Fade Rift App

[demonicbeauty]

PLAYER

Name: Wizera
Age: 30
Contact: wizera
Other Characters: None
Interests: Above all, my favorite thing about RPing is the interpersonal relationships that are formed. With jamjar-ish settings, in particular, I love the dynamics that evolve out of a group of people who would seemingly have nothing to do with each other, but are forced to live together and cooperate. While I enjoy things like shipping, action, and adventure, all of those, for me, stem out of unlikely interpersonal relationships first. With Ariadne in particular, I'm eager to explore things like race relations and the social tensions that exist within society. And, I'm not going to lie, I like things that are a little silly too. The idea of Ariadne trying to adjust to Dragon Age fashion, for example. Funny, but because it stems from a human place.

CHARACTER

Name: Ariadne
Canon/OC: OC
Journal: demonicbeauty
Age: Roughly 19

History

The history of Ariadne's world can be found here. A full version of Ariadne's backstory can be found here. The 500-word "highlight reel" is below:

Ariadne was born in Deleo, home to dozens of nomadic tribes of Alastrians, a demonoid race. Ariadne was born in the middle of a litter of twenty, to father Feofan and mother Rotspine. They had left their family group years before Ariadne's birth which meant that they often received visitors. Ariadne's favorite was her Uncle Tahafra. Like Rotspine and Ariadne, Tahafra possessed the ability to appear Human. He'd even gone a step further, severing his own wings in order to pass. His stories often filled Ariadne's little head with the idea of someday living and passing as a Human herself.

As it was, the Alastrians were often illegally hunted down for their hair. It was considered a luxury good in the realm. When Ariadne was seven, one of her brothers was caught by hunters. They stripped him naked, shaved his head, and left him alone in the forest. Ariadne's family found him two days later. The incident taught Ariadne, for the first time, how deeply dangerous it was to be Alastrian.

Most of Ariadne's childhood was spent in the forest. Alastrians didn't believe in formal schooling or apprenticeships. Rather, the adults in the pack taught the children various skills and the children naturally divided up the labor, according to their aptitudes. Lithe and spritely, Ariadne was often charged with the task of climbing up into the trees. Ariadne's skill served her well. At the age of ten, a forest fire ravaged Deleo, one she would later learn was set by a warlord calling himself the Red Dragon. Ariadne survived by jumping from tree to tree until Tahafra found her and decided to take her to Valeria. He brought Ariadne to his sister, Lysia. Tahafra and Lysia had been passing for Humans for years. But there was one person who knew their secret. The reigning monarch of Valeria, Amanda, employed Lysia as a court translator. At least on the surface.

The true story was much more complicated. Amanda and Lysia had both spent the larger part of Ariadne's lifetime watching the growing threat of the Red Dragon. As it was, he'd already marched his army into five other kingdoms, meeting no resistance. At first, no one had taken him seriously as a threat. He appeared unstoppable. Only Lysia and Amanda had had the foresight to start working against him.

Lysia adopted Ariadne, raising her as her own. Judging her old enough to make her own decisions, she asked Ariadne if she would be willing to trade her wings for a Human life. Ariadne barely hesitated. When she was fourteen, Lysia caught sight of Ariadne in a tree. Impressed by her ability to move, even without her wings, Lysia decided that the time had come for Ariadne to join in the effort to slow the Red Dragon's progress. She began with little tests here and there, encouraging Ariadne to try to steal small items. Her talent was too good to put to waste.

Personality

Ariadne could be described in one sentence: Powerful things come in innocent packages. Her nature and demeanor contradict and overlap with one another at some unusual places. If she were to be summed up in a D&D game, she would be considered “chaotic good.” It’s not to say that everything she does is a lie. But not everything she does is the entire truth. And in the end, it’s all in the name of what she considers to be right.

On the surface, Ariadne is a bit of a Disney princess. She’s young, pretty, enthusiastic, optimistic, kind, and insanely curious. She’s also not the type to hold back any of these qualities. When she encounters something new for the first time, she’ll immediately begin asking questions, eager to learn everything there is to know about it. She loves trying new things. Maps and far-away places fascinate her. She approaches the world openly, reserving all judgment.

All of this comes from a place of truth. It’s who she is. But it’s not all she is.

Beneath her cheerful and rosy-colored surface, there lies a deeper pool of intensity and emotional conflict. Ariadne has spent her entire life believing that because of what she is, she is in some way inferior. Her whole life, she’s been considered a “demon,” simply because her race doesn’t fit the schema of the other races of the realm. Her kind is hunted, harassed, mutilated, and bought and sold. Which has made her exceptionally good at hiding what she is.

