Exitvoid Application
player.
NAME/HANDLE: Kit
PERSONAL JOURNAL:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
superflight
ARE YOU 16 OR OVER?: Yes
CONTACT: AIM: joyful poison | EMAIL: madscientific@gmail.com
OTHER CHARACTERS: N/A
character.
CHARACTER NAME: Rachis
AGE: 30
APPEARANCE: A pale and fair-haired individual of mysterious and indistinct gender. More specifically, they have very light blonde hair and very blue eyes, and are of not quite average height -- that is, they're a bit short for a man, but a bit tall for a woman. They're fair of face and look a few years younger than they are. Underneath their clothing, however, they have a lot of scars.
BRIEF WORLD INFO: Rachis's world is, pretty much, the normal world during the year 1890... except for one detail. The city of London, in England, was stolen by bats thirty years previous, and is now subterranian and strange. It's located in a truly immense underground cavern -- one large enough to hold London and some areas beyond, in fact -- beside a gigantic saltwater lake called the Unterzee.
More specifically, it was stolen by the Echo Bazaar, usually simply called the Bazaar (and spoken of as if it were a living entity). The Bazaar is now the heart of London; its Masters the (mostly) unquestioned and unchallenged rulers of the city; and the only place where actual money (London's new money, called Echoes, 100 pence to an Echo) is of use anymore in the entirety of London. Nearly everything else is bartered, and the things that are bartered don't always make any sense. Secrets can be a currency, as can screams, as can souls... There are a lot of strange things down there, in what is called the Neath.
It's mostly kept down there, too, and things from the world above are fairly hard to get. Trade is somewhat restricted; nearly every single wine available in London is made from mushrooms, not grapes, and real fruit is vanishingly rare for anyone not a part of high society. Rats are a common and popular source of meat (well, popular among some groups of people). There's a certain type of honey -- called Prisoner's Honey -- that allows whoever takes it to physically visit their dreams, alone or in the company of others, which apparently doesn't work outside of London. And, oddly enough, the most restricted items of trade are love stories. By the Masters' decree, none are allowed to be exported. That doesn't mean they aren't, but technically it's not allowed.
Probably the most odd thing about Fallen London are the people in it. There are normal humans, of course, but there are also the soulless, people who have had their souls removed by Spirifers. There are devils and devilesses, who have their own embassy in the city and who also quite like souls. There are Tomb-colonists, which are basically mummies, people who've died too messily to just get back up again and are therefore bandaged-wrapped and sent to the Tomb Colonies, but who do come back and visit on occasion. There are Drownies, people who have drowned and been touched by... something, and who live in the water and have a sort of siren's song you never want to hear. There are Rubbery Men, who have faces like squid, in that they're full of tentacles. There are Clay Men, who are basically golems, and Unfinished Clay Men, who are basically dangerous golems. There are talking cats, and gangs of talking rats (called rattus faber, or more informally, L.B.s), white ravens, large trainable spiders that hatch from eyeballs, and a lot of stories of monsters. And, of course, there are the Masters of the Bazaar, who wear cloaks and gloves and speak in high-pitched whispers, mostly concealed but obviously not human.
(On that note, human society is a bit more... relaxed in London, in this world, than elsewhere in the 1800s. It makes perfect sense to everyone involved; after all, there are individuals with faces of squid running around, so what does gender really matter? It's not absolutely necessary to identify oneself as a man or a woman, and marriages can take place between any two partners.)
As a final note, one last odd thing about the city: Madness is a location, as well as a state of mind, in this London, and death is very impermanent in most cases. If a person goes insane, they're checked into the Royal Bethlehem Hotel until they get better; since nightmares cause insanity, it can be cured with enough laudanum. And death is always possible to come back from, unless the person killed is beheaded and/or dismembered. No one who dies in London can ever return to the surface, is all... Unless, possibly, they get their hands on some Hesperidean Cider. Since one bottle of that costs 160,000 Echoes, no one's ever been able to afford it.
BRIEF CHARACTER HISTORY: Rachis wasn't born or raised in London -- they avoided getting caught up in the Bazaar for most of their life -- and they didn't take the name of 'Rachis' until much later on, either. They were born Richard Chilcoate, in the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England, to ordinary, hardworking parents. But, althought Derby was famed for its industry, it managed to produce its own nonconformists, and Richard was more interested in arts than in engineering.
