A bustle in your hedgerow

[joey_picus]

Name: Mortimer

Species: Moogle

Looks: Is...well...a moogle, a small (roughly a third to half human size) furry koala/cat like creature with a small pair of bat-like wings protruding from his back and a bright red pom-pom sprouting from his head on a stalk. (those of you familiar with Final Fantasy will note he's based on the FFIX moogles) He isn't very physical, preferring to rely on his limited magic in everyday life, and usually sports a knitted woollen scarf around his neck and, less often, a knitted woollen sweater with a belly pocket (mainly in cold weather).

Personality: Has a tendency to be a loner normally, but if he likes someone he will attach to them to an extent and want to help his friends out. He also has a very serious protective streak which gets activated a lot despite his small size and has been known to make somewhat rash decisions in combat situations as a result. He will also threaten people who may potentially cause harm to him or his friends with his knives - with unknown results as his actual combat experience amounts to very little - but generally this is something of an aberration as he is usually quiet, helpful, and eager to learn. Despite his profession and use of magic, he also has a tendency to be more practically minded.
Also says 'kupo' a lot at the end of sentences or as a substitute for some words (example: That noise is beginning to really kupo me off, kupo!)

Back-story: Mortimer lived at first with his parents in the forests of the island of Hokkaido, in Japan, and although he isn't one hundred per cent certain thinks he was born there. After a skirmish with some hunters/armed gangs, he moved with his parents across Asia, from which early experience he picked up a love of the diversity of the world. He was raised mainly in the Caucascus and then in Ireland, where he began to educate himself in English and discovered maps. A largely self taught cartographer, he travelled most of Eurasia mapping various areas and coastlines in the employ of various monarchies, institutions of learning, and latterly Googol Maps, which has given him by his own admission a fairly good life, I've seen a lot of places and always had something to do, kupo!.
He is still fairly young by moogle standards, and at the time of the letter arriving he was living semi-permanently on Malta, working with the Magical University there to help definitively map all the different interconnected worlds of the islands.

Inventory:
- Mortimer's map book - almost as big as he is, contains copies of every map he has ever made (covering at various scales about 90% of Europe and 60% of Asia across multiple levels and realms) with lots of space in which to make more.
- A few combat knives including a small dagger and a butterfly knife
- A small toolkit with which he can tinker with mechanical devices, including the equipment needed to sharpen knives
- A wooden flute
- Safe pouch containing several types of nuts, some small gold pieces (no more than about 150g) and 100 Maltese pounds (or lira)

Abilities: As a moogle, Mortimer is good at foraging and living off the land and is suited particularly to cold temperatures, having a layer of downy fur (along with the sweater) to protect himself from all but the most extreme cold. He can also fly, although his speed cannot match that of more dedicated flying creatures (magic is involved to keep him airborne) and prefers to do so given the choice. He has some natural magic abilities but these are extremely limited - telekinesis of very lightweight objects, igniting dry tinder at room temperature, weak extrasensory abilities that seem to rely on the pom-pom, and some very limited abilities to conjure things from thin air (limited solely to his map book which appears to be about his size)

Skills: As well as the native moogle language, Mortimer speaks English to a near native level, Maltese conversationally, and bits and pieces of many other languages from many species (except for important world ones these are generally limited to basic greetings, barter, asking for directions and the names of places, and pleading for his life) and is an extremely good and quietly accomplished cartographer, being able to produce very accurate maps of any area he is in and keep them in his map book (or, if necessary, his head for a period of time).
He can tinker with mechanical things with some success, as can many moogles. He also can use knives in combat to enough of a degree to be somewhat effective, although it is far from his forte.
He always knows where north is and virtually never gets lost when retracing his steps.
Can play flute passably.

Weaknesses: Does not do well in hot temperatures - lacks much of a mechanism to cool his body down other than panting and staying in the shade.
Is somewhat naive about cultures he hasn't encountered and has a tendency to believe what he's told if it seems logical he doesn't know otherwise.
Moogles in general are the wrong shape to be stealthy (the red pom-pom tending to be a dead giveaway) and to fight or engage in other physical activities - when Mortimer's protective streak takes over or his patience snaps the results are far from guaranteed to be positive if it comes to actual fighting! - and his strength, running speed, and carrying capacity are consequently very low.

