[M] S-Cry-ED: War of the Alters
Rated M for excessive violence, language, possible sexual situations and circumstances, Mature scenarios.
This RP is a spin off of the show "S-Cry-ED." However, do not feel an obligation to watch the show in order to join this. We can catch you up, and the only connection that it really has with the show is the setting. Anyone is welcome to join, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask them!
The Alter User: Alter Users are humans who, from birth, can use their minds to deconstruct matter and reconstruct it to form their “Alter." Alters have many forms, ranging from changing body parts to massive robots.
The Past: After the events that occurred at the “Lost Ground," Alters had started to appear all over the world. Initially, nations feared worldwide panic because they knew so little about Alter Powers, so they decided to isolate the Alters from their existance. But after seeing the power of Alter Users, certain militaries around the world tried to gather them up and use them as weapons. The world was a grab bag of Alter Users for the nations to take as they pleased. They did three things to make this possible:
- Firstly, they classified Alter Users as “non-human” in order to restrict their rights. This made it seem more humane to hunt them down in the public's eyes.
- Secondly, they provided false information to the press about what Alters really are. This kept the public in dark about Alter Users, and the governments could control who knew what.
- Thirdly, the governments set up organizations around the world to hunt and capture these Alter Users. Eventually, all of the governments agreed to unite together, taking up the name of H.O.L.D. special task unit.
At first, the young Alter Users ran in fear or fought measly battles to defend against the onslaught of H.O.L.D. From the ashes of the "Lost Ground," two legends rose up and fought H.O.L.D., wielding power that some would call godly. As the two fought battles one after another, destroying everything in their way, other Alter Users began to rise up and fight as well. These were the first generation Alter Users.
The Present: As time has gone on and more generations have been born, many things have changed. The public, which is still kept in the dark, only has rumors about Alter Powers to run off of. The past generation of Alters, known as the 3rd Gen Alters, have continued the fight with H.O.L.D. in the shadows of the world.
But now, the 3rd generation is nearing its end. New alter users are nearing the age of discovery with their powers, which are starting to surface from instinct. The 3rd generation has taken upon itself to teach these new Alter Users how to use their Alters, putting their faith in the next generation to win this old war.
Spoiler: Rules- PLEASE READ1) All RPA rules apply
2) No God modding
3) No flaming
4) No criticizing other players' work (You can give advice, but negative criticism will result in immediate removal)
5) This RP was created by TheDoctor and Sterling Archer, and we are the GMs. Remember that our word is law.
6) Please provide a notice, with the amount of time that you will be inactive, if you will be unable to post for a while.
7) You are allowed to have multiple characters, but no more than 3 per player.
8) Have plenty of fun! Just not too much fun. That's when we have to call in the riot police.
The following are recommendations, but not necessarily rules:
1) Talk, use the OOC. Talk about the post you are going to make so everyone can act accordingly and help prevent people from being ignored.
2) Take your time. Even if we are waiting on you to post, put your best work into it.
3) Once again, if you don't know the lore from the show, that is completely ok. Ask us or other players questions about it, and we will be happy to answer them.
4) GMs make mistakes. If you feel that we are being unfair, please say so.
Spoiler: Character SkeletonUsername: (or preferred nickname)
Name of Character: First and Last
Age: 10-30
Gender:
Appearance of Character: Pic and description are preferable, but either is ok
Alter Type: See the "List of Alter Types" Spoiler. If you want to be Celestial, please send TheDoctor or Archer a PM and we will discuss it
Description of Alter: Powers along with appearance, if it has physical form
Weaknesses of Alter:
Bio:
Mentor: Either TheDoctor's character or Archer's. This will be the character that trains your character to use his/her Alter efficiently.
Spoiler: List of Alter typesHarmonizing Alter: These Alters are part of the body and are usually specialized in offense with one its characteristics making it rather powerful. On the other hand, the User throws himself/herself headfirst into battle. The Alter can also have adverse affects on the User's body over time
Sentient Alter: These Alters exist away from the User's body and have no mind of their own. They are entirely controlled by the Alter User, and they are offense/defense specialized. With Sentient alters, the Alter is brainless, so the Alter's movements can be delayed as the distance between the User and the Alter increases. As the Alter User gets more and more adept to using their powers, the distance can increase.
