Potched Kumquat [Victory!]

Potched Kumquat [Victory!]
#1
Potched Kumquat [Victory!]
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.

Everything good is bound to have imitators, and depending on how great that thing is, the imitators might find themselves imitated. Such recursive mimicry has a strange appeal to certain people, including the being currently calling itself, in typical nigh-parodic style, The Organizer.

Eight people would soon find themselves forced to jump through hoops that others had only just jumped through.


PITCHED COMBAT
here[/url], here, and here, as well as a quick rundown here:

Gameplay: This is less a game than collaborative storytelling with a slight competitive twist; players post progression of a plot and character development with the intent not of killing all their foes, but of being the best writer and having the best character. Winners are decided not by victory in combat, but skill in storytelling. Remember that you have control of not only your own character, but others' as it facilitates the story, but don't take liberties. Get a grasp of your competitors' personalities and motivations before controlling them too much, and be willing to change if someone asks reasonably.

Character Creation: As long as it's an original character of yours, basically anything goes. Just remember that 1) instakills are dumb and disallowed and 2) an "overpowered" character is actually more likely to die than an underpowered one, due to a terminal case of Cliché and Boring Syndrome.

Format:

Username: Your username. Largely included because it was before.
Name: Your character's name. Simple!
Gender: However your character identifies itself. Male or female is simple, but you can do whatever you see fit here.
Race: The species or type your character is. Include a thorough description for unusual ones!
Color: Each of your posts will be made in a particular color to make them easily-recognizable. Use of background colors is acceptable, but keep things readable, distinguishable, and non-headache-inducing
Inventory: Any notable possessions your character has on him; not necessarily ALL of them, but mention and explain the important ones.
Abilities: Why is your character worthy to be part of Pitched Combat?
Description: Both physical and personality. Remember, an interesting, unique, and well-developed character is a big criterion for winning!
Biography: A bit of backstory, as comprehensive or brief as you want. Within reason.

We'll start when and if I get eight approved characters; hopefully at least this one will fill up, paving the way for the Grand Grand Battle the prophecies foretell.

Players:
Hatman - Gamma9 - Description DEAD
Jordan Smith - Lisawags - Description DEAD
Eemp, Right, and Rong - MalkyTop - Description
Annabell - Anathema - Description DEAD
Alex Corendal - starburst98 - Description DEAD
Cpt. Vasily Rurikovich - Red Herring - Description DEAD
A Nameless Manikin - MyifanW - Description DEAD
Lainey - Lap Otter - Description DEAD
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#2
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

I have an idea for a character, but I'm already in GBI. I was hoping to wait until GBI is done before submitting another character, but it's becoming really slow these days. I'll reserve a spot and see whether I can fit 2 Grand Battles in my time, unless you don't allow me to.


Username: Aryogaton

Name: Aegis Cupris

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Color: Red

Inventory: Shapeshifting gauntlets (referred to as simply 'gauntlets' from this point on)

Abilities: His weapons are of the same type as Aeon's adaptive tool in GBI, only they take the form of a pair of large gauntlets. Instead of changing into any shape he wants, they have pre-programmed weapons built-in that can be activated with very little mental input (unlike Aeon's weapon that changes into any shape, as long as he keeps his concentration). Furthermore, unlike Aeon's weapon, they store their mass instead of convert it from energy, and are thus very heavy and slow Aegis down quite a bit.

Description: A perpetual grin. A grip stronger than iron. A nice guy, if you get past his overzealous sense of humor. Arrogant, pompous, obnoxiously loud and confident. Impulsive, reactive, and exceedingly unprudent. Of average intelligence but prefers not to use it. His moral status is frustratingly vague. Either you love 'im or you hate 'im. Ridiculously top-heavy and unnaturally strong--one finger has the strength of a man's arm. When he laughs, the entire room shakes. All these phrases and more describe Aegis Cupris.

Biography: He comes from the same village as Aeon Ferrous (from GBI). He alone serves as the police department for the entire village, and he takes the job by the throat, wrings it three full revolutions, and snaps it like a toothpick. He knows everyone in the village as both a friend and a jackass.

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#3
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Draykon.

I'm debating whether or not to join this one with the 'third magical girl' character I mentioned in GBI. I'll see if this fills up with others first though. o.o

As Aryo said, GBI's slowing down enough that I could probably manage two.
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#4
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Gamma9.

Hey.

