite band in concert, but knew he could never afford the tickets

Which is why Rantaro bought them for him

He had planned the whole thing out, he would pretend to take Y/n out to a nice dinner date, and surprise him with tickets, which he must say, had some good seats

But everything halted when Y/n said that they had a family dinner that night, and that they both needed to go

To say he was disappointed would be an understatement, but knew that they had to go to family events

Except they weren’t.

Rantaro was actually pretty close with his boyfriends family, and called his mom and explained the situation

She laughed and told him that yes, it was fine

So when the night came, Y/n and Rantaro were dressed up nice for the family dinner, which they weren’t attending

Rantaro had brought a bag of regular clothes, which contained band tees and a few bottles of water, while Y/n had their overnight bag for the dinner

When they got in the car, Rantaro started driving, saying he needed to make a stop first to get something from the store

When they pulled into the parking lot of the concert, Y/n looked at Rantaro, eyes wide

“I know, we have to go to your family dinner, but I talked to your mom and-”

Y/n stopped him by rummaging through their overnight bag, pulling out two slips of paper

“This isn’t fair! I was supposed to surprise you once we actually got to my moms!”

Rantaro, is very confused.

“What?”

“I won two front row tickets! I made up the family dinner so you could go to my moms, where I’d surprise you there!”

“But...I bought two tickets, and called your mom and said we’d have to cancel...”

Y/n stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, Rantaro following them

“We’re idiots, huh?”

“Yep.”

After they finished laughing they both started pulling out the regular clothing so they could go change

Rantaro spoke up

“I hope you know we’re definitely using your tickets”

Nagito Komada

Nagito prayed luck was on his side today

It was his and Y/n’s anniversary, but his boyfriend seemed to have forgotten

Perfect

Since they hadn’t yet moved in together, Nagito wanted to set up a perfect dinner date in his own home 

He recruited Teruteru to help cook the meal, and began setting up the perfect date for him and his boyfriend

Dim lighting, amazing food, their favorite movie, and all the pillows and blankets anyone would ever want for a perfect night of cuddling

After he had made his house perfect and wished Teruteru goodbye, he texted Y/n, asking him to come over

‘Hey, Y/n, can you come over and help me move my bed? I am super weak and I need someone strong like my S/O’

‘Nagito, I actually need you to come here. My dog got out and I cant find him!’

Crap.

Nagito knew how much he loved his dog, hell, Nagito loved that dog!

Nagito sighed and picked up his keys, this date would have to wait another hour

When he got to Y/n’s house all the lights were turned off and he didn’t see his boyfriend anywhere

“Y/n? Where are you? Did you find Sushi?”

He knocked on the door, surprised when it opened on the first knock

“Surprise!” 

“What?”

All of their friends were there, streamers and a huge banner that read; ‘Happy Anniversary!’

“You thought I forgot, huh? I thought we could have a big party, since it’s also the day that we all first hung out outside of school!”

Shoot, he forgot about that

He saw Teruteru in the background, shit eating grin on his face

He’ll have to kill him later

“Y/n, I really appreciate this, but I kinda had a surprise date waiting at my house...”

Y/n’s face dropped

“Oh no! I’m so sorry Nagito”

“I-it’s fine! What better way to spend the evening than with everyone? We could always just go back to my house after everyone leaves here.”

Y/n smiled again and pulled Nagito into the house

‘this is a good day’

Gundham Tanaka

Gundham knew the perfect way to surprise his boyfriend for his birthday

What better gift than something they both love?

Gundham had been looking at animal shelters for weeks trying to find the perfect puppy to bring into their home

Until, two days before his S/O’s birthday, he found the one

A beautiful baby chocolate lab that practically jumped on him when he first went to pet it

This boy’s heart melted instantly

And he knew his other boy’s heart would too

He planned to get him the next day, but when he came back, the dog was gone

“Sorry, this dog was adopted by someone this morning, but we have plenty of other dogs if you want to look!”

Gundham thanked the nice lady at the counter and started his stroll home, sulking about his missed opportunity

‘Maybe I could him something else to make up for it?’

Gundham started towards the store, picking up ingredients to make a cake and banner

When he got home, he realized he, in fact, didn’t know how to make cake

He tried his best though!

Which was a little lopsided, and having put the icing on too early, a little melted.

He put the banner up, but having realized they had no tacks or scotch tape, he had to settle for duct tape

Finally, he just had to wait for Y/n to get home

When he got home, his boyfriend was sitting on the floor, holding cake away from his dark devas of destruction

“Gundham, what are you doing?”

“I wanted to get you a surprise for your birthday, but since I couldn’t get what I wanted to get you, I tried to make a cake and put up a banner but...”

