Rune Saint John

APPLICATION

Player Name/Handle: Kelly
Plurk Handle: tinybro
Player Status: Current Player
Other characters: Dave Strider and Phosphophyllite
Invited by: N/A

Character Name: Rune Saint John
Fandom: The Tarot Sequence by K.D. Edwards
Character Journal: hot_dad
OU, AU, CRAU, Canon OC, or OC? OU
Canon point: Post "Scenes From Quarantine"
PB: Chace Crawford

SETTING BACKGROUND

The Tarot Sequence takes place in the modern day real world, with one significant difference: magic and monsters and all that are real. This was all largely hidden from mankind, though whispers of it were the basis for all kinds of stories and mythologies. Tarot cards, for example, were named for the Arcana, powerful individuals that ruled Atlantis.

The secret of Atlantis' existence came out in 1961 when the first crewed spaceflight gave humans a view of their hidden continent for the first time. The Atlantean World War ensued. After massive losses on both sides and Atlantis decimated by a plague that left the land uninhabitable, a peace accord was signed. The Atlantean refugees relocated to land they'd been quietly purchasing in Nantucket and created New Atlantis. Fast forward to the modern day and New Atlantis has become a major power in the world. The Arcana do business with humans and are regarded as something like celebrities, while New Atlantis attracts human tourists.

Rune is heir to the fallen Sun Throne. After scraping by for almost two decades, he has recently taken his seat as the new Lord Sun and is now rebuilding his court.

HISTORY

(tw: references to sexual assault of a minor)

• Born after the Atlantean World War as the son of an Arcana, Rune was given his magically bonded to his Companion, Brand, when they were both infants. His mother died when he was very young.

• Childhood seemed happy enough. Rune was a bit of a spoiled brat sometimes but he did well learning the magic and politics and whatnot expected of a scion.

• When he was 15, the Sun Court was raided by unknown attackers. Lord Sun and the rest of the household were all killed, Brand was incapacitated and Rune was assaulted by a group of masked individuals leaving him with significant trauma.

• Rune (and by extension, Brand) were looked after by Lord Tower, who'd been Lord Sun's closest friend, until they could take care of themselves. Rune grew to think of Lord Tower as a mentor of sorts and eventually startes taking work doing odd jobs for the Tower to support himself and pay back his debt, while quietly gathering information about the fall of his court.

• Rune was damaged goods by the standards of Atlantean society and struggled to get by for roughly twenty years. He briefly had a boyfriend, but was unceremoniously dumped for a girl with better prospects and that was the extent of his romantic experience for the majority of his life.

• When Rune is in his mid-thirties, he participates in a raid against the Lovers Court. He encounters Lady Lovers, makes a deal with her in exchange for a sigil, and is tricked into becoming guardian for her teenage grandson, Max.

• Lord Tower hires Rune to find Addam, a missing son of Lady Justice. He succeeds but there's a whole mess with a lich.

• The culprit behind everything goes for a scorched earth attempt to save themself and there's a whole siege of undead creatures. Rune uses the Arcana Majeure after Max is nearly killed protecting him, and then just goes ham burning through the whole undead army. The lich is dealt with and Rune ends up vaporizing the culprit upon finding out they were one of the masked attackers from his assault.

• Rune starts dating Addam, who is convinced they're tallas – soulmates, basically. Rune isn't so convinced but likes Addam regardless.

• There's an little adventure in an abandoned mall, it's somehow adorable and awful at the same time.

• It turns out Max had been promised to the Hanged Man for marriage and after he's nearly kidnapped, Rune tries to find a way to get him out of it.

• Rune and Brand take on a job to find Layne Dawncreek, the oldest child of a former member of the fallen Sun Court, after Layne went missing after last being seen in the Hanged Man's court. Layne is eventually found nearly dead in one of the Hanged Man's buildings and Rune successfully rescues them.

• Rune officially reclaims the Sun Throne so he can formally petition for a raid against the Hanged Man. During a recess in the meeting, the Hanged Man kidnaps the rest of the Dawncreek family and tries to flee. Corinne, who had been taking care of the Dawncreek kids, is fatally injured and Rune vows to look after the kids for her.

