Mayhem (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nightmarewoken) wrote2019-05-23 12:01 am
nightmarewoken) wrote2019-05-23 12:01 am
Prismatica app
▶ PLAYER
HANDLE: Syl
CONTACT: Discord: sylviaviridian#0158, sylviaviridian@gmail.com,![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
Renegade_one
OVER 18? Yes
CHARACTERS IN-GAME: None
▶ CHARACTER
NAME: Mayhem
CANON: D&D OC
CANON POINT: n/a
AGE: 22
BACKGROUND: Mayhem was born Aratish, to the two human leaders of an apocalypse cult. The birth of a tiefling child was heralded as a sign of progress toward their goals, and as such Aratish was pampered and allowed to run mostly wild, but was also kept inside for their entire childhood and most of their early adulthood. When they were thirteen or so, they started being allowed to go on trips outside with their parents, maybe once or twice a year, and then somewhat reluctantly and under close watch.
At about eighteen, bored with living at home and reading the same books over and over, Aratish decided that they wanted to see the world before it went and got destroyed. Even though it was too corrupt to be allowed to keep existing, it was large and full of colorful things, and it seemed a shame to just let all that vanish without experiencing any of it. So they ran away from home, changed their name to Mayhem, and joined a traveling group of actors.
During their time with the acting troupe, Mayhem learned enough about the world to realize that they actually would rather it kept existing, that their parents had maybe presented them with a rather one-sided view. Even so, they couldn't see much place for themself in that world, and continued drifting along, an eternal outsider. Eventually they parted ways with the troupe and decided to make their living in Waterdeep.
In the big city, it was fairly easy to make money giving performances at one tavern or another, and they settled into a new routine and made a few new friends. Then one evening at the Yawning Portal, they wound up in a fight with some creatures that crawled out of the pit that gave the tavern its name, along with their friends and a couple of newcomers. One thing rather rapidly led to another, and the next thing they knew, they were part-owner of a manor and taproom, friendly with one of the city's more prominent nobles, and a member in good standing of the Harpers.
Most recently, they've learned that their parents are still looking for them, and been unexpectedly put into contact with an older sibling they didn't know they had, who wants to keep both of them safe from said parents. The cult is going to greater lengths than ever to bring one or both of them home, but so far they haven't managed to find any success...
PERSONALITY: Mayhem enjoys being an enigma. Charming and playful, they're happy to create a fanciful story about their background rather than ever admit the truth. They present in a deliberately androgynous way, and then accept whatever pronouns people decide to apply rather than correct anyone; what people see in a blank slate can tell you things about the person looking, after all. They're something of a social chameleon as well, following the lead of the person they're talking to and working to play the part of whatever that person wants to hear. Getting people to open up is like a game, and Mayhem is an excellent player.
Very indecisive, they tend to prefer to follow along with what others are doing rather than making any choices of their own. They love stories, but they've never really found a story they felt they belonged in, so they decided to become an observer and narrator instead: they watch what other people are doing, and try to facilitate the personal narratives of the people around them. Their relative lack of experience with the world means that they're interested in trying out a lot of things, and often don't have a strong preference or don't have enough background knowledge to know what they do or don't like, so it's rarely any sort of burden to just smile and nod and go where the wind takes them.
Mayhem is deeply indulgent and happy to pursue all the material and physical pleasures they never had access to growing up. Their sexual preference is 'able to consent and interested in me', and they don't have any problem with trying mind-altering substances. They don't really regard money as having value in and of itself: the only use for it is buying nice things, so they almost never bother saving anything up. Their taste in material goods runs toward the shiny and the obscure: weird unique things draw their attention easily, especially things that others might find a bit creepy or unnerving. Growing up as a cultist makes Mayhem very hard to frighten or upset, and they enjoy being weird and unsettling.