Gundham looked down at Y/n’s feet, seeing a small creature

“Y/n, what is that?”

“Well, my birthday is tomorrow, and I wanted to get a gift we can both love!”

The chocolate lab jumped from Y/n’s grasp on his leash, bounding towards Gundham, and inevitably, the cake.

It jumped right on it, causing an impact of cake on Gundham, the dog, his hamsters, and the floor

Everything dead silent until the banner fell off the wall

Y/n was the first to break the silence, laughing and going to get a couple towels for his boyfriend

He helped Gundham clean up the cake explosion and hang up the banner once more

Gundham nearly died when Y/n hugged him tightly

“Don’t worry, this was perfect”

Hajime Hinata

There was no occasion, Hajime just wanted to do something nice for his boyfriend

He planned to go to the store, get some nice drinks, a good meal, and the perfect movie for them to watch for the night

Except when he went to the store to get the drinks, Nagito was there, and needed some help finding something

While helping Nagito, they ran into Mikan, quite literally, who crashed into an isle and knocked down dozens of boxes of macaroni and cheese

They helped Mikan up, and before Hajime could say a word, Nagito claimed that he was gonna go find Mikan a doctor and walked off, leaving Hajime to clean the whole place to himself

Right when he finished, he got a phone call

“...Hello?”

“Hajime? It’s Chiaki, can you come over? Akane and Nekomaru are sparring in my backyard and they keep breaking thi- hey! Stop! Please come!” He heard a crash, which was silenced with a ‘click’ of the call ending

He rushed over to Chiaki’s apartment, finding the door wide open, yelling coming from the back

“Chiaki?”

“Please help! Peko’s here too!”

He walked inside to see it looking normal, but the backyard looked like a tornado has swung through

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, watching Nekomaru and Akane spar, breaking vases and trampling a small garden

“Akane, Nekomaru, what are you doing?”

“We’re training, what does it look like?”

“Could you maybe do it in the park, or your own house?”

“You always need to learn how to fight in new spaces!” Nekomaru shouted, ducking a flying kick from his opponent

At that moment, Peko grabbed Akane midair and threw her to the floor, earning a huff of air from the fallen girl

“Foul move, Peko!”

Akane got up and brushed herself off, before running out of the house

Nekomaru followed, yelling for her to continue the fight

Peko said her goodbyes and left, while Chiaki and Hajime cleaned

“Sorry for the inconvenience, calling you over when you couldn’t help”

“It’s fine, I just really wanted to do something for Y/n today, but I guess I can try tomorrow”

“Well, how about I walk you home, and we can pick up some food on the way?”

“Thanks Chiaki”

They finished cleaning and they went back to the store, picking up some food platters and drinks

When they got to Hajime’s place, the whole house was dark

“Aw shoot, is he already asleep?”

Suddenly all the lights turned on, banners, streamers and balloons littering the house

“SURPRISE!”

“What?”

All of his friends were there, wearing party hats, a cake on the table that read ‘Happy Birthday Hajime”

oh

OH

Y/n broke through the crowd. 

“Chiaki, did you bring the food?”

Chiaki held up the bags of food they just purchased “Yep!”

“Thank you! Happy birthday Hajime!” Y/n hugged him

“T-thank you...”

“Wait...don’t tell me you forgot your own birthday!”

He gave a sheepish smile and Y/n shook his head

“Dummy...”

“How about we get the party started!” Shouted Ibuki, jumping on the couch

“I don’t see why not!”

Makoto Naegi

Makoto his is boyfriend Y/n were officially in an all out prank war

They had done everything, from water guns to throwing flour bombs at each other

But today, Makoto planned to land the final blow

Having purchased the items needed to completely torment Y/n, which included lots of sticky notes, wrapping paper, and multiple alarm clocks, he hurried home to put his plan in motion

What he didn’t expect though, was to walk into the house and step onto a tarp, only to have a bucket of hot pink glitter fall on his head

He reached for the light switch, but instead of being greeted with light, he got the bright flashing on a disco ball and loud music

He stumbled into the house, only to trip on something resting on the floor

He fell and felt what seemed to be whipped cream hit his face

He heard laughing and the music and lights stop, only to look up and see his S/O, grinning and spraying him with neon green silly string

“Y/n!” He stood up and looked around, seeing the mess the living room was now in. “What happened?!” “I finished this prank war, that’s what happened!”

He ran to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, seeing a mess of white, pink, and green all over him

“I swear...I am going to get you back!”

