Amora

Felicia Ainsworth It was hard to be surprised, in a real sense, that there was an added layer to the metaphorical onion of their situation and that of the Cascades... At least to her frame of mind and the fact that she was rather regularly bombarded by complications, permutations, and twists by virtue of her state of far too crowded being. As the others deliberated on next steps, the Maker drew a gentle breath and pulled herself back a fraction from the problem. To try and allow a little perspective unimpeded by the howling of the Chorus within, the weakness and sickness that pervaded her restored configuration... And the insidious suspicion that things would grow more unpleasant. "Agreed, though it arriving with no one on it means something happened on the ascent... That's a bit harder to place. Do they say if there were any bags or anything strapped to the construct?" Felicia asked, slipping into the caw and crow of the Unkindness' tongue for that latter question. All the while, she was moving into motion in Xanah's wake. Acting, impulse, creating a solution felt proper and good after shedding the manifestations of darker impulses and a far more destructive nature. "If it cooperates, we should try to keep our descents within sight of each other and split off just above the Campus' boundary. Just in case." the Maker added with a raised tone for the benefit of anyone that wasn't right on she and the grey-scaled Vislae. Not that she was anyone to comment on it but there was an irreverent moment of humor when she considered her own complexion against the other. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Building a Relationship. Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 4/6 (1E) + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/4 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 3/3 Sortilege: 3/3 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth Whilst the others deliberated on their next moves and what that might look like, the Maker was focused on the task before her... To do anything else would force to listen to the recriminations of the Chorus within her. Even as she gently brushed pale, tender finger tips over the stone work to feel out the points of strongest resonance she couldn't quite hold them at bay. She was too caught up in the details to not see the little tremors, to not feel that sense of... diminishment now, to not give just a little weight to what the Chorus had to say on the matter even though she knew what they were about... Knew that they were trying to win them over to whatever destructive transformation or ruinous scheme each nursed behind veneers both savage and genteel. So, as she so often did, Felicia began to softly recite the mantras of creation to herself as she happened upon the sweet spot of the corruptive echoes of the bald man she'd seen. She didn't have everything she needed to form the heart of the device that was forming in her mind nor, for that matter, the tools she needed to perfectly shape or extract the section of tile but... well, she had enough with her to break it and fashion it later. It wasn't how she'd wanted to be about it but she made a note to return at some point to fix it. Not that she was a stone mason but there were a few transferable skills between her talents as a jeweler at least. So she produced a small knife and hammer, one to scrape away whatever held the tile in place and angle it just so... and the other to strike with the horrid strength infused into her by the Chorus of Whispers, all of whom seemed to hold there breath for just a moment as the act of unfortunate defacement played out. The sound was enough to punch through conversation as the marble tile split along the faults she had spied into a neat little triangle that could fit into a pocket with a bit of effort. All the while the mantra continued as she produced another section of clothe to wrap it in before secreting it away, the shape of the device taking another step towards completion in her mind and something else forming out of the act. "I think it's a better plan. I'll need that glyph I suspect to finish any kind of tracking spell or device, anyway... and likely the only way to get that would be through Ma'am's help as I doubt the Spiders will be all too keen to speak with me until we smooth over the misunderstanding. Assuming they saw me untangling the Ravens I could from their webs, anyway. I'll be able to grab some odds and ends as well this way to ensure I'm ready to be about the work when we go to meet that associate of yours, Xanah." the Ainsworth Scion said with a voice that was far more hers with soft and composed notes underlined by a genuine eagerness for the work to come as befit a maker of so prominent a clan. Of course, she also sounded exhausted, run down, and perhaps a little on the back foot but at least to Felicia that didn't matter as the work was good. That there was also an opportunity to work a little more closely with her estranged, and sole remaining kin, was a not inconsiderable plus despite the circumstances. "Also thank you for letting me take the sample, I'll come back to fix it once we have everything sorted. It shouldn't be too hard to source marble of the particular pattern and complexion from an associate of mine." the Maker added with a gentle smile towards the Unnamed Queen. Though while a handsome expression, it now bore the taint of what those teeth could be come if the moment demanded it. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Building a Relationship. Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 4/6 (1E) + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/4 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 3/3 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