Despite the aforementioned willingness to lie to people about things that don't matter or aren't their business, Mayhem places a lot of value on truth as a path to freedom. They view someone who lives in a lie of their own making to be pathetic, and someone who pushes a lie onto others is the worst kind of corrupt. Having been kept innocent and fed half-truths for most of their life, they understand better than anyone how binding ignorance can be.
Mayhem also doesn't trust people very much, or very easily. It's hard to let go of an upbringing that says that no one in the world can be both good and happy, that anyone who seems like they are is either just going through the motions for personal gain, or too stupid to know better. In many cases, Mayhem even agrees with these sentiments, but they've also learned to see evidence that there are actual good people in the world, and some of those people are even happy. They still see the world as largely corrupt, especially people in power, but it's much bigger than they knew, big enough to contain enough good to make it worth keeping.
Although Mayhem is in most respects a lackadaisical hedonist, they're also quite intelligent, and very much enjoy reading. Books were a constant companion throughout their lonely childhood, and their only window to the outside world for many years. Their somewhat diffident relationship with reality means that they usually prefer fiction over non-fiction, but if given enough time and nothing better to do they can and will read through an entire library just because it's there. At home they've gradually amassed a good-sized collection of novels, most of them explicit romances, including some rare editions.
On most days, even a lazy day spent reading inside, Mayhem will be found hanging out around other people, seeking to be around activity and some level of background noise, even just someone moving around in the same room. Not only do they get lonely easily, but quiet reminds them too much of the home they ran away from, and is one of the few things that makes them genuinely unsettled. If they have to be alone for a while, they'll fill the silence by singing to themself.
POWERS/ABILITIES: Mayhem is a level 7 tiefling bard! Current spell list:
Prestidigitation: lights candles, makes small sensory effects, cleans clothes, warms soup
Thaumaturgy: opens windows, changes eye color, makes noises or tremors, amplifies voice
Vicious Mockery: insults someone so hard it makes their nose bleed
Message: lets you send a psychic voicemail and get an answer
Toll the Dead: makes someone hear a bell so loud it hurts their brain
Disguise Self: disguises self
Dissonant Whispers: makes the darkness whisper in someone's head, giving them a nosebleed and forcing them to run away
Healing Word: wave your hand and fix someone's cuts
Tasha's Hideous Laughter: make someone fall down laughing
Hellish Rebuke: burn someone for cutting you
Suggestion: tell someone what you want them to do and they'll do it as long as it isn't dangerous
Mind Spike: force a connection with someone's mind, which hurts them and tells you where they are for a while
Major Image: create a pretty convincing illusion, sound and all
Hypnotic Pattern: midair screensaver you can't look away from. friendly fire possible.
Enemies Abound: make one person feel like they can't trust anyone
Stinking Cloud: set off a magic stink bomb
Darkness: makes a big sphere of magic darkness
Greater Invisibility: be invisible
All of the attack spells offer a chance for the target to either dodge or resist them, and Mayhem doesn't currently have any spell effects that would let them read minds. Most of the spells last for a minute or so; Suggestion is the longest at 8 hours. Suggestion, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Enemies Abound, and the fear effect of Dissonant Whispers will always fizzle unless I have OOC permission.
Infernal Legacy: Mayhem is heat-resistant and harder to injure with fire.
INVENTORY: 1 deck of playing cards, marked
1 Boots of False Tracks, which can make the wearer's footprints look like something else left them
1 Panpipes +2, used as a spell focus
MOONBLESSING: Cordis
▶ SAMPLE
Mayhem was in a fairly good mood on the way to the Harpers with Belthazar: while their adventuring group didn’t have all the answers they wanted, they’d managed to break into Grallhund Villa and escape afterward without getting arrested, which was honestly a win in and of itself, no matter what Mathilde thought. Their hired bouncer Platinum had also taken the morning off to run an errand, so it wasn’t terribly surprising to spot him on the way there.
