Dark Side of the Moon

The Prisoner

It was truly awake. The barriers between its Self and its Power were at last weakened and swept away like a cobweb. And then it rose but as it did the Taint began to rise and cover the entity. These pitiful things. The worthless spectators of its escape. They did not deserve to observe it in full.

Its obscured form was incredibly simple despite the strength of the entity. Standing at about six feet was a completely featureless humanoid being made of darkness. But despite its appearance the feeling it gave off was absolutely repulsive and terrifying. The aura of evil the Chalice had given off was nothing more than a drop in the ocean compared to this. This was the true threat. It was the enemy of all that is.

However instead of unleashing its power the prisoner stood complete still. It had believed it had simply been moved to a different land then the temple but that was incorrect. This was someplace else. Awareness expanded. It felt every wrong, the disharmony of these places that didn't belong together but were forced into one. So as it became intimate with the nature of this plane of existence it ignored the mortals around it.

Name: Sarah Gladstone

Race: Human

Age: Approximately 3,000

Height: 5’9

Weight: around 155 lbs.

Appearance:


Physical Attributes

Strength: Supernatural

Agility: Supernatural

Constitution: Supernatural

Magic Ability - Extremely High: Sarah is highly adept at the Craft, the magic from her world that relies on the power of one’s soul. At its most basic the Craft can be used in combat. Thaumaturgical shields can block potent magical attacks but will fail to interfere with physical phenomena. Those must be countered with defenses Crafted by Sarah from physical elements. She can even use the Craft to grab onto the spells of an opponent and redirect them although a powerful and wary enough mage can see and resist this. Manifesting claws of light that shred through steel like paper, summoning weapons made of the elements, and conjuring blasts of energy that shatter the earth and sear the heavens. But it is far from limited to such simplistic method.

The dead can be forced to rise and perform any number of deeds from combat, to delivering messages, to entertaining guests. The Craft can also be used to from constructs that carry out tasks such as scanning documents to sorting out information and analyzing objects. It also allows a bit of telekinesis.

A major component of the Craft is using it in the creation of powerful contracts. They are mostly used to impose limits upon demonic entities when they are summoned but Sarah will never risk giving a demon too much power, which limits her to singular demons within the supernatural category of physical ability and Medium ability in magic. Contracts can also be applied to other entities if they willingly accept which can force them to do a certain action or limit their abilities.

The Craft is dependent on the power of the soul and Sarah is always willing to consume other souls to increase the potency of her own

Sarah can also use the Craft to repair damaged objects and heal herself or others. The culmination of this particular facet of the Craft is immortality. Her soul is incredibly powerful and with it she is capable of extending her lifespan. Even a violent end means little to her unless her soul itself is targeted. It may take time but a confused mind after death can slowly come together and the reconstruction of flesh, blood, and bone is much easier than pulling her mind back together. Then the process of reentering the hollow vessel is easy. However if severe enough damage is caused she may not come back with all of her wounds completely healed. She once spent a few years as a skeleton. It was rather uncomfortable.

Other Abilities:

Scholarly: There is a certain level of devotion that Sarah has given her studies not only in her Craft but in a variety of other fields. Immortality means that she had an endless amount of time to learn how to do a myriad of things so she could sustain herself properly and without suspicion. Talents such as cooking, gardening, cartography, hunting, and poker are things Gladstone had picked up during the years.

To Slay a God: During the God Wars Sarah (although she went by a different name then) contributed along with many others in the fight against the divine. And she, like some of her colleagues, had the honor of slaying one of these entities and tearing their souls to shreds. She has been altered by the experiences which makes divine powers along with their worshippers feel uncomfortable around her. 

Great Soul: All magic is based off of the potency of one’s soul. For a Crafter as powerful as Sarah her soul is incredibly potent. It is easily worth more than thousands of normal humans but it can attract entities that feed on powerful souls to her.

The Pact: Sarah had made numerous deals with demons in order to win the God Wars and survive the aftermath. The reason for enhanced physical state is one of these demonic contracts.

Equipment:

Blood Pen: The indispensable tool for any Crafter of note. Instead of needing to cut yourself to sign your contract in blood this pen siphons it directly from your body so you can write your signature neatly.

Origin: A long time ago gods wielded the Craft and were worshipped by all, but one day a group of humans sneaked into the Land of Gods and stole this knowledge for themselves. They learned and experimented for years before the furious deities waged war on mankind itself. Those who had stolen knowledge from the gods saw this as their opportunity to cement themselves into the good graces of society by defending them from the vengeful gods. Sarah, although she went by a different name then, participated in this war. Humanity won and the Craft was now their tool to keep. She refined the system, spent decades of her life poured into it, but ultimately abandoned that style of life in favour of a more laidback and carefree one.

Weakness: Sarah is a mage specialized in attacking singular targets. While she can hit multiple opponents by piercing through them it is possible to swarm her with weaker enemies. Reviving her body leaves her spirit exhausted for an extended period of time and makes her incapable of performing the Craft.

