Dramatis Personae
Format:
Character_Name [written_by] (NPC notation if this isn't the
writer's main character): Short_description. {also_writes_for}
| Click to go directly to... | |||||
| Dhyrclhanc | Driss | Eric (Hunter) | Fuzzy | Mike Knight | |
| Morgan | Nemisis | Nimrod | Patrick | Rio | |
| Rob Nishikawa | Roland | Silver Phoenix | Stardragon | Ziactrice | |
The bios for characters who are no longer active have been moved to the Former Characters page.
WARNING! If you're just starting out reading our adventures, these bios probably contain spoilers. You have been warned :-).
Dhyrclhanc [Martin Gerster a.k.a. ofgerst] (picture) (a.k.a. the Lensdragon): His "suitably prolific" bio has its own page. {Synthea, Nimrod, Mark Twelve, Sikorsky, Dasher and Max}
![[^]](top-arow.gif){kind=small}
Return to topDriss of Braxton (picture) (a.k.a. Driscoll): Driss was born the son of a wealthy merchant, Brock Silverthumb, as part of a set of identical triplets, Driss, Miles, and Matthew. Their mother died during the delivery and so they were raised solely by their father.
Once they began to get old enough for apprenticeship, their father asked them what they wanted to be. Miles had always dreamed of the glories of battle, and so Brock got Miles sent to an academy to learn to be a solider. Matthew was always a ham, often spending hours just wandering around singing with Driss. He knew he wanted to become a bard, and so Brock sent Matthew off to the university to learn as much as he could. Driss on the other hand wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do, so he stayed home and learned the shipping trade form his father to someday take over the business.
Driss became quickly bored with the tedious work that brought in far too little money in his own opinion. Too little until he thought up the idea of leasing their ships to smuggler and pirates for portions of their loot. Money started coming in like crazy and Brock was very ecstatic... well, until he found out WHERE the money was coming from. He kicked Driss out of the house and disowned him. Three weeks later, the King's Guard came to take Brock away as they had found out where the ships had come from as well. Brock was hung as the pirate and traitor.
Driss wandered about with no money and no place to live, but he soon found that his good looks and sweet voice could make a decent living for himself. He began going throughout the countryside looking for prospective unwed young women from wealthy families. He would woo them for a while, until he either got tired of them, or go ahold of their dowry. And then he was gone in the night without a trace.
But this too he began to get bored of, but in the meantime he learned of so many other new ways to earn money. He went around the lands, posing as everything from a merchant to a priest, to a knight, to a prince, and once even as a woman, all in the pursuit of the almighty gold coin.
Eventually he met up with a group that he liked and they began adventuring together. Once they finally sold their services as mercenaries to raise some cash fast after Driss lost all their funds playing Knorkin. Their mission was simple, kill this wizard before the battle tomorrow so he could not support the enemy troops. It didn't prove that easy though. The mage had lain down many magical traps, including a Deathspell Ward that the group stumbled into.
However in his travels, Driss had somehow gained the affections of an angelic servant of the goddess Ligi. When she saw he was about to be killed, she used her powers to alter the spell slightly so the entire group was sent to the plane of the dead, still alive. She intercepted them and brought them to come see Ligi, who said she would only send them back to the mortal realms if they performed a service for her and stole a gemstone, Starfire, from her rival, Darath.
Some of the members of the group were followers of Ligi and readily agreed to do anything for their Goddess, and the rest of the group decided to agree as well. Ligi's power transported them to the realm of the Night and directed them to Darath's castle. A few of the group ran into Darath and attacked him. They were slaughtered instantly. The rest decided that talk was better than combat at this point and told Darath of their situation. He immediately sent them directly back to the mortal lands.
They got back and decided that it would be best to just break up the group after that, and so they all went their separate ways. But Driss had a new plaything for he had found Starfire on his own, and had been trying to find his way back to the rest of the group when he found them engaging Darath. So now he set himself to finding out what this gem could do.
