application ;; faderift

[extramural]

RIFTER APPLICATION

PLAYER

Name: Gadgets
Age: 24
Contact: gadgetsandgears
Other Characters: Merrill
Interests: Mysteries! Politics! Tension! I love it all. I want to try and approach them from an angle that is different -- namely, an extremely nosy Rifter who has to learn about all of this for the first time and decide how to get involved, as opposed to a character like Merrill who has pre-existing opinions on everything.

CHARACTER

Name: The Outsider
Canon/OC: Dishonored
Canon Point: End game, medium-high chaos.
Journal: extramural
Age: over 4000, physically a teenager

Canon World
Dishonored mostly takes place in the Empire of the Isles, specifically its capitol city, Dunwall. Having entered an industrial age, technology is on the rise, due largely in part to the whaling industry. Magic is feared and condemned by the main religion, the Abbey of the Everyman (which does not appear to worship an actual god of any sort), and practitioners and/or worshipers of the Outsider are hunted and killed. Classism and corruption run rampant and power is frequently abused. The Pandyssian Continent is outside of the Empire and is considered savage and uncivilized, with most explorers dying or going mad.

While similar to Earth in many ways, the animals of this world are noticeably different. Blood oxen appear to be omnivores, while gazelles are giraffe-like. The hagfish looks more like a real world snakehead fish and the wolfhounds look partially crocodilian. The rat plague is also similar to the real world plague, but more violent, with the rats more pervasive - likely, in part, due to the fact that they were deliberately introduced in an effort to destroy the poor. All in all, it's a dark, chaotic world filled with turmoil on the brink of change, for better or for worse.

History
> born human
> became an orphan at some point
> at age 15, taken by an occult group and subjected to a ritual that merged him with the Void
> bebooped around for 4000 years
> within the last several decades, appeared to several humans, including Vera Moray/Granny Rags, Daud, Delilah Copperspoon, and the Lonely Rat Boy
> the assassin Daud is paid to kill Empress Jessamine Kaldwin; Corvo Attano, her Royal Protector, is framed for the crime and imprisoned for several months
> appears to Daud and has him investigate Delilah; shows up to taunt him throughout The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches DLC
> Corvo escapes, helped by the Loyalists
> appears to Corvo and gives him his Mark
> shows up to taunt Corvo throughout Dishonored as he removes those behind Jessamine's murder from play
> Corvo spares Daud*, surprising the Outsider
> Corvo is betrayed by the main Loyalists; Emily is kidnapped by them
> Corvo saves Emily*
*Player-choice dependent.

The Outsider ; Dishonored ; The Knife of Dunwall ; The Brigmore Witches

Personality
A god-like being who enjoys seeing how people use their power, the Outsider rarely interferes in mortal affairs. The plague in Dunwall is just another event, something to watch. Corvo, who never asked to be chosen by the Outsider or to wear his Mark, is “interesting”. Meanwhile, Anton Sokolov, who actively seeks out ways to try and meet the Outsider, is considered boring; the Outsider never appears to him, despite the rituals and experiments the man performs trying to compel the god to appear. As Corvo moves toward what he believes to be his last target, the man who had his Empress killed, the Outsider tells him that no matter what Corvo chooses to do to the Lord Regent, he expects a good show. If Corvo speaks to the Outsider after sparing the Lord Regent’s life, the Outsider muses about what it will mean in the days to come. “I’ve lived a long, long time, and these are the moments I wait for.”

Still, those the Outsider favors get a little more than indifference. He warns Corvo of Granny Rags, telling him to be careful – and rightfully so, considering he has given her power as well and she eats people. After Daud kills Empress Jessamine, he informs the man that his story is close to ending – another warning. He is not, however, overly attached to them: if Corvo kills Daud, he simply asks if Corvo even knows why he killed the assassin. Human beings die, his chosen included – and the Void is where most will end up anyway, with him. He may perhaps be a bit regretful if a particularly interesting one dies, but he’ll find something else. It’s far more of a waste if his chosen and Marked stop being intriguing.

