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Xochi Excerpt from "The Rise and Fall of the Heczihuanti Empire, Vol. IX, Chapter 23" It takes a very particular combination of decadence, sadism, and arrogance to take an entire race of sentient beings as pets. Unfortunately, these qualities were all quite clearly manifest in Emperor Xochipili, and where goes the emperor, so goes the empire. Contemporary records suggest that it was on a whim that he ordered his court magician, Itzli, to capture and shackle an Atzoatl, and that the reason for his request was less because he actually wanted an Atzoatl, but rather because he wanted to set Itzli an impossible task, that he might have pretext to have him executed (this execution would take place regardless soon after in any case). Itzli proved up to the challenge, however, and so the emperor had his pet. At this point, it would help to digress from history a moment to discuss the Atzoatl. Though they were clearly intelligent on a level on par with the Heczihuanti, and records indicate that they did have a language and culture of their own, they never established a civilization as historians would recognize it--the only written records of their existence are Heczihuanti in origin. Likely, their lack of limbs was not conducive to the building of empires, nor was their typical river habitat. They were snakelike elementals composed of pure water, were perhaps as long as your arm, and were quite difficult to spot, much less catch. How Itzli caught them is unknown, but pictoral evidence shows that before an Atzoatl was suitable as a pet, it had to be bound with a series of elaborately inscribed shackles, to weaken it and maintain its form. The emperor was instantly entranced by the beauty of his new pet, and soon took to bringing it with him everywhere. It soon became a status symbol to perpetually have an Atzoatl on one's person, their bindings serving as a sort of horrific fashion statement. Although Xochipili executed Itzli for spreading the secret of the bindings, he took no action against those who had followed his lead, and in fact encouraged the practice. Soon, entirety of the Atzoatl had been captured and bound. Even more unfortunately for them, though, Xochipili's Atzoatl, Xochi, one day vanished without a trace. When it could not be located, Xochipili flew into a rage, and demanded all other Atzoatl be killed. Over the course of but a few years, the Heczihuanti had casually wiped out an entire culture for the sake of a passing fad. Long Ago, To One Historian Xochi slithered along in the gutter, the rainfall playfully dropping onto his back, sloshing around him as it carried him onwards. He would be found, he knew. Brought back to the palace and its stuffiness, made to watch the displays of death, lust, and bloodshed with which Xochipili amused himself. But for now, he was outside and in his element, and for a short time at least, he could feel clean and unpolluted again. Without warning, the narrow stone of the gutter tightened around him, and suddenly gave way to raw clay and damp earth. Xochi reared up in shock, and found himself in the midst of a tiny trickle of water in a sea of short yellow grass. No... he looked more closely. What he had thought to be short undergrowth was tall, waving grass. And what he had thought to be a trickle was a stream--and he filled it completely. He considered this for a moment. He was still shackled. Whatever craft Itzli had worked, it did not seem that it could be undone, even by whatever had just transpired. But still... he was free. Mortal Qualities Waterborne [+4]: The Atzoatl always had a deep connection with the rivers that were their home, and Xochi is no different. Although he cannot (naturally) control water remotely, is he amorphous, the exact composition of an Atzoatl has always been fluid, and Xochi can manipulate water within his body to accomplish a variety of effects, from healing himself to unleashing devastating focused sprays. Itzli's Last Words [+2]: Although he was part of a truly monstrous society, and met an untimely demise, Itzli was an unparalleled magician. Although he had initially forged Xochi's current shackles as an extravagant gift as a desperate last hope to regain Xochipili's favor, when his doom became clear to him, he instead used them as a last chance to pass on his knowledge to some far-flung future generation. Countless magical formulas are described within the inscriptions on Xochi's shackles, and some of this knowledge has begun to leak into the elemental's head. Divine Qualities God of the Flowing Waters [+2]: Atzoatl were elementals of the rivers, and this is even more true for Xochi now than it was before. He faintly feels a tie to all fresh-waters, from bubbling brook, to mighty river, to life-bringing rain. He can channel and reroute these waters, digging new paths where none existed before, bringing life to once-dry lands. For all that he is strong within his domain, he is not a master of all that is wet--at the river's mouth, where it feeds into the Great Salt, it is as though there is a wall, denying him or his influence passage. Drawback Empathy [-2]: Xochi has been forced to bear witness to some of the greatest heights and sheerest depths of decadence. He cannot bear to face such depravity again. He has no stomach for violence (or stomach at all), and finds the idea of harming others to be repellent. Except, perhaps, for the Heczihuanti, but he isn't exactly going to be seeing them any time soon. What Do You Want Out of the Game? Can't say I really know! Maybe I'll be the guy that builds the stuff that gets conquered by the other guys. Or who just spends his time remaking a bunch of the starting map. But I think I'd like to go for someone who is perhaps a little less plugged into society--even as a god who is active in his interactions, Xochi probably won't feel like another person to his followers. He is very clearly other.