Third Eye alters: These Alters use the User's mind for their powers, spanning anywhere from telepathy to hacking. These can have physical forms, but they don't have to.
Cure Alters: These Alters have the ability to change other living things' compositions. They can heal or break down other people or things. Most require physical touch, but some can do it at a distance with weaker effects.
Independent Alter: These Alters exist away from the body, but they have an independent mind from their Alter Users. They are like servants to the Alter User, and they are incredibly loyal to them. However, the User does not control them. The Alter has a mental connection to its User through which they communicate. Any pain that the Alter feels, the User feels as well.
Evolutionary Alter: These Alters can change their form over time and experience. They are usually based from Harmonizing Alters, but they can be based off of any other Alter type. As the Alter User grows older and wiser, the Alter itself becomes stronger, faster, and in the case of Independent Alters, smarter. However, their powers at first are weak because the Alter is like a newborn baby. As time goes on it will get very strong, but not only do they have to train themselves to control their Alter, but they also have to "raise" their Alter. At first they are the weakest but they can become the strongest.
Celestial Alter: These Alters have powers that are unknown, yet incredibly powerful. Little is known about these Alters. Some say that they are in a Harmonizing form, but others say that they are Independent or Sentient.
Spoiler: Mentors (TheDoctor and Sterling Archer)Spoiler: TheDoctor- Damian KerrichUsername: Doctor or Doc
Name of Character: Damian Kerrich (pronounced care-ick)
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Appearance of Character:Spoiler: Damian Kerrich appearance
Damian has the build of warrior, a man who has trained hard and endured pain in his years. That build, however, has caused him permenant damage to some of his joints and bones. His back and shoulders are always bothering him in particular. He is a very diligent man and rather hard to please. When he sees hard work and dedication from others, however, he is content.
Alter Type: Evolutionary- based on Independent (So his Independent Alter has evolved)
Description of Alter:Spoiler: Appearance of Alter
It is about 7-8 feet tall. Its upper body is that of a very muscular humanoid (although slightly larger), but its lower body is simply a verticle cloud of darkness with which it drifts. Its arms are crossed usually. Its power is immense due to the time that Damian has been able to train with it, and it uses the power of darkness through an assortment of ways. It is called Kurai.
Weaknesses of Alter: Kurai has to constantly endure all of the pain that Damian endures from his body aches due to the fact that it is an Independent Alter. Also, although they are usually one in mind, sometimes Kurai has conflicting ideas with Damian on what will be best for the aging Alter User, causing hesitation and a change in tactics in a fight.
Bio: Damian was born in America to a very normal family. His mother and father both had full day jobs, so he learned to depend upon himself very quickly. had no siblings, but he did have a husky named Kurai. This dog was his companion, and they were incredibly close.
Due to the fact that both of his parents were working well-paying jobs, the household was wealthier than the neighboring houses. Kids saw him as the "rich kid" who thought he was better than everyone else, which he didn't. He was a small boy through most of high school, though, and he had few to no friends because he was so quiet. Therefore, he was usually picked on due to his small size and lack of support. His daily routine consisted of swirlies, locker vandalism, a shove to the ground, maybe even a couple punches thrown at him. However, he endured the pain and humiliation, stomaching his anger that continued to build up inside of him.
One time, one gang decided to take more extreme measures and break into his house and vandalize it. When they did break in, Kurai began to bark like mad, attacking the trespassers. This warned Damian, and he ran to the conflict in the house, attempting to assist Kurai by trying to fight them with him. They tried to fight off the dog, but Kurai was able to bite them multiple times, causing bleeding wounds. One of the members was able to take out a pistol, however, and he shot Kurai. The dog continued attack, and he was shot several more times before pain and blood lost caused him to fall to the ground. The gang escaped, and Damian went to the dog, wheeping at the idea of losing his only friend.
Kurai died within the next couple of minutes, and Damian was with him the whole time. After he felt the dog's pulse stop, he began to shake, feeling his built-up anger come out from within. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and suddenly he began glowing with an aura of colors. His dog's body vanished, leaving a slight crater in the ground as if something had scooped the earth out. The matter of his dog's body reconstructed itself into a dark figure behind Damian that was about 4 feet tall. He quickly realized what he had just discovered: his Alter Power. The figure whispered a name into his mind...
Kurai
Damian felt that this new being was a reincarnation of his dog, for it felt very protective of him. With vengeance on his mind, he tracked down the gang, bringing his Alter with him.