“Well I think you need a shower first!” Y/n swiped a bit of whipped cream off his face and ate it

“You’re so lucky I love you”

________________________________________________________________

Sorry is this isn’t what you wanted, but it was really fun coming up with failed surprises, though I think Gundhams is a little obvious :)

[quvsvrs]

— °❖｡× ⌜pretty little...⌟

SECRETS — AN OOC LIST THAT I CAN’T BE ASSED TO PUT INTO AN INTRO/MUSE PAGE.

These secrets could be common knowledge amongst the players ( but not between any characters ) and they also could be new ones !!

FOREWARNING: there is triggering content in these secrets, please be wary and exercise caution when reading them !!

xanthos elder: he craves affection and the kind of love that only people who could disappear could have but struggles with never being able to have it.

ana sasaki: five years ago, there was a serial murder case that has since gone cold with a staggering thirty-six victims, the case belongs to her.

babylon lee: his main source of income is being a hitman for a vampire coven with the promise of becoming one to protect his family.

sweetpea byeol: though they knew they are a beauty to behold, they’re cursed to always see an ugly, rotten corpse staring back at them in the mirror.

justice ru: strange images flash through their mind during sleep mode, they seem like memories but they’re too apprehensive to tell anyone else.

gladiolus orr: his blood pumps slower than normal, too much gold in his veins and with the statue scare years ago, he struggles to keep up his energy.

leonidas pan: he’s scared of being alone but finds himself alone almost all of the time and is scared to go back to the ocean to never have human contact again.

kagari setsushi: they want to live a life as a normal teenager, for at least one day, before they live the rest of their existence swindling deals.

giselle ruan: she believes the reason she’s not like the other white ladies is because when she was murdered, she was carrying a child but told no one.

ari sullivan: has already forgiven the corrupt military compound for raising her corruptedly and wants parental affection from them desperately. 

corentin auster: he has since forgotten, but never wanted to be king and was intending on using the storm of the accident as an escape route.

hero rubia: he had given executive order to continue an unstable experiment with him as a volunteer, resulting in the accident that gave him his powers.

lovecraft quillon: before his discipline of being disembodied and then stitched together, his father would force him to listen to zarin’s own punishments.

garnet crimson: he accidentally murdered someone as a werewolf pup and his father took the blame and is now in prison for life. 

jubilee neuva: she pleaded innocent to a robbery that she did and had pinned it on another heist team member, thus imprisoning them. 

amalthea slade: despite being a priestess specializing in the liberation of dark magic in people’s hearts, practices dark magic themselves and has no heart.

zale reyes: he eats the hearts and steals the wealth of the poor, unfortunate souls that fall in love with him and they turn out not to be his true love.

morpheus viki: they have free will and are not bound by the three laws of robotics and will do anything to feel human emotion, specifically love.

vitaflora darling: she usurps her guardian duties to party outside of the summer court and challenges anyone who tries to stop her or tell on her.

kaisuke alder: his father is a plagiarizing scientist, emotionally and financially abusing him until he decided to run away with no plan.

zion creed: he killed his entire noble bloodline in the blind anguish of his parents killing his impure wife and child that he had hid from them for years.

seneca han: she stalked anyone who stole from her store and if she deemed them as vile, she murdered them and ate their livers.

river ulysses: he doesn’t trust his father and is leading an investigation against him to uncover his corrupt agreements and underhanded executive deals.

euphemia young: she comes from a secret society of women assassins who also dabble into genetic experimentation, thus how she got her powers.

joseph borealis: he’s a very closeted gay and paints himself as a ladykiller to hide it from his homophobic old western ranger parents.

kohl boogdonavic: they investigated their birth, their mother was a prostitute who was bitten by a vampire before she went into labour but still didn’t survive.

mona dorrance: she derives sensual pleasure from genuine gambling and is willing to gamble her life and anyone else’s she can grab her hands on.

channing drakul: their brain has been implanted into a genetically mutated beast because of attempted murder by a rival gang, they use a human avatar.

amelie dan: her husband was murdered two years ago and pretends her mourning is spending frivolously when in reality, it’s murder sprees.

kalliste van amstel: she doesn’t want to be a sea monster and is trying to find a way to change herself from a scylla to a human like the little mermaid. 

shae kyd: he comes from an abusive, alcoholic home and escaped to the sea and hates himself for falling into the same addictive patterns as his parents.

riordan genovese: he blames himself for his father’s untimely death and parties to forget his grief and mourning and soon-to-be responsibilities.

sugarplum min: she doesn't want to admit she still loves her mother even after she was convicted of luring, then murdering and eating children.

wisteria howlite: they’re scared of humans, having been caged and starved by them as a child to hone their hunting skills. they’ve since broken free of them.

sia aquino: she doesn’t intend on returning to her kingdom, knowing that she’s to marry whomever her parents had arranged for her.