Username: Gamma9
Name: Hatman
Gender: Male
Race: Symbiotic Human (type: hat)
Color: This one seems nice.
Inventory: A variety of hat-based weaponry, as well as a gentlemanly tuxedo and a top hat!
Abilities: He has the ability of hammerspace, but only to get small non-hat based weapons.
Description: Hatman is a lanky british man sporting a top hat, he has a buttoned shiny black tuxedo with a tie coiled around his neck. He wears frayed long black slacks with a fancy leather belt keeping it up. He has fashionable black tapdancing shoes laced carefully and precisely with fine silk. He has slicked back brown hair and eyes with a spirographic green iris. He has a watch, and he usually smokes a pipe.

Hatman has a great gentlemanly personality, often speaking out such things as, 'Old chap!'. He freaks out when he sees something uncleanly such as spilled tea. He enjoys scones and long walks on the beach. He rather hates rain and cats. His hobbies include chess and resting. He has a verbal tic, 'mate.'

Biography: His full name is Timothy 'Hatman' Callman. When he was just a baby, he was adopted by a rich family, and was taught literature at the age of 4. His older brother, Jonathon had taught him sword-fighting at the age of 9. All was peaceful.

However, the idyll in that was shattered when both families, the one who adopted him and the one gave birth to him fought. At the age of 16, he ran away and became Hatman, a crimefighter. After that, is a mystery.
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#5
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Aryogaton.

Coincidentally my other character is from Aeon's universe as well.

It seems that the more we progress through these battles, the more time we put into thinking up the universes that our characters come from.
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#6
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

Ooh, a fourth to keep track of.

I want to start one, too, but I'm planning to hold off until GB1 finishes. Battle Royale had trouble filling up, so I'm hoping that if I wait, I can get more signups from people who were eliminated from other games.

I may jump the gun on it if I get too impatient waiting for the end of GB1, though.
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#7
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.

I'd like to join, but I'm really not sure what kind of character to use...
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#8
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Lisawags.

I suppose I'll join. Reserved!
Username: Lisawags
Name: Jordan Smith
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Color: Orange
Inventory: A good luck charm, an inhaler, a spare pair of glasses, and a pepper spray.
Abilities: Jordan has the power of pyrokinesis. He can warm people up and make them spontaneously combust.
Description:
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He's pale, tall, young, and lanky. He also happens to be weak and can run quickly but not far. Jordan has short, messy black hair, hazel colored eyes, and small brown pair of glasses.
Personality: Jordan is quite strange, but nice once you get to know him; however, he'll abandon you without a second thought if you get him into any danger. He tries to avoid fights at all costs, and would rather find a safe hiding spot than talk or, once again, fight. He trusts his gut feelings more than his friends. He'll only help people only if it benefits him in some way and will do anything to help himself. To sum it all up, he's a disloyal coward, not a hero.
Biography: Ever since Jordan was little, he didn't have any friends. He would spend most of his time playing video games, or swinging with his imaginary friends. Most children bullied him because of his poor physique, and he would usually come home crying from school. Jordan didn't go outside unless he needed to once he grew out of his imaginary friends, and he was usually all alone in the house because both of his parents worked. Even if one of them came home early, they would be too tired to do anything. He fit in with a small group of people during his teenage years, but he wouldn't really refer to him as friends, and neither would they. They just knew each other, and that was about it. He was still teased and pushed around until he accidentally lit one of the bullies on fire with his mind. His victim died instantly, and no one came near again. Jordan doesn't like to talk about this subject and rarely will. He grew up in a lonely life and learned not to depend on people so much. Even as an adult, he doesn't socialize with people outside of his work and doesn't spend a lot of time outside.
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#9
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Red Herring.

Reserved.
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#10
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.

Ah, what the heck. Looking at the other stuff, I think this guy'll fit in...

Ta-daaaaa.

