Difference between revisions of "TOA Viveka"

Revision as of 16:22, 5 August 2008

Background

Like poltergeists or children's imaginary friends, the doppelgänger belongs to the class of Others directly created by human minds. The specific circumstances of its creation are not as yet understood and the creatures are extremely rare. However, there is one in residence at the Agency. Her name is Viveka and she lives in Residential Room #144. This is the room with the two large signs reading "Do Not Disturb Without Clearance" and "Knock Loudly Before Entering."

The word "doppelgänger" is of German derivation, and most seem to originate in that part of the world. It means "double-walker", and the newly formed doppelgänger is just that; a ghostly imitation of a living human. It is a nonlethal psychic parasite with a sort of umbilical to its maker. A new doppelgänger is insubstantial and not self-aware. Most do not survive. The most common failure is to manifest within sight of the host, so that observers utterly disbelieve in the illusion. The creature then discorporates entirely. Similarly, being presented with a mirror or other highly reflective surface can destroy the fragile creature; it casts no reflection and so perhaps disbelieves itself into oblivion... Discorporation is common, and because of this it's unusual for the Agency to need to deal with a doppelgänger.

Sometimes, however, a doppelgänger survives this initial fragility and enters short periods of substance and thought, though most of its existence is still ghostlike. Viveka seems to have had minimal contact with her host, and after a few years she 'fledged' as she puts it, breaking the psychic umbilical. Choosing a newly built house as her territory, Viveka fed on the house's residents bylow-grade psychic draining via direct contact (usually done in the donor's sleep). After feeding she would temporarily have her meal's shape. A few generations passed and the house unsurprisingly got a reputation for being haunted. It was abandoned, which by then suited Viveka just fine.

Viveka's periods of coporeality and sentience had lengthened and her need for contact feeding dwindled to nothing. Once she began to exist off of ambient psychic energy alone she grew aggresively territorial, driving all curious trespassers from her house. Eventually her shape-shifting came under conscious control, and soon after she was permanently aware and physical. Finally she acquired a true form and named herself. This all took nearly two centuries to happen, and in that time as hobbies Viveka studied cooking and poisons. We assume that the fact she does not actually eat is why she thinks this is a logical pairing.

Exceedingly few doppelgängers develop into fullly independent, sentient beings. Agency protocols state that those who reach this stage are offered either a place in the organization or imprisonment/termination. Viveka chose to join the Agency and was given medium-sized quarters for her use, which she filled with books and a something that is both a kitchen and a poisons lab. She now stays in her quarters unless she must leave for an assignment. Agents who visit her warn her in advance, and are greeted with fresh delicious pie and the newest batch of toxins for Main Lab. She does not have many visitors.

In her true form Viveka appears as a waiflike human woman four and a half feet tall, with wild black hair, sallow skin, dark sunken eyes, and purplish lips. Her hands have long knobbled fingers ending in blackened claws. When she is out in public, she wears baggy pants, shirt, and a coat with deep pockets for her hands. She does not go out often; Viveka says that too many people too close give her indigestion. Having an adult doppelgänger to study has expanded our knowledge of the creatures. They retain their weakness to mirrors, for example, and while one will not kill Viveka, enough can cause her enough discomfort to end a shapeshift. The Agency's records also now show that adult doppelgängers can drain dangerous amounts of psychic energy if they use contact-feeding. Viveka, at least, uses this offensively. Between the claws and her psychic paratism, she is occasionally of great use to the Agency, though she is not recommended for diplomatic missions.

Stats

Body: 10

Mind: 7

Soul: 10

ACV: 9

DCV: 7

HP: 100

Shock: 20

Attributes

Defects

Skills

Items

Alternate Form

Viveka's Alternate Form has the physical appearance of whatever poor sod she used her Nullify (Drain) on last. When in an Alternate Form, Vivy retains all her knowledge and metaphysical traits like soul munching and a doppelganger's weakness to mirrors. However, because she's not familiar with her new shape, Vivy doesn't know how to use it effectively, so when she shapeshifts she loses her physical combat skills. On the other hand, she doesn't (generally) look quite so unsettling...

Stats

Body: 4

Mind: 4

Soul: 5

ACV: 4

DCV: 2

HP: 45

Shock: 9

Attributes

Defects

Skills

Future Improvements

• editing and slimming of that damn novella of a character history.
• Make either special attack more awesome
• Regen

Remaining cp: 0