---

Hope he's suitable ^^

[team_orr]

[

Name: Dave Grohl

Species: Footonian

Looks: Dave takes on a near identical human form, except for the fact his hair was severely damaged while exiting the FooTopian atmosphere which bizarrely consistently makes his hairstyle constantly out of fashion. Such examples include the 1991 6 foot ponytail, the 1997 plaits and the 2000 mullet. Clothes offer no practical use except for keeping him warm and containing one or two small pockets for carrying small bits of equipment. Black Tshirt with a red flannel jacket and blue jeans. He wears brown vanz shoes.

Personality: Fun loving individual who gets along with most people. Acts fairly immature around friends but years of being bombarded by the media has worn him down a bit. Also has a slight dark side brought on by the tragedy of FooTopia and the passing of those close to him. During these rare dark times Dave is never aggressive to anybody around him, preferring to keep it contained inside. Unfortunately when it does come out nobody has any pre warning so its a bit shocking.

Back-story: Dave grew up on the distant planet of FooTopia, a small unexciting area best known for its rich supply of mint confectionaries. Unfortunately after the great Footos-Pepsi disaster of 1989 he was forced to abandon the planet with a gaggle of other Footonians in search of new land. That new land turned out to be Earth. Dave set up residence in the small urban town of Seattle. He had been a avid musician for many years, and as such his talents were quickly noticed by one Kurt Cobain who invited Dave to become part of his band Nirvana. Nirvana's album Nevermind catapulted Dave to fame, a position he has been in ever since. After Nirvana ended in 1994 Dave went into a recluse, but decided to make a new band in honour of his fallen Footonians. The band is called Foo Fighters.

in 2014 Dave froze himself and his family/friends for a reason he has kept to himself. While he seems to have some problems adapting to this new technology this does have the positive effect of him being roughly 40 in human years instead of you know... dead.

Inventory:
- Gibson Custom Shop ES359 Guitar (Limited Edition) in Pelham Blue which has been specially modified by a expert Footonian mechanic to have a collapsable neck thus making it much more compact. The same expert also installed a built in amplifier louder than anything ever seen on Earth beforehand and coated the body in a unbreakable resin. The neck itself is detachable and can be used as a weapon- either as a club or a bladed weapon (inbuilt katana blade).
- 20x Steel plectrums that also act as ninja style throwing stars.
- Small amount of Footonian, British and Canadian currency.
- Rucksack with inbuilt guitar case as well as portable media pouch for his Ipad (which have camera's and word processors as well as compasses built in).

Abilities: Fluent in Footonian and English, he can also read music. Dave cannot fly but he can glide, so if needs be he can jump off tall buildings or tall natural structures and glide several miles. He also has the ability to control machines simply from thought.

Skills: Amazingly gifted at music, capable of playing most if not all instruments, especially guitar and drums. As well as being able to attack with the guitar neck and plectrums, the sheer volume of his inbuilt guitar amp is enough to incapacitate enemies.

Weaknesses: Deathly afraid of Spiders, Used to smoke back in the day so he has a lack of stamina- thus finds it hard to keep up on long treks or prolonged amounts of running.

[majinb]

thank you ever so much Tracy, Joey and Jack!

All 3 of your characters add something nice to the mix, only with Jack's I have to put forward the slight nitpick that the iPad (as we know it) wont excist as such in this world that has bypassed the industrial revolution that we know and love. I would however happily allow you to have a steampunkish/magical/mechanical contraption that allows you to store images, process words and have a compass. The only thing you'd have to is come up with a name for it (puns are good!)!

[team_orr]

Fair play...



I introduce to you the Moses Board, a magical biblical artefact of great value.

[majinb]

besides the extra functions mentioned (compass, camera, word processing), do you also wanna store music on it btw?:P

Moses Board sounds fine!

[andrewj]

Last but not least...

Name: Acrifer Castillo

Species: Human (Male)

Looks: Acrifer is a white, male, human with an athletic build - he is 6ft 2 tall. He has brown/green eyes and medium length dark brown hair (as an example, think Takashi from the Highschool of the Dead anime). He is most often seen in a plain black t-shirt, with dark blue jeans, and black trainers. Alternatively, Alex has kindly drawn a picture of him next to Anjushree.