Username: MalkyTop
Name: The main body is Eemp. The right arm is Right and the left arm is Rong.
Gender: While Eemp itself is just a genderless bag of straw, I guess you could call it a him. Right is male, Rong is female.
Race: He-she-it....they were considered a war machine, but to be specific, Eemp is a, say, three foot tall animated straw doll. Right is a Chinese dragon head and Rong is a European dragon head.
Color: How about Sienna?
Inventory: The problem with having dragon heads as hands is that they eat everything within reach. No, I don't know where it goes either.
Abilities: Rong can breathe fire. Her scales aren't unbreakable and so her head can be cut off, but she can grow it back after a few minutes. Her blood is acidic. Right has a few more abilities. He can shapeshift, change in size, control water and make rain. He can also glow in the dark. Some of these abilities are not so useful. Both of them can fly, though with Eemp as their tether, they can't fly very far. They can both elongate if they need to reach something (like rubber, I guess). Eemp is not just a mindless doll but can, in fact, prevent the other two from generally doing stupid or unreasonable things. (When you employ two disgruntled dragons as weapons, you want to have something to keep them in check.) It's also fireproof, which is a good thing to be when near a dragon.
Description: Eemp is basically just a large, simple, not very well-made doll. It has visible stitches all over that can break easily, two eyes apparently drawn on with a marker, and a pink, felt mouth. Its expression is of constant cheerfulness, which can be a little creepy, I suppose. It also has a mess of straw that is supposed to be hair. Right is red, as many Chinese dragons are, has stern eyes under large, yellow eyebrows and antlers. He has long whiskers, like catfish whiskers. There's a flaming pearl under his chin. It's supposed to bring good luck, but he doesn't seem to be very lucky so far. He has yellow spines going down his neck, stopping only at Eemp's shoulder. Rong is blue, though with a lighter underbelly (underneck?). She has two twisted horns behind fins that sit by her head and a pointed tongue.

As a doll, Eemp doesn't exactly have a personality, more like a few directives it follows. It makes sure that the two dragons behave and it makes sure it doesn't get damaged and dies. Though it can make a few short-term strategies, it mostly looks for orders to follow or just lets Right and Rong go crazy on any enemies. Right and Rong seem to love to bicker and fight with each other, both bitter about essentially being slaves to humans, though Right seems to be the most intelligent of the three, able to think actions through, make temporary allies and so forth. Rong is a little more blathering, sneering at others when she's not raining fire upon her enemies or getting distracted by shiny treasure (that she eats, by the way). Both don't exactly like Eemp, but are a little protective of it since if it's destroyed, then they both die. Again.
Biography: Rong was defeated long ago by a knight who then cut her head off by the neck and "treated" the stump. He managed to drag her head to the local wizard who had, just a few years earlier, taken a trip to find a Chinese dragon, which he had heard were fascinating and beautiful creatures. The wizard came across Right who happened to be dying. As the wizard watched the beautiful creature die, he realized, 'Hey, I could probably make something destructive out of this' and cut off Right's head and dragged it all the way back to Europe. With the two dragon heads at hand, the wizard then made Eemp and put the three together. Ever since, they've been used as a weapon and have won many wars for the kingdom of Benelea.
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#11
Re: Pitched Combat [8 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by MyifanW.

Username: MyifanW
Name: None, but it will probably get one. This will make sense in a sec
Gender: None
Race: None, It's a manikin/puppet.
Inventory: none
Color: top left hand corner color!
Abilities: It can detect life, which is the only thing it can see initially. It also can spawn a mouth of any size anywhere on it's body. When it eats something, it analyzes its properties and can transform based on those properties. It also takes on the mass that it gained from what it ate. However, it takes some time for it to fully absorb the things it eats, so if it eats too much it'll be weighed down.
Description: It is a puppet, exactly like the picture. It is about 6'4 feet tall, but since it's so skinny it only weighs about 100 pounds. Still, it's a fair bit stronger than a normal human, and in this form, it can't feel pain. In fact, it lacks all 5 senses. The only sense it has is the ability to detect life. Of course, that's only it's default form. As the battle goes on, it will likely transform into various things.
Personality: Well, it doesn't quite have one yet. As of now, it has basic impulses: Curiosity, will to live, and desire to grow. When it eats a living thing, it absorbs the soul and it's personality.
[Image: 4l27mt.jpg]
That's a picture. The mouth on it's chest is just and example.

Biography: Are we Gods again? Because if we are, then it goes like this: I've been fairly tired of the lifeforms I've created. I admire their ability to grow within their limits, but, again, they can never exceed those limits. It's never really interesting, you know? I know exactly what will happen, because I know all of their capabilities. So, I've decided to experiment. I created a simple puppet, gave it a life, and the ability to move. Then, I gave it basic impulses, the ones required for it to grow. For this puppet, I defined no limits. It can become whatever it happens to become... I'm sure this thing will be able to surprise me with it's evolution.

If we aren't gods, just replace all of the "I"s with an old alchemist.
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#12
Re: Pitched Combat [4 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Anathema.

Username: Anathema
Name: Annabell
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Color: You're turning Violet, Violet!
Inventory:
-Happiness Tester. This is a small box with a button, readout screen, and small antenna on one end that displays a random percentage from 0-300% when the button is pressed. She relies on it heavily to determine if her companions are happy enough.
-Happiness Pills which are really strong mood elevators.
-Violet-coloured laser pistol.
-Violet flamethrower with violet flame.