They were well off enough to travel to France at least once a year, on a holiday; they made friends with some Bohemians there, and met their future wife, Elizabeth Judge, among them. They hit it off quite well, having a great many similar interests -- writing, both novels and poetry; wine; dancing; men; women -- and when they were eighteen, they agreed to marry. They weren't precisely in love, but they loved each other all the same, and it would stave off questions and suspicions. And, of course, if they married each other rather than anyone outside of their circle, who might not understand these things, they could continue flirting with everyone as well as each other. After marriage, they decided to settle in Bristol.
It wasn't very long, only a little over a year, before Elizabeth Chilcoate gave birth to a daughter, Florence. Richard adored her, and they both settled down a bit in order to raise her and give her a "proper" childhood. He got a job writing for the newspaper, and Elizabeth became a seamstress, and they did try to be an ordinary family... Unfortunately, this was cut short when Elizabeth died in 1884, leaving Richard and a five year old Florence behind. Whether or not they'd actually been in love, this was incredibly painful for Richard; they promised that, if nothing else, they would do their best to be both father and mother to Florence, and do as good a job of both as they could. This meant more than the little girl could probably understand, but they still did their best, even if they couldn't publicly be Florence's "mother."
They did manage to give Florence a good life, and were a loving parent. Unfortunately, that was brought to an abrupt, bloody end in November of 1889. Richard returned home from a meeting with his boss to find Florence, body still warm, lying in a pool of blood. There was, according to the police, no evidence, except for a few dried rose petals found beside her. The police took them with them, but the investigation didn't go anywhere for months.
Richard took them back. Their own parents had died a few years back, and left them with a small inheritance; they spent all of this, desperate, on a search for any clues, anything at all. A note had been slipped under their door, only a day or two after Florence's death; all it said was Scathewick but, as it turned out, that and the rose petals were eventually enough to go on. Nearly a year later, Richard had found the rose -- one that grew in London, in the Neath -- and some questioning had eventually revealed that he would find the man named Scathewick there as well. They didn't hesitate before having themself arrested, to be sent to New Newgate, the Neath's prison and the quickest and simplest way to get down there.
It didn't take long for them to escape, and they quickly got used to how things worked in the Neath. They refused to waste time in being lost or shocked or confused, and simply set about fitting in, and learning things. They kept the mask they had purchased for their crime, a birdlike thing with feathers, and took on the new name of Rachis even as early as in New Newgate itself. They familiarized themself with the main sectors of the city: Veilgarden was where they managed to charm lodgings with a gracious widow, a place of poets and artists, bohemian revels and bookshops; Ladybones Road was full of gossip, graffiti, spies, and devils (being the location of the Brass Embassy); Spite was an old market, quite unlike the Bazaar itself, full of pickpockets and cats and other things for someone stealthy and cunning; and Watchmaker's Hill was where the taverns and police and other dangerous men were.
That was where, eventually, they found their first real leads, though eventually their path would take them all throughout the city. It took them to the Hill, where a struggle to find a missing Comtessa ended only in more death, and nightmares, and guilt. It took them to the Forgotten Quarter, a remnant of the city that was taken before London, where the despised and feared meet. It took them to the Shuttered Palace, where they found the Cage-Garden, a place where men and women and children were kept, broken, to have their memories harvested by bees and sold as the almost unheard of gaolers' honey, where they killed the cage-keeper and set the prisoners free. It took them to the University, where they had the Junior Fellow of Esoteric Cryptozoology brew up some gaolers' honey, which then lead into people's memories, people's heads.
And, by now, they know it will eventually lead to the Tomb-colony of Venderbight, and possibly beyond. They're trying to make sure they'll be able to handle whatever happens there, and have spent the last several months honing their mind at the University, and duelling to the death at Wolfstack Docks, and hunting down monsters...
PERSONALITY:
In some ways, Rachis isn't exactly the way they present themselves; in others, the way they are in the Neath is far more themself than they ever were on the surface.