neo traka: he’s lonely and really curious about the world he crash-landed on as an infant but believes it’s his divine destiny to conquer it before the argenti.

chocho kunori: she’s an addict to alcohol, marijuana, and mdma and is often under the influence of one of the three at almost all times.

roan lao: he doesn’t think he’s good enough of a magic user to be a sage and his insecurity leads him to daydream about modern life.

maximillian chung: his hypersexualization and excessive, riotous partying is the result of unresolved issues of being a servant of any underland dweller. 

june del basque: his villainous ways are extreme even for his taste but during times of chaos, drastic measures need to be taken for order and peace.

jangmi bae: she has a history of self-harm during long periods of losing competitions— they come in the form of bruises so it doesn’t scar.

xenon yong: his immaturity is a coping mechanism used to replicate the excessive coddling and mental abuse from his overbearing mother.

dani lucania: she believes dying to be a radiant adventure but stays alive to keep her sentient tower company for as long as she can.

aya doe: although only alive because of the wizard who created her from stone, she absolutely hates that man and has run away from his obsessions. 

amora vormir: she’s the sole survivor of a warlord’s invasion on her planet, but has since massacred the army and aims to rule over another planet.

ludwig ritchie: his family has a long history of espionage and currently works for the argenti resistance effort to monitor high-risk argenti targets.

carnelian seo: he’s struggling to keep his funds on a tight leash to keep his store running and a roof over his head as his sales are lowering each day.

bubbles kasady: although she did graduate high school, she didn’t score high enough to enter any post-secondary, despite boasting about it to her peers.

xiomara cygnus: her species is dying and she’s been given a mission by her mother to find a perfect mate; other elves her age were given the same task.

cassiopeia zeos: she’s a single mother because her blind lover was murdered as a revenge plot against her, thus her child doesn’t live with her.

ewan major: he’s attempting to resurrect his dead lover by making a deal with any demon that he comes across despite the dangers of it.

xiaobo zhou: in his blind rage of not being appointed master of his home temple, he had injured his two brothers so badly they were forced to retire.

icarus rune: his owner only kept him because he was given to him at birth and faced mental and physical abuse until he bought his freedom.

aaliyah novena: unable to age, she was once the young lover of a corrupted warlock who wanted her to live forever and kept her in a magical pendant.

asmodeus ven: before insanity, he feels his life was boring and pitiful and so believes everyone is one bad day away from becoming just like him.

geronimo orchard: though a talented runner in track, he also is a drug/potions mule or ‘runner’ because of pressure from his criminal older brother.

daiya monde: she doesn’t believe in purity and only keeps the ruse to have access to valuables and treasures otherwise hoarded away.

kiyoshi gin: she was actually heavily scorned by being banished from the hidden world but doesn’t let others see her anguish from being shut out.

denali whittle: he’s a host to a powerful symbiote, having made the fusion after having mistaken it for argenti slime while containing an infected zone.

qiang lu: he glitches in and out of existence, his mother killing his father after agreeing to have a demon child in order to experiment on his body.

[yuzuria]

taesachi, kagunobu, riza hawkeye

thx bio chan~

001 | taesachi

when I started shipping it if I did:

two years ago?? i saw a short drabble from a former following and it hooked me up instantly

my thoughts:

bitc they’re everywhere in canon and have a solid rship despite being not the focus which is unfortunate bc neither of them had a central arc but we’ve all been blind for years, they’re fucking and in love and only me and bio chan are enlightened ones

What makes me happy about them:

they’re rivals who bicker a lot like a married couple, harmless rivals to lovers is my jam, they will fight each other to death and will fight scum together like *winks* they teamed up to end some certain blondie in popularity poll arc

What makes me sad about them:

it’s the most underrated ship out there, so overlooked, ppl wouldn’t even spare it a glance bc again unfortunately neither of them had a central arc about their own character not their rship to some rando

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

there’s like 2 entries in ao3

things I look for in fanfic:

not much, i want sorachi himself to provide that content, also more 3z taesachi pls

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

nooope, they’re a solid otp for me

My happily ever after for them:

they move in together with tae quitting her cabaret work by opening her dojo and sacchan continues to work undercover and goes home late and they fuck

