Monthly Make-A-Magus Contest

[ScarfDyedShadow]

Next round starting soon?

[You]

The prompt as LeadDeamon kindly supplied is

Alright, so the predominant topic I was thinking of was familiars, in the sense of a magus who's based around familiars. There aren't any shortages of examples in canon since nearly every other magus we've seen at least uses familiars, and there's a fair share of magi like Zouken and Touko who are the more extreme examples of that.

There's pretty heavy variance between kinds of familiars that you could use, ie puppets vs spirits vs bugs vs fake fairies vs mercury wives and etc, as well as whatever cultural or conceptual stuff you attach to them, which there's no shortage of. There's also room for variance in what you ultimately use them for and how they interact with your other magecraft, like with Zouken, so I figure it's pretty open-ended.

As for some of the definitions and such to help people get started:

Cock robin: Roger. We’ll be talking about the basic of the basics, familiars this time. A beginner friendly class for you know-nothings in magic, that’s “All About Ploy”. So, Alice. What’s a familiar? I’ve never seen or heard one before.

Alice: A familiar is something like a robot that magi use, since the work of the magus is to study the arcane, spending all her time in the seclusion of her workshop. She leaves the collecting of ingredients, scouting of the outside, and the eliminating of outside threats to something she can trust.

Cock robin: So, they’re just servants. Are they different from apprentices?

Alice: They’re different. The apprentice is the heir who will inherit the craft and surpass the master. The apprentice has the responsibility of one day exceeding the master, otherwise the master wouldn’t have taken one. But the performance of the familiar at creation is everything. What doesn’t improve can’t be made into a successor.

Cock robin: Ah ha, so that’s why my memory capacity isn’t increasing after all these years. I was perfect since birth.

Alice: Yes– perfectly useless. Many familiars are constructed from small animals, as most run on power that the caster supplies. The larger the familiar, the more power it will require, which makes small animals convenient since they expend little energy and can replenish on their own.

Cock robin: Alice, what category does this dangerous thing go in?

Alice: This is an automata tuned for combat. At this point, it’s more of a sentinel than a familiar. This, is a special made product that diverges from the theory of familiars. Familiars with human-like intelligence such as you are also special cases. But, that’s a waste of magic power, all it is costly. Most often it will be faster for the caster do the job herself, or use cheaper ingredients as substitutes.

Cock robin: Mistaking the means for the end. Wait, that makes the familiar weaker than the caster, like the shorts before the main performance? Haha, they’re totally good for nothing!

Alice: Short-term thinking, how like you. Electrifying really. I think I might implode at the thought of you being my familiar.

Cock robin: Alice, why are your words so wonderful when your face is frightening?

Alice: A familiar “stronger” than the caster even with only one tenth the capability of the caster is easy to build. Why don’t we try stuffing a Derringer in your stomach? You won’t be able to cry, smile, or fly, but you’ll be able to surprise people, surely.

Cock robin: Cock robin the cracker! Fan-tastic! I can’t wait till Christmas!

Alice: The very image of a pea shooter. Perhaps you would be so kind to have the product life of one too.

Cock robin: Tough crowd. But we got the general explanation out of the way. A familiar is a robot that protects a magus, and what it can do depends on who built it. Hm? Putting aside what Alice can do, who looks like she can do everything, what would happen if Aoko made a familiar? Explodes when switched on, right?

Alice: It’s an impossible event. Aoko doesn’t have the skill to make a familiar. In the first place, all she can do is blow things up you know? If you leave her one talent to a familiar, it would completely rob her of her meaning of existence.

Cock robin: Hahaha. That’s a pretty terrible thing you’re saying indirectly.

Alice: In a battle, Aoko doesn’t have to leave the fighting to a familiar. On the other hand, I can’t fight.

Cock robin: I see. So Aoko herself is strong. What’s around Alice is strong.

Alice: Using chess…….no, Shogi as an example, Aoko only has a king with the ability of a bishop and a rook at her disposal. I have a powerful set of pieces, but my king only has the ability of a pawn.

"If you transfer your consciousness to your familiar or a doll that can move, you can safely pursue magic."

"……So your consciousness just returns to your original body even if an enemy destroys your familiar?"

"Yes. Magi who transfer their minds usually hide their original bodies in a safe place. In cases like this, you need to watch out when you transfer into a familiar with its own soul."

"When you transfer your consciousness into something with a proper chain of command, the initiative is completely held by them."

"So even if you transfer into humans or animals, you can only occupy a corner of their brain and observe what they see. They will serve as a camera, not a remote-controlled robot."

"Moving your consciousness into a living thing with its own will is more like reincarnation than transfer. That alone is a great magic, so no ordinary magus would be able to do it."

"Yes. The magic of the Matou family is absorption. I hear that Matou Zouken, a magus from six generations back, was a prominent bug user."

Using bugs… That doesn't mean his familiar is a bug, right? Or… another way to use bugs is…

"Hold on. By bug user… do you mean like guys who use bugs as a medium for poison? Like, putting in hundreds of poisonous bugs in a pot, and using the last surviving one as a curse…?"

"No, that is wrong. From the start, cursing is outside of the Makiri's area of expertise. The results of their magic always return to their bodies. Cursing others would only result in mutual destruction."

"…Then he's using bugs as familiars?"

"Yes. Matou Zouken is merely a monster who feeds on the blood of others. I hear that he kept his youth by transfiguring his body and sucking blood, and that he has lived for a few hundred years but… Based on what I heard from Rin's father, he is now on the verge of death, and can no longer walk in broad daylight."

Huh. So the reason why automata were in decline in Mahoyo is because of the human anatomical chart becoming common knowledge to most of humanity, meaning that we pretty much don't think there's any mystery inside us, meaning this pretty much makes the production of combat-capable puppets unfeasible.

Hence Touko and her puppets being considered to be a pretty big deal in the Association.

Let me know what your thoughts are. Not sure how solid of a topic this really is as far as specificity/generality goes, and it was a tie so even if you're giving me free reign, I'd still like you to have some input. Or if you've got quotes you think fit better, by all means.

