The Nine Circles of Hell

[Guest]

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CASE FILE: Custom Weapon System

"Quicksand's got no sense a' humour, I'm still laughin' like heeeeeeell..."
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NAME:
→ [Form 0] Purgatory - 'Decide your fate! Purgatory!'
→ [Form 1] Limbo - 'Ascend from your throne! Limbo!'
→ [Form 2] Desire - 'Confess to them! Desire!'
→ [Form 3] Gluttony - 'Engulf and envelop! Gluttony!'
→ [Form 4] Avarice - 'Fetch me their souls! Avarice!'
→ [Form 5] Hatred - 'Let me feel their blood run! Hatred!'
→ [Form 6] Heresy - 'Curse them and crush them! Heresy!'
→ [Form 7] Obliteration - 'Let their life-force flow like a river! Obliteration!'
→ [Form 8] Betrayal - 'Your time draws close! Betrayal!'
→ [Form 9] Cocytus - 'Iscariot calls for you! Cocytus!'

TYPE:

OVERVIEW

The way things work with Balthazar's weaponry is kinda odd. Its base form is an ancient, dated, engraved metallic orb; around the size of a watermelon. It's apparently hollow, and bears a transmutation circle-engraved indent at the very top of it, which can be pressed inwards.

Ten rings are etched around the sides. Balthazar himself is unsure of exactly how this weapon came to be, and he knows not of its inner workings and mechanics, but what he does know is simple; these rings can be aligned so that they correspond with a baroque arrow engraved on the top; but they have to be placed into a specific pattern. For instance, if the first ring (engraved with an 0) is aligned with the arrow, everything else will be reset and return to their original positions around the other side, 180 degrees in reverse. From there, however, it is possible to switch in three or four of the other rings to create a combination (never more than two rings are aligned with the arrow at any given time, or they will reset).

Depending on which rings are aligned, when the button is pressed, the orb seems to activate some sort of zero-gravity field around itself, and seems to hover in mid-air, with the rings stretching and expanding to actually gyrate around a stable ball of blue energy in the middle; it's actually alchemic discharge, and after a few seconds, the transmutation circles on the linked rings are activated, and the rings use any viable nearby material to create the corresponding weapons (this can prove to be quite humorous, often resulting in a flimsy weapon crafted of wood, or something too heavy for Balthazar to efficiently operate and carry, but provided that he's not being a dumbass, it usually works quite well).

It's important to note that despite the material that the weapons are crafted from, they are ALWAYS engraved with a series of almost Biblical carvings and patterns (I'll note where); these engravings are typically black, as if they've been burnt into the surface of the weapon, but when the weapon is fired/swung/activated, they flash a bright blue.

Balthazar, as a bearer, can access alchemy to activate the weapons system. However, this does sap at his 'life force' with every consecutive use; but hey, life's short. Balthazar views it kinda like smoking. Anyway, he'll sometimes stay with each combination for a few days before reversing the transmutation (the markings themselves are actually stretchy trans. circles), and considering it's the CHANGING which hits him, not the actual weapon use, this... well, this works. The system itself isn't really designed for mid-battle form-switching, anyway.

The rings and their corresponding weapons - and combinations - are as follows.

→ Form 0 is a scimitar.
→ Form 1 is a pair of revolvers.
→ Form 2 is a halberd.
→ Form 3 is a warhammer.
→ Form 4 is a deck of cards.
→ Form 5 is a set of twin rapiers.
→ Form 6 is a pair of wrist-mounted blades.
→ Form 7 is a grenade launcher.
→ Form 8 is a scythe.
→ Form 9 is a reel of chain.


FORM:
→ All are hand-held.

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BRIEFING:
→ Form 0 is a very simple arabic-themed scimitar. The blade is typically a white hue, with the black markings snaking up i, identical on either side. The markings are somewhat vacant from the hilt. Form 0 may be used in conjunction with Form 1 (only one), Form 4, Form 5 (only one), Form 6, and Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 1 is a pair of twin revolvers, the alloy of the entire frame (everything save for the patterning on the hilt) being white. The markings lead up to the sight, and a different marking snakes across the cylinder indents. Form 1 may be used in conjunction with Form 0 (only one revolver), Form 4 (only one revolver), Form 5 (only one of each), Form 6, Form 7 (as a side-arm), and Form 9 (limited use of chain).

