Bio Previews

Name: Divum (plural diva)

Homeworld: Mytharr

Height: 5’9” to 6’1” (6’8” to 7’4” for kyriotetes)
Wingspan: 14ft (19ft for kyriotetes)
Weight: 100lbs to 115lbs (145lbs to 185lbs for kyriotetes)

Description: Diva are tall and lithe humanoid creatures that closely resemble the archetypical angel. They often resemble a very attractive human-like creature with a pair of large feathered wings growing from their back. As aerial creatures, diva have a lean and lightweight build, though their shoulders are wider than humans in both sexes, designed to help accommodate their wings. Diva come in three subspecies, also known as orders – seraphim, thronoi, and kyriotetes.

Info: Celestials, like the fey of Mytharr, were beings created by the Starlight Serpent rather than the product of evolution. Just as they fey were created as aspects and guardians of nature, the celestials were created as aspects and guardians of the sapient mortal races. The diva are the proud warriors among celestials, tasked with protecting the planes of Mytharr from great evil.

Diva are a lost people. Many thousands of years ago, at the tail end of a cataclysmic war that saw demons threatening to destroy the continent of Rostelda, the Starlight Serpent created eight divine artifacts that prevented any creatures from entering or leaving the material world. These artifacts, called the Starlight Stones, kept demons and other extraplanar monsters from overrunning the material world’s defenders. As a side effect, however, the Starlight’s Serpent’s soldiers – the diva – were left stranded on Rostelda with no way to return to their home in the heavens.

The diva have since erected a great mountain-top marbal city called Caeldonum. Many resent the Starlight Serpent for abandoning his soldiers on the material plane, never to return home, and a rare few have succumbed to this anger to become fiendish monsters not unlike the demons themselves. Most diva however do not blame the mortal races for their misfortune and continue to perform their duties as watchful protectors.

Behavior: While most divas are benevolent, compassionate, and willing to offer aid to those who need it, it is important to dispel the myth that they are paragons that can do no wrong. Diva are no less flawed than mortals, but their society is one that is built on strong moral codes. Divum children are conditioned from the moment they are born to uphold compassion and selflessness before all else, and schools are built around improving ones’ self emotionally and spiritually rather than intellectually. Their larger society operates without currency or material wealth; diva believe such concepts lead to greed, theft, and envy and have no place in their culture. Likewise, the only authority one divum is given over another is the parental authority mothers, fathers, and teachers have over children; and the authority a military commander is given over his or her soldiers; there are no such thing as kings or aristocrats in divum culture. Diva believe that by regarding each other as true equals they can condition their society to abolish the concept of power and greed.

Still, even with such a strict moral upbringing in a society without the poison of wealth or chains of hierarchy, diva are not as perfect as they believe themselves to be. Though often unintentional on their part, many diva are so utterly convinced that the rules of their society are near-morally perfect that they act with an arrogant sense of elitism towards mortal races. Their highly idealistic mindset may also blind them to the fact that they are as flawed as any other species. Not even abolishing wealth or kingship can destroy greed or envy, even as rigorous as their moral education is. It is also important to remember that diva were created as a race of warriors, and many take great enjoyment in training, sparring, or full-fledged combat that can be unsettling to those who expect the celestials to be pacifists. Indeed, many diva are content with settling disputes with evil creatures by sword-point rather than diplomacy.


Seraph: The most striking difference between a seraph and the rest of the divum species is its milky-white skin, which gives the illusion that they’re sculpted from marble. Their hair and eyes come in shades of white, greys, and light blues. They have a lankier build on average than other diva, similar to that of an elf. Their wings are like that of a dove.

Seraphim form the Order of the Cleaning Flame. They are the most numerous of the diva and form the rank and file soldiers of the celestial armies. Though they are respected warriors, seraphim are also the least prideful diva. Seraphim are tasked with serving the material plane and have secretly integrated themselves into many unique cultures in other to support and aid good causes. Because they are more experienced with other cultures, seraphim are able to recognize that their own society is not a perfect one, and that arrogance in their superiority is unwise. Unfortunately, this often leads seraphim to give into to the entirely separate arrogance that no other diva or celestials understand the mortal races better than they.