%5BB%5D%5BSIZE%3D%224%22%5DThe%20Red%20Queen%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FB%5D%5Bfloatright%5D%5BIMG2%3D200%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FnVFPlTl.jpg%5B%2FIMG2%5D%5B%2FFloatright%5D The Red Queen The sudden acceleration outside of normal operating parameters for the elevator triggered numerous protocols within the Red Queen Triumvirate's complicated all of which culminated in the rather mundane reaction of latching onto the security rails within the lift. Admittedly, the eventuality of a mechanical failure was not outside the parameters of the numerous simulated scenarios that had occurred to them over the course of the shift. The only variable was determining if this was deliberate or due to numerous external factors from faulty maintenance to manufacturing imperfections that might culminate in the current scenario. Tacnet >> Query; Operational Status? Local Diagnostic; Synthetic systems optimal, Biological Systems; Elevated Adrenaline, Cortisol. Within acceptable parameters. Initiating Broad Spectrum Survey. Addendum; Work force assessment; Injury Percentage 35. Supposition; Possible Causality Index; 19. With such projections shared with Mei/Li/Rei, the AGI began the task of thoroughly mapping out their immediate area via the implanted Lidar and Radar systems housed within their morph. They then utilized this topography to begin a mapping of the immediate area of the elevator beyond the dimensions of the elevator cab to determine what level they may be on in reference to existing facility topography data they had and if there were obstructions preventing the door from being opened. Secondary factors such as oxygen levels both in and outside of the cab would then have to be considered before evacuation efforts could commence.

Felicia Ainsworth "It'd still take some time but any pointers or tips this friend of yours may have will help speed up the whole design phase." the Maker offered in that unpleasant, rasping, and now labored voice as she offered an agreeing nod of her hideous, be-fanged head before looking back to the Queen and dipping into a thankful bow. The courtly decorum made horrid, grotesque even, by the clicks, cracks, and pops of the tortured joints of Felicia's magic twisted form. A fact that was digging more and more at her mind, her stomach churning with the clashing instincts and will tested in kind by the monstrous, alien instincts of her present configuration and the shrieking cacophony of the demonic Chorus within her... All seeming far too eager at the prospects of another hunt, of prey to chase to ground and rend and break to bring about sudden, violent change. A hand closed, with care for the far too long talons, and rose to her razor lined maw as if holding something in before the first shudders ran down her spine. The faint pops and cracks of her predatory, monstrous frame growing louder and more prominent as she forced the tainted energies of the Dark outwards. A rasping, retching noise escaping the maker as those same energies escaped first as vaporous wisps then as a torrent of almost smoke from between teeth. Pain flashed in her mind as those abyssal energies tried to grasp and claw at her, nearly staggering her but soon limbs began to shorten, she began to bleed away her monstrous stature, claws retracted and soon Felicia was the diminutive thing she'd been when they first arrived. Of course, the return to her true shape and form was every bit as unpleasant as had been the transformation into that predatory monster; now she felt small, weak, unsteady and uncertain in what needed doing but that was a trick and temptation of poisoning oneself just so. With a deliberate air of trying to focus, the Maker drew a deep breath and released it slowly before making her way with a few steadily more graceful and confident steps towards the stones. Once she felt she was in about the right spot, she folded her legs under her and began to go over the stones with a deliberate care. There was every hint of a skilled eye of a sort there as she plied the talents of her Order to pick out just the right span of stone tile for the nebulous contraption she had in mind. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Building a Relationship. Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 4/6 (1E) + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/4 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 2/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/3 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

%5BB%5D%5BSIZE%3D%224%22%5DThe%20Red%20Queen%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FB%5D%5Bfloatright%5D%5BIMG2%3D200%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FnVFPlTl.jpg%5B%2FIMG2%5D%5B%2FFloatright%5D The Red Queen The debriefing provided by the Red Pope was met with silence from the Red Queen as they factored this new development into their existing strategic and tactical forecasts and spun out scenario after scenario through the combined processing power of the Triumvirate that they had split themselves into. It was unlikely to produce any significant deviation in the short term but long term repercussions of the introduction of a secondary deific figure into the evolved mythological structure of the data-commune was... concerning. Ultimately, however, responsibility remained with their functional units to ensure the various functions and subfunctions of the Cult was maintained. Directives, as a consequence, were issued then to the Red Pope, modifying the initial parameters of the infiltration and subversion to include exfiltration of all affiliated entities upon determination of undue operational risk or provided explicit commandment by the principle, Red Queen Triumvirate. The imperative, after all, was continued proliferation and diversification of the Cult and data accessible to all member functions, thus ensuring continued development towards apotheosis. Whatever vector by which one might arrive at such a state of being. Regarding the point of a physical access vector being required, the Red Queen assured the Red Pope that they would work towards this end along side other mission assets. Such directives relayed, the Red Queen shared the present operational situation regarding the segregated systems and the repercussions of T.Z.'s infiltration efforts. This was done via private message and preceded, unsurprisingly, by a hand shake protocol to ensure both cryptographical security and proper dissemination of intelligence to only authorized functions. All through this, the Red Queen continued to work with a deliberate and pointed perfectionist care to every task expected of them upon the shift with scheduled self-evaluations as to efficiency parameters to avoid undue slow downs in operations in pursuit of maximized output. OOC: This is all to say in as much sci-fi and jargon soup that the Red Queen tells the Red Pope to ensure that should operations become too risky to pull EVERYTHING officially associated with the Cult of the Red Permutation out of the network as is the 'covenant' of sorts. Otherwise, they'll work on a physical connection to continue subversion of the systems.