He sought out various scholars and mages about it. One who he sought out who got hostile with him, he ended up killing and the freeing a wolf. The wolf started following him and Driss decided he liked the company. And for some reason he just felt he should name the wolf Roscoe.
Driss and Roscoe eventually figured out how to use the gem and that it was filled with enough power to make a man a god. And that's what Driss did with it. He honed his abilities and then challenged the gods, declaring himself the God of Thieves. Both Darath and Ligi claimed he had stolen the gem from them and should be killed, but the other Gods and Goddesses agreed to let him keep it and to fill this area if he really wanted it.
Driss served as a God for quite a while, but he found his moods to begin swinging around like crazy, he didn't feel in control of himself anymore. He eventually was going to seek out Magi for advice when this strange creature with the head of a man, body of a snake with spider legs and crab claws and dove's wings appeared before him. It smiled a gap-toothed smile and informed him of the nature of Starfire. That it was actually one of his teeth and that he, was Chaos. Power incarnate.
Driss was just stunned when Chaos left. He had always prided his life on being his own, and now through the gemstone, he was being controlled, no even worse, consumed by Chaos. But he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He formulated a plan and sought out Chaos for a confrontation.
He realized that to be being consumed by Chaos via Starfire, Chaos had to have a tie to it still. So he used that as his plan of attack, funneling the attack power from Starfire, back into it and into Chaos. Then during the battle he found he could draw power directly from Chaos to fuel the attack further. But the excess power being given off from the fight was so strong it ripped the dimension apart at the seams. (Unbeknownst to Driss, all the inhabitants of the dimension were transported to another dimension by the CAoL)
Chaos finally won the battle and then held Driss and Roscoe responsible for the deaths of every single being in the dimension. And he sentenced them each to 1000 years of immortality, and then as a crueler trick, placed a block in their memory about the thousand years part so they would never know when to expect their deaths. As a symbol of this sentence, he placed a medallion around Driscoll's neck and a ring on Roscoe's finger, and then banished them to unknown dimensions.
Driss an Roscoe travelled from dimension to dimension, learning new things, picking up new items that he stored in his cloak of shadows and finding ways to entertain himself. He's encountered the CAoL in various parts of his life and will again, probably either during or after my next CAoL run. ;-) {Czaris, Blacky, Iasun, Kuri-neko, Darath the Black, Darath the God}
Eric Lancer (a.k.a. the Hunter) [Roland]: Eric Lancer was once a gifted student of Pride Sharakai. Psychically talented and possessing strong Chi, Eric was eager to learn and do good. Though there was often a high price to be paid for his powers, he did so readily, allying with a Kindred who had taken to calling himself "Darkbolt" and defending humans, becoming his sidekick "Thrasher."
Then it all fell apart when his mentor, on the orders of his superiors, killed the entire staff of a tabloid news rag -- including Eric's fiancé, Julie -- to protect "the Masquerade." Eric was shattered. Later, while Darkbolt calmly explained why it had been necessary, Eric immolated him with a Chi-powered fire bolt. Thrasher died with his mentor that day; from the flames walked Eric the Hunter.
Dedicating himself to protecting humans from the monsters hidden among them, he trained still further, using his Chi to duplicate many of the powers of such predators as the Kindred. Though he does not kill every supernatural creature he comes across, and he tries to spare normals whenever possible, he is not above destroying abominations when he finds them.
Fuzzy [fuzzy]: CatChangling Mage appears to be a 35 year old human. Uses mixed Magic, Tech, and Psi.
