[/b] Alani
Aliases: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Affiliation: Battleborn, Emula
Species: Genetically/surgically modified half-human, half-Helician
Homeworld: Akopos (Darkened)[/ul]

[/b] Alani is half-human and half-Helician. She was surgically modified by the Emula when she was given to them by her parents to survive on the largely oceanic, freshwater planet Akopos. Her skin is a pale teal hue, perfect for blending in seamlessly with the depths and has blue markings that project varying degrees of bio-luminescence called "Syl." Gills on each side of her rib cage and neck let her breathe underwater, though she has lungs to survive on dry land. Alani has webbing between her fingers and toes that increase the power of every kick or stroke and her very physique, possessed of long, narrow limbs and a willowy frame, are conducive to speedy swimming and nautical travel. Her dark cerulean hair is thick and wavy, gathered in several clasps that trail down her back with one section occasionally obscuring her left eye. She adorns her hair with two ornamental Akoposian flowers. Her eyes are a deep slate color, her lips a dark blue.

In regard to attire, Alani is outfitted in the garb that was standard for those of her level within her now extinct monastic order. A small, sleeveless, single-strap top covers her breasts while leaving the majority of her torso open. On her lower half, Alani wears voluminous shalwar - baggy trousers that are gathered tightly at mid-calf - of a material with a cream and teal-grey pattern of flowing lines. On top of this Alani wears layered waist skirts/sashes; the lowest charcoal-colored and a navy blue one with the silver Akoposian character for "tranquility" above it. Atop both a scarlet sash, given from the Jennerit Sun Priestess Ambra's cloak, is knotted at her right hip. Alani's calves are covered in blue stockings banded with white cloth. She wears flat slippers of scarlet and charcoal coloring. Alani also adorns arm guards that run from elbow to wrist of the same charcoal color.

Personalized Weaponry: Alani uses water-soluble nanotech to approximate hydrokinesis: that is, the psionic manipulation of low-viscosity fluids. The implements that aid her in achieving this are the four silver bangles (two per-arm) that adorn her. The interior of each of these are able to channel and disperse/absorb freshwater, giving Alani a reservoir of water to control that is limited by her concentration. They are linked to her biologic signature, can only be removed by choice and, when separated from her, can be remotely summoned.


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[/b] Alani is the product of her order, and that order's ideals revolved around peace and harmony: mending and reviving. Therefor her main aim in battle is to support her comrades. She may use the blessing of the seas to heal their wounds or gift the strength of the tides to their limbs so they can continue fighting. The nature of the war for the last star has forced Alani to become a warrior, and though she takes to the role with more zeal and contentment than her conscience likes, most of her attacks serve secondary or even primary functions to encumber her foes and give space to or aid her companions rather than dish out damage.

Her standard attacks feature the martial sequence called "Torrent" in Ket, which allow her to loose mid-ranged pressurized bolts of water in rapid succession. When in battle, Alani keeps out of direct fire as much as possible; her focus is on her allies that are more inclined to deal damage, rather than deal that damage herself. When her eyes set on opponents, it's either to call forth oceanic phenomenon to deter them, or to loose a volley of water bolts over the shoulders of her friends. She pays careful attention to the physical state of her comrades, and if they're injured will swiftly veil them in a "Wellspring" that radically heals them. Alani is a controller as well as a healer, in terms of combat roles. When enemies are funneling through a choke point she's prone to call forth a groundswell, or encapsulate them in water prisons momentarily to make them vulnerable to attack; hers or, more likely, her allies'.

When quarters are getting too close Alani can throw waves to provide space for herself and others to move while dealing mild damage to those enemies caught in the swell. Alani uses areas saturated by her attacks as conduits for the energies she can conduct through water; hastening her allies by psionically altering surface tension of wet areas to assist herself and others; inspiring moderate healing over time so long as allies are in contact with her element, and so on and so forth. Alani is known to ride a wave that she summons when she needs to travel or retreat expediently on the field of battle. Her most ferocious assault involves summoning forth a water dragon - allegedly the universal wills of the ancestors of her order coalescing into a single, sentient guardian - that manifests with incredible force.