Submissions are due 05/23/2018 11:59PM PST
Voting starts 05/24/2018 12:01AM PST

Also next month is the one year anniversary of Make-a-Magus.
So even if there will be no prompt for June there will be a contest. A so-called Winner's Battle Royale to see which is the most popular sheet of this year.

[SleepMode]

Yesss I was just working on one

[You]

oh yeah this prompt is supposed to be pretty loosey goosey
so like automatons like Dragon Tooth Soliders or Golems technically aren't familiars, but they're fine for the prompt if you want to go down that path

[Sesto]

what about homunculi

[You]

what about homunculi

As long as the homunculus specializes in familiar making
or the magus specializes in making homunculi

[Sesto]

Okay cool, I'll probably enter something.

[CritHit]

Hmm, I guess I'll give this a go.
=====================================
Name: Absalom Raves
Alias/Nickname: The Green Man, That Crazy Idiot
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Height/Weight: 6"1'/190lbs.
Birthplace: North Yorkshire
Appearance:

Personality:
Forte/Likes: Gardening, Druidcraft, Cultivation, Classical Music, Writing, Children
Weakness/Dislikes: Meat, Modern Technology
Natural Talents: Gardening
Natural Enemy: Cornelius Alba, Gaia
Appearance:
Magical Attributes;
Origin: Success
Element: Earth and Water

Magic Circuits:
Circuit Quality: C
Circuit Quanity: B
Circuit Composition: Homogenous

Biography: Absalom was born into an old-fashioned, 8th generation mage family. The Raves were always druidic folk by nature, and Absalom grew up learning their magic and ways. While he grew up isolated, he was allowed to go to a public high school in Yorkshire. This however, was a ploy by his family to cause him to grow disgusted with modern society.

While this succeeded for the most part, Absalom was introduced to the works of JRR Tolkien. It was through his variation with his fantasy that he begun to learn about the man. As such, he grew into a very old-school minded brit, who loves the world of the 1930's.

He finds both plants and animals beautiful, but prefers to keep the company of flaura. He wishes to find a world where humans and animals can be free from torment, and as various fruits and vegetables exist only to get eaten, he finds they are the only things that do not suffer from the circle of life. As such, he is a vegetarian, and only eats dairyfrom humane sources. However, he also views Gaia as humanities tormentor, and wishes to overthrow her. He believes that he can create a world where every being lives in coexistence with a benevolent goddess.

Magecraft Related Abilities:
-Druidic Magic: Absalom's magic circuit count and quality is higher than those of the few previous generations, however, this does not really matter. Druidic magic manipulates the energy of the earth, with only minor exertion of the druids personal mana to use.
Mystic Codes/Familiars:
-Thetis Vitalis: A collection of water Absalom keeps in an artificial spring behind his workshop. This water, besides possessing various nutrients and minerals, is blended with human placenta and a small amount of Absalom's blood.

He carries a small amount of Thetis Vitalis around with him in a gallon ceramic jug. Any flower watered with this fluid will blossom into a brighter and larger flower than naturally possible, and any fruit or vegetable watered this way becomes a true superfood.

However, its most wondrous effect appears when used on a tree of any type. After pouring a decent amount (about 1/3 the jug he carries) on a tree, it begins an incredible transformation. 24 hours after being watered, the tree will transform into something approaching the monstrous beast of old, treant. While the strength of the treant depends on the size and age of the individual tree, they are all loyal to Absalom, and serve as his familliars. While communication between humans and flaura should be impossible, the link they share through Absalom's blood allows them to communicate on a mental level.

-Alraune Pod: Seed pods created from cut and polished human embryoes that were fossilized in a mulch pit. These are Absalom's greatest creation, and the reason he received a Sealing Designation. To cultivate one of these pods, Absalom simply plants one into the ground and waters it with Thetis Vitalis,, which begins the Alraune's month long gestation period, after which point it will begin to grow. They grow very quickly after their gestation, and will be fully grown within three weeks after that period. (An example of what an Alraune just about free from her blossom looks like:

Spoiler:

) These creatures are powerful beings, each Alraune being as powerful as 5 average Executors in terms of combat ability and physical prowess. Their whole being is basically one giant Magic Circuit, so they possess the ability to be powerful magic users. While their fibrous flesh is only slightly more resistant to weapons such as swords and guns than the average human, they possess a regeneration rate 250% faster than than of humans, and the regeneration of body parts is possible for them.

A Alraune is perfect from the moment they are "fully ripened" and cannot develop any further mentally or physically. They are plucked fruits, and as such, like an Apple from its tree, can only spoil and rot from that point on. They have a life expectancy of 13-17 months, for which they spend most of perfect in body, however, once they start to degenerate, they will be completely dissolved into mulch within the week.

Alraune are all individual in personality and appearance, but all serve loyally as Absalom's familliars. They're mentality is that of a child, and their knowledge is all "inheirited" from Absalom via his DNA within the Thetis Vitale. Each Alraune inherits about 1/10 of Absalom's total knowledge. The knowledge they inherit however, is completely random, which results in familiars of varying abilities and competence. There are those that inherit 1/8, or even 1/4 of his knowledge, those are held in higher regards to the others.

It should be noted that all of these physical and mental flaws previously stated are by design. It could be possible for Absalom to grow and cultivate the Alraune pods in a more natural, less controlled way. This would result in a complete, completely sentient species separate from, and superior to humanity. However, this completely goes against the very idea of human magecraft, and no magus, even one such as Absalom, would dare to attempt such a thing...

Spoiler:

Persephone~Heir to Gaia:
Absalom's greatest creation. Persephone is a "pure" Alraune, born from a unmodified seed pod. As such, she grows and develops as a human would, and even possesses a human soul and Origin. Harvested as a 9-month old infant, Persephone is now 8 years old, and looks like a normal little girl, with the exception of her green skin and hair leaves.