He arrived at the gang's meeting place. When he approached them, they pointed their gun at him, demanding that he leaves. Then, Kurai quickly swooped in, clawing at the members and blasting them with darkness. At that point, Kurai was not very powerful, but all of the members were petrified with fear, so there wasn't much of a fight.
The gang was dead within a minute. Without even considering what he had just commited, Damian left the place, completely expressionless as Kurai vanished.
He spent that night on the street, sleeping while Kurai guarded him. The Alter woke him in the middle of the night, for H.O.L.D. was coming for him. Damian ran as fast as he could, and he had a lucky break, for they weren't able to catch him. He ran into the wilderness, and H.O.L.D. couldn't find him.
For 8 years, Damian lived on his own in the wilderness, training on his own with Kurai. Not only did he train his body, but he trained his Alter. Fortunately, he hit his growth spurt as he trained, so he grew taller and gained a muscular structure. Kurai also grew taller and bigger.
Eventually, after running for a long time, H.O.L.D. captured him, even though he put up a brilliant fight. He was imprisoned for 10 years, enduring tests, manual labor, and other forms of torture and punishment. This is where Damian gained his aching body, but Kurai grew even stronger. At this point, the Alter was 6-7 feet tall, and it was larger and had wider shoulders than Damian did. Because Kurai was an Evolutionary Alter, H.O.L.D.'s restraints were eventually outdated for the Alter, and the two of them devised a plan to escape.
Their escape was successful, although Damian collapsed a few times, and they were able to find a place on an unknown island to hide.
Mentor: Himself
Spoiler: Enfilon- Cecile HawkUsername: Archer or Cedy
Name of Character: Cecile Hawk
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Appearance of Character:Spoiler: Pic of Cecile
Cecile is tall, standing roughly at 5' 10 and 1/2'', with long hair and slender figure. Her eyes are brown, but when she uses her alter power to the maxe they tend to glow blue as the energy radiates.
Alter Type: Sentient
Description of Alter:Spoiler: Pic of alter
Wizel, the mindless suit of armor who will do anything to the sound of Cecile's voice and thoughts, it is her eternal servant. Its a large alter standing about two stories tall with a sword and shield that towers above any man.
The sword, Saint's blade, has special properties. It can gather friction into its core and then release it 3 different ways. The first releasing the pent up energy in all directions, creating a pulse wave that can stun and knock things back. The second is running the energy along the blades edge, creating great heat which then can send into whatever it touches. The third is a mix of the first two, she sends the into her target and then explodes it outwards. A very messy way to end a fight.
The shield, Devil's advocate, is the opposite of the sword. It rejects all energy weaker than its constitution and can reject the blades energy as well. The shield take the energy into itself. Then it move throughout its body weakening and spreading out the power. It then directs harmlessly backwards. The shield does have a limit to the amount of energy it can take on at once, if exceeded, the shield releases the pent up energy which self destructs Wizel and anything near Wizel.
Weaknesses of Alter: The sword's power comes from contact and friction, if Wizel can't make contact, the ability is practically useless. Being sentient, Cecile is left wide open. Also being a large alter that can move fairly fast, it takes a huge toll on Cecile. Going from nose bleeds to becoming unconscious and even comatose. Its power she has absolute control over but can be too much for her human body.
Bio: Cecile used her powers before she could even speak summoning a small piece Wizel. Her parents were terrified and went to the hospital to try and understand what was happening. H.O.L.D caught wind of this and decided to take advantage of this and took Cecile away and executed her parents. She was raised in H.O.L.D to hunt other alters and be the unit's special weapon. At age 9 she killed her first person and had no guilt over it.
At age 11 she was sent on a solo mission to hunt a dangerous alter user of the 2nd generation. When she met him, it was a very old man who was actually a member of the 1st generation alter users against hold. Expecting a battle that she might not survive she prepared but instead was met with unending kindness. The man never told his name, and simply had small talk with Cecile. Enraged she yelled and told him to defend himself. The man then stood and summoned and amazing powerful alter that defeated Cecile in seconds. With that he said he would guide for half a year to "Open her eyes."
Under his wing she truly learned how to use Wizel and its power, but more importantly she regained her humanity and independence. As the two grew closer, the man's name was never revealed so she nicknames old man Hawk because she though he looked like a little bird but had eyes of power. Which is where her name originates from.