Throne: Thronoi, in contrast to seraphim, are extremely dark skinned diva. Their skin is glossy and hard as though made of obsidian, and their wings are wide and dark brown like a bald eagle’s. A throne’s build is similar to that of a physically fit human. Their hair is jet black, but their eyes are often a brilliant green.

As the watchers of the planes, observing events from a far distance, thronoi are highly stoic. They are extremely patient creatures that prefer to plan for the long-term; once they have set a plan into motion they are willing to wait thousands of years for it to surface. Unlike most diva, thronoi do not carry any resentment for the Starlight Stones stranding them on the material plane. Their isolation, in the eyes of a throne, has been only the blink of an eye on a cosmic scale. Still, this same cosmic mindset marks thronoi as the most aggressive of the diva, as they place smaller value on the infinitely short lives of mortal creatures and will more readily react to extreme transgressions with violence. As beings that are often mistaken for fallen celestials due to their dark complexion, thronoi understand better than any other divum that outward appearance or abilities do not represent one’s true soul, and so, despite their higher aggression, they are the most willing to negotiate with tainted creatures – provided the creature in question exhibits benevolent morals.

Kyriotes: At seven feet tall, a kyriotes has a much larger and heavier build than any other divum. They are also the most powerful of their kind. Kyriotetes are golden skinned creatures that shine with a gentle radiance of light. They are muscular and have builds comparable to that of orcneas. The hair, eyes and wings of a kyriotes are also gold.

Kyriotetes are the military commanders of the diva – the only position of any authority in divum society. They were created for the purpose of destroying demons and other vile fiends, and unlike their throne brethren they have little tolerance for dark or tainted creatures – though they are slower to react with violence. However, a kyriotes relishes the thrill of battle when it presents itself more than any other divum. They are the most arrogant of the diva, but they are also the most compassionate and will go out of their way – beyond what other diva would consider – to help strangers that have earned their favor.

Abilities; All:
– Protective Aura: A divum can emit an aura of light that extends in a twenty foot radius around itself. This aura protects the diva and any it considers an ally within the aura from attack. The skin-tight sheath of light surrounding the divum and its allies acts as armor roughly as resilient as scale armor, and it also enhances the body’s reflexes and health. Those affected also find their minds strengthen, and are immune to enchantments or effects designed to affect or control the mind. As a final effect, the aura completely negates all but the strongest spells, unless the damage or affect comes from a physical object (like a conjured boulder hurled their way).
– Languages: As protectors of the sapient races, diva have the ability to understand and speak any language they hear. This is a magical ability rather than something learned through study.
– Immunities: The skin and muscles of a diva is as hard as rock, and their bodies are capable of shrugging off most arrows or lighter blows. It takes considerable physical power, powerful firearms, or dark and unholy weapons to seriously injure a diva. They are also immune to acid, extreme cold, and electricity, and many diva are also highly resistant to heat. Thronoi are immune to extreme heat as well.
– Change Shape: In order to interact with and aid mortals, diva are capable of disguising themselves as any humanoid so that they may integrate themselves into society. Outside of their city of Caeldonum, they rarely reveal their true form unless it serves their purpose.
– Flight: Diva are swift and agile fliers, capable of reaching speeds of 45 miles per hour.

Abilities; Seraph Only:
– Celestial Soldiers: Seraphim are armed with flaming greatswords that they wield with astonishing grace. A seraphim’s reflexes are so quick they are capable of using their blade to deflect incoming projectiles, rays, or beams. They are strong in spite of their light weight, capable of deadlifting 600lbs.
– Magic: Though they are warriors, seraphim are trained in healing and protective magic. They may create food and water for the hungry, heal injuries, imbue weapons with holy power, remove curses, diseases, poisons, calm fearful emotions, and even raise the recently deceased. This last ability is extremely taxing on a seraph, and only intact bodies can be brought back to life.
– Light of the Fire: A seraph is capable of bursting into flame, igniting enemies that touch it. This does not harm the seraph.