Abilities: Telekinesis, which occasionally backfires and damages Annabell herself. An excessively happy mood that is impossible suppress in any situation. When Annabell dies she is replaced by a new clone of herself by Friend Computer!

Description: Annabell is a clone from Alpha Complex in the world of Paranoia and is insufferably happy. No one is quite sure why, but damn did it do her well in the eyes of Friend Computer. Being a Violet rank she is one rank away from the highest social/political position one can attain in Alpha Complex. Not that she really realizes it, she still spends her time unquestioningly going on missions intended for much lower rank clones and analyzing the happiness of other clones and inanimate objects she encounters. One might refer to her as...not quite all there, perhaps. Oh, and those clones and objects she scans that don't measure up to her standards get either some of the happiness pills or death. It really just depends how sad they look.
Physically she is around 5'4" and kind of average looking with thick grey hair that is curled at the bottom. Annabell sports a wide grin that has only been known to fade on one occasion. That was a dark day. She wears a Violet jumpsuit with her flamethrower strapped to her back, and her other items on a utility belt around her waist.

Biography: Annabell was decanted happy. Err, like, really happy. She has been on many missions, even going on them once she was a rank when clones normally stop doing such menial things. Otherwise all she is doing when off of missions is attempting to spread absolute joy to everyone. Although she spends most of her time considering such hefty matters as whether walls are happy or not she's all too eager to please people and to promote the same insane happiness in others that she has herself. She has died somewhere around 12 times and it has yet to affect her in any way. New things fascinate and entertain her, whether it be something as small as a new word or her brand new Violet flamethrower. Due to her unerring loyalty to Friend Computer she is promoted on nearly every mission she goes on, getting her to her current lofty rank. And now she is here I guess and I'd imagine she's quite happy about it.
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#13
Re: Pitched Combat [3 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.

Anathema Wrote:Annabell
Approv'd
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#14
Re: Pitched Combat [3 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

Is the clone replacement going to be unavailable (unless a round takes place in Alpha Complex - oh god now I've gone and given you ideas), or will it be an "if she gets eliminated, that has to be worked around" thing?

Also: Two slots left, unless you are going for nine combatants rather than eight. Which is certainly possible, it's just that it's always been eight up to now.
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#15
Re: Pitched Combat [3 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.

Yeah, I already talked to Ana about the clone replacement thing; basically, she "runs out" at such a time as Anathema is eliminated; in terms of in-game mechanics she has the new PortaClone Decantomatic on her person that makes her a shiny new clone whenever she needs it, with no need to bother Friend Computer!

Also it's cute that you think I haven't already pondered an Alpha Complex round.

Also also I just forgot to change the title.
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#16
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Lap Otter.

Posted publicly so the answer can be seen.

One linked-to set of rules (the first, I think) says "Reserve" reserves you an hour and a half. Another (the third?) says "say, at least three hours." The other one doesn't give a number, nor, I think, even mention reservation.

The question ought to be obvious by now: how long, exactly, does Reserve reserve for you?

And can I have this color before anyone else takes it?
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#17
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by SleepingOrange.

It lasts an hour; that color is available.
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#18
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by starburst98.

this is a guy i made somewhere else, it was a combat directed RP but i think he would still fit, gave him a pretty ok back-story.

username: starburst98
name: Alex Corendal
gender: male
race: human
color:i'll take dark-blue
inventory: his sword (current lvl: 0), a nice hat made from black dragon scale(didn't kill it, bought it from an armor smith who made it with the extras from making some other guy's armor.) and one of them pauldron/cloak combos(think lord ilpalazzo from excel saga but small enough to not be ridicules.)
abilities: a very-low-damage but high knockback shock-wave. elemental infusion, Corendal adds an elemental energy to his sword how powerful it is and what it does specifically depends on the lvl it is. (i got so serious about this on the other board, i made a list of power)
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description: around 6'4" with blue eyes and brown hair, a beard/mustache from simply never shaving. has a slight but powerful build. Corendal is of the non stupid variety of chaotic good. he helps people if he can but wont if he cant, huge ass dragons attacking a town are one of the things he can't do quite yet.
biography: Corendal was originally a farmhand when he was younger, where through shear reflex he used his powers to make his jobs easier. A little earth power to a plow to make it slice through dirt faster, a little wind to make lifting stuff easier, etc. when one day a wizard came to town, wanting to find out more about the raw magic he was using. Corendal was then made the wizards apprentice for only a year, when it turned out that he could only infuse items not cast any actual spells the wizard ditched him at the next town they went to, which was luckily enough a rather large one. he was then a apprentice in the warriors guild where he earned a living waiting on tables until he was old enough to get to full membership and get a sword.