→ Form 2 is a halberd. Whilst the staff-portion of the spear is actually a deep black hue - being metal - the blade itself (pointed - and double-ended) is, much like its predecessors, white. The markings are only (whilst neutral) visible on the blade, but when swung, the pole reveals itself to have markings too. Form 2 may be used in conjunction with Form 6 and Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 3 is a massive warhammer; taking an incredible toll just to swing. The head itself is squared, and Balthazar usually drags it along the ground, creating an eerie scraping sound as he nears his prey. The 'stone' that the head of the hammer is crafted from is actually a pure white sheen, whilst the frame holding it in place, along with the handle, is a dull black metal. Markings snake up the frame/handle, although seemingly vacant on the head. Form 3 may only be used in conjunction with Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 4 is a 52-card deck of razor-edged cards. These cards, whilst doubling as a pair of beautifully-designed playing cards, have the markings on the back of the cards, whilst the faces themselves have been printed free of markings. Form 4 may be used in conjunction with Form 0, Form 1 (only one revolver), Form 5 (only one rapier), Form 6, Form 7, and Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 5 manifests as a pair of white-bladed exquisite rapiers, showing signs of 19th century craftsmanship. The hilts themselves are black, and the markings trace up only the blade, flashing blue very quickly and very strongly when swung. This is by far the fastest of the ten forms. Form 5 may be used in conjunction with Form 0 (only one rapier), Form 1 (only one of each), Form 4 (only one rapier), Form 6, and Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 6 is a pair of vambraces which lead a tiny wire down to snake around the index finger of each hand. This loop, when pulled, causes a deadly-sharp two-pronged blade to force out of the corresponding vambrace, both revealing a fast and portable weapon with a deadly bite, as well as being deadly strong and able to turn Balthazar into a whirling, deadly menace. The blades themselves are white, and the markings are carried over the black leather of the vambraces, flashing when the blaces are extended, retracted (done by pulling the loops twice) and swung. Form 6 may be used with Form 0, Form 1, Form 2, Form 3, Form 4, Form 5, Form 6, Form 7, Form 8 and Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 7 is a six-shot revolver-barrel break-barrel reload grenade launcher, which can fire 40mm grenades (high explosive, smoke, stun, or white phosphorus). Once more, the entire frame and interior of the launcher is engraved with the black markings, flashing blue upon firing - and detonation - of each projectile, turning it into a rather spectacular light show if it's used... liberally. Form 7 can be used in conjunction with Form 1 (as a sidearm), Form 6 and Form 9 (limited use).

→ Form 8 shows as a dull black metal handle, with the same markings to the rest of the weapons listed here; alongside this, however, at the top of the pole is a wickedly curved scythe blade of the purest white, black markings dancing along it, ready to flash and taste the blood of another. This form produces a signature swooping sound when swung, causing many people to hail it as the eeriest of the ten. This form can be used in conjunction with Form 6 and Form 9 (limited use)

→ Form 9. The pinnacle of the entire 'Nine Circles' weapon system. Both beautifully devastating and brilliantly simple at the same time. On its own, Form 9 is very simply a pair of light-weight chain reels, which snake down each of Balthazar's arms. These can be used as a restraint, a simple straight length (pulling a section will force it into a rigid shape), a whip, or in any number of innovative, new, and destructive ways. Further up Balthazar's arms, he contains a number of electric propulsion systems attached to the chain 'docks', which can force them out at break-neck speeds, turning them into a replacement even for ranged weaponry; by far the most versatile of all forms, Form 9 is also considered to be one of the most powerful, and can be used in conjunction with every other form - provided that Form 9's own use is limited. The markings of Form 9 snake down the entire chain length, and because they are always active, they are always glowing blue; the intensity just depends on how much/how demanding their current usage is.

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SPECIAL ABILITIES:
→ Regnum Irae - Regnum Irae proves just how unstable Balthazar's 'Nine Circles' tech is. Regnum Irae moves the orb into a hyperdrive form, and at the cost of becoming dangerously unstable, and causing his weapons to work in line with the idiom of 'the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long', he becomes a devastating, near-unstoppable menace of annihilation for a limited amount of time, with the orb eventually lapsing into a cooldown period, meaning that it can't be used for the rest of the thread.

→ Just a little note; he does always have appropriate ammunition (for the revolvers/grenade) and replacements (for the cards) on hand, usually in the backpack where he keeps the orb whilst inert.

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[Dai]

A P P R O V E D

Looks alright to me. If anyone has issues, they know who to call.