pNPC Characters

[Mlle Bienvenu]

Post your protected Non-playing characters here for approval

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race/Nationality:
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc )
Alchemist?:
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group)::
Alchemical Specialty? :

Description:

History:

Anything Else?:

[Big Brother]

APPROVED

(Note: this is just an amusing idea i had for a running gag more than a serious character to be used...just an in-joke and background detail)

Name: Altakawa
Age: Long since dead.
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Ishbalan
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc )No, dead historical figure.
Alchemist?: Most definitely not.
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group):: N/A
Alchemical Specialty? : N/A

Description: No images of him made during his lifetime have survived, but is traditionally depicted in art as being an old man with a white beard, with the typical brownish skin and red eyes of an Ishbalan.

History: Plays much the same role in the history of Ishbalan literature that Homer did for the Greeks in our universe. Revered near-mythical author of an immense body of work, a series of epic poems chronicling the history of a fantastical world unlike any the Ishbalans knew, a world filled with strangely named countries like "France" and "Brazil", and with characters like "Abraham Lincoln" and "Julius Caesar". These tales have been told and retold widely, even outside Ishbal, and any well-educated person is likely to be familiar with them.

Anything Else?:In case anyone absolutely HAS to mention some incident from real-world history to illustrate a point, they're refering to the works of Altakawa (Alternate Arakawa...if a guy named Arakawa wrote the FMA manga in our world, his alternate-universe counterpart in the FMA world wrote books about our world, of course!)

[Mlle Bienvenu]

OH I love this....wornderful idea ... a great plot device ^_^... only one thing....Arakawa-sensei is a girl heheheheh.... but Altakawa can be a guy anyway.... it makes him more......alterish...LOL

[Big Brother]

Mlle said:

OH I love this....wornderful idea ... a great plot device ^_^... only one thing....Arakawa-sensei is a girl heheheheh.... but Altakawa can be a guy anyway.... it makes him more......alterish...LOL

You know, for a while, I was thinking of Arakawa as female (knew a girl with that name in college), but recently you seemed to be hinting that arakawa was a guy but were too polite to correct me...this is the first time I've called them a "he", since I wasn't sure which was right. Well, now I know...

[Lorpius Prime]

APPROVED

Name: Taleb Al-Azim
Age: Oh, 25-ish, maybe 30, not older than 35 for certain
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Ishbalan
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) Nope, or no plans in that direction as of yet
Alchemist?: Absolutely Not
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group): Prophet of Ishbala
Alchemical Specialty? : N/A

Description: Medium stature, dark hair and eyes with a short beard. His initial appearance isn't unusual, but he has a definite force of presence that can be quite intimidating.

History: Long story short, he's Mohammed, the Ishbalan version. Up until this time, Ishbal hasn't meant anything than that region between Amestris and the Great Desert. It's people are a wide variety of ethnicities, mostly nomadic, but sharing a common family of languages. Most recently (if Mlle's letting me write history this way), Ishbal was the westernmost protectorate of Xing, but has been abandoned for over a decade now in that nation's long decline, leaving the Ishbalans to fend for themselves. Taleb's a very powerful religious leader and fighter, who's in the process of uniting the scattered Ishbalan's under the one anti-alchemy religion and a banner of Ishbalan nationality.

Anything Else?: Not so far...

[Lolua]

APPROVED

Okay, here are my two NPCs so far... I'll post the Lord of Leyhara once I properly name him, and I think there'll be an Ishbalan named Abraham at some point, too.

Name: William Albus
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Born and raised in the country of Alba.
Specialty Creature?: No.
Alchemist?: No, but he works with them very regularly and so understands something of the art.
For the State/kingdom/group?: Works in the armory belonging to and under the protection of the Lord of Leyhara.
Non-Alchemic Specialty?: Taking raw ore and meticulously crafting it into weapons of great power and beauty.

Description: Brawny and ruddy-faced, as smiths tend to be from working in the forge with heavy metal. Close-set grey eyes, curly red-blond hair, scrubby beard and heavy brows of the same color.

History: Trained as a metalsmith with his uncle in Alba. Watched several of his younger siblings and then his parents die from plague. Against the objections of his aunt and uncle, he took his sole surviving sister with him when he finished his apprenticeship and left to look for work. The pair ended up in Leyhara, where William attached himself to the armory. When Nicholas arrived, William was the only smith open-minded and patient enough to work with him, and through their collaborative efforts he came to the attention of the lord and to his mastery of his craft. William is now more or less in charge of the armory and works side by side with his sister, now an alchemist.

