Curious Characters

[Chris Thorn]

Name: Curio, Chris

Job: Treasure Hunter
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Age: 25 years old
Height: 190cm
Build: Skinny, but fit
Hair: Dark Hazel
Eyes: Sky Blue

Pros: Agility, Fitness
Cons: No knowledge of magic, low battle skills.

Noticable Features: Worn out 1990's style clothes, including black jacket. Shallow crescent scar on forehead.
Familiar: A large black bird.

Weapons: Black jewelled dagger, largely unidentified.
Other Items: 2 Blocks of Pink Gold, 2 Block of Hotpink Gold, 1 Block of Flashing Pink Gold, and an insulated container to hold them in.

Home World: A supprisingly harmonious blend between early 20th Century buildings in medieval towns, People wear late 20th Century clothing, and late-middle ages mythology exist. There are few people who have trained in the use of magic, so it is feared due to fear of the unknown.

Historical Background:

At a very young age Chris was supposedly abandoned, or possibly orphaned. He grew up in a tavern, never to find out why the owner looked after him. The people he came to call his friends were mainly the regular customers of the tavern, whom told him fantastic tales about incredible treasure, but there were a few children around his age within the boundaries of the village who he saw often.

One day Chris happened upon an ailing old man living in one of the tavern’s rooms. Grateful for having a companion around, the man fed his interests with stories that blended between fact and fable. The man called Chris ‘the curious one’ because he always found something to ask about. The man was more than happy to answer those questions (with whatever came to his mind).

Through the stories that everyone told him Chris’ fascination with magic grew. It seemed that the more he heard, the more he wanted to know. To him there was only one form of magic, the kind that only people who have dedicated their lives to the casting of magic can use without being destroyed by it. And they were rare. There were endless amounts of stories about the use of magic resulting in debilitation or death, which created paranoia both about magic and the few users who can do so safely. On the other hand it was generally accepted that powerful items and objects were not ‘magical’, just that some resulted in unwanted side effects.

And so Chris’ life was filled with the chores and responsibilities he had at the tavern, along with listening to the stories of the customers of the tavern, playing with the other children in the village, and keeping the old man company.

Then late one night he heard the man calling for him. Lighting a candle he walked along the hallway trying to not make a sound with the creaky floorboards. In the faint light of the candle the man seemed to be as pale as flour. As Chris entered the room the man reached beneath his bed and retrieved something. In between several gasps and wheezes he gave the silver silk covered object to Chris. As Chris gently pulled on the twine to unwrap the object the man explained that Chris’ father had wanted him to receive it when he was old enough. Beneath the fabric encircling it, Chris discovered a slightly used dagger with an engraved hilt set with a single dark stone. Chris wandered back to his bed dazed.

The next day when he returned to the tavern for lunch he saw something that would come to signify his first real loss. A sheet-covered body was being loaded into a carriage. Chris ran inside to check, and found it to be true. The old man was gone. The loneliness that would be expected in such a situation was subdued, as it soon became apparent that the black bird that he keeps seeing was destined to be his companion.

Years passed and Chris kept the dagger always by his side. It seemed that the bird was constantly there as well. Then, without warning, he found out that one of the tavern's visitiors, A knight, had asked the owner whether he could have Chris as his squire. When Chris was asked about his view on the proposal he readily accepted. He found the concept to be fascinating. By nightfall he was ready to leave, but was told that they will wait until morning. At daybreak the owner roused him and gave him his blessing. Chris introduced himself as Chris 'Curio' (the only other name he knew), and within the hour they started the long ride to the knight's castle.

Several days journey went by and Chris was learning the role that knights had, on a signifigantly more intimate level. With over a day remaining to the outskirts of their destination, they were ambushed. A small band of theives had surrounded them and were demanding money, food and weapons. The knight defended them both, and fought them off, but was terribly wounded in the process. Chris administered first aid to the knight and set up camp. He hoped the knight would be okay, but he didn't make it through the night.

Thanking the knight for what he had done for him, Chris gathered anything he could carry. As he rode off to the nearest town Chris swore vengence on the theives who wore the design of the black flame. In town he sold what he could for the supplies he needed, and set off for the local tavern. He listened for news of the Black Flame theives as well as any items he could use to better his cause.