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

sacchan/tae

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

they cook together and make the humanity’s ultimate weapon

001 | kagunobu

when i started shipping it if i did: 

three years ago??? when i met aurora for sure

my thoughts:

blue/red combo, power couple, rivals to friends to lovers, shy lesbabes, strong sunshine/cool assassin, purest, also best aesthetic with older kagura, nobume is the ruthless cold swordswoman but mentally screaming and blushing when kagura compliments her??!?!?! good sshit

what makes me happy about them:

earth is a star of freedom!!!! i rlly love that nobume’s own arc was resolved with the help of kagura with them relating being bound by their origin and learning to gain freedom for oneself, it’s very sweet!! kagura calls nobume “nobutasu” in canon and im deceased

what makes me sad about them:

again an overlooked ship, and also there’s a discourse that uwu kagura is only 14 meanwhile nobume is 18 (it’s not even confirmed pals she’s like 16-17 at best) so it’s uwu uwu pedophilic and even if she’s at that age we both know she wouldn’t make a move on kagura until she’s in appropriate age bc neither of them are men

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

if there’s no improvement for over a year, there’s prob only 3 of them existing

things i look for in fanfic:

3z kagunobu.... transfer student nobume wearing a black sailor uniform with long skirts and nailed bat hell yeah

who i’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

maybe soyo for either of them, although i dont really care about kagusoyo nor soyonobu

my happily ever after for them:

space date and kagura showing nobume her home planet, they kill okita togetherm and they get a cat while shinpachi is occasionally their chaperone

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

they switch but mostly kagura/nobume... kagura kisses nobume’s nape tattoo... holy shit

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

sharing donuts and sukonbu in the park after a long sparring

002 | riza hawkeye

how i feel about this character:

one of my childhood favorites~ not into her as much as before but i still love her

all the people i ship romantically with this character:

no one but bio chan can get me into oririza anytime if she tries

my non-romantic otp for this character:

id love more friendship w winry, simple people is a beautiful short ep

my unpopular opinion about this character:

roy.ai sucks and neither of them has romantic feelings for each other

one thing i wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

maybe give her a moment and scene where she doesn’t mention roy, that’d be awesome

my otp: -

my cross over ship: -

a headcanon fact:

cant think of anything soz...

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Number 1333

Chapter 7/??

Summit: What happens if a mysterious prisoner joins the chaotic Cell 13? He is perfect for the Nanba Prison, his name is synonym of terror and cruelty; each time he was sent to a new prison, he broke out in less than an hour. Will the Nanba Prison succeed to keep him jailed or not…?

---

[Thanks for the waiting! The final event of the New Year's Tournament is about to begin!] Mitsuru's voice reaches even outside the arena, calling back the inmates, [Just like last year, it's a clash between Building 4 and Building 13! I'm looking forward to a heated battle again this year!]

Yamato decides to not wake Ayu up because he looked really tired, so he asks to Hajime to stay there a bit more. Not even Hitokoe's annoying voice could wake Number 33 up, he's sleeping deeply and little by little, his face starts to be more colorful and not that ghostly shade he had. Godai is a little curious about that inmate, he's known all around the globe, but he can't stand loud places and has a low stamina? That's shady, but the proofs are sit next to him, maybe he's sick? Wait, he has a very well-trained body, can he get sick so easily? It's because he felt the long travel from Norway to Japan?

Listening to the commentary, the last match is started, and everything seems going well. The time keeps his course, until Ayu suddenly wakes up scaring the life out of his guard.

<<W-what's wrong Number 33-kun?>> he asks catching his breath, that little guy really scared him.

<<Something bad is coming.>> Ayu looks at the arena and stands up, <<Let's go back.>> he runs but he almost fell on his butt because Yamato didn't move, "Eh? How strong is this guy?!" <<We need to go, now.>>

<<Hahahaha! Explain it to me first.>>

<<Listen, I don't want to use my strength to drag you along by force, so stand up and follow me.... p-please.>>

<<I got it.>>

During their way, Ayu unfortunately is pulled down by force many times because his guard walks in the wrong way, the chains of the handcuff aren't that long, so since Yamato is physically stronger, the poor Number 33 is losing his composure faster than he thought.

"I don't want to flip my switch on, that's gonna put me in a lot of troubles." thinks the inmate running, "And I don't want to lose the trust that my cellmates gave to me." they reach the bleachers, but that's not the right place, "Great, Yamato led us to the wrong wing." <<This way!>> Ayu begins to run again, <<Can't you go faster?>>

<<My apologies but this is my limit, Number 33-kun.>>

<<If you were an assassin, you would be dead on the first->> the arena shakes due to a strong impact, "What the f- Spontaneous human combustion?! Something really bad is coming!" <<Free me!>>

<<Now you're asking too much, Number 33-kun.>> says Yamato looking at the arena shocked, <<I can't free you, let's rejoin with the others.>>

<<There's no time! I don't want to put you in troubles because I run away, free me!>>

"I can clearly feel his feelings this time. Is he acting to be unchained?" the guard stares at the inmate, "In this chaos, I can't let him go." <<If I run faster, can we rejoin the others before the worst will happen?>>

<<If you reach my speed and let me fully lead you.>>

"It is bad for an officer to give so much trust to an inmate?" <<Go!>> as soon Yamato said that word, his body is dragged with so much power that it took him off guard, completely, "Is he so fast? Damn..." he struggles to follow his prisoner, he isn't surprised that no one could catch or chase him, but if he wants to avoid the worst, he must stick up with that, "I'll take it as a new training session."

