*************************************************************************************************************************************** 'Anon', ???: 12HP, 10DR. Age: unknown.   ***** APPEARANCE: a green-skinned humanoid with no discernible non-human traits or features, excepting a 'face' that seems to be more of a skintight mask than flesh and bone. Approximately 7' tall with a slightly wiry, masculine build, Anon prefers to wear upper class human-styled formal suits, black pants and overshirt with a white undershirt, but will wear informal if a dismal event occurs. Sometimes wears a green mask with a large purple question mark over the face, the mask having an odd property capable of projecting his emotions to all Operators in sight range, remaining entirely unfelt by those that aren't human.   ***** BIOGRAPHY: a highly intellectual and intuitive individual, Anon shows up to chide and insult the Operators for poor valor or detrimental actions after an Operation, though he rewards them well for exceptional performances. He does not appear to have been in this world very long, but has been noticed by Naliyna and Cadence at different times in the past. Anon may be some form of gestalt created by the Operators, though that is merely one possibility, thus it is unknown if he is free, or merely acting in Razorback's shared interests. If that is the case, he may be their unwilling prisoner, without the Operators themselves knowing it.   Anon is quite a gambler, having made numerous deals and/or bets with the various leaders of Tallus, and prides himself on having won all but two. Due to winning a bet with Discord, Anon can readily identify, analyze, and instinctively understand every area, inhabitant, and relic of Tallus once viewed or asked about, ranging from mineral compositions to the names of those better left unspoken.. at least, for mortals that is.   Appears from time to time in the Fortress, usually to deliver a number of bronze discs after large scale events have taken place, and takes great pride in offering a sheet of silver trimmed vellum paper that allows an Operator to write down and receive virtually anything they want, within logical reasoning, that existed on their world or can be found on Tallus. The items granted from the paper take time to be delivered, especially if they must be modified, customized, or are difficult to get ahold of. In addition, Anon has gained the capability to freeze relative time from his first bet against Empress Silver, allowing only those that are of human descent to move under it's effects. It does seem possible that this may have other uses, though he hasn't experimented with it long enough to discover it's uniquenesses.   Despite referring to another being, or perhaps beings, at times in a mildly hostile manner, he seems to consider the competition, or whatever Anon sees it as, as a nuisance more than an enemy, and while he does care for the well being of the Operators, there have been numerous statements from him of neutrality or dismissal when it comes to ponies or other Tallus native beings.   ***** RELATIONSHIP: 'Anon' seems to have taken a great deal of interest in Thrill's relationship with Naliyna. While this cannot be considered a standard relationship per se, there seems to be a heavily vested interest in their shared well being, more so than to the other Operators.   ***** ABILITIES: -Grandmaster Bartering+5 -Grandmaster Negotiation+5   ***** SPECIAL ABILITIES: -Critical Marksman: possibly gained from carefully studying the Operators' ranged combat capabilities and philosophies, Anon is capable of utilizing his revolver with devastating results, allowing him to penetrate most, if not all, forms of armor and protections with 2x [1d6+30] rolls. Anon is also capable of dividing his fire between two targets, as any skilled marksman should, though he may only carry six shells at any point in time as they are immensely difficult to procure.   -Summon Wish Discs: at any point in time after a large Operation has occurred, Anon may call forth an exact number of silver discs, used to fulfill the wishes of humans with 2x [1d6] rolls; both rolls may be used for either a single item or two, however, only the highest result will take affect. Only an Operator may write a wish, and only a physical item that existed on that particular Operator's homeworld, or on Tallus if applicable, may be requested. Requests to be fulfilled by those that inhabit Tallus may be requested as well, yet care must be taken as the receiver's intent, or intents, may be quite fickle or possibly detrimental. Attempted use by those that are not Operators will only result in the disc being destroyed. The higher the result, the greater the chance of the item requested appearing in 100% condition and in perfect shape, whereas results of 3 or lower may yield a (possibly) useless curio.   ***** ARCANE ITEMS: -Forget Me Not: an ornate silver and pearl inlaid ironwood box, 6" long, 3" deep, 8" wide, with silver inlays depicting the process of a forget-me-not shedding each petal, containing a small amount of a blinding white liquid. Once per day, the owner of this exceptionally prized trophy may open the box and present it to a target, but must take extreme care as any viewers are stunned senseless for anywhere from ten to sixty minutes using a [1d6] roll. Those under the effect can be ordered to complete any number of highly simple tasks for the duration, forget important details, or even an entire event, but only if the amount of time to be erased is equal to or less than the roll result. 8/10 uses remaining.   -Moon Chime: a simple chime made of pure moonstone taken from Luna's Citadel on the Moon, capable of granting insight to it's bearer upon hearing the emitted tones with a [1d6] roll. The chime cannot allow it's owner to predict an event if the owner has little information on a sequence of events to do so. The lower the roll, however, the greater the chance the owner may lose their entire grasp on 'reality', and will act in a very strange manner for 24 hours.   -Scorched Orbs: a box of 1" in diameter glowing orange and white spheres, won from Anon's very first bet, just so happening to be against Princess Celestia. When tossed on a living being or object, an intense rip in the fabric of reality tears apart what was touched, literally 'burning' the being or object from existence entirely. As a side effect, this leaves only Anon with the memory of it's existence, though Discord and Silver will know an event occurred that they can neither see nor understand. 17/20 remaining.   ***** UNIQUE WEAPON: -"Ride Ender", The: a long-barreled, silver-coated .41 Magnum revolver with an old style non-swinging 6-cartridge cylinder that must be reloaded by hand. Considered a very rare firearm on most worlds, this was first used by an Operator, then taken and reshaped for Anon's use, undergoing numerous upgrades due to the excess number of wish discs that went unused. When an Operator commits suicide, the "Ride Ender" replaces the firearm used shortly before the act takes place, and while it is currently unknown why this occurs, Anon has expressed great distaste for watching such an action take place.     *************************************************************************************************************************************** Naliyna Remostrine, former Siege-Marauder: 130HP, 2DR. Age: 60. Month of birth: January.   ***** (Affectionate, Calm, Crystal-Forger, Elite: Senses, Emotional, Minorly Forgetful, Purposeful, Quiet, Slow, Studious, Warm-Hearted)   ***** APPEARANCE: a slightly wavy, bright fuchsia coated Crystal pony with brilliantly shimmering ruby red eyes. Has a long dark fuchsia mane that nearly reaches the ground, a slight curl present at it's end, while her tail somehow manages to curl on itself and not drag all the time. Tries to take care of her coat and mane, though finds it difficult due to the condition her body is in. Upper half of left ear missing, under left eye, entire head and body covered in deep, slightly sensitive scars, remnants from Sombra's attempted domination over 1,000 years ago, though when Thrill touches them the sensation is quite soothing to her. Her right Mark was removed and eaten by the unicorn King. Several small burns from the Changeling 'incursion' 21 years ago dot her back. Naliyna's coat, mane, and eyes sometimes sparkle or gleam when happy, an interesting and highly noticeable effect due to the intense emotional capacity inherent in all Crystal ponies.   ***** BIOGRAPHY: once part of the largest trading family in the Crystal Empire, travelling constantly to buy, sell, trade, and appraise anything that caught her exceptionally critical eye, Naliyna was once a singer, forger, and several other occupations, though has forgotten the majority of her skills and techniques due to memory and personality damage via the formation of her unique skill, Revenge, under the forced occupation of King Sombra's reign. Naliyna's tenacity and loyalty gave her little choice but to protect her herdmates and fellows, the failed results of which caused the emotional trauma leading to memory fragmentation, though Cadence has noted the recovery process outside the Empire has done much for her wellbeing.   Meeting the Operators arriving via train at the Crystal Empire Main Station, Naliyna's interest in the otherworldly mercenaries was piqued by their appearance, size, and the clothing they wore, since wearing clothing is either done at important or formal functions, or worn by prostitutes. Not knowing that this wasn't the case, she spent some time selling and trading with the members of Razorback, with interest in the outside world rekindling. Curious about the history of the rainbow daffodil in his possession, Thrill sought Naliyna out for information on it, leading to a misunderstanding on the Crystal mare's part, as a great deal of her personal history was invested in Princess Cadence's existence. Suffering a mental breakdown and leaving to a place of safety, Thrill sought her out once more to apologize, though he had little understanding of the events that had taken place long before. Admitting that she considered the Empire to be her tomb, Naliyna requested that Thrill execute her as she could no longer bear or cope with the disjointed, crippling, and confusing memories and emotions of her past. Upon his refusal and understanding the reasons behind it, she acknowledged that she had been, essentially, committing protracted suicide in the city-state, she chose to seek a life outside the Empire regardless of what leaving entailed, remaining quiet and withdrawn for some time.   Experiencing familiar emotions while traveling with Thrill and the rest of Razorback, some of which were little more than touches of deja vu, the rest vague, strongly held memories and thoughts, Naliyna's slowly developing interactions led to her accepting Thrill's attentions and affection without restraint, mostly due to his considerate, caring nature. Seeing humans and ponies as capable of the same concerns, she began taking all opportunities to enjoy their time together, particularly when it came to exploring new places.   After being confronted with the knowledge of her wrongful and partly misguided hatred of Cadence, solely by Thrill, Naliyna was left puzzling over her own bitter, substantially hostile actions. Eventually decided that her former sovereign suffered as much, if not more, than she had, what remains of her distrust for the Princess of Rebirth's visible weaknesses is kept to herself, partially out of regret, and partially out of understanding. As evidenced by Cadence's discussion with Thrill, her proclamation that she was never a warrior, only a healer whom had little idea of war's long lasting affects on the mind, the pink alicorn's promise of reconciliation with all of her ponies seems to be at hoof, though the two are still incapable of meeting each other's eyes.   No longer quiet, and more affectionate than ever, she speaks about her past to Thrill and her chosen friends without reserve, her formerly crippled mentality and willpower have become solid, giving her a high degree of autonomous flexibility when dealing with the oddities, and sometimes horrors, of Tallus. Recovering her interest in mechanical and technological applications, the specifics of Crystal engineering are still a work in progress, despite a rather large amount of time spent in experimentation. As she will speak her mind at all possible opportunities, one of her largest joys involves giving advice to other ponies on relationships, yet often ends with  Her new favorite hobbies, besides stuffing herself with pastry, are being brushed, hoof massages, long walks around the Fortress, and swimming lessons in the Enclave, though she still worries over what else might be lurking in the water.   After Spiral left the Fortress, Naliyna took the position of itemologist, and has retained control of the various relics for Razorback after Amerose's arrival. Along with Hodch, Amerose, and Denra, Naliyna has been aiding the rest studying and cataloging the Enclave's contents, cracking open lockboxes and using her vast knowledge of historical relics to identify the various weapons and armor. Though Amerose and Naliyna are reasonably friendly towards each other, Naliyna's age, force of will, and stubborn presence have made her nearly as superior as Twisted Wing in the head Lorekeeper's eyes, and as such Amerose will not refuse to divulge any specifics or favors asked of her.   During the Fortress's renovations, Naliyna grudgingly allowed her family to serve food and refreshments to Razorback, knowing that she would lose each and every argument, instead aiding as much as possible with the new and under construction Clinic with Tipper, then spending some of her free time with Malyne and Dancing Eyes in the library, relearning alchemy and helping the batfoal along in crafting. Also helps with plotting out Malyne's next 'targets'...   ***** FETISHES: voyeurism & polygamy...   ***** CUTIE MARK: a platinum Imperial coin inlaid on a brown book under a lens, the right Mark, however, is missing.   ***** STATUS: formerly a street vendor at the Crystal Empire Main Station, now Razorback's dedicated merchant, sometime treasurer, and paper pony.   ***** RELATIONSHIP: Thrill Collins. Desires his company, though is slightly possessive.   ***** OFFENSIVE ABILITIES: Expert Assault+5 Expert Parry+2 Expert Riposte+2   ***** DEFENSIVE ABILITIES: Expert Block+4 Expert Evasion+2 Expert Reaction Speed+3 Expert Sprint+3   ***** UTILITY ABILITIES: Basic Alchemy+2 Basic Crafting+3 Basic Crystal Engineering+3 Expert Fearless+3 Expert Bartering+4 Expert Perception+4 Expert Negotiation+4 Master Appraisal+5   ***** Expert Crystal Runes+6   -Learned Runes: *Cover: creates an innate crystalline shield that may be used to defend herself or allies with, and is also capable of attacking and stunning opponents.   *Fade: allows the user to become invisible on a result of 6 or higher, but does not confer the other benefits typically associated with Stealth.   *Power: adds +1 to all Crystal Rune rolls for each max critical, capping at a maximum of +3, and can be used with Crafting.   *Pull: allows use of minor Psychokinesis, limited to a maximum of 500 pounds.   *Refresh: allows use of a ranged, minor Recovery-like ability, though allies must be in line of sight and within 100M in order to function. On a max critical, natural Poisons, Toxins, and other minor status effects will be negated.   ***** SHARED ABILITY: Basic Crystalline Focus. Once per Operation, Naliyna and Thrill, whether separate or alone, may roll a [1d6] CURRENT SKILLS COPIED IN SEQUENCE: none, yet.   >EXPIRED SKILLS COPIED IN SEQUENCE: Master Execute+8, Grandmaster Diamond Reprisal+14, Grandmaster Night Reaper+16, Grandmaster Gravity Surge+20   ***** COMPLETED PROJECTS: -Composite Materials   -Crystalline Circuitry   ***** UNIQUE WEAPONS: -Fuchsia Ponyshoes (Custom-Fit): a quartet of basic colored steel ponyshoes that cover her entire hoof, made comfortable to wear by the addition of a soft, thick, and most importantly, warm layer of treated cotton. Though not meant for combat, Naliyna has found they make excellent hoof protectors while skating around the Fortress. Melee Weapon Class: Light. -Enchantment Slots: 0/1 remaining. -Base Modifier: adds +1 to all Assault/Parry/Riposte rolls. -Utility Enchantment #1: Superior Slowfall-Float, allows Naliyna to float 1' above any solid materials, and reduces her overall weight by 1/4.   ***** UNIQUE ITEMS: -Burst Pendant: allows a [1d6+20] > http://i.imgur.com/gDFNEWI.png   ***** (Armored, Cautious: Minotaurs, Changeling, Curious, Inquisitive, Noble, Heavy, Purposeful, Respectful, Slow, Studious, Veterancy: Combat/Psionicism)   ***** APPEARANCE: a massively built, heavily armored Captain Changeling, slightly smaller than Queen Chrysalis and roughly the size of a typical Morgan horse. Her thick armored shell is organically streamlined with small glowing lines marking the large armor segments, having replaced her former multiple plate segmentation entirely. The joints between segments run from her smoothed out facemask to neck, neck to withers, withers to leg and side plates, and side plates to flanks. Her hooves are still thickly armored, though appear to have a large, smooth black ring around the hoof itself, possibly ornamentation. Her back armor also greatly resembles a saddle, and is quite comfortable now. When she walks she causes the ground to shake, either from carelessness or amusement is unknown, but weighs at least 800 pounds. Her true inner body is capable of being separated from her armor, allowing her to leave by spreading her back and neck armor apart. This lets Roust operate both forms independently, though controlling the heavy shell armor takes a major toll on her mental focus, and may only attack with one or the other. Roust, in her separated form, appears to be a tall, very slender black unicorn, though the oversized cavitated horn and her clear green glass eyes, sometimes blue under low light conditions, are impossible to hide. Interestingly enough, her internal body is entirely organic without any armoring, while the eight green bands around her chest and green highlighted black mane are the only non-black colorations present.   ***** BIOGRAPHY: a unique Changeling when compared to the rest of the Hive, Roust, when compared to Queen Chrysalis, lacks a great deal of her Matron's basic psychokinetic capabilities, yet makes up for it with deeper introspectives and insight on the various pony species and other races from reading constantly, as well as heightened close combat prowess. Inquisitive, curious, and nearly impossible to startle, she wanders unless kept busy, and eats things she finds interesting. Due to her age and knowledge, Roust can be considered the penultimate Changeling, next to the Warden of course, as Hollow's aid has allowed her to mutate into the first modern Changeling. Like all Vanguards, Roust is able to perform a powerful frontal stomp, stunning ground-borne enemies in a 180 degree arc in front of her, by combining her massive weight, a psionic shockwave, and a short burst of speed, the effects of which are similar to a miniature earthquake. A poorly understood side effect of psionic Changeling healing is the fact that recovering any living being, except other Changelings, can be moderately to cripplingly painful, depending on the severity of the recipient's injuries, due to their potent species-specific acids that drift along the pathways of their neural-psychokinetic abilities.   The only Changeling to have her mind fracture after the Unicorn King's takeover of the Crystal Empire, this perceived personal failure to protect her Crystal pony brethren caused her mind to split in half, remaining as noble and royal fragments, the first protective, curious, and insightful; the second arrogant, haughty, and selfish. After the takeover and before the time the Operators arrived in Equestria, Roust struggled to keep a majority hold over her fragmented, barely functioning mind over the course of more than a thousand years, spending her days wandering the Everfree.   Seeking to drown out her misery over events, she began exploring ruins of ages long since past, utterly ignoring the requests from her Queen and eating anything she could find without care for her own well-being. Eventually realizing that even the most poisonous of flora could be recovered from, she ceased trying to kill herself, though this has left her with a very sensitive stomach. This condition hampered her during the attempt to prevent the Empire from being enslaved once more due to the King's retaliation against the Changelings, whom had arrived to support Cadence's initial assault, and she was unable to leave the new Hive to aid the Empire. Unfortunately, neither Chrysalis nor the Changelings warned the Crystal ponies of their intent to aid the Princess of Rebirth, suffering considerable casualties as their forces were divided between annihilating the King's forces and choosing not to defend themselves against the enraged Crystal ponies.   