Personality: Acrifer is a quiet and introverted character that goes about things in a methodical manner. He is, however, of slightly above average intelligence and quietly confident in his own ability. Acrifer is a deep and analytical thinker and enjoys listening to the opinions of others. Despite not being the most social person, Acrifer enjoys company and has a good sense of humour, although he does not take personal criticism well.

Back-Story: Acrifer is a pretty average 22-year-old computer science student from England. He lives alone in a small apartment and spends most of his time reading about his numerous interests, which include technology, elemental magic, and physical geography. When he's not studying, Acrifer also enjoys watching the local sports teams. Beyond this, his life is not particularly eventful, but that doesn't stop him from thinking that he is destined for bigger things. Upon finding a mystery letter in his apartment, Acrifer wonders whether this is the destiny he has been waiting for...

Inventory:

1) A black, leather, shoulder bag containing the following items:
2) Acrifer's favourite textbook on elemental magic
3) A notepad and pen
4) A small, collapsible tent for one person
5) A basic single-edged sword

Abilities: Acrifer has self-taught himself to use electrical elemental magic as part of his technological studies. Using this ability, he is able to light up a large room in the dark and power small electrical appliances. Offensively, Acrifer can produce moderate electric shocks, and at the cost of fatigue, is capable of producing a localised thunderstorm.

Skills: Acrifer is reasonably competent at fixing mechanical and electrical items. He is also capable of driving land-based methods of transport and can swim. His reflexes and running speed are above average for a human. Acrifer is fluent in English and can speak very basic French and Spanish. He is also an accomplished tea and coffee maker.

Weaknesses: Acrifer, being English, does not like extremes of climate at either end of the scale. Despite being knowledgeable, he is fairly inexperienced at using magic and weaponry for offensive purposes. His personality occasionally prevents him from sharing his ideas with others, preferring to hear what other people have to say first.

---

What? Were you expecting something creative from me? :P

[majinb]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand thats all 6!

I wish to provide the small disclaimer that, as discussed with Andy on MSN, I'm fine with the excistence of electrical contraptions much like computers, Im even fine with them being called computers, but they will be a rarity on this world and overshadowed by the magical contraptions build by the competition. Some say, however, that electronics have the future, and Acrifer might just be one of those .

Expect a prologue tomorrow!

[team_orr]

Yeah why not. Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Led Zepplin, them crooked vultures and flock of seagulls sounds like an interesting mix.

...am I allowed to have headphones?

[majinb]

headphones would be fine Jack

[majinb]

This, is a prologue. It serves a number of purposes, from my perspective, chief among these purposes is to get into writing this story, and to get into each of your characters. By all means tell me how good or bad a job I did voicing your characters.

The Prologue

On came the creature. Majestically. Swiftly. His body fit to travel through the water, or over the water, or even, as he was doing now, over the land. His back perfectly suited to carry a human, or another being of similar magnitude. He was a creature that was aptly called €œseahorse€. He was the 6 foot tall, intelligent variant of the species, as opposed to his much smaller brethren that could be found in zoos.
He was on a mission. He and 5 of his fellow seahorses. He thought he had the shittiest task of the 5, but he was of a humble and hardworking race. And the payout was great as well. Still, the others had to pick up people who were actually€¦ you know€¦ awake. Not frozen. To have a frozen man read a letter was peanuts given the amenities the organization had at its disposal. But acquiring his physical presence meant the seahorse had to break into Seattle€™s cryogenic facilities. After he finally got into the right cell, the seahorse was puzzled when he found it was empty.
€œWehee€, the seahorse said, with a whinnying sound one might expect from a drowning horse, which was odd because the seahorse was on dry land, €œMr. Grohl? I am your ride for your mission.€
€œOver here mate!€ Dave Grohl said from behind him, €œI was just packing my bag, this will be a blast!€.

