Claire

Claire after activating her Nimbus.

The COOL Hierarch

Born: April 13, 1995

Age: 21

Rank: She's sketchy about it nowadays.

Titles/Memberships: Hierarch of Adelaide

Various nicknames and aliases: Lightning, Si

Physical description: She's approximately 5'7" with dark brown hair (though recently she's taken to bleaching and colouring the top, currently she's got a lot of regrowth going), shaved on the sides and back. Her eyes are an icy shade of blue and her pale skin is prone to sunburn. She usually wears jeans and a crop top, usually accompanied by a hoodie and boots. In summer, she wears denim shorts, similar shirts and sneakers. She almost never wears wafty clothes, for the sake of practicality, though when she does she's often distracted by just how wafty they are and idly plays with the wafty parts. She's usually wearing a little eyeliner with some mascara (occasionally sparkly eyeshadow), but rarely bothers doing anything else to her face. She's started wearing more jewellery recently, though she seems to have dropped an old favourite necklace of hers in favour of other trinkets.

Nimbus: Claire is surrounded by blue energy which appears to burn upwards, giving off a glow not dissimilar to firelight. Small things by her feet, no larger than a gumnut, lift a little way off the ground. The air around her smells of ozone and rain, and a crackling sound may be heard, similar to that of arcing electricity. Those who have known her since her awakening will note that the light from her nimbus has changed and now shines considerably brighter than it used to.

Timeline

Awakened: August 30, 2015

Initial Master: Officially, Dornelia, but she's picked up a lot of things from other older mages, too.

Recent events

On the Quest for Knowledge

“Hey, Si?”

“Yeah?”

“If you had a superpower, what would it be?”

~

Experiment 1 – Pebbles

The aim of this experiment was not so much gathering data so much as proving that accuracy can be achieved. This skill defies the very laws of physics, but through manipulating the forces that pull the pebble towards the centre of the earth, it was flung six (6) times to break four (4) beakers. The first attempt at hitting a beaker missed the mark, however the fifth attempt did something curious and flung in the opposite direction to what was intended, causing minor physical harm to myself. There were three further attempts which resulted in the pebble not shifting at all – my skill seems to be limited at the moment. Call me unprofessional for switching to first person. I don’t know why I had that vision, nor why I have these powers, but I’ll be damned if I don’t figure out how they work. I’m sure they can be used for a good cause.

~

“I dunno, I guess I’m partial to the idea of being able to control the weather.”

“The weather?”

“Yeah. Imagine the joy on people’s faces if you brought rain to a drought-ridden farm!”

“Lame. Anything else?”

“Well, you could also use that power to mess with lightning and the wind I guess…”

~

Experiment 4 – Arcs

Following success in altering the current within a closed circuit, this experiment focuses on making electricity arc from one point to another. Some distance was given between myself and the power source so as not to have any more incidents like with the pebbles – I am not in full control of these powers yet, I need to improve myself. Out of the five successful arcs, three hit their mark (a piece of copper approximately a metre from the power source), whereas one jumped to a nearby tap about a foot in the opposite direction (the fourth attempt out of the five) and the other failed to make the complete leap, arcing instead onto a rogue thumbtack about 40cm from the target metal (attempt three). I did make a sixth attempt, however this failed to do anything. I think I can feel when an attempt is going to completely fail now – it’s like I’m out of juice. Magicka? Or something. I’ll work it out eventually.

~

“Why not energy powers? Like that guy from Days of Future Past?”

“Bishop?”

“Yeah, Bishop.”

“Because Storm is obviously way cooler?”

“What about Phoenix?”

~

Experiment 19 – Prime fire???