Anything Else?: William is a man of few words but many thoughts. He considers everything carefully before he speaks, and he tends to use the minimum amount of words to express himself. Isn’t quite sure how to parent his sister, and as long as she seems happy he’ll let her do whatever she wants.

* * * * *
APPROVED

Name: Perenelle
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Race/Nationality: Born in the country of Alba.
Specialty Creature?: No.
Alchemist?: Yes. Taught by Nicholas Flamel.
For the State/kingdom/group?: Works in the armory belonging to and under the protection of the Lord of Leyhara.
Alchemic Specialty?: Her only non-academic alchemic experience is in weapon enhancement.

Description: Thin, serious face. Wavy mid-brown hair that’s cut fairly short to keep it out of the way, grey eyes. Small of frame but deceptively strong from hard labor and rough upbringing. Small scar above her left eye from a carelessly wielded sword. Usually barefoot.

History: Came to Leyhara from Alba with her brother William when she was six, after the rest of their family died of plague. Grew up mainly looking after herself and hanging around the armory. Bothered Nicholas until he agreed to teach her alchemy, and her alchemic instruction began when she turned thirteen. Developed a crush on Nicholas while he was teaching her alchemy, and his leaving as he did upset her greatly. She is currently filling his shoes as the resident alchemist at the Leyhara armory and lending a hand to its domestic management.

Anything Else?: Extremely forward and precocious from living like an adult for so much of her young life. She has a chronic cough from the acrid air of the forges but thinks she is succeeding at hiding it from her brother.

[Mlle Bienvenu]

Name: Jie-Xian
Age: (very old...but looks about 35-ish)
Gender: Female
Race/Nationality: Xingian
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc): Living Philosopher's Stone
Alchemist?: Yes
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group): None
Alchemical Specialty?: Medical alchemy

Description: Black Hair and eyes... gingerbread colored skin, average build... looks suspiciusly like a Xingian version of Trisha Elric.

History: In her youth she was the wife of a physician-alchemist for the Xing empire... she traveled around Xing with her husband and to the newly forged relationship between the Xing empire and that of the thriving trade route City of Xerxes, where she witnessed first hand it's destruction.

One of the few survivors, she travels across the desert, trying to get back to Xing... half dead, she's picked up by an order of Ishbalan monks (Pre Alchemical ban... think brahman class of a buddhist type religion mixed with Hindu elements with alchemy with some Hebraic elements thrown in for fun) She stays with them for many years, and learns what they have to teach her, eventually making some connections which cause her to attain 'enlightenment'.

Fast forward five hundred or so years and she does a lot of traveling and alchemical teaching, trying to guide her students to use alchemy for the betterment of humanity (cough, rather than for the evil she witnessed at Xerxes.. cough)


Husband#1: Ko Hung - a doctor and alchemist of Xing interested in immortality.

[Lolua]

Lorpy, please let me know if this is totally incompatible with Taleb's campaign as you envisioned it. I just thought he gave Abraham a good excuse for having gathered the texts he needed to and high-tailed it out of Ishbal.

Name: Abraham
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Ishbalan.
Specialty Creature?: No.
Alchemist?: Yes.
For the State/kingdom/group?: Former warrior-priest at the temple of Ishbalah.
Alchemical Specialty?: Destruction. He’s also adept at making lethal fire-clouds, but he finds it exhausting.

Description: Dark Ishbalan complexion, red eyes. Tufts of white hair. Not a fleshy man to begin with, being on the lam has made him almost skeletally thin. Until recently he wore the saffron and white ceremonial robes of the warrior-priest, but he’s currently dressing in nondescript traveling clothes.

History: Abraham was born into the Ishbalan warrior-priest caste. He was trained in the alchemic arts, which he would need to fulfill his calling as a warrior-priest, from an early age. As a warrior, Abraham studied combat techniques in preparation to defend Ishbal, especially the sacred precincts of the temple, from enemies of the state. As a priest, he destroyed objects/animals brought to the temple for sacrifice, thus offering them to the god Ishbalah through the medium of alchemy. Disturbed by the rise of Taleb Al-Aziz and his crusade against alchemy, Abraham worked quietly against him by arranging for sanctuary for persecuted alchemists and copying vital alchemical documents from the temple library. When Taleb finally gained enough strength to overthrow the warrior-priests, Abraham took all his notes, collected in book form, and fled Ishbal. He has been living in a refugee camp in eastern Amestris, but a desire to see the world and get farther away from Taleb is calling him onward.

Anything Else?: Often answers questions with obscure literary or scriptural references. Still very devout, he prays morning and night to his god Ishbalah and continually asks for his guidance. He sees himself as being at a crossroads in life, but he is waiting for some kind of sign to tell him which path he is supposed to choose.