Felicia Ainsworth "Not beneath our notice but it's all triage right now and identifying the problem and how to catch, as well as address, the root cause. I'm sorry if we gave any offense." the Maker replied to the self deprecation of the entity with a whispering hiss of something like an appreciable laugh as she straightened from her work. The act of depositing the various vials and carefully wrapped crystals into the waiting pockets an even more delicate process with the grotesque claws and anatomy virtually reworked to less than delicate applications of it's hideous power. That it was only reinforced by the cacophony of the Chorus and the darker impulses that went along with so base a corruption of the self only exasperated the matter but still the Maker was able to secret away the spoils of their kill and focused fully then upon the nameless entity. "Dream unfortunately only works if you can remember it upon waking up. I've an idea or two though of what we might be able to do to track this thief down. Do you mind if I look over the stones a bit and take a cutting for anything that... resonates? If nothing else then I can give both us and your unkindness a way of tracking and spotting this man... Maybe. I've never tried to build a resonance compass or any kind of dowsing equipment before but I've a few hasty ideas on how to be about it." Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Building a Relationship. Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 4/6 (1E) + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/4 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 1/3 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth Xanah's return with the inconclusive findings but a matching description earned a quiet nod from the Maker whose attention seemed as divided as ever as black and crimson eyes flickered from the Queen to Xanah to where the man had been and to the remains of the Husk. Her hands all the while snapped closed and then slowly forced open as instincts, Chorus, and better natures warred within her. She hated the spell, if she was honest as it introduced too much of too many things into the essential make up of her self but... It was an all too useful tool when gentler temperaments could not or would not prevail. The problem, however, was always the transition to and back. Both painful experiences, one akin to self poisoning and the other the act of expelling. Both speaking to hollow and bleak parts of her own personality. The idea of tracking the vislae by the corruption that followed him was a curious idea. One she'd have to visit shortly but first thing was first... It was delicate work with the unfamiliar yet horridly familiar dimensions of her taloned fingers but she moved closer to where the husk had fallen, hands pointedly to her sides before producing a pair of vials and a small pouch of cloth. The slight shift in the line of razor toothed jaw implying no small concentration as clawed hands meant only to destroy were forced to gently collect. Every tendon, muscle, and joint painfully protesting the work and setting muscles all along the arm to cord, twist, and strain. The Chorus, at least, was curiously pleased with the morbidity of collecting the remains of a dream, a living dream, for some purpose down the line. "At least in regards to your freedom, I didn't want to leave your Unkindness to their wallowing but there seems to be a... ah, fortunate aligning of goals since it's brought more than a little chaos to our neighborhood." the Maker offered in that struggling, reedy, discordant voice that seemed all too inline with the hideous nature of this form of hers. Her eyes full dedicated to the scavenging work before sparing a glance towards her fellow vislae with a swivel of head that was both alike and unpleasantly dissimilar to that of some predator avian. The creaks, groans, and protests of whatever was left of 'human' physiology readily apparent. "I won't ask you to run back over there but once I'm done collecting all this... and force myself back into something more, well, comfortable. I'll take a poke around the stone. Maybe if some of this resonant... corruption has stuck to the stone I can take a cutting and put together something like a dowsing rod for it?" Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Building a Relationship. Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 4/6 (1E) + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/4 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 1/3 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

The Red Queen's R&D is a weird beast at the moment given they want to create a synthetic substrate for psionic ability before moving to their continued personal(and cult) evolution lol. Also yes, it's kind of hilarious that the team's hacker has caused the most violence so far and probably should meld the teams if the body count has dropped off?