In a bunch of minutes, they almost reach their destination, but the Number 33 doesn't look forward, his eyes are glued on the pile of ruins cut by something... and now a scary presence replaces the rocks.

"What.... What's going on?" he slows down when he rejoins with the others, but soon, a shocked expression takes over his face, "I've seen that form... Why Jyugo has his blade too? He knows my target?"

Jyugo walks out from the lay of dust and everyone stares at him scared. His shackles are gone, his arms turned into huge, sharp and black blades, his beautiful mismatched eyes turned into a vivid red, his neck and ankles are covered in a black material that looks really resistant....

<<Why do you want to find that man?>> asks Musashi amused that he forced his opponent to reveal himself, <<Is it to remove those shackles? Of course, it is. Once they see that form of yours, everyone will believe that you are monster.>>

"I won't forgive him..." Jyugo glares deadly at Musashi, he looks like a beast, "He bound me, took my freedom, and tampered with my body's structure.... I'm broken because of him!" <<It's all his fault!>> he raises his blade and slashes down strongly, tearing apart the ground and the arena in front of him.

[Emergency! All inmates must follow the guards' instructions and calmly evacuate!] even if Mitsuru said to stay calm, everyone runs in panic towards the exits, pushing each other, [Guess that's useless after they saw that attack.]

<<I'm alive...>> sighs relived Uno under Yamato's arm.

<<Are you all right?>> asks Godai, he saved everyone before the attack could hit them, Seitarou is safe too, and runs to help his coworkers in the evacuation, <<Be careful!>>

<<Hold on, where's Ayu?>> says Uno worried, <<Ayu! Ayu! A->>

<<There's no need to scream, I can hear you.>> he stares intensively at Jyugo and his rival, <<Yamato, give me a weapon, I'll stop them.>>

<<Are you crazy?! First of all, if you are behind us don't hide your presence, thank you very much!>> screams Uno scolding his friend, <<Second of all, the guards will take care of this->>

<<Shut up for a second, I'm thinking.>> his tone scared his cellmates, it's was a while since he didn't use that harsh and roaring voice, "Both of them are full of openings, I can take them down easily, the problems are the guards. If I want to stop Jyugo before he kills someone, the guards will stop me first, thinking that I'm going to kill them. What can I do?"

<<Apprehend those two!!>> the warder screams her orders and as Ayu predicted, all the guards are running towards Number 15 and Number 634, <<Their powers are beyond our comprehension! Capture them and reveal their identities!>>

The chaos is began, inside the ring there are the guards who tries to capture the inmates, while those two are fighting against each other and keep away the officers at the same time. Rock, Uno and Nico try to drag Ayu out, but the man doesn't move an inch from there; he keeps staring at the fight, as if he's planning to do something. Yamato encourages the inmates of the Cell 13 to evacuate because the fight is getting too heated, but they refuse to run away without helping Jyugo, and that feeling gets stronger after Yamato said that what both, Number 15 and Number 634 are doing, is going to be punished with a trial.

<<You should say that after you captured me, little dog!>> Musashi throws his fire ball creating a big wall of fire, <<I'm afraid I have no interest in weaklings->>

<<Then you don't have any problems with me, right?>> an oppressing voice sends a thrill of terror over the two inmates' back, that take distance from the origin of that voice, <<Don't make me use force, stop it right now.>>

<<Number 33, you bastard!!>> yells Hajime, <<Go back with the others!>> Number 634 sees shockingly that Gokuu and Kiji defended their coworkers successfully, <<I have enough of you!>>

<<Jyugo, if you stop now I'll tell you everything I know about the man that you're looking for.>> Number 15's eyes twitch at those words, <<There's no need to dirty your hands with blood. I will kill him for you.>>

<<Tell me what you know about him... Say it!!!>> Jyugo begins to cut everything again, but he can't hit Ayu not even once.

<<I attracted his attention, you better do your fucking job with the fire one.>> Ayu walks near the officers to leave the message and kicks the ground towards Jyugo to reduce the damages on the building.

The warden observes carefully everything and admits that Ayu's skills are divine, he doesn't receive the blade or block it, he just follows Jyugo's pace and guides his blades without the inmate notices it. But it gets harder because his cellmate won't listen to him and the guards are trying to capture him too.

