Sephiroth [R]

[soramaster]

ORIGINAL or CANON:
Canon





Series of Origin:
Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts





What was the inspiration for them / do they embody a particular feeling or emotion?
I’ve always been a Sephiroth fan and enjoy roleplaying as him.





Name:
Sephiroth





Nickname:
The One Winged Angel
The Man in the Black Cape
The Nightmare





Age:
34
(32 During the events of Advent Children)





Gender:
Male





Species:
JENOVA cell based Human
(S.O.L.D.I.E.R)





Being Type:
Somebody





Position:
Chaotic Evil





Appearance:
Sephiroth has silver hair that is straight and is long enough to fall halfway down his thighs. His bangs are center-parted, shoulder length, and extend upwards a few inches before falling back down at an angle. He has the trademark Mako-infused eyes that are a bright green/blue. (Note that in FFVII, they appear green. In Kingdom Hearts, they appear blue. In Advent Children, they appear a blue/green.) Sephiroth stands at approximately 6’1” and is considered muscular. He has the ability to sprout a single dark blue wing from his right shoulder. This wing has a single talon. Sephiroth may also sprout two small wings at hip level. These are also dark blue, and each have a talon. Sephiroth is mainly seen wearing a black trench coat with a thick red lining. The coat falls about halfway down his shins and has a raised collar that is worn folded down. The coat is embellished with bat wing-shaped blades on the outer forearm. This is accompanied by a black cape with various and seemingly random spikes of fabric, forming multiple ends of the cape. Sephiroth wear a belt around his waist. This is worn over the coat and is embellished with two angel wings on the buckle. He wears a silver pauldron on each shoulder held on by large black straps. Each pauldron is adorned with three small circles that form a triangle. Sephiroth wears black leather gloves and silver cuffs around his wrists. Sephiroth wears his coat open, revealing his chest. His chest is partially covered with two black belts forming an “X” shape. He also wears an abdomen guard with some sort of symbol, however the symbol is covered by two belts. Sephiroth wears black leather pants that are loose and black leather boots held up with silver belts under the knee.




Alternatively, Sephiroth may be seen during more laid-back battles wearing only his leather pants and boots.





History:

Not much, if anything, is known about Sephiroth’s childhood.

At the age of 22, Sephiroth became a member of the Shinra Co. security team. The team was named SOLDIER. Sephiroth quickly rose through the different ranks, becoming SOLDIER First Class in only a year. From there, he was soon considered a “Hero”-a rank that Sephiroth would be the first and only member of. During this time, Sephiroth was friends with only two other people. The two others were Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley. They were skilled fighters who were as close as anybody else ever got to the rank Hero. Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley. He was also acquaintance to Zack Fair and Professor Gast. As time passed, Sephiroth became suspicious of the source of his power. Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth slowly grew farther apart until a time that they basically considered each other enemies. At the age of 25, Sephiroth was sent on a life-changing mission. He was to check on the Mako reactor located in Nibelheim. After peeking into one of the vaults containing Mako, Sephiroth was surprised to see a monster inside. Sephiroth became suspicious and returned to Nibelheim. There, he spent nearly a month in the basement of Shinra Manor reading through all of the Shinra files. He slowly realized that he was created through the cells of JENOVA, an alien lifeform that was found near Nibelheim. This was the source of his power. Sephiroth became extremely angry at this and burned the town of Nibelheim to the ground. He killed everyone present except SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair, a girl named Tifa, the girl’s instructor, and a Shinra agent named Cloud. Sephiroth returned to the Mako reactor and ripped through a previously unnoticed vault in the back. It contained the remains of JENOVA, the source of his power, the only being that he could call Mother. Sephiroth fought against Zack, striking him down but not killing him. Cloud quickly arrived at the scene and began fighting Sephiroth. After nearly defeating Cloud, Sephiroth was injured and thrown into a vat of boiling Mako where he disintegrated into the LifeStream of the planet. (FFVII Before Crisis/FFVII Crisis Core)