But then Mayhem saw who he was talking to, and their blood ran cold instantly. They watched Belthazar’s eyes slide away, uninterested, but they knew the man who was calling Platinum aside: one of the cultists who worked with their parents. Time slowed to a crawl as their heart began to race in panic, and within seconds, to Belthazar’s bewilderment, Mayhem had ducked behind a crate and emerged under the illusion of a simple peasant disguise, a plain and nondescript human laborer. They darted through the crowd, unwilling to let Platinum or the man out of their sight for even a moment.
Platinum seemed reluctant as the man pulled him off into an alleyway, which was odd. As Mayhem watched, the two began to argue with increasing venom. Are you haggling over my price? Do they have something they’re holding over you? How much did you ask, to sell me back to them? What did they offer? Aware that not having those answers would keep them awake with anxiety, with their heart still pounding like the boots of an army on the run, they cast another spell, turned invisible, and moved close enough to hear.
The invisibility might not have even been necessary: Platinum and the cultist were focused entirely on one another by this point, and Mayhem finally got within earshot just in time to hear Platinum snarl a final threat. “If you ever come near me or Mayhem again,” he growled, eyes flashing, “I will kill you and feed you to my sword!” And then he pulled away from the cultist, stalking back off on his own business.
Mayhem made no sign of their presence, flattening their back against a wall and shuffling away as their anger and bitterness evaporated. Platinum had been...refusing the deal. More than that, he had been defending them vehemently, while off the clock, with no reason to believe that Mayhem or the others would ever find out. It would have been easy, expected, for Platinum to take whatever deal was offered. He was their employee, but they’d offered no deeper incentive for loyalty than a steady paycheck - and if Mayhem and Belthazar hadn’t spotted him today, no one would ever have seen the betrayal coming. It was only natural to look out for one’s own interests first. Mayhem would have hated him for the act, of course, but would have understood it in the long run as nothing personal.
As Mayhem made their way back to Belthazar, who seemed to have witnessed at least some of what happened and very kindly didn’t ask any foolish questions, they resolved to have a talk with Platinum later. They needed to know what Platinum knew...and to express the depth of their gratitude for a kindness so unlooked-for.
HANDLE: Syl
CONTACT: Discord: sylviaviridian#0158, sylviaviridian@gmail.com,
OVER 18? Yes
CHARACTERS IN-GAME: None
▶ CHARACTER
NAME: Mayhem
CANON: D&D OC
CANON POINT: n/a
AGE: 22
BACKGROUND: Mayhem was born Aratish, to the two human leaders of an apocalypse cult. The birth of a tiefling child was heralded as a sign of progress toward their goals, and as such Aratish was pampered and allowed to run mostly wild, but was also kept inside for their entire childhood and most of their early adulthood. When they were thirteen or so, they started being allowed to go on trips outside with their parents, maybe once or twice a year, and then somewhat reluctantly and under close watch.
At about eighteen, bored with living at home and reading the same books over and over, Aratish decided that they wanted to see the world before it went and got destroyed. Even though it was too corrupt to be allowed to keep existing, it was large and full of colorful things, and it seemed a shame to just let all that vanish without experiencing any of it. So they ran away from home, changed their name to Mayhem, and joined a traveling group of actors.
During their time with the acting troupe, Mayhem learned enough about the world to realize that they actually would rather it kept existing, that their parents had maybe presented them with a rather one-sided view. Even so, they couldn't see much place for themself in that world, and continued drifting along, an eternal outsider. Eventually they parted ways with the troupe and decided to make their living in Waterdeep.
In the big city, it was fairly easy to make money giving performances at one tavern or another, and they settled into a new routine and made a few new friends. Then one evening at the Yawning Portal, they wound up in a fight with some creatures that crawled out of the pit that gave the tavern its name, along with their friends and a couple of newcomers. One thing rather rapidly led to another, and the next thing they knew, they were part-owner of a manor and taproom, friendly with one of the city's more prominent nobles, and a member in good standing of the Harpers.
