If you know what I'm going to do, you're an NPF Vet. (A Sign-Up)

[Raiden]

Just a quick thing I feel I should mention as I look at the posts:

The goal of the game is NOT to kill the other side. It's to achieve your goals while keeping the other side from stopping you or achieving theirs.

If you must, think of it like an anime. When there's a recurring cast, it's rare for a character to be killed. They may be injured and run off, but they're usually kept alive for later fights.

As such, PvP combat kind of puts the lion's share of responsibility on the players to be, y'know, mature. Honestly, it can range from totally no fun at all ("Man, he just killed an entire room of monks, who trained their entire lives to kill demons, on his own, in one post") to really fun ("Yeah, we discussed through PMs how our duel was going to go, so we can really play off each other better").

And I know it's good-natured jibing, but just felt like I should say something before we get going.

Edit: Toast is approved, Teal is approved though leaving your magic skill that wide open means I may come down on you if you abuse it, just a fair warning, Krylo is approved, Krogoth is approved, Draco is approved, Bard is approved.

and yeah, it looks like a lot of people now, but when the RP Slims hit, it hits hard.

[Overcast]

Indeed, plot and mutual fun is always way above winning in my head. Still if we get dropouts I want to kill at least one of them.

Just one.

[Geminex]

Reposting this, cause if I edit the original, it'll just go under. I've discussed all this stuff with Raiden, he's ok with it.
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Name: Yamato Tetsuo
Side: Dark
Race: Human
Age: 29
Appearance: Skin darkened with soil and ash, and branded with symbols of shame. Head shaven, scalp bare. His eyes are a dark, dark brown, his teeth blackened as well. Wears loose-fitting black robes that hide his movements and his weapons.

Weapons: A single, lethally-sharp dagger, along with a single pistol-crossbow. Simple weapons, no enchantment, but steel is steel, even without magical runes. It can still cut your throat.

Special Skills:
Shadowlife: Tensuo lives in shadows, with shadows. He can hide in shadows to misdirect his foes, move quickly in them and speak through them. The deeper the shadows are, the stronger his power. Don't fight him in the dark. Or indoors. Or in the forest.

Dynasty Resources: Assassins, Spies, Favors. Money. The legacy of generation upon generation of crime lords. They're spread out, but Tensuo can call upon them, find out what he needs to know, or have a certain enemy removed. (I'll mostly be using spies here, to find out stuff I shouldn't be knowing, but hey... Maybe, just maybe, there'll be an assassin waiting for you at one campsite or another... sleep well, now. Though I'll probably also contact you OOC, if I wanna send an assassin after your character.)

History: The legend goes that his ancestor had sworn loyalty to the demon lord at the time of the final clash between the two sides, commanded a contigent of human forces, and was one of the few Dark-side humans to survive said battle. Not to survive it voluntarily, mind you. He was defeated in combat, wounded, left for dead in the Light side's last charge. He came to hours later, aching, wounded horribly, his side defeated, his honor sullied. He had let his side be defeated, had fallen, had failed his lord. Tetsuo's ancestor had been a very fanatical man, very devoted to a cause, and this cause had been, in his eyes, worthy. And so, there it should have ended. His blade had still lain where it had dropped from his fingers and, with some effort, his ancestor had grasped, stood, swung it around until it was pointed at him... paused for a moment, trembled, felt regret, such regret, fear and then determination. The thought that filled his mind as he threw himself on the blade was that, even if his lord was dead, his honor would be saved.

Only it wasn't. The blade shattered, and in the light of the setting sun, the first few rays of moonlight, the fires of the last few torches, reflected in the shards of the blade, his ancestor had seen... something. Something that made him change his mind. Sign? Omen? It was unknown. But he turned from suicide, and knew, knew, that he had to survive, be ready. His lord would return, he had to be ready. Fragments of steel littered the bloodstained ground around him as he turned away, wept at a broken lord, a broken blade. And broken honor too. Because his sword had broken, when his lord had touched him through the failing light and the rising shadows, he hadn't been forgiven. He'd been called, but not forgiven. And he had to answer that call, no matter the cost. Even if it cost him his honor. So he abandoned his name, started going by Yamato, founded a dynasty.

A dynasty wreathed in shadows, that never used swords, that had no honor. But powerful nonetheless, adept at leading, at making deals. They gathered strength, out of sight. One son a generation, each father teaching his heir what had to be done, and how to do it. The line was without honor, their honor had been replaced by devotion to their Lord. If their ancestor had been fanatical, they had ten times his devotion, because honorlessness had festered and their line's shame had been passed on with the family history, and the teachings. So goes the legend. Mostly true, too.

And thus Tetsuo lived, fanatical, in the shadows, learning, first from his teachers, then from his father, then from the world itself, fighting his own, dark battles, gaining power where he could, applying what he knew. No troops to call his own, no sword to fight his battles with, but intigue and betrayal worked perfectly well, strategy and deception replaced fortitude and morale, and daggers could pierce what swords could not. Dark battles, fought in the name of being ready, being prepared. And then, when spies started arriving, and word started coming that a great evil had descended upon the land, a king of demons...
Tetsuo rejoiced. They were honorless. But goddamn, they were prepared.