[glow=blue,2,300]EDIT (29 June 2005):[/glow]
A little more about this warrior-priest thing. The "warrior-priest caste" I mention is similar to the brahmin thing (which I'm sure you've figured out already). At the age of 13, the oldest son of every family in this caste particpates in a ceremony and Native American-style vision quest. He then reports his vision to a council of warrior-priests and if it's found to be satisfactory, he is taken in as an acolyte. In the course of training and the application of extensive tattoos to his person, a warrior-priest becomes sterile from an excess of alchemic energy, which sometimes also causes premature organ failure.

[Lorpius Prime]

Lolua, no problems with my conception of events, but I'm not the authority here.

[Mlle Bienvenu]

Lorpius said:

Lolua, no problems with my conception of events, but I'm not the authority here.

: shrugs : It's a collaborative effort... so long as no rules are broken, or canon contradicted...it's all good ... :-)

[LassyD]

Name: known only as Fearless Leader
Age: Unknown looks to be in mid-thirties
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Amestrain
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) Nope
Alchemist?: yes
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group):: I would be cheezy and say something like Villans-R-Us, but I won’t and say he’s named his estate (and the surroundings) Potsilvania.
Alchemical Specialty? : Creation of Proto-Homunculi

Description:

Fearless Leader is a tall fellow of willowy stature. His brown eye is sharp and he uses it to intimidate others. He keeps clean shaven but has mid-length hair.

History:

No one is really sure where Fearless Leader came from. All of those who did are no longer with us. He developed his skills as quickly as he could and was somewhat of a child prodigy. This had the unfortunate side effect of having him bullied and picked on all of the time. After attaining a certain amount of power, he found his way into some wilds in the west and slowly built up an empire. He has crafted a large number of Proto-Homunculi to help in the upkeep and for use as spies. If it’s anyone’s business, it’s his business and should be shared. He also has the habit of sending out minions to acquire rare items of value.

Anything Else?:

He’s a nice overlord and does have an annual ball for his underlings. There’s also good compensation for the families incase of death (only available to the regular humans.) He also provides for a decent league for team stone throwing, folk football, and smock races. The winning team always gets the prize of being assigned to castle duty (as opposed to field duty which is much more. . . volatile)

Proto-Homunculi are creations of Alchemy that are not as advanced as their Homunculus cousins. They have a special power like their cousin, but that is where the likeness stops. They are essentially soulless humans with one or two special powers. Fearless leader found the secret to creation of "The Tonic" which is a red fluid that is used in the crafting of the Proto-Homunculus. The recepie is a closely guarded secret and known only to Fearless Leader. Without monthly ingestion of "The Tonic" the Proto-Homunculus will quickly wither away.

[Big Brother]

Name: Rockwinkle
Age: physical age about 25, mental age about 9
Gender: male
Race/Nationality: Amestrian
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) Moose/Squirrel Chimera
Alchemist?: No
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group): Frostbite falls, a small hamlet in the foothills of the Briggs Mountain Range in northern Amestris
Alchemical Specialty? : Not really, but capable of flight and subject to cartoon physics (ability to fall vast distances without being squished, explosions just turn it black and sooty without damage, etc.)

Description: A chimera created by blending a moose and a squirrel. Tall, brown-furred with grey streaks, antlers on its head, tends to wear a silly leather helmet with goggles. Capable of flight despite lack of wings.

History: Created by a possibly mad alchemist known only as "Mr. Peabody". Mr. Peabody eventually turned himself into a human/dog chimera and began a series of experiments aimed at travel through time.

Anything Else?: Granted, the guy who came up with Altakawa shouldn't gripe about other people coming up with joke characters and NPC's, but really, is this a joke, or should I start drawing the borders of Pottsylvania in the west next door to Leyhara?

[LassyD]

Yes I'm Serious,
I want to play a minion and there wasn't a good villan so i had to come up with one. After just having watched "Boris and Natasha the movie" this is what happened. Mlle said it was alright :-)

[Big Brother]

Well, as long as it doesn't get too cartoony and silly, I'll be able to live with it.

[Mlle Bienvenu]

I'll vouch for lassy and say she'll observe the laws of physics and Alchemy. (i'm going to help her with the latter, because she doesn't know much about the world rules yet... I"m going to create a getting started FAQ with definitions and stuffs in it..)

[Big Brother]

Name: Werner von Urslingen
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Drachmonian Mercenary
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) No.
Alchemist?: No.
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group): In the service of Strattonia
Alchemical Specialty? : No, just a badass soldier.

Description: Tall, powerfully built, dirty-blonde longish hair and thick beard.