On the face of things, Rachis is charming and sociable, and probably doesn't seem very dangerous even when wearing the now-bloodstained suit they wear when fighting. But they have a determination they don't always show, and if something is important to them, they will follow it through to the end, even if they suspect or know that the outcome will be one they don't like. They don't let much of anything get in their way (including death or insanity, both of which they have recovered from at least once), and tamp down on any impatience by understanding the importance of preparation. They understand the importance of having friends, or at least friendly acquaintances and contacts, and have worked on opposite sides of a problem before (for the Masters and for the revolutionary cells, for the police and for the criminals) without flinching. They are stronger than they look, sharp-eyed, sneaky, and personable, and seem to really appreciate others' company.
They are also determined. This isn't always a good thing. Despite seemingly getting distracted with things in the Neath, Rachis's end goal is never out of their mind: They are going to avenge their daughter's death. They are going to find Scathewick, the man who killed Florence, and kill him. And, when it comes down to it, they don't care what happens to them. Of course, they don't have any intention of dying or going mad permanently before doing this, because that would keep them from actually getting that revenge, and they will not let anything stop them. But, as long as they kill Scathewick, if they're mortally wounded as well? Or if something happens afterward? The problem is, even if it ends in Rachis's death or insanity, or if it turns them into a monster, they won't let themself turn from their path. They are not actually a natural killer, but they have killed multiple people in the Neath, some permanently, simply to harden themself to the task ahead. They are going to kill Scathewick, so if they are not a killer, they will make themself into one. And, once that's accomplished, they don't really have any plans at all.
Still, Rachis has things they enjoy, and to their own surprise, there are more of them in the Neath than on the surface. He misses the world outside, misses the nature there and misses the sky -- and of course the food and drink are much, much better -- but London has its own charms. More than anything else, they feel more... themself than they ever did in Derby, or Bristol, or even in France. It leaves them feeling guilty, but sometimes they think they could be happy down here, though said thought is usually fleeting. They do not have to be Richard, a proper gentleman, the man of the house. They are Rachis, and they have a fairly beautiful mask, and brightly colored glad rags with lace gloves to wear while out on the town, and in happier circumstances that alone could make London into a real home. Unfortunately, these are not happier circumstances, and the freedom to be neither man nor woman and simply be themself is tempered by that inexolerable determination to gain revenge, and a strong, lingering guilt over Florence's death.
They have nightmares more often than not (which, in the Neath, though luckily not outside of it, can drive someone insane all on their own); not many of them are about Florence, surprisingly enough. More often they have nightmares about nature and the sky, or about drowning, or of mirrors and being watched, or about the Tomb-colonies and being dead and quiet in the dark, or sometimes about flames and burning alive. Sometimes, they dream about the Comtessa and what happened to her, of getting there too late and having to (they tell themself they had to) kill her themself. They do not speak of these, but it wears on them sometimes, makes them tired and almost helpless, until they pull themself out of it and get back on track -- determination driving them on once again.
ABILITIES:
-Rachis is very intelligent and cunning, sharp-witted as well as sharp-eyed. They can deduce things well enough, as well as spot that something's off in the first place.
-They are stealthy and can move quietly; they usually remove their mask to do this and dress in darker clothing, however.
-They are a lot stronger than they look, and quite quick. They know how to use a knife, a sword, and a(n old-fashioned) gun. They are daring, and unfortunately can be rather rash.
-They are witty and charming, incredibly personable and able to convince people and make friends! And they understand the importance of contacts and having many acquaintances.
-They can go around a problem or through it most times, though they don't always know which is the better option.
-They are a scholar of the Correspondence. This is getting some stress because it's really their only "supernatural"/"magical" ability, though it's not actually very useful. By writing Correspondence sigils, or using their Correspondence Stones, they can make things catch on fire. Usually the paper they're writing on, the desk, their clothing and/or hair, etc., though. The Correspondence can also drive men mad, and sleeping with the Correspondence Stones on one's body can also cause vivid nightmares, insanity, and hair fires, so they could conceivably do this to someone else. They almost certainly wouldn't though.