Now bordering the age of 12 but with a life already full of battles she set out to irradiate H.O.L.D for what they had done. Years later she met Damian and the two of them started what H.O.L.D calls the 3rd gen alter users. The two of them led the group into fights and protected them as they were their new family. As time went on, members died and battles lost. Though Damian and Cecile were not the oldest members, they were the most powerful and the leaders at the time.
Now with age starting to kick in, as well as the effects of her extensive alter power use, Cecile decided it was time to do what the old man did for her years ago and teach the next users to fight.
Mentor: Old man Hawk(Deceased)
List of approved characters:
Yamimoon:
Spoiler: Ion AkiroUsername: yamimoon (yami)
Name of Character: Ion Akiro
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Appearance of Character:Spoiler: Ion Akiro appearance
Alter Type: Independent/Evolutionary Alter
Description of Alter:
Un-evolved form - (Has jagged sword like legs)
Spoiler: Fuyu un-evolved appearance
This Alter has control over water, and Ice’s many forms.
Evolved form -Spoiler: Fuyu evolved appearance[
Weaknesses of Alter: Fuyu is an evolutionary type Alter so all of the pain that his master feels he dose as well. Since he was refined and his master went through all of that pain and suffering, he tries not to allow himself to get hurt. Often taking a defensive stance to battles, even though Ion wants to go on the offensive.
Bio: Ion was always an exocentric child wile growing up with his parents in the slums of the town he was living in. He was not happy with his life of being picked on by the other kids of his school for not having the best of anything, and was the but of several of the local bullies jokes. But Ion just tries to brush it off, but he has started to hate people that pick on and make fun of others just because they are different.
His home life though was great in his eyes. He had a loving mother and father, as well as
a younger sister. He was content with this life, but his sister was not as satisfied with
this life. She wanted more from Her life than this, but she had to wait till the opportune
time to get what she wants. Freedom from her family, and this life. She didn't have to
wait too much longer.
The bulling at school had escalated and now they were starting to get physical against Ion.
Now he was having to run home to keep from getting beat up, and going to school was
getting more dangerous for him. He was coming home with burses, and bleeding wounds. He didn't know why they had started doing this to him, but he was getting tired of the constant attacks on him and his family.
But one day his life changed when his sister and him were coming home from school. They were taking a back way that he had found so he didn’t have to worry about his tormenters, but sadly for him he was wrong. They had found both of them, and grabbed his sister from behind and used her to keep him from fighting back at all.
So the beat down started, and he was not willing to even defend himself in fear they would hurt his sister. Five of them attacked him at the same time, and soon he was thrown to the ground. Bleeding and bruised and cringing from every kick and stomp that easily found it's mark. He didn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain. He looked up at his sister who seamed to be enjoying the show. Had she betrayed him?
This and other questions raced through his mind as the bullies continued their attack. He
suddenly started to glow with a rainbow of colors, and the ground to the right of him
designated leaving a crater. Then suddenly the room grew cold, and the bullies that were
around him went flying back. When he looked up he saw what he knew that this was his power, and a voice rang through his head saying only one sentence to him.
“I’m Fuyu”
With this new power he painfully stood up, and he could tell his Alter felt the same pain as he did. He took his revenge on the bullies, but didn’t kill them nor his sister. He looked at all of the ones that attacked him, now on the ground, then looked at his sister that was in shock of what her brother just did. He just turned his back on her, and started to walk home, as his Alter disappeared.
When he finally got home, his sister was already there with a smile on her face. Just then a group of men entered the house, and grabbed Ion from behind, and took him away to a facility. His sister did betray him, and had gotten a hold of an organization that deals with people like him. Now he was a captive of H.O.L.D. This all happened to him on his fourteenth birthday.
After that he was taken to a facility to heal, but was closely watched, as well as experimented on. As soon as he was healed they ran multitudes of tests and forced him to evolve his Alter. It took them several years but the succeeded to ‘refine’ him, and his Alter. Now because of the refinement he is unable to control his evolved Alter, so he sealed it away. And never uses it.