[Krylo]

Finished Kenikua's profile.

History finished and killing blow technique traded out for PBAoE, both 'cause I felt I needed an AoE and because I doubted the killing blow one would be useful.

[Arcanum]

Half-finished placeholder profile for now. Will finish it when I've had some sleep. Finished, enjoy!

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Name: Reikketsu Izuko
Side: Light
Race: Human
Age: 24
Appearance: Izuko is tall, muscled, and looks every bit like he has been training his body for his entire life, which he has. He has gray eyes and his dark brown hair reaches to his chin in length. He wears a brown short-sleeved tunic, dark green and slightly baggy pants, and comfortable leather traveling shoes. He also wears a light brown sash around his waist that he tucks his kusarigama into on his right side.

Weapons:
Shirogane: A kusarigama that has been enchanted so that the chain links never break and the blade never dulls. The chain, weight, handle, and blade all look like they were forged from pure silver.

Special Skill:
Unnatural leverage: A second enchantment placed on Shirogane increases the amount of force exerted on a target that has been entangled in its chain. In other words once a target has been ensnared in the chain Izuko can pull them off their feet (or disarm them, depending on if the person or their weapon has been ensnared) with little effort.

Ricochet Throw: With near-perfect accuracy Izuko can ricochet the weighted end of Shirogane off of multiple surfaces in order to strike at his opponent from an unnatural angle. Due to the unnatural composition of Shirogane, very little momentum is lost with each rebound.

History: Shortly after Daisuke Tama defeated Takaltz, a man named Reikketsu Renzo had a dream that the Demon King would return and that he would have to help prepare for that day. So Renzo set out and, as though guided by a kami, forged Shirogane. Due to Shirogane's silver appearance, and Renzo's own gray eyes, it was decreed within the Reikketsu family that only a child with gray eyes would learn to wield Shirogane.

One thousand years and three gray-eyed children later Izuko was born, his gray eyes setting his fate in stone. He spent his entire life learning the way of the kusarigama, mastering the style by the age of sixteen. On his seventeenth birthday he was finally given Shirogane and he began his training with the weapon, which proved rather difficult due to Shirogane's peculiar composition that made it very lightweight compared to a standard kusarigama. Still Izuko persevered and completely mastered Shirogane after another two years of training.

With his training complete Izuko was told by his father to go out and travel in order to gain actual combat experience with the weapon. He also told him that if he should ever meet a man named Daisuke Kurama then Izuko should protect him with his life. After five years of traveling, fighting bandits and the odd demon, and hearing many rumors about Daisuke Kurama, Izuko finally met the man himself.

[Teal Mage]

Originally Posted by Raiden

Teal is approved though leaving your magic skill that wide open means I may come down on you if you abuse it, just a fair warning.

I thought that was the principle for all abilities. Sometimes they work far better than you expect in practice!

Yeah, I know it comes off as incredibly open and vague, but it was difficult to describe what I was getting at any other way. If you're not sure what I meant with those abilities, contact me on one of my messengers or PM me. I do have pretty specific limitations in mind, but they would have taken too much space to list out in a bio. I like to keep mine concise!

Anyway, I'll try to be careful about what I do with magic. Most of the powers are supportive, defensive or indirect, so the concept might turn out underpowered in practice anyway.

[POS Industries]

Name: Ochi Dai
Side: Dark
Race: Ghost
Age: 37
Appearance: In life, he was a tall, muscular man, tanned from spending any available moment under the sun, long hair kept neatly tied back in a ponytail. That body, however, has long since fallen away to decay and replaced several times over by the abandoned shells of whatever poor individuals had found themselves dead shortly after meeting him.
Weapons: A simple katana. It has no name, nor ornate decoration, nor magical properties beyond the sentimentality of the wielder. As such, it has been kept in pristine condition and is of quite resilient make.
Special Skill:
Possession: Being a spirit, Dai is able to possess the bodies of others in order to interact with the physical plane. The success rate and allowed time of this ability are inversely proportionate to the strength of will of the host, with a 100% success rate of permanent possession of an uninhabited body (i.e. dead). Without a body, Dai is ultimately unable to manipulate the world around him, and must be quick about finding a new host in the event of corporeal destruction or spiritual expulsion in order to reduce the length of time he spends useless.

Chill of Death: A debilitating grasp that drains the heat away from whatever it comes in contact with, resulting in a potentially debilitating freezing sensation through the body of the victim. More resilient foes can break free from it easily enough, but it can present enough of a shock to the system to stun most people momentarily if taken by enough of a surprise. It can also be used on inanimate objects, dropping their temperature well into the subzero range within seconds.