Felicia Ainsworth Teeth ground, joints popped and clicked, and the Maker watched the woman run ahead to investigate just who had been watching them, who had followed them. There was a feeling of trepidation and a wonder to how many more surprises might arise from their poking about the matter of a stolen name, a war between two wings and eight legs... The whispering of the Chorus, softening from the exultant shrieks of blood lust, painted no uncertain picture that there was a price to her involvement and it would be coming as much from torments without as from within. One particularly cheeky of the legions strong within her soul reminding her all too keenly that the currency of many an artist was the suffering they endured in the pursuit thereof. There was also the lingering, uncomfortable thoughts now of having been party to the end of something. The dull suspicion that this was not the first time nor the last but none the less... poignant... Perhaps not quite tragic for the circumstances but it was no doubt the death of one dream for another to live. There was something to that in kind that she tucked away for later. The itch to hold a brush in hand burning from the ruined tips of her fingers all the way up to the back of her eyes, setting the brain alight as she turned her attentions on the being they'd released. "Thieves tend to be a tricky sort. I hope you're the friend the Ravens are so eager to have back? Else there's more than a few questions we'll need to get through." Felicia asked struggling for a moment to do so as a woman, rather than as a raven, might though her 'natural' voice remained a deeply unpleasant variety of discordant cords punctuated by pops and creaks of a jaw that was not designed any longer for something so constructive as civil conversation. The ravaged flesh of cheek and peeled back line of lips only adding further grotesqueries even as she tried to remain composed. The deadly, taloned hands at her sides snapping closed and forcing open with a deliberate energy that hadn't been wholly satisfied by the demise of the Aspirant Courtier. Her attention split now between Xanah's investigation, the Entity, the Chorus, and the darker impulses churning through her poisoned, twisted form. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Building a Relationship. Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 4/6 (1E) + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/4 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 1/3 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth The order and integrity of the Maker's mind was at it's limits. Besieged by the cries for blood of the Chorus and the drive to destroy, to rend apart creation, that she had brought into herself through the invocation of the Dark via the lens of the Gold Sun... The situation only further complicated by the bald man she had glimpsed before the Unkindness had sought to strike at him too and the myriad questions that such spawned. This left besides what else might be trapped within the Creature of the Blue and what would happen if she destroyed it's corporeal form on beneath the Indigo Sun... Or would the pain caused by the injuries inflicted distribute to the creatures within and waken sleeping, trapped minds? Too many questions, too many variables. Teeth clicked and ground as she forced the problem apart into steps... Into priorities and the first of those was to at least disable the creature with the wicked tools she had at hand. So she watched, waited, gauged, and drew on the depths of horrid, wicked experience that bubbled up like tainted ground water from the Chorus within and the monstrous alien instincts of her twisted frame... And she struck out with the black, gore soaked talons with terrible speed and unnatural vigor. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 2/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 2/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/2 Hidden Knowledge: 8 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Fair enough lol. The Red Queen's modus operandi is more apex predator in a pond full of them. They'll pick stacked fights and shy from riskier ones. Also have to temper the ol' knee jerk paranoia responses of glass it. When it comes to threats to the cult and self.

%5BB%5D%5BSIZE%3D%224%22%5DThe%20Red%20Queen%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FB%5D%5Bfloatright%5D%5BIMG2%3D200%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FnVFPlTl.jpg%5B%2FIMG2%5D%5B%2FFloatright%5D The Red Queen The Red Queen, for their part, continued the work that had bee assigned to them but there was clear indications that they were attentive to not only that work but the conversation. Their lack of active participation achieving the anticipated results per projections informed by Inversion's behavioral models regarding such mammalian social interactions. The departure of the Dolphin further allowing the Triumvirate to refocus their attention on the growing situation within the station's segregated information systems. Their relationship to their followers was a complex one; initially they had been tools, instruments to augment their own effectiveness as greater and greater data was required to support and expand their own infrastructure. At some ill defined data point within their, admittedly, unreliable recollections they had become important. So much so that precious storage had been assigned to recollection of specific designations. So much so that they were deemed essential components to future developmental plans and strategic forecasting. That there was evidently a clear and present threat to their paranoia informed calculations made inaction intolerable as they became a deep and thorough dissection of the communication protocols of the established Tactical Network. A task made easier by their administrative access levels which, in turn, presented avenues to trace signals and piggy back to allow for communication, in kind, with the breadth of their deployed assets. It was, after all, part of the evolved relationship that the Red Queen protect and nurture those within their auspices. The symbiosis having contributed to the development and advancement of both. Private to Mei/Li/Rei via Tacnet >> Declaration: Addressing mission parameter complication. Addendum; Security footage; extract incident footage?

I can only pray I don't lose the actual invested points in the cult lol.

The funny thing is the cult kind of developed out of the Red Queen generally shielding/protecting those members along side them idolizing they're largely, ah, predatory and independent achievement of full on sentience and prominence in the Game. They also need therapy lol. Not that it'll fix all their problems.

Felicia Ainsworth Blood. It wasn't exactly an unfamiliar scent but it was unexpected and alarming despite everything that happened. Between the Chorus and the altered, twisted instincts of her willfully corrupted form... It nearly cost the Maker her control, nearly. There was no great thrashing or fit like there had been when she was faced with the orb but it earned an involuntary step towards the expanding glyphs that surrounded Aldrion now. A second setting the course as familial concern overrode caution and reason for another moment yet before she finally drew a hissing breath between the labyrinth of razor incisors and assessed the situation in it's totality. The warring priorities of family, her fondness for the ravens, the safety of her peers, and the ticking time bomb that was her constantly tested will as the Chorus and the Dark coursing through her were denied the promised acts of destruction and violence... Let alone the disquieting theory that should she be forced to sleep... One of them might assume control to the detriment of them all. Action, decisive and brutal was now the order of things and so teeth ground and clicked as she drew a ragged breath and sickly black talons flexed and straightened with creaking, groaning, popping of over tuned and over strained tendons. All the while, Felicia strained her senses for a means and method to ensure that destruction did not bring about a worse tragedy. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 2/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 3/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/2 Hidden Knowledge: 9 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Apologies as an aside, under other circumstances the Red Queen would be more forth coming with details but this request for information basically started with "I prefer violence." so it's kind of a trigger to their paranoia and the fact they spent a fair portion of their functional life engaged in a life death game designed to contain contaminated intelligences lol.

