| Jorie Rikard (Jhor-ee Rick-ard) Race: Altered Human. Her body is an unnatural
fusion between human and Iklon elements & DNA. Class/Occupation: Mercenary/Gunslinger/"Problem
Solver" Special notes: Jorie's pistols are energy-flingers, powered by techno-magic, that were custom crafterd by her father, a renown gunsmith. They have attachments that can be added to convert them into rifles, and can fire solid rounds as well for better penetration. Jorie also carries a caster gun (yes, ripped right out of the anime Outlaw Star!) which allows her to fire hugely destructive energy blasts (she keeps this as her last resort weapon, when she has to whip out the big guns! o.o). She has a personal satellite or 'ID' as they are called; a small mechanical creature that hovers near her almost all the time which she ironically calls 'Blank' (think MAGs from Phantasy Star Online). Blank can carry extra ammo and parts for her, recharge power cels, and act as a range amplifier for long range rifle shots. He can speak and tends to be very polite and cautionary, except when conversing with Jorie. They seem to bicker and trade jibs fairly regularly. Also traveling with Jorie is a winged cat named Haley who attached herself to Jorie when she was just a kitten, much to Jorie's original distaste. Haley has since grown to be one of Jorie's only true friends, and is just as feisty has her human counter part. (see model sheet for visual reference on both of these.) History: Jorie was born to into a family that runs one of the largest trade guilds in the Techno-Empire. This guild is one of the only sources of Techno-magical firearms in the southern regions. She was raised by her father, the Guild Master, because her mother died while she still very young. She grew up riding the caravans that took arms shipments to buyers across the continent, and when she proved worthy she joined the caravan guard and took the lead not long after. At the age of eighteen she had a run-in with a superb rapier duelist named Daevarius Cantleroy. She was on a lone courier run for her father when she encountered a caravan transporting young, female slaves. Appalled by the idea of human slaves and being just young & brash enough to think she could pull it off, Jorie tried to free some of them. This only served to get her caught by the caravan master, Daevarius. He challenged her to a duel, stating that if she could best him she could go free, but if she lost he'd join the caravan as a slave. Thinking she, as a ranged fighter, would have the advantage of superior weaponry over the rapierist, accepted the duel. Sadly, her thinking proved wrong, and the combination of Daevarius' excellent skill and awesome speed bested her easily. Jorie however, was ready to die before becoming a slave, and defiantly said as much. Daevarius only smiled at the knowledge that the young woman valued her pride over her life. Instead of striking her down he freed her, but slashed her cheek open with his rapier tip, leaving a bloody scar and that would be the symbol of her shame for the rest of her life. After the incident, Jorie continued working for her father and the guild. In her early twenties, she was the Guard Captain of one of her father's caravans when it was attached by a pair of Manticores. The two creatures, aided by some outside force, took the caravan totally by surprise. The traveling entourage was decimated, all 63 people, with the possible exception of Jorie herself. Her father and the rescue team arrived and managed to salvage what was left of her, (which was not much). Desperate to save his only daughter, her father took what remained to the Iklons, a race of silicon-based humanoids from deep within the techno-empire. Using their technology and the magics of her father' clerics in a procedure that had never before been tried, they worked desperately to bring her back. The procedure was inexplicably successful, and even the scientist and doctors are not quite sure how they pulled it off. A miracle some said, but it mattered little to Jorie's father. Jorie herself had changed however. When she finally awoke she was barely herself, and she even looked slightly different. Though the body had conformed itself to her image of herself, the scar that Daevarius gave her remained. New however, was a shock of orange hair sprouting from the part in her blond hair. An orange that matched the energy eye of an ID that has mysteriously appeared during the operation, and would not leave her side (Thus, Blank is born!).After her revival, she spent several months recovering and retraining her new body. It took her psyche a great deal longer to recover, and it seemed that her heart might be buried forever. She spent the first two years being cold and dispassionate, hardened beyond the ability to be touched by anyone. Her father and brother were patient however, and never gave up on her. Eventually she regained her old habits and attitude, but she would forever be marked by her experience with death and if anything she became more caustic, reckless and hungry for danger than she ever had been before. A few years later, Jorie left the employ of the Guild after her father and