Weaknesses:

Without Bastion: Like others of the Eldrid faction, Alani refuses to use the personal shielding technology that is popular for combatants in the fight for the last star. While she normally compensates for this by a higher-than-average vitality and her healing talents, this is a severe handicap in the combat zones that she's deployed to as a Battleborn. Any attack that comes her way has no shield to dull it or take it entirely, and is immediately physically harmed by it.

Center The Mind: Alani must use her meditative practices to reach a state of utter mental control to loose the power of the seas. Distracting her is hard thanks to a lifetime spent refining her willpower but it isn't impossible. Should something interfere with Alani's concentration sufficiently enough she'll lose power over low-viscosity fluids in her vicinity. Most dire, Alani's healing attempts can suffer if she's the least bit unsettled (more below on how she counters this).

A Bond Honed: Alani's will over water can ebb and flow like the tide. As mentioned before, they're directly reflective of her will and focus. Added to this her unfamiliarity and discomfort with the concept of war, Alani's healing power can fluctuate greatly between moments in battle. Torrent is a sequence of movements, or "form" in her order's martial arts, Ket that she uses for standard attacks. It is so deeply ingrained in Alani's sinews and mind that it relaxes her mental state even in combat zones. Due to this, every water bolt unleashed through Torrent that hits its mark hones Alani's connection to her powers over the sea. The stronger this connection is, the greater her healing.

The Tools of My Order: The silver bangles Alani wears are the conduits for her will into the nanotech that gives her her power. Without them on her person Alani is helpless. Though they are impervious to lasting harm, they can theoretically be stunned of short periods. They can be removed from her person if she is unconscious.

A Fish Out of Water: Alani does possess lungs able to breathe air, thus allowing her to survive out of water. However, prolonged periods without being submerged make her increasingly lethargic and fatigued. She's also not entirely familiar with the concept of being "winded" and can get so easily through physical exertion out of water. Alani sometimes forgets to breathe, also, which may seem comical but could create real problems if it happens at the wrong time.

Little Fish/Big Galaxsea: Everything that Alani once knew is gone, lost to a darkened galaxy. She isn't possessed with as much heart-wrenching grief as others in the same situation because the teachings of her order and the strength of her spiritual faith help her cope. Contrarily to that, Alani is delighted at the new experiences that have opened up before. She's eager to make friends and create a social life, since such things were impossible or greatly different while part of her order on Akopos. The problem is that she has next-to-no experience in doing them, and lacks many social graces (though her genuineness and optimism usually cover any missteps she makes).

The Toxin Called Vengeance: The Jennerit Imperium are directly responsible for stealing Akopos' seas and resources, which was the precursor to the veiling of its star, and slaughtering the entire Emula order in one fell swoop. Alani holds a poorly-hidden grudge against all Jennerit - specifically Ambra - because of this, and is slow to trust and quick to anger around them. She struggles because her order taught forgiveness, and abhorred self-harming ideas like revenge, hatred or bitterness. Then, when Alani remembers that she's the last of that order, and (in her mind) the Jennerit are the cause of that, she thinks "revenge" isn't too bad a plan.

The Solitary Apprentice: Alani is the sole survivor of her order. She carries their entire history, all of their teachings and messages, and their memory on her shoulders. That's a tremendous weight, and sometimes she feels that she'll falter beneath it.