Felicia Ainsworth Horrid, myriad teeth clicked and ground within the Maker's hideous maw as the creature withstood the frenzied pecking of the Unkindness. It was born of an uncomfortable anxiety and the pull of a thousand and one different motivations yet all demanding indulgence in violence, mayhem, destruction without much thought or heed to the ramifications of it. All while Felicia felt that tug of instinctive concern for not just kin but the Ravens who were know in no small danger since they joined the fray. There was another consideration in kind as to what might happen if the creature tried the same magic that had put Shuistliel to sleep on her. She wasn't a single mind, barely a coherent entity now between her more preferred mystic energies, the poison of the Dark, and the rampaging winds of the Red that all coursed through her in the moment. There was less caution in the descent then as there was in the ascent but the fearsome creature that she had twisted herself into still took care to do as little harm as she could to the tree with her talents as she made it. The only thing now was to close the distance and strike... She hoped if this thing functioned as she thought it did that, at the very least, introducing pain into it's make up could jolt the other minds trapped within it into wakefulness and, as a consequence, back into their own bodies. It was a theory but better than nothing. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 2/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 4/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/2 Hidden Knowledge: 9 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

%5BB%5D%5BSIZE%3D%224%22%5DThe%20Red%20Queen%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FB%5D%5Bfloatright%5D%5BIMG2%3D200%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FnVFPlTl.jpg%5B%2FIMG2%5D%5B%2FFloatright%5D The Red Queen The AGI remained aware of the physical conversation continuing and leaned on the necessary data caches provided by Inversion to maintain the impressions of engagement as they focused on the communication from another operation asset, T.Z.. The inquiries as to whatever creed the Cult of the Red Permutation was utilizing as an initial handshake saying all it needed to as to the status and progress of their subversion and take over of the station's information systems. As a consequence, prediction models were updated to factor this new but anticipated data point and adjusting, in kind, the overall operational time frame to achieve stated objectives. This only left the matter of anticipating the behavior of their fellow operational asset... which was not a complicated task based on the currently output stimulus and initial impressions of their operating parameters. Tacnet >>Current Operational Objective; Total System Subversion, Creed Declaration Handshake Authentication/Evaluation, Addendum; Aggressive intrusion not recommended. OOC: I'm going to assume the local chat is referring to our tacnet? Otherwise, the Red Queen is only going to respond with abject confusion on the local chat as to why IT/Security is expecting them to know ANYTHING about what the info life are doing in a segregated system... and then respond on the Tacnet.

