View source for Adherent2/QueenofPentacles

{{Character
|type=Archetype
|archetype=The Adherent
|name=Nemesis
|aka=Adrasteia<br>Rhamnousia
|portrait=ELNemesis003.png
|occupation=Justiciar
|age=23
|muxname=Adrasteia
|activity=Inactive
|story=Carnival
|alive=pending
|in-play=yes
|role=<h3>Coming To America</h3>

In the beginning there was the great void, Chaos, from which the primordial deities of Grecian lore were born - ''at least that is how some stories go''. Chaos being, perhaps, a time of great upheaval and confusion for the continuously evolving mortals who were trying to determine their place in the cosmos, and the Gods were needed to give them order and structure. Regardless,  from that void came Erebus and Nyx, darkness and night, and it was the latter that brought Nemesis into being - ''scholars could never accurately determine who her Father was or if she had one! Who's your Daddy? Fuck if she knows''.

A primordial deity birthed into the realm of belief near two thousand years before the existence of Christ, give or take a few decades or centuries, ''no one knows for sure'',  Nemesis has reigned in Greece since ancient times, and she had thrived as a Goddess of Divine Retribution for countless centuries. As man learned to travel the earth and sail the seas, cults and worshipers of the Greek pantheon (Nemesis included) began to spread, popping up in the islands and coasts of Ionia in Asia Minor, to Sicily and southern Italy and the Western Mediterranean.

The advent of Christianity brought about a gradual decline in the belief of the old Gods, and for hundreds of years Nemesis held on with the tidbits of cults and worshipers that refused conversion. However, in time, they too, began to fade out. It wasn't until the formation of New Smyrna Beach, Florida in 1768 that new life began to breathe into her, brought to the New World by a slim few hundred Greek settlers. At least for a time. The settlement barely lasted a decade, and a handful of survivors escaped to St. Augustine, where Nemesis loitered for nearly a century. In the 1850's she later ventured to New Orleans, where there had been an insurgence of immigrants from Greece, enough to create the first significant community.

With the passing decades came a rising number of Greeks in the United States, fleeing war and turmoil in their homeland by the hundreds of thousands. The uptick had a beneficial effect in the revival and growth of Hellenism in America, but it was slow going. So wherever they were en masse, Nemesis went to join them, and from New Orleans it was to New York from the mid to late 1920s to 1933. Then the dream came, along with an urgent need to find her brother, Hypnos.

<h3>Carnival of Wonders</h3>
[[File:ElNemIcon.png|250px|center]]

A little niche was relatively easy for Nemesis to find in the carnival following the year she joined. Despite the end of the prohibition, the Great Depression provides many a desperate soul who would do ''anything'' for a turn in luck. Millions are unemployed, the Dust Bowl has put the hurt on those who farm the plains, the dust storms stripping the topsoil, not to mention the drought. People are hurting. Organized crime is on the rise, many have fallen into criminal acts and lawlessness, and there's a plentiful amount of justice to be served, as well as scales to be balanced.

In a small, inconspicuous tent, marked by a sign bearing the image of a winged woman carrying both sword and scale, hovering beside a wagon wheel, Nemesis plies her trade to those she deems worthy. Mortals who still believe in magic, Gods, and beasts know to find her there, mortals with no recourse, desperate for a turn of luck or seeking justice, having been wronged. There's no shortage of mortals down on their luck, mortals who have lost everything, mortals who have done everything good, right, and just, yet still suffer. Then there are those who prey upon the unfortunate, taking from them to gain undeserved fortune and prosperity. With the world being in the state it's in, she has a sufficient amount of work, taking consultations and performing her divine duties, and those who stand by their devotion and conviction to her are rewarded.
|hooks=<h3>Roleplay Hooks</h3>

'''Greek Pantheon''': As far as scholars and ancient history goes, Nemesis belongs to the primordial generation of the Greek Pantheon, having come into existence before the Titans and Olympians. As such, she's been around for a ''very'' long time.

'''Justiciar''': Carrying many titles over the span of her lifetime, she's well known as a Goddess of Divine Retribution, a Purveyor of Justice, a Winged Balancer of Life - however it is generally applied only to mortals, and it's her job to help those who need it. If they know where to find her - ''and those that need her, do''.

'''Good Listener''': Nemesis is very down-to-earth and practical minded, where she can't ply her trade for the deities and beasts of the Carnival, she can at least give them an ear or a shoulder to lean on, providing help that way if not offering practical solutions or advice.

'''Observant''': Always watching, always paying attention to anything and everything, she surveys her environment and those in it with a discriminating eye.
|faces={{Faces
|name=Nemesis
|facepic=ELNemesis003.png
|faction=Vendors
|role=A Goddess can't simply walk around as they are in the realm of mortals, but when there's a call for justice, when the balance of right and wrong, happiness and sadness, good fortune and bad is askew, Nemesis will take her true face and mete out whatever is appropriate to achieve equilibrium. In her true form, when she chooses, Nemesis is winged, enabling her to fly, but unless she's balancing the scales of fortune or distributing dues, they're kept hidden or unseen.