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Nov 13, 2015 06:06
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Valhawk posted:Seems ok. Can you maybe give me some idea on what you'd use Itzli's Last Words[+2] for? Beyond just general arcane knowledge. It's more or less a fancy name for "Magic". I would consider it to be fixed to a location, though--it all requires a lot of inscriptions and whatnot, so it would largely consist of sigils carved into the earth/stone to accomplish some kind of effect, whose permanence is directly related to the medium it's carved into. Draw something in the dirt with muddy water? It's going to be pretty weak and temporary. Chisel it into a cliff face (either via water jets or actual chisel)? It's pretty much going to last until someone messes with it. Either way, it's not exactly a fast process, so it's not really suited to battle magic. A large part of the reason for taking it is to have some kind of knowledge to impart--Xochi's kind lived pretty simple lives, and I wanted to have something more to offer than various forms of water. EDIT: Forget it, re-apping. The Lord of Hats fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Nov 14, 2015 |
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Nov 14, 2015 01:17
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Theodore Beauregarde Theodore glanced at his pocket watch before returning his gaze to the mirror before him. Yes, there was still waiting to be done before he was to head out. Perhaps a more louche individual would take this time to indulge himself in the contents of his wine cellar, but Theodore was a far more reputable character than such louts. He considered his reflection as he carefully poured out a small snifter of brandy. He cut an impressive figure, he had to admit. Even beneath his sharply-tailored morning coat it was quite obvious that he was strong and powerfully built--and his flawless match record from his dabbles in the pugilistic arts more than proved that this was no purely for show. His hair was neatly-trimmed in the current fashion, and his prominent tusks had been carefully filed to their current elegant curves, something he took great pains to maintain. Frowning, he adjusted his collar and took a long sniff of his drink before savoring a sip, feeling its golden warmth sink into him. Life, he concluded, was good. He was young, a self-made man (at least, by the standards of the social circles he moved in), and eminently eligible. His investments were all ticking along splendidly, his recent translations of the ancient inscriptions being brought over from the Heczihuanti Empire were making waves with archaeologists all around the Empire, and he was welcome in all of the most prestigious clubs in the city. In fact it was at one of these clubs, the Orphenaeum that he was shortly due. He retrieved his watch from his pocket once more, and checked it. Yes, his carriage would finally be ready. Finally prepared, he donned his hat, carefully picked up his cane and the box containing the vintage brandy he was going to share with his friends tonight, and strode out through the door. Straight into the middle of a tall, grassy plain. He looked about in shock. What sort of childish prank was this? To cover the entire street in this stuff... his surprise was only heightened when he turned around to find that there was not the slightest trace of his house. Somehow, though, he quickly regained his composure as he considered his situation. Yes, he was suddenly lost in some far-flung land, without the slightest clue as to how he got there. But a true gentleman could always rise to the occasion. Mortal A True Gentleman...[+2]: Theodore is perhaps the paragon of civilized society, courteous and strong. In all that he does he carries himself with an effortlessly dignified air. He is clear-spoken, composed, and all that he says is self-evidently well thought out. His body, as well as his mind, is evidence of his refinement; honed and powerful, but never brutish or cruel. ...And a Scholar [+2]: Theodore attended some of the finest schools of the Empire, and was always a voracious student. He is well versed in all areas, from the natural sciences to the antiquities to philosophy, and has made noteworthy contributions to the advancement of many of these fields within the Empire. Orc Warrior [+2]: Theodore has trained in the warfare of the savannah tribes, and displayed remarkable aptitude. Genteel [-2]: Theoretical knowledge is all well and good, but it is not the same thing as the practical. While he was more than eager to study the fruits of expeditions, Theodore was never one to join an expedition himself. He doesn't instantly fold to hardship (after all, that would hardly be a gentlemanly thing to do), but he is certainly well accustomed to the comforts of civilization, and is a far cry from the self-sufficient explorers he supported and often funded. Divine Fire [+2]: The warmth that Theodore carries with him is more than just the brandy, or his spark of divinity. A fraction of the Flame Primordial burns within him, eager to break free and consume all in its path. Theodore has always showed admirable restraint of the baser urges with which any young man is all too familiar, but that is a very different thing from the rage of the True Fire. The Lord of Hats fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Dec 16, 2015 |
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Nov 14, 2015 04:40
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Sorry that I've been absent, gonna try and get back into things.
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Jan 26, 2016 20:19
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