Character Trivia, Notes, Clarifications, etc:

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[/i] dying," she added. "Oh. Well, you're a clever fish. You'll figure it out. I have faith in you, probably!" Alani tried to speak again, but in that moment her pod doors ripped off and the seat she sat in lurched forward, throwing her through the now open hatch. Wind ripped around her. Alani spun uncontrollably through the air for a second, then righted herself on instinct. Her pod veered wildly off course and exploded in a ball of fire and smoke to her left. The battlefield that day spread out below her, a desert area of Ekkunar in a valley of monolithic, gargantuan rock structures; a sculpture garden for giants. Speckled across the breadth of the nearest area, black dots scattered like mites. Here and there lavender light pooled - portals disgorging more of the Varelsi threat.

The Eldrid took all of this in at a glance. Through the sound of conflict and the roar of wind in her ears, she dropped into a fierce focus. This was not the most distracting environment she'd been forced to adopt meditative determination in. Alani's jaw set. The Syl of her tattoos blazed to life and she pivoted to an upright falling position, hands gesturing articulately around each other, then surging wider into a whole arm motion. Water burst into being beneath her slippered feet, racing quicker than gravity took her down below, to the dusty, barren earth that was now but a scarce hundred feet away. The water connected, and Alani now balanced atop a pillar of rapidly turning liquid, sheathed up to her waist in a micro-whirlpool. Varelsi all around took note of the new disturbance and shuffled her way at once.

Alani teetered in place for a breath, then she thrust an arm down. The column of spinning water dove earthward, a spring being compressed, and when the monk reached the ground that water lashed out in a circular ring. Her eyes blazed brighter, quadrupling the surface tension of the torrent so that as it crashed into the Skulk that surrounded her, it did so with the force of a thousand whipping daggers. Alani let go of the pulse and it whisped into non-being. Bolts of enthropic energy, hurled from the narrow arms of distant Skulk, rained down from above. Alani dodged one that strayed too near with a deft, sideways barrel roll, landing in a wide crouch. Her Syl flashed, sometimes quick as lightning, others for prolonged periods as she unleashed her watery wrath on the Varelsi that scrambled toward her. She entered into a rhythm, like when the Emula taught her to meditate through sparring as easily as sitting still.

When she'd taken out two additional waves after her first, Alani's lips twisted up in a smirk. She was doing it, and actually very well. That ounce of smugness vanished when a Varelsi that had slipped through her defenses lashed at her, destined to succeed in its assault. She froze, bracing for the pain that would rip over her shoulder. But it didn't come. Instead the blow was blocked by a crimson blade that pulsed with tines of odd energy. Verod Rath stood beside her - saved her. A former Jennerit (though Alani was having to very forcefully remind herself of the "former" part every time she saw the blademaster or his kin). The irony was simply stunning. Rath razed the Skulk as easily as he'd intercepted its attack. "Thanks," Alani heard herself say, but it was forced and brittle and clipped even in her own ears.

Rath spoke, saying that the Varelsi's presence promised Imperium troops. Alani loosed a quartet of water bolts while the Jennerit spoke, all three connecting with the skeletal mask of a hunter that prowled nearer, ending it decisively. Rath requested - or commanded, it sounded more like - that if she saw any of the Imperium, to tell him. That he had questions to ask before killing them. Alani tilted her head and smirked, coldly. "No promises I won't drown them before you get your chance." Her warning was strained at the last as she grunted, gesturing up and toward herself with both hands fluidly, raising a spontaneous wave from seeming nothingness and hurling it forward to bat aside Varelsi, keeping them from forming coherent ranks. Then the Jennerit smirked and she was made wary automatically, eyes narrowing. He pointed out that she had some Varelsi matter on her cheek.

Alani's narrowed gaze went wide. A blue blush colored her cheeks and she hated herself for it as she quickly drew up a webbed hand and scrubbed the blemish away with the back of it. Alani scowled again, not sure how to respond to the... maybe it was a nicety? She didn't know, but anything that came to mind was some juvenile jab. Which wasn't to say Alani was above tossing one Rath's way. She just didn't have the time to choose which one before a portal belched out a Varelsi Walker thirty feet ahead.


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[/b] Lapis
Other Character(s): Deande
How Did You Find the Forum?: Creator


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