It’s also made her exceedingly good at fighting to protect herself and her own. Although Ariadne genuinely believes that violence is not the answer, she knows how to use it. Since she’s spent most of her life on the outside, looking in, she’s also exceptionally good at quickly picking up on the best way to diffuse or escape situations. She’d been trained to be a fly on the wall and she knows when she needs to dim her enthusiasm in order to focus on the task at hand.

Deeper still than her feral instinct, though, lies her unending supply of love. Alastrians are raised in large packs. They’re never alone and they’re never without someone to comfort and shelter them. Without her family, Ariadne extends her love freely and openly to anyone and everyone. She genuinely believes that there is good at the core of every person’s being. And she is optimistic enough to assume that, in the end, good will always triumph over evil, light over dark.

A possible pop culture parallel to consider for Ariadne might be Trance Gemini from Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda.

For a longer version of Ariadne's personality write-up, click here.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths:
-Athleticism: Ariadne is exceptionally good at climbing trees, jumping from high places and landing on her feet, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
-Ranged: Ariadne prefers to use a sling when engaged in combat. It usually doesn't cause permanent damage and she has excellent aim. (She does NOT use a slingshot.)
-Heightened Senses: All five of Ariadne's senses are sharp. She can hear heartbeats across the room. She can usually smell the difference between different races. Her eyesight makes her an excellent lookout. Think of it like the generic vampire trope of having incredible senses.
-Appearance: Ariadne is very, very pretty. By Human standards.
-Sleight-of-Hand: In the past few years, Ariadne's been trained to be a thief. She has a very light touch and dexterous fingers that can easily slip into and out of pockets.
-Language: Ariadne and her kind pick up on new languages exceptionally fast. This also translates to her ability to learn music and musical instruments.

Weaknesses:
-Back: Since losing her wings, Ariadne's back is incredible sensitive. Light blows cause her agonizing and debilitating pain which can knock her out of a fight for a long stretch of hours. She also has some ugly scars that are visible if she wears something backless.
-Hair: For reasons unknown (the Alastrians are not scientific), if an Alastrian's hair is cut, they become lethargic and weak until it grows back.
-Delicate: Ariadne is, overall, a bit of a delicate girl. She can take a beating, but bruises easily. She's also not exceptionally strong. Adding that to her youth means that she's often not taken seriously.
-Naivete: This is pretty much what it says on the can. Ariadne is incredibly trusting and naive. She doesn't have a lot of experience out in the world. And she pretty much always gives people the benefit of the doubt. Innocent until proven guilty.
-Inexperience: Going hand-in-hand with Ariadne's naivete is the fact that she lacks a lot of experience with basic tenets of civilization. She doesn't know how to do basic things like cook, sew, use barter for goods, ride a horse, or fight with metal weapons. Many of these things, in fact, fascinate and entrance her.
-Appearance: When in her natural state, Ariadne can be quite frightening, which makes it very difficult for her to interact with society.

Abilities:
All of Ariadne's special abilities derive from the fact that she is Alastrian.
-Talons: Alastrians are equipped with sharp, retractable black talons that can penetrate most surfaces, including soft metals. These are generally used to climb or, in rare instances, as weapons in hand-to-hand combat.
-Camouflage: About a third of the Alastrian population (including Ariadne) possess the ability to assume a Human appearance. In her natural state, Ariadne has mint green skin and pastel blue hair. With her camouflage ability, she can secrete pheromones which allow her to be perceive as having pink-ish skin and brown hair. She can maintain this appearance for days at a time.
-Sonic Ability: Alastrians are capable of emitting an exceptionally loud scream that can shatter glass and occasionally render people unconscious.
-Alastrian Kiss: Among the Alastrians, it's the males who give birth. The mating process begins with what's known as an "Alastrian kiss." Essentially, when Ariadne joins hands with someone, she can transfer a sense of euphoric pleasure to them. It's not terribly useful, except in romantic situations. And she can genuinely only do it with someone she actually cares about.

Arrival Inventory

Ariadne will pass through the Fade with little more than the clothes on her back, a simple sling, a copper arm bracelet, a set of pan pipes, and a sturdy pair of boots. None of these things are magical in any way.

'Human'ization

I think she's okay being an Alastrian passing for Human?

Fit

There is a lot of fun to be had in playing a fantasy character in a Dreamwidth jamjar game. But what’s not so fun, after a couple of years, is going through the same old rigmarole of a fantasy-medieval character having to learn how to use a smart phone or being taught about the joys of TV dinners. What I love about Fade Rift and its setting is that it’s a game where fantasy characters can be played out in a fantasy setting.