Likes: Ice cream, shaved ice, frozen yogurt, candy

Dislikes: Apprentices, broken contracts, blind loyalty

Natara

Natara grimaced. This was beginning to get out of hand quickly. As fire approached and flickering beings of purple and black began materializing around her she realized now was the time to take risks. The Taint was corruption. It was destruction. But it could also be an opening. "Ciri hilm."

As the wave of shadow covered the rest of the dissolving station and spilled into the area behind it two pairs of arms arose from the dark puddles at her feet. One figure emerged covered in armor with a halo hovering over his head and a bow in his hands. The temperature in the area increased as he stood and surveyed the situation with a gaze hidden behind his helmet.

At his side stood a necromancer. Clothed in robes with a bone white mask over his face and a staff in hand. Pulsating red energy coated his gloved hands and traveled along the skull on his staff.

Under any other circumstances they would have simply slain the woman and killed each other before releasing the rest of themselves but the situation had changed. Too many variables and unworthy grasping hands reaching towards their true self. They did not deserve it! To bear the name of Power and Authority was a right that belonged only to them, and they would not suffer even an unknowing rival. The Caretaker was weak. She could be dealt with easily afterwards.

They acted as one. The archer leaped forward and grasped the wave of fire and fashioned it into the shape of an arrow in an instant. The heat intensified between his fingers until the arrow was too bright to look at. It was so hot that it could sear flesh and scorch bone with proximity alone. It didn't take him more than a second to pick out the immense mana from one of the nearby rooftops. His gaze focused on the painfully slow archer aiming a sword at his general direction. The solar archer released the blazing arrow straight at the man's torso before allowing heat to blossom between his fingers once more. The bow sang as dozens of flaming projectiles slammed into the creatures of darkness and dispersed them.

The necromancer focused on the entities of flame conjured by the man. The deep red coiling around his staff flared and the mana was ripped out from one of the constructs. With the excess he energy he reached to the spirits of the recently deceased and summoned spectral officers to intercept the creatures.

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PARIAH

The virus thought for a bit. If seeing Papa would make sister happy and she needed to be clean first then he should help. He held out one of his small hands which separated into dozens of tendrils that busied themselves with lapping up blood and consuming leftover bits of gore.

"Better?"

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Caedia

The Arisen's smile vanished from her face however she was still a bit joyous on the inside. The girl was still cute like that, but right now she had other priorities. Crest was going to where those 'lockers' were and while Akiholarme was following Caedia wouldn't mind. Allowing a single issue to sour a potential relationship wouldn't be very wise.

So she just nodded at Rebeca and patted her on the shoulder before walking off with the other two with curiosity filling her gaze to the brim.

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Urthemiel

The Old God laughed. He was a foolish one. She had so many things to do. Rituals to perform and magic to study. He was certainly a resource to be cultivated but not one that would acquire her complete attention. "No. I think this lesson is at a close. Stay perfectly still and you'll wake up just before you die."

She held out a hand and a river of flame poured from it and rushed towards Adjutor.

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Mata Boyd

The sewage worker was rather unimpressed at the sword pointed at her. "To call something by its name is to know its purpose in the world. I'm a sewage worker and that's all you need to know. Now then, considering you're so intent on helping out here I'm coming with you. I'm not sure how prepared you think you were but the sewers here are massive and an abomination of different systems mixed together. It'd be difficult just to get your way around here. Finding a specific creature in here is nearly impossible unless you have experience.

She smoothed a crinkle in her uniform. "I'm only doing this because whatever mess you make here is something I will need to clean up. It's easier on me and the others if we already have the areas recorded.

Urthemiel

The Old God had a small smirk on her face as she surveyed the glyph from her throne. It was satisfactory and that meant that the boy had some skill. That was rather pleasing. Now it was just a matter of honing the speed and concentration.

"The glyph is usable, but you need to be faster. Much faster."

It was always so much easier to grab power from the Fade while within it. With practiced ease she formed a countless amount of projectiles. Sharp stone, shards of ice, bolts of fire, and balls of lightning which increased in size until they were practically a wall.

"Dodge and cast. If you prove to be acceptable we can cut this session short."

She snapped her fingers and the projectiles fired themselves at Adjutor. If he could dodge them and cast it would be exceptional but it was rather unlikely. Hopefully he could manage to either cast the spell or dodge them all. Any pain would be a learning supplement. Casting while in pain is the mark of any decent mage after all.

PARIAH

Small eyes watched with excitement as sister cut the toy open and killed it. Tendrils burst from the ground and began to tear apart and consume the body of the magus. It barely took a few seconds for it to vanish with only a few sprays of blood to show that something had ever happened.

Then the walls and floor began to shake and soon gave way to a sea of tendrils and biomass that quickly began to compress itself back into a childlike form in front of Mia. He was rather excited and the smile on his face showed his happiness quite clearly. This game was fun. He never tried playing with his food before he ate it. It was funny watching it squirm first. He reached forward and gently hugged Mia.