Breath of Life: A vampiric ability allowing Dai to drain the life force out of a victim through their breath, using the energy to regenerate his body to repair wounds and extend the overall usage of whatever shell he's inhabiting. However, the victim must be restrained to the point where he can breathe in their life, which in many cases isn't a particularly easy feat.

History: A decade ago, Ochi Dai was one of his village's proudest sons. He was a respected samurai in the service of his daimyo, a loving husband with a devoted wife, and doting father to two sons and a daughter. But such loyalty to a lord has consequences, especially when two lords find themselves in a disagreement. Wars ensue, battles must be fought, and the husbands and fathers must leave to do battle to defend the honor of men they've never even met. Such was the duty of Ochi Dai, and a duty he fulfilled with the utmost dedication.

But when the husbands and fathers are away, dishonorable men are free to come play. A group of bandits came down from the mountains and threatened the village, but the village wouldn't sway. They told the bandits that their land was home to the fiercest of samurai, and any interlopers would certainly face the wrath of these mighty warriors if the village were to come to any harm.

The bandits called their bluff, burning the village to the ground and slaughtering everyone within.

When Dai returned with his men, he found everyone he loved laying dead. The bandits had made a clear example of his home, proudly leaving their mark in the hope of intimidating any they might come to prey upon in the future. Stricken with grief and rage, Dai buried his family, spent a sleepless night staring at the stars, and at sunrise he left the charred remains of his village and trekked into the mountains to exact his revenge.

And, if he hadn't been hungry, parched, exhausted, and entirely alone against the couple dozen bloodthirsty raiders when he arrived at their stronghold, he might have accomplished something.

So he, too, was slain, his soul cast into purgatory. But the rage in his heart--or whatever could classify as a "heart" at this point--was beyond measure, and quickly attracted the attention of demons, who offered to help return him to the overworld to exact his vengeance if he agreed to serve their master for eternity. With no family to carry on his line, no one to bury him and complete the rites for him to pass on, and no use for honor or loyalty to some mortal landowner, he accepted their offer and returned to Earth as a yurei, rising within his cold, dead body for a second round.

Quickly adjusting to his new form, he quite capably dispatched the gang in the night, commandeering the corpses of those he slayed, possessing the weaker willed bandits and forcing them to assault their allies long enough to turn the whole gang against one another, until all laid vanquished but their leader. And soon he fell, as well, dying terrified and alone at the hands of samurai whose life he had destroyed on every conceivable level, darkness overtaking him as he watched everything he had worked for burn to the ground around him.

And for the next ten years thereafter, his vengeance complete, Ochi Dai has roamed the earth with no purpose other than to fulfill his obligation, serving at the beck and call of the forces of the demon lord Talkatz.

[Dauntasa]

Alright, this took longer than I thought. Hopefully it doesn't suck too bad.

Name: Matsuoka Katashi
Side: Dark
Race: Human
Age: 41

Appearance: Katashi is over 6 feet tall and nearly 300 pounds. In a word, Huge. Black hair, kept short, and a fair sized moustache. Usually looks like he's in a bad mood, mostly because he usually is. His face looks like it's been bashed in a few times, and his nose is on a permanent slant after the last time(but hardly the first time) it was broken. Wears a pretty heavy set of armour whenever he's expecting a fight.

Weapons:
Naginata: Pretty much just a normal Naginata. Very well made, though. It's managed to last through 20 years of fighting without needing more than minor repairs, so it's not going to break any time soon.
Uchigatana: A short sword worn on his belt. Non-magical, but again, very well made. Katashi uses this as a backup weapon and when fighting in tight areas.

Special Skills:
Magic Resistance: For reasons he has never quite figured out, Magical attacks and weapons have a tendency to not work properly against Katashi. Some magic will still affect him, but anything without real power behind usually has barely noticable effects.
Implacable: Katashi is a hard man to stop. It takes a wholly unreasonable amount of force to knock him over or otherwise unbalance him, and his guard is up pretty much all of the time.

History: (I have an idea of what Katashi's done: Mercenary Work, banditry, basic fighting-to-get-money, but it's like 5am and I need sleep to live)

[Arhra]

Just putting a placeholder up.

To summarise the concept in 66% foreign gibberish: dark miko nekomata.

It's a cat that causes fires and raises the dead!

[Darth SS]

I feel bad saying this, but I forgot the name of the character I always used...thankfully the search function will save me.


Name: Marcel Drakkar
Side: Light
Race: Human
Age: 26
Appearance: (Obvious)
Weapons: A cane that has a sword hidden inside of it. Motley collection of knives stashed about his person. His super stiff felt shoes.
Special Skill:
History: (What did he/she do before joining the team?)
Extra:




Placeholder until I can get a couple minutes of free time. Basically, Drak is now a french sailor who is touring Asia and learning new martial arts upon the request of the King of France, so that he may train the personal guard of the king. Unfortunately, he quite likes the region and has begun to question his loyalties to his motherland.

As he's a french sailor, he's going to busting out some mad savate shit, and there will probably be the usual humbuggery of his eyes being covered because they do crazy shit.