And so he set off to the rumored haunts looking for these items. He has found many, but kept none. Often the directions given have put him through dimensional portals, but he never noticed them. He has visited Emesef only once, and due to the nature of the portals that could have been at any time (he went to Momoko's Mine). The Black Flame have been very elusive, but not totally so.

[Chris Thorn]

Name: Mudd, Cristal

Class: Princess
Gender: Female
Species: Fairy
Age: 16 years old
Height: 160cm or 12cm, depending on form
Build: Slender & cute.
Hair/Eyes: Usually silvery white

Pros: Able to fly
Cons: All magic, especially transformative, exhausts her.

Noticeable Features: Silvery white eyes, hair, and wings when she has them. Each turns a silvery colour similar to that of any nearby crystals.

History:
Cristal Mudd, was born into a family of Crystal fairies. She was the youngest. Always being picked on, and rarely understood. She felt that she didn't belong, and she ran away.

She had one confidant, the maid, who she could totally trust. She had helped her to escape. At that point she was unable to change size, and the guards that she knew would soon be after her knew what she looked like. She adopted the alias of Cristal Mudd. Cristal decided to go into hiding, in the wrong part of town as they say, for there she could be, supprisingly enough, protected most.

In the years that have been since she has developed her ability to look human, to reduce the chances of being spotted. She can gain or lose her wings, or become big or small, but she can only do one change before she needs to rest. She hopes that it will get easier.

She spends most of her time in 'human' form, but still worries about what happens when a crystal happens to be near her. The closer she is to one the more that colour is reflected upon her features, much to the suprise of most people present.

NB: She hasn't been at MSF, and is largely undeveloped, but she was my second character (at anywhere).

[Mr. Critick]

Two characters with one bite. Let see what happens shall we.

I can see you put a lot of thought into Chris, which I assume is your main character and Cristal. hmmmmm, 2A nitpick here is the 20th century clothing in a Medieval setting, In a medieval setting they won't have the techology to make some of our modern clothing even if you add in the magic element which is rare on your homeworld. It would need some sort of influence to change it from the clothing we had at that point of time to what we have now.

I do like how you mention that magic is a dangerous craft to learn and use. Most people forget that one miscast spell and you be lucky to still have your eyelashes and all 10 fingers and toes.

[Mr. Critick]

on your second character. She looks inteeresting but I don't know enough about her to comment a few warning signs are showing though with the class of Princess and the Different sizes. I assume she uses a spell to change her size but won't that tire her out and not make it worthwhiled, unless to interact and organize ties with bigger folk?

[Chris Thorn]

Main Character
Name: Thorn, Chris C.
Full Name: Christopher Curio Thorndike

Gender: Male
Species: Human(?)
Age: 20-22
Height: 180cm
Hair: Varies between Blonde and Dark Brown
Eyes: Vary between Green, Blue & Hazel

Clothing: 1. White/Dk blue skirted fuku; 2. Green tshirt & blue jeans; 3. Dk blue Battle Fuku (weapons non-detectable); 4. Summer Sunflower Outfit (Green dress that smells of sunflowers and conceals identity)

Weapons: Fire-Bo staff - Steel staff with pointy ends, which cause no damage (no matter the attack) but still causes pain. The ends also become fireballs with just a thought.

Other Items:

• The monkey artefact - An object which affects the physical body of all people within 15m of it, for a small time. It randomly does one of the folowing, causes them to be blind, to be deaf, or to be mute. It can be activated if anyone says the correct comment.
• The bark backpack - A small backpack made of bark, which can hold a large amount of items (Has been used as a sleeping bag).
• Grimmore - An old thick tome that contains various magical means of unknown application
• Neko ears - a cute accessory
• Cat bell - scares mice and Nekomata find it attractive

Early History:

As a child Chris was a curious and generous thing, making friends with everyone. He grew up on the peculiar stories of mythology and theology. Most people were amazed to hear of the amount of luck that naturally occurred to him. He didn’t volunteer if he could help it, but for some reason he was well respected by those younger and older than him.