Over the next five years, Sephiroth slowly regenerated at the Planet’s Core inside a cocoon. During this time, he was enlightened with the history of the World and how JENOVA was a calamity trying to eliminate all humans. Sephiroth embraced this goal and waited in his cocoon until Cloud would come bearing the Black Materia. With this, Sephiroth would summon a meteor to destroy all. During Cloud’s trip, failed experiments that resembled Sephiroth were manipulated by Sephiroth to bring Cloud to him. Cloud arrived with the Black Materia. Sephiroth took it and a battle commenced. Cloud was the victor, though not before Sephiroth was able to activate the Black Materia. Sephiroth disappeared back into the LifeStream of the planet. Cloud used the power of the ancients through a friend’s soul to lessen the meteor’s impact and save the human race. (FFVII)

Somehow, a remnant of Sephiroth appeared in the Underworld. There, it became the strongest fighter. Eventually a young boy with spikey hair challenged it to a battle. After some time, the remnant fell to the boy. The boy possessed a certain power and seemed to be completely free of any darkness. Sephiroth noted this through his control of the remnant before his vision faded into darkness. 
(Kingdom Hearts)

A group entitled “The Reunion” fought for the return of Sephiroth. This would be done through the only remaining portion of JENOVA. After some time, the group successfully brought Sephiroth back for another fight with Cloud. Sephiroth very nearly won, however Cloud overcame his darkness in the end and defeated Sephiroth, sending him back into the LifeStream. 
(FFVII Advent Children)

Sephiroth once again regenerated into a strange place. He did not know where he was, but he could feel that Cloud was nearby. Sephiroth finds Cloud fighting a group of enemies and confronts him. As Cloud prepares to attack, Sephiroth disappears. After waiting for some time, he is approached by the spikey haired kid he fought in the Underworld previously. Sephiroth asked the boy his name. Sora. Sora was wielding a key that could potentially help Sphiroth defeat Cloud. Sephiroth challenged Sora to a fight in order to take the key. After a long battle, Sephiroth stopped fighting him. He acknowledged that Sora was skilled but also states that it is apparent that Cloud is the only one capable of eliminating him. Sephiroth tells Sora to have Cloud come fight. He returned with Cloud so that Cloud could settle things with Sephiroth. A battle commences but is interrupted by Tifa, who is looking to help Cloud. Sephiroth briefly fights Tifa until Cloud blocks an attack that would have struck Tifa. Cloud and Sephiroth face each other to resume their battle and disappear.
(Kingdom Hearts 2)
(From here, there is no definite ending to the battle in-game. I am describing how I wish the history to continue in my RP sample.)



Current Primary Objective:
Eliminate all humans, especially Cloud.
Become a God.





Learning type:
Tactile





Personality:
Sephiroth is typically a quiet character. He does not enjoy the company of others and seeks to destroy the human race due to the events that created the person he is.
He sees himself as superior to everyone and believes that he will become/may already be a God. Due to this, he is Proud and talks down to others.
A common line while going into battle (Quoted from Final Fantasy Dissidia) is “Kneel Before Me.”





Home World:
Gaia


(Note that it is assumed after the meteor hit, Gaia was lost to darkness. This is why Sephiroth regenerated to the Underworld in KH1. Cloud restored the light and "The Reunion" brought Sephiroth back to Gaia for the events of Advent Children. After the events of Dirge of Cerberus (Unlisted in history, Sephiroth had not regenerated yet for the events of this game) the World eventually fell to darkness again and Sephiroth regenerated back into the worlds of Kingdom Hearts.)





Natural Affinities/Abilities/Skills:

Firaga

A version of the classic Firaga spell unique to Sephiroth. Enemies are drawn towards Sephiroth. This can be described as a sort of flaming vacuum. (Originally used in KH2 fight vs. Sora.)

Teleportation

Able to teleport around the battlefield (Originally used in KH fight against Sora.)

Flash

Sephiroth attacks 13 times in an instant. (Originally used in FFVII)

Limitations/Drawbacks:

Firaga

Because this version spell has an ability tied to it, it is not as strong as the classic Firaga spell. It deals less damage.

Teleportation

When in battle, Sephiroth is limited strictly to teleporting closer to the enemy than he already. The location that he teleports to is directly behind his opponent and it takes three seconds for him to arrive. As long as the opponent is paying attention, this leaves enough time to spin and block whatever attack Sephiroth is about to hit with. Outside of battle, Sephiroth can only teleport to the Lifestream. Sephiroth must spend 3 turns in the LifeStream before he can return. During battle, Sephiroth can use this once every 5 turns.