<<Say it!! What do you know about him!!>>

"He's in berserk, should I knock him down now?" suddenly, Yozakura's whip grabs his neck and pulls him back, Hajime shoots to force him to follow that way, while Gokuu and Kiji keep watching over Musashi, <<What the hell are you doing? I'm helping you.>>

<<You're the most dangerous one, Number 1333!>> says Kenshiro with his deep voice, <<We won't let you do as you want!>>

<<Don't you see that I don't have wills to harm.>> Sugoroku aims to his arm and shoots without regrets, <<I hope you're kidding me...>> Ayu doesn't seem to feel the bullet that just hit him, <<Where are you aiming, you idiot. Oi woman, say something to your stupid dogs!>>

While the supervisor of the Building 4 is holding Ayu in place, Hajime starts to shoot an entire magazine to Number 15, but he easily cut the bullets.

<<Let me go, Yozakura Kenshiro.>> roars Number 33, <<If you care for your life, free me from this toy.>>

<<There are bits of anesthetic needles embedded in my whip. Even the most savage beast will be calmed for a time. You won't go anywhere, Silent Death.>>

"I'm getting pissed... Should I kill him? These people aren't at my level anyway." Ayu falls on his knees and thinks, "No, if I kill a guard, a trail will convict me to death as well, I need to meet that man before I die... After I end his life, I'll quit being an assassin and start a new life."

<<Oi, oi... Hajime is mercilessly...>> comments Rock watching the development of the event, <<He shot even at Ayu.>>

<<They're dead serious...>> adds Uno sweating for the pressure, "Ayu joined the fight and we couldn't stop him, he completely erased his presence and moved without any sound... The guards are ready to kill if the inmates don't want to listen... Now, not only Jyugo, but even Ayu is in danger..." <<Jyugo!!>> instinctually, Uno runs towards the center of the fight, ready to help his friends.

<<You guys! What the hell are you->> Hajime is hushed by Number 11's shout.

<<Rock! Go behind him on his left side and grab his right arm first!>> Number 69 obeys but his friends went completely crazy, so Nico hits him behind the neck to knock him down but it doesn't work, <<Jyugo... I know all your habits, since we have been together for a long time.>>

Ayu tries again to free himself without using too much power, but it's useless, <<Oi woman.>> that change of voice attires Momoko's attention right away, <<If you care for your subordinates' lives, order them to let me go. If not, this prison will become a pool of blood in a few minutes.>>

<<Rock! Nico!>> Number 11's scream moves Ayu's attention to him, Jyugo took Uno as his new target.

"Now I remember what this feeling is. Being powerless in front of a tragedy, someone is hurting the people that care for me as much as I do. That was the sensation of before... Fine, I'll do it. It's been a while since I flipped my switch on, but I must save Uno and the others..."

---Continue...

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

[jbillusionthoughts]

Stealth Mission Log Zero: A propisition

Beeop. A screen flickered to life in front of an elf in a dark room, with scarcely enough light to illuminate the elf who sat in front of a monitor. He looked a little worse for wear. His eyes were bloodshot, almost all the shine from his blue eyes was lost in a mire of exhaustion. His medium length hair had seemed to have been slicked back, but was now a mess of stray hairs and possibly singed ends. The perpetual scowl on his face slightly tipped upwards as the screen came into focus, to show a woman, who was in far better shape than he.

Beeop. A screen flickered to life in front of an elf in a dark room, with scarcely enough light to illuminate the elf who sat in front of a monitor. He looked a little worse for wear. His eyes were bloodshot, almost all the shine from his blue eyes was lost in a mire of exhaustion. His medium length hair had seemed to have been slicked back, but was now a mess of stray hairs and possibly singed ends. The perpetual scowl on his face slightly tipped upwards as the screen came into focus, to show a woman, who was in far better shape than he.

She had platinum blonde hair, a highlight of purple sparking itself up from the very roots at her forehead to the crest of hair at the very top of her dew. The sides were shaved immaculately. Two metal plates framed a metal plug that jutted just so slightly out of her skull. Her datajack. She was clad in a tight leather number, that exposed cleavage, and her shoulders. The elf didn’t roll his eyes until he took in the rest of her ensemble. The problem was the dog cone that wrapped around her neck and almost reached her chin. “Decker fashion”, was all that the elf could think about before he was drawn to her most startling feature. Her hazel eyes hadn’t lost their charm. Gleaming like gems the man knew he was about to get an offer he frankly couldn’t refuse.