Zali showed me a grimoire she found at the meeting a little while ago, got me to cast the rote written into it and it made some kind of fireball, except using raw magic to create it rather than using Forces to manipulate what’s already there. It was really damn cool, makes me wonder if I could imbue something with it somewhere down the track. Maybe when I get a spear eventually? Looking at it with prime sight would be awesome, I imagine it would look like one of Undyne’s energy spears. I’ve been toying around with it (the spell). I know I shouldn’t risk the paradox but I can absorb it, I can feel when it’s about to happen now and know how to stop it from unleashing itself on the world. I made sure to go somewhere where the damage wouldn’t be noticed too much – I literally went to Morialta and aimed it at the base of one of the waterfalls. Technically it’s magical fire, but the water helped to control it, and it didn’t look like there was any serious damage to the rock behind. I managed to cast three times before paradox reared its ugly head at me. Of course I absorbed it, I have a nasty bruise on my thigh now, but there was water everywhere to cool it with, so it didn’t swell up too badly, should be gone in a week or so. Might ask Usagi for some of that cream she was going on about in the forest.

I keep running out of mana, I really need to do something about that.

~

"You mean Phoenix like, not movie Phoenix, right?"

"I mean..."

"Okay so like you know the whole deal with Quicksilver in The Avengers?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, that."

~

I've stopped counting.

I wanted to do something today to commemorate being done with my last round of exams. Mess around. Experiment like old times. Instead, have some bullshit. Everyone loves bullshit.

Some guy bumped into me today, before the exam. Spilt my coffee. Offered to pay for any cleaning I needed because of it, the normal courtesies. But, after that, I'm drawing a blank. I could feel the magic wearing off like, mid-way through the exam, too. He's made me forget something, I just know it, but that's the thing about forgetting - I don't know what I've forgotten.

I could have given that blonde bastard any number of pieces of information, hell, he might have made me want to. What if he knows where we usually meet? Where the sanctums I know about are? What if he knows about who's in what cabal? Where we're keeping Shutterbug? Important people? Places? Plans? He could know anything about us. About me.

I'm the Hierarch. I can't let this happen, I'm supposed to be leading this concilium, not condemning it to its doom.

I need to know what he knows.

~

TO BE CONTINUED...

A New Life

After her awakening, Claire threw herself into experimentation, testing herself on her ability to utilise her newfound abilities. As a result, she found herself having to borrow mana from the Hierarch upon first meeting them, as she didn't know how to scour her pattern. She has since learned, however she's come to the conclusion that allowing her mana to restore itself and drawing it from hallows or tass is a much better idea. On a little quest to find hallows, she realised one was hiding in her bookshelf, right under her nose. That'll teach her to keep her sights up.

She's spent most of her free time since awakening on testing the limits of her magic, especially in the arcana of Forces. She's now beginning to look at Prime - something she was already considering, further inspired by the ceasefire deal with the Seers. Upon learning that The Zali has a grimoire for a Prime rote, she learned to appreciate the raw power that Prime can hold (already appreciating all the Hallow-related perks, having visited Usagi's and learning more about how they work through observation and study). She's focused a little more on Time and on improving herself however she can - studying Kyo-Kushin Karate, looking into how to better connect to the Supernal, learning (and, to some extent, self-teaching) how to veil her spells and how to imbue things, even working out how to create phantasms.

Since she became Hierarch, Claire's felt the need to seek other kinds of guidance, and has been talking privately with other more experienced mages on matters of philosophy and religion.

Personality and Interests

Claire tends to be pretty upbeat about most things. She's kind, and has a natural curiosity that leads her to experimenting with various forms of magic. Her compassion for others and the situation regarding the Seers in Adelaide has led her to become very defensive, initially turning to the Adamantine Arrow for guidance and a place where she can better channel her energy into protecting what is good in the world. She's happy to put the well being and sanity of others before herself, despite the cost to her own well being. It may also be worth noting that when she's attracted to someone, she'll do almost anything for that person to gain their affections in return.