"That was fun, sister! Can we play again?"

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Urthemiel

The Old God rested her cheek on her hand as she saw the spectacle that was her apprentice's first arcane failure. Then she grimaced at his request. Had she picked up some hermit? Even the lowliest of peasants aspired towards some kind of clothing. Regardless she could give him something usable for now.

She snapped her fingers and provided direction and order to the chaotic essence of the Fade. Dark purple robes made of silk and embroidered with silver clothed Adjutor. The shoulders had the feathers of a myriad of birds attached to them and drake scales covered the insides of it. Finally the space on his back was covered by the image of a great dragon. The detail was exquisite. Every scale carefully made, each eye burning with ferocity and power, and the wings proudly displayed. Beautiful beyond compare.

With a smirk Urthemiel looked over her work. "Much better."

Urthemiel

From her throne Urthemiel pondered the request. While it would not be the most difficult type of magic it would grant him a slight advantage against her, but it was nothing that the Old God couldn't overcome. With a snap of her fingers the shape of a Glyph of Neutralization carved itself into the silver and gold floor in front of Adjutor.

"This is a glyph that neutralizes magic. If you have heard of the templars it is not that different from their own techniques. Within the boundaries of the glyph reality is enforced and magic cannot exist within its boundaries. Those within it cannot cast and preexisting magic ceases to exist. Memorize the symbol and meditate upon its meaning. Order enforced upon the world. Its laws firmly restricting and bringing an end to magical anomalies within it. And create better clothes while you're at it. You look like an urchin."

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Natara

A hollow laugh escaped the Caretaker's throat at the sheer absurdity of this day. Perhaps she would have been better off being kidnapped. At least they didn't start off trying to kill her. Regardless, this was getting out of hand and all that Natara wanted to do was find somewhere quiet and secluded to rest. This city was so loud and busy and irritating. Her patience was running thin long before this mess had started today.

But now the only thing on her mind was getting as far away as possible. She ignored the confrontation between Michael and the stranger and instead slipped into another alleyway further ahead. The needs of the prisoner had her frequent this area and with practiced ease she began to make her way through broken walls and narrow passages. She was sick and tired of people who kept trying to interfere in matters that they didn't and would never understand. Even the cold indifference of the Guardians was preferable to this sea of ignorance. At least on some level they understood.

Natara took a deep breath and relaxed a hand that she hadn't even know that she'd been clenching. Her eyes were wet but she refused to cry. The loneliness and the stress would not break her. She would endure this just as she had endured the Taint and the prisoner.

Urthemiel

The entrancing gaze of the regal woman focused on Adjutor. "So, you've made it here in one piece. That is reassuring. It would have been annoying to have found you entranced by a demon of desire before we even began your first lesson."

She raised a dainty hand and walls shimmered into existence around the island and sealed it off from the rest of the dream world. "This is the Fade. A dream world from which you will draw your magical power from. It will be substantially more difficult to pull its energy within the physical world but for the most part your performance is expected to be adequate."

A flame burst into existence in her hand and she launched it at the wall which blasted a large hole into it. "The demon within you is a channel to the Fade. Reach for that rage and anger, and pull the power through it. With that power think of fire and bring it into existence. We can move on once you've managed to blast the wall apart."

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Caedia

The Arisen gave Rebeca a wide smile as she accepted her gift. It was rather reassuring because while Caedia would have relentlessly held out the gift until her fingers fell off her hand she preferred that people accept it after the first few offers. According to her Pawns it was irritating to others after a week.

Regardless it seemed like the other two had already gone into the building. So Caedia did what she saw as the most logical choice. She grabbed Rebeca and tossed the smaller girl over her right shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It wouldn't show on her face but the Arisen was very comfortable with physical contact. In fact, is was almost comforting to hold someone so close to herself. She lightly squeezed her passenger a few times just to make sure her hold was firm and partially because she wondered if the white haired girl would squeak. Selene made delightful sounds when some pressure was applied and Caedia wondered if Rebeca was the same.

Then without even a word she merrily walked into the building. Of course, she did get a few glances but Caedia was more than used to ignoring others. The smell of the building reminded her a bit of the guard barracks in Gran Soren. There was less yelling but it seemed similar enough.

She waved at Aki and Crest with her free hand as they talked to a man at the desk. The only thing that caught her attention was when rest had asked if they had a place to leave their belongings. People couldn't truly be foolish enough to leave their belongings in these 'lockers'. Caedia kept everything of worth on her person for a good reason. But if these people truly did leave things of worth alone... The Arisen's free hand twitched and her mind began to wonder. How strong were these lockers? How strong were the locks? How much could she carry out of here without someone noticing? What kind of currency did they have? Should she split the loot? She had never had to give money to her Pawns.

Her eyes glazed over as she started to run through the possibilities of what could be in those 'lockers' and what could go wrong if she made a mistake.