Difference between revisions of "Entities"

Various powerful entities exist within the setting of PersonaMUSH. Some are at least neutral forces, lending aid while not taking any direct action in events. Others, though, have their own agendas, and few of them are good for humanity as a whole. A handful can even be called actively antagonistic.

The purpose of this file is to describe these beings, their general behavior, and hint at the sort of activities they may be caught up with... though, of course, their plots typically remain inscrutable to mortals.

As a general rule, with the exception of the Velvet Room staff for non-combat scenes within the Velvet Room, these entities are not free to NPC without a +request to that effect.

Obviously, game plot spoilers will be found in this file, so proceed at your own risk.

[edit] Philemon

"I am Philemon, a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls... I am you. You are me... I shall always watch over you from within."

A denizen of the collective unconsciousness, Philemon is a entity born from all that is high-minded and noble about humanity. His fervent hope is that all of humanity will become enlightened. To that end, he grants the power of Persona to those he deems to possess a strong will--those who successfully play the Persona Game (see The Persona Game). He also is behind the existence of the Velvet Room: Igor is his direct servant.

Outside granting power and the means to develop as a Persona-user through the Velvet Room, though, he never takes a direct role in things. No matter what people do with his gifts, he remains an observer, leaving the question of what they do with the power up to them.

Philemon appears to be a young man clad all in black, his brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and his face obscured by a white and gold butterfly mask. No matter what happens, he always appears to remain calm.

[edit] Nyarlathotep

"You desired all of this! Smile a little! You're contradicting yourself!"

If Philemon is the embodiment of all that is good about humanity, then Nyarlathotep is everything that is bad. Like his counterpart, he too is a denizen of the collective unconsciousness. The Crawling Chaos can be said to be everyone's Shadow, all wadded up into a walking avatar of nastiness. The most distressing part about Nyarlathotep's cruelty is, in fact, that it's all so very human. Too-human pettiness, revenge, hatred, and despair are all purviews of his.

If there is one thing that Nyarlathotep wants, it is to see humans destroy themselves through their contradictory natures. He doesn't do much more than give them the little push they need, or point out the big red shiny button with the do not touch sign.

To that end, he utilizes both his ability to grant powerful Personas (see The Offer) to those he who accept his offer as well as his ability to alter his appearance at will. Male or female, living or dead, it doesn't matter. Nyarlathotep can wear anyone's face. In fact, no one has seen Nyarlathotep's true face... if he even has one.

[edit] The Snow Queen

"Nothing's more beautiful than despair after a struggle. I can't wait to bask in your beautiful despair..."

The Snow Queen is emblematic of nothing less than the cruelty of nature itself, red in tooth and claw. She delights in those who suffer and break under the storms that life brings, but takes no moves to directly cause them that misery. She is not a personal villain by any means: she simply is.

Though able to grant powerful Personas to those who actually manage to catch her interest (The Offer), her preferred means of empowerment involves Shadow-Possession. Those who she may encounter might find their darker sides spurred onwards from within, and may succumb to her should they lack the willpower to stand up to themselves.

Her goal, befitting her domain, is simply to see the world encased in ice, the better to passively enjoy the suffering of the world as the Eternal Night draws in. To that end, she occasionally chooses a representative to bear her mask, a powerful artifact that holds a large portion of her power, though none she has selected have managed to bring about an endless winter's night... yet.

[edit] Nyx

"..."

Perhaps the most enigmatic of figures, Nyx alone is the entity who does not seem to take any active role in the world. This is for the best, for she is the incarnation of Death itself. Her passage into the world would certainly bring about a terrible disaster, simply due to her very nature. For the time being, she sleeps, far from the reach of humanity. If she should awaken...

[edit] Izanami

"It's impossible for humans to grasp the truth with their own hands..."

Izanami is the chief goddess of the Shinto religion, and once created the world with her husband Izanagi. Tragically, when she gave birth to the fire god Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, she perished, and though her husband tried to rescue her from the underworld, he found she had already rotted. When he left her behind, she screamed that she would kill his subjects, while he replied that he would see to it that more were born to counter the loss. Or so the myth goes, at least.

Izanami may be a goddess of the underworld, but she is very intrigued about humans, and even more so, the way they lie to themselves and others. She has wondered if what they truly desire is a world of lies.

To that end, she has given a select few individuals a little push by granting them power, as she seeks to play once again a game to discern what humanity is meant to be. Her actions tend to be subtle rather than overt, and she acts through countless other beings, divine and mortal alike, rather than raise a hand herself. As a result, it is difficult to say exactly what she /would/ look like, should she craft an avatar.

[edit] Denizens of the Velvet Room

The Velvet Room serves as home for a great deal of strange and powerful beings. Save for Igor, not all of them can necessarily be found in every person's version of the Velvet Room, though their presence may still sometimes be felt (or heard, in the case of Belladonna and Nameless) in a variety of ways.