While Absalom's true intention is to have Persephone root into a collection of leylines, and continue to grow until she becomes an existence that can destroy and replace Gaia, Persephone herself has little desire to fulfil that destiny. As a slightly rebellious child, Persephone learned of modern technology, and entertainment, in one of her outings. As such, one of her current dreams is to become a video game designer.

[NMR-3]

Name: Edsgra Enkelvelen
Alias/Nickname/Title: The Ultimate Narcissist
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Height/Weight: 170cm/65kg
Birthplace: The Netherlands
Appearance:


Personality
Forte/Likes: Himself, seeing himself grow, similarity
Weaknesses/Dislikes: dissimilarity, seeing himself waste away
Natural Talents: Cloning
Natural Enemy: any rugged indivualist

Magical Attributes
Origin: Replication
Elemental Alignment: Water

Magic Circuits
Circuit Quantity: C
Circuit Quality: D
Circuit Composition: Homogenous

Character: An introvert and a narcissist, a combination that is sure to lead to a personality that is hard to get along with. His research into cloning and his ritualistic "self"-abuse has fragmented his already unstable mind somewhat; while he is able to hold a conversation, he will continually attempt to make everything about him. He values everything that resembles himself and dislikes everything that doesn't. Regardless of who he interacts with, he only feels comfortable surrounded by himself.

Biography: Far before modern science was able to clone sheep, magecraft had already achieved similar feats. However, no magus has ever taken the principles of cloning to greater heights than Edsgra.

His family's legacy was such that it barely could be called "declining", as that would require a period where they were anything except below par. Upon inheriting the Crest, then, little was expected from Edsgra. The family was only able to produce a single functional clone, and that took great effort. But their expectations would be far exceeded. Seeing the sheer cost of a complete clone, he just opted for several incomplete clones, then made them his familiars and used them to bootstrap the cloning process into efficiency.

Before long, the family saw a period of prosperity they had never known before, as they became a large seller of clones to all sorts of people, most unsavoury. A policy of "no questions asked" has served all those involved well. Also helpful in their sales pitch is the meeting room in the family manor, in which all furniture is constructed of partial clones of Dijkstra - chairs made out of his legs, a table made of his arms and torso - all his familiars. Even the most hardened negotiator might find it hard to concentrate in such a place.

Magecraft Related Abilities:
Cloning:the family specialty. Different from the production of homunculi or puppets, it is instead meant to produce a perfect copy of the subject. This involves significant time, and requires knowledge of alchemy as well as materials such as blood from the subject. The result is a copy indistinguishable from the original, although initially without a soul of its own. This discipline involves some necromancy and alchemy, so Edsgra has some knowledge of both fields.

Mystic Codes/Familiars:
Himself:At all times, Edsgra is surrounded by a number of partial clones of himself - he quite literally carries another pair of hands to help him. All of these clones are his familiars, and as they are part of himself channeling power into them is extremely easy. However, this works only because they are clones, and Edsgra is unable to change them to give them more specific uses. As such, their derivativeness is both a boon and a curse.

Among these familiars are:

• Pairs of hands, cut off at the wrist. Edsgra carries at least two pairs with him at a time, and they scurry around like spiders at his command. For longer distances, they will have an eyeball set atop a ring, so Edsgra can see what they are "seeing".
• Two complete forearms, including hands and elbows. These are meant to use for more menial purposes such as grabbing things out of reach, or forming a ladder.
• An assortment of ears, eyes, and other sensory organs. For example, a mouth and an ear are left with those who wish to have a clone made, and work as a twisted sort of telephone system.
• Finally, a complete, brainless clone. The main familiar, and ironically enough the worst imitation of the original. It has been dissected and changed so often that it is easy to distinguish from the original due to the scars on every single bit of its skin. It is unsuited for combat or social situations, but it serves as an emergency repository of body parts.

Creator Remarks:
Attempts to be funny haven't worked out for me yet so I figured I'd try something a bit more horror-ish. Honestly, I wanted to do something really out there the minute I saw the original prompt. My first idea was a bunch of familiars meant to resemble fairy-tale animals, but then I thought of this. And here we are. I hope this sticks out, if nothing else.

[RoydGolden]

^What an awesomely grotesque idea. With two great entries so far, I'll definitely have quite some competition if I decide to participate this time.

[SleepMode]

I'll be honest, I kind of chuckled at the idea; I can't help but think of the moving appendages as Thing from The Addams Family.

[Balthizar]

Real Name: Unknown
Alias/Nickname/Title: The Artificer
Gender: N/A
Age: Unknown
Height/Weight: N/A
Birthplace: Unknown
Appearance:

Spoiler:

Personality
Forte/Likes: N/A
Weaknesses/Dislikes: N/A
Natural Talents:Production
Natural Enemy: Touko Aozaki


Magical Attributes
Origin: Production
Elemental Alignment: Air and Earth


Magic Circuits
Circuit Quantity: D
Circuit Quality: C
Circuit Composition: Fragmented


Biography:
A long time ago, there was a little boy. Or was it a little girl? Anyway, the child was only ever interested in one thing: creating new and wondrous things! This child would never play with toys themselves, but they would make them for the other children in town to play with instead, and the child found joy in doing so. The child would construct numerous fantastic devices and gadgets every day from gears, cogs, springs, and whatever tiny mechanisms they could find. Adjustable music boxes, gyro-tops that could spin endlessly, and mechanical wind-up birds that could actually fly were just some of the many objects that the child could create. When it was eventually revealed to the child by their father that they were part of lineage of magi, the child couldn’t help but be ecstatic. After all, now that the child had magecraft at their disposal, they could create any number of new miraculous things.