Mike Knight : From KnightShift to Knytt to Mike, Michael Seven has had several names and an even more convoluted backstory. He's been "just a multiversal hitchhiker," a Time Lord agent, a Vorlon Agent, a "true" Time Lord, a Q-like being, a Lensman, a superhero, a woman (twice), a father, a "grandfather," and a founding member of the Callahanian Army of Light. Now retired from active duty, Mike's raising his son David with his wife, Flarn, his two genetically engineered daughters, Melissa and Grep and his similarly engineered granddaughter Tinkerbell. Apart from the Callahanian Army of Light, his extended family, progenators and offstring includes: his feline-god and occasional travelling companian, Pyewackett, his parents, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln-Seven, their cat and partner Isis, his daughter Molly, offspring of a brief, unintended liason with Anna Mahloy, Tiara, Molly's Chaosite girlfriend, and Anna Seven, Molly's mother (who is now a child free of Mahloy's possession). Future events suggest he will found Illuminati University, the IOU name probably used half in jest to refer to the original school of GURPS fame, and add a computer avatar/hologram of himself dubbed "Nick At Night," and David's "girlfriends" Walkabout, Bernice, Inyu, and Zora, and David's cabbit Kari-Ohki to the list of family members. Other friends of note are VINCent, Sparky the Babylon 5 AI, Will Robinson and family, the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and Elric and Galen of the technomages. Q might possibly be a friend, though more likely he is a nuisance to Michael Seven and something of a playmate and verbal fencing partner to the future Tinkerbell. Seth and Lilith, the angels who briefly cross paths with the CAoL, have something to do with the healing of the manipulations done to Michael Seven's race by the Arissians. Moonstone and Jack are friends of Pyewackett and Isis, and in Jack's case, Molly and the Seven Clan in general. Other acquaintances of the Seven Clan are too numerous to list here, especially in light of the future students and academia of IOU, thowgh of note is Michael Seven's future personal assistant Dudley, Washu the Dean of the WUSE department, Doctor Phlox and several copies of Star Fleet's EMH and EEH, physically modeled after Doctor Louis Zimmerman, and a hologram modeled after USS Excelsior's Captain Sulu.
Morgan Greywolf (picture): Morgan started out as a simple Highland lass. Well, ok, she was also a Druidess, and no slouch with a claymore since she fought with her Clan's warriors. Then she found her way to Callahan's, got pulled into the AAE thread when her friend and chief was injured, and the rest is history.
Morgan's memories of what happened to her after she first travelled to Oa are vague. One moment she was helping Seosaidh, the next she was charging into the final battle with two very special wolves for companions. In fact, at first she was one! Somewhere in the intervening time, she'd received some Bene Gesserit training, improved her magical skills, and even she's not sure what else she can do until she tries something.
So now she's an immortal warrior in the renowned Callahanian Army of Light, psi-linked with the rest of the band, in (conditional) fealty to Their Royal Majesties of the Faeries, and happily married to the CAoL's resident Freelance Immortal, Roland Phoenix. In addition to their work with the CAoL and their world's Champions, the two are also raising two extraordinary children, their twins Rachel and Liam. In this, Morgan has the help of her mother Caitlin (who has moved from 14th c. Ireland to Roland's home world and time as well).{Cutter & Leetah}
For more information on Morgan, see the write-up on Roland's site.
Nemisis [fuzzy] (NPC): A Nanalloy 'Nano-Tech Composite' Entity resulting from the a set of specialty Nanites assimilating an AD&D type 5 Demon. Main Abilities: ShapeShift, PlaneShift, Tech Mimic, Molecular Synthesis.
Nimrod [Martin Gerster a.k.a. ofgerst] (NPC) (picture): His "suitably prolific" bio has its own page.
Patrick [poshea] aka Quiet Moon:
Kai Grand Defender, Kai Monastery, Nation of Sommerlund, Planet of
Magnamund.
Disciplines: Grand Weaponmastery, Magi Magic, Kai Alchemy, Kai Surge, Kai
Screen, Elementalism, Herbmastery
Weapons Mastered: Quarterstaff, Bow, Dagger, Sword, Mace, Broadsword
Born: MS 5065 (Magnamund reckoning) Current Age: 23
Family: Ogari (Father), Riyah (Mother), Tanith (Sister, 15)
The planet of Magnamund is home to an unusual breed of warriors called the Kai. Combining psychic and physical might, they defend the nation of Sommerlund against all forms of evil, most of which emanate from the Dark God Naar.