She's pretty big on Japanese videogames, and especially likes the Final Fantasy series, as well as most games churned out by Nintendo. She's also become partial to Undertale and Magic: The Gathering in more recent times. She's also really into K-Pop and pop music in general, and is pretty big on groups like EXO and The Temper Trap. Her favourite shows are mostly cartoons like Steven Universe or lighthearted anime like Ouran Highschool Host Club, however she does have a bit of a penchant for action dramas and blockbuster movies, and likes to theorise whether any of the happenings in her fave films are actually possible using mundane technologies or if they're ever likely to be. One of her favourite books is Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku, so she's used to reading about these hypotheses - why not discuss them?

She keeps her living space impeccably clean, and it usually irks her when she visits people to realise they're super messy, to the point where she usually attempts to discreetly tidy up a bit. Most people jump to thinking she has OCD upon realising that she's doing this (she isn't really good at being discreet with her hinting), but her housemates know better. She's literally terrified of spiders to the point that upon learning of one's presence she feels the need to leave the room, usually quickly and with force, unless there's something seriously important that requires her to stay there. As such, she usually ends up in charge of cleaning when it comes to the housework - that way she can be comfortable knowing the spiders won't have anywhere to hide and she can throw a shoe at them or smack them with the broom repeatedly until they die. Or she can get her sister to do it. Much less stressful.

When she's not studying, training or experimenting with magic, Claire likes to hang out with her dog Thor. He's a fluffy white samoyed, three years old, and loves to run around chasing birds. Claire also likes to cosplay, her favourite being Lightning's armour from Final Fantasy XIII-2, though she has been known to cosplay characters from RWBY and Steven Universe. She's hoping that one day she can cosplay Storm from X-Men with a gentle breeze making every cape toss just that little bit easier.

2015

• MAR - Started in her second year studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Adelaide, majoring in Experimental and Theoretical Physics.
• AUG - Awakened at the end of August. Experimentation with magic (namely Forces) begins.
• SEP - Introduced to the Adelaide Concilium by her cousin, Duke. Assisted in the Concilium's exploration and investigation of a lost Silver Ladder temple. Helps form the Aegis, a cabal consisting of herself, Duke and Sullivan.
• NOV - Her housemate Carly's sister, Kate, is murdered. A deal is struck between the Adelaide Pentacle and the local Seers of the Throne, agreeing to a ceasefire, officially in place from January 1. Preparations begin.
• DEC - Claire is now a Disciple in Prime. She is also part-way through joining the Adamantine Arrow.

Claire more recently. In a more subtle display of her Nimbus, her eyes seem... brighter.