As the child grew older, after the death of their father, they became the new head of their family. But even still, all the mage wanted to do was create things. Utilizing their family’s magecraft, the mage began constructing an endless supply of mystic codes. It didn’t matter to the mage who used their creations, they just wanted to continue making them. As the mage continued to make more mystic codes, their quality and rate of production increased. The mage constructed mechanical automatons of every conceivable size and shape to assist them in their work which caused production rates to skyrocket exponentially. It reached a point when the mage’s workshop began to look more and more like an assembly line of endlessly moving machinery. When the Mage’s Association eventually called for a sealing designation, the mage was more than happy to turn themselves in as it meant that they would have access to the endless resources that the Association had at its disposal. Deep beneath the Clock Tower, in a secluded area all to themselves, the mage began to build like never before.

As the years went by, the mage grew old and found that their body and mind weren’t what they used to be. Since they were so absorbed in their work, the mage had never bothered to produce an heir. Thus, the mage made an attempt to extend their own life indefinitely. Constructing a specialized humanoid automaton, and with the assistance of several surgical automatons, the mage had their mind, soul, and magic circuits transplanted into the newly minted clockwork figure. Freed from the limitations of the human form, the mage continued with their work churning out dozens of mystic codes at a time. Without the need to eat or rest, the mage could now work without end and at a rate they never could before. And yet it still wasn’t enough. The mage needed more direct control over the mass production of their mystic codes than leaving the bulk of the work to their automatons. The mage then began the process of dividing up their magic circuits and distributing them between each of their automaton familiars. With each division, the mage felt more and more of their ego fading, but they didn’t care as long as they could continue working. As the mage’s mind and soul were being spread too thinly across too many bodies simultaneously, and they could no longer keep themselves held together. The mages’ consciousness, memories, and self-awareness continued to fade away, and yet the mage continued to work as a living factory line. Today, they continue their work hidden away beneath the Clock Tower. A collection of autonomous familiars who have no master and yet are their own master, they continue working away indefinitely. For a mage who lived their life as a machine, it is only fitting that they live out the rest of their life as machines that live only to make more machines.


Magecraft Related Abilities:
Mystic Codes/Familiars: What remains of the Artificer’s intelligence is distributed throughout their many familiars. Nobody has been able to determine the exact number of automatons that the Artificer uses as their bodies, but estimates tend to range anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred. The vast majority of the automaton familiars maintain an approximately humanoid size and shape, but there are others that include tiny mechanical birds and spiders while the larger ones are truly behemoth bipeds capable of lifting several tons. At the core of each automaton is a small fragment of the Artificer’s magic circuits which is of just enough quality to keep the automaton running as long as there is enough latent magical energy running through it. Since the Artificer’s soul is evenly distributed among the automatons, destroying one or two of them won’t do much harm to them. The magic circuit fragment from a destroyed automaton can even be recovered and installed into another readily available automaton body. While these tiny circuits do not have the capacity to cast spells based on od, they are capable of utilizing the surrounding mana to perform the necessary rituals to create mystic codes. When working in conjunction, these automatons can develop about five mystic codes of widely varying quality and effect every few days.


Creator Remarks:
Since the prompt for this month was about familiars, I decided to make a mage that was so obsessed that they decided to become their own familiar. I was also interested in using the idea of a distributed intelligence to inhabit multiple familiars at once, but I also felt that I had to add some drawbacks in order to even things out, so I thought that a loss of ego and individuality would be a nice (if not completely original) counterbalance. I also see something inherently tragic about someone who loves what they do so much that they filter out everything else that they consider “unnecessary” including themselves. I hope that aspect of their personality (or what’s left of it) got through well enough.

[Bird of Hermes]

I was tempted to post the original prototype of Justice from QoF but even when stripping away that gives away too much. I can't even recycle the concept because it's so tied into the character.

AAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

[SleepMode]

I was tempted to post the original prototype of Justice from QoF but even when stripping away that gives away too much. I can't even recycle the concept because it's so tied into the character.

AAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

Hang in there

[SleepMode]

From "Campbell's Accumulated Accounts of the Clock Tower" (cont.)

"The Tatham Family has a strange standing in magi society. Similar to the hermitic Fragas (See pg. 55), they are mostly removed from the political sphere of the Clock Tower despite their potential. However, rather than being baffled by their lack of ambition, many families are relieved and wary because of it. This may stem from their occupation and creed: To defend and preserve great Mysteries.

Since the Seventeenth Century, the small family's true presence is rooted within the group of thirty Enforcers. With every new generation, the ablest member will replace the family head as the new Dormarch, or the family representative within the Enforcers. Of course, given the typical reputation of Enforcers and the Tathams' extensive involvement, many families mocked and despised the family as 'Lapdogs' for their age-long post. The only reason behind the lineage's survival to this day can be attributed to their surprisingly positive relationship with those in the Secret Judgment Division.

The Tathams' role is to protect Mysteries of all kind -- even if they must imprison or silence those who threaten these Mysteries. In fact, this is one of the factors behind their reputation as "Kalion's Hounds."

With their iconic familiar in tow, the Tathams are known for their persistence in hunting Designation targets or heretical magi. Whenever they pursue a target, they would search every corner of the earth seven times over if it were required to apprehend/eliminate them; be it months or even years, they are relentless. An outstanding example of their talents is the late Meredith Tatham, the eighth Dormarch, managed to defeat seven Sealing Designates in her lifetime. (...)

Truly, no Enforcer embodied the 'Third Biggest Disaster' (See pg.43) of the Clock Tower more than the Tathams.

(...) In recent years, there had been whispers of two Tatham heirs taking the post of Dormarch. Although unlikely at first, further research yielded that there were always two offspring since the second generation. However, after taking up the post, the other sibling disappears. Plausible theories included the other sibling is eliminated due to being weaker, or are sent to exile. But the former is unlikely due to little reason in doing so, while the latter is from the lack of any other families with traces of Tatham blood..."

“Credit where it's due, you really did give us a hell of a chase. Now, we can do this the easy way-"

"For God's sake Emmy, just cut it with the monologue; we've been after him for almost a year-"

"-Or the hard way. *Sigh* Gwen. Please. This is important.”