POSSESSIONS:
Rachis's most interesting possessions are quite possibly the clothes on their back. Which happen to be:
-A faded, bloodstained blue suit with a somewhat brighter blue tie
-A black pair of "insatiable gloves," which have both eyes and teeth, are quite observant, and are rather like wearing a live wolf
-A pair of incredibly shiny black shoes, which they can see their reflection in, as well as the reflections of other things
-A silver mask, in a shape something like a bird's beak, with blue and violet feathers set in the top
-Two scraps of black ribbon tied to their right arm
-A gold (or at least goldish)-handled sword cane, with a pigment indigo tassel
They also have, in various little hidey-holes in their suit jacket and their trousers, the following:
-Two (2) half-full bottles of F.F. Gebrant's Tincture of Vigour (taken a half-bottle at a time; heals some wounds)
-Two (2) bottles of F.F. Gebrandt's Superior Laudanum (taken a bottle at a time to relieve nightmares)
-Four (4) tickets to "the WONDERS and MARVELS of Mrs Plenty's MOST DISTRACTING CARNIVAL"
-Seven (7) carved stones, which happen to be a set of Correspondence Stones
-Ten (10) pieces of "rostygold" (not actual gold), which they quite forgot they had
-One (1) stone jar sealed with black beeswax, containing a "primordial shriek," received in payment for their last monster-hunting job
-Seven (7) keys to various lodgings, only one of which is not their own
-One (1) teardrop-shaped peridot necklace with thin goldish chain.
And, finally, they have a pet with them: Talibah, their raven, a gift from Tomb-colonists and wrapped in bandages, who can speak in poetry and (occasional) reminiscences, but usually keeps to herself.
samples.
JOURNAL ENTRY SAMPLE:
[voice]
My name is Rachis. From what I've heard, I'm a very long way from home, and so are all of you. I don't know if any of us want to be here, but I'm sure most of us, at least, didn't want to come...
And, I'll be honest, I'm not sure what can be done about that. But I do know that, under the circumstances, it's important to... if not get along with each other, then be prepared to deal with one another. If there's anything you need, if I can reasonably provide it, I'll be more than happy to, if you're willing to do the same in return. I'm used to barter, and even time and information can be valuable -- especially time and information.
That being said, there are many things I haven't been told, I'm sure. If anyone is willing to answer questions, I'd sincerely appreciate it?
THIRD-PERSON SAMPLE:
At first, they thought it was a nightmare. They had dreamed of being on questionable ships before, after all, of being out at sea. But this felt incredibly real, far too real to simply be in their own mind, no matter how vivid the images there often were.
Anyway, for a nightmare, nothing terrible was happening. The compass, the... thing attached to their ear were entirely new, and the solid coolness of the key in their hand was familiar. This would make their seventh lodging? they thought idly, looking at the key and the number on it. Or their ninth, if they counted the crypt they had stayed in when they were first finding their feet, and that kind widow's spare room. Their ninth in the Neath...
Only this wasn't the Neath. They looked up at the sky, and felt a twinge of worry. They'd never thought they'd see it again... And, under the circumstances, they didn't think they wanted to be seeing it now. They had been intending to catch a ship, but if this wasn't the Unterzee, if this wasn't anywhere below, then they needed to get back. Soon.
NAME/HANDLE: Kit
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
superflightARE YOU 16 OR OVER?: Yes
CONTACT: AIM: joyful poison | EMAIL: madscientific@gmail.com
OTHER CHARACTERS: N/A
character.
CHARACTER NAME: Rachis
AGE: 30
APPEARANCE: A pale and fair-haired individual of mysterious and indistinct gender. More specifically, they have very light blonde hair and very blue eyes, and are of not quite average height -- that is, they're a bit short for a man, but a bit tall for a woman. They're fair of face and look a few years younger than they are. Underneath their clothing, however, they have a lot of scars.
BRIEF WORLD INFO: Rachis's world is, pretty much, the normal world during the year 1890... except for one detail. The city of London, in England, was stolen by bats thirty years previous, and is now subterranian and strange. It's located in a truly immense underground cavern -- one large enough to hold London and some areas beyond, in fact -- beside a gigantic saltwater lake called the Unterzee.