in his travels he has met Elena, the priestess, and maybe-someday-perhaps-if-he-plays-his-cards-right girlfriend.
as well as Perdal, a young gold dragon they found when they went to visit the gold dragon in a mountain and found it slain and it's hoard stolen, perdals egg was tucked into a secret with a single gold coin whcuh was made into a necklace for him to wear.
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#19
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

Actually, pulling new abilities out of your ass is acceptable if you can write it convincingly (though you should probably use it sparingly). It's called "Schrodinger's Gun".

Basically, if your character uses a previously-unseen ability, it's generally okay as long as it fits with his/her overall theme. You need not limit yourself to a list (even if it's a ridiculously long list like that one).

Of course, SO has the final word on this, since it's his game here; but that's more or less what we did with Amethyst in GB1 and it seems to have worked.
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#20
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by snoomanwaff.

agreed, and I am considering entering...I'm just not sure if I should.
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#21
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by MyifanW.

maybe draykon and Dragon Fogel should join right now, before it's too late.
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#22
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.

Hey, if Fogel joins, then we'll all be beaten by, I dunno, a water bottle or something.
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#23
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Red Herring.

Username: Red Herring
Name: Cpt. Vasily Rurikovich
Gender: Male
Color: Green
Race: Human
Age: 43
Abilities: Dashing rogue, problem-solver, master duelist, marksman, hobbyist inventor

[Image: Savage_City_by_RalphHorsley.jpg]

Description: Vasily carries himself with a level of incredible arrogance so thoroughly ingrained into his nature that one need only look at his nose for an indication as to which way the ceiling is. His sleek black hair dangles over his spine in the opposite direction, tidy and neatly combed - he lost his hat long ago and still searches, in vain, for its location.

Vasily is good-looking in the same way that cheese in a mousetrap is good-looking. Once you take a bite, you don't really feel the same way.

His breath smells, alternatively, like sewage or like roses, depending on the gender of the person he's speaking to. All sorts of jewellery lines his person, although he is loathe to admit that not much of it is stolen; stolen goods are best sold as soon as possible. No matter what sort of clothing he's adorned in, he always adds his own Personal Touch. His Personal Touch being a navy blue, frilled coat that he places over any armour that he wears. He has been shot at many a time for that terrible pun.

An odd canteen sticks out from the side of his coat, reading: 'Not a Good Idea'. He refuses to share the liquid with anyone, nor to disclose its contents... this strikes many, including his former crew, as odd, considering how open he is to sharing just about every other part of him. Lastly, he rubs at his nose - many who know him say that he does this whenever he tells a lie. It is a surprise, then, that his nose has not fallen off from the erosion.

Personality: Vasily, ultimately, is interested in the welfare of others - although it usually takes him a few minutes to realize that. For often times he'll get lost in the thrill of his own story - unlike many, he prefers to make his own adventure rather than record somebody else's. When it comes down to it, though, he's quick to draw the line in the sand and put other's well-being above his own. He thrives on that sort of thing, anyway.

Despite his good-natured ideology, he's not above lying, cheating, stealing, punching someone in the face, or kicking someone in the privvies if it'll get the job done sooner. This earns him the ire of many people - both those who place the law above all else and those who he's busy sterilizing.

Nonetheless, he's an egotistical bastard who believes himself to be the best at almost everything, especially those things he's terrible at. He wants to be a legend - he already is, in his own mind - and he'll be damned if he lets something like lack of ability get in the way. However, although he is most certainly larger than life, he does possess a great deal of real skill, especially in social interactions, sword-play, and captaining a ship.

In addition, he is somewhat conscious of the dramatic strands that line the world and will not refrain from pointing out obvious inconsistencies.

Background: When asked about his past, VASILY lets out a roaring laugh and slaps you against the back boisterously. He pulls you in close and wraps his hand around your shoulder, as if you had known him all his life. He explains that he is a Rurikovich, a powerful mercantile family grounded in the lands of Kast, though they originally hail from the ice realms to the north - this is going back several generations, of course. The family controlled - still does, in fact - many of the routes between the eastern and the southern continents, making a tidy profit.

