DeusEx

Name: James Michael Tanner
Nicknames: None

Looks

Age: 31
Gender: Male
Eyes color: Brown
Hair color: Brown
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 155lbs
Physical Description: James is rather ordinary looking. One really couldn't say that he's attractive; he'll never be a model, that's for sure. His face is far too narrow and his eyes are far too far apart to be anything but moderately symmetrically attractive. He's got a crooked nose, and it is slightly hooked -- a far cry from anything on the level of Cyrano's legendary nose. Still, it's a a source of frustration for him. Being that he has and always will be a tech nerd, James has never really cared for appearances anyway. His clothing is nondescript, functional and comfortable.
Personal Details

Family and Friends: tba
Birthday: March 15th
Occupation: VI Scripter for Endeavor Enterprises
Strengths: Hard working, intelligent, good judge of character
Weaknesses/Flaws: Extremely introverted, socially awkward. Within the Conduit, his social anxieties seem to melt away, but he still has a streak of what he would call caution and what others would call being a slight coward.
Residence: Wichita, KS
Personality: James is, for all intents and purposes, ordinary and pretty boring. (Are you sensing a theme here?) Brought up with good old fashioned midwest values, he's the type to stay out from under people's feet and just keep his head down in order to keep from getting in trouble. Meek in the sense that he won't stir up a fuss, and keeps to himself. His entry into the Conduit is a huge release for him, since there he can be someone different, so it is not just an escape from the dreary world in which humanity is now experiencing. It is an escape from even his own boring and uneventful life. For this, he is even a sleeper, finding the comfort of dreaming while in the Conduit.

History
Prior to his work at Endeavor, James spent most of his young life in the study and pursuit of making video games. Once one of the top AI scripters for NCSoft before that company went through its own financial crisis, he worked on a variety of award winning games where his highly sophisticated AI scripts were well recognized at GDC award ceremonies year after year. He was the best of the best, till the population crisis was in full swing. When he was laid off from NCSoft, he immediately sought employment with Endeavor Enterprises and began all over again in working his way up through the ranks to his current one, Senior VI engineer for Endeavor software patches.

He's not in Kansas anymore! Well, really he was and still is. Living day to day in the hopes to be permanently plugged into the Conduit, James obsesses over it night and day. When he's not in Conduit, he is typically working on projects for Endeavor Enterprises, or he's sleeping. But, he's had a trend lately, as with a lot of other people in Conduit, of being a Sleeper, where he experiences the semi sense environment even in his sleep. While he dreams within Conduit, he is ever pressing to get his hands on a legendary AI... a myth really, that he heard whispered under the voices of some within his crew at Endeavor.

Eventually, he met Novela. It was, of course love at first sight of her virtual avatar, and he would like to think that the same could be said about her. It wouldn't be long before their lengthy strolls upon glittering beaches in Eden (so cliche, right?) led to his eventual proposal to her. Asking someone in Conduit to marry your virtual avatar was a growing trend as more and more people started to 'plug in', and so they were married by way of a simple ceremony from a virtual Justice of the Peace within Core. James, known as Deus in Conduit, is very happy with his current accommodations, and finds much pleasure in adventuring with his wife... in space, in the fantasy realms, wherever... as long as she is at his side, he's a happy man.

Well, almost happy. Of course he is a traditional sort, and since it's nearly impossible for him to get over his awkwardness in real life and get up the nerve to meet Novela in person -- yes, he's married to a woman that he can't bring himself to meet in the real world -- his dreams of a family seemed to have fallen short for a while, that was till he began hearing over and over about the fabled AI... rumors mostly, but to Deus, a glimmer of hope that he obsessively clings to... and keeps secret from Novela, for now.



Handle: DeusEx (Dey-us eks)
Nickname: Deus

Looks

Gender: Male
Eyes color: Light Brown
Hair color: Brown
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs
Physical Description: Taller and lean, his Avatar is quite handsome possessing a charming, warm smile. Dark, empathic eyes are one of his better features. Stylish clothing finds him a good model upon which to rest, yet he does not overdress. Casual, yet stylish is his mantra within the Conduit.
Goal: Deus' goal within the Conduit is to make enough money with his business to retire in comfort with his Conduit wife, Novela. He also has another goal, one that is quite ambitious: he is seeking the legend of AI so that he can attempt to replicate it in his own work. With this, he hopes to be the first to create a 'child' of his and Novela within the Conduit.