More specifically, it was stolen by the Echo Bazaar, usually simply called the Bazaar (and spoken of as if it were a living entity). The Bazaar is now the heart of London; its Masters the (mostly) unquestioned and unchallenged rulers of the city; and the only place where actual money (London's new money, called Echoes, 100 pence to an Echo) is of use anymore in the entirety of London. Nearly everything else is bartered, and the things that are bartered don't always make any sense. Secrets can be a currency, as can screams, as can souls... There are a lot of strange things down there, in what is called the Neath.
It's mostly kept down there, too, and things from the world above are fairly hard to get. Trade is somewhat restricted; nearly every single wine available in London is made from mushrooms, not grapes, and real fruit is vanishingly rare for anyone not a part of high society. Rats are a common and popular source of meat (well, popular among some groups of people). There's a certain type of honey -- called Prisoner's Honey -- that allows whoever takes it to physically visit their dreams, alone or in the company of others, which apparently doesn't work outside of London. And, oddly enough, the most restricted items of trade are love stories. By the Masters' decree, none are allowed to be exported. That doesn't mean they aren't, but technically it's not allowed.
Probably the most odd thing about Fallen London are the people in it. There are normal humans, of course, but there are also the soulless, people who have had their souls removed by Spirifers. There are devils and devilesses, who have their own embassy in the city and who also quite like souls. There are Tomb-colonists, which are basically mummies, people who've died too messily to just get back up again and are therefore bandaged-wrapped and sent to the Tomb Colonies, but who do come back and visit on occasion. There are Drownies, people who have drowned and been touched by... something, and who live in the water and have a sort of siren's song you never want to hear. There are Rubbery Men, who have faces like squid, in that they're full of tentacles. There are Clay Men, who are basically golems, and Unfinished Clay Men, who are basically dangerous golems. There are talking cats, and gangs of talking rats (called rattus faber, or more informally, L.B.s), white ravens, large trainable spiders that hatch from eyeballs, and a lot of stories of monsters. And, of course, there are the Masters of the Bazaar, who wear cloaks and gloves and speak in high-pitched whispers, mostly concealed but obviously not human.
(On that note, human society is a bit more... relaxed in London, in this world, than elsewhere in the 1800s. It makes perfect sense to everyone involved; after all, there are individuals with faces of squid running around, so what does gender really matter? It's not absolutely necessary to identify oneself as a man or a woman, and marriages can take place between any two partners.)
As a final note, one last odd thing about the city: Madness is a location, as well as a state of mind, in this London, and death is very impermanent in most cases. If a person goes insane, they're checked into the Royal Bethlehem Hotel until they get better; since nightmares cause insanity, it can be cured with enough laudanum. And death is always possible to come back from, unless the person killed is beheaded and/or dismembered. No one who dies in London can ever return to the surface, is all... Unless, possibly, they get their hands on some Hesperidean Cider. Since one bottle of that costs 160,000 Echoes, no one's ever been able to afford it.
BRIEF CHARACTER HISTORY: Rachis wasn't born or raised in London -- they avoided getting caught up in the Bazaar for most of their life -- and they didn't take the name of 'Rachis' until much later on, either. They were born Richard Chilcoate, in the city of Derby in Derbyshire, England, to ordinary, hardworking parents. But, althought Derby was famed for its industry, it managed to produce its own nonconformists, and Richard was more interested in arts than in engineering.
They were well off enough to travel to France at least once a year, on a holiday; they made friends with some Bohemians there, and met their future wife, Elizabeth Judge, among them. They hit it off quite well, having a great many similar interests -- writing, both novels and poetry; wine; dancing; men; women -- and when they were eighteen, they agreed to marry. They weren't precisely in love, but they loved each other all the same, and it would stave off questions and suspicions. And, of course, if they married each other rather than anyone outside of their circle, who might not understand these things, they could continue flirting with everyone as well as each other. After marriage, they decided to settle in Bristol.
It wasn't very long, only a little over a year, before Elizabeth Chilcoate gave birth to a daughter, Florence. Richard adored her, and they both settled down a bit in order to raise her and give her a "proper" childhood. He got a job writing for the newspaper, and Elizabeth became a seamstress, and they did try to be an ordinary family... Unfortunately, this was cut short when Elizabeth died in 1884, leaving Richard and a five year old Florence behind. Whether or not they'd actually been in love, this was incredibly painful for Richard; they promised that, if nothing else, they would do their best to be both father and mother to Florence, and do as good a job of both as they could. This meant more than the little girl could probably understand, but they still did their best, even if they couldn't publicly be Florence's "mother."