One day on his eighteenth birthday someone came to his room, and woke him up from his sleep, and forced him to get onto his feet. The scientist used a new experiment on his Alter that almost killed him. Now he was not in good shape, and figured that this was someone that was going to take him to another experiment, but he was wrong. This person actually took him out of the facility and hid him in the forest. He was in no shape to fight the man that helped him, and the only thing he remembers about that knight truly was the look of his eyes. Then he left him there, and got the attention of the guards that were sent to get them, leading them away from his location. He fell into a a sleep that seamed to last for days. When he woke up he was laying in the back of a truck, going down the road. He truly didn’t know what all happened that night, but now he was free he needed to find a way to make himself stronger.
Mentor: Damian Kerrich
Spoiler: Jace NightingaleUsername: Yamimoon (yami)
Name of Character: Jace Nightingale
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Appearance of Character:Spoiler: Jace Nightingale appearance]
Alter Type: Independent / Cure, Independent
Description of Alter:
Gemini Solar Is an independent Alter with the power to control electricity. He can shape it into weapons, as well as send it into a target by touch, or through the ground. This alter also has physical strength to its advantage. The only way to tell it apart from his twin is the color of the jewel in his chest. This gem is the color purple
Gemini Lunar is an independent alter that is a cure type as well. It can speed up cellular regeneration to the point of healing wounds, or he can reverse the process and break down cells causing all kinds of damage to the target. This can only be done by touch, so he is also fast. The only way to tell it apart from his twin is the color of the jewel in his chest. This gem is the color green.
Spoiler: Gemini appearance
Weaknesses of Alter: Both alters have their own weaknesses.
Gemini Solar is not a defensive alter. It concentrates mostly on offence. It lacks in defend, but is still able to defend only slightly.
Gemini Lunar is on the other hand more of a pain. On the literal side. When he is healing wounds of a person the pain is transferred to the alter, so Jace has to deal with that.
Bio: Jace`s life was a normal one the first year he was born. Soon after that it all changed. One month from his second birthday his mother was walking to his nursery because she heard him crying, but by the time she reached the room the crying had stopped. She decided to still enter the room to see what was going on, and got the shock of her life. She saw a humanoid figure holding her baby and rocking him gently comforting him.
Once the figure saw the mother it walked over to the mother and gave the child to her, the disappeared in a flash of light. She walked over to where the crib was as saw that the blanket and half of the bedding in the crib was missing. The shock finally wore off and she ran with the child down the stares and into her husbands study. She told him what just happened, and what she found the husband just smiled at her in a comforting way. He told her not to worry that it was related to his secret.
She immediately calmed down and knew exactly what had happened. She new her child was special, and that he had a hard life ahead of him. As the years passed by and Jace was growing in both intellect as well as physically because he was home schooled, his father was also teaching him in the secrecy of their own home in a room underground how to control his power as well as how to use it. This was not too hard his son was a natural and was able to use summon his alter to his side at any time by the age of four and a half.
On the eve of his fifth birthday his parents had planed a big birthday party for their son, they invited all of his friends. The party was planed for the evening at the park just a couple of blocks form his house. The party was set and he was at his house getting ready for the party with his father and when they were about to leave the house a couple of strange men confronted his father at the entrance to their house.. At the time he didn't know who they were so when his father told him to head to the park he did so without hesitation.
Little did he know that would be the last time he would see his father. His party went on without a hitch, and when they were returning home they were both worried because Jace's father never made it to the party. They got their answer when the got back to the house and saw that there must have been a struggle. The front door was no longer there and the house was in pretty bad shape. His mother told him to stay right outside wile she went to take a look. What they both didn't know is that an agent was let there to 'dispose' of the mother and child. For they may have known too much. So the second his mom entered the house shots rang out, and Jace saw his mother stagger out of the house.
As Jace ran to his mothers side the signal assailant that was left behind rounded the corner and stood in the door way. He aimed his gun at the young man, but was unable to get a shot off before he was screaming in pain from having his wrist severed from his arm. A alter stood before the man with blood running down a sword made from energy. The man died from blood lose in a short time, and Jace didn't care. He was watching his mom die right in front of him. He quickly banished his alter only too summon his alter once more.
This alter knelt down next to his mother placing it's hand on the wound. He tried to speed up the cell regeneration to heal the wound, but he was too inexperienced as well as unable to deal with the pain it inflicted on himself to succeed in the treatment. Jace left his mother and his old life there and lived on the streets for a long time. until he was about thirteen years old when H.O.L.D found him, and brought him into a facility. He didn't care about much, and never let them know that he had two different alters, and never told them their name.
