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 Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:16 pm
Sadye AyendeStats:
Age: 64, appears mid-20's
Gender: Female
Strengths/Powers: Good at gathering info and thinking on her feet, minor demon abilities (magical darkness, fear effect), amulet (temporary disguise for her up to two of her odd features)
Weaknesses: Heat, her curiosity, good brandy
Race: Tanar'ling (a humanoid of demonic/tanar'ri descent. Sadye is 1/4 dretch 1/4 human and 1/2 sidhe)
World Setting: Sigil, the City of Doors aka the Cage, a planar city in the middle of the multiverse. About your character In a place like the City of Doors anything can happen, and if a cutter isn't wise enough to know who's who and what's what they can end up in the deadbook very fast. That's where Sadye comes in. Having grown up in the ever strange anything-can-happen streets of Sigil, she knows the ins and outs and is willing to fill you in...for a fee.
Sadye herself grew up under the care of a fiend conjurer who owned a shop in the city's bazaar. He found her in the streets of Sigil after her mother left her in the bazaar as a child and thinking that with all his experience dealing with fiends he could properly raise one, he took her in. Years down the road while Sadye was still young but starting to come into her own, her surrogate father disappeared without warning and despite oftentimes searching, Sadye has never been able to turn up hide nor hair of him or the reasons why he left.Death: While most of her business is conducted in the streets of Sigil's Lower Ward, they don't call Sigil the City of Doors for nothing. The entire city is an ever shifting sea of portals (you never know when that next door you step through might send you straight to hell...literally!), so Sadye is no stranger to walking the planes and this time should have been no different. The problem was, the portal Sadye wandered through was unstable and collapsing on itself. As she stepped through it the last thing she remembered was a horrible tearing feeling as if she were being pulled apart and the sound of her own screaming. By all rights to her knowledge she should be all sorts of dead and disintegrated, but instead she's found herself here on Serendipity left with the questions of what happened, where is she, and is she actually dead or alive?FateWhile Sadye has not descended into the depravity of her fiendish ancestry, she is also no golden-hearted halo either. Since she worships no god (believing that if the Lady of Pain can strip them of their powers in Sigil then why do they need her bowing and scraping to them and telling her how to live) her soul would be relegated either, ironically enough, to the Outlands (the neutral plane where the spire city of Sigil is located to begin with) or to Limbo (the resting place of chaotic souls which are neither good nor evil). While it could be said that Sadye would miss Cagey, the rogue modron, and Shiv, the barkeep at her favorite place, the inverse can't be said to be true. In fact the only person who might indeed miss her would be her sometimes-planeswalking partner-in-crime, the sorceress Rin. However, even then if Sadye isn't in Limbo or the Outlands, then the powers alone know how Rin might find her if she even bothered to look.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 2:30 pm
More Sadye Love! What would have happened if Sadye had been chosen to go to Eclipseon? Note I kinda said eff it to the word limits rofl And I think I mixed around where some of the questions are answered, but well...it was for fun and shiggles so! Enjoy, Feedback is always loved 3nodding ---- The Beginning
Sadye should've known better from the get go, but when some sod on the streets of Serendipity picked her out to hand some invitation to participate in Eclipseon, Sadye gave him the most skeptical look known to the planes.
"Do I look like some clueless berk you can bob and peel?" She'd gotten a confused look in return, but Sadye was tired of the screed these guys kept throwing at her. "Listen up, you beau-nasty sorry excuse for a baatezu's mibix. I don't care about your bleedin' politics, or your soddin' factions, or your hells-forsaken death trap of a maze. I'm not doin' it. Period. The End. And yes, as some clueless prime once said, that IS my final answer! So stitch your lips, pike off, and go kiss a succubus."
"But Eclipseon will grant you your every wish, all you have to do is p-"
"Pass some sod who's lost half his brain-box's idea of a test? End up as some Serendipity version of fiend-food? No. I can think of a gad of things I'd rather do, and none of them are pleasant. You must be barmier than a spire god if you think I'm gonna throw myself into the mazes on the notion of some grail-filled local legend."
"But Miss Ayende, we can assure you that-"
She whirled back to face him. "Hey blex-brains, what part of go hug a soddin' razorvine didn't get through your brain-box? I said NO. Now pike it before you get lost," she snarled bearing all her sharpened teeth, her hand on the sword at her side.
The man grimaced but backed away. "My employers will not give up so easily."
"You can tell them they can sod off too!" she called back as she lost herself in a crowd.