They did manage to give Florence a good life, and were a loving parent. Unfortunately, that was brought to an abrupt, bloody end in November of 1889. Richard returned home from a meeting with his boss to find Florence, body still warm, lying in a pool of blood. There was, according to the police, no evidence, except for a few dried rose petals found beside her. The police took them with them, but the investigation didn't go anywhere for months.
Richard took them back. Their own parents had died a few years back, and left them with a small inheritance; they spent all of this, desperate, on a search for any clues, anything at all. A note had been slipped under their door, only a day or two after Florence's death; all it said was Scathewick but, as it turned out, that and the rose petals were eventually enough to go on. Nearly a year later, Richard had found the rose -- one that grew in London, in the Neath -- and some questioning had eventually revealed that he would find the man named Scathewick there as well. They didn't hesitate before having themself arrested, to be sent to New Newgate, the Neath's prison and the quickest and simplest way to get down there.
It didn't take long for them to escape, and they quickly got used to how things worked in the Neath. They refused to waste time in being lost or shocked or confused, and simply set about fitting in, and learning things. They kept the mask they had purchased for their crime, a birdlike thing with feathers, and took on the new name of Rachis even as early as in New Newgate itself. They familiarized themself with the main sectors of the city: Veilgarden was where they managed to charm lodgings with a gracious widow, a place of poets and artists, bohemian revels and bookshops; Ladybones Road was full of gossip, graffiti, spies, and devils (being the location of the Brass Embassy); Spite was an old market, quite unlike the Bazaar itself, full of pickpockets and cats and other things for someone stealthy and cunning; and Watchmaker's Hill was where the taverns and police and other dangerous men were.
That was where, eventually, they found their first real leads, though eventually their path would take them all throughout the city. It took them to the Hill, where a struggle to find a missing Comtessa ended only in more death, and nightmares, and guilt. It took them to the Forgotten Quarter, a remnant of the city that was taken before London, where the despised and feared meet. It took them to the Shuttered Palace, where they found the Cage-Garden, a place where men and women and children were kept, broken, to have their memories harvested by bees and sold as the almost unheard of gaolers' honey, where they killed the cage-keeper and set the prisoners free. It took them to the University, where they had the Junior Fellow of Esoteric Cryptozoology brew up some gaolers' honey, which then lead into people's memories, people's heads.
And, by now, they know it will eventually lead to the Tomb-colony of Venderbight, and possibly beyond. They're trying to make sure they'll be able to handle whatever happens there, and have spent the last several months honing their mind at the University, and duelling to the death at Wolfstack Docks, and hunting down monsters...
PERSONALITY:
In some ways, Rachis isn't exactly the way they present themselves; in others, the way they are in the Neath is far more themself than they ever were on the surface.
On the face of things, Rachis is charming and sociable, and probably doesn't seem very dangerous even when wearing the now-bloodstained suit they wear when fighting. But they have a determination they don't always show, and if something is important to them, they will follow it through to the end, even if they suspect or know that the outcome will be one they don't like. They don't let much of anything get in their way (including death or insanity, both of which they have recovered from at least once), and tamp down on any impatience by understanding the importance of preparation. They understand the importance of having friends, or at least friendly acquaintances and contacts, and have worked on opposite sides of a problem before (for the Masters and for the revolutionary cells, for the police and for the criminals) without flinching. They are stronger than they look, sharp-eyed, sneaky, and personable, and seem to really appreciate others' company.
They are also determined. This isn't always a good thing. Despite seemingly getting distracted with things in the Neath, Rachis's end goal is never out of their mind: They are going to avenge their daughter's death. They are going to find Scathewick, the man who killed Florence, and kill him. And, when it comes down to it, they don't care what happens to them. Of course, they don't have any intention of dying or going mad permanently before doing this, because that would keep them from actually getting that revenge, and they will not let anything stop them. But, as long as they kill Scathewick, if they're mortally wounded as well? Or if something happens afterward? The problem is, even if it ends in Rachis's death or insanity, or if it turns them into a monster, they won't let themself turn from their path. They are not actually a natural killer, but they have killed multiple people in the Neath, some permanently, simply to harden themself to the task ahead. They are going to kill Scathewick, so if they are not a killer, they will make themself into one. And, once that's accomplished, they don't really have any plans at all.