2016

• JAN - Claire travels to Perth for a week to meet some of the members of the Concilium there.
• FEB - After the other members / hopefuls of the Arrow had trouble dealing with a ghost issue, Claire teams up with The Zali, Usagi and Kyubey to neutralise the threat they pose, entering Twilight to do so. After shooting at one of the ghosts, the ghosts retaliate, both possessing her at once, controlling her to shoot at Usagi. Eventually their anchor is destroyed and Claire is given back control of her body again, but she's shaken by the experience. A week or two later, she's participating in Duel Arcane practise with the Concilium under the watchful eye of the Guardian known as Tempest.
• MAR - Dornelia arranges for Claire to make a trip to Sydney, where she reassesses some of her priorities and beliefs. Shit starts to go down in the Adelaide Concilium.
• APR - Claire turns 21. Gabriel is killed by the Seers. Claire is concerned by Usagi's change in character, and tries to help Kyubey reassure her. She saves Usagi and Qrow from dying after an Abyssal Spirit living in Zali's jar of sand attacks the Concilium. 24601 teaches Claire how to shoot in a combat situation.
• MAY - Claire reveals to the Adamantine Arrow that she will no longer be joining their ranks. The Concilium investigate the bleeding stone and, after chasing a line of power or something (it wasn't a leyline?) they find that it's connected to a (really, really) magical vault of some sort. After learning that, in order to open the vault, the Concilium needs to summon one of everything that each path can summon, Claire re-kindles an abandoned thread on the Obrimos boards, hoping for some kind of guidance. She also learns she can scream at things to hurt them.
• JUN - Amid study for her exams, Claire witnesses an awakening on her uni campus, and she follows to assist and make sure he's okay, explaining to the new mage (who later takes the name Amaymon) what he is and what that means once he comes out of the trance. She later learns that Amaymon is actually Mephi's son.
• JUL - Claire is nominated for Hierarch by Tiamat and after a consilium vote, is actually named Hierarch. She starts working towards a concilium that actually works together. She is also inducted into and named the newest member of the Silver Ladder by Andromeda on their return.
• AUG - Claire begins work analysing Lex Magicas from across the nation, hoping to finalise one for Adelaide. Tiamat kills a Seer and rips her heart out, and gains Claire's attention to the point where she starts trying as best as she can to figure out what's ailing her.
• SEP - With the Seers having fled the city and the arrival of Carpenter, another Obrimos, Claire takes some time to think introspectively and seek guidance in how to become a better everything. She's dyed her ponytail blonde, leaving the sides and back dark.
• OCT - Following the national meeting in Canberra, Claire returns to Adelaide determined, but unsettled. Just when everything had been coming together, too. She knows what she wants to do, but not quite how.
• NOV - After Adelaide realises it may have a bit of a necromancer problem, Claire pushes herself to become better at Prime. She's stressed and tired, it's plain to see, but she's still trying, if only for the sake of everyone else. She does, however, have a little bit of fun dragging an old costume out of the cupboard for Supanova... before someone she doesn't know finds her, rummages through her memories like a rich kid's wardrobe, and tries to make her forget it ever happened.
• DEC - The Concilium is practically turned upside down when Amaymon attempts to force his mother's awakening, leaving her tainted and leading to her death and that of several other women. As the Concilium try to cope with this and the fact that the Tremere Lich responsible for Tempest's death may now know the faces of all the local Concilium members, everyone tries to keep calm by holding a Christmas gathering together in a safe location. Claire convinces herself after a night out seeing the Lobethal Lights that she's ruined Christmas (or at the very least, a friendship).

2017

• JAN - The Concilium holds a meeting for the trials of Crawford (formerly Amaymon) and Warden for their respective acts of Hubris. Claire feels a little drowned out by Mercy (formerly Zali), though once official proceedings are out of the way they all attempt to go out and try to enjoy themselves. Claire assigns Overwatch characters to many of the Concilium members jokingly, but falters when someone asks her why she and Carpenter aren't talking.
• FEB - After a long time coming and Claire working her hardest to achieve Adept knowledge of Forces, the Obrimos venture into the Vault to summon angels and open their locks. A little over a week later, all the locks are opened, and the Concilium venture into the vault to realise that it was once a prison - and to wonder whether it was sealed so strongly to keep someone out, or something in. After discovering a room with a strong link to the supernal inside, and another room full of ancient books and artifacts, the group then make their way to a Mysterium library, taking out books on whatever they need, as well as some old Silver Ladder artifacts that had been stowed there.
• MAR - Claire seems to be kind of hyped about something, pleased with herself, though she also seems hesitant, like she's waiting for something bad to happen. And then, Vanderlag gets possessed, and 24601 commits suicide, and everything is terrible again.

Quotes

Quotes by

"Cadence was right, you ARE sparkly." - To Hierarch Andromeda after seeing all their jewellery.

"Pfft, you won't catch me riding an elevator in a storm, even if I do need to climb 20 floors. Screw that." - Upon entering the Hilton and seeing a large number of the Concilium opt to take the lift. She regretted her decision after some sleep.

"Whoa, dude, don't give me that look, I'm not one of the trigger-happy lunatics you guys told me about, calm down." - To Gabriel, upon his seeing her pistol and giving her a look that could freeze the fires of hell.