Abilities; Throne Only:
– Celestial Watchers: Thronoi are stronger and more heavily armored than seraphim, capable of deadlifting 1000lbs. They carry magical maces that can shatter non-living material with a well-placed hit, making them highly effective against machines or fortifications.
– Magic: Thonoi have many of the same magical abilities as seraphim. In addition, they can also protect allies from necrotic energies and death magic and smite dark creatures with bursts of holy magic.
– Deliverance From Death: Thronoi are immune to extreme heat, not merely resistant. In addition, they are also immune to necrotic energies and death magic, poisons, and abilities designed to weaken or drain their bodies and minds.

Abilities; Kyriotes Only:
– Celestial Captain: The strongest and most heavily armored of the diva, kyriotetes are capable of deadlifting 1800lbs. Their weapons of choice are massive magical warhammers with the ability to completely destroy the spirits possessing weaker undead, and greatly injuring more powerful undead. Their hammers swing with such force that multiple blows can easily stun enemies.
– Magic: Kyriotetes have the ability to smite their targets with busts of holy energy just as thronoi can. In addition, kyriotetes can bring down magical wards, remove curses and diseases, calm fearful emotions, heal injuries, blind and deafen weaker evil entities with a word, see invisible creatures, and erect walls of magical force that slash and cut apart those who attempt to pass through like invisible blades.
– Magic Resistance: Even without their protective aura, kyriotetes are extremely resistant to magic. Only extremely talented or powerful spellcasters can hope to harm them with spells.

Weaknesses:
– Diva can be easily harmed by cursed, dark, or unholy magical weapons. They are also vulnerable to nethereal energies.
– Though they are highly resistant or immune to many magical and elemental attacks, diva can simply be brought down through sheer overwhelming physical force, such as particularly powerful blows or heavy firearms.

Name: ––
Title: A09

Homeworld: Earth-CH42

Age: 22
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 396lbs (About 475lbs while suited up in armor with a HEIRESS System)

Description: A09 is a tall, well-built Caucasian man with long limbs that border on lanky, were it not for his impressive musculature. His narrow, pointed face is bordered by a chinstrap, and his beachy-brown hair holds impressive volume despite its short length, unable to conceal a tattoo inked into his forehead, bearing his production number: A09. His eyes are a startling bright green.

When on a high-risk mission, A09 usually wears elite-rank Saberdex armor: a tight-fitting black thermal undersuit that covers the entire body but the head, beneath a full-body set of nanosteel armor plates, including a helmet. The helmet has a large, lime-green polarized visor that obscures his face while allowing for a huge range of vision, as the visor stretches from his nose to the hairline. A heavy, 60lb HERIESS Security System is strapped to his back, similarly armored.



Info: No one really knows for sure where A09 came from, or his true name. No one, at least, except for a few select high-ranking scientists and corporate leaders. What is known is that A09 has recently emerged as a new weapon: a cybernetically enhanced superhuman assassin loyal to Weschler and her immediate family, and a potential prototype for a new line of trans-human super soldiers capable of matching a Sentinel in strength and the Fox in potential lethality. Even then, A09’s very existence is a well-guarded secret, known only to higher ranking individuals such as Agent Zhu.

While capable and trained to complete a wide variety of missions, A09’s highest priority target is currently the Fox, who has so far evaded all other attempts at capture.



Personality: A09 is a quiet individual, rarely speaking unless spoken to. He appears cynical and world-weary, and would prefer to spend the free time Weschler offers him in solitude rather than among people. He is not especially cold towards others who approach him; instead he comes off as tired and dispassionate. A09 is rarely malevolent and has no love of killing, but he is unnervingly ruthless and will not hesitate when given a target. This stems not from a lack of empathy – his empathy is in fact the very reason he seems jaded – but because he often has no other choice; A09 has no ability to disobey a direct order from his superiors.

To ensure that A09 never turn his deadly potential towards Saberdex like his predecessor, A08, a cranial nanofiber implant was surgically inserted into his skull. The implant reverses the brain-to-computer interfaces that Saberdex has perfected, instead allowing an external computer to program set behaviors into his brain. Most of these behaviors are either safety measures designed to keep A09 is a submissive state, or behaviors designed to make him a more effective soldier; but the most notable is that A09 is forced to comply with direct orders given to him by Weschler and her immediate family. For all his power, A09 is little more than a living weapon to be wielded, as much a slave as the laborers Saberdex keeps in its mines and smelting plants – a fact of life he has reluctantly submitted to.