Her mind, again damaged by the losses incurred in the Crystal Empire, and the assault on Canterlot with the remaining Wardens and Nobles seeking to oust the Tyrant, saw the event as another personal failure, though this one merely left a bitter taste when it comes to dealing with Solar faction members. The loss of nearly all Changelings when, immediately after both assaults, the Solar Tyrant began hunting down her brothers and sisters now located outside the Hive at that time, caused her mind to degenerate again as her kin were forced to enter dormancy to survive.   After traveling with Razorback under Hollow's tutelage for several months and subsequently settling down in the Fortress, Roust began to finally recover from her experiences, learning to accept the ponies she met as a much broader family to her original one, a family that she discovered didn't have to be related to by blood or sovereign.   Belatedly realizing that learning was fun once again, it became a vital necessity for her while under Hollow's tutelage, then Tipper's, and she began to enjoy the brand new swaths of information freely and readily available to her. While her mind recovered slowly, her guardian instincts, having remained dormant along with her prowess in combat and the typical Changeling characteristic of immense curiousity, quickly returned, giving her a considerable boost in courage against the events that would occur later on.   During Razorback's first winter, Roust shed her original armor in the Nest, and upon waking used the complete with ichor nodes spanning across the interior for additional lighting. Constantly plants red, blue, and green hallucinogenic mushrooms growing on the walls for Hollow and herself to trade with. Also added several types of edible shelf fungi for more variety.   The map-maker Torven, unable to enter a cavern that he suspected held a number of Changeling cores, decided to hoof it over to Hollow upon recognizing his relationship to the Vanguard, claiming that he had no idea how to safely enter and retrieve them. Penetrating the cavern's defenses, in reality a maze of mental misdirections created by the remnants of a Changeling Lord, Roust brought Hollow to stand before Kavel, recognizing him as an old brother shortly after he released himself from Tallus. In exchange for taking the cores to safety, the Lord required Hollow to carry his own damaged core, still marked with the fatal injury caused by his resistance to the Solar Tyrant.   Seeing that there were still Changelings to recover and bring back to Chrysalis, Hollow's continued aid and her experiences allowed the noble mind to conquer the royal fragment, which she ultimately deemed a parasite and purged entirely, considering it too weak and selfish to be 'the' Roust. At this point in time, Roust seems to have fully recovered, taking a great deal of inspiration from her brother-Lord's long standing and honorable duties, reshaping her perceptions to be much more open to the future.   It is known that Roust, along with Chrysalis and the other sisters, met Cadence several times before in the Empire, though remained close to the Hive once her wanderlust plateaued.   Finding it humorous to teach other ponies the vagaries of history and the Hive's vast, accumulated knowledges, Roust spends much of her time in the library patiently teaching Mercy and Malyne, or when otherwise unoccupied, spends her time in the Clinic learning from Tipper studying biology.   Having faced several minotaurs in combat and suffering greatly during each encounter, Roust is openly pessimistic when dealing with one, preferring to be cautious and wary around their species.   ***** CUTIE MARK: 5 berries (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, dewberry) making a bowl, a green apple in the bowl, and a vivid red mushroom sliding down the apple. Yeap.   ***** STATUS: the first of the Modern Vanguards, released from the Hive to travel with Razorback freely. Now a Changeling Noble with the title of Lady.   ***** RELATIONSHIPS: -Hollow Case: desires his company. -Malyne & Mercy: older sister figure to both, greatly enjoys teaching both of them. Also 'scolds' them if their plots are found out.   ***** PHYSICAL MUTATIONS: -Quadruple Wings: a side effect of the Changelings' odd, partially insectoid biology is that random mutations may occur after each molting, this one seemingly inspired by a dragonfly. As interesting as having four wings may seem to some, the only benefit is that Roust can glide for long distances while outside of her armor, though is a considerable hindrance to her ability to fly. Reduces all Flight rolls by -3.   ***** OFFENSIVE ABILITIES: Expert Assault+2 Expert Parry+4 Expert Riposte+2   ***** DEFENSIVE ABILITIES: Basic Block+2 Basic Evasion+5 Basic Reaction Speed+4 Basic Sprint+5 Basic Flight+2   Resist Damage+1   ***** UTILITY ABILITIES: Basic Alchemy Basic Bartering+2 Basic Medical Basic Night Vision+1 Basic Negotiation+3 Basic Research Basic Shapeshifting+4   ***** CHANGELING PSIONICISM: *Expert Barrier: even though Changelings share a number of similarities with both unicorns and earth ponies, the differences are a stark contrast between all three. Changelings learn to become wary of either one in different means, especially when it comes to infiltration and reconnaisance duties, and having spent more time around both than the average Changeling, Roust is typically able to stroll past those with the bare minimums of training without being noticed. Grants 3x [1d6+3] rolls, may be used to cover another living being's mind from intrusion.   *Basic Illusionary: like most Vanguards and their associated kin, Roust has seen little need to create illusions when her ability to shapeshift is above average, her ability to deal harm at range is high, and her abilities focusing on absorbing punishment are phenomenal. Grants 2x [1d6] rolls for the purpose of creating static illusions; the longer an illusion is worked on the more realistic it will look to an observer, though such illusions are only two-dimensional.   *Expert Mind Reading: comprises the knowledge of how to safely delve and link to, understand, and draw information from the mind of another living being. As Vanguards typically have zero use for this ability, Roust considers the idea rather distasteful in most circumstances and has only maintained the basics. Grants 3x [1d6] rolls that must be used on a fully calm and willing being, otherwise Roust and her intended recipient may suffer instant temporary damage, shared psychosis, or worse effects, although the intended recipient may also use Iron Will or Fearless to stabilize their mind before an attempt is made.   *Expert Psychokinesis: covers the ability to and the knowledge of how to form, distort, manipulate, damage, and even drain electromagnetic fields on a sub-molecular level as a physical property. Strictly speaking, Psychokinesis can be best summarized as 'pushing' a magnetic field into a predetermined 'proper' state that the user desires, using much the same as the process for creating psionic lances, bolts, or other weaponry. As a peculiar benefit, any psionic projection or weapon created by a Changeling is imbued with an acidic elemental property, causing increased harm to Fragile targets and Undead. Grants 3x [1d6+8] rolls.   *Basic Recovery: similar to the process of restorative healing that unicorns are able to easily learn and master, Changelings have some knowledge of the same, though their version of recovery is, to put it simply, excruciating due to the acidic elemental quality of their psionic powers. Grants 2x [1d6+4] rolls that causes a high amount of pain and Fatigue; if both rolls are max criticals, the recipient will be Stunned, put in Shock, or knocked Unconscious.   *Expert Shield: virtually the same as shielding spells created by unicorns, Changelings are lesser adepts at creating defensive barriers. Being a Vanguard, Roust typically prefers to cover her less durable friends and gleefully charge into combat like the rest of her kin. Grants 3x [1d6+5] rolls, may maintain a maximum of two shields for two targets at a time.   *Basic Teleport: like most Changelings, Roust has little understanding of the processes required to safely open rifts and 'dive' into the Void spectrums of Tallus. Grants 2x [1d6] rolls; on critical failures Roust will be harmed from the backlash, and if both rolls fail, there is a chance that she may be deposited elsewhere in the Underdark or the Overdark.   ***** SPECIAL ABILITIES: -BOSS-class Fearless: Roust cannot be Intimidated or Demoralized normally.   -RALLY SCREAM: recalling her early days under the guidance of the Changeling Nobles and Wardens, Roust is capable of drawing on their unshakeable courage and fearlessness in battle once per Operation, bolstering an offensive retaliation to unprecedented levels by utilizing a unique psionic 'scream', highly reminiscent of berserking warriors. Roll [1d6], the result is then added to all of an Ally's Assault/Parry/Riposte rolls, but only if that Ally was attacked in the previous turn. Lasts for 1 turn, cannot be upgraded.   ***** LIVING ARMOR: a self-grown 'living' suit of armor, slightly smaller than Queen Chrysalis herself, that provides immense protection for physically vulnerable Vanguards, flight-capable and versatile duty Changelings with the ability to perfectly control the psychoreactive chitinous exoskeleton as a minor extension of their bodies. Vanguards act as as frontline shock forces, organizing themselves into optimal Formations to best break through opposing lines, and as such each one evolves their armor in different manners to complement others. Regardless of the individual in question their armor confers immense survivability and fear value. When 'worn', Roust's living armor imrpoves most of her abilities significantly, though the concentration required to control it only allows her to utilize one Psionicism ability each turn.   -Armor Value: 7DR -Armor Durability: 600 Armor. -Armor Class: Heavy, Full Body.   OFFENSIVE ARMORED ABILITIES: Expert Assault+9 Expert Parry+5 Expert Riposte+7   Expert Earth Smash+5   Basic Intimidate+3   DEFENSIVE ARMORED ABILITIES: Expert Block+8 Expert Reaction Speed+4 Expert Charge+6   Basic Resist Damage+7   UTILITY ARMORED ABILITIES: Basic Night Vision+3   *Self-Defense Nodules: when Roust's armor becomes too damaged to continue controlling, if possible she will escape from it and burst the remaining ichor nodes inside, splashing all targets within a 5M radius and covering them in a sticky film with a [1d6] Learned Runes: *Cover: creates an innate crystalline shield that may be used to defend herself or allies with, and is also capable of attacking and stunning opponents.   *Power: adds +1 to all Crystal Rune rolls for each max critical, capping at a maximum of +3, and can be used with Crafting.   *Pull: allows use of minor Psychokinesis, limited to a maximum of 500 pounds.   ***** SPECIAL ABILITY: Basic Extended Barrier. An unusual improvement of the innate Crystal Rune ability typically known as Cover, Extended Barrier allows Elusine to create two shields, one for herself and a second for an Ally, at the same time with 2x [1d6+3] rolls, although if one shield is shattered or otherwise destroyed Elusine cannot split her focus again.     *************************************************************************************************************************************** Lilac Springs: 100HP, 1DR. Age: 22. Month of birth: March.   ***** (Amiable, Bold, Chatty, Cheerful, (Partially) Clueless, Efficient, Forgetful, Hard-Working, Lustful, Single-Tracked, Smooth Talker, Quick)   ***** APPEARANCE: a bright yellow pegasus mare with an even brighter sunglow mane and light teal eyes, standing 3'6" tall at the top of her head. Physically in good condition, most of her coat is pockmarked with long, thin welts from whips and similar implements, stating that she enjoys being hoofled roughly, the more aggressive and domineering the better, but will stop short upon sight or scent of blood. All four of her legs bear numerous, long since faded rope burn and shackle marks, several of the former having caused dim yellow discolorations, though she can run freely without pain. Her wings have been untouched except for two thin, old scars close to her body, that she does not talk about.   ***** BIOGRAPHY: foalnapped at the age of 2 during the First Las Pegasus-Stalliongrad Conflict, Lilac Springs was brought up in the Servant's Guild, owned by an as-of-yet unidentified Ruling Council member, along with Drifting Breeze as her teacher. Discreetly kept from the Slaver's Guild, Lilac was treated as a member of numerous servants in 'training', taught how to serve, clean, cook (although she's airheaded enough that sometimes she doesn't make what she THINKS she's making), and the other minutiae that comprises servanthood. Her unusual quirk for having much less personal space was exacerbated without end in the Servant's Guild, which many earth ponies though of as either curious or creepy, depending on the pony in question.   