When Chris turned 18 he had to decide what to do with his life. It was to the disappointment of his parents that he announced that he was going to postpone any further education after he left school. Instead he would explore the world. He deferred his entry to a degree in education and, with his camera in hand, he ventured out into the world.

From the cornfields to the snowfields, from the rainforest to the desert Chris saw the sights and made interesting friends. In the depth of the jungle he offered assistance to a small community, where he was given a bag made of bark for his help. He carefully spent the time and effort required to adapt the bag to his needs, namely adding two straps for his arms. In a small European shop he found an old book on magic. It has been kept unopened at the bottom of his backpack ever since.

From the cornfields to the snowfields, from the rainforest to the desert Chris saw the sights and made interesting friends. In the depth of the jungle he offered assistance to a small community, where he was given a bag made of bark for his help. He carefully spent the time and effort required to adapt the bag to his needs, namely adding two straps for his arms. In a small European shop he found an old book on magic. It has been kept unopened at the bottom of his backpack ever since.

That fateful night coincided with a fancy dress party on the ship that Chris, and a few friends, headed home on. He made a costume by gelling his hair into spikes and wearing some very shiny shades. He didn’t expect the storm to hit as hard as it did. There were people squatting in the stairways being ill. While his friends took shelter back in their cabins, Chris stood on the top deck watching the storm around him, knowing that his camera wouldn’t be able to capture this. He felt that this was a great end to an unforgettable trip, but, at around midnight, he blacked out.

When he came to he was laying on a beach. The golden sand of the beach could be seen to continue under the crystal clear water. The only footprints around were the ones that he made as he headed for a faint path leading away through the palms. It was a picture perfect postcard to him, as he regretted the fact that he didn’t have his camera with him. He had a quiet laugh at the thought of a (non-existant) ‘Paradise Beach’ sign being near by.

When the fog cleared in his head he realised that he still had his bag from the night before, and that he wasn’t injured. He wasn’t even wet. There was just some sand that had clung to him. As he walked along the path through the forest beyond the beach, he dusted the sand off. He walked until he felt tired, and then he rested against a tree, using his bag as a cushioning barrier. When he woke up he continued along the path, coming to the edge of the forest surprisingly quick. As he walked through the fields of grass, where the path disappeared in large sections, he could see the forest continuing to the sides. It appeared to eventually stop on one side, and hit some rocks on the other.

Patches of flowers were dotted throughout the grass, increasing in size and frequency as he moved forward, then the patches petered out. It was at around that point that the path crossed a large stream. With the stream came another path, which connected to this one, as a few had before. A town, which Chris could not tell how big or old it was, was just beyond this point. But it was a town; a sign of civilisation; a place to find out where he was and how to get back. Which is why it was what he was looking for. Which is why he approached it.

At the threshold he met a lady with long red hair, who welcomed him to ‘Emesef’. He found out that she was one of several princesses around the place, a Princess Natsume. Princess of Fire, as it were. He told her that he was embarrassed to be there looking like he did, and she commented that she could help him with that. He was grateful for the offer. Later, she announced that she was leaving town for a short period. He didn’t see where she went, or how. But even though it might have been beneficial to him with regards to getting home he didn’t concern himself with it.

While exploring the town he came across a court proceeding taking place in one of the buildings. He entered as quietly as he could so as to not interrupt. He was not the only one observing what was happening, there was also a robot and a man in white. The accused was a man, and the judge (or whatever the definition was for her) was a girl. She was a girl but she held more presence than anyone else. The presence of the observers was spotted by a green haired late arrival. She summoned up a green wind to keep them from escaping. A conversation between the girl and the new-comer occurred and Chris found himself back in his seat, sporting a really short, and very pink, girls uniform. He would have been more annoyed at the loss of his only set of clothes if it wasn’t for the humour he found at seeing the robot dressed likewise. It didn’t take long for the defendant to be found guilty – his punishment was to become a girl, for an indefinite period. The transformation took place then, right in front of Chris’ eyes.