Name: Emrys Tatham (Tatham Cur*)
Alias/Nickname/Title: Dormarch XI/Lapdog (Gwen*)
Gender: Male (???*)
Age: 28 (???*)
Height/Weight: 181cm/79kg (~94cm*/~54kg*)
Birthplace: Wrexham, Wales
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (Chaotic Neutral*)

Forte/Likes: Co-operation, Going overseas
Weakness/Dislikes: Big sister-types, Chocolate
Natural Talents: Camping, Pet care (“Would you stop thrashing, you’re not a cat!”)
Natural Enemy: Mr. Dawn, The neighbor’s cat (“Down, Gwen, down! You’re better than this!”)

Department: None
Origin: Restraint
Elemental Alignment: Earth
Circuit Quantity/Quality: B/B
Circuit Composition: Slightly Abnormal

He tries to cook for two.

Background

Humble Beginnings

They were never hunters.

In early times, those who practiced witchcraft are referred to as Knowing Men, Cunning Folk, Pellars and many more. Many of these "witches" were sought after to avert misfortune; be it diseases, curses or other maladies, these people repel all negative forces. Chasing the Akashic Record were never their goals, for their aim were to protect fellow Man. This lasted until the Sixteenth Century, where the first Witchcraft Act began to propagate the island of Britain. The practice of such arts was punishable by imprisonment at best and death at worst.

One such family chose to leave for Wales, for there are at little risk in continuing their practices. Unfortunately, vicious brigands ambushed their caravan; with no way to defend themselves, it wasn't long before the family was driven into a corner. With certain death before them, they called out in fear -- wishing for salvation, for protection, for them own survival. It did not matter how, for anything would do in averting their impending doom.

And from somewhere, it answered.

The mother was gone. The brigands were torn to shreds. The elders stared in awe. It was a creature beyond that of human logic, something that deviates from either Phantasmal Beasts or Guardian Spirits.

With the creature's arrival and the great loss of knowledge, it can be said the family was reborn -- or rather, distorted. Rather than continuing their trade, the remaining family shied away from society. And instead of keeping negative forces outwards, they focused on the art of sealing them inwards; the imbuing of regulations in both concept and form. Through heavy bindings and containment, the family "tamed" the creature to be their guardian and protector. No longer were they protectors of the common folk, but that of Mystery.

In time, the family will eventually be drawn into the heart of magi society. And adhering to their new creed, the family's reputation will be built as one of the Clock Tower's most feared Sealing Designation Enforcers.

Generations Later

Together with his older sibling Gwendolyn, Emrys Tatham served as the eleventh generation of the Tatham lineage. Since the age when they were able to walk, both were subjected to intense physical and magical training alike. Such trials are grueling, but it was necessary to produce a worthy inheritor of the Dormarch title -- a win-or-lose competition. No matter how close the siblings were, it was apparent the gap between their abilities couldn't be any wider; while Emrys was far from sub-par, Gwendolyn was a once-in-a-millennia talent. No matter how hard Emrys tried, the elder Tatham had always bested the younger nine times out of ten.

This was natural, Emrys thought, for my sister was truly exceptional. So how can he even hope to surpass to that drive of hers? Eventually, Emrys resigned any hopes of surpassing Gwendolyn and became the Number Two of the siblings.

Once both siblings were of age, it was the time choose the worthy successor of the Dormarch title. After careful scrutiny, each of the siblings was taken into different chambers. After being administered herbs and medicine, Emrys realized it was no simple ritual -- he was given the Crest of their family. It was then Emrys began to cry. Even as he accepted the handler's Crest, tears were still shed for his sister. Was it pride for achieving the impossible? Or was it perhaps inner guilt for dashing her goals? Whether the case, the youngest Tatham shed tears for his sister's fate.

At the same time, screams echo the neighboring chamber -- his sister's screams, that is.

Five days after the transfer, the doors to his sister's chamber finally opened. It was the time for the new handler to bond with his familiar. Once Emrys saw what was left of Gwendolyn did he experience anguish for the first time. Chained inside was a beast, the very same that had tailed Father everywhere; except its furs looked fresh and clean, and its eyes - - -

"...Emmy...?"

Not long after, Emrys left his family home in disgust, vowing to never return. Currently, Emrys resides in an unassuming flat in the north of London. To him, however, it was better than going back home.

Inheritance

For all the logic the Tatham Cur defies, its vessel still deteriorates like a mortal's. Perhaps a side effect of its Unit Designation, the vessel is unable to host an entity that embodies death. By a generation or two, the Daemon would require a fresh body to reside in. While it is possible to use some other person for replacement, this greatly increases the risks of the Church intervening. With little choice, the family began to look into their own numbers.

Since the second head's discovery, the family sired two offsprings in each generation: one to serve as the handler, the other as the carrier. Once they are of age, both were tested and judged to see which one is most fit to be the handler of the Tatham Cur. It mattered not their age or talent; if their will is strong, it was only fitting to let them give back in the most vital way possible -- whether they are willing or not.

Originally, transferring from an old vessel to a new one involved implanting the Daemon's core onto the new carriers; but since the fourth generation, this was made simpler by implanting a portion of their Magic Crest onto the Daemon. After a period of time, what were once minuscule dregs of information was warped into a "data storage" for the Daemon to contain a memory of itself. As the altered Crest is transferred to the new carrier, a process similar to Daemonic Possession occurs, forcibly reshaping their bodies while their souls are consumed within several days. As the change ends, the Daemon is reborn with a newer form while the old vessel finally dies off.

But on the eleventh generation, a miracle occurred.

Character

The Eleventh Dormarch. The Lapdog of Kalion. True to the Tatham lineage, Emrys is a ruthless and competent hunter. Obedient to a fault, the Enforcer is considered a "Model Servant" that receives all sorts of orders with a brisk nod. When on the prowl, the family patience and persistence is what allows him to be looming terror to heretical magi and Designates alike. For the average magus, the Dormarch is a vicious predator obsessed with a target until they are secured or dead -- even Freelancers are wary of hunting the same mark as him.

"Hm? Oh, shit- ahem. Good afternoon, sir, I did not expect you to arrive this early. And no sir, that was definitely not a cigarette."