Unfortunately for Sadye, the man was a man of his word. His employers really didn't give up. Sadye wasn't sure when or how they caught her, just that one moment she was happily carrying on about her business, the next she was being dragged towards some temple on a high cliff. She looked through blurry vision to see that same techno-magic mibix that the berk she'd gotten scragged near Worldspanners a week or so back was wearing. That meant the Machina were the ones who had her.
That was very very bad.
Sadye and the Machina weren't on very good terms at all. Not after the trouble she'd caused them that day. Immediately she came aware enough to struggle, try and fight back, something! She was sorely outnumbered though, and as the temple door loomed ahead she felt her dread creeping into her throat. So this was how she was going to die, thrown to the wolves in some foreign land for pissing off the locals. She was in no way prepared for Eclipseon, she didn't even want to BE here. Would her ability to think on her feet be enough? Would she have to fight? Would they exploit her fear and curiosity which always combined to get her into so much trouble?
The door to Eclipseon opened, the multitude of hands heaved Sadye inside and to the cold ground beyond, and then with the most terrifying echo of finality the temple sealed behind her.
The Middle
For a long moment Sadye beat furiously on the door and screamed to be let out, but those pleas fell on deaf ears. Defeated she slumped to the ground and pressed her forehead against the cool stone of the door.
"Surely one such as yourself does not give up that easily," a voice called from behind. She turned to see one of the Princes.
"I didn't soddin' ask to be here!" she spat back furiously.
"And yet you are. Do you really intend to sit there and bemoan your fate until you wither to death? There is another way out."
"Oh sure," she snarled. "I can sit here and die slowly and painfully, or I can waltz into your little contraption there and die quickly and more painfully. Hell of a bleedin' choice, berk."
"You are more resourceful than that, and besides. If you reach the end, you can go home to your beloved Sigil. After all, where do you think the portal Captain Laresh mentioned is located?"
Now that got Sadye's attention. She mulled over her options for a moment more after the Prince departed, but as much as she hated it, as much as her heart hammered in her throat not to do it, it was the best chance she had.
She made her way into the maze, glad that it was a building of stone and not some forest. Sadye knew how to navigate the winding passages and alleyways of cityscapes. This was similar enough that with a little effort she soon began to make progress.
As she rounded the corner she was faced with a door. A vague sense of familiarity pulsed through her, but thinking nothing of it she turned the handle and opened the door to a staircase. She knew these stairs, it was the lead-in to the basement of her caretaker's old shop in the bazaar. She heard a noise and descended a step or two, her expression confused. "Papa?" she called without thinking.
"If that's what you want to call me," a deep, gruff voice replied. Chills ran unbidden up Sadye's spine and without a second thought she sprinted back up the stairs and slammed the door shut, putting her back to it. Her eyes were wide in fear and her breath came in short, panicked gasps. She heard the heavy footsteps behind the door down below and suddenly in her pit she knew exactly what would happen if she went back downstairs. It had only been a few years after her caretaker had vanished. She had gone downstairs to investigate a noise. Instead she'd found a pit fiend, one of the devils her caretaker had conjured up. She didn't know for sure how he'd gotten down there, but she could guess he was there looking for her surrogate father. Instead he'd found her, a scared, frail little demon-blooded girl. She shivered violently for a moment as she shook her head to clear those memories from it. She had pushed that dark time, all those memories of what had happened, down into a deep dark pit not unlike the hell she'd been stuck in for some time after. She would rather die than to open it back up.
She looked up at the prince on his pedestal far above observing and spat on the ground. "Rust you and your bleedin' games. Rust you and the slaad you rode in on!"
When she finally gathered her wits enough, she continued on through the maze. She turned down another hallway and nearly fell over herself to skid to a halt for at the other end stood a tall, robed lady with the most serene expression staring back at her. She could have almost seemed inviting except for the blades framing her entire face. The Lady of Pain? Here?! Sadye gulped as she realized the light was streaming from behind, extending the Lady's shadow towards her. She backed away tripping over her tail and landing on her rear. Still the shadow came from her. On all fours now she turned, not even taking the time to get to her feet but instead scurrying back around the corner like a frightened animal. The Lady's shadow was death. Any Sigilian knew that. If it touched her she would be flayed alive if she was lucky. If she was unlucky? She'd spend a long time going barmy in the Mazes wishing to count worms.