Flash

Flash has a cool down of 7 turns.

Passive:
Heartborn Embers





Weapon:
Masamune

The Masamune is a Nodachi. This is basically a long Katana. Sephiroth’s Nodachi is 12’2” long, or simply double his height. The handle is 2’ long and the blade is 10’2”. The handle is black with a silver pommel. It has a simple silver rectangular handguard parallel to the angle of the blade and handle. The blade is silver. The false edge appears light blue.





Role Playing Sample: There was a blinding light as Sephiroth was about to attack Cloud. Fortunately, the boy known as Sora had brought Cloud right into his clutches. As the light faded, he was in a totally different and unfamiliar area. ”How could this be?”, thought Sephiroth. “He was there a minute ago. How could he disappear?”. He looked around and exclaimed, “Cloud! You can’t escape the darkness!”, but could feel that Cloud was definitely not here. He turned, taking a closer look at this new place. As he looked up at a tall tower with a clock and many bells, he thought about how it was only a matter of time before he found Cloud again. “I will win next time!” he thought to himself.



Questions/Comments/Suggestions? This is a very confusing character. If I have anything mixed up in the history, please tell me. His story is complex and very easy to confuse or mess up. I understand that this is a very powerful character and tried to come up with some drawbacks without breaking lore. I am very open to suggestions. Thank you!!!!!

[soramaster]

First edit was to add pictures. Secondly, editing to make "thought text" a more visible color. Poor selection on my part.

[Cal]

“Why hello there, kupo!” the moogle says excitedly as you hand him your paperwork, “This looks like an interesting one! Let’s get to work, shall we, kupo?”

The moogle shuffles excitedly through the forms, his eyes darting across them at lightning speed. It didn’t take long for him to finish, and as he did he laid the sheets on his desk and briefly raised his top hat to scratch at his head.

“Oh, kupo, were this a normal applicstion, it would be perfectly within the required minimums,” he said as he retrieved a red pen from a small cup on his desk, “However, I think we both know that this is no normal application, and as such it requires going a little bit beyond the absolute minimums. Now, I believe it would be easiest to do this in small bites, so let’s start with the first half.

“First is this section,” the moogle said, circling the ‘Being Type’ section in red, “S.O.L.D.I.E.R is not an appropriate entry here. Let me show you”

Cal then opened a small book entitled “Application Guide” and pointed at the Being Type section’s three choices of Heartless, Nobody, or Somebody. “These are the three appropriate choices for this section. I believe the one that fits best here is ‘Somebody.’

“Now, next is your ‘Alignment’ section, kupo. Your selection of alignment does not seem to quite fit in with the descriptions of said alignments here,” Cal continued, flipping a few more pages through the guide and pointing at the alignment section.

Neutral
Aneutral character (AKA true neutral) is neutral on both axes and tends not to feel strongly towards any alignment, or actively seeks their balance. Druids frequently follow this dedication to balance, and under Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules, were required to be this alignment. In an example given in the 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook, a typical druid might fight against a band of marauding gnolls, only to switch sides to save the gnolls’ clan from being totally exterminated. Most animals, lacking the capacity for moral jusgment, are of this alignment, since they are guidedd by instinct rather than conscious decision (although in 5th edition animals are “unaligned”, not sapient enough to actively make a decision based on alignment, even that of neutrality)

“Now,” Cal continued, pointing at another entry on the page, “This description of neutral doesn’t fit the application as you’ve written it. The motivations and other applicable portions in this application make me think this alignment is more appropriate.”

Chaotic Evil

A chaotic evil character tends to have no respect for rules, other people’s lives, or anything but their own desires, which are typically selfish and cruel. They set a high value on personal freedom, but do not have much regard for the lives or freedom of other people. Chaotic evil characters do not work well in groups because they resent being given orders and do not usually behave themselves unless there is no alternative.

“If you still wish to leave the alignment as is, kupo, you will need to rewrite the application to better demonstrate how it should be neutral, so in the end the choice is still up to you.”