Abilities:
– Artificial Strength: Over three quarters of A09’s total muscle mass is made up of steel nanofiber coils that expand and contract in response to changes in temperature created through electrical synapses. A09 is capable of achieving a two-and-a-half-ton deadlift, exceeding the strength of most sentinels. This superhuman strength also greatly enhances his speed. Through both genetic mimicry and nanofiber technology he is capable of attaining speeds of up to 40km/h at a full sprint, nearly the speed of a greyhound.

– Marksmanship: Though little is known of the specifics surrounding A09’s creation outside of Saberdex’s top engineers and geneticists, the fact that A09’s inhuman marksmanship rival’s that of the Fox can be no coincidence. A09 carries identical retinal and cortical implants, allowing the assassin infallible accuracy with any firearm. Live-fire exercises have demonstrated A09’s ability to unerringly hit a nine-millimeter-square area from a distance of seven-hundred meters. Unlike the Fox, however, A09 has no qualms about making killing shots.

– Combat Training: It is thought that A09 was an elite Saberdex soldier, and as such has rigorous training and experience under his belt. A09 has sharp reflexes and has trained extensively in several martial arts including Krav Maga, Brazilian Jui-Jitzu, and Muay Thai, though his hand-to-hand combat skills are not as finely honed as most sentinels. A09 favors firearms when he can.

–Enhanced Durability: A09’s muscles and even his bones appear to be somehow augmented. His steel-like muscles are capable of shrugging off bladed weapons with only shallow cuts, though bullets are still capable of dealing significant damage. A09 possesses inhuman endurance, however, able to fight through seemingly crippling injuries, and his bones are rumored to be augmented with a covering of nanosteel.

–Enhanced Immunity: A09 has an enhanced immune system, and while not completely invulnerable to toxins or disease, he has high tolerance for such attacks and is capable of withstanding more than the average human. This immunity also slows the effects of cellular degeneration drastically, effectively slowing his aging process.

–MK IV “Diamondskin” Nanosteel Body Armor: During missions, A09 wears a full body suit of top-of-the-line SABERDEX body armor. The armored plates are made of an alloy composed of hundreds or thousands of thin sheets of ultra-light-weight plastic and reinforced nanosteel, layered over one another with extraordinarily high pressure and heat until the materials bond into one composite piece. The result is a lightweight, flexible material with the tensile strength and hardness of nanosteel, and high ductility and impact resistance due to the layered structure. The Diamondskin armor is capable of repelling .50 caliber anti-vehicle bullets and even high explosives such as grenades and RPGs (though the kinetic impact of such weapons remain devastating to the wearer, even with shock-absorbent Kevlar fibers beneath the armored plates.) The armor is capable of even catching nanosteel rounds up to 13mm – while the nanosteel round might break through, the layered structure disperses the force to allow the bullet to be embedded without penetrating. The nanosteel components allow the armor to withstand up to 2000 degrees Celsius, though their ability to protect the wearer from such temperatures is limited at best.

The armored plates protect A09’s torso, back, shoulders, upper and lower arms, back of his hands, hips and groin, thighs, front of his lower legs, and boots – as well as making up the bulk of his helmet and the outer layer of his HEIRESS System. The large green visor is made of more plastic than nanosteel, allowing for transparency and a wide range of vision, at a cost of reduced strength. The visor is comparable to bullet-proof glass in the protection it offers.

– HEIRESS Security System: The heavy, metallic back-pack-like device A09 carries is an advanced personal armor device: a Hyposensitised External Iron-Responsive Electromagnetic Shield Screen system, or HEIRESS system for short. The device radiates an electromagnetic field around the wearer while activated, fine-tuned to respond specifically to iron. The field serves to “push” away iron materials away from the wearer with magnetic force, radiating more force the more velocity the projectile has. Although it has its limits, and can only slow down – not deflect – bullets, the HEIRESS system can still save a life by reducing the velocity of the projectile and the damage done to the wearer. It is also excellent for defence against even the sharpest blades, as it is capable of repelling or drastically slowing these strikes. The HEIRESS system is also extremely effective against less modern projectiles, such as arrows and bolts, provided the heads are made of iron iron-based metals. Against flesh – be they punches, claws, or fangs, the HEIRESS may reduce the damage done by repelling the iron traces in the blood, but it can only offer minor defence and, at best, only prevent greater injury. The HEIRESS system requires an enormous amount of power to operate – 70% of the pack’s weight consists of a miniature bioteratic battery. Even then, the HEIRESS system can only be activated for fifteen minutes before it loses power and needs to be recharged.