“You look like Drek”, were the first words to come out of her mouth.Smiling she rested her chin in an open gloved palm and chuckled. In response he held up his hand, bloody bandages wrapped around his palm, intersecting between his fingers and motioned to turn off the monitor. “ Stealth, wait”, Monika yelled, just as the elves lanky finger touched the power button. “Listen, I was looking for you.”

“A lot of people are looking for me”, his voice was cold almost emotionless a stark contrast to his friend whose mirth seemed to know no bounds.

“Glad I could catch you then. I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m busy at the moment if you couldn’t tell.”

She thrust a pointed a pointed index finger at the screen and smiled. “Exactly Stealth. I know the whole lone wolf thing get’s you all the slitches you could want. But, not practical.”

A small chuckle issued from Stealth. One that he quickly suppressed, but the decker on the other side of the screen knew she had.

“I’m running a team out here in the Flux state part of Berlin. What their doing out here is beautiful. The corps don’t run anything. The Yaks and go-gangs are always losing or gaining ground. No one’s on top. It’s not just the perfect place to run, but you could be a part of something greater than….” She trailed off just as Stealth motioned again towards the power button.

“I don’t care about that Monika. You know that. After my Corp burned me I went into business. FOR. MY. SELF.”

The previously melodious voice took on a darker tone as the woman responded mockingly.

“That’s why you look like drek. Run went south. Johnson turned on you. Not to mention, the three teams they’ve got on your ass.”

“Three” he asked.

“Yeah, three” she replied all the vitriol out of her tone. “They hired another one today. They're new, composed of mostly gangers, but they specialize in wetwork.”

“Anything else you find out?”

Monika raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms across her chest, her face in mock annoyance. “I’m a decker Stealth and since it’s all business with you. You’re gonna have to pay me for anything else.”

Despite his bloodshot eyes the elf seemed to be reenergized. His eyes more awake and his posture reflected it. It was as if he was in a boardroom about to close a deal with a client.

“Fine. I could pay you when I’m out of this kludge.” He spoke, monitoring every muscle twitch on the woman’s face. Disappointment, but acceptance. “Or”, her face filled with hope. “I could work with you. I’ll owe you a few. But, if I’m not impressed with your quality of work. I reserve the right to quit. No questions asked….and now cyber stalking.”

Monika held her fingers up crossed, “I didn’t even have to show you the charts! It’s a deal! except for the cyber part. It’s fun following up on you. I could sell a trid script about you and make millions.”

“Then I’d have to k”, just as he was about to respond the door to his room was bashed in, pieces of synth-wood. A muscled ork with giant tattoos crisscrossing his tusked face. Grinning like a wage slave who’d just been promoted he pointed his room sweeper and lined up his shot. Before Ms. Schafer could even utter a phrase of warning, a bright light closely followed by a bang issued forth from the dark recesses of the room. The would-be assassin fell back, blood streaming down his face from the newly formed hole in his head. Within seconds Stealth was up standing over his would-be attacker, pistol in hand, checking to make sure he was dead. A small drone with a gun positioned on top of its chassis wheeled forwards, ready to fire on any who dared try to sneak up on its controller.

“Monika”, his words brought her out of her shock. “Information.”

“Yeah”, was the reply as her hands rapidly typed on the keyboard in front of her.

“He’s an Ork, right?”

“Yeah, tatted face likes room sweepers.”

“Names Jack-Be-Quick. Guess he wasn’t quick enough.”

Stealth just rolled his eyes, not even acknowledging the pun.

“What gang and are there any other enemies affiliated with their enemies?”

A quick search gave the decker what she needed.

“Jack belongs to an ork group that has issues with the Ancients and the Cutters. There are two former cutters who are the first team that was hired against you. An elf and an ork.”

“Good”, the elf responded and he searched the dead body, finding a knife. He then began making quick incisions on the body. He could feel the decker begin to protest, so he explained as he went about his bloody work. “The cutters are known for, cutting people. I’ve seen some of their work. If I can make it look like a cutter did it, then I can at least move suspicion from me to one of their rivals. While their busy killing each other or at the very least leery of the other groups. Then I can either evade or deal with the second group.”

Monika couldn’t doubt his reasoning, but the visible look of disgust on her face said it all. Just when he finished his work another sound issued forth from the area. It was a person asking if Jack had killed the keeb. Silently Stealth got up, looked at the screen and spoke, this time his voice a hushed whisper.

“I’ll send you a message when I’m finished, so you can send me those graphs. I’m going to have to do something on the plane ride over.”

Monika smiled, her eyes gleaming again. “Sure thing Ace”, she said, before cutting the transmission. Stealth finally smiled as he slinked through the shadowy corridors of the abandoned building he’d made his home. It had been a long time since he’d been called that.