*snicker*

...Once he is "Off-Duty," so to speak, the huntsman's sharpness evaporates into a much more emotive demeanor. In contrast to his work face, Emrys would happily spend his time wandering the streets of London or enjoying a drink in any bar/café. Even when approached by the complete strangers, he would treat them as one would an old friend. This is by no means a false personality, but is merely considered an inappropriate behavior when he is "On the Job." Because of this, Emrys gives off a "Work Hard, Party Hard" mentality -- much to the consternation of his superiors and co-workers.

"I wouldn't add that much chili and peppers if I were you."

"Believe me, they might add some flavoring with the dish-"

"And nearly suffocating yourself again from the taste alone?"

"...That was low and you know it."

In regards to his "familiar" Gwen, to call their relationship 'complicated' would be a major understatement. To those who knew Emrys, it appears the Enforcer and his familiar's relationship is either of close siblings or disgruntled roommates. Whether it be on a mission or at rest, Gwen would often chastise Emrys for his intimidation methods or inability to clean up after himself. On the other side, Emrys often call the Daemon out on its constant snark and recklessness. That said, both are quick to make up after every confrontation; in the small chance that Emrys begins to feel down, Gwen is usually found curled by his side in an attempt to comfort him.

But no matter how much it tries, the Tatham Cur can never be her - - -

After so many years, Emrys still felt intense guilt regarding Gwendolyn's fate as the carrier. Had the younger brother known it was a test of resolve, he would've spared no thought and steeled his mind -- or so he would say to himself. Emrys knew it is impossible to change the past, especially if it was a past in which he was never responsible for. Nevertheless, the "what-if" still clung onto Emrys' conscience to this day.

"...It wasn't your fault."

Abilities

Magecraft-Related:

Sealing Wards

Entering is but a trifle. Escaping is another matter entirely.

Since the major change of their ways, the Tathams began to invest into the arts of sealing; while traditional Bounded Fields where the inside and outside are separated equally, the seals focus entirely on the inside. From a certain perspective, it can be seen as an inverted force field; anything can flow in, but nothing can leave. Normally employed to contain malignant information or other negative forces, the family has advanced it to the point where temporary containment of a ten-count spell and Phantasmal Beasts are possible. As hunters of Sealing Designates and heretical magi alike, the family has altered them to activate should large amounts of magic energy be within these Bounded Fields. If not for their status, the family's talent in this subcategory field would have been considered first-class.

In their position as Enforcers, the Dormarch would implement small seals around their target's predicted location as a means to bind a part of them like leghold traps. Others include one around a building/area, preventing the target from escaping the premises. Since the simpler seals are quickly placed, any experienced magus is capable of destroying them.

On another note, Emrys prefers the smaller seals -- for he is able to craft a number of them in a short time.

---

Huntsmen’s Link: Kinshackle

The bond between hunter and hound are powerful indeed -- and at times, even thicker than blood.

Created by the fourth head of the Tathams, a series of advanced binding spells tethering the Daemon to the handler. It is based on the Witches' Mark/Devil's Mark, the proof of bond between mage and demon/familiar. In this case, the Tatham head has modified their Magic Crest similar to that of protective seals used to bind Daemons upon summoning. Using additional principles from the Lemegeton, the Tatham head had crafted seals that limited the Daemon's incontinent powers. Additionally, the connection allows the current Dormarch to see and experience things from the Daemon's perspective similar to familiars.

But to dismiss the Kinshackle as a mere seal would be a mistake. The seal also served to separate the creature's spiritual disturbance from the outside world, keeping the Holy Church from picking them up while suppressing the distortion without the Daemon influence. That said, the built-up distortion resulted in a thin "layer" of it around its body; and upon physical contact, the overwhelming spiritual disturbance will cause the target's circuits to malfunction or suffer from mental disarray for a short time. Using this to their advantage, the Dormarchs would often command the Daemon to harry their target via ambush.

A recent modification, implemented by Emrys himself, was the "Partial Slackening" of the Kinshackle. By cutting off circulation at certain parts of the Magic Crest, the strength of the binding weakens for a bit, allowing Gwen to use more... destructive measures. A "Complete Slackening" is possible, but that may result in the total loss of circulation in the Kinshackle, effectively ruining both the Crest and the Tathams' livelihood.

However, the connection between handler with the carrier causes the former to be directly affected by the distortion. Although the family is accustomed to the point said distortion doesn't hinder their circuits, their minds are far from immune; through extensive exposure, the Dormarch gradually lose grip on their frame of mind...

Mystic Codes/Familiars:



'Gwen'

​Its barks are just as harsh as its bite.

The Tatham Cur -- formerly known as Unit Designation: Hellhound. Newly incarnated from the body of Gwendolyn Tatham, it is the basis of the Tatham family magecraft. Hellhounds are often associated with death and described to hunt the souls of the dead, but they also serve as guardians; be it treasures or other Phantasmal Beasts, they can be considered "Defenders of Mystery." Although a seemingly weak Mystery, numerous iterations of "Dark Hounds" appear throughout the globe -- Barghest, Kyrkogrim, or the original beast Cerberus -- makes a stable Foundation.

Normally, the imposition of a Designation would grant true freedom to a Daemon; but the Tatham ancestors stumbled upon a method that allowed complete obedience while maintaining its concept. By using the flesh and blood of another as the vessel for Daemonic Possession, said Daemon would classify those related to the vessel as "

a part of itself

its own flesh and blood

." Because of this pleasant side effect, Gwen treats the Tatham's commands as if they were its own decisions.

Ability-wise, Gwen takes advantage of its Designation's broad Foundation. Commonly, the Daemon would employ bursts of flame or its razor-sharp teeth for combat. Other than fighting, Gwen can reduce her body into mist-like consistency to pass through sealed pathways, traverse high locations or reduce the damage dealt by its opponents. Its keen sense for "smelling" souls also serves as a vital tool, assisting Emrys' efforts in pursuing his targets. Should Gwen be at a land with their own legend of a "Dark Hound," it can invoke the Mystery related to the legend (Shapeshifting from the Gytrash, enshrouding darkness from the Xiao Tian Quan, etc.). But because it isn't the Phantasmal Beast, Gwen's replications are weaker than the real deal.