If Corvo kills the High Overseer, the Outsider mentions that he supposes he should thank him. He doesn’t; simply says that and vanishes. He’s clearly aware of human customs, but doesn’t believe that they apply to him; why would they? He is a god, after all. Still, the Outsider is not above using them: he pokes at the places that hurt most, asking if Corvo dreamed of going to a party while in prison and reminding Daud that he killed the Empress, that the city is in shambles because of him. Everything he does is for his own purposes, for the movement of the world in one way or another, so that he can watch.

All in all, the Outsider is a strange entity: a god with a taste for the interesting things humans do, a being of the Void, of magic and of monsters. He can be cruel and he can be kind. For him, what matters the most is what he finds interesting – even if it means the downfall of an Empire. Even, perhaps, if it means his downfall. As long as he’s entertained, he doesn’t seem to mind which it is.

Strengths & Weaknesses
POWERS
As a note – in canon there is a great deal of speculation about what the Outsider, as a god, can and cannot do. As such, I have taken the abilities that he is able to grant other people and included them, as well as a few abilities taken from descriptions of the Outsider found in the lore within the game world. And I'm really sorry that he's got so much shit.

- Blink/Transversals: teleportation. The Outsider appears to be able to show up pretty much wherever he'd like, while those he gifts this ability to have a range of about a city block and can only appear in a place they can see that isn't impeded by glass, etc.
- Dark Vision/Void Gaze: the ability to see living things + items of interest (they appear ‘highlighted’ and also show up through walls); the ability to see the sounds living things make and their range of sight. This ability must be activated.
- Devouring Swarm: the ability to summon a horde of Pandyssian Bull Rats. They will be friendly to the Outsider and attempt to eat everyone else. (In canon, these rats carry the Rat Plague, both by mites and seemingly the rats themselves; while I may want to bring this in as a player plot later, I'd assume that any rats he summons until that point can't give anyone the plague.)
- Possession: the ability to possess people and animals. Any possession of player characters/the animals of player characters would be discussed first! Small animals such as rats or fish do not survive; larger animals, such as dogs, and people are disoriented when he leaves their bodies.
- Bend Time: slow/stop time.
- Windblast: blast people and items away (about 5 feet) with a summoned gale of wind; strong enough to break down a door and potentially kill someone.
- Vitality: basically he’s very very hard to kill. He’s not quite immortal, as the developers have stated that some previous gods of the Void have died before, but it takes some Work.
- Agility: can jump, run, climb, swim, and even fall much better than the average person.
- Blood Thirsty: melee attacks and kills are stronger and more brutal (think “can behead someone with a single blow”).
- Levitation
- Shadow Kill: enemies turn to ash when killed.
- Pull: can lift items or beings via magic. Think telekinesis.
- Creation of magic runes and bone charms.
- Raising the dead/placing the souls of the dead in other objects.
- Knowledge of various magic rituals native to his world.
- The ability to speak to others through dreams.
- The ability to be summoned at shrines built to him.
- Seeing through the eyes of animals.
- Unlock locks without touching them.
- Able to "impose his will" on objects -- essentially, enchanting items.
- The ability to gift magic to another/grant another his Mark. He will only grant the powers above (and I absolutely understand if you would like this nerfed!) and will, most likely, not be giving out his Mark – in canon, only 8 people in the entire world have it.
- Almost omniscience: the Outsider can see numerous possibilities as to what may happen during events. However, he is capable of being surprised (typically by Corvo); it is perhaps more likely that he sees what is probable.

CREEPY MUSIC MAGIC
Void magic seems to have inherently negative effects on the weak-minded; these people go crazy over the discovery of bone charms and runes, killing each other for possession of the items. Others can be around bone charms for extended periods of time, even using them as decoration, with seemingly no ill-effects.

DISRUPTED POWERS
The Outsider's magic (or, at least, the magic he gifts to others) can also be disrupted by certain frequencies. This may very well hold true to Templar abilities.