At the age of 7, Lilac was contracted out to Inner Councilierge members during six or twelve month terms, receiving her Mark at 11 while in the service of one of Stalliongrad's few prominent nobles by painting a lilac figure on an artificial spring, much to the joy and wonderment of her current household. Contracted from family to family afterwards with extremely high praise, she began picking up cues on sex from the more engaged mares, particularly those few that had a stallion of their own. Reaching marehood at 12, Lilac was often allowed to watch her employers if she had completed her day's tasks, and upon joining in with one particular noble, became something of a legendary nymphomaniac once her libido was discovered to be much higher than the average earth mare. As her fame grew and the Servant's Guild fully broke away from the Slaver's Guild, her contract terms were reduced to three months in order to, as she quotes, 'spread the joy around'. Drifting, however, states that Lilac merely enjoyed having her overly long estrus cycles taken care of by somepony else.   Her continually undaunted and cheerful nature found to brighten even the dreariest of Stalliongrad days, Lilac was introduced to the practice of bondage by an earth pony psion much younger than her, whom simply wanted to see if her knot-making skills were improving. Thoroughly aroused by the sensations of being bound and unable to move on her own, although she was forced to calm the filly before she had a heart attack, Lilac began requesting her employers afterwards to do much the same, to which many were most obliging. At some point her taste for mares was lost, much to Drifting Breeze's annoyance, but gained an appreciation for being forced to submit to her playtime 'masters', putting the archaic skills of mareish sensual commands to great use, particularly when it came to being allowed to sleep in warm, expensive, (and most importantly) fluffy beds.   With most of her contracts occurring at different frequencies, and due to her famous exploits with many fillies, colts, mares, and stallions of Stalliongrad, it was inevitable that Lilac would end up in the hooves of a bad egg or two. Although she refuses to talk about them, Servant's Guild records show that at least three of her employers had severely abused her at different times, with the most recent one occurring at roughly the same time most of Razorback's arrival on Tallus. Unknown to most, the Servant Guild's owner had been training their own hoof-picked assassins, usually earth ponies stolen from the Slaver's Guild, and with Lilac's highly visible public duties in jeopardy, the owner decided to order executions be dealt to the offenders, both as as punishment for treating their prized daughter in such dishonorable means, and to assert their rising power in Stalliongrad. The Tower Guard have, quietly, corroborated this claim with the Servant's Guild as they have provided both training and planted spies when it suited their needs, though it's unknown if they are fully working together.   Due to the Servant's Guild eliminating a number of Slaver's Guild spies in their ranks after the Siege against Equestria, Lilac was, without her knowledge, 'sold' to Pear Blossom for her auction along with Drifting Breeze, the pair intended to act as extra sets of eyes, ears, and wings for the Servant's Guild owner, whom had come under increased demands from the High-Generals of the Tower Guard to aid them in their honorable mission of either cleansing the overherd's criminal activities, or wiping out Stalliongrad in a worst case scenarion. Though this plan failed, Lilac does not seem remarkably off put by her new, strange situation of being in protective custody to Razorback.   In Dancing Eyes' estimations, Lilac's remarkably upbeat demeanor at meeting humans for the first time compounds her complete lack of knowledge outside city life, while her constant needs of attention and combined difficulty with spatial boundaries, airheadeness, and excessive libido will make her an extremely large pain in the flank for the vastly more conservative ponies living in the Fortress.   ***** FETISHES: intermediate bondage and submission. Lilac greatly enjoys being blindfolded, gagged, having her wings and legs bound snugly, and then lightly beaten and/or whipped until fully submitting to whomever her master (or mistress) is at the moment. She freely admits that she doesn't like the taste of mares much, and would prefer to be used by as many stallions as are available, as long as possible.   ***** PSYCHOSES: -Hemophobia, Major: regardless of situation or context, the sight or scent of blood will drive Lilac to great lengths in order to avoid coming into contact with it, or a being that is wounded.   -No Personal Space, Extreme: Lilac literally does not understand the concept of personal space, and no amount of stating otherwise is going to matter to her if she wants to be near somepony, or some being.   -Ordered Flight, Major: unless otherwise ordered to do so or her life is in danger, Lilac will not fly, instead preferring to run under her own ponypower as a sense of pride, though she will commit herself to flight if no other options are available.   ***** CUTIE MARK: a bight yellow lilac in the center of an upward surging spring of water.   ***** OFFENSIVE ABILITIES Expert Assault+4 Expert Parry+4 Expert Riposte+5   ***** DEFENSIVE ABILITIES: Expert Block+1 Expert Evasion+4 Expert Reaction Speed+4 Expert Sprint+4 Expert Flight+3   ***** UTILITY ABILITIES: Basic Bartering+2 Expert Charm+3 Expert Cook+3 Basic Negotiation+2 Expert Painter+4     *************************************************************************************************************************************** Sand Cutter, (Former) Lady Knight: 280HP, 2DR. Age: 39. Month of birth: July.   ***** (Anti-Authority, Aware, Cautious, Cool-Natured, Determined, Distrust: Earth Ponies, Dutiful, Motherly, Natural Leader, Noble, Purposeful, Quiet, Reserved, Respectful, Scarred, Slow, Steadfast, Vengeful)   ***** APPEARANCE: a dark chocolate coated earth pony mare with a nearly black mane and deeply set, haunted cold grey eyes, standing 4'10" at the top of her head. While in otherwise decent condition, she is underweight to a degree that it is quite noticeable. Having suffered from a great deal of torture in the hooves of the Slaver's Guild, Sand bears a large number of scars across most of her body, most of which been healed over at this time, yet are not fully restored, leaving her with a number of burnt coat patches. Sand Cutter walks somewhat slowly given her circumstances, and has moderate difficulty maneuvering around obstacles, climbing up stairs or onto furniture, though will flatly deny any and all aid. Speaks with a strained, toneless regal voice, although will not do so for long as it is fairly painful.   ***** BIOGRAPHY: born to noble parents, Sand Cutter, like virtually all fillies before her, was quickly indoctrinated with the superiority of earth ponies and their native Stalliongrad, taught to distrust all other races regardless of their individual worth. Inducted into a training Watch Guard cadre as a Novice at the age of 10, she showed excellent leadership qualities and keen reactions in combat, even at her young age, particularly due to wanting to imitate Rua Longstresses' exceptional record. Awarded her family's ancient halberd, one that had seen use since the Late Dynasty era, she forbade herself from taking part in sexual interactions by taking the Oath of Earthwalk, perceiving her worth as that of a leader first and an individual second, not a toy.   Completing her training at the age of 14, Sand Cutter was allowed to fully join the Watch Guard as a Journeyer, graduating through the ranks of Scout and Expert, ending at the rank of Moderatis at the age of 18. At this time, she underwent specialized training with uncommon weaponry, including hoofclaws and biteblades, as well as the prerequisite armor regimens, in preparation to become a Master. Before her next promotion, the First Las Pegasus-Stalliongrad Conflict occurred, and during the short lived war between both cities, Sand Cutter was nearly killed by a Rogue Elite, garnering her a great deal of both respect and animosity from her kin: respect from surviving the ordeal, disdain from those whom thought being critically wounded by a pegasi was a dishonor.   Accepting the promotion to Master after recovering, Sand Cutter continued her forays into exotic weaponry, becoming a target of mockery from the Light and Heavy Lancer castes, even though she utilized her family's halberd for nearly all combat operations. Unable to meet the requirements to become a Shieldmare, her strength and mental willpower being considerable nonetheless, she decided to enroll in the difficult to complete Captain's field training program, joining a cadre of nine others in training, then graduating with high marks and considerable favor from her teachers.   At this time, Sand was scouted by Tower Guard spies hoping to sway her over to the Empress's Faction, and though she acknowledged the Empress's rules of conduct, she could not accept due to her concerns of Stalliongrad losing significance and economic power. Choosing to remain as a Captain, she hoped that war would break out soon with Saddle Arabia or Equestria as a whole, but with her lack of combat experience she could not advance further, unless she joined the Councilierge, a move that she did not ponifically think was acceptable.   As the years passed and her hopes dimmed greatly, she was approached by a well known Associate of the Councilierge, offering both availability as a some-time combatant and stable, consistent pay, unlike the Watch Guard in which corruption and skimming were as commonplace as solo mares in Canterlot, Sand forced herself to accept the position. Under her new employer's contract, she began entering arena fights to prove her worth, despite her self-disgust for joining the Councilierge even as a contract mercenary. Finding herself engaging other hired hooves, captured beasts from across Tallus, and even Councilierge whom had been marked for execution, Sand Cutter gave up on keeping her record honorable, taking on increasingly dangerous, and volatile, jobs for her employer, becoming close friends after several years.   During the Siege of Equestria, Sand Cutter and her now-Ringleader employer joined one of the eight Councilierge Excursion Regiments, deployments of approximately ten thousand earth ponies each, intended to facilitate rapid expansion, domination, and conquest of Equestria's major cities, in the hopes of receiving significant promotions, granted stock by the the Councilierge's exotic goods traders, and permanent access to the private auction halls in Stalliongrad. During their assault on one of the many Starborn Villages in the southern regions of Equestria, Sand Cutter's employer and many of her escorts were eviscerated by a summoned Planar creature, one capable of hypnotizing it's targets from beyond the senses of psions. Nearly sacrificing her heirloom weapon to destroy it's material body, she was overcome with shock at the loss of her comrades and her longtime friend's mortal injuries. Accepting the Ringleader's final wish to dedicate her as an Associate, Sand carefully memorized her will for the overherd's eventual perusal, and pressed the attack along with the exhausted Excursion Regiment. Eventually falling into a long ranged standoff, the mostly remaining Starborn biding their time in wait for allies from Gozka, the minotaurs being long allies of the Starborn and Luna, the Regiment was forced to abandon their assault at lines of Rangers translocating into the village. Unwilling to leave the Ringleader's mortal remains to her enemies, Sand Cutter pulled the earth mare's ruined body nearly thirty miles through the snow before reaching the Councilierge's own placed translocation matrice, returning to Stalliongrad with firm resignation in her heart.   After the Siege ended, Sand Cutter, along with hundreds of Watch Guard and Councilierge members, confronted the Ruling Council, demanding explanations as to why reinforcements from Gozka, Las Pegasus, and the Moors had arrived, despite the Councilierge's planned assaults to tie those forces down in protracted engagements. Unable to cover their flanks for the three Excursion Regiments having been nearly destroyed, the Ruling Council's members stated that Equestrian allies had been allowed to enter their engagement zones in the hopes of Stalliongrad forces annihilating them outright, though they had made 'minor flaws' in their plans. Wholly displeased at this knowledge, nearly all those that had challenged the Councilierge were documented, then assigned for later capture, and either enslavement or execution depending on their loyalty to the overherd.   Later brought before a tribunal of Upper Councilierge, Sand Cutter presented her right to become an Associate as per her employer's last wishes, along with possession of her manor and all belongings. After the deliberations and acceptance of her new position, several Councilierge Masters trailed her to the manor, then ambushed her before she could take ownership. Roughly woken in a dim cell lit only by a hearth fire, Sand demanded to know where she had been taken and why she had been shackled. An earth stallion known as 'Vulture', a psion of some note, declared Sand Cutter a traitor to the Watch Guard, Councilierge, and Stalliongrad as a whole. Stripping her of her noble title, all of her rights, possessions, and the rank of Associate, Vulture then went on to list a number of falsely edited crimes, then decreed her as property of the Councilierge. Unable to break free from her shackles, Sand was immediately given over to Stream Lark, owner of the Slaver's Guild, and escorted under guard to a location that she had never seen before.   