Still, Rachis has things they enjoy, and to their own surprise, there are more of them in the Neath than on the surface. He misses the world outside, misses the nature there and misses the sky -- and of course the food and drink are much, much better -- but London has its own charms. More than anything else, they feel more... themself than they ever did in Derby, or Bristol, or even in France. It leaves them feeling guilty, but sometimes they think they could be happy down here, though said thought is usually fleeting. They do not have to be Richard, a proper gentleman, the man of the house. They are Rachis, and they have a fairly beautiful mask, and brightly colored glad rags with lace gloves to wear while out on the town, and in happier circumstances that alone could make London into a real home. Unfortunately, these are not happier circumstances, and the freedom to be neither man nor woman and simply be themself is tempered by that inexolerable determination to gain revenge, and a strong, lingering guilt over Florence's death.
They have nightmares more often than not (which, in the Neath, though luckily not outside of it, can drive someone insane all on their own); not many of them are about Florence, surprisingly enough. More often they have nightmares about nature and the sky, or about drowning, or of mirrors and being watched, or about the Tomb-colonies and being dead and quiet in the dark, or sometimes about flames and burning alive. Sometimes, they dream about the Comtessa and what happened to her, of getting there too late and having to (they tell themself they had to) kill her themself. They do not speak of these, but it wears on them sometimes, makes them tired and almost helpless, until they pull themself out of it and get back on track -- determination driving them on once again.
ABILITIES:
-Rachis is very intelligent and cunning, sharp-witted as well as sharp-eyed. They can deduce things well enough, as well as spot that something's off in the first place.
-They are stealthy and can move quietly; they usually remove their mask to do this and dress in darker clothing, however.
-They are a lot stronger than they look, and quite quick. They know how to use a knife, a sword, and a(n old-fashioned) gun. They are daring, and unfortunately can be rather rash.
-They are witty and charming, incredibly personable and able to convince people and make friends! And they understand the importance of contacts and having many acquaintances.
-They can go around a problem or through it most times, though they don't always know which is the better option.
-They are a scholar of the Correspondence. This is getting some stress because it's really their only "supernatural"/"magical" ability, though it's not actually very useful. By writing Correspondence sigils, or using their Correspondence Stones, they can make things catch on fire. Usually the paper they're writing on, the desk, their clothing and/or hair, etc., though. The Correspondence can also drive men mad, and sleeping with the Correspondence Stones on one's body can also cause vivid nightmares, insanity, and hair fires, so they could conceivably do this to someone else. They almost certainly wouldn't though.
POSSESSIONS:
Rachis's most interesting possessions are quite possibly the clothes on their back. Which happen to be:
-A faded, bloodstained blue suit with a somewhat brighter blue tie
-A black pair of "insatiable gloves," which have both eyes and teeth, are quite observant, and are rather like wearing a live wolf
-A pair of incredibly shiny black shoes, which they can see their reflection in, as well as the reflections of other things
-A silver mask, in a shape something like a bird's beak, with blue and violet feathers set in the top
-Two scraps of black ribbon tied to their right arm
-A gold (or at least goldish)-handled sword cane, with a pigment indigo tassel
They also have, in various little hidey-holes in their suit jacket and their trousers, the following:
-Two (2) half-full bottles of F.F. Gebrant's Tincture of Vigour (taken a half-bottle at a time; heals some wounds)
-Two (2) bottles of F.F. Gebrandt's Superior Laudanum (taken a bottle at a time to relieve nightmares)
-Four (4) tickets to "the WONDERS and MARVELS of Mrs Plenty's MOST DISTRACTING CARNIVAL"
-Seven (7) carved stones, which happen to be a set of Correspondence Stones
-Ten (10) pieces of "rostygold" (not actual gold), which they quite forgot they had
-One (1) stone jar sealed with black beeswax, containing a "primordial shriek," received in payment for their last monster-hunting job
-Seven (7) keys to various lodgings, only one of which is not their own
-One (1) teardrop-shaped peridot necklace with thin goldish chain.