• Layne's sister Anna turns out to have crazy powers of her own and manages to save Corinne's life, and Rune abruptly names Anna his heir to protect her from other courts that would want to control her power.

• Rune confronts the Hanged Man and kills him. He lets Lady Death divvy up the spoils of war as a show of deference to the more experienced Arcana.

• With the money gained from the raid (specifically, four millions dollars), Rune and Brand start repairing the old Sun Estate and eventually move their whole new family there together – them, Max, the Dawncreeks, Addam and his little brother, and their housekeeper Queenie.


PERSONALITY

For all that Rune plays the role of the action hero, he's a big sentimental softy, to the point that Brand frequently gives him shit about getting too sappy. He's also infamously bad at analyzing his own feelings. Many of his reactions can ultimately be traced back to roots in his trauma, but that isn't a train of thought he likes riding and so he generally doesn't recognize it until someone points it out to him.

Despite this, he's a very empathetic person. He can come across as guarded initially when dealing with strangers, but he genuinely cares about people in general and softens pretty easily once he recognizes others' struggles. Some of it is a strong sense of responsibility, an awareness of his position and the obligations of it that extends to any random people he works with even briefly, and some of it is a particular defensiveness of the vulnerable and victimized, who he identifies with more than he really realizes. Atlantean culture is very "survival of the fittest" and has little sympathy for the weak, the hurt and the outcasts. After spending roughly twenty years on the wrong end of all that, Rune can't help but feel for (and oftentimes adopt) others who have been similarly overlooked.

With the people he's close to, Rune is playful, thoughtful and affectionate. He's open with his feelings and quick to support others. That care for his loved ones is easily Rune's strongest motivation. He's intensely protective of the people he deems his, almost to the point of possessiveness. He'd do anything for the little family he's found for himself and he'd rain hell down on anyone who threatened them.

Outside of that inner circle, though, Rune can be a bit awkward. He tends towards curtness or formality when uncomfortable or agitated, and he flounders when dealing with romantic or sexual attention – something he deals with way too often, honestly. He struggles with intimacy since his assault, even with people he trusts completely, and struggles even more with talking about it.

In general, Rune is adaptable and a survivor. He's learned to make do with very little, though hints of his privileged upbringing survive in fondnesses for little luxuries like sleeping in and never having to learn how to cook properly. He isn't particularly impressed by and doesn't aspire to the sort of lifestyle he once had, and he tends to roll his eyes at spoiled scions wasting their money and magic on petty things. He certainly wouldn't turn down a massive windfall if it landed in his lap, of course. He's just learned the hard way what's really important in life.


CANON POWERS

• Atlantean - Functionally the same as humans except for lifespan – Atlanteans age slower after hitting adulthood and can also get rejuvenation treatments done to turn back the clock physically – and the ability to use magic. Healing magic doesn't seem to work on humans unless they're Companion-bonded to an Atlantean.

• Cantrips - Simple little bits of magic that can be done without the use of sigils to do things like create light, give a quick burst of adrenaline, increase the friction on one's hands or toughen the soles of one's feet.

• Sigil Magic - Spells more powerful than cantrips need to be prepared in advance and stored in sigils by meditating in a sactum, so even very talented spellcasters are limited by time and how many sigils they have. Each spell only has so much power and can be used a little bit at a time once activated or all at once for a much more powerful effect, but once depleted a sigil is functionally useless until refilled. There's a wide range of known spells that can be used, and the kinds of spells one can pull off as well as the number that can be juggled at once are limited by an individual's skill. Rune is a notably talented spellcaster, able to pull off some fairly hard spells and managed a couple at a time. He's also become very adaptable as a result of his extremely limited resources compared to most scions, and has figured out creative ways to make the most of his spells, such as weaponizing the sting of a healing spell or projecting a Shield spell below him to use as a foothold in open air. He adjusts his loadout as needed for whatever obstacles he anticipates, but he generally keeps a Heal, Shield, and some offensive spells ready, and as a last resort, one sigil always contains Exodus – something of a mini tactical nuke that grows in power the longer it goes unused, with him regularly channeling more energy into it whenever preparing his other sigils.

