Scapegoat

Full Name: Uthman
Nickname(s): Scape, The Gregarious Ghoul
Codename: Scapegoat
Alias(es): N/A
Age: 56, looks 22
Classification: Ghoul (Undead)
Affiliation: Chaotic Evil
 
 
 
Hair Color: White
Eye Color: Green with a yellowish tint more noticeable at night
Height: 5'10”
Weight: 120lbs
Other Traits:
- A magical veil disguises his ghoulish form, making him look human.
- Upon close inspection his eyes have a yellow tinge to them, which medical professionals would mistake as jaundice.
- While his face may be full of life, you can see the rib-cage under his chest.
- Although appearing to wear shoes, Scapegoat leaves hoof-prints, not foot-prints.
- Very smelly.
- Wears a silver chain which is connected to his right ear and loops around his neck.
- In times of particular anguish or magical tampering, this illusion will be broken:
 



Powers:
Scapegoat's powers stem from physiology or magic.

Switching – The ability to exchange locations with another lifeform via instantaneous transmission. The space occupied by a target will be taken up by the user, and vice versa. While hand-held items and clothes can accompany the switch, this power may only be targeted at the living. Alternatively, hand-held items and clothes may remain in their original location, thus causing two people to exchange possessions or clothes, entirely dependant on the will of the user. It automatically adjusts for slight differences in body size. For example; if Uthman swapped clothes with a person of four foot he would not find the shirt buried somewhere in his midsection, nor would the guy drop two feet onto the ground. This ability is magically derived.
 
Protective Magic – Scapegoat is familiar with a wide range of protective magiks, although his talents are geared more towards breaking them than creating them. Most seals, barriers, or wards he comes across he is able to negate. There are many he may also manipulate in subtler ways, such as reversing their purpose (e.g. make a ward that repels a ghost attract them instead). Even if the spell is made with a creature like him in mind he has sufficient expertise to bypass its defences and 'reprogram' it.

Protective magiks that he himself can perform are:

- Barriers: By tracing the shape of magic sigils with his finger (making them appear as per a 'magic marker' effect) Scapegoat can surround anything with a magical barrier. He needs to do this a minimum of three times (three corners) to activate the barrier. Their strength is proportional to size. Less than an average room will give 5 tons of protection and anything bigger will be about 1 ton. If Scapegoat leaves the sigils in place, he can activate them remotely. They also prevent access to non-physical entities (e.g. ghosts) but do not impede teleportation.

- Seals: By tracing a pentagram symbol as above Scapegoat can create a number of basic magical seals. Anybody touching the seal upon its activation (which he can again do remotely) will suffer a number of drawbacks. It will either rob them of their voice, their conscience (innate knowledge of right and wrong), or their memory of a specific person. Seals last around 24 hours unless dispelled.

Ghoul physiology – As a ghoul, Uthman has many differences to a human. Free from starvation, fatigue, or temperature concerns; though he is perpetually hungry and can only sate his desire whilst actively consuming food. The only food he can stomach in this state is carrion, meaning rotten flesh and bones. His body has adapted to this new diet in three ways. Uthman's nose is very sensitive to the smell of death and decay, his teeth can easily break through bone, plus he is highly resistant to illness and poisons. Additionally his nose can pick up on magical energies. Despite his frail frame he is capable of lifting half a ton with ghoulish strength.

Ghouls also have a method of immortality – 'One solid blow kills them outright, two blows brings them back to life'. An average punch is enough to 'kill' Scapegoat, though if attacked again he will simply revive. Stronger forces will similarly kill, but without tearing apart his body.

 
Skills:
- Speaks Arabic, English, and Pig Latin.
- Because some [rude word] keeps burying perfectly good food in graveyards, ghouls are capable of shifting 25 yards of dirt an hour. They can also tunnel through the ground at a reduced rate.
- Being a ghoul he sees very well in low-light environments.
- A good vocalist, Scapegoat can hit falsetto and baritone flawlessly.
- Due to natural talent and a frequent application of skill, Uthman is adapt at breaking and manipulating seals, barriers, wards, and other forms of protective magic. He can follow a summons and is no stranger to ritual.
- He can go without a bath for months and months.
 