Playby: Dave Annable

Personal Details

Occupation: Crafter of VI companions and pets, avid adventurer
Affiliation: None, as of yet.
Play style: Adventurer, seeker of AI and other (scripts) artifacts within Conduit. He often explores the worlds of the Conduit, using his in game skills of piloting, navigation, some mechanical skills as well as being pretty good with firearms.
Residence: Core

Abilities

Skills: Polymorph objects. Deus (much like the origin of his name implies, Deus Ex Machina) can touch an object, hold it in his hands and shape shift that object into anything that is not 'alive'. While he is nearly unlimited in what he can transform, he does have the following limit: He cannot make actual explosives (like c4 or gunpowder) or firearms rounds, but he can make the components of such. While there is no limit to the amount of objects he can polymorph, they cannot be larger than one foot squared in volume or mass.

Crafting Skill: Pets are his specialty. From dogs and cats to the more exotic type, Deus can create them with such realism that it's hard to differentiate them from their real world counterparts. This is a greatly sought after skill, since the overpopulation crisis has curbed the trend and need for people to own pets outside the Conduit. Crafting VI. Being that his job is a VI scripter, many come to him for NPCs in their little corners of the Conduit. He's well known for creating the most realistic pet, helper and even companion VI scripts.

Inventory

Equipment: Fire arms! Pistols! You name it, he's at least got one on him, especially when outside Core exploring. He also remains prepared with a kit of essentials, a sort of Macgyver type of tool kit and of course a book or two.
Artifacts: A device, which he just calls the controller, is a staple inventory item which is both in the world of the conduit, but it also displays real time information in his HUD. This allows him to control his helper, augment the helper's program on the fly, and also alter other VI on the fly. Success depends on how familiar he is with the script in question. It can take minutes, or even hours, depending on how complex a VI script is to read.
Vehicles: None; he usually rents or finds... never really steals! Never, never!

Rp Sample
This RP sample is from another board.

Terrible, terrible news.

Aarick, with great haste, made his way through the Halls of the Order. From the research department he had walked, carrying under his arm, a file folder wrapped in the red leather casing - indicating an urgency for overseer's eyes only. When he had looked inside at its contents, he was very disturbed at the findings of the prognosticators. In fact, the Second Overseer of New York's hub had to scan the contents of the file not once, but twice. Because what he read inside was so incredulous, that at first he was sure that his eyes were betraying him.

This was civil war; or there was the prospect of civil war among the ranks of the Order. Dire news. Terrible, indeed!

The Prognosticators had verified it, using their scrying techniques to rule out the possibility of an error by one of the group. In the realm of prediction there was always room for error. That was why the checks and balances were set up, and there were twelve Prognosticators per locality; so that they all could test the verity of the information that one of them was receiving. And even then, the practice wasn't down to an absolute science. Overseer Westminster was quite fortunate to literally be in the room at the exact right time when one of them received a vision that would normally have been thrown out because it was unrelated to that which they were seeking. In prognostication, one must be consciously looking for something or someone; for a random vision to develop and pan out to be possible was very rare.

It was a good thing that Aarick pushed when the young man gasped out the vision from his trance. He ordered the others to go about the verification process, and to his dismay, the terrible news was not only probable, but it was already happening. Dissent among the ranks was turning out to be an all out war at the very moment that he was drawing breaths. Rare for them to see something happening so near to the present, and it was truly fortunate that he did. His name had been uttered as one of the deceased in this epic battle in which the Rebels would be triumphant; or so the seers said.

Such dire news of his own death caused him to break into a near run through the lavish, marble lined halls of the Order. Moving along at a good clip on his way to the Head Overseer's office. While the magus was not of a stout constitution, nor was he overly tall (he was only just shy of five foot ten and a buck fifty wet), his pace and urgent presence as he pressed through the hallway caused several passing magi to push themselves up against the wall, or simply jump out of the way just in time, before Aarick came barreling through. He had that look of 'get out of my way, or I'll run you over' anyway, as he ran. Fully dressed to the nines in a three piece suit - including a vest, one that was dark gray and pinstriped, he looked the part of the powerful Second Overseer he was supposed to portray. Aarick was well known in this branch of the Order anyway, due to the tragedy of his possession, and the triumph of the three united forces in Atlantis of the formerly known organization of Grace Foundation, OHAD and the Order of Ulrich.

While that gate to a literal hell was closed, a gate to a figurative hell was opening up under everyone's feet. Westminster couldn't get to Nailah's office fast enough. His pace quickened, sailing through the halls and rounding corners as the flats of his dress shoes slapped marble. Being more physically fit these days, Aarick was able to move swiftly, and push open the large wooden door to Nailah's office.