Sadye would wager money there was a key waiting at the end of that hallway, but she'd be damned if she was killing herself for it. It crossed her mind that it might be a figment or an illusion or an imposter (in which case she hoped the Lady found out and flayed them slowly), but Sadye wasn't about to take the chance. She'd find another way.
Not long after her encounter with the Lady, Sadye realized she was closing in on the center of the maze, but she had no keys whatsoever. As she was trying to figure out exactly what to do about it, another contestant blew past her and nearly knocked her off her feet. "OIY! Watch where you're soddin' going!!" she yelled, but the man rudely turned and gave her the laughing hand before turning a corner. When he'd looked back, though, she'd noticed three keys strung around his neck.
Well she'd be damned if she wasn't going to take advantage of that. She leaped after him and rounded the corner to find him checking the hallways to decide which way to go. It was the perfect chance to catch up to him, and Sadye wasn't going to miss it. She dove at his back and knocked him to the ground, both hands grabbing for his shirt. The man called out in protest as he hit the ground, but Sadye wasn't finished with him yet. As her tail snaked up to pull the string of keys from his neck, she called upon the magic in her blood and enveloped the man in darkness. It might be her usual tactic, but it damn well worked. As she heard the man fumbling around behind her and cursing, she pushed to her feet and sprinted down the hallway. The maze had turned circular now and it seemed she spiraled in circles for the longest time, ears straining to hear if the man had gotten out of the predicament she'd left him in to pursue her. Finally, though, she saw a large stone doorway in front of her slowly sliding shut. She slid through the closing crack just as her opponent rounded the corner making sure she returned the rude gesture just before the door slammed shut behind her.
The End
As Sadye looked around the chamber she'd ended up in, she wondered if she was in the right place. She didn't see any keyholes or doors or ways out, just a strange library-like room filled with all manner of objects. Well these were utterly worthless, she thought and dropped the keys to the ground, but what was she even looking for in here?
That was when she saw it. A perfect statuette carved in the likeness of her pendant. The symbol of a dagger wrapped in a thorny rose vine had always been significant to Sadye. It was a reminder of what her caretaker used to tell her. "Sadye," he would say, tilting her chin up to his face. "You my dear might be a thorn amongst roses, but you are a princess among thorns."
A frown crossed her face and tears burned at the corner of her eyes. "Why'd you have to leave?" she whispered to the empty room. "I needed you most then, ya barmy dazzler. Did you even realise what a mess you'd be leavin' me in? Did you even bleedin' well care?" But if there was one thing Sadye had learned to do in her years in Sigil, through the hardships and hard knocks she'd endured, it was survive. "If wishes were jink..."
With a sigh she straightened her shoulders and reached for the waiting token...and was promptly zapped to all hell for her trouble. With a yelp she stepped back, shaking her hand as smoke rose from her fingertips. "Bloody rustin' hells!" she cursed, then looked up to the high ceiling as if expecting someone was there watching. "Alright, look here you ghereleth rustlers! I played your soddin' game, I got your rustin' keys, and I bleedin' well want out of this maze!"
She would not be disappointed as from the shadows of a bookcase a robed figure approached her. "And you can leave...after you hear my proposition," the voice called.
"I've had about enough of your slaad-stories, berk," she spat venomously. "I didn't even want to be here to begin with! You lot are all bad-bloods, there's not a shadow in my brain-box about that."
"You don't seem to understand, Sadye Ayende. With my help as a Planesborne you can have your token and go home. You could even change things. Bring your father back perhaps?"
Her head swiveled towards him. "My 'father' was a leatherhead who thought I was a great prank, and my 'caretaker' abandoned me."
"So you want to stay here? Never see Sigil again when it's so close within reach?"
Sadye rose to her full height and stared the figure down. "No, but I'm not about to soddin' well let you lot make a coney out of me. I know a peel when I see one. Whatever you berks want, it ain't worth the jink, and there's not a shadow of a shade about that."
"Suit yourself, Miss Ayende, but when the time comes that you're willing to make that personal sacrifice to obtain what you clearly desire, we'll be waiting," the figure said with a half-bow as it vanished back into the shadows. Sadye didn't want to know what they might ask her to give up, but she knew she wouldn't like it. She couldn't explain why, but she had a gut feeling that if she gave in to these people she might as well give in to the demon blood in her veins that she'd fought against so long. She shuddered at the thought. She might not be some sugary-sweet halo, and sure she did questionable things in the name of self-preservation, but she would never be so depraved as to become like her ancestors. Never.