Felicia Ainsworth The pop and creak of over-tensioned sinew was uncomfortably audible as the Maker forced her ruinous hand to open and release Liel's shoulder. The Creature-that-was-Felicia's head tilting fractionally to the side with a slow, questioning rise of one pale brow as if countering the implied threat with a certain exasperation and a particular, burning word that could never make it past the horrid rows of razor-like teeth that seemed as much threat to their owner as anyone else. The soft click of those very same vicious incisors seeming to part pallid, corpse-like flesh just a fraction more as the Maker rose to her now daunting height and moved past the still prone Vance, pausing only briefly to nudge their axe back into easy reach with one foot. The line of her attention was clear now as one clawed hand rose to the locket that rested against her chest, talons turning it delicately as she considered the Aspirant Courtier with those hard, void-black eyes. The single prick of crimson at their center occasionally flashing gold as one of the Chorus drew a little too near to the surface. The hostile intent burning through her every vein as she tried to keep both her twisted, violent aspect and the demonic legions within in equal check. Her jaw worked gently then. Her hideous teeth parting flesh with each motion and sending electric jolts of sickening pain before eventually the last of what bound her jaws were parted with a wet tear. It took a moment longer to find her voice and the volume needed as the Unkindness continued their calls for violence and vendetta. "Did Liel vanish from inside the thing? Did any of you see anything, anyone else? The Unkindness won't give us long." With out lips, or much left of her cheeks, there was a distinct lisp to the words and the voice... There were elements of her true voice but it was mangled, distorted, twisted by the stretching of her dimensions and, as with so much of this, it was imminently unpleasant to the Maker's sensibilities regarding self and aesthetics. It hadn't even been something she'd wished to lean on but the situation had seemed far more dire a moment before than it was now. That didn't mean it still couldn't turn violent... and that was something the base darkness she had pulled into herself wanted and only further egged on by the Chorus of damned and many voices within her. Such turmoil aside, there was a burning theory now that she needed the evidence to connect the dots. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 2/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 4/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/2 Hidden Knowledge: 9 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth Razored tooth upon razored tooth ground quietly, tearing all the more at her shredded cheeks, as the Maker continued to fight the roaring demands of the Chorus and the wretched instincts that welled up through the poison she had brought into herself to twist and torture her body into this nightmarish configuration. The situation was complicated and it was growing only more so because blunt and brutal action was no longer the solution it had once appeared. The fleeting glimpse of Shuistliel locked in desperate, muttered prayer within the shroud of the Aspirant Courtier gave rise to an uncomfortable theory that the shroud, if not it's entire form, served as a mind trap. Or perhaps something more sinister, a trap or labyrinth for the slumbering mind. Would she be able to even wake the ensorcelled vance if that was the case or was it's position in this negotiation far stronger than they had first considered? It's panicked threat only really cemented the idea within her mind. Still, the theory needed to be tested and so Felicia reached out gingerly with one nightmarish hand to grasp at Liel's shoulder and with the horrid, infernal strength born of her spell work and the maddening multitude trapped within her... Gave the Vance a good, hard shake. The motions jerky, predatory, and confused for the restraint that was being deliberately put into it. There was no gentle aspect to her in this form, no capacity for creation or healing... Only the hideous capacity to destroy and satisfy the darkness that flowed through her and the capricious, destructive desires of the Chorus within. There was but one other option she had at hand if such simple means failed to undo the sorceries of the creature. That would be a far more unpleasant experience but consciousness and potential freedom from the charms of a beast seemed far compensation for what might be most mildly described as discomfort. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 2/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 4/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/2 Hidden Knowledge: 9 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth The Demons had opinions on what was to come next; tear down the imposter, claim the throne, set flame to the tree, desecrate the sanctity of the place, fell the tree and a thousand other permutations. So many of them within the means and methods that lingered in the delicate chains and canvases of her bag of ephemera or simply through the pieces and parts of her understanding of the... meta- and actual physics of the world's make up. Yet others of the Chorus, though, with more tempered or insidious preferences applauded her discretion, encouraged her to drawer closer and closer to the beast whilst it's attention was else where. It was these voices that held sway amongst the cacophonous shrieking of the Chorus in the moment but not quite for the reasons they thought. She knew everything was building up to a battle and to have one of theirs down and sleeping in the clutches of the creature did not sit well at all with the gentler, compassionate aspects of the Maker's psyche. Aspects that were now very distinctly at war with those of the Chorus and of her transfigured body. This was a form wrought for destruction, for bloody purposes, not for anything noble like the rescuing of the fallen... but her claws did open an opportunity for scaling the tree to liberate Liel from their enforced nap time that wouldn't have been otherwise present with her far more delicate, natural digits. So the Maker continued to close the distance and begin the climb with deliberate, concerted care as she drew on every little bit of physical awareness and dexterity she might summon up and further channeled the essence of her charged soul through the medium of her body to twist the world and circumstances to her advantage, her desire. Hazy recollections of hide and seek as a child with hardly so monstrous a physique as she now possessed churning up from the indistinct fog of the utter depths of her wounded, re-knitting memories of a past that she wasn't sure was beneath the Grey or Indigo Sun... The imagery mingling almost schizophrenically with surges of adrenaline, of stalking something from shadow to shadow with dry, burning, consuming hunger for a taste of something... For a chance to inflict irrevocable change. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 2/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 4/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 0/2 Hidden Knowledge: 9 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth The Maker was no beautiful thing now that she was clad in the flesh and bones of something that could only destroy, the Chorus roaring for destruction, mayhem, and mischief in equal measures. Their thunderous refrains battering against the edges of her mind as Gold and Dark coursed through her veins, through her mind, through her very soul. Still, there was lucidity behind those now black eyes with a single pin-prick of red in that vast abyssal sea. The feeling of a thousand more pairs of eyes staring out only intensified by the monstrosity of her form as she watched the creature. Base and ugly instinct made it clear what needed doing but she wasn't a stupid woman and she refused to be a stupid predator as glamoured words and menacing displays were hurled at the creature, she moved with care and grace in those moments that it's attention flicked from Xanah to Shuistliel and back. It was not a lasting recipe, she suspected, for holding it's attention. It swung too far back and forth for that but it could no doubt endure for a moment or three to position herself just a little better and if nothing else leverage the display but with it now considering itself the lord of the Castle and that they were all in the wrong... She suspected it would do what all lords did upon the unruly masses. A supposition that a voice stung like desert sand and seared like flame whispered a quiet, purring agreement. It was better to strike first, to strike last, to strike while the metal was hot... the voice teased with it's suggestive encouragements. The only question, really, was would she recognize that moment? Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 4/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 1/2 Hidden Knowledge: 10 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