Most recently, they've learned that their parents are still looking for them, and been unexpectedly put into contact with an older sibling they didn't know they had, who wants to keep both of them safe from said parents. The cult is going to greater lengths than ever to bring one or both of them home, but so far they haven't managed to find any success...
PERSONALITY: Mayhem enjoys being an enigma. Charming and playful, they're happy to create a fanciful story about their background rather than ever admit the truth. They present in a deliberately androgynous way, and then accept whatever pronouns people decide to apply rather than correct anyone; what people see in a blank slate can tell you things about the person looking, after all. They're something of a social chameleon as well, following the lead of the person they're talking to and working to play the part of whatever that person wants to hear. Getting people to open up is like a game, and Mayhem is an excellent player.
Very indecisive, they tend to prefer to follow along with what others are doing rather than making any choices of their own. They love stories, but they've never really found a story they felt they belonged in, so they decided to become an observer and narrator instead: they watch what other people are doing, and try to facilitate the personal narratives of the people around them. Their relative lack of experience with the world means that they're interested in trying out a lot of things, and often don't have a strong preference or don't have enough background knowledge to know what they do or don't like, so it's rarely any sort of burden to just smile and nod and go where the wind takes them.
Mayhem is deeply indulgent and happy to pursue all the material and physical pleasures they never had access to growing up. Their sexual preference is 'able to consent and interested in me', and they don't have any problem with trying mind-altering substances. They don't really regard money as having value in and of itself: the only use for it is buying nice things, so they almost never bother saving anything up. Their taste in material goods runs toward the shiny and the obscure: weird unique things draw their attention easily, especially things that others might find a bit creepy or unnerving. Growing up as a cultist makes Mayhem very hard to frighten or upset, and they enjoy being weird and unsettling.
Despite the aforementioned willingness to lie to people about things that don't matter or aren't their business, Mayhem places a lot of value on truth as a path to freedom. They view someone who lives in a lie of their own making to be pathetic, and someone who pushes a lie onto others is the worst kind of corrupt. Having been kept innocent and fed half-truths for most of their life, they understand better than anyone how binding ignorance can be.
Mayhem also doesn't trust people very much, or very easily. It's hard to let go of an upbringing that says that no one in the world can be both good and happy, that anyone who seems like they are is either just going through the motions for personal gain, or too stupid to know better. In many cases, Mayhem even agrees with these sentiments, but they've also learned to see evidence that there are actual good people in the world, and some of those people are even happy. They still see the world as largely corrupt, especially people in power, but it's much bigger than they knew, big enough to contain enough good to make it worth keeping.
Although Mayhem is in most respects a lackadaisical hedonist, they're also quite intelligent, and very much enjoy reading. Books were a constant companion throughout their lonely childhood, and their only window to the outside world for many years. Their somewhat diffident relationship with reality means that they usually prefer fiction over non-fiction, but if given enough time and nothing better to do they can and will read through an entire library just because it's there. At home they've gradually amassed a good-sized collection of novels, most of them explicit romances, including some rare editions.
On most days, even a lazy day spent reading inside, Mayhem will be found hanging out around other people, seeking to be around activity and some level of background noise, even just someone moving around in the same room. Not only do they get lonely easily, but quiet reminds them too much of the home they ran away from, and is one of the few things that makes them genuinely unsettled. If they have to be alone for a while, they'll fill the silence by singing to themself.
POWERS/ABILITIES: Mayhem is a level 7 tiefling bard! Current spell list:
Prestidigitation: lights candles, makes small sensory effects, cleans clothes, warms soup
Thaumaturgy: opens windows, changes eye color, makes noises or tremors, amplifies voice
Vicious Mockery: insults someone so hard it makes their nose bleed
Message: lets you send a psychic voicemail and get an answer
Toll the Dead: makes someone hear a bell so loud it hurts their brain
Disguise Self: disguises self
Dissonant Whispers: makes the darkness whisper in someone's head, giving them a nosebleed and forcing them to run away
Healing Word: wave your hand and fix someone's cuts
Tasha's Hideous Laughter: make someone fall down laughing
Hellish Rebuke: burn someone for cutting you
Suggestion: tell someone what you want them to do and they'll do it as long as it isn't dangerous
Mind Spike: force a connection with someone's mind, which hurts them and tells you where they are for a while
Major Image: create a pretty convincing illusion, sound and all
Hypnotic Pattern: midair screensaver you can't look away from. friendly fire possible.
