Shmoo {Profile}

Shmoo is a human rogue with a very troubled yet interesting past. When he is not in disguise as another person, he also possesses purple skin and is devoid of hair. He is an observer and watcher of humanoids. He learns from his observations and applies what he is taught to himself and those close to him. All in hopes to better himself and those around him.

There have been many iterations of Shmoo, as the ring he possesses provides him with a type of immortality. Each new iteration has to pass the test to become the next Shmoo, which involves wearing the ring and not going insane. This is because the ring holds all previous Shmoo’s conciousness, letting the current Shmoo access them all as if they are the past Shmoos, all at once. It also involves being trained by the previous Shmoo before donning the ring and taking the place of Shmoo.

To handle the thoughts of past Shmoos, all Shmoos start with a minimum insanity stage of ten, which can decrease to eight. They will commonly talk in third person because of the past Shmoo’s memories feeling like someone else’s, yet also feeling like their own. They have a passion for watching others and learning from their actions, regardless of what those actions are. Shmoo also has a strong tendency to take what is told to him literally. For example, a past Shmoo (possibly the original) was asked to keep watch for the night when setting camp with his fellow adventurers. He did exactly that. He watched as a group of robbers came into the camp, stole all his companions’ belongings and left. When they woke and asked what happened, he explained how he watched everything happen.

If Shmoo is to die before training the next Shmoo, the ring can be removed without issue. However, whoever puts on the ring becomes the next Shmoo and is taught by all the past Shmoos. This can cause the current Shmoo to become even more insane than previous Shmoos.

Equipment

Quicksilver Blades

A gift from Transmutation, Shmoo’s two scimitars have a base ability to evaporate into a fine mist when not in use. The weapons must be bound to their wielder to be used to their full potential. If they are not bound, they remain in their solid form and act as normal titanium paragon scimitars. Once bound, the scimitars gain unique abilities. Binding items to a character is performed the same way as melding with a conduit.

They can be called forth with a thought, materializing from mist into the wielder’s hands in a blink of an eye. While the blades cannot be separated, they can form independently of each other.

When a Quicksilver Blade strikes an opponent, the blade slightly ripples as if liquid. However, the effects of the strike cause a burning sensation that leave scorched marks around the wound. The blades do not have any cauterizing capabilities but cause the wound to bleed more on critical strikes. The damage caused from the blades radiates outward from the wound as a searing hot pain coursing through the opponent’s body.

Damage

Upon a critical strike, the target must make an insanity check. Critical strikes deal an additional 1d8 bleed damage each round until cared for.

The scimitars ignore armor and pass through like water, damaging the flesh of the target and leaving the armor unharmed.

The blades absorb essence, which nullifies energetic effects and fuels the blades’ own power. On successful strikes, the target takes essence damage equal to half the total damage of the attack. The essence that is absorbed can later be unleashed as fire/psionic damage. However, the essence is only stored in the blades for up to twenty-four hours.

Twisted Lovers

A black and silver ring that to anyone else looks like two basic pieces of metal twisted around each other, but to Shmoo it has a completely different meaning. This ring grants Shmoo all memories of all the former Shmoos. It does not just provide access to the memories, but infuses the current Shmoo with them as if they are all Shmoos, past, present and future. These memories feel like they are someone else’s, yet feel that they lived them. It can be a confusing and odd feeling which explains why Shmoo sometimes speaks in third person. However, this ring does not only store Shmoo’s memories, but also grants them their unique abilities.

The history of this ring has both good and bad memories of Shmoo. While each twisted band represents the marital rings for his former lover and himself, it also is a constant reminder of what he has lost. This twisted joy and pain has fueled the ring since its creation. It is a ring not made by channelers in the traditional methods to create runic items. Instead, the power of love, suffering, and a bit of chaos fused the bands and bonded themselves to Shmoo. Therefore, to anyone else, this is a simple twisted band, but to Shmoo, it holds everything.

Twisted Lovers Unique Abilities

Alter Appearance

With a thought, Shmoo can alter his appearance into any other humanoid creature that is only one foot taller or shorter than his original height. He can increase or decrease his weight by only twenty pounds. Otherwise, he can alter his skin, eye, and hair color as he wishes. He can change into a completely different sub-species or species if he stays within the rules of the ring. This alteration is permanent until either the ring is removed, or he changes it.

Shimmer Stealth

This ring grants Shmoo the ability to use an altered version of the Stealth mastery as a free action. The cost of the ability is reduced to zero, and he automatically gains plus ten for an indefinite amount of time. This ability is, however, still a focus mastery.

