Chronal Collapse

   Mutation Misfortune & Magic

Some mutants are born as they are. Others evolve into who they will be at an almost predetemined time, such as puberty. Others still require a stress-induced incident. Some just seem to be entirely random or are caused by some external force. And rarely, in a single individual each expression is eventually found. So it was for one Caroline Rayne, who was born with unusual physical characteristics: strikingly pitch-black skin; an odd skeletal arrangement, primarily evident in her face and skull; as well as heightened senses. It wasn't until the tender age of twelve that other changes started manifesting to fill out these abnormalities. She grew, though not as tall as most, and more noticeably grew fur to match her skin, a tail, and eventually, ears to complete the look.

Traumatic and painful as that was, it wasn't until years later that another aspect of her mutation became apparent. The normally level-headed girl ended up sending a classmate who had made her rather angry to the hospital by driving him into wall with a violent blast of air. Paragon was more than familiar with such incidents, and she was quickly placed into a program to help learn to control her literal force of nature. Given her parentage, she was also guided to join up with a teen hero group to help provide her with a more accepting environment.

To seal the full spectrum mutation deal, in her early twenties she started noticing a decrease in sensitivity in her feet. Initially doctors were perplexed, and couldn't find any reason for the change. Before long, however, physical changes started showing. Fur fell out, and in its place grew hardened scale-like skin. Further testing revealed that some of both her cells and DNA was mutating in a manner that almost seemed planned. Whatever the cause, it defied attempts to treat or reverse it. Progression was slow, but relentless. Eventually bone-like plates and protrusions started to grow as well. Whatever this was, it was very much changing her into something else entirely.

Enter the legacy she was left: her mother a witch, her father a sorcerer of some small renown. Science and medicine were failing her, so she looked to the one of the few things she still had of her parents: her own natural affinity for magic. Specifically she turned to chronomancy in the hopes that with enough mastery she might be able to stop, or perhaps even completely reverse these changes.

Obviously not an easy school to learn, let alone master, it's been years now and while she has made some progress on slowing the progression, it still creeps ever closer to her core. Now with a hand up in this race against time, she continues her search for a way to solve the problem for good.

Past that hurdle and finally able to relax at least somewhat, she's using what few connections she's made as an obscure hero to broaden her search, and with her new grasp on time, expanding her influence as a hero. It's proving more difficult given her formidable self-conscious state. She's taken to covering her face when in public, hiding it behind an odd mask with an eerie, glowing, bug-eyed appearance. It's not really doing her appearance any favors.

   Magical Manifestations

Powers and abilities

Her mutation allows her to manifest and direct 'atmospheric anomalies' - weather-like effects.

Delving into chronomancy has, thus far, not produced significant combat-related capabilities, though she is able to temporarily disable individuals and amplify her mutation-based powers.

Her mutation has provided her with near-superhuman strength and reflexes, as well as heightened hearing and sense of smell.

Limitations & vulnerabilities

Her chronomancy is not combat-practiced as of yet, and as such is susceptible to simple magical counters and supression.

Despite her increased physical capabilities, durability benefits appear limited as of now.

It may be possible to dispel the protections she has created on herself against her infliction.

   That Weary Trail

Destined to be born to Sherri & Robert Rayne, two magical heroes of relatively little notoriety also known as Worldly Witch and Sol Ignition, it was inevitable that she would have a natural affinity to magic. Less inevitable, at least to her parents, was the fact that a strong mutation had changed their daughter - something they were made aware of before she was born. Despite her somewhat unnerving appearance, Caroline was given every opportunity to succeed that her parents could afford her. As was her younger brother, Marcus, who inherited their parents' magical affinity as well, but was not affected by any obvious mutation.

Caroline had a fairly normal childhood in her Baumton home, at least for a child of two heroes. To their credit her parents did their best to keep their children out of any limelight or collateral from their hero work. She and her brother were encouraged to follow their hearts. While her younger brother always wanted to be a hero too, she loved music and saught to embrace that side of herself even as a younger child.

When her mutation started to change her appearance again it was a time of uncertainty for her and her parents, not helped by the teasing she received initially. The emotional and physical pain of the changes eventually led to her being homeschooled for a few months. On her return the teasing mostly gave way to positive attention. 'Catgirls' by this time were already very much a known quantity, and for better or worse some of those stereotypes were now applied to her. Her rise in popularity grew her confidence and thus her pursuit of singing alongside her love of playing the piano.