History: Formerly a minor nobleman in southern Drachma, exiled following an unsuccessful revolt. Now working as a mercenary bodyguard and lieutenant in the employ of Benedict of Athelstane.

Anything Else?: Not particularly trustworthy, but a fine soldier. Enjoys the killing part of soldiering. Dreams of one day returning to Drachma with enough prestige and treasure to regain his title.

[Big Brother]

Name: Duke Peter II of Strattonia
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Strattonian
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) No.
Alchemist?: No, but has some knowledge of the theory of alchemy and the abilities of alchemists.
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group): Duke of Strattonia, of the royal House of Anspach
Alchemical Specialty? : N/A

Description: Tall, wiry frame, dark hair and well-trimmed goatee.

History: Hereditary ruler of Strattonia. His ancestors were from a province in southern Drachma who conquered Strattonia in a legendary campaign across the Briggs Mountain Range. Although they have since lost their ancestral lands in Drachma, they still maintain strong links with their distant kin to the north.

Anything Else?: Brutal and ambitious ruler, highly intelligent and determined to expand his realm.

[Big Brother]

Name: Daltonicus
Age: Dead for a millennium now.
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Arean
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) No.
Alchemist?: Yes, considered the father of Alchemy.
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group): Dead historical figure from Areugo.
Alchemical Specialty? : Theoretician.

Description: Usually depicted in art as an old man with a bald head and a white beard, holding a scroll in one hand and with the other resting on a simple alchemical circle.

History: After sages from the East first brought knowledge of alchemy to the western peoples, Daltonicus was one of the first westerners to fully comprehend this new learning, and to expand upon the ancient eastern lore. Daltonicus was the first person to strip alchemy of most of its mystical baggage. The original eastern alchemists, as well as the handful of western holy men who unwittingly used alchemy in religious ceremonies (mainly either creating flashes of alchemical energy as 'holy light' or using two-step alchemy to make sacrificial animals disappear in a flash of smoke and light) had incorporated prayer and invocations to the gods in their alchemical rituals. Daltonicus experimented by attempting transmutatons while invoking local Arean gods, as well as several deities he made up on the spot. When these transmutations worked as well as before, he concluded that either the gods do not exist, or that alchemy had little or nothing to do with religious or spiritual factors.

Anything Else?: Translated several eastern works on alchemy into local dialects. Wrote the first scrolls in western languages dealing with the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Hypothesized the existence of thePhilosopher's Stone, as a possible way around this law, after early experiments using red water. His tomb has never been found, and it is rumored to this day that he went on a quest to find the Philosopher's Stone and never returned. It is not known if he succeeded.

Note: This character is based on a composite of the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, who coined the term "atom" (Greek for that which cannot be cut) and first hypothesized that all matter consisted of tiny atoms, and the English chemist John Dalton, who resurrected this idea thousands of years later to form the basis for modern chemistry.

[Lolua]

I thought I’d add these three together, since they constitute another family unit.

Name: Elaine
Age: 30
Gender: Female.
Race/Nationality: Creatari, formerly married to a Leyharan.
Specialty Creature?: No.
Alchemist?: No.
For the State/kingdom/group?: Worker and resident at the Leyhara armory, under the protection of the Lord.
Non-Alchemical Specialty?: Domestic management. Some light smithing.

Description: Solidly built earth-mother type with a plump face. Beady blue eyes, long frizzy golden hair that she keeps hidden under an old wimple.

History: Elaine’s husband Anders was a Leyharan blacksmith originally trained at the armory. He met and married Elaine when he moved to Creata between the wars, when the armory cut its staff. When Anders was killed in an unfair bar fight, Elaine took her two children and ran to the only other place she knew anything about: the Leyhara armory. Though some of the smiths were reluctant to take on another three mouths to feed, William and Perenelle insisted that she be given their protection. She has taken over the care of the garden and livestock belonging to the armory, in which tasks her sons usually assist her. In times of high production she can be called upon to work in the forge, where she is able to do some of the simpler smithing like the shaping and fitting of horseshoes, learned from her late husband.

Anything Else?: Very shy of strangers, especially strange men, and has a tendency to stutter. Her late husband had something of that Armstrong-ish protective streak about him and she is unused to being on her own. She also has a very keen sense of smell, which helps her watch out for her children. Elaine is easily impressed by fame and has a tendency to be a little silly around nobles, but overall she is a very kind and accommodating woman who means no harm.