Permanently Bonded

Regardless of how hard anyone tries, this ring cannot be forcefully removed from Shmoo. If he loses the finger, he wears it on, it will reappear on another finger or on his person. Should the ring be removed from his person by some unknown method, he always knows exactly where it is. The only way for the ring to be removed is for Shmoo to surrender it completely by willingly removing it himself.

If anyone other than Shmoo puts the ring on, they are instantly flooded with hundreds of thousands of memories. They take 2d20+20 mental health damage and their insanity stage instantly increases to stage ten. Mental health of survivors will permanently decrease by fifteen and they can’t recover beyond stage eight of insanity.

If Shmoo is training their successor and it’s time to pass on the ring, there won’t be any harm to their mental health because the trainee is ready for it. However, their insanity stage increases to stage ten.

Biography (Original Shmoo)

Growing up, Shmoo was small. Not only in the physical sense but also in his presence. He could enter a room, as one normally would, and not a single soul would acknowledge him. To a normal child growing up in an orphanage in the heart of the Umi Empire, being invisible wasn’t something they would want. However, Shmoo was not like other children. He had no desire to be seen and preferred his privacy over the social interactions of the world.

The Saint Yeela Orphanage of the Hangman is a human only orphanage run by the church of The Hangmen. Saint Yeela was one of the Hangman’s most devoted followers, who cared for lost children. She had set up multiple orphanages throughout Nisumari, but this orphanage was to be her biggest one yet. That is until she died giving birth to her only child. In honor of her, The Hangmen named it after her.

Although Shmoo had grown up surrounded by religion, he cared little about it. He knew the rights and rituals of The Hangmen but always questioned them. Why humans? Why were they the superior sub-species? Seeing the other sub-species in the city, he found humans to be very flawed. The Feline sub-species have natural claws for climbing and hunting; plus, they were fast. The Aves could fly! Elves had cool pointy ears, and he read that some could breathe underwater. Humans were basic, boring, and not special at all. Even the massive cyclops were cooler than humans, even though they were of the same species.

To Shmoo, he wasn’t anything special, but he understood he could do special things most humans—or other sub-species, for that matter—couldn’t do. He was small, nimble, and had the uncanny ability to squeeze into tight spaces no one else could. Which he used to his advantage.

Throughout his childhood, Shmoo learned the ins and outs of the capital of the Umi empire, Avac. At night, he would sneak out of the orphanage and explore the city. He’d learned quickly which areas to avoid, and which were safe. He also learned which shops had the best sushi rolls, his favorite food. Of course, Shmoo doesn’t have any tsu to pay for his meals, which is where he first learned the art of thievery.

Upon the turning of his eighteenth day of birth, he was released into the city to thrive for himself. He soon met a wizard who brought him in as a servant. The pay wasn’t great, but it was a roof over his head and anything else he wanted, he just stole. With in that same year, he did all kinds of disturbing things for his wizard master. Until the one day his master called him into his study. Shmoo entered the study to stop suddenly, staring at the tip of a staff. His master said a command word, and the staff glowed. Before Shmoo could react, bright colors were shooting out of the staff and surrounding him. With a last flash, Shmoo woke up tied to a slab table. His eyes adjusting, he noticed a purple man staring down at him. This man looked exactly like Shmoo, only with a dark purple hue. Then he realized he was staring at a mirror. Beginning to freak out, he used his thieving skills to escape. He ran from the city, unsure of what he had become. Traveling a way from the city, he discovered a cave to Fureta. With his new skin tone and fragile broken mindset, he stumbled into the caves to do what he knew best: hide.

After months of isolation, he was discovered by some underkin who, because of his skin tone, was asked to live with them in their city. More months went by and Shmoo had become a commoner among the people. Until one day, a beautiful Ashera woman he had been courting as their customs gave him a magic leather cord as a symbol of her affection. Shmoo accepted her affection, and they were to be married. He started thinking his life might turn around when a rival city attacked. Fighting side by side with his wife, they fended off the attacking army. His wife, however, had been badly wounded in the battle. Shmoo stayed by her bed, holding her hand as the priests and clerics tried to perform their healing on her, only to fail, as her wounds were too great. She died in his arms.

As a way of mourning, Shmoo and his new family gathered their soldiers and attacked the rival city, burning it to the ground. Shmoo tried to stay in the Fureta but he could not bear being there without her. He returned to the surface to observe and understand why people were fascinated by killing, hoping to find an answer.

Ever since then, Shmoo has travelled the world observing, learning, and bettering himself so he can better those around him.