[edit] Igor

"Welcome to the Velvet Room. This is where the different forms of people's hearts are called to awaken... By order of our Master Philemon, we have been awaiting you."

Igor is the master of the Velvet Room (see Velvet Room). Through his guidance, visitors may summon new Personas that they have obtained through their social links. He also at times deposits cryptic advice, and may do tarot readings on request.

A servant of master Philemon, he claims that his sole purpose is to serve Persona-users and guide them on their journey. His appearance, though, that of a bug-eyed hunchbacked old man in a suit with an extremely long nose, takes some first-time visitors by surprise. Despite his somewhat creepy mannerisms, he is never anything less than helpful.

Those who have obtained their Persona from the mysterious fortune-teller (The Fortune-Teller) will recognize Igor at once as the man who granted them their Persona.

[edit] Nameless

"I am a pianist, floating in the sea within mankind... Your consciousness becomes my music, and I spend thousands of nights, days, and nights again in a dialogue with my piano."

The Velvet Room's resident pianist, Nameless is never seen anywhere but at the keyboard. To heighten his focus on his music, he wears an indigo blindfold over his eyes. To hear him say it, he hasn't taken the blindfold off in over three hundred years.

His concentration on his music is supreme, and he can continue to play the piano even while holding a conversation. Nameless has an odd habit of counting things and remarking upon them in conversation, on items as odd and disparate as the number of sighs by heartbroken lovers over the years, or the number strong-willed people he has known.

He appears as a dark-haired middle-aged man in a black suit. He is the source of the constant piano tune that echoes throughout the Velvet Room.

[edit] Demon Artist

"I express my emotions through my art. I'm not much for chatting... But I think I can make an exception for you."

The Demon Artist is the craftsman behind any and all tarot cards that a character may receive to summon their generic Personas with (should they choose summon generic Personas in that fashion).

He is also the creator of the special cards that those who have spoken with the fortuneteller user (The Fortune-Teller). Demon Artist is a decidedly scruffy man in an overcoat, with a thin beard, long dark hair, sunglasses, and a beanie.

Alone of the denizens of the Velvet Room, he is human, a famous painter who vanished from Sumaru City decades ago. His reasons for leaving the human world behind are mysterious, but if there's any hint of such to be found, it may be in the paintings he is always in the process of finishing.

[edit] Belladonna

"I am Belladonna o/` I sing for those who challenge o/` The monster known as oneself o/`"

A soprano singer who resides within the Velvet Room, Belladonna is always singing. She is in fact so devoted to her song that she has plugged her ears so she can focus on nothing else but the sound of her voice. She is adept at reading lips, of course, and can carry on a conversation and sing at the same time.

Appearing as a young woman in a ballgown, her dark swept-back hair has white streaks in it. She is the source of the constant wordless song that echoes throughout the Velvet Room.

[edit] Elizabeth

"Oh, my... You actually brought it. Is that what everyone is so afraid of? If you ask me, it's rather charming."

One of the attendants of the Velvet Room, Elizabeth is among those who manage the Persona Compendium, the listing of Personas that any particular Persona-user may equip. Her personality is cheery and fun-loving.

Elizabeth has a habit of asking Persona-users to fulfill odd requests from her, from obtaining a certain Persona and showing it to her, to retrieving a rather peculiar but mundane object as a gift. She rewards those she sends on these quests.

Elizabeth appears as a young woman with short white hair and yellow eyes. She wears a blue dress that looks somewhat like a flight attendant's outfit. She also has a small blue hat, again somewhat like a flight attendant's.

[edit] Theodore

"How unfortunate... I've acquired something precious to me. It's your fault, you realize."

One of the attendants of the Velvet Room, Theodore is among those who manage the Persona Compendium, the listing of Personas that any particular Persona-user may equip. He is Elizabeth's younger brother. He has a serious personality, but he's more than a little bit naive about the world beyond the Velvet Room door.

Like his sister, he is very interested in items from the outside world, and will reward Persona-users for bringing the item he requests to him. He appears as a young man with short white hair and yellow eyes. He wears a blue suit that is halfway between that of a bellboy and that of a flight attendant. Like his sister, he wears a small hat, not unlike a flight attendant's.

[edit] Margaret

"But remember, one's soul is fragile. The purer it is, the stronger it gets, but it can easily be led astray."

One of the attendants of the Velvet Room, Margaret is among those who manage the Persona Compendium, the listing of Personas that any particular Persona-user may equip. She is Elizabeth's older sister. Her personality is quiet and professional.

She is particularly interested in the variety of Personas that exist in the world. She appears as a woman in her mid-to-late 20s, with shoulder-length wavy white hair held back by a blue hairband. Like her sister, she has yellow eyes. She wears a long blue overcoat over a short blue dress.