OLD AS BALLS
The Outsider is over four thousand years old and has spent every minute of it studying human nature. He has seen a lot and he knows how people tend to react in situations.

WHAT'S A SOCIAL LIFE?
That being said, he has very limited contact with people and it rarely includes a two-sided conversation. He's an eldritch deity with next to no empathy. People have always been interesting subjects of study, but friends? Enemies? Not since he was human himself. He's very much out of practice with actually using social skills. We're talking worse than "it's a nice night for an evening" here. He also only tends to talk to people who interest him, which means if he has to play nice with boring nobles, he... will completely ignore them.

THAT IS CLEARLY A DEMON
Not actually a demon, but he has all black eyes and is creepy and weird and clearly uses magic, which means he's probably going to have a huge target on his back as soon as he shows up. Yay :D

Arrival Inventory
Just his clothes and his rings.

'Human'ization
The Outsider is a god, or at least a "representational, godlike entity" of the Void. He was human once, but is no longer, and is considered to be part angel and part devil by the people of Gristol. He most likely does not need to eat, drink, or sleep (which I fully expect to change in Fade Rift) and does not age (or at least not quickly because you cannot tell me he still looks 15 I mean come on).

Fit
The Outsider hasn't been in a New Place since the first time he entered the Void. He's going to find Thedas and everything about it fascinating, which means he's likely to... actually be somewhat social. He's also very much what many would consider a Dangerous Rifter: he clearly has powers and he does things just to see what will happen. I'm interested in getting more involved in that conflict, and I think the Outsider would be perfect to do it with. Likewise, magic being evil is a core tenant of the Abbey, and religious corruption is widespread; Thedas actually has a pretty decent handle on it in comparison. I want to see how the two mirror and differ. Likewise, I want the Outsider to be able to grow past his role of "nosy voyeur god" -- especially since I doubt anyone will be cool with him calling himself a god -- and perhaps be able to have some more interactions that he was denied as a human.

Also I need someone who can be more of an asshole than Merrill.

SAMPLES

log;
test drive thread with alvin
test drive thread with varric

network;
[ The crystal picks up mountain wind, blustery and strong as the weather from Cloudreach tries to linger into Bloomingtide. It isn't this windy down in Skyhold's courtyard, which means the crystal is higher -- up on the top of one of the towers, to be exact.

After a moment, a deep, almost monotone voice joins the wind. ]

Well, well. What a view.

How old is this fortress, I wonder. How many cities has it seen rise and fall from its secluded perch? How many has it helped, either up or down?

Even those of us who are not a part of this world are now playing a hand in its fate. From this hold, we will see either a rise or a fall. We will help it either way.

Personally, I'm very interested in seeing how it all ends up.

[ There are faint sounds of impact, fingers on the crystal, turning it around. Where he got it remains to be seen -- perhaps taken from someone, perhaps found, perhaps enchanted. ]

Do you have wishes for this Inquisition? Wishes for your time in this place? I'm very curious.

Comments

CANON UPDATE ;;

[extramural]

Character: The Outsider
New Canon Point: Post-Dishonored 2

Synopsis: Dishonored 2 @ Dishonored Wiki (weirdly free of spoilers) & Dishonored 2 plot @ Wikipedia (so many spoilers)
As a note, when he was originally applied for, the canon ending of Dishonored was not known. Afterward, it was made canon that the Low Chaos version is canon. While he was applied for with High Chaos listed, it was not referenced in game; I'd like to retcon that, if that's okay, so that a) he's actually canon, and b) the events of Dishonored 2 actually make sense. As for the events...

The Outsider bummed around for years popcorn.gif-ing the events of the Real World because he's Unhelpful

At some point, the witch Delilah discovered the location in the Void tied to where the Outsider became the Outsider. She used this to become more powerful. The Outsider did not like this but wasn't able to do anything.