Weaknesses:
Nth Metal will negate his magical potential for as long as it contacts him. Uthman is very proud of this weakness. He bets all the other magical people don't have one anywhere near as clever and creative.

Switching – Switching must take place between two lifeforms, with one being Scapegoat himself. He can not change places with an inanimate object, or exchange locations of two 'other' people. It is necessary for Uthman to see who he intends to switch with. If his eyesight is blocked in any way this power is not attainable. Furthermore, his divine creator has to ask another divine creator permission before he can use this power on someone. He does not understand why. But he rolls with it.

Protective Magic – New protective magic is being created all the time and so it is impossible to know them all. Scapegoat's advantage is that most have familiar baselines which he can recognise. This allows him to soon decipher the parts he does not know. Like hacking a computer, gaining access to protective magic takes time in relation to its strength. Wards that repel can only afflict the type of creature they were made for, so he could not force a ward that effects ghosts to start targeting humans.

Unlike most sub-power barriers, Uthman cannot activate his at a thought. They take minutes to set up by which time most of his combatants would be hearing the sentient 'FINISH HIM' command. He would need preparation time before a conflict to make them useful. Concentrating for long enough on one spot can undermine any of his barriers so even an ordinary person would eventually break them down. With a timeframe of roughly plot-convenience minutes and let's-not-overanalyse-this seconds.

Again his seals take time to set up which is not conducive to active combat. The target needs to be inside the sealing circle when activated for it to succeed. Being demonic in nature, his seals do not effect utilisers of divine magic. It is possible for the magically attuned to recognise someone under the effect of his seals and those versed in similar branches of magic may be able to dispel them.

- Those who lose their voice may communicate in other ways. Like sign language, Morse code, and interpretive dance.
- Those who lose their conscience wouldn't automatically side with or be sympathetic to Scapegoat's way of thinking. In fact they would show less restraint if they disagreed with him. Permission required.
- Those who lose memory of another person can, of course, start forming new ones. It wouldn't retroactively afflict them in that regard. Uthman also cannot make them forget themselves. Permission required.

Ghoul Physiology – Uthman's hunger is constant and at times overwhelming in the presence of dead meat. He is liable to risk capture or worse if it means eating. His nose, while very sensitive to the smell of a corpse or magic, is useless for anything else. If a person loosens the belt of their trousers Uthman has to give them a wide birth, though it is not understood why. Although he can be revived from most attacks, anything that eats away at his body (i.e. fire, acid) should be avoided. What counts as a soul for him is less resilient than that of a human soul. Attacks which strike it directly could be fatal for him. The type of fatal which is permanent.

Since even a weak strike can revert him to his 'dead' state, Scapegoat is easy to incapacitate. He could be laid out by a child's punch or by stubbing his toe. However, the additional blow from falling does rectify many of these occasions (assuming there isn't a soft floor environment). Recoil impact does not count as one of these blows. This means he can punch things without fear of winding up dead.
 
Equipment:
- The silver neck-chain he wears is actually a magical artefact that affords Uthman his human disguise. It is unbreakable!!! Unless you subject it to damage. Then it breaks.


Personality:
In a word Scapegoat is 'trouble'. His doesn't come at anything in life with malicious intent and yet he will not stay his hand where misfortune may be had. Standing him next to a button is asking for it to be pressed. He prefers the ruinous and deleterious state of anarchy to anything else in life. He would throw a grenade into a crowd even if he hadn't pulled the pin, just to see what it would do.

He is often known for his insatiable cheer. Scapegoat is relentlessly upbeat even when faced with the harrowing or grisly. When things get dour and dramatic expect him to be the first to break into song and dance. This tendency can be mistaken as mocking but Uthman really is that gleeful. However, these jokes and smiles often prevent him from giving a situation the proper gravitas. He is thus not the most reliable of people and can mess up the simplest of tasks.

Uthman has always had an aversion to tradition and custom. He is scornful of them and seeks to break a taboo wherever possible. He will journey where forbidden and poke the sleeping lion in its eye. This stems from his mission to show a lack of value in all things. Everything is absurd to him, especially the venerable.