– Stealth Technologies: A09’s black thermal undersuit not only provides protection from the elements. It is made of a material known as black silicon; a material made up of millions of microscopic needles called nanowires. Incoming light reflects back and forth between the nanowires, bouncing around the material instead of escaping. By boosting its properties, Saberdex has created a material capable of absorbing light in the mid and long-wavelength infrared range, rendering A09’s invisible to infrared detectors and creatures that rely on thermal vision. The armored plates are similarly modified, except with a crystal coating that enables them to deflect and bounce sound waves. This also protects A09 from sonar and echolocation.

– Weapons: A09’s primary weapon is a military-grade 5.56 caliber rifle, identical to the one carried by Klar. The weapon uses 30-round box magazines and can switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic. While the weapon has an effective range of 500 meters, A09’s superhuman marksmanship allows him to use the weapon as a sniper rifle, capable of hitting human-sized targets beyond a distance of two kilometers. A09 carries five to twelve magazines, some of which are stored in his survival kit. He also carries up to eight magazines of nanosteel-tipped rounds, capable of tearing through the hull of a tank or the most heavily armored creatures on Lemuria short of the true giants.

A09 also carries a 9mm handgun as a sidearm, outfitted with both standard and nanosteel magazines. The gun can be outfitted with a silencer. For close-combat, A09 carries and is trained in the use of a nanosteel combat knife, 25 centimeters in length and capable of slicing through rock or thin sheets of metal.

– Shocking Gauntlets: Both of A09's gauntlets are outfitted with retractable forked prods. Although the tips are pointed, the prods are not stabbing weapons, but tasers powered by the connected HEIRESS System. The charge generated measures at three microcoulombs, more than enough to drop and temporarily incapacitate attackers. A09 prefers to use these to non-lethally subdue those notable weaker than him that might be seriously injured by his blows, though he has also been known to use both the sharp prods and the electrical charge to amplify his own blows.

– Grappling Gun: A09's right gauntlet is outfitted with an in-built grappling gun. The hook's electromagnetic properties, powered by the HEIRESS System's battery, allow it to easily attach to most surfaces, even non-magnetic ones, and the serrated nanosteel hook can dig into even stone or steel. The cable, also made of nanosteel, can pull well over A09's body mass with incredible force – lesser men might risk having their arms pulled from their sockets. A09 primary uses this as an aid in climbing to reach high vantage points, but he has also been known to use it as an impromptu non-lethal weapon to grapple or capture enemies. The hook can channel the same electric current generated by the gauntlets to shock captured opponents into submission.

– Tools of the Trade: A09 is outfitted with a wide variety of tools for his missions, be they additions of his armor or other useful devices.
– A09’s HEIRESS system is bulkier than most. In addition to the battery, the heavy backpack-like device also functions as a literal backpack: A09’s survival kit for extended missions. The survival kit contains first-aid tools, rations, water, and additional ammunition. The pack also contains a small oxygen tank connected to A09’s helmet, as the suit can be vacuum-sealed for up to 20 minutes to protect against hostile environments or toxic gasses.
– A09’s helmet features a Head’s Up Display in the visor, displaying information such as the battery life of the HEIRESS System and the location and distance of the target. The helmet also functions as a communication system for A09 to keep in touch with his commanders or squad, allowing others to keep track of his location. The visor also displays a night-vision option, but due to A09’s retinal implants, this is a feature he rarely uses.
– A09 carries a variety of equipment such as lock picks, plastic explosives, and other tools to help him infiltrate high-security areas.