younger brother's deaths and took to adventuring and mercenary work. She traveled with a group of adventurers for some time, making friends with a few of them, including an Iklon mercenary named Dalenir. This, of course, was only the beginning of how complicated her life was going to get... Jorie's run-in with the duelist Daevarius was the not the last she heard of him. He takes a perverse pleasure in taunting her, never allowing her to forget, but always staying just out of reach. He seems to see it as a personal challenge to try and break her, and it's likely that some of the trials Jorie has to endure later in her life are in part because of him. She searches out all information she can get on the man while she travels, in the hopes to someday find him and challenge him again, to exact vengeance for all the grief he's caused her. Personality: She's bold, aggressive, and enjoys her job perhaps a little too much. Her experience with death has removed her fear and much of her instinct for self preservation. She's reckless almost to the point of insanity, but the thrill of the action and the pain of combat as one of the few things that make her feel truly alive. She takes care to only endanger herself however, and not others around her (I can't say the same about property damage, though!). She's flippant and sarcastic, with a quick and VERY sharp wit which few can escape. There is no 7-second-filter on this woman; she says exactly what she's thinking no matter how obnoxious or tactless it might be. She'll laugh out loud at all the inappropriate times too, and not give a shit whose feathers get ruffled. Her attitude gets her in trouble a good potion of the time, but she's got the skills and the bravado to back it up. She is a consummate professional however, and takes her job VERY seriously; doing whatever is necessary is complete the missions she is given. Jorie is rough around the edges, and a little broken inside. She has difficulty allowing people to get close to her, and tends to hide any kind of weakness. The problem she has coping with her own internal issues usually gets in the way of forming normal healthy relationships. There's no room for romance in the life of a mercenary; it's just a sure-fire way to get yourself hurt. That doesn't stop her from seeking male companionship however, but such exploits are usually always short and fierce. (That also doesn't stop her from falling for someone anyway, whether she likes it or not!) Though she's not the most polite person, she's still pretty good at heart. She defends fiercely those few she calls friend, as well as things she sees as morally wrong. Her friends grow to appreciate her for her sense of humor and ability to bounce back from almost anything. She's had a hard life and seen a lot of things, but she figures hey, if her dealing with all this shit means someone else doesn't have to, then it's worth it. (bit of a martyr complex there, though she'd scoff if you said that to her face) Quirks: Jorie never speaks of her experience with death, and avoids the subject should anyone ask. Jorie's repressed the traumatic memories of the moments before her death, but relives the manticore's brutal attack during reoccurring nightmares, which always end with her waking screams. She also has a terrible fear of manticores when they confront her in the flesh, and such confrontations evoke an instant fight or flight instinct in her. Jorie also has a serious addiction to alcohol. Aside from just enjoying recreational drinking, her immediate reaction to emotional turmoil is to reach for the bottle. When she can't cope with issues she drowns them in hard liquor. And I mean HARD liquor, and lots of it. Her altered body has a faster metabolism and tolerance to poisons, so she has to imbue large quantities of booze at a fairly fast rate to put her into the stupor she seems to prefer. She carries her trusty flask with her everywhere, usually filled with whiskey, scotch, or if she's lucky, something more powerful. Jorie's other addictions are sex and adrenaline. Both of these things help her feel more alive, and casual sex helps her fill the relationship void (of course, she also just likes sex period!). She was fairly promiscuous after her death-rebound, but such encounters were always brief and the men involved were the ones that woke up alone in the morning. Other funny quirks-- She loves coffee (yeay caffeine!), and has a bit of an oral fascination-- she likes chewing raw licorice sticks, and has a habit of biting her thumbnail when she's in deep contemplation.. or just horny. Ironically, she hates smoking, and thinks it's a disgusting habit. Misc Notes: Jorie was born a natural blond without the orange streak. The streak was a a side effect of Blank's creation, and you'll probably notice it's the roughly the same color as his energy eye. The scar on her left cheek appears both before and after her death by the manticores. Even though she received a new body, the scar that Cantleroy gave her recreated itself. It's presence is more of a function of her own psyche however; the new body conformed to her own vision of herself, and until she can frees herself of his shadow, the scar will remain. Jorie usually sights with her left eye (the replacement) when aiming, and doesn't need a scope for rifles when sighting with this eye. Her aim is pretty scary even without that really, but it does aid with tracking targets and difficult ranged attacks. Image References:
"Blank:"
Handy Side-kick and Professional Nag. Blank can speak and has an intelligence all his own. He is everything Jorie is not: polite, cautionary, and patient. He's always cautioning her about her tactics but is just as ready and willing to do his part when it comes down to business. Jorie is the only person that he is not always polite and considerate towards; and they trade jibs fairly regularly. I imagine him sounding a lot like C-3PO from Star Wars, but without the annoying whininess, and a dash of R2-D2’s attitude. The dark circle on Blank’s front is the closest thing he has to a face. Most of the time it's occupied by a small glowing orange circle, but he can change its shape to convey emotions. This orange light disappears when he goes dormant or into 'sleep' mode. The two side units also move up, down and swivel forward and back a bit. I use them sort of like ears to portray emotion. The seam at the bottom of his body can pop open and he can extend small arms that can be used to manipulate objects. They have little strength though and can only pick up and carry the smallest objects. Often these are used to provide Jorie with extra ammo during combat, or to help make repairs. Blank tends to carry a lot of Jorie’s important gear, like the charger for the clips that go in her pistols, and any spare clips she has. He also carries caster shell spares and empties, as well an array of tools and repair equipment. The seam at the top opens up to reveal a storage space that these items get kept in, but don't ask how much space is in there, because the amount of stuff he pulls out of there definitely doesn't match the visible space. (extra-dimensional space, anyone?) Haley (coming soon... feel free to ask if you need this info.) |
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Race: Iklon (The Iklons are a race of
organic-mechaniod beings that go through stages of evolution rather
than growing slowly as humans do. They begin looking much more like
machines, and slowly evolve to closely resemble humans. ) Class/Occupation: Mercenary, adventurer
and occasional weapons trainer. History: Not much is known about Dalenir's past before he joined Jorie and her companions, though it seems as if he was not always a mercenary, OR a gunslinger... He has traveled a great deal of the world, and has a fairly vast bank of knowledge on its peoples. Personality: Dalenir maintains a smooth, cool attitude towards most things in life. Even his anger, though passionate and fierce, is well controlled. He handles himself with a the competent air of one who intimately knows his strengths and weaknesses; making the best of the former and avoiding the exposure of the later. He comes off to most as a self-assured-bordering-on-cocky, battled-hardened individual. He seems to like to play up the hard-core mercenary role, and most people never have an opportunity to see past it. It seems however, that there's a softer, more vulnerable side to him beneath this veneer, but he sheds this for few people, Jorie included until very late in their relationship. Quirks: For all his cool attitude, Dalenir has a slight mischievous bent. He enjoys watching people's reaction's under pressure and has an awful habit of testing them just to see their reactions. (thus the long dramatic pause when Jorie asked is he was the one she had had sex with pervious night upon their first meeting). His cool composure is usually only broken by an even cooler smirk. This tendency has often been the start of Jorie's and Dalenir's bed play; resulting in a bizarre combination of tickle fight and wrestling match turned foreplay. Image References:
Theme Music: (mostly Jorie & Dalenir together)
The circumstances of Jorie and Dalenir's meeting and acquaintance are peculiar at best, but all the more amusing. He worked on contract in the guard training center in the city that Jorie and her companions were currently working out of. She meet him in a tavern one evening, and he joined her and her friends in a drinking game. She awoke late the next morning in her room with quite a hangover and little memory of the previous evening. Given her disheveled, naked, and somewhat sore state, it became obvious she'd had rather raucous sex with someone the previous night. Easily ruling out her fellow adventuring companions and any strays after talking to the bartender, she set out in search for Dalenir. She found him at the training facility and quickly posed her question, not wanting to draw things out. "So uhh... were you the one I had sex with last night?" Dalenir raised his eyebrows and gazed at her for a few moments from behind the desk, watching her try to maintain a casual air. Then he confirmed her suspicions with an amused smile, and quickly changed the subject by inviting her out to the practice range. Never one to turn down a challenge, Jorie accepted, and