Patrick was born in Tyso, to a family of merchants. At age 6, Patrick was selected to go to the Kai Monastery to help replenish the ranks of the Kai, who were, almost to a man, killed in MS 5050 (save for Lone Wolf, who would go on to rebuild the order on discovering the Book of the Magnakai and defeating the Darklords in their home city of Helgedad). Like many others also selected, Patrick rose to the ranks, eventually becoming a Kai Grand master.
For decades, the Magicians' Guild of Toran had used a Shadow Gate to banish dangerous criminals to the Daziarn Plane. However, Lone Wolf found that many of these criminals had managed to establish safe holds. Worse, some of them had managed to find Shadow Gates and were able to escape to other dimensions. So it was that Lone Wolf selected several Kai Grand masters, including Patrick, to journey into the Daziarn and find these renegades. In addition, Lone Wolf requested that the wandering Kai explore the other worlds, to see what possible threats might lie in wait for Magnamund.
Patrick's first world turned out to be a super-hero (Amalgam style) themed one, where he joined up with the local hero group and filling in for an existing hero, known as Mark Spector, the Moon-Hunter. He also managed to locate one Sommlending villain, a Cener druid trying to recreate a plague to dominate this world, and defeated him with the help of a local hero group. Once that was done, Patrick found another Shadow Gate, and passed through it to Callahan's, and was learning about this strange thing called a 'God's Blessing', when Roland's call came through...
Personality: Mostly straightforward, and still a bit unsure of himself around high-technology artifacts (Magnamund is a low-tech world). Also has a bad habit of misquoting sayings. For all his training, he's still a bit unsure of himself.
Note: As a Grand Master, Patrick still retains all of his Magnakai and Kai skills. Though he can't Spirit Walk (Astral Project) more than a few feet from his body to save his life.
Rio [Morgan]: Kirsten is in her early 20s, grew up in "lots of different places" while her father was in the military, and now lives in San Francisco. She's of an average height and build, has long hair that could be called dark blonde or light brunette, got her high school diploma with a high B average, and works in a New Age bookstore. Raised marginally Christian, she considers herself a spiritual eclectic. She is also an Awakened mage.
Born Kirsten Riordan Lancer, the younger of two children, her first perceptions were of the wonder of life, as experienced by a child growing up with an imaginative mother and an intelligent father. Her mother had to keep her (mom's, not Rio's, at least not at first) wilder side in check, being married to a fairly high-ranking Naval officer, but her good nature and joie de vive were infectious, and they certainly infected her daughter. Her son Eric seemed to take far more after his father, being quite studious and interested in martial arts, so seeing "Kiri" (her nickname as a young child) come to enjoy living life so much pleased her greatly. She taught Kirsten to live life in big bites, and how to keep that appetite hidden when Daddy was in a bad mood or all his important "friends" were visiting. Seeing that Kirsten had learned self-control as much as happiness from her mother, her father didn't object. He taught her integrity without compromising the joie de vive he'd fallen in love with in her mother, not to mention a few dirty tricks to defend herself with. This, ironically, would make almost perfect "training" for a future Cultist of Ecstasy.
Kirsten learned at a fairly young age that everyone is mortal (Vampires and Oracles aside) when Eric's love, Julie, was killed in a brutal attack on the tabloid where she was moonlighting. Eric, shattered, left home. By this time, the family had settled more or less permanently in San Francisco, and Kirsten (after recovering from her own grief) took to living life while she had it as fully as possible. She walked the line between going beyond the mundane and going too far with a dancer's grace and a swashbuckler's courage, feeling that enjoying life is a gift and a duty, and that wasting life is just stupid. To her, the only real "sin" is making yourself (or far worse, others) miserable. "As stupid as it is, everyone has the right to go to Hell in their own handbasket. But you don't go taking other people with you."