The ghoul isn't the type to get distracted by vendettas and grudges. He can let bygones be bygones. Very patient, he has been known to spend a decade on a single demonic summon alone. Willing to serve under the thrall of anyone 'evil', Scapegoat does not mind acting the lackey. However, whenever the whim takes him, he is liable to betray his masters without prior notice. He thinks it's funny.

He has some measure of admiration for demons and wants to be one some day. He thinks it would improve his quality of life. Deep down Scapegoat is very lonely. He seeks attention and love even if is isn't willing to do anything to deserve such things. Like all ghouls he suffers from a perpetual hunger that isn't long sated after eating. What he fears most is being outcast.

Likes:
- Food! (spoilt edibles, worm ridden corpses, and especially decomposing composers)
- ATTENTION
- Anarchy
- Domino effects
- Friends
- Demons

Dislikes:
- Tradition
- Taboo
- The Ghul
- Behaving
- GRAVEDIGGERS  
- Exclusion

Interests/Habits:
- Uthman will do anything that keeps up good spirits; be that singing, joking (often laughing at his own), dancing, or hugs.
- Whenever possible he will eat, regardless of what else may be going on at the time.
- He will side with most anyone and subsequently betray most anyone. He thinks this is very open-minded of him.
- A passing interest in helping along apocalyptic scenarios. Like righting an icke turtle.



Family Members:
- (1) father, hyena
- (1) mother, ghul (djinn)
- (100+) aunts, ghul

Place of Origin:
- Arabian Desert, Saudi Arabia

History:
Modern ghouls can trace their ancestry back thousands of years to a time where named kingdoms such as 'Babylonia' ruled the Middle East. A dark progeny named Iblis gave life to many evil breeds of djinn including those named 'ghul'. While not inherently wicked the ghul shunned mankind and dealt harshly with any that would be fool enough to upset them. As a result, many were wiped out by Islamic holy men in the coming ages until they had retreated into the remote fastness of the Arabian desert.

Being all female, ghuls could not procreate amongst their own kind. This changed when some started laying with hyenas. They birthed an offspring which is identified today as the 'common ghoul'. These ghouls were the earthly counterparts to their semi-divine mothers. They did not share a great affinity for magic and had an unappeasable appetite for rotting flesh. In trade they could walk about in sunlight. However they were nocturnal creatures by instinct.

Born into this life was a ghoul named Uthman. Many ghul mothers destroyed their children if they were male, but his made an exception. She raised him with the utmost kindness against the wishes of her peers. Uthman never knew his mother's name, even when older he never thought to ask. All his Mother's Day cards were inscribed 'to walida' for want of anything else.

As he grew Uthman got in all kinds of trouble. Ghul society had very strict rules based on tradition, near all of which he must have broken at some point. But genocide is difficult to pull off. For example; he sent Mother's Day cards. This was in direct defiance to the ghul abhorrence for human festivals and commercialism. He would blaspheme their god for the sheer hell of it or lead large parties of humans into the secret wastes where they lived.

Needless to say every human died horribly.

His mother was blind to her son's wickedness. It certainly helped his case that the ghul themselves were not bastions of justice and nobility. Yet he was too sinful even for them. One day a plague broke out in the sanctum. Never having known disease before, the djinn were desperate for an answer. Someone suggested it was punishment for Uthman's evil ways. They thus banished him from their lands and cast him out. Never to return.

However, Uthman was not like the other ghouls. He was capable of learning magic, a talent which his mother had secretly nurtured. After ten years of banishment, he had learned enough about seals and barriers to break back into the ancestral homes.

Furious this time, the ghuls kicked him out again. Seeing that he would never learn his lesson, they mutilated his mother in front of him. Something inside Scapegoat broke that day. Sat before his mother's corpse, he thanked her for her love. It would be a long while before he knew kindness again.

Since the Eighties he has been a growing nuisance to the magical world. He first menaced holy men in Qurac. Having gained a reputation for a ghul outcast; the Scapegoat, he was trusted when he said he would lead missionaries into the ghul sanctum. The Imams could then eradicate their cruelty from the Earth once and for all.