was delightfully surprised to find that the man had skills rivaling her own. With a smirk she decided right then and there that their next encounter (hopefully soon) would be one she would remember. (Which wasn't always the case-- it became a running joke that whenever Jorie drunk herself into a stupor, she always woke up the next day in bed with Dalenir, Even if he was hundreds of miles away the previous night!!) The two had a few more liaisons when opportunity allowed and eventually Dalenir ended his training assignment in Naruth and joined Jorie and her companions on a more permanent basis. Jorie found that she worked exceedingly well with the man, both professionally and socially. He satisfied her sexually in ways she seldom hoped for, as so many men she encountered either felt threatened by her, wanted to dominate her, or just plain weren’t worth her time. Dalenir saw her voracious sexual appetite as a challenge and the two had relations as often as circumstances would allow. The two became fast and easy partners after that, going on many missions together, maintaining their relationship in a fairly casual manner. Or so Jorie thought. One fateful day during a grisly fight gone terribly wrong, Dalenir fell in battle to the Wraith. His death rocked Jorie's world far harder than she ever expected. The first day was complete numbness, but shock and denial could not stem the emotions welling within her and she eventually gave into grief-- an emotion that also forced her to accept that she'd had feelings for the man to begin with. Though Jorie excels at enduring physical pain she fails miserably at shouldering emotional pain. She was inconsolably distraught and irate-- angry at herself for falling as hard as she had, angry at him for being so god-damn likable AND stupid enough to DIE, lastly just plain pissed at the world for putting her in this fucked up situation in the first place. Her initial anger was spent destroying the contents the room she had holed herself in, flinging furniture about with strangled yells and blooding her fists on the paneled walls, until she'd spent all her energy and settled into an exhausted heap in one dark corner. She stubbornly refused tears, but she couldn't take up the bottle either, for it reminded her too much their times together. Haley did what she could to comfort Jorie and Blank was dark and silent. Her exhaustion finally overwhelmed her, and she slipped into a restless sleep. She awoke the next day amid the shattered wreakage of her room, dusted herself off and tried to continue business at usual. When her companions inquired, she told them she was… fine. They all knew this for the lie that it was, but there was little they could do to help her. This was only the first of a series of very difficult events in Jorie’s life, ones that almost broke her spirit. If it hadn’t been for her companions, Anwyn especially, and benefactor, she would might never have recovered. Jorie did eventually accept and acknowledge the feelings she had for Dalenir; knowing that with him gone she would never have to face him, and that made it all the easier to accept and move on. A number of years passed and the companions underwent some trying times. They continued to fight against the forces of the Wraith and Daevarius' organization, and the members of their number flexed and waned as they both won and lost battles. It as during this struggle that Jorie gained a very special piece of information... that Dalenir was, in fact, still alive... but being held captive by Daevarius and used as a sniper assassin against his will. This was beyond any measure of injury Daevarious had done to her previously, for she found out he was responsible for Dalenir's "death" originally and had planned the whole thing from the start. Armed with this information and a tip on where Dalenir was being held, she and her party members launched a daring rescue. During this rescue, they were confronted by non- other than Daevarius himself. He remained long enough to flaunt his presence at the irrationally vengeful Jorie and then left his minions to fight her and her companions for Dalenir's freedom. They were eventually successful, and Jorie and Dalenir had a heartfelt reunion. Now that the two were reunited, the inevitable question came up in Jorie's mind: "I have these feelings that I never wanted or even expected to have, what do I do about them??" The idea of opening herself up to love terrified her, and after seeing the horrible trauma that two of her life-bonded companions faced, she was all too aware of the suffering that such depth of feeling could create. She and Dalenir went through a rough time. She was indecisive and wavered between wanting to be with him and avoiding him altogether. Dalenir had issues of his own, for he retained all the memories of his time as a prisoner, when they employed mind control to use him as an assassin against many good people, Jorie's group included. He tried to push the image of Jorie in his crosshairs from his mind, but the idea that he had come so close to killing her haunted him often. Finally, Jorie had a heart-to-heart with one of her oldest friends, Anwyn.