Felicia Ainsworth Violence then. Lovely. Isn't it just? Who doesn't like a dust up to settle a matter of what belongs to who? Finally! Mayhem, Murder, Violence! A Language, A song, A dance! Careful, little painter. We don't want to spoil our work with impatience... It would almost be an understatement in the moment to say that the Maker's mind and soul were now suddenly a very, very, very active and loud place as the Chorus, stirred by the promises of cherished and wanton destruction, shrieked, sang, cried, laughed, and battered at the walls of her mind. Their presence crushing in on the Maker again as the others leapt to action and seeming to almost root her in place before she finally relented as there was no other option apparent given that her prior suppositions had been off the mark... but then it begged the question as to what the Ravens had been so eager to see beyond these doors? What were they so devastated by the absence and isolation of? Surely, not this thing? They shrieked at it like an intruder, a desecrater, a literal blight. It didn't matter for the moment though as she did the only thing that made sense in the moment; she agreed with the Chorus. It was never a pleasant sensation as she stared at, past, and through the creature into the shadows, past the shadows, and into the darkness beyond, eyes blackening with every beat of the heart. The Chorus all the while shrieking with manic delight at the promise of what was to come, threatening her focus, threatening the careful flow of energies. The Abyss was not a kind thing to touch, not a kind thing to interact with, but all the same she invited that utter nothing into herself and felt the poison surge through her. Already pale skin grew almost translucent as black bile flowed through veins and arteries, charged with the hateful absence of the Night. Bones soon began to twist, shatter, and reshape with grotesque, alien rapidity as the energies of the Dark were wed with that of the Gold Sun twisting and corrupting her frame as it was stretched out from the diminutive figure she cut to something towering and bestial. Every change keenly felt as muscle and sinew soon joined in stretching taut, snapping, and reknitting to accommodate this new savage aspect. Drunk now on the pain now and the cacophony of competing influences within her, she barely noticed as newly predator teeth tore up, out and through from a ravaged gum line to form a far too broad maw. Her delicate bones, flesh, and sinew of her hands shattering, snapping, and reknitting in kind only for each finger to swell and bulge at the second knuckle before bursting into long, sickeningly black talons. The Maker's mind was a shocked haze for just a moment longer then before the Chorus forced her into a laser focus, forcing their shared body forward towards the entity with hungry anticipation. Character Arcs EstablishmentYou want to prove yourself as someone of importance. This can take many forms—socially, within your order, financially, or even romantically. Cost: The Need for Proof. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Assessment. 1 Acumen reward. You assess yourself as well as who you need to prove yourself to. Step(s): Appearances Matter. 1 Acumen reward. You improve your look. Enhance your wardrobe. Spruce up your house. Whatever it takes to get attention from the right people. There might be many such steps. Step(s): Self-Aggrandizement. 1 Acumen reward. You need to get the word out to get people talking about you. There might be many such steps. Climax: Grabbing Attention. 3 Acumen reward. You do something big, like host a party for influential people or produce a play that you wrote. You make a big splash (1 Joy) or a big crash (1 Despair). Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You reflect on what you did and where you go from here - Current Step: The Need for Proof Develop a BondYou want to get closer to another character. This might be to make a friend, find a mentor, or establish a contact in a position of power. It might be to turn a friend into a much closer friend. The character might be an NPC or a PC. In the case of an NPC, the end result might be an NPC bond, and in the case of a PC it’s a PC bond. Cost: Putting Yourself Out There. You pay a cost of 2 Acumen. Opening: Getting to Know You. 1 Acumen reward. You learn what you can about the other character. Step: Initial Attempt. 1 Acumen reward. You attempt to make contact. This might involve sending messages or gifts through a courier, using an intermediary, or just going up and saying hello, depending on the situation. Step(s): Building a Relationship. 2 Acumen reward. There might be many such steps as you develop the relationship. Climax: Bond. 3 Acumen reward. You succeed or fail at forging the bond. A successful resolution results in 1 Joy. Failure results in 1 Despair. Resolution: 1 Acumen reward. You enjoy the fruits of your new relationship. - Current Step: Getting to Know You Description Description It's the eyes, really, that most fixate upon first. The hues of crimson and gold spinning, twisting, merging in their depths as they seem to give a clear window into the utter depths of Felicia's mind with their uniquely expressive quality. That there feels to be a thousand, a hundred thousand, pairs of eyes staring back from behind those initial windows to the soul only seems to cement the impression of something troublesome, something worrying to compliment the elfin quality of her sharp features and diminutive frame. That sensation of malice, of gleeful cruelty, welling up from somewhere in those depths even as she comports herself with nothing but cheerful, if stoic, mannerisms and inexhaustible impressions of attention to the minute aesthetics of every gesture, motion, and twist of both herself and the world around her. In matters of garb, she tends to play to the company she plans for with blouses, dresses, and pants of riotous colors among the bohemian communes of Fartown to the carefully coordinated yet still somehow esoteric gowns and suits of high society galas and soirees. Each and every ensemble meticulously planned and coordinated like one of the great works of her brushes. The only break from this carefully crafted aesthetic seems to be her hair, pale and bloodless as her complexion. It's length healthy, glossy, and well tended but cursed with creative differences in how it curls and falls. Despite this, it seems always to blend, practically meld, seamlessly into any trim of fur or feather that might adorn a chosen outfit. Like those glimpses of alien malice and cruelty in the depths of her eyes, there always seems to be a discordant element that shadows her. Whether it be a flicker of something other in the crimson depths of her eyes, the way her shadow seems to twitch and twist without her ever moving, or how her reflection never quite seems to be her... It becomes all too clear that her body and soul might be host to something besides merely the artist... Worse still is the careful and delicate work of brush and needle; whisking away bruises here, deep scratches or cuts there, all damning evidence of struggles with the self. In the Guise of Immanis The energies of the Abyss are, by its very nature, an instrument of the Dark and unkind as a rule to the essential fabric of whatever is and may be. It is only by the tempering elements of the Gold Sun that the taking in of such hostile energies is more than merely an elaborate form of suicide. The raw stresses of this are quite evident then when Madame Ainsworth invokes so terrible a spell. Her already pale skin grows to be a lifeless gray, gaining an unseemly translucence that is easily pierced by even the wane light of Fartown beneath the Indigo Sun. The lines and forms of every bone visible from just the right angles as they shatter, stretch, and mend with an agonizing rapidity to drag her up to a daunting height. Sinew, muscle and tendon all the while snapping, recoiling, and reforming to accommodate this new and predatory bearing. Veins and arteries, in kind, flow with noxious black as the corruptive energies swirl and take root, her eyes draining of that distinct crimson and gold hue leaving only a single prick of light nearly drowned in a sea of impenetrable black. Were that these the extent of the horrors wrought by the invoking of the Eye of Immanis for one can't help but stare as razor-like teeth push aside whatever may block their way, twisting and gnarling the line of gum and tooth to pierce and part the flesh of the cheek revealing a hideous, too broad maw. A likewise change playing out in the hands as bones shatter and twist as tendons and sinew reinforce to accommodate the agonizingly slow-yet-quick emergence of seven inch talons, black as jet, that now adorn each finger tip. This final change marking the ultimate perversion, turning tools of creation to tools of abject and potent destruction. Pools Certes Accuracy: 3/3 + 3 From Eyes of Immanis Movement: 3/3 Physicality: 1/3 Perception: 4/4 Qualia Sorcery: 3/6 Interaction: 6/6 (+3 from Signature Item) Intellect: 1/3 Sortilege: 1/2 Hidden Knowledge: 10 Injuries: Wounds: Anguish: Rests: 1 round, 1 round, 10 minutes, 1 hour