Further exploration showed that there were several ‘Princesses’ running the town, which was ruled by a ‘Lady’, Lady Sakura, the girl he saw before at the trial. The man at the trial was the only man to have been ranked as a Princess (which he would have assumed meant he was a Prince, if Chris was back home and this were a monarchy), Garath. Chris also heard word of a set of interviews with the princesses when they arrived here. The reason why this was of interest was because those interviews were bound to explain why the different princesses came, and maybe what their strengths are. And the fact that the interviews were not available publicly interested him even more.

Chris wandered to Natsume’s castle in deep thought, unaware that he had been followed. However, he did realise this when, as they arrived at the castle, the man asked what Chris was doing there. Seeing little reason to do otherwise, Chris told him that he was after the interviews, which also interested the man. They were discussing plans to get the interviews when Natsume appeared behind Chris. He turned to face her, red faced, and a quick glance behind him proved that the man was gone.

Chris had no time to react as a burning Venus glyph struck him, not that he could have done anything to stop it. Stunned he took a while to open his eyes to check the damage. He was shocked to find that he had become a small girl with firey red hair. He also noticed, abeit subconciously, that the too short fuku had been replaced, by a slightly longer dark blue version. Natsume mentioned that he was in a form more appropriate to enter her residence, but he could not reply. Instead he walked silently back to the center of town.

In town he sought consolation and friendship. Friends were made and like incidences were related. Apparently both the recieving of a fuku and the transformation were almost the norm among the citizens, and were respected symbols. However, as the night wore on, he experienced moments of disorientation, where things seemed to be just a little off. It was later, as the moments became more larger and more often, that he realised just how bad it was. The problem was that he had been called 'Christina', but had not called himself that. It was when he heard the suggestion of a brain operation from the robot that he decided to go see Natsume about reversing it instead.

So, in the early morning, after several minutes of pleading the case for a reversal she accepted, with the prevision that he keep the fuku (it was his suggestion). Having his body suddenly combust was unexpected, but when he looked at himself he was back to being himself.

Later History

It was a while later that Chris heard about the underground network called the 'Air Ducts'. That was the land of the ungoverned people called the lurkers, who watched the activity in the town without being seen themselves. It was called the Air Ducts because that was where the eyes of the lurker's could be seen on the rare occasion. It came to his attention that the lurkers had been attacked with a virus that turns them into girls that look like what he called asian. However that provided a good cover while he went to find the hidden database.

While in the database a long time went by. An all out war had erupted and resolved. Chris used this time to try to understand the place where he was, and how he could possibly get back home. When he came back to town things had changed more than what he had caught wind of. He quickly befriended a girl who was interested in what he knew. A week later they had plushies of each other, from a day of the dolls party.

Emesef was a place where reality seemed to be dependant on who was in a certain place, so it was of little suprise that he found myself lost after the lurker space had shifted. he passed an area where he could see a bunch of black haired Natsume clones, from the earlier party. After falling into someone's library, however, he decided to just find and observe the local nekos. He left a note on a scroll in the hope that it will make it's way to Sia.

It did, but when it was read the neko he was watching had gone into a building, and he had fallen asleep in the bushes outside. Sia found and woke him. Chris moved in to Eirien's study. He often finds himself being somewhere at the wrong time. His relationship with Sia grew greatly. His ability with magic is improving, but he still doesn't take the risk with actually using it. He only ventures to the important areas of the study when he has to.

[Chris Thorn]

Name: Thorndike, Tina
Full Name: Christina Curia Thorndike
(The alternate reality version of Chris Thorn)

Gender: Female
Species: Human(?)
Location: (A different) MSF

History:
Where Chris was born a boy, Tina was born a girl. Their histories were like two bees that sometimes are at the same point, and sometimes are having different experiences, but are going in the approximately same direction. They had the same level of luck, the same kinds of friends, and the same sense of what is right. They both deferred uni, went around the world, received the same bag, and took that same fateful ship ride. We will pick up her story there, discounting common activities.

Tina’s black hair covered her face when she got up from the sand. It wasn’t naturally black, at least not in a while. No it had been dyed black for the costume party of the night before, back on the boat. She shook the sand from her black dress and stockings, and there was more scattered throughout her long hair. Not only was she surprised to find that her handbag had made it here, being made of bark and all, but that her glasses had made it without a single scratch. Not that she needed glasses, but she felt that she looked better when wearing them.


Comments are welcome!