I also feel it’ll be a great environment for Ariadne who is innately curious by nature. Neither she nor I know much about Dragon Age, so it will be perfectly legitimate for Ariadne to go around, asking as many questions as she can.

What I also like about this setting is the way that it might view Ariadne as an Alastrian. She’s a complete outsider and will be the only one of her kind. This may make her both a novelty and a source of debate. Is she a demon or abomination? Just because she looks different underneath her veneer, does that mean she’s dangerous or evil? I also like the idea of pushing some of Ariadne’s assumptions about how she’ll be treated as an Alastrian.

Finally, Ariadne is a character who joins up with causes. But this is a cause that will be completely foreign to her. She always assumes that one is innocent until proven guilty. This might very easily tear her loyalties, both to the Inquisition and to the other PCs.

SAMPLES

Sample 1: Fade Rift Test Drive Meme (Log Style)
Sample 2: Ariadne swept a low bow, demurely lowering her eyes from her intended mark. His name was Arrio and from everything Lysia had told her about him, he was a very, very bad man.

'What did he do?' she'd asked her aunt.

'We think he's been poisoning knights under the orders of the Red Dragon.'

'How can you be sure?'

'We can't. That's why it's going to be your job to find out.'

It wasn't a job that Ariadne felt suited for. She much preferred the tasks Lysia sent her off on that involved sneaking in and out through a window, without anyone seeing her. The idea of letting her be seen on purpose was a little frightening. More than a little, actually. As she straightened out, she could only think of one word to describe the look at Arrio was giving her: Hungry.

Focus, she scolded herself. She wasn't going to do anyone any good if she got caught. And looking scared or guilty was a sure way to get caught.

"I understand you've been sent on behalf of my old friend, Princess Amanda," Arrio said. His voice reminded Ariadne of an old accordion that had been squeezed into lifelessness. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"She's asked me to deliver this," Ariadne replied, taking a tightly rolled sheet of parchment out from the pocket of her coat. "She said I shouldn't come back until I'd personally placed it in your hand."

Arrio chuckled. "Well, then," he said, "by all means."

He thrust his hand out, slowly uncurling his fingers. They were thick as sausages and Ariadne immediately imagined them closing around her hand like a vice, snapping her delicate bones like twigs. The thought of it made her wince, but she was able to hide it in another curtsy, before stepping up to the old man. Daintily, she set the message down in his palm and, as predicted, his fingers did close around hers. But slowly. Almost gently. And he leaned in to deliver a soft kiss to her knuckles.

Ariadne's gray eyes flitted from his hand, to his face. His eyes were closed and the flap of his jacket hung lifelessly between them. She had, maybe, three seconds at most. So she didn't hesitate. Gentle as a leaf falling on the water, her other hand slipped forward, into the inside pocket where her fingers closed around exactly what she wanted: A key.

By the time Arrio was up straight again, Ariadne had tucked the key into the back of her belt, under her coat. "I do hope you'll stay the night. My house is open to any messenger of the Princess." Lazily, he reached into his jacket and for a moment, Ariadne was sure that she'd been caught. She strained to listen to the sound of his heart beating, expecting it to speed up as soon as he realized he'd been pickpocketed. But it didn't. And when his hand came back out, it was holding a shining, red apple that had been tucked away in some other compartment. "Apple?"

Her eyes widened. "Is that real?" she asked. The Red Dragon's men had cut off most of the supply lines into Valeria. It had been a very long time since she'd seen fresh fruit.

"Of course."

"How did you get it?"

Arrio chuckled. "I have my ways, sparrow." Everyone was forever naming her for birds. Ariadne couldn't understand it. She didn't mind or anything she just...it was puzzling. Meanwhile, Arrio continued to tempt her. "I have more where this came from. And fresh dates. Surely that will tempt you." It would have been more tempting if she didn't know he might be poisoning knights. "Ah, I know. Brandy?"

"Brandy?" she repeated. "What's that?"

He let out another bellicose laugh. "You dear, sweet innocent. Follow me, starling."

He turned with that, walking across the room and into the hall beyond. Ariadne followed. She kept a pace or two behind him, allowing her eyes to crawl over the strange, exotic trappings hanging on the walls. There were coats of arms and standards she didn't recognize, some of the in languages she'd never even seen. And more importantly, there were windows with latches. She studied each and every one, already planning for a quick escape.