Cal smiled up at the newcomer and handed the forms back to the new applicant, saying, “Just fix those issues first and we’ll move on to the rest.”

[soramaster]

I definitely understand these changes and am excited to look at possible changes with the second half.


Edit- In the history, I noticed that I wrote Angeal as one of the people present at Nibelheim during FFVII Crisis Core. This was actually Zack Fair. I was typing the history at 2am and had a dumb moment.

[Bayde]

The tired-looking Moogle floats into the room, glancing back and forth with a quirked brow.

"Well, that's a surprise. Looks like you've been waiting a while. I guess I'll have to take over, kuu."

Bayde snaps his fingers, and the two of you suddenly find yourself in his office. He's taken the liberty of grabbing your application and laying it out across his antique desk, and before you know it he's taken out his infamous red pen. A ghost of a smirk plays across his face, though you'd never notice it with the dark bags under his eyes drawing your attention away.

"It seems our intern gave you a good start, but let's see if we can't detail out a few more key issues, shall we?"

This wing has a single talon, considered a thumb.

"Would the talon at the end of Sephiroth's wing really be considered a thumb? That would imply he has the ability to grab onto things with the appendage and hold them like he would with a third hand."

These are also dark blue and each have a talon.

"You'll want a comma to separate the two clauses in this sentence."

Sephiroth wears black, leather, gloves and silver cuffs around his wrists.

"It seems you're aware of the rule which dictates that adjactives attached to a noun need a comma between them when they form a list, but you'd do well to remember that the last adjective in the list doesn't require a comma. Further, colors do not need commas after them. As a result, this sentence does not need any commas."

Sephiroth wears black leather pants that are loose, and black leather boots held up with silver belts under the knee.

"Since you only have two items in this list, you don't need to use a comma."

Not much, if anything is known about Sephiroth’s childhood.

"You're looking to use a comma splice here, which means you need to put another comma after the word 'anything.'"

This team is what the elite group’s race is also considered…SOLDIER.

"Consider refactoring this sentence in its entirety, kuu. You don't need that ellipsis, and it doesn't make a lot of sense as it exists presently."

Skilled fighters who were as close as anybody else ever got to the rank Hero.

"This is a fragment. The main clause needs a verb for it to be completed, kuu."

Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley.

"Another fragment, kuu."

Cloud quickly arrives at the scene and begins fighting Sephiroth.

"You'll want this sentence to be in the past tense so that it fits with the rest of your History section."

Cloud used the power of the ancients through a friend’s soul to lessen the meteor’s impact and save the human race.

"Who was this person? You'll need to go into more detail. Make edits to the canon of the game as needed."

Somehow Sephiroth regenerated into a strange place.

"You need to include commas after prepositional phrases. In this case, it's 'somehow'"

The Underworld.

"Again, a sentence fragment."

Eventually a young boy with spikey hair challenged him to a battle.

"Again, commas should come after prepositional phrases."

(Note that I must stay true to the official description of Sephiroth by Square Enix. This states that Cloud is the only being capable of defeating Sephiroth.) (Kingdom Hearts)

"Not here you don't. When crossovers, original characters, group efforts, and many other factors come into play, the safeguard of 'only this specific character can defeat me' flies out the window, kuu. Sephiroth can be strong, but you'll need to take him off a pedestal if you'd like to play as him."

"There are also one or two concerns I have when it comes to how you've listed Sephiroth's abilities. Specifically, I think we need to work on Teleportation and Flash.

Teleportation needs both a range limit and some sort of cooldown or per-thread limit. Free access to an indefinite teleport whenever you want it is unreasonable at best and overpowered at worst. There's also the matter of Flash being a guaranteed hit. We're not going to allow that. Please take that out of your description and just call it what it is: An incredibly rapid thirteen hit combo. You may want to modify the drawbacks to using this in accordance with this.

Looking forward to see what you can do with this, kuu."

[soramaster]

I am still working on a few edits.

"Cloud used the power of the ancients through a friend’s soul to lessen the meteor’s impact and save the human race."

I purposely left information out in this statement because Sephiroth would not technically know that Cloud was specifically using Aerith's power.