Enemies Abound: make one person feel like they can't trust anyone
Stinking Cloud: set off a magic stink bomb
Darkness: makes a big sphere of magic darkness
Greater Invisibility: be invisible
All of the attack spells offer a chance for the target to either dodge or resist them, and Mayhem doesn't currently have any spell effects that would let them read minds. Most of the spells last for a minute or so; Suggestion is the longest at 8 hours. Suggestion, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Enemies Abound, and the fear effect of Dissonant Whispers will always fizzle unless I have OOC permission.
Infernal Legacy: Mayhem is heat-resistant and harder to injure with fire.
INVENTORY: 1 deck of playing cards, marked
1 Boots of False Tracks, which can make the wearer's footprints look like something else left them
1 Panpipes +2, used as a spell focus
MOONBLESSING: Cordis
▶ SAMPLE
Mayhem was in a fairly good mood on the way to the Harpers with Belthazar: while their adventuring group didn’t have all the answers they wanted, they’d managed to break into Grallhund Villa and escape afterward without getting arrested, which was honestly a win in and of itself, no matter what Mathilde thought. Their hired bouncer Platinum had also taken the morning off to run an errand, so it wasn’t terribly surprising to spot him on the way there.
But then Mayhem saw who he was talking to, and their blood ran cold instantly. They watched Belthazar’s eyes slide away, uninterested, but they knew the man who was calling Platinum aside: one of the cultists who worked with their parents. Time slowed to a crawl as their heart began to race in panic, and within seconds, to Belthazar’s bewilderment, Mayhem had ducked behind a crate and emerged under the illusion of a simple peasant disguise, a plain and nondescript human laborer. They darted through the crowd, unwilling to let Platinum or the man out of their sight for even a moment.
Platinum seemed reluctant as the man pulled him off into an alleyway, which was odd. As Mayhem watched, the two began to argue with increasing venom. Are you haggling over my price? Do they have something they’re holding over you? How much did you ask, to sell me back to them? What did they offer? Aware that not having those answers would keep them awake with anxiety, with their heart still pounding like the boots of an army on the run, they cast another spell, turned invisible, and moved close enough to hear.
The invisibility might not have even been necessary: Platinum and the cultist were focused entirely on one another by this point, and Mayhem finally got within earshot just in time to hear Platinum snarl a final threat. “If you ever come near me or Mayhem again,” he growled, eyes flashing, “I will kill you and feed you to my sword!” And then he pulled away from the cultist, stalking back off on his own business.
Mayhem made no sign of their presence, flattening their back against a wall and shuffling away as their anger and bitterness evaporated. Platinum had been...refusing the deal. More than that, he had been defending them vehemently, while off the clock, with no reason to believe that Mayhem or the others would ever find out. It would have been easy, expected, for Platinum to take whatever deal was offered. He was their employee, but they’d offered no deeper incentive for loyalty than a steady paycheck - and if Mayhem and Belthazar hadn’t spotted him today, no one would ever have seen the betrayal coming. It was only natural to look out for one’s own interests first. Mayhem would have hated him for the act, of course, but would have understood it in the long run as nothing personal.
As Mayhem made their way back to Belthazar, who seemed to have witnessed at least some of what happened and very kindly didn’t ask any foolish questions, they resolved to have a talk with Platinum later. They needed to know what Platinum knew...and to express the depth of their gratitude for a kindness so unlooked-for.