She fit in great with the San Francisco counter-culture. 8^)
She made many friends in that area, getting a job in a local New Age bookstore that she would discover had more truths on its shelves than even she suspected, and "sidelining" at a wonderful club/boarding house/den of iniquity called the Scarlet Mansion, doing equal parts errands and "hanging out," aka dancing and having fun. (No, she wasn't involved in their primary source of income. She doesn't do that...for money. *g* She also disapproves, not of drugs per se, but of the destructive culture that has sprung up around most of the American drug trade, and doesn't deal with the Mansion's activities therein.) One of the regulars there, seeing her dancing, being reminded of a Duran Duran song, and aware of her middle name, dubbed her "Rio." She scowled. Others chuckled. The name stuck.
Rio's spheres in Mage terms are: Correspondence **, Entropy ***, Forces 0, Life *, Matter ***, Mind **, Prime *, Spirit **, Time ****
Rob Nishikawa [peng]: In a world of small-scale superpowers, the greatest name in California arson was Firebug, who could turn his body into living flame. The big name in Jersey was Burnout, who was known for her ability to throw streams of fire.
One night, they arrived at the same warehouse, and discovered they had much in common, "getting on like a warehouse afire." Two years later, they buried their criminal careers, and returned to their real names -- Roberta Gould, and Michael Nishikawa. Their son, Robert Michael, was born with the metapower of seeing in complete darkness, but displayed no other early abilities.
Ironically, the FBI didn't catch up to them; instead, organized crime did. When Rob was fifteen, a pair of goons tried to kidnap him, in order to force Burnout and Firebug back into business. Instead, one got badly beaten (Rob had been studying various styles of hand-to-hand combat since he was five), and the other was thrown into a dimensional portal that Rob created -- the first of many.
Analysis of the portal proved that it would not close until Rob passed through it, that it was one-way, and that if it wasn't closed, space-time stood a good chance of coming apart at the seams. His parents chose to join Rob on the dimension-jumps, and leave their past behind.
Several worlds later, they arrived in the midst of a super-hero battle, and Firebug and Burnout chose to fight on the side of the heroes. Eventually, they joined a small super-team based in Oregon. Rob spent the next few years in this world, learning basic mind-shielding techniques and simple magics, and discovering another ability -- an unusually short learning curve. But when he turned twenty-one, he decided to use his portals to wander the multiverse.
He has studied Ler Drit in one dimension, pioneered quantum magic in another, studied the basics of various weapons from several tech levels, and won small victories against evil in several dimensions. He also collects odd items which he finds of use, throwing them away when the batteries run out.
Most recently, Rob visited a tavern he thought only existed in a comic book -- Callahan's Place. And he met the heroes of the book, the Callahanian Army of Light. (He's still getting used to the concept of meeting the stars of his favorite comic book.)
Rob usually describes himself as a "generic Asian male." So far, nobody has tried to convince him otherwise. He prefers casual wear, with the only constant being a denim jacket with several pockets.
Roland X (picture): Roland Phoenix is an immortal psion from a world quite similar to ours. In fact, it might be ours; the beings of power in his native reality are quite capable of concealing themselves. He is a world-walker, and like many others found Callahan's quite by 'accident' when he needed the companionship of that august Place. Swept up in what looked like an innocent barroom brawl, he ended up being central to a plot by Byron Gaunt to release his monstrous master, an ancient immortal with power and hatred to rival Outsider Things. He also became central to thwarting that plan. (See AAE I for details.) He has since been embroiled in the CAoL, becoming official leader after a number of stints as field commander (once would have been too many times for Roland; he feels unworthy of leadership) and fighting alongside the heroes of Callahan's in Arcadia and on Quaren.
His powers are psychic in nature, enhanced by the process of becoming immortal. His primary power is psychokinesis, of which he wields vast energies. He is also a competent teleporter and dimension-walker, an accomplished telepath, and a healer of modest skill. His 'mundane' skills include mecha piloting, fiction twisting (via both computer and the traditional method) and martial arts. He calls himself the 'Freelance Immortal' because he has disavowed his service to the Aeon Covenant; their war on magick weighed too heavily on his conscience, and so he has struck off on his own to find his own path. But with the help of his wife Morgan, he hopes to find a way to convince his kin to end the war, and be freelance no more.