• Aspect - Aspects are displays of magic unique to powerful Atlanteans. They tend to be visual effects mixed with a palpable sense of energy. Rune's ranges from glowing eyes to entirely bursting into flame, and is notable for being a tangible, functional effect. His fire is shot through with Blessfire, which is particularly useful against the undead.

• Arcana Majeure - Powerful magic that doesn't require any kind of sigils or whatnot to work. It eats at the user's life force, so the full version is considered an extreme measure. The firebolts Rune can shoot from his saber hilt are a very minor form of this – each shot shaves a minute or so off his lifespan, and overuse of it leaves him drained and sickly-looking.

• Magic Sense - Rune can detect the feel of magic and sense what type of magic is being used.

• Companion bond - Unlikely to be relevant here, but if his Companion Brand ever got brought in, they can feel each other's emotions.

POWER SELECTION

Canon powers: As is, except any spells with effects that are banned in game (like Flight or spells with teleporting effects) will be nerfed or just not work at all. I can also further nerf anything that might be a concern!

ABILITIES

• Combat - Rune is a competent fighter, skilled with a sword as well as his magic and good at blending both. He also has basic training with guns and general battlefield tactics.

• Diplomacy - Brought up to succeed his father, Rune was taught the manners and social skills of a politician. It's not his default manner, but he knows how to work with and appeal to people when needed.

• Adaptability - Rune is a survivor, resourceful and good at adjusting to deal with whatever situation he's faced with. He manages well with his handful of sigils, figures out ways to take down far more powerful opponents, and can get by even on the most limited of means.

• Leadership - Though he can be awkward at times, Rune tends to inspire loyalty in others. He can take a stand when needed, take charge when things are most chaotic, and take responsibility when things go south. He doesn't overlook people working under him, even the most insignificant of random guards called to action, and he genuinely tries to do right by everyone that puts their faith in him.

SETTING/SUITABILITY

➤ How do you expect your character to respond to the setting? Even if they plan to rebel in the long term, will they be able to at least obey enough to not get shocked to death?
Rune will definitely be on edge for a bit. He has major issues with control and being forced to to anything, but his reaction is more often to freeze up or close himself off than anything that would get him immediately killed. Getting to know some of the other New Hires will help him ease up somewhat and look for a way out.

➤ What do you hope to do with your character long-term?
I'm open to seeing how things go organically, but I'm most hoping to develop strong CR. Rune's biggest motivator is the people he cares about, and he definitely can't go long in a place so full of messed up people without getting attached.

➤ Does your character currently have skills that would allow them to adapt, survive, and do the heroic things being asked of them? If your character doesn't, do you think they'd have the capacity to learn quickly?
Yup, adaptability is his greatest strength, and being the hero is kind of his whole thing whether he likes it or not.

➤ If they're not used to cooperating with others, what makes you think they'll be able to adapt to cooperating with the group?
Though he often takes the lead and puts himself at the front of any trouble, Rune is good at working with others. He's worked with a partner his entire life, he defers to people who clearly know more than him, and he's been good at adjusting to whatever company he's in whether that means fighting alongside a stranger or protecting them.

➤ Will your character have long-term plans to rebel against Jorgmund? If so, how? Will they betray the other PCs and cooperate with Jorgmund? If so, how do you plan to handle the negative CR that might arise?
He'll definitely be on the rebellion train, but he'll want to find a way that fixes things for good, doesn't hurt anyone innocent and doesn't abandon anyone to a worse situation. The very legitimate benefits of the Rig's mission will complicate things, but he could never be complacent with all these people, let alone himself, being trapped and forced to cooperate like this forever.


SAMPLES

Network Sample

["If you could get rid of any one of the US states, which one would you get rid of and why?"

Rune gives the interviewer the flattest stare imaginable. The situation is what it is, and this is the kind of shit they're asking him? It's almost insulting. They don't even seem to know who he is. Not to be that kind of scion, self-important and don't you know who I am? and all that, but if it's not because of his position then why?

A part of him wants to stubbornly stay silent, but he can still feel the sting of their demonstration zap.

So his answer is brief, and dry as all hell.]

Florida. They have the worst tourists.