And, finally, they have a pet with them: Talibah, their raven, a gift from Tomb-colonists and wrapped in bandages, who can speak in poetry and (occasional) reminiscences, but usually keeps to herself.
samples.
JOURNAL ENTRY SAMPLE:
[voice]
My name is Rachis. From what I've heard, I'm a very long way from home, and so are all of you. I don't know if any of us want to be here, but I'm sure most of us, at least, didn't want to come...
And, I'll be honest, I'm not sure what can be done about that. But I do know that, under the circumstances, it's important to... if not get along with each other, then be prepared to deal with one another. If there's anything you need, if I can reasonably provide it, I'll be more than happy to, if you're willing to do the same in return. I'm used to barter, and even time and information can be valuable -- especially time and information.
That being said, there are many things I haven't been told, I'm sure. If anyone is willing to answer questions, I'd sincerely appreciate it?
THIRD-PERSON SAMPLE:
At first, they thought it was a nightmare. They had dreamed of being on questionable ships before, after all, of being out at sea. But this felt incredibly real, far too real to simply be in their own mind, no matter how vivid the images there often were.
Anyway, for a nightmare, nothing terrible was happening. The compass, the... thing attached to their ear were entirely new, and the solid coolness of the key in their hand was familiar. This would make their seventh lodging? they thought idly, looking at the key and the number on it. Or their ninth, if they counted the crypt they had stayed in when they were first finding their feet, and that kind widow's spare room. Their ninth in the Neath...
Only this wasn't the Neath. They looked up at the sky, and felt a twinge of worry. They'd never thought they'd see it again... And, under the circumstances, they didn't think they wanted to be seeing it now. They had been intending to catch a ship, but if this wasn't the Unterzee, if this wasn't anywhere below, then they needed to get back. Soon.
Re: Rachis's Possessions (Extra Information)
-Insatiable gloves: They can, on occasion, bite people Rachis is fighting. This isn't too common, though. Usually, it's just that something about the eyes in the gloves makes Rachis slightly more likely to notice things (things they can see, not sounds or anything else) than when they're not wearing them.
-Shiny black shoes: No real stat boost except that they reflect very well; if Rachis is looking down at their shoes they could potentially notice movement off to one side they might not have noticed before, or they might notice someone trying to sneak up behind them. Of course, what they see won't be very clear just by looking at their shoes, so they wouldn't be able to identify anyone!
-Mask: No effect at all. They just like it.
-Black ribbons: No effect at all. Just trophies, and they probably won't even wear them much.
-Sword cane: It looks fancy, and that might impress people, if they're the sort to be impressed by that sort of thing! It only really makes Rachis more dangerous because it's a weapon, and they're more dangerous with a weapon than without one.
-F.F. Gebrant's Tincture of Vigour: Does not fully heal wounds, just maybe the equivalent of one "health level" -- and not even that if they're really badly injured. Might stabilize someone who's right on the verge of death, but wouldn't do too much for them otherwise. Only has two doses.
-F.F. Gebrandt's Superior Laudanum: Not really much effect at all, since nightmares probably wouldn't cause insanity here. Just two doses of something that, if drank, will help someone sleep soundly for a night.
-Carnival tickets: No effect.
-Correspondence Stones: Rachis really just uses these for study. As said in the app, they might possibly be able to set someone on fire with them (including themself), or give the person nightmares/unravel their sanity a tiny bit, but they're not weapons and they'd probably have to target someone who's either willing or asleep/catatonic. (If need be, if you feel these would pose a problem, I can remove them entirely!)
-Rostygold: No effect except potential bartering.
-Primordial Shriek: No real effect. If they or anyone else opens it up, it will escape, and whoever's close by will probably end up with their ears ringing (and maybe even bleeding) for a little bit, but it won't really do any damage.
-Keys to various lodgings: Useless.
-Peridot necklace: No effect at all. This is just a necklace that they gave their daughter a few years before she died.
-Talibah (bandaged raven): Can't do much except be bizarre. Won't speak often, but if asked might tell stories about the surface (though she's likely to get choked up early on) or recite poetry.