Backstory or Background

[janggut]

this thread is meant for backstory or background of characters, places, events, items etc.

it can be for different RPGs, either on-going or not.

best for those who, like me, would go out of control in writing. ;D

[janggut]

Homm (player character in Awakening RPG)

for one who is 15 years of age, he has gone through much. found among the garbage by beggars when

he was a baby, Homm was raised by them as a member of the secretive beggars guild. he, like most

of the beggars, never thought much of life other than to live for the guild. that is until the

unforseen event that turned him from beggar to messenger.

*********

a mediocre day, not unlike countless similar ones. that was how he felt in the afternoon after a

lunch scavenging at the designated area. he was sitting on a barrel, picking his teeth & looked

at the dirty bag sitting on his lap.

bits of bread, some leftover of broth; Krabe Inn's customers don't seem to be a wasteful lot, he

thought. i could've been more useful in Hobbie's group, scavenging Londie area.

but no, "assignment is set & so is your responsibility", said Arno the night before.

Arno & his stupid assignments! he spat then got off the barrel to take a walk around the back

alleys.

as he was about to turn into a corner, he saw blood splattered on the floor & nearby walls. heart

pounded, eyes widen, muscles tensed - danger! he dropped his bag silently to the side & leaned

close to the wall. as he drew out his concealed knife, he peeked.

he got a shock.

standing among four mutilated bodies was a little girl. with an innocent smile, & not a speck of

blood on her. she seemed to glow. he heard a disembodied whisper.

... Homm. ... Homm, be my witness. ... & be my messenger.

Homm buckled & fell on his knees. his eyes were glued to the girl, to the bodies. his body felt

weak & wouldn't move.

i am the avatar of death & darkness. i am Ma Ti.

the whisper again. the girl did not speak at all. yet he felt that it was her voice. the gentle

whisper of cold death.

... tell them what you saw. ... tell them who i am.

Homm, in ragged breaths, started to whimper in fear. tears running down his dirty cheeks. his

body shook. yet he still could not move.

... do not be afraid, child. ... your time isn't here yet. ... many tasks await. ... accept the

inevitable. ... embrace your deity.

so soothing the voice. seductive, & coldly calming. yet so so frightening.

... they will not harm you. ... Homm, do not forget what i ask of you. ... tell them. ... tell

them.

the voice faded. the girl shimmered then turned to golden dust, blown away by a sudden wind.

***********

a year has passed. or so it felt. yet memory of that afternoon still burn. that frightening girl

was right. they didn't harm him. whoever they are. whatever they are.

they wore dark blue cloaks. their clothes ... they look like royal guards. but without metal

armour. & that strange insignia.

tried hard, yet in vain, all Homm could remember of it was that it looked like a golden ring.

there was more but ... .

when they came, they took him away. somewhere. he couldn't remember. a big house? manor? castle?

4 walls, a small window, & a bed with a table nearby that had a lamp that's always lit up. yes,

as if it's always night. as if what happened never happen. if only it didn't.

they never talk to him. they gave food, drink, change of cloth. he didn't try to talk to them

either. why, he didn't know. & it was like this all the time, until one day they brought him out.

a town he has never been to, though honestly it didn't seem any different from where he came

from. a cloak, a staff, footwear, & a small bag of money. one of them with bright grey eyes but

dark skin, kneeled in front of him & held his shoulders.

forget it. forget what you saw. live a new life here. start afresh.

grey eyes turned his head to the right & nodded to one of them. one who has a leather cap came

forward & kneeled beside grey eyes, taking Homm's left hand & put their left palms together.

heat. first it was warm, then it got hotter. Homm felt sharp pain. thousand pins piercing. hot

pins.

their palms apart. Homm saw the strange insignia on his palm. burned to it, he felt.

for your protection, said grey eyes, go now.

Homm felt calm assurance from those grey eyes. & they left him standing there.

***********

autumn was close to an end. Homm had just delivered the last batch of firewood to Rommu Manor &

was on the way back to his employer. life had been good so far. he deliver wood for old mister

Yar, who in turn gave him food, lodging & a bit of money. yes, life had been good. if only.

first he thought it was just the wind. when asleep, maybe it was just the rats. couldn't be as

there were words here & there. & they started to make sense. ... it doesn't make sense.

life had been good. but not anymore, Homm felt. the whispers were back.

**********

on the road. Homm was wandering from town to town, doing odd jobs to get by. he was in search.

for what, he didn't know, & the whispers wouldn't say.

... Homm ... messenger ... move ...

that was all he got. mostly. the whisper never gave direction. & he had to move. somewhere.

anywhere. he never thought of ignoring the whisper. all he knew was that he had to comply.

until one wet night, near a tavern, as he was on one of his odd jobs;

... there ... him ... follow ...

*note* - this one is on-going & may have slight changes or ammendments in future for correction purposes.

