. . .

GOD OF SHELTER

GOD OF STRAYS.

This carrd is created with the intention of being a repository for some of the rarer character hooks explored by the character Yora Caarvelian. This page exists with the understanding that none of this page's contents are to be considered public information, nor free to use at any point.These character concepts and traits do not have to be engaged with at any point; these concepts are kept separate from the character premise without being prior-established or negotiated out-of-character. Some of them, such as Attford, are such tightly kept secrets that the majority of writers interacting in Yora's vicinity are not aware of them at all.

► i understand

YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER . . .

◆ ground rules
◇ perception
◆ curse
◇ blood
◆ attford

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.

Anything to do with Cruor or the mechanics associated with this side of the character that I write is not free to engage with. If you desire to use any of these hooks, they will be heavily negotiated OOC prior to introducing them into the roleplay. If it appears that Cruor's mechanics are crafted in such a way that it is incredibly difficult (if not outright impossible) to get an edge up over them, this is intentional. Cruor is simply not a character that I am interested in writing being defeated, for the reason that is: Cruor's burden is all-consuming of them. If another character were to jeopardize their duty in a way that they could not immediately remedy, this would cause significant, prolonged stress to the character that would bleed out heavily into all roleplay. It would not be pleasant for anyone involved, and would likely take a period of months to resolve. Respectfully, I am tired. I appreciate the excitement a lot from people wanting to get involved; but I am very emotionally exhausted as is. This carrd contains a set of hooks that I intend to very carefully curate engagement with.

◆ You may read through this carrd if you're curious.◆ You can approach to ask about potential hooks and ways to engage with this material. I might say yes - or I might not! It depends on intent and how much I've interacted with you.◆ Please do not use any of the information on this carrd without OOC negotiation and permission.◆ Mind that many of the hooks listed for Cruor are permanent changes. They often will require irreversible modifications to your character.◆ I will only engage with these plot elements with writers that I put significant trust in. If we are not close or I do not know how you write, please do not be hurt if I do not want to allow you to engage deeper with the mechanics presented here.◆ This part of Yora's character is fully optional. If you do not want to engage with these aspects of her character, they will not affect anything.◆ Consequences from opting into Cruor's hooks may include (but may not be limited to): Psychological trauma, character death, visual changes, physical impairment, permanent disability, permanent magical impairment, temporary or permanent curses.

YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER . . .

◆ ground rules
◇ perception
◆ curse
◇ blood
◆ attford

PERCEPTION FILTER - CRUOR'S WARD

Cruor is protected by a cognitive distortion - a ward that twists perceptions based on expectation. They are not made invisible by this ward; rather, Cruor is fully perceivable. They are there. You know there is another body occupying the space in which the stranger stands. But there is nothing exceptional about them. Rather-

They are exactly where they need to be. The figure you see belongs precisely where they are.

It does not matter where you see them - whether it is in broad daylight. In a restricted area. In a private meeting room with one of your contacts.

Everything is normal. Nothing is out of place.

The effect is similar to a stranger wearing a hi-vis vest while doing something you cannot discern; the same as setting down the mail somewhere benign and taking too long to open it, until it becomes a part of the environment. Their presence is expected. Benign. Uninteresting. Whatever justification makes sense to the individual, the mind is bent to create.

That's only a ~~passerby~~, ~~the janitor~~, ~~your contact's bodyguard~~, ~~the project supervisor~~, ~~security~~, someone who belongs.

Not quite aetheric, but not quite dynamis either. The effect is much like the concept of "Mementos" from Persona 5. A collective cognitive dismissal of reality in favor of what is normal and what is comfortable; Cruor preys on the mind's routines and expectations. However, the effect of the ward is quite weak, in execution. If Cruor can maintain absolute non-intervention, then it is nigh unbreakable. The moment that Cruor gains attention, however (be that by speaking, touching someone, or doing something that others cannot ignore such as causing damage to property or killing a person - depending on who that person is) the ward is immediately broken.

Nothing is out of place. Everything is as it should be.

Breaking the ward's effect is retroactive. Upon being aware of Cruor as an individual - or rather, as a specific identity rather than a benign face in the crowd - the individual who had been previously affected is aware of every instance in which they have seen Cruor prior. This could be anywhere from once or twice to the potential of hundreds of previous crossings, depending on how deeply involved that person may be with criminal activities and underground networking.

You don't need to pay attention to them. They belong there.

... Of course, some individuals suffer from paranoia. Those who are particularly on edge and alert about their surroundings, looking deliberately to find inconsistencies and take issue with non-obtrusive features of the environment may find themselves second guessing. A constant mental battle against the ward as it enforces its artificial comfort with the known over top of the crushing fear of the unknown. The result of this may be -

NOTHING IS WRONG.