"Wow, Duke, you weren't kidding when you said doing that hurt." - To Duke, after scouring her pattern for the first time.

"JESUS CHRIST IT'S PRIME FIRE" - After helping the Zali discern the spell that was written into a grimoire she found. By this point pretty much everyone knew it was Celestial Fire; it was kind of hard to miss.

*supersonic screeching* - At an imp, the head of which promptly exploded.

"Uh... Wow, okay, this is going to be hard to believe, and I'm gonna need you to trust me on this one, but uh... You've... You're magic. I'm magic too." - While flaring her nimbus, convincing Amaymon to listen to her explanation of what just happened to him.

"No. It's bullshit. He shouldn't have died like that, when clearly, he could have avoided it. Even I can do that. Come on." - On MCU's Quicksilver.

"I just... I wish everything was simpler. Better."

"FUCKING CRAWFORD."

Quotes about

"She gave me food and is chill af. I'll follow her to the ends of the Earth. She's good people" - Usagi

"Damn. Now that is just...I have to...er, excuse me." - Sash, watching Claire walk past, and then detaching from the conversation to wander off after her.

"She'll manage fine. She was the only one who didn't hesitate," - 24601 talking to Mephi about Claire's reaction to a harshly-worded briefing.

"Don't break. Please, don't let the world break you." - Dornelia

"You're a good sort Claire. Thanks for everything you tried to do." - 24601's last words to Claire, in a letter to be given to her after 24601's death.

Conversations

"You got your name from Final Fantasy?" "Yeah, I cosplay Lightning all the time." "MAN, YOU'RE GONNA LIKE VIVI." - Usagi and Claire, discussing names on the forums.

"Pfft, I'm just a baby mage, what use am I? I'm an Apostate and I can't do anywhere near as much cool stuff as you guys can." "You'll be plenty useful, trust me." - Claire and Sullivan, after splitting off from the rest of the Concilium with Duke and Vivi to explore more of the temple in groups rather than just a little bit as a big group.

Rumours

• Wasn't elected unanimously for Hierarch. The Foundation Cabal wanting her to be 2ic to Timiat during the current crisis and learn more about leadership, feeling she would make a great peacetime leader as long as the stress of the current situation didn't break her in her early days as Hierarch. However they did accept the majority decision.

• She only wears the amount of jewelry she does because of Andromeda; she wants for Adelaide to always have a sparkly hierarch.

Inspirations and Soundtrack

Inspiration:

Xion and Aqua from Kingdom Hearts - She puts the wellbeing of others ahead of her own.

Tracer from Overwatch - Gotta go fast!!!, timey wimey bullshit, two guns at once

Despite her name, she isn't really based on Lightning from FFXIII, she just really likes her as a character and digs her speeches and armour.

Music:

Technicolor by Madeon - Nimbus theme

Paris by The Chainsmokers

The Farplane Abyss from Final Fantasy X-2

One Day, One Chance from School Oz

It's Raining Somewhere Else from Undertale

This Is What You Came For (ft. Rihanna) by Calvin Harris (Note: Only partial audio. Youtube has either this or covers / remixes only.)

Taliyah, the Stoneweaver from League of Legends

Just Like Fire by P!nk

Hanging On by Active Child

This Will Be The Day - Magical Girl Remix from RWBY - remixed by James Landino

CORE from Undertale

Shatter Me by Lindsey Sterling (Feat. Lzzy Hale)

BONUS:

Drop Pop Candy from Vocaloid - Sans and Papyrus Remix (link to artist's Soundcloud)

Sing by My Chemical Romance

- You're Gonna Go Far, Kid from The Offspring - from Dornelia, to her.

Now dance, fucker, dance / Man I never had a chance / And no one even knew / It was really only you / And now you'll lead the way / Show the light of day / Nice work you did / You're gonna go far, kid

OOC Info

Member Information
Player:	Morgan Petrie
Number:	2015080008
Domain:	Adelaide