[Gray Lensman]

Whiplash Test (Knights RPG):

Tanith Dawson dropped into the alley with a wild grin on her face.

Two startled thugs turned towards her. One of them pulled flashed a knife at her. The other just gave her this cocky grin, like she was nothing. Tanith just replied with a wild laugh. A pair of steel tendrils flowed from her wrists, licking the air in anticipation. She was going to love this.

“I’m gonna cut you up like little meat strips, girlie,” the knife-wielder said. “Maybe `fore I have a little fun with you first. You got a name? I like to know who’s squealin’ under me.”

Tanith wasn’t impressed. She’d dealt with worse scum than this. This guy was just a chump. The other was a bit smarter, because he was backing off from her whips. She stood tall and gave him a dangerous glare. She wasn’t going to show fear in front of these guys.

A tendril flashed out, smashed the knife out of the leader’s hand. The knife crashed to the ground in useless pieces. The tendril then encircled the leader’s neck and pounded him into the cinderblock wall behind. Tanith just blew the other chump a kiss, her remaining tendril spinning hungrily. The other guy ran out of the alley in a blind panic.

“Name’s Whiplash, yo,” Tanith said, sauntering up to the loser. “What’s that you were sayin’? So you wanna piece of me now, hon?”

Tanith squeezed the thug’s neck. The thug writhed in her grasp, gasping and choking. She just glared at him as the thug waved his limbs, desperately trying to loosen the steel whip around his neck. Tanith only yawned and turned away.

“I’ll show you squealin’, chump,” she promised, flashing this wicked grin. “I’ll show you a good ol’ time.”

“Lemme… go,” the thug wheezed. “Don’t kill me.”

“Wussin’ out on me already, hon?” Tanith asked, her free tendril clicking in disapproval. “I thought you were a man. Thought you were gonna give me a ride.”

“No,” he gasped desperately as she squeezed again. “Won’t bother you again. Don’t want to die.”

Tanith threw the thug against another wall. Then the tendrils began to tense up until they were rigid. Finally, Tanith threw the thug again, this time releasing her hold with the tendrils. The thug flew backwards into a nearby fire escape.

“Ain’t no killer, yo,” she said as the thug’s face started to brighten up. “Not into blood, you got me? But don’t mean I always play nice, neither.”

Then the thug’s face darkened into this horrified expression. Tanith gestured to the fire escape, like she was a symphony conductor. The fire escape danced to life and circled around the thug. Tanith just shrugged her shoulders in boredom, and calmly approached the chump once more.

“You’re just gonna hang there like a good boy,” Tanith said. “Damn, what a whiny little wuss. Didn’t even put up no fight, neither.”

Tanith sent a tendril flying. It stopped just short of the thug’s pant leg. The tendril slipped into the thug’s pocket, then quickly withdrew. Wrapped in the tendril was the thug’s wallet, a thick stack of money protruding from the side. Tanith smiled as she looked into the wallet.

“Been a busy boy, ain’t you?” Tanith said, flipping through the wad of cash. “Know what? I’m feeling kind of generous. So I’m gonna leave you for the cops to find. I’ll just keep this thing as a lesson. See you around, chump.”

Tanith then gestured to the knife shards. They flew into her hand on command. Then her hand flashed a bright gold. The light consumed the knife until it was no more. Tanith felt stronger as the matter converted into bio-energy, recharging her powers, even if only slightly.

She walked off, then noticed this girl, who’d been hiding scared behind a dumpster. Tanith started to walk past, then glanced back at the girl, thought better of it. Why did she suddenly feel bad? Tanith was just trying to survive. Girl wasn’t different. The thugs weren’t different. Way of the world.

But there was something in Tanith that bothered her. Like she didn’t like that it had to be this way. Like the world was supposed to be better than just living life off the dirt of slime like them. Part of her felt bad for holding the stolen money in her hand like some kind of prize. But he was a creep who got off hurting girls. He deserved it… didn’t he? She didn’t want to show weakness in front of this chump… but she knew she’d have trouble living with herself if she took the money too.

“Don’t need it anyway,” Tanith decided, then shoved the money into the girl’s hand. “Take it. Run. That’ll learn this chump.”

The girl gave Tanith this shocked look. Her eyes reminded Tanith of a deer caught in a pair of headlights. Or strangely like herself, when she was that age. Tanith looked into her face and couldn’t stand it. Or couldn’t stand herself. She wasn’t going to let herself cry. She wouldn’t let that memory make her weak. Not again.

“What’re you, hon, frickin’ deaf?” Tanith roared angrily. “Get out!”

The girl took the money and dashed out of the alley. Tanith watched coldly as the girl faded out of sight. Her job was done. She thought she was in it for a giggle, but didn’t even get that. No money, no thrill, no nothing. Just this aching emptiness and some small hint of satisfaction, like she did one thing right that evening.

Tanith emerged from the alley. She hopped on her motorbike and zoomed off. Maybe Moorelans would offer something better than Loserville…