Guiding them into the desert, and then around in circles, all of the crusaders died of thirst and exposure. Scapegoat ate their corpses. From their possessions he learned of many an evil thing just lurking outside the recesses of reality. Uthman made it his task to go and find as many as he could and release them.

His journeys have taken him from Asia to Europe to America. All along the way doing his utmost to spread chaos, misfortune, and pandemonium. His fondest wish is to one day destroy the universe, a dream he holds not out of malice but rather a morbid fascination with anarchy. He has struck an alliance with many a nefarious being but only as a lackey, for he is not powerful nor competent enough to be taken seriously. Although he has stabbed just as many of these immortal terrors in the back.

Understandably his destructive, disrespectful, dirty, and traitorous ways have not won him many friends. It is with a touch of desperation, then, that he holds onto the one person that has seen all these sides of him and has yet to turn away. Scapegoat now operates out of Jump City to be close to Nina Vulpes.

Sample RP
Phantom sand spirals howled desolate across the desert wastes. They reached nothing, disturbed no one. Relentlessly the sun beat down and baked the bare rocky outcrops as the afternoon trailed on. One grain of sand at a time. Amongst the towering dunes sat a solitary figure alongside something else that used to be figure shaped.

Uthman stared at his mother's remains. She had been disemboweled in front of him. But something told him not to recount that memory in any PG-13 breaking detail. The perpetrators of that act were long gone. His ghul aunts had banished him. Again. Double banishment. To make sure he didn't extra come back. Maybe it would work this time.

He didn't know how long he'd been sat there. But the vultures circling overhead had complained about another pressing engagement and flown away. The shadows of the sunlight lengthened and still he didn't move. His mother. They had punished her for his crimes. He'd apologised, but she hadn't accepted it yet. The soundly dead sure could hold a grudge.

He'd shaken her shoulder (after reattaching it) for hours, calling her name repeatedly like he used to. That always elicited a response. And a smack. But not today. Today she ignored him. As if a lack of life was any excuse. Silly mother.

Perhaps because it was the day-time. Daylight didn't agree with ghuls. You'd hate the day too if you hadn't invented air-conditioning. So Scapegoat waited until it fell dark. And then he waited some more. And when waiting started to suck he got up and kicked at his mother. He wanted a response from her, any response. Any sign at all that the one person in the whole of existence who paid him attention was still doing so.

"Rise and shine! Look! I accidentallied our lives! Our community hates us! You got killed a bit! I have sand in my pants! Derpity-Do! Cmon!" But it was no use. She just lay there. A useless lump of non-attention giving bones. And meat.

Scapegoat's stomach growled.

He sunk down onto his knees and looked away. She'd been spoiling all day. She smelt good enough to eat. His body shook with what he contemplated. No. She would come back. She would live again. Ghouls always lived again. Death was just a buzzing little pest that bothered you sometimes. She would swat it, and it would go away.

A tear fell down his cheek, "It'll go away." But his hunger wouldn't.

Currently this character cannot be accepted because you have 3 characters in the active section, which is the limit

Seeing as I already posted in here I might as well do the review.

Switching - The one thing that concerns me with switching is that it might cross over into godmodding, very minor godmodding seeing as it's within sight range and it's location based, but it is still godmodding. As long as you were to get permission before switching with someone's character then it's fine.

Mental Bolts - At first I wasn't sure on these because mental attacks do risk heading into godmodding territory but the way you've explained them seems fine because they only cause pain, which is what everyone feels in a fight anyway, but again make sure to get permission if you want to knock someone's character out.

Those are my main points on this character. Nothing really for you to edit, just be aware but apart from that I really like the look of this character. Approved

I shall make sure to do so! Thanks!

This app is ready for review. In case anybody asks, yes, I have a vacant third slot.

Below is a comprehensive list of all the changes I have made:

Spoiler:

To make a character lose thei conscious or their memories would have to require their permission.

That's *conscience.

Mentions of permission are now added to the weakness section in the bullet pointed (dashed?) list.

Claimed.