But with the eleventh generation carrier managing to withstand the strain of Daemonic Possession, an interesting effect occurred. Through the suppression of its original purpose of "Protecting Mystery," Gwen gains a mantle of human understanding -- and with it, a personality. Through this process, it is very possible for the minds of both Daemon and Man to merge and ascend into a True Demon -- gaining the ability to define themselves and exist without a concept to latch onto. However, in Gwen's way to metamorphosis is the Kinshackle; for it is a Magic Crest, the concept of "Tradition" made into a binding seal. As long as it exists, Gwen will never become a True Demon.

- - - Of course, none of them are aware of this.

Childhood Recollections

Source

"Emmy, I know the bruises from yesterday's lesson are still sore. But I doubt complaining is going to make it go away. Besides, you really got me with that elbow to the side; so that makes it even for the curb stomp last week.

"Tell you what; after this, let's go to the ice cream shop in downtown. It's pretty hot outside, so why not have a break every so often? Of course, Mother must never know about this -- she was an absolute terror when the servants found candy underneath the mattresses.

"Now, pull yourself together; you know Father detests lateness."

---

Gytrash Call

They say a silver tongue is a devil's tongue.

The first Mystic Code within Emrys' arsenal, passed down from one Dormarch to another. It takes form as a simple whistle made of silver, hung around the Enforcer's neck. An Amplifier Mystic Code designed to strengthen the distance of Emrys' commands by 200 kilometers, allowing long-distance orders far enough to cover a city. Although the whistle seems silent to a human’s ears, only familiars and Gwen can pick up its resonance. If blown with intensity, Gytrash Call's high pitch momentarily destabilizes the connection between other mages and their familiars -- allowing the Enforcer to distract his targets in crucial moments.

Meanwhile, both Gwen and Emrys alike are afflicted with a split second of a migraine after its use; for the shrill sound also affects the Kinshackle.

---

“Boomstick”

Blunt and light. Simple and Efficient. Handle with care.

Emrys' second Mystic Code and sole tool of self-defense, taking form as a reinforced quarterstaff. Upon close inspection, over a hundred Inguz runes are etched onto its surface. After requesting their addition from a co-worker, the once-mundane hardwood staff is capable of denting armor. Each rune absorbs a sliver of kinetic energy every time the staff moves, from simple tilting to swinging. Although the amount absorbed isn't substantial, the number of runes on the staff more than compensates for the sub-par energy collection.

Emrys is capable of releasing the stored kinetic energy with the phrase

Release

“Saethu”

as a blast of force. Should it be used carefully, one month's worth of force is enough to knock an adult human through an entire building. Afterward, the energy reserves will be completely spent; thus forcing Emrys to begin storing kinetic energy all over again. Even charging it for too long may pose a risk for the Mystic Code, as the overabundance of energy could shatter it upon discharge. Because of this, Emrys distracts the enemy long enough to release the kinetic force at their weak points.

Aside from its range and versatility, Emrys treats it as a decent walking stick for rough terrains.

"Cut me some slack; the name was too good to pass up, alright?"

Non-Magecraft Related:

Tracking

The Tatham's forte, a skill that played a part in the nickname "Kalion's Hounds." From recognizing their target's behavioral patterns, predicting their next location or even exposing safehouses, they have a variety of methods. Along with years of physical training, the Dormarch is capable of pursuing their target through many terrains; be it wind, sheet or snow, hardly anything can hinder the Tatham Enforcers. But given the family specializes in this field, the Dormarchs are less geared to direct combat. Because of this, they usually serve in leading the other Enforcers to the target or keeping a fair distance when fighting.

"See the hatch covered beneath the grass? Give or take a couple of days, he'll come -- and we'll be waiting."

Notes

(*) = Info for Gwen

Unintentional recreation of FMA's Episode 7.

This might be stretching the concept of "Familiar" by a lot, but I decided to give it a go anyway. The main inspiration behind the inheritance was Goetia's Grand Order: Coronal Rank Designation and the Kinshackle was practically a magical dog leash. Also attempted 'show, don't tell' principles, not sure it succeeded.

Quarterstaves are often under-appreciated, they hit really hard.

I'm actually a cat person myself

[You]

cool beanz, we got less than week until voting so keep them coming

[Sesto]

Shit it's been a while so I didn't realize we only have 3 weeks

Rip, doubt I'll finish

[MehKitteh]

Faceclaim, too big

Taste.

"... I'm currently working on a new hybrid, so please, leave for now. Oh, if you meet a blonde girl riding a wolf outside, tell her to come to me immediately."

Name: Johannes Eloise Tierpfleger
Alias/Nickname/Title: 'Jo', der Bluthund
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Height/Weight: 169 cm / 70 kg
Birthplace: Bremen, Germany
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Personality

Forte/Likes: Animals, practicing his magecraft, his sister
Weaknesses/Dislikes: Himself, cleaning up his sister's problems
Natural Talents: Politics, running the family business
Natural Enemy: 'Fabro Rowan', die Schimäre
Current wish: The safety of Joanna and his family, sometimes in that order.

Magical Attributes

Origin: Simulation
Elemental Alignment: Water, Earth

Circuit Quantity: C-
Circuit Quality: C
Circuit Composition: Normal

Character

Most people would describe him as a frozen lake; Cold and still. While it is not unusual for a magus to care for nothing but their research or preserving their magical bloodline, Johannes' attitude towards anybody besides his creations and his sister is borderline sociopathic, completely ignoring and/or forgetting about people he deems insignificant to his or his family's lives. On the other hand, he is a very bright and gentle (almost subservient?) person to his sister and sometimes his 'pets'.