And one day when he was about to turn fifteen years old he was assigned to do manual labor, and there he found his dad. Still alive and not happy to see his son in the quarry, but at the same time he was glad to see his son. They talked as they worked, and his father was crushed to find out what happened the night they took him. They worked together until one night when Jace decided that he wanted to leave. They had already killed his father two month prior fro trying to escape. So now was the time to try, but not in the same manner. Although he truly had nothing to live for except the destruction of H.O.L.D.. He had gotten a hold of a certain drug the last time he was in the infirmary, something that would slow his heart rate down making it seam like he was dead.
They through his body into a deep pit that was on the outskirts of the facility. They used this to hide the bodied of the alter users from the public, as well as the news media. Not long after he was thrown into the stinking pile of rotting flesh, he woke up and made his way out of the grave. Now he is seventeen and is looking for a way to learn to control his power, and be able to summon both of his alters at the same time. Though he believes this is impossible.
Mentor: Cecile Hawk
LittleLionFire:
Spoiler: AtsilaUsername: LittleLionFire
Name of Character: Atsila (No last name that she knows of, but if it is really needed, Hoffmen)
Age: 12
Gender: Female
Appearance of Character: She does have quite an athletic form already though, and is already 5' 2" and a half, which is how tall she will get. Her eyes are a murky blue, and change with her emotions. She also wears tom boy clothing, as in loose t-shirts, and athletic shorts.
Alter Type: Evolutionary of Harmonizing
Description of Alter:
Starting Form - She gets metal bones, all over her body. It enforces punches, kicks, falls, like that. The bones also can extend, everywhere, but for the weak part, it extends from her elbow, the knobby bone there. It goes down about one inch, the extends out, for two feet. The end of the blade is sharp. That happens on her right elbow. Only. On her left foot, it extends from the top of her ankle, the large bone there. It extends up at an angle for two inches, then goes forwards for five inches. One inch before the end, it branches out, and forms three prongs, sharp. This can retract as well. On her shoulders, both shoulders, the bone extends four inches out, then curves, both back, and front, for five inches, but not curving too much to injure herself.
Weaknesses of Alter: Being an Evolutionary, she is not very strong. The metal has the consistency of bones, for now. They will break, but can heal like regular bones. The ones outside her body are stronger, and can grow back as well, but it takes long. Not as long, but long. Also, she is very wary of fire, as a high enough temperature can melt her 'bones', and that would hurt.
Bio: Born to a poor as dirt family, in the suburbs of New York, Atsila never really had much. She only had a small, really used brown teddy bear, that she named Stuffy Man. She had a mother and father, and two brothers, all older. But at age three, her mother died of lung cancer, and since poor, she died painfully. Her father went to drinking then, not caring about the boys, and his daughter.
At age four, her eldest brother, at age seventeen, had joined a gang, and left his family behind. Her father had drunk all the money by then, leaving her and her other brother, Jared, fending for themselves. Jared took care of her, by working any job he could. She was young, and he loved her. He was the only one who loved her, besides her mother. He ended up on the wrong side of a gun, and she was left all alone at age ten. By then, she had learned to be secretive, never let her feelings show, she had learned to fight for herself.
Now she is twelve, a young girl in appearance, but old in knowledge. She is still roaming the streets, the lowest of the low. She holds her own, though, keeping quiet. She has only one companion, a mut dog, named Shorty, even though he is large. She is starting to realize she is different, and starting to have pains in her shoulders, feet and hands. Why? She does not know yet. But soon, her life will change. For the best? Who knows. Only the future. And the future is coming faster than expected.
Mentor: Damian
icecestroXi:
Spoiler: Pestilence LeijonUsername: Ice
Name of Character: Given name: Pestilence
Actual Surname: Leijon, first name unknown.
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Appearance of Character: Pestilence
Alter Type: Cure Alter
Description of Alter: Swarm
Pestilence holds a power exactly as his name suggests: the ability to cause flesh and objects to rot at an extremely high rate, as if eaten away by disease, infection, use, and wear. It is encompassed both by touch, and by a cloud of grey mist that is emitted from his palms in a similar manner to the mist feature of a hose. It has been thought to be composed of a form of acidic bacteria that favors carbon. The more carbon in a targeted host, the faster the decomposition works.