One day her popularity led to an all-too common occurence. Boys will be boys, and sometimes boys will be violent. During an altercation between her friends, she went to push one of them off the other. Unfortunately for him, the heightened emotional state brought out a part of her mutation that had laid dormant. A jet of air erupted from her arms, blasting the boy across the cafeteria and into the oppsite wall, as well as dispersing a fair number of lunch trays and other unattended items. Needless to say the fight was over, as was her confident streak. She was enrolled in a powered youth program to help her learn to control her abilities.

All too soon after, tradgedy struck: The Rikti invasion began. Baumton immediately became a major front and was practically reduced to rubble while she was on her way home from her youth program, then taken to shelters away from the fighting. Her parents were among the many, many casualties that day. The following six months would prove to be a massive challenge for her and her brother, trying to continue life without their parents while under constant threat of the Rikti. The ordeal ended up being a full pivoting point towards a more reserved, socially guarded Caroline. After the main invasion was resolved and things started to build towards normalcy, they became wards of the state. This eventually opened the option of joining a state-sponsored youth hero group, which she agreed to.

Undergoing more strict training, heroing still always took third place to her love of music and learning, at least once schooling returned to more of a normal thing. During this time she landed a part-time job playing piano and singing at a lounge style restaurant in Founder's Falls. Years passed without major incident (to her life at least) as Paragon was rebuilt, and by the time she was no longer a ward she'd saved enough to get a decent appartment in Founder's Falls for her and her brother.

Another few years passed, in which time she graduated with honors, her brother moved into his own place, her heroing was honed, and she expanded her audience as a budding singer. Thoughts of college to advance her passion and create her own songs instead of singing others' were abruptly put on hold as the changes to her mutation unfolded. It started with growing numbness in her feeet - and the doctors couldn't explain it. Then her fur started falling out, replaced with scales. With a better idea of what to look for, specialists eventually discovered what was happening: her cells and DNA were mutating in tandem. Something that should be impossible without intervention, and yet no sign of intervention could be found. The changes were at least gradual, but resisted every form of treatment available to combat it - at least that were afforded to her. Dark, bony growths started sprouting from her as it spread slowly.

Before long desperation set in, and her focus shifted to heroing - though not as means of distraction. She convinced a few of her old youth group to join her in tackling a more dangerous foe: the Circle of Thorns. Her goal was to raid their magical knowledge and find a starting point. It paid off eventually and combined with other work on the side to build her web of contacts into the realm of magic brought a day when she could test the theory of having inherited her parents' magical affinity. It turned out to be true.

With the knowledge in hand, nearly every waking moment became dedicated to the pursuit of this new skill. The practice of chronomancy is rarely described as simple, easy, or safe. But through perseverance, well informed caution, and the occasional helping hand, nary half a decade had transpired before she had produced a solution. Albeit, a temporary one. Runes inscribed into her very being, directing the magic precisely, drastically slowed the already slow process of the spread. There was at least one side-effect: her own aging slowed. By this point the affliction had spread up most of her legs and overtaken her forearms, but at least she had bought herself significantly more time to find a permanent solution.

The spellwork she had devised was taxing to maintain, on her time and her wallet. So she has once again returned to heroing, with the goal of getting what she needs and the hope that she'll stumble across something that will help save her from this curious fate. Time will tell if she finds any success.

   Her Who's Who

A list of all known PCs and notable NPCs, story or otherwise.

Allies

• None: Yet

Family

• Marcus Rayne: Brother, younger by 2 years, magic-based hero.

Acquaintances

• None: Yet

Enemies

• None: Yet

   Meet the Gato

A few hooks:

• Voice may be recognized from regulars to lounges or other social events she may have sung for in Founder's Falls and Talos.
• Scientific curiosity: A rare mutation defying the laws of physics? Could be interesting!
• Sorcerous curiosity: Openly displays high level chronomancy in the runes on her person.
• Make a friend/buck: She's been actively looking for information or anything that might be able to help her situation. Got something? It'll catch her attention real quick.
• Make an actual friend: Someone from her past? Someone who's seen her around? Someone who just finds her timid nature appealing? She could use a friend right about now!
• Romanceable? Yes.
  
  

Want to interact with Caroline? Hit up my global @Wapsitax or hit up her discussion page.