[The interviewer doesn't seem amused, but the lie detector apparently thinks it's truthful enough so they carry on methodically.

"If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?"

Rune can't help the scoff that escapes him, even with the threat of a shock. There's a finger hovering dangerously close to that button. But, seriously? They snatch people up like this, force them into submission, and then ask where they'd like to go?

He just barely resists the urge to roll his eyes and tries to keep his answer from sounding too pointed.]

Home, obviously.

[He can't imagine anyone dragged into this mess would prefer it to wherever they came from. Hell, it doesn't take a kidnapping to make him miss his bed. That's a mood 24/7. But Sun Estate's spacious manor and private beach is infinitely preferable to this metal deathtrap, that's for sure.

Even if it wasn't the Sun Estate, though. Even if it meant going back to the nine foot wide mess that was Half House. The buildings were one thing, comfort and familiarity and full of memories and all that, but it was the people that mattered and he'd currently kill to be back with his people. His people. Queenie's cooking, the background noise of the kids running around and bickering, the prickle of Addam's beard against his neck, Brand crawling into his bed after a morning run and shoving him over to make room. Only a few hours apart so far, but the inconceivable distance and unknown stretch of time before he can get back to them is a palpable ache in his chest.

Wherever this is in relation to home, it's far enough that he can't even feel Brand, and that's a gaping emptiness he's never known before.

None of that seems to register at all to the interviewer, though. They wait a long few moments as if he might elaborate on that answer – surely he's interested in spilling his guts about why home would be great right now? – and their finger hovers over their little joy buzzer briefly, but eventually they apparently decide tk just finish up.

"Do you think a leader should be feared or liked?"

Rune holds his stare at the interviewer for a long minute. Looking, perhaps, for a sign that that question is at all deliberate, aimed with intent at his new title. But they still seem oblivious, simply asking questions off a list, intent on finishing up with one interviewee to get to the next.

It's a little maddening.

He doesn't need to know a thing about them to know what they think, what all of Jorgmund thinks, not when their authority is being upheld with the threat of pain. It sends a spark of fury shooting through him, but he restrains himself and settles back into the cool headspace of diplomacy.]

...Fear does accomplish a great deal.

[That's the only concession he'll give them. It's not as if he's never forced his way through problems with the momentum of power and intimidation.]

But fear is a poor foundation for something meant to last. If you rely on it, someday it will eventually crumble under you, and you'll watch as everything you've built on it collapses and leaves you exposed. Everyone slips up sooner or later, and then you'll suddenly find that everyone you'd been "leading" is eager for the chance to turn on you. Better to surround yourself with people who will want to stand by you even when they don't have to.

[It definitely feels pointed. And his stare is intense, a light flickering in his eyes that might not be just a reflection of the shitty overhead fluorescents. The interviewer is meeting his gaze at last, perhaps finally feeling something like a threat in that answer. Rune watches as their hand once more drifts towards the fun button, and he leans back in his seat, letting the tension evaporate.]

Generally speaking, of course.

Prose Sample
TDM sample


ADDITIONAL INFO

Equipment:

• A gold cuff that can change shape into that of a saber and can be used to shoot firebolts
• Seven sigils (three rings, a necklace, an ankle chain, a bracelet, and a metal ring that he does not want to acknowledge the intended purpose of)

He'll hopefully be given (supervised) time to prepare the sigils, and in canon doing so requires a sanctified space so either that requirement can be removed or such a space can be worked out somehow?


FINAL QUESTIONS

➤ Will your character suspect some kind of guiding intelligence has brought them to the game? Or will they think it was random or done by Jorgmund?
It will be easy to accept that Jorgmund is behind everything, given how easy they are to hate, but he isn't so stubborn that he can't change his mind if evidence arises that suggests otherwise.

➤ If they think it was something other than Jorgmund, like God or some other force of fate, what character traits do they think of that intelligence as having? Is it cruel or kind? Capriciously punishing them or doing it for good reason?
If some kind of greater power is at play in dragging him here, Rune couldn't begin to guess at their intent or personality. He is, however, familiar with the idea that there is some grander scheme at work that intends some specific role for him, largely because of various prophets he's dealt with.