* * * * *

Name: Robin
Age: 6
Gender: Male.
Race/Nationality: Born in Creata to a Leyharan father (Anders) and a Creatari mother (Elaine).
Specialty Creature?: No.
Alchemist?: No.
For the State/kingdom/group?: Resident at the Leyhara armory, under the protection of the Lord.
Non-Alchemical Specialty?: According to his mother, he specializes in finding the largest mud puddle in a 5-mile radius and rolling in it.

Description: Blue eyes like his mother’s, wavy dark blond hair that he wears long to his shoulders, giving him a slightly girly appearance. Wears patched clothing. Often muddy.

History: Younger son of Elaine and her deceased husband Anders; brother of Tom. Came with his mother and brother to the Leyhara armory six months ago. Since that time, he has been exploring the immediate area, memorizing all the good hiding places and bothering the smiths with his incessant questions.

Anything Else?: Very plain-spoken, as little kids often are, and the vast majority of his speech consists of questions and unsolicited advice. This tends to annoy the less tolerant people of his acquaintance. Gets along better with Perenelle than with her brother, who won’t be bothered to answer Robin’s endless string of questions.

* * * * *

Name: Tom
Age: 11
Gender: Male.
Race/Nationality: Born in Creata to a Leyharan father (Anders) and a Creatari mother (Elaine).
Specialty Creature?: No.
Alchemist?: No, but he wants to learn.
For the State/kingdom/group?: Resident at the Leyhara armory, under the protection of the Lord.
Non-Alchemical Specialty?: Due to his patience and softspoken ways, he is particularly good with animals, but he would prefer to learn and use alchemy. He would make an excellent alchemic veterinarian if he realized yet that such a thing were possible.

Description: Green eyes, chin-length blond hair that tends to hang in his face. Short for his age and skinny but starting to go through a growth spurt.

History: Older son of Elaine and her deceased husband Anders; brother of Robin. Grew up speaking Amestrian at home but knew enough Createan to run errands for his parents in the village where they lived. He had begun to act as an assistant to Anders, mostly fetching and carrying and stoking the fire, in their home forge by the time of his father’s death. When he came to the Leyhara armory last winter the other smiths declared him to be too skinny and small for any serious smithing yet, so he mostly helps his mother on the farm. He misses his dad but is a little relieved to no longer be in the forge all day.

Anything Else?: Introspective and quiet, he is shier and less outspoken than his brother. Has something of his mother’s admiration for famous people and eventually finds a hero in Nicholas Flamel. Tom is interested in and a little in awe of Perenelle’s alchemy, particularly in the few non-military transmutations she performs, and as a result he is developing a desire to be an alchemist. And Mlle knows why he’s named Tom. :-p

[Mlle Bienvenu]

Name: He-Who-Has-Sacrificed-His-Name (Nemo)
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Ishbalan
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ): no
Alchemist?: Yes
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group):: Warrior-Priest of Ishbalah
Alchemical Specialty? : Desconstruction and creation

Description: A thin wirey boy covered in the tattoos of his calling as a Warrior-Priest. His hair is closely cropped except for a short mowhawk, bleached white, and a long, thin ponytai at the base of his head

History: Was an accolyte to become a warrior-priest until he had to flee from Ishbal due to the holy war. Now he follows Abraham around, who tries to mentor him and continue the ways of their people.

Anything Else?: Has a special hatred of outsiders in general and looks down upon others who would intermingle with them.

[Methuselah]

Name: Faye-Tal
Age: Undisclosed
Gender: Female
Race/Nationality: Amestrain
Specialty Creature? (Homunculus, chimaera, etc ) Proto-Homunculus
Alchemist?: No
For the State/kingdom/group?(specify which state/kingdom/group):: Potsilvania
Proto-Homunculus Specialty? : Opening dimesional pockets to store items (mostly weapons and clothing, since she is a Fashion-aholic). The limit of what she can carry in the pocket is what a person can carry without completly colapsing.

Description: Tall, lithe, quite attractive with pale skin, dark eyes and black shoulder-length hair. She is Baganof's completle opposite in looks as well as personality.

Faye-tal is the second Proto-Homunculi that Fearless Leader crafted. His skills had greatly imporved as Faye-tal's appearnce is quite lovely compared to Baganof's. Though much smarter than Baganaof (which ain't saying much) she is entirly codependant on him. He usually takes credit for her ideas and she follows him around with a utter devotion that borders on obsession. In short, Faye-tal is Baganof's flunky.
She's also slightly obssesed with fashion and has a diffrent outfit for whenever the occasion calls for one.

She has the inate abilty to survive the trouble that Baganof gets them into and for getting them out of potentially fatal situations.

Anything Else?:

She is constantly sent on missions with Baganof, this makes one wonder. Does Fearless Leader even want them to live?