The door reappeared in the wall, but this time Sadye could hear the sounds of the Axle coming from behind it. Strange magic in this place. She put her hand on the doorknob cautiously after checking for traps, then looked back and called "Oiy, don't hold your breath unless you're ready to hit the deadbook, clueless!" then stepped through the door and never looked back.
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Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 2:52 pm
WoefulInfinity  *~ MINI-CONTEST ~*
You enter a shady-looking bar, knocking over a sign which reads "Dead Man's Meet."
You approach the bar, looking for a drink. The bartender - a thin man, covered in bandages, with a cross-shaped scar on his face - comes up to you. You question whether the health inspector has been here recently.
"What'll you have, Outsider?" he asks. "First drink's on me - but if you want more, you'll have to find yourself a job. Tell you what, I'll cut you a good deal with my employer. He will want some physical collateral, but he's got power - can set you up good here in Serendipity. Or maybe even send you home."
He hands you a quill and a contract. "A bit odd, I know, for a check book, but don't let my scars fool you - splitting yourself into three doesn't hurt as bad as you might think." exclaim exclaim exclaim Your character is offered a contract. In exchange for either protection on Serendipity or a way back to their own world, they must split their identity into three pieces and tie it to three physical objects: one each for mind, body, and soul. You must maintain contact with the objects at all times. Anyone who takes your objects gains control over you. * Do you choose to stay in Cerxes or go home?
* What would your three talismans be and why?
* Do you take the offer?
* BONUS: What drink does your character order? wink
Answer format doesn't matter - you can use RP, first person, third omnipotent, OOC. Whatever.
No world limit. Multiple entries allowed. Just be sane.
This contest will last for one week and close 11:59 PST, 10.7.2011 10.14.2011.
One winner, chosen by me, will get 200k.
I am looking for: coherence and theme of objects, solidarity with characters' motivation.
One winner, chosen via lotto, will get 100k. All other participants will get 10k. CURRENT ENTRIES:Ruujin - DaodinJalil - SadyeZienkyer - VariableFinoewae - TeaganEnsia - PahakinoRuujin - NashlaCartagia - LaverisRuujin - RuujinLadyFox - Lurp hint of something in her eyes. Sadye wanted so badly to go home. It was the only place she really knew well enough to be comfortable for long. Sadye didn't like being in strange places for strange reasons, even though it was sometimes a side effect of living in the City of Doors.
She considered carefully. Was it potentially worth it? It seemed to be putting herself in a lot of risk, leaving herself beholden to someone else or having to guard herself constantly lest someone steal one piece and leave her as good as dead, but...didn't she do that anyways? She'd always knew she'd have to give up something to get home, at least even if this was dangerous it was better than any other deal she'd been offered. She could still be in control of her own life, she would just have to be careful - not that she wasn't that already.
She even had a good idea of what her talismans would be. The necklace would hold her soul. That silly symbol had become more than just a pretty design to her over the years, it was who she was. The thorn amongst roses. And most of all it never left her neck save when she couldn't help it. More than that though, Sadye had always described her path as one that walked along a dagger's edge between what was right and what was wrong. That narrow, precarious path was what guided her decisions, always trying to stay within that tiny leeway and not lean too far one way or another. Sadye couldn't afford to be too hardened or too soft.
Her mind would be a charm bracelet in gleaming silver. She could almost see it perfectly in her mind, each of the little charms that made up her most precious or most feared memories, some gleaming and well kept, others tarnished and hidden away within the jangling metal to where she wouldn't have to see them.
Finally her body. Well, she'd always been identified with those spiraling, obsidian horns on her head. They were in a way her pride and joy, and of all her strange features they were her favorite. If some idiot wanted to see Sadye fight tooth and nail for her life? She dared them to threaten to remove her horns.  They were probably the most physically identifying thing about her. After all, her wings and tail could be concealed under folds of clothing, her face and ears shadowed in a hood, her hands wrapped or gloved to hide their deformity, but those horns....she couldn't hide them except with magic, and most of the time she preferred it that way. She wouldn't ever want anything to happen to them. Especially not and her live through the ordeal.
Sadye paused for a moment. Was she really considering this? But yes, for a guaranteed chance to go home? She'd heard of people who'd gone through worse separations, and while she couldn't say she was particularly fond of the idea, it was the best offer she'd gotten so far. And above all, it was an offer, not a demand in the disguise of an offer being shoved down her soddin' throat.
She took the contract and read over it again wanting to be sure before she signed. "So how about that snifter of brandy, cutter? I think I'm gonna need it."
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