A hard-working workaholic, he spends most of his free time either cooped up in his personal Workshop or burying himself in the pile of paperwork befitting his high position as the current head of the Zoology Department. Most of his workmates remarks that seeing him outside his workplace is a once in a blue moon moment.

Biography

The 44th generation of the Tierpfleger lineage and its current head, being the younger brother of the two Eloise siblings. While having relatively weaker magical abilities than his sister, Johannes exhibits a natural understanding of his powers since he was young, and a much finer control over them as an adult.

Throughout his childhood, he has a very close bond with his sister, and when her latent abilities started to appear, he was both amazed and jealous of her powers, driving him from there on to match if not surpass his sister through experimentation and training. As a side note, he helped developing Herrin der Tiere.

After enrolling into the Clock Tower with his sister on the Biology Department, he quickly rose up the local political ladder using his family's influence on the Department and his own hard-earned researches and eventually became the Head of the Biology Department at the age of 21. As the Head, he's in charge of all the things his bloody subordinates creates and the whole bestiary of rejected and mind-numbingly dangerous mystical creatures of the Biology Department, while simultaneously keeping pressure off of his wandering sister, and on top of that managing his family's trade.

"I suppose work is my vacation."

Magecraft Related Abilities

Herr der Tiere

Deterrence of All Animals

The Tierpfleger lineage's Sorcery Trait. Their history with animals have created a body that is perceived as 'friendly' in an instant to beasts and the likes. Whether it's because their scent or their stance, creatures, mundane or not, does not sense nor show any hostilities towards the Tierpfleger clan. As this only affects members of the Tierpfleger lineage, the creatures are still dangerous and possibly hostile to others.

Unlike his sister, Johannes possess a more regular variant of Herr der Tiere, affecting animals only in a 1 meter radius, pacifying them towards him. Interestingly enough, his Herr der Tiere overrides his sister's, stopping all animals that got attracted by his sister in a 1 meter radius, thus relegating him to bodyguard his sister from wreaking havoc in public places.

---

Phantasmal Transplantation

As a researcher of biology, Johannes have the ability to reconstruct, harvest, and/or transplant a Phantasmal Beast's organs or body parts into another. While this is pretty much the default skill to have in the Chimera Faculty, Johannes have a much better knowledge and aptitude for this craft due to his many experimentations with and on her sister, putting his sense of what-to-take-and-put-into a tad bit sharpened than his co-workers.

Coincidentally, this ability is used to create many of his creations, and to a lesser extent, removing unwanted traits from his sister when she wants to.

Mystic Codes/Familiars

Nachtjäger

'Chimera-type Artificial Nemesis Integral for Security' Units

Johannes trademark familiars. They appear as roughly canine-shaped silver-ish mesh of flesh, bones, and other parts made from an assortment of Phantasmal Beast goods and a good chunk of Joanna's discarded mass of fleshy traits, their size ranging from, 85 cm to 140 cm. Due to their origin, they have a myriad of abilities that one Nachtjäger might have but the other doesn't, which includes but not limited to fire resistance, enhanced thermal vision, and flight. They mainly serve as bodyguards for Joanna and attack hounds for Johannes, or in extreme cases, transportation.

These Nachtjägers can easily take down a fully grown man by its own, and due to being made of Phantasmal Beast's parts, they exhibit a decent resistance towards modern magecraft and crude mundane force. Not to mention that they have a good sense of coordination and teamwork, mainly due to sharing a crude mental link to each other and their Masters. While they are fully controlled by the 44th generation of the Tierpfleger family, when they are not given any orders, they exhibit a surprising amount of independence not unlike a regular tamed wolf.

A unique trait that these Nachtjägers have is that they can assimilate parts of Phantasmal Beasts (or even mundane ones) to gain their special traits, or they can consume large amounts of

bio-mass

human meat

to generate a second Nachtjäger from their body, ensuring an unbeatable numerical advantage against human targets, if push comes to shove. Generally, only Johannes would order any Nachtjägers to do this, and they will not do this without any order what-so-ever.

Currently, there are around 34 packs of Nachtjägers across Europe, each with unknown positions and numbers, while Johannes only have 3 of the first Nachtjägers with him; the blandly named Lupus α, Lupus β, and Lupus γ. The spread of Nachtjägers are done to ensure that at least one pack is near Joanna when she needs them, although she often travels far from Europe. To this day, Johannes still have a hard time creating a strain of Nachtjäger that can live in tropical areas.

---

Codename: Tiara

Johannes' magnum opus, and the creation that puts him at his current position as the Head of the Biology Department.

An artificial human; Designer Babies. Created from the same materials as Nachtjägers, albeit with different ratios, and a small portion of his Magical Circuits, Tiara is the ultimate magus built to handle any kind of animal, or to put in the former Head's words, 'the perfect caretaker'. While initially Johannes doesn't really care about his creation after her birth, eventually he warms up to this familiar(?) of his, taking a brother-sister or even father-daughter role.

Non-Magecraft Abilities

Parenting: Due to having Codename: Tiara, Johannes eventually have to learn how to properly take care a child, artificially-made or not. He's getting the hang of it, but some hiccups happen from time to time, especially if his sister is involved.

Politics: As a high-positioned and silver-tongued Magus, Johannes is well versed in the language of politics and factions, although he's quite neutral in the grander picture, mostly using his influence to increase his Department's budget or suppressing any attempts of Designation Sealing his family.

Creator Remarks

I shouldn't rush this, but seeing that there's under(?) week left into the entry and I really, really want to get Joanna's brother out of my to-do-list. But yeah, why does it feel like half-assed? Dammit!

The general theme of this sheet is 'artificial', as Joanna before him has given a theme of 'Natural' beasts. I was planning on making him have an ability where he can use his sister's Chimeric Armament, but only in his left arm to reinforce that 'artificial' sense, and also make his Origin (Substitute) a bit of acknowledgement. But, I thought it was weird so I scrapped it.

[the god of world-0]

What an odd but amazing family.

[SleepMode]

The first thing I thought of the fc is why does he look like an Anime-Austin Powers