Vasily himself was raised in entirely favourable conditions. He spent most of his time in the family's Kast estate, where he was nursed by his mother and received a barren schooling in wizardry from a lax private tutor. None of it interested him. Instead, he enjoyed spending time out on the docks with the local Kast fishermen, listening to their stories and helping them with their work. One of those fishermen, a man known to Vasily only as "Mac", served as Vasily's surrogate father, imparting upon him a strong sense of right and wrong, as well as a thrill for adventure.

His real father, Vladimir Rurikovich - a skilled wizard as well as merchant - was not much interested in Vasily, either. Vladimir preferred the younger brother - also named Vasily, though with an added 'II' - and saw his eldest son as nothing but a threat to his business' survival. "A corporation chartered by the Gods themselves would fail in his tactless hands," Vladimir once said. The father took little notice when Vasily stopped attending the classes he prescribed for him, caught up in both the stresses of managing a maritime trade route and in schooling Vasily II in the arcane arts.

Vasily never truly knew his father.

He did know his younger brother, and the more powerful youth often spent a great deal of time pounding on Vasily, for insults both real and imagined. Vasily did not enjoy time spent with Vasily II for numerous reasons, most prominent of which being the bruises he carried with him afterwards. As the two brothers grew older, the beatings stopped and the clever machinations began. Vasily II, paranoid as he was, was certain that his brother would make an attempt to claim the family business; in truth, Vasily the Elder had no intention of doing any such thing. Nonetheless, Vasily II would constantly work his way into his father's good graces and - when the time came - he was the one who received Vladimir's blessing to continue the family business.

Vasily II - once he had taken over as head - offered Vasily a commission - his own galleon, which he'd use to protect the merchant vessels that travelled along their route. Vasily accepted without reservation, as he was eager to undertake a real adventure. He had not the wisdom to see through the thinly disguised attempt to remove Vasily from the managerial centre of the business in Kast. Immediately, he asked "Mac" to accompany him, and after a good deal of prodding, the elderly fisherman signed on as the brash young man's first mate.

The two began a somewhat modest career in the protection of maritime shipping, although it was modest only in the amount they were paid, not the level of danger they faced. Pirates continually attacked the ships and attempted to loot them for all they were worth. The Gloria, as their ship was called, lost a good number of battles, although they gradually learned the pirate's tactics and - interestingly enough - they managed to avoid death and loss of ship on every occasion. Eventually, they began to defeat them, outmanoeuvre them, and even captured their ships on occasion. One such seizure resulted in their recovery of a document that revealed the true origins of the pirate attacks: they had been orchestrated by Vasily's brother in an attempt to earn naval protection from the Halvan government.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Vasily was - surprisingly - not very angry. He had long surmised that his brother had malicious intentions, although he had thought that such assumptions were coloured by their past together. Now proven wrong, Vasily had two options: he could either fight his brother and the anonymous Pirate Lord under his employ, or leave. Deciding that the first would be suicide, he simply took the Gloria and abandoned the Rurikovich maritime shipping lanes, heading instead towards Tsuun (the largest naval capital of the time), where he began his own career as a pirate - with the begrudging approval of his first mate. He hired on a crew of commoners, brigands, and thieves and set sail.

The Tsuun ships that brought wood southward towards the wood-starved nations of Aria and Shali were systematically commandeered by Vasily, proceeding to steer them towards Halva where the wood was sold, the ship was stripped and its parts refitted onto the Gloria, and where Vasily booked passage for the prisoners back towards their homeland. For this he earned something of a good reputation - for a pirate, that is.

His list of crimes grew day by day, and after a great many exploits and adventures in Tsuun - where he lost his hat - he drew the ire of the government there. Battles with naval officers became more common and he became acutely aware of the fact that he would need to go into hiding, lest he lose his head before he made a name for himself in Asheka.

It was not long after he started sailing southward that his crew mutinied against him. They were not going to get out while the getting was still good. Mac was elected the new captain - although he had no part in the mutiny - and promptly turned the ship around. Mac allowed Vasily to leave the ship with his life, swimming towards a small island where he was treated as a god by the locals, only to be placed upon a sacrificial alter after an accidental slip of the tongue - gods, apparently, do not go to the restroom. Fleeing the cannibals hastily, he built himself a raft and continued his journey south towards Halva, this time without a crew or a ship or a hat.
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#24
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by Red Herring.

Methinks I may have gotten a little carried away...

Oops!
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#25
Re: Pitched Combat [2 Remaining Spots]
Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.

Yeah. Oops.
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