Weaknesses:
– When issued an order by Weschler, A09 isn’t able to process this neural information, meaning only movement is transferred rather than the conscious thought to act. A09’s body simply acts by itself, as though manipulated by a puppeteer without regard to his conscious thoughts. While this makes him no more susceptible to mind manipulating magics than any other individual, a savvy and knowledgeable creature with the capacity for shapeshifting or illusions might take the form of Weschler herself to issue him direct commands, which A09 is forced to follow.
– Like Kyra Fox, A09 is vulnerable to strong electromagnetic discharges. Not only do they risk temporarily blinding him due to shutting down his retinal implants, they may also cause him temporary paralysis by shutting down his cranial implant used to receive orders from Weschler, which is directly tied to his motor cortex. Weschler may also shut down this implant remotely, should A09 attempt to rebel as his predecessor did.
– The HEIRESS system can only operate for fifteen minutes on a full battery, meaning that A09 must be careful to conserve its energy when far from civilization or a reliable power source.
– While A09’s Diamondskin Nanosteel armor is incredibly durable, it’s not a foolproof protection. While the armored plates can deflect anti-vehicle rounds and explosives, the shock pads behind can only do so much – A09 is still highly vulnerable to the kinetic force behind such attacks, even if his enhanced body can endure more punishment than a normal human’s. Similarly, while the armor itself can endure temperatures reaching 2000 degrees Celsius without deformation, A09 himself is unable to endure such temperatures, and the armor offers little protection from such. In addition, to preserve mobility, the armor has many exploitable gaps that skilled shooters or fighters can exploit. These gaps are most noticeable behind the legs, in the abdomen between the torso and waist piece, between the waist and thigh pieces, on the elbows and armpits, and most severely, the neck.

Name: Klawz
Race: Chimera
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Height: 7 feet
Weight: 650 pounds

Appearance: A semi-anthropomorphic chimera that is composed of various animal parts. His boxlike head resembles some sort of blend between a theropod and a squamate, having golden goat-like eyes and sporting rows upon rows of Allosaurus teeth, as well as pointed ears, a long forked tongue, and the boss of a Pachyrhinosaurus. His leonine arms are nearly as long as his theropod-like legs, allowing him to switch between a bipedal and quadrupedal gait. His tail resembles a crocodile's, and his body is covered in leathery scaly skin that is a grayish blue. His flesh and blood are glowing purple.

Personality: Klawz holds no regard for the laws and unwritten rules, and thus goes about his business however he sees fit. He is a quiet observant individual, watching others go about their business without ever being noticed. He despises animal abuse, and if given the chance, he will punish whoever is causing the abuse in question, his methods for punishment often resulting in the death of said abuser(s). Klawz is a neutral creature, and will have conflicts with heroes and villains alike.

Powers/Abilities:

Animorph: Klawz is able to transform into any animal larger than a mouse and smaller than an elephant. Regardless of the form he takes, however, he still retains his other powers, and can change back to his normal form or another animal form at will.

Vampirism: When Klawz in fighting somebody in melee range, his body will slowly regenerate for as much damage as he is dealing to his enemy. Fatal blows won't bring back to perfect condition, however.

Copycat: Klawz is able to replicate the powers of anyone 5 meters or closer to him. However, he'll immediately lose the copied powers if the source leaves the 5 meter radius.

Weaknesses: Klawz loses his copied powers once the source leaves his radius.

Does the vampiric healing work when he strikes inorganic creatures or undead creatures, or does it only work on living creatures exclusively? Also the copy power needs to be a bit better defined in the stat block. Is it one person at a time? Does he immediately know how to use their powers or is it limited to powers he's observed them using? Can he immediately use powers that normally take a lot of skill or training to master (for example, would he be able to master how someone casts spells or fights with a weapon?)?

I think they're still waiting for answers/elaboration for their other questions.

It only works on organic beings, and he can only copy one user's powers at a time. He gains knowledge on the user's powers and isn't limited to what he sees. He can copy someone's powers, but not always with the same level of skill.

Technically, he could. And he can still shapeshift and heal alongside his copying.

Klawz has been made into a boss.

She seems a little bit too fast on good ol' terra firma for something that is "significantly less mobile and maneuverable on land". Otherwise she seems fine to me.