It can only travel a maximum of eleven feet before dissipating entirely, with effect lessening at every four feet, but the devastation caused by Pestilence's Swarm ability is massive, not to mention extremely painful.
If a subject possessing living tissue dies by being infected by the Swarm, the husk will become a Hive for a short time until the corpse crumbles into a fine powder.
The bacteria also coats his skin while the alter is in use, offering resistance against other types of acid or decomposition, but similarly making it more difficult to heal Pestilence.
Weaknesses of Alter: His powers are strictly short ranged, so any attack from a distance would put the young man at extreme disadvantage. I say disadvantage rather than loss, because if the projectile is small or easily broken then it will dissolve in the cloud of his Swarm.
Bio: Pestilence was born into a small desert town resting on the side of a large mountain. The aforesaid mountain possessed a number of springs that caused the town to grow wealthy and attractive by selling potted spring water and constructing a number of outdoor bath-houses on the many pools formed by the natural spring, which was proven to possess natural healing powers. It was a beautiful place where many weary desert travelers, merchants, tired vacationers, and miracle hunters all gathered to witness the properties of the water....
Until Pestilence was born....
The birthing rites of the town dictated that a newborn must be placed into the pool of the highest spring to be blessed with good health and good fortune, which was ironic considering how good his health is while carrying horribly deadly bacteria. Regardless, in the months following his birth, some inhabitants of the city had been stricken with a strange malady causing the flesh to deteriorate at a slow rate. The doctors and shamans of the town tried to find a cure, but were struggling to even figure out what the disease was, let alone find its weakness.
The infected slowly died, crying in agony as their bodies were consumed and turned into a breeding ground for the Swarm. Any other individuals that had come in contact with a Hive (corpse, eaten by the swarm) were similarly plagued, but only if it was a Hive. An infected individual that is still living will not transfer the disease to another victim, as the bacteria are targeting that individual specifically, fighting its immune system and eating away flesh until their breeding ground is made safe.
Over the course of seven years, hundreds died from the initial infections and lack of treatment. Hundreds more fled, for fear of becoming infected with the incurable sickness. The wealthy town dried up until less than one hundred remained to reap what they could.
The only family unaffected was his.
The inhabitants of the town turned on the young boy's family, believing that they were the cause of the epidemic, which, in fact, they were. They were driven to the top of the mountain by the fear-filled mob, who were armed with a wide assortment of weapons, ranging from small arms to old swords. The crowd had the small family pinned between them and the deep crater at the very top of the mountain. A young Pestilence watched as they were forced to jump into the pit, killing themselves......or be butchered by old neighbors, previous friends, and acquaintances. Even small children were throwing rocks at his family, the mob yelling that they were cursed and must be killed for the good of the whole.
As the blood-line of the Leijon family shortened one-by-one, they eventually came to Pestilence's mother, pushing her towards the lip of the chasm, her foot nearly on the edge of the stone with tears in her eyes as she looked to her son, her child, her baby boy.
And then, she was gone.
The young boy would not stand for this. It had gone too far now.
With hate and sadness in his eyes, he raised his small palms in defense against the massive, pulsating, hateful crowd in spite of the overwhelming odds and cried for the return of his family. The crowd only yelled at him, coming closer, forcing Pestilence back to the jagged cliff his mother had just dropped from into the everlasting, eternal darkness. Instead of following her fate though, a miracle happened. An immense cloud of grey slowly formed around him, the substance pouring out of every pore in his body and encompassing his small form as it steadily grew outwards, overtaking the head of the mob.
Their screams were delicious as the flesh of their faces and the skin of their arms were devoured, becoming prey to Pestilence's new-found friends. The others stupidly ran into the cloud, attempting to pull their suffering brethren out and aid them, or kill the last of whom they believed were their tormentors. All of them perished, except for the few that ran and were subsequently hunted down and eaten by the ever-famished Swarm.
Ever since that day, Pestilence has lived alone, the stoic solitary life only broken by the occasional tourist or thrill seeker looking for the ghosts of Smoke Mountain in the streets of the deserted town. He has never been able to fully re-create that level of the Swarm, and it almost killed him to do so the first time. The young man is improving though, testing the grey clouds against steel, rock and other non-living tissue.
sounds good! I will have my character up hopefully today.
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