"How do you do it? How you you open yourself up to harm like
that? I'm trying to be... better at feeling... but it seems like
every time I open up, something just comes along and kicks me in
the teeth! How do I know it won’t be like that with Dalenir?" This was very poignant food-for-thought for Jorie. She mulled it over for some time but it was the threat of losing him again that pushed her over the edge. Just when the two were at their most awkward-- unable to resume their former relationship but uncertain on how to continue-- Dalenir was called away and it was unknown when and if he'd return. Again the woman tired to take this in stride but she could not ignore the thought of what her hesitation might have cost her. A week passed filled with work that for once did nothing to distract her. One late afternoon as Jorie returned from a seedy battle that left her in a foul and darkened mood, she entered the courtyard to find Dalenir standing there. She froze. Don't be a coward! Running from this isn't brave.... came the prodding thought. He smiled into the stunned silence and she felt herself returning it. Her feet brought her to him and she hugged him hard, then looked at him fiercely and said, "Don't you ever leave again." He kissed her, softly but deeply, which was all the response required. Relationship Quirks: Jorie and Dalenir
are constantly challenging each other, no matter the topic. It seems
neither can resists the other's jibs for a contest. One of the only
times Jorie's ever worn a dress is because she lost a bet
on a shooting contest between the two of them! The bet was that
the loser of the match had to wear a dress on their next date. In
fact, the result of the follow-up match was the first time Dalenir
had ever worn a dress!! ;D |
Daevarius Cantleroy (day-var-ee-us cant-ley-roy) Race: Human, with magical enhancements Skills & Powers: The red ring on his left hand grants a godlike speed that he puts to good use in combination with his superb skill with the rapier & dagger. His rapier bears the crest of his long dead family, but the blade as since been retooled and enchanted. The blade now allows the wielder to temporarily drain energies and even abilities from its victims that Cantleroy then takes great glee in using against them. Profession: Aside from being a duelist, Daevarius is the leader of a large syndicate specializing in black market trade. He is an expert at providing hard to find goods and services and specializes in satisfying the exotic and sometimes perverse tastes of the eccentrically wealthy. There is little limit to the type of trade he will broker- magical artifacts, child and sex slavery, drugs, weapons, propaganda campaigns, governmental corruption, assassination… the list goes on. Personality: He's pretentious, stylish, haughty, arrogant, cruel, cunning and a classic sociopath. He prefers finely tailored clothing and pristinely clean surroundings. (the man won’t even wear ivory because it just looks like dirty white!) He will never been seen in anything but the best surroundings, wearing the best clothes, serving the best food, etc. No matter how luxuriant his life style though, it never seems to be enough. He surrounds himself with adoring followers at ever opportunity, throwing lavish parties just to give people an opportunity to adore him. His work is an extension on this, and he's made an art of making himself and his network indispensable to a great many powerful people. Daevarius is an obsessive collector of all things of value, but not in the usual, conventional fashion. Even though he has a lavish life style, he derives little pleasure from it. What he craves to own and collect, are the things that other people value, and he takes great pleasure in the power and control that this allows him to exert over people. For instance, in Jorie’s case, when their duel was ended and he had easily bested her, she told him she’d rather die than give in and become one of his many slaves. Because she valued her pride over her life, Cantleroy left her life intact and instead took her pride, leaving the scar on her cheek as a constant reminder of her humiliation. Daevarius’s obsessions have made him a dangerous man to deal with. The man is cunning, devious, and has a great many political connections which he manipulates with great efficiency. Though normally very composed and gentlemanly, there are occasions where the feeling of not being 'good enough' overwhelms him. This can unexpectedly swell his anger to dangerous levels, and such explosions are abrupt and unpredictable, usually resulting in broken china or glassware, broken furniture and broken people.. Image References:
Theme Music: (mostly Jorie & Daevarius together)
Daevarius’s interest in Jorie has gone beyond that of just their first encounter. Her ability to thrive in the face of adversity and bounce back from almost anything makes her a great toy for his amusement. He’s determined to meet the challenge of breaking her eventually and taking away everything she holds dear, taking great glee in making her life hell in the process. He has no qualms about targeting the people close to her-- her family, friends, and lovers-- always aiming at her great emotional and psychological weaknesses. A great many of the challenges Jorie’s faced have been orchestrated by him, a fact that Jorie only gains knowledge of a piece at a time. Of course these instances only seem to fuel her rage and inner angst, much to his intense satisfaction. He never lets her forget her about him during the quiet times in between, dropping subtle reminders that he’s still around (a well placed rumor or news item), just to keep the fire in her brewing. The reality of the relationship is a harsh one. Jorie's reactions only serve to make Daevarius love to torment her more-- every time she clenches her fist because of him he gains a smile-- because it validates him and makes him all the more stronger and in control-- which is the very thing he craves. What she doesn't understand, is that to take away his power over her, she has to stop giving him what he wants-- her hate. She could take his life and end it all, but it would only mean he'd won in the end, and she would be haunted by the memory of his grinning, victorious face, laughing back at her saying "I made you do this... I control you even now..." |