- intense delusions and severe hallucinations resulting from the inability to cope with the seed of paranoia. A mental tug of war that cannot be reconciled by logic or rationale - an itch in the back of the mind that cannot be resolved. Every corner has eyes, every gust of wind is something watching, the shadows are too long. Something is there - you know it. Often, even without Cruor's persistent presence, these delusions and hallucinations may persist for several days after exposure.

l̴̼̟̯̪̟̓̆̃o̵͙̫͖̘͊̕ŏ̴͉̪͓̺̿̅͗̕k̷͙̥͔̞̫̉̄͊͋͋ ̴̬̩̻̑̈́̏ȃ̵̤̦̜̱̪̆w̶̡͈͉͑͜a̷͖͕͔͍̔̍̏̄͜y̶̟̻̳̫͝.̵̰̥̝͖͒̂̒ ̸͙̭͕̇l̴̛͚̉͜ò̵̱̉͋̊̌o̵͚̫̓̔̎k̴͇̃ ̶͈̘̠̤̱̆̃̓͝ȧ̴̭̺͚̲̠̋̓̔̂w̶̛̥̞͈͌̈́̕a̴͕͉͕̎̋̓ŷ̵̢̝̣̑̊.̶̧̱̆̎ ̸͇̜̽̏͆͗͜l̷̠͓̤̲̤͘ò̷͚̃̾́͠o̶̲͓͚̫͑͋̄͘ͅk̶̺̈́ ̶͎̠̊̎ǎ̴̜͙̀w̷͓̃͗̈͘a̴̦̪̥͔̓̅y̶͖͕̝̕͝.̷̺͉̓̔̕̕͘ ̸̝͂͂̎l̸̪̲̘̈̃͂̌͠o̷̫̿͐̀o̴͓̐̈́̋̿k̴̜̫̔̄͑͛̊ ̸̡̜͉̭̃͒͐̽ä̸̤w̷͙̫̝̅̒͌̊́͜a̵̹̮̫̟̫͑̔̿̕y̷̨͍͔̋͑̐͐͝ͅ.̸͎͑̈́͗͝

BEHIND THE MASK - THE WARD, BROKEN

◆ What if Cruor has spoken to my character, and the awareness is there?

Once the ward is broken, if you still do not possess the knowledge of who, exactly, wears the mask, it remains in effect to an extent. The ward remains semi-functional. You are capable of perceiving Cruor still - of knowing that they are an entity that exists in the world as an individual, rather than a faceless passerby. However, the ward still effects some things. Namely, the ward influences expectation. Cruor's voice, stature, apparent gender, and other minor details and mannerisms may be influenced by what each individual person may believe to be "typical" of someone like Cruor, doing what Cruor has done. Primarily, this will reflect the feelings that your character has. Characters who are more subconsciously afraid of one gender than the other, for example, may perceive Cruor as that gender, after experiencing the fear and paranoia that the ward invokes.

◆ What if I know that the person behind the mask is Yora Caarvelian, specifically?

Even unmasked, the ward can be utilized to prey on expectation. This is reserved for those who know Yora exceptionally well, or who have extremely fine-tuned mental control of themselves. Yora's presentation may be manipulated using the ward, even unmasked, to reflect what an individual expects of her. This cannot affect her behavior, but it can cause hallucinatory visual alterations to her physical state and cause things that she might feel - such as pain, pleasure, touch, or other sensory experiences. A person who attacks Yora and misses, but expects that she is injured may then perceive an injury, and Yora may feel pain, but beyond the sensory and visual inputs, there is no actual injury.Other headmates of Yora's may sometimes use this to their advantage; Sköll, for example, creates fear intentionally, then uses the hallucinatory side-effect of the ward to manipulate the other person into perceiving him as draconic. These hallucinations are both visual and tactile, and can feel very real.

YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER . . .

◆ ground rules
◇ perception
◆ curse
◇ blood
◆ attford

CROWN OF THE GULL CROW - CRUOR'S BLOOD

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In non neque non ipsum iaculis fermentum. Quisque eget hendrerit arcu. Donec ac urna ac purus egestas condimentum. Praesent a enim ullamcorper, tincidunt nisi vitae, tincidunt ipsum. Nunc at viverra est, eget eleifend erat. Nulla et aliquet lacus, viverra accumsan nisl. Vestibulum ullamcorper nisi nulla, sit amet lobortis est tristique interdum.Fusce facilisis tellus et lorem efficitur, sed sollicitudin ipsum tempor. Donec ac velit id risus dignissim interdum eu eu urna. Nunc orci lorem, egestas et hendrerit ut, aliquam et nisi. Etiam ac felis dignissim, mattis metus eu, semper turpis. Sed nec dui commodo, dignissim quam non, lacinia enim. Pellentesque tristique elit sit amet elementum luctus. Cras volutpat imperdiet justo sed finibus. Ut at diam ac tellus sollicitudin tristique. Vestibulum pulvinar rhoncus massa, ut sodales eros dignissim in. Vestibulum et ex vel ipsum elementum tempus et pellentesque nunc. Nam vel cursus velit, ut egestas leo.

◆ List item.◆ List item.◆ List item.