Records, borrowed by Anon from the Tower Guard, state that Sand Cutter was then permanently confined under torture in one of the Slaver Guild's hardened warehouses, a particularly cruel slavemistress specifically assigned to to break her spirit. Managing to keep most of her self-prescience despite the physical and emotional trauma, Sand broke from the overherd's bond, and instead of losing herself in depression or shock, she chose to focus the newfound hatred towards her own species for being betrayed, swearing the Empress's ancient oath of genocide, learned from one of the Tower Guard's spies, towards earth ponies, demanding of herself to kill as many as possible should she escape.   Suffering through nearly a year of torture, thoroughly unable to fulfill her new oath, Sand Cutter began demonstrating carefully orchestrated compliance, knowing that it would be nearly impossible to break free on her own due to loss of musculature and health. As her conditions improved, so did her compliance, and when the highly reclusive Pear Blossom announced that she would hold an auction of her own, she was given over to the Enchained unicorn as a premier slave to be sold. Expressing concern at Sand Cutter's complete loss of the overherd's control mechanisms, Pear Blossom decided she was nothing special to be concerned about, and accepted her immediately.   Despite her temporary relief at being transferred to Steel Oak's ownership, a well known stallion whom Sand Cutter knew she could manipulate, she was less than enthused at seeing a number of earth ponies in what she thought was his private warehouse, and utterly dumbfounded upon arriving at Razorback. Swiftly recognizing the Operators for what they were, she realized that there was a very peculiar disconnect between her former city of birth's ideologies and the true freedom of the individual. Although disgruntled at her new state of affairs, Sand Cutter felt that Jeff and Clemency's assurances that she was no longer a slave rang true, but also knows that she would likely not survive at the hooves of most ponies in Equestria at this time.   ***** FETISH: none. Does not particularly like any sexual activities, though she will enjoy wrestling with her master, or mistress, for domination, whether for fun or simply whomever gets to sleep on top. She will, however, fly into a rage at the sight of torture implements, but can otherwise be placated by scents of arousal.   ***** PSYCHOSES: -Crowd Avoidance, Major: will often avoid groups of more than eight, and if pressed will become stern, obstinate, and will immediately leave. If not allowed to exit the situation, however, she will become openly violent.   -Disgust, Extreme: regardless of age, the sight of other earth ponies cause a great deal of revulsion, even if they have submitted to her or are friendly. If given an order or request by an earth pony, Sand Cutter will either immediately leave, stonewall, or violently engage the offender, and will not retreat until knocked unconscious or killed at this point.   ***** CUTIE MARK: a large 'wave' of camel colored sand bisected at a steep angle by a long, dark red halberd's head.   ***** OFFENSIVE ABILITIES: Master Assault+4, weakened Master Parry+4, weakened Master Riposte+4, weakened   Expert Earth Shatter+4, weakened   Lunge+5, weakened   ***** DEFENSIVE ABILITIES: Expert Block+2, weakened Expert Parry+2, weakened Expert Reaction Speed+2, weakened Expert Sprint+2, weakened   Resist Damage+6, weakened   Expert Fearless+5     ***** UTILITY ABILITIES: Expert Scouting+3, weakened Expert Wilderness Survival+3, weakened Expert Leadership+4 Expert Negotiation+4   ***** SPECIAL ABILITY: Your Armor Is All! Learning the many tactics of Shieldmares on how to distribute their weight properly, Sand Cutter has gained a great deal of insight as to how to function in combat with her own armors, and has exceptional proficiency in adjusting to whichever she takes in advance. Depending on the armor that Sand Cutter is wearing at the time, she gains either additional rolls or modifiers to various abilities. Light Armor grants an additional roll to and adds +2 to all Block/Evasion/Reaction Speed/Sprint rolls; Medium armor grants +1 to all Assault/Parry/Riposte and Block/Evasion/Reaction Speed/Sprint rolls; while Heavy armor grants +1 to all Block/Evasion/Reaction Speed/Sprint and +2 to all Assault rolls. NOTE: armor that provides more than 5DR, or is otherwise listed as having a reduction, will only add +2 to all Assault rolls.     ***************************************************************************************************************************************                             COMBAT ONLY COMPANIONS:   ***** Prototype Guard Golem: 350 Armor, 6DR. Age: irrelevant.   ***** (Armored, Barely-Functional Sentience, Heavy, Golem, Slow, Temporal Suppressor)   ***** APPEARANCE: a heavily experimental and unfinished, 7' tall stone bipedal golem with two thick arms ending in three fingers used for gripping or punching, and a pair of heavy legs are it's means of locomotion, though due to it's weight it is somewhat slow. Much like it's sibling that resided in the basement of Harlon's mansion, this once was created from heavily enchanted stone of an unrecognizable form. Covered with gryphon glyphs and Crystal pony runes, it is animated by a large power crystal embedded in it's chest along with flowing crystalline 'veins' running throughout it's body, gifting it with a great deal of strength and utility. A host of external power crystals and enchanted gems jut from it's body which grant it several elemental attacks, though are vulnerable to sustained damage. The head is an oval shaped stone with an unknown enchanted gem of some form embedded inside that functions as it's command and elemental control center. Weighs approximately 1,100 pounds, and has been partially reinforced by Denra with a thin tungsten shell coating on the chest, head, and arms to protect it's central crystal.   ***** HISTORY: designed to be a versatile guard and soldier, this golem is a dangerous opponent in combat, but at it's current stage of completion and fine tuning, the power crystals will run dry fairly rapidly, only allowing it to function in combat for three turns. Unable to communicate with speech, it uses glyphs and runes instead, much like Vindicator does.   ***** STATUS: currently being reprogrammed and enhanced by Denra at the Fortress.   ***** OFFENSIVE ABILITIES: Expert Assault+10 Expert Parry+6 Expert Riposte+4   Expert Elemental Lance+10   Basic Intimidate+3   ***** DEFENSIVE ABILITIES: Resist Damage+6   ***** SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES: -Temporal Suppression: due to their nature, Golems are inherently immune to mental control, psionic suggestions, and most forms of Eldritch, Otherworldly, and Spectral tampering since their 'mind' is essentially an arcane program. This one, however, actively suppresses temporal distortions due to the majority of it's power crystals coming from the same stock used to create the Time Manipulator.