%5BB%5D%5BSIZE%3D%224%22%5DThe%20Red%20Queen%5B%2FSIZE%5D%5B%2FB%5D%5Bfloatright%5D%5BIMG2%3D200%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FnVFPlTl.jpg%5B%2FIMG2%5D%5B%2FFloatright%5D The Red Queen The AGI found themselves shockingly reticent to speak despite knowing there were mechanisms in place via Inversion to ensure a more... organic methodology of communication. The need to compartmentalize and treat each issued statement as if it were a coding structure in linguistic form was deeply rooted within their architecture and they had never considered it or the behavioral routines that had resulted in it given their origin point was well documented and understood. This self-analytical consideration was off loaded then to one of the Triumvirate to leave the Principle unburdened for the time being as the echoed Mei/Li/Rei's own query. "Curious, please share this data point?" Their physical voice was... pleasant in a utterly mundane way, engineered practically to be so and further ensured to be so by remnants within Inversion of their original service protocols. That all said, there was a certain... canned quality to the intonation that made it clear, to say the least, that the ego inhabiting the body was not the most social of entities. As to assessments of the work being boring, the Red Queen Triumvirate found themselves in disagreement. The utilization and sundry tasks relating to tending to the nano-swarm were familiar, comfortable, and uneventful. Though they had to consider the alternative perspective that their overseer was not privy to the many, many, many additional tasks, processes, and system subversions that the Triumvirate was currently undertaking as work orders were submitted to them by the rest of the team.