*cue intro music*

Observe, the ocean. Six characters, with very little in common, other than the fact that they all received a mysterious letter asking for their assistance in a mysterious mission. The 6 seahorses escorted them such that the 6 of them met simultaneously in the middle of the ocean, to from there move to their final destination in a glorious convoy. This obviously meant that most of the seahorses had to take an absurdly long way to get from A to B, but humble as they are, none complained. And please do not forget the payout was great.
Dave Grohl found himself in the front of the group, holding on to seahorse€™ reins with one hand, chatting with Natsume Oguro and Sir Shirley Ragington the Third. Both were humans, technically, as opposed to the Footonian Dave Grohl. This fact proves that looks can in fact be deceiving. Dave was holding his headphones in his other hand, positioned such that Natsume Oguro could hear the music as well. Led Zeppelin was shouting through the speakers, Stairway to Heaven. Dave was singing along.
€œ€¦if there€™s a bustle in your hedgerow...€
€œHedgerow?! hEDGErow?!?!€, Natsume shouted, €œa whole row of edges?!€
€œ€¦ don€™t be alarmed now€¦€ Dave continued.
Natsume calmed down. €œAlarmed? Me? What are you talking about? I am just my€¦ positive and energetic self€¦ albeit in a world I had never expected to witness firsthand, of course€¦€
€œAdventures in strange new worlds, now that€™s a topic I can relate too.€ Dave said, with a wink.
€œI must say€, Sir Shirley Ragington the Third sighed, €œthat while I approve of your flannel jacket, I find your taste for music outrageous, as well as that so called €œhead banging€ you display to put your awful taste across. I have been in some glorious adventures in my live, but never with such simpletons. When I sunk the Spanish Armada for example, now that was something, don€™t get me started about that!€.
And, for the sake of not turning this prologue into a full-length essay, neither Natsume nor Dave got Sir Shirley Ragington the Third started.
Sir Shirley Ragington the Third grabbed a cup out of his bag, and scooped some water out of the ocean. It cooked instantly.
€œWho wants some tea?€.
Slightly behind these 3, the more introvert duo of Mortimer and Acrifer Castillo were having a chat.
€œSo, you are a Maltese map maker?€, Acrifer asked while looking at the weird creature next to him. Even though the different species on the planet got more and more integrated over the last few centuries, Acrifer believes he had never seen a Moogle before, let alone one that makes maps in Malta.
€œYes I do!€, said Mortimer, somewhat proudly.
€œThen surely you can tell us where we are now, and where we are going?€
€œErrrrm€¦€ Mortimer looked around him, there was no land in sight, €œI did keep track of the route until crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, but I very much lost track since€¦€
Acrifer looked somewhat disappointed€¦
€œBut I do think we are very much in an ocean!€ Mortimer concluded, trying to keep the spirits high.
€œOn University, we got to work with this small computer that could tell one where he is at all times, it works through a connection with some weird contraptions orbiting the Earth. If we were at Uni now I could demonstrate one to you.€, Acrifer said, €œOn the other hand though, I€™m glad I€™m not there. This wonderful letter I got allows me to skip today€™s lecture! And I€™m sure I can accomplish much greater things here than in that classroom.€
Mortimer agreed.

€¦

About a quarter of a mile behind the quintet, was a sole seahorse carrying the 6th member of the team. Despite the specie€™s inherent humbleness, and despite the great payout, the seahorse opened his mouth.
€œListen, Anjushree, I know I am meant to be humble and all, but you are by far the heaviest passenger here, I am used to carrying normal humans you see. I managed to keep up with the rest for most of the route, but my back is starting to get sore€¦ And because your paws can€™t cope with these human made reins you are using your claws to hold on to me€¦€
€œWhat are you hinting at?€ Anjushree asked.
€œWell, see, I can€™t help but notice you can fly€¦ and you are easily strong enough to carry me€¦ could you please help me cover those last few miles?€
€œNonsense!€ the Gryphon shouted, €œI will not have this! I am part of the group, and I will be escorted as such! What a humiliating thought! Me, a leading expert on the field of counter-magic, carrying a horse€¦€
€œSea horse.€
€œ€¦ carrying a sea horse! That thought is preposterous! Besides, I can already see land!€
The seahorse watched with glee to where the gryphon was pointing. Sooner than he had expecting, during the argument between him and his passenger, the other 5 had reached their destination, a small and obscure island in the Atlantic Ocean. It wasn€™t before long that Anjushree too walked on dry land on the island€™s beach.
€œSorry that I couldn€™t keep up with you during the latter half of our journey, fellow adventurers, but luckily we had already become acquainted back when my seahorse was still fresh.€ Anjushree said, €œLets get this adventure started!€

Tune in tomorrow for some actual RPG action!