Delilah is returned to the Real World and starts plotting a coup

Fifteen years after the events of Dishonored, the coup is enacted. Depending on player choice, either Corvo or Emily escape and the other is turned into a statue. As of right now, I'll be saying Emily was the one to escape; if needed based on future applications or canon updates, I can (with permission!) swing a "the Outsider knows how it ended up for either one because he's the Outsider and the Void shows him things" sort of scenario

The Outsider offers Emily his Mark and tells her to go kick Delilah's ass (not in those exact terms); she accepts (this is also player-dependent why do you do this to be me, game)

He proceeds to beeboop around offering her tidbits of information and watching her general progress

This includes giving her the Timepiece to go back and forth years in time in Stilton's manor (as the barrier between the Void and real world have been damaged -- sounds familiar, huh -- and the Void is basically bleeding in to the real world) and revealing that Delilah has basically become a part of him and that he Does Not Like It

Literally the most useless deity otherwise he just watches and makes Emily do all the work until she gets rid of Delilah, then presumably he quietly says "yay"

Key Character Developments:
Personality-wise? Literally not at all. He's still a 4000 year old brat, though he does show more emotion in this game -- emotion that he has also shown in Thedas, so, yeah. Not at all.
Power-wise, there's more just to give you guys grief, I think. (And also some I forgot on his original app.) As with when he was applied for, the following note applies– in canon there is a great deal of speculation about what the Outsider, as a god, can and cannot do. As such, I have taken the abilities that he is able to grant other people and included them, as well as a few abilities taken from descriptions of the Outsider found in the lore within the game world.

The ability to create a thick cloud of mist. Just mist/fog that's hard to see through.

The ability to transform things/people into stone. In game, this seems fairly permanent; in Thedas, this should definitely have a time limit if he gets it at all.

The ability to make paintings come alive (in the form of people or creatures). Why. Why this. Also presumably only paintings he paints.

The ability to trap people in paintings what the fuck (also presumably only paintings he paints).

The ability to talk to people/see them through... statues... presumably ones that look like him so that is probably not going to be an issue.

The ability to transpose through his reflection. For the one mortal that can do this (that we know of), if the reflection is broken, he will also emerge broken (and does, he looks like he's rotting and falling apart as a result of transposing into his reflection through glacial ice).

Thorns: the ability to shoot several "dart-like" projectiles (presumably thorns) from his hand.

Blood Briars: the ability to summon creepyass vines that grab people.

Domino: the ability to link several targets so they will die or fall unconscious together. Since there are ~status effects~ in Thedas, maybe also those?

Doppelgänger: the ability to summon a duplicate (or two) of himself that can distract or fight enemies and potentially swap (physical) places with one.

Far Reach: the ability to shoot a magical tendril from his hand, similar to a grappling hook/rope, that allows access to higher up locations + farther away locations. Also can be used to yank people/things toward him. You know, because he needed that IN ADDITION to what is basically telekinesis.

Mesmerize: the ability to summon a spirit that enthralls living enemies for a short period of time. While it's described as summoning a spirit, it genuinely looks more like a weird window into the Void, so ????

Shadow Walk: the ability to turn into a smaller, stealthier form that looks like a shadow person with freakishly long limbs and claws that climbs around on all fours like a flatter version of Gollum, tbh.

Reflexes: the ability to block incoming projectiles with ones sword.

tl;dr still an OP shithead

[extramural]

↠ Transforming people into stone: fine for the same duration that mages are able to freeze targets solid in combat, will require focus/energy to maintain.
↠ Paintings coming alive and trapping people in paintings: not in Thedas.
↠ Statues: if he wants to make a statue of himself he can use it this way.
↠ Transposing into reflections: nnno. :C
↠ Vines: Fine, as long as they're in his line of sight and so on.
↠ Domino: with all the usual caveats - they must be in line of sight, etc. - this will work. It will be limited to three people at a time, and if they do leave his sight it won't continue to work in his absence.
↠ Doppelganger: he can cause hallucinations similar to this, but not duplicates capable of physically influencing the world.
↠ Mesmerize: he won't be able to summon a spirit.