It was an office that he should have had since the death of the previous Overseer; a certain Javier Olivette, who as an elemental magus with the specialization in water had drowned in his own bathtub. While there were marks on his wrists and neck, the investigation stated that they were unrelated to the death itself -- in that he was participating in some 'rather rambunctious activity' prior to his drawing a bath and subsequent drowning. This left everyone a little suspicious, but there was no other evidence of foul play, and indeed on his bed, attached to the posts were the cuffs and other implements of his sexual play with a women. She was a no body really, a prostitute that had simply disappeared after the initial investigation. The local chapter of police and the Order's Inspectors deemed the case closed.

That didn't narrow Aarick's suspicions, however. And this Overseer's arrival seemed all too convenient. And furthermore, he didn't quite trust her. While he hadn't trusted Javier either, he hadn't worked with the man long enough to really have any kind of bead on his persona. But something about Nailah was throwing him off. And he wondered where her loyalties lie: in the Order's stated promise to be the protector of mankind and the guardian of his knowledge through the ages or was she out for ruthless dominance of her brethren within and without the Order? He was in a quandary, because he could not honestly answer that question.

But duty would dictate that he report his findings to her. And as disillusioned he had become since the time of his possession; the darkness left behind was also some tremendous burden to be carrying around in his heart. It stole his innocence. The world was no longer the mysteriously wonderful place into which he had been 'reborn via fire'. Now, what was once wonder has been replaced with a pragmatic and jaded view of this Brave New World that was seemingly crumbling around him. Under the stress of the infected and the demons that made it a point to feast on the human and meta human populations. How arrogant they were to think that they would not be resisted, then destroyed!

As he burst through the door, the secretary of the Overseer nearly shrieked, startled by his sudden entrance into the office. When he made his way to the door that would lead him directly to Nailah, the young woman stood from her desk and tried to stop him before getting there, •npc• "Overseer Westminster! Stop sir, you can't go in there! She's in a meeting!" Ignoring her, Aarick pushed past her and opened the door. Bursting through it in much the same manner he had upon the door outside, he entered her office, and the Third Inspector magus by the name of Sorbello nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden entry of Westminster.

☤ "Leave us!" commanded the Overseer, honing in his vision upon and addressing only Sorbello. At least the lower ranking Magus would know his place, and swiftly leave the office without even glancing at Nailah. Aarick stood the the side, with his lips set in a thin line as he watched the Inspector leave. The door was shut behind him much to the dismay of the secretary, who now nearly had a face full of door that had been shut directly in her face. His attention was brought upon Al-Ammar, as he moved towards the desk, then put the crimson folder on top of it.

☤ "Forgive my intrusion, venerable Magus," Now showing the proper respect to her, he hoped that his haste wouldn't give him a bad mark with the Grand Overseers. Maybe in lieu of what was in the envelope for her to review would help her to understand the severity of his actions -- it was rather dire news that he was presenting. ☤ "I will cut right to the chase, Oveseer Al-Ammar. There is a coup d'état in progress at this very moment within the ranks of our esteemed Order. As you and I both know, this has not happened since the time of the Templar revolution in Jerusalem some two thousand years ago. And the damage to our ranks from then affect us even now as we lost much vital information pertaining to the last Great Age.

The Prognosticators would not have even considered this information were I not there at the time of its scrying. Under my guidance, they were able to pull the name of one First Inspector Caradoc Tadesse, who is known for his dabbling in the darker arts." Here, he paused for a read of Nailah. He knew her type of magic, that of the shadows in which he didn't fully trust since he had part of that shadow still within him from his possession. A part which tormented him even months later. Whether or not she could sense that inside of him made him a little paranoid as well, and hoped that she would not and could not use it to leverage some kind of control over him, if that were her modus operandi.

Furthermore, her file was sealed. A fact that truly disturbed Aarick.

☤ "My advice is to assemble a team to confront the Rebels. I have included the dossier sheets of two Inspectors that I consider to be perfect for the job: Third Inspector Magus Hitchcock and Second Inspector Greene. Also for support may I suggest Second Centurion Rose? Are these three of your approval or would you have someone else along with me?" He didn't even bother sitting. There would be no time. He and the others of the order had to act now before the first strike from Tadesse would come -- and by the prognosticators' time frame, that would come entirely too soon. At least providence had a hand in all of this and had given them a peek through the window of the near future. His only hope was that they weren't too late to save all of those precious lives, and of course the knowledge and artifacts from getting lost this time. The last civil war was bloody and according to historical accounts, took a tremendous emotional toll on those who were involved in the fighting. Since those in the Order often saw their fellow magi as extended family, this kind of conflict carried an unusually high emotional charge.

Aarick waited her command; to which he would follow to the letter. Even if he were suspicious of her, he hadn't the proof yet to make his doubts any more than what they were in his own mind.