For more information on Blaze, including another picture, see the write-up on Roland's site.
Silver Phoenix (Sil) [rolandx] (NPC): An 'astral entity' (read: spirit) from Roland's native fiction, this 'shard' of the Phoenix concept has been Roland's constant companion and advisor since his powers manifested. Her wit and wisdom have proven invaluable to the Freelance Immortal, and her immaterial form has allowed her to glean information that Roland could not gain for himself. At present, she resides in a short, unassuming female android, which conceals a heavily armed killing machine from another fiction that Sil is quite comfortable in and intends to keep for the foreseeable future. When 'seen' in her astral form, she is a silver female humanoid with energy wings spreading from her arms, all outlined by a faint golden flame.
The Stardragon [Dane R Anderson a.k.a. duc020]: An immortal child (full bio on its own page due to length)
Ziactrice Keenan (Zia) [samatha] (picture): Ran sits at his large ash desk, staring out the balcony at the fading sun as it dips below the horizon. A pad and a card rests in his lap and he looks down at his notes.
"Ziactrice Keenan is more than anything a woman not to underestimate. She is young, but that is merely a measure of the time she's existed. She has had the memories of another, hundreds of years old. If that wasn't sufficient, she's a consummate actress who can become anything she portrays. Finally, she's smart and damned sneaky."
Ran glances at the Trump in his hand; it bears the image of Ziactrice. On the card, in shadowy black and white, a pen and ink of a young woman half-hidden in the darkness stands. One eyes is lost to the creeping of shadow over her face, but the other stares forth with an almost electric intensity. The leading hand holds a rapier in some position between defense and offense, brightly gleaming in the foreground. The black neck to floor dress isn't especially feminine, but the curves beneath it are such not to need any help in making her appear quite womanly indeed. The details fade as the dress sweeps down, merging into the black as if the half-lit figure would prefer to be unseen.
"Ziactrice is my mother. Or rather, one of my mothers. It's a bit difficult to explain and I'll not muddy the waters with it. Suffice to say that when I first met her, I was drawn to her. I expect that reaction is commonplace. She's not stunningly beautiful, but has a certain intensity to her that demands a strong reaction. She's either loved or hated immediately. Her own emotions are closely held and difficult to discern, she is such a good actor, but she feels intensely. You are an intimate when she finally shares them."
Ran picks up his pen and jots a few more notes.
"Ziactrice doesn't exactly do well with people when not acting. It's almost as without the lines, she hasn't the words to say. She is one to hold a grudge. To nurse it until it dies, then have it stuffed and mounted on a wall. She isn't petty, rather that she's got a very long memory for one so young."
Ran rereads what he's written and frowns. Then pens a few more lines.
"All of this isn't to say she's unpleasant, cruel, or dangerous. Well, yes, dangerous. When she enters a room, it's simply sensed that she's someone to watch and listen to. And to cross her is to be considered carefully before done. She loves her family and her children. She is a good mother and to quote a mercenary captain, 'she's a damned good dancer with a hell of a set of lungs.' Without fear of misquoting him, I'd say he wasn't considering her singing when he was talking about her lungs."
Ran grins and jots down a final set of lines.
"Overall, I'd say I like Ziactrice Keenan. Love her, even. She's hell on wheels, acerbic with the stupid, totally inscrutable at times, and a royal bitch when she cares to be. She's also one of the best women I've met, one that I would call in the middle of the night if in need, or go to if called. She's honest to a fault, a staunch friend, a mother, a true blade at your back, and a loving woman."
"She's also kind to stray foxes."
"Don't laugh, how many people do you know who are kind to stray foxes?"
Ran picks up the notepad and Trump. He rereads what he's written, then rips off the pages and sets them ablaze in the fireplace, holding them as they burn totally away. He sets the Trump back into his pack and heads for bed.
Note> Image originally from fortunecity.com/rivendell/lucky/355/trumpani.html