'''Played By''': Luma Grothe
|fp01=ELNemesis001.png
|fp02=ELNemesis002.png
|fp03=Nemesis004a.png
|fp04=Nemesis005a.png
|fp05=Nemesis006.png
}}{{Faces
|name=Adrasteia
|facepic=ElCarnival007.png
|faction=Vendors
|role=While mingling with humankind, Nemesis takes another name, Adrasteia, and with it the appearance of a lovely blue-eyed blonde in her mid-twenties, complete with the 1930's aesthetic, thanks to Elizabeth.
|fp01=ElCarnival001.png
|fp02=ElCarnival002a.png
|fp03=ElCarnival004.png
|fp04=ElCarnival005.png
|fp05=ElCarnival006.png
}}{{Faces
|name=White-Fronted Goose
|facepic=Nemgoose003.png
|role=One of her sacred animals, the goose is a form Nemesis takes when a  human likeness isn't ideal or sufficient for her purpose. Whoever would suspect a goose? Nothing to see here.
|fp01=Nemgoose001.png
|fp02=Nemgoose002.png
}}{{Faces
|name=Griffin
|facepic=ElGryphon.png
|role=Throughout the ages it was written that the Goddess of Divine Retribution had her own chariot pulled by majestic and powerful griffins. This form is taken when there's a need for physical strength and power that she doesn't possess in any of her other faces.
}}
|factions={{AF
|faction=Vendors
|role=Purveyor of Justice and Balancer of Fortune
}}
|brawn=Normal
|brawn-qualities={{ABrwQ
|pn=negative
|qual=Enfeebled
|note=Being a fading deity has its drawbacks, and she just doesn't have the divine strength she used to.
}}{{ABrwQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Resilient
|note=While lacking the physical strength of a God, it doesn't automatically equate to weakness. She is hardy, resilient, easily bouncing back, able to resist and recover under the harshest of conditions. Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, she gets back to her feet.
}}{{ABrwQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Weapons Specialist
}}
|finesse=Normal
|finesse-qualities={{AFinQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Fleet-Footed
|note=Even without her wings and gift of flight, on ground Nemesis is just as swift and nimble, able to move ''quickly'' on her feet.
}}
|brains=Normal
|brains-qualities={{ABrnQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Perceptive
|note=Through her study of people and her environment, she's able to notice things most might miss and pull meaning from what she sees, feels, and hears, gaining insight and understanding of an individual or situation.
}}{{ABrnQ
|pn=negative
|qual=Forgetful
|note=Power, strength, ability, they're not the only things that have gradually weakened over the passage of time. She's forgetful of things here and there, and the far distant past has, at times, become difficult to recollect.
}}
|spirit=Good
|spirit-qualities={{ASprQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Unyielding
|note=Willful (just like her brother). Determined. Come what may, she has the mental and emotional resolve to never give up, even when circumstances are grim. Always moving onward, never letting go of hope.
}}{{ASprQ
|pn=negative
|qual=Stubborn
|note=Stuck in her ways, once she's set her mind to something, you can't change it. She's stubborn to the nth degree, and it's not always beneficial. It's a wonder a mule isn't one of her sacred animals.
}}{{ASprQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Captivating Beauty
|note=Regardless of how she presents herself to the general public, no matter how plain or simple, her beauty shines through, captivating those whose gaze falls upon her.
}}{{ASprQ
|pn=negative
|qual=Too Captivating
|note=On the downside, her otherworldly good looks has a tendency to captivate people to the point of stalker like obsession.
}}{{ASprQ
|pn=positive
|qual=Maternal
|note=Despite the tales of her implacable nature and remorselessness when dealing out justice or balance, she's not cruel. She possesses a maternal demeanor when dealing with those of the Carnival, often kind, caring, and nurturing when those are in need of it.
}}
|perkquirk={{APQ
|pq=perk
|pqname=Good Luck
|note=Fortune, luck, chance, whatever name you put on it, it's always been in her favor, and it has served her well throughout her existence thus far.
}}{{APQ
|pq=quirk
|pqname=Archaic Mind
|note=Nemesis has been in existence for several millenniums, she's an archaic being, set in the old ways she's accustomed to. The constantly developing technology, fashion, culture, she just doesn't ''get it'', and it shows.
}}{{APQ
|pq=perk
|pqname=Minor Power: Luck Modification (Spirit)
|note=This is Nemesis' way of achieving balance when she's called to mete out punishment for injustice, among other things. Undeserved good fortune? A little twist of luck will fix that. Too happy? She'll fix that, too. Down on your luck no matter how hard you try? Easily remedied. Are you a criminal that have hurt others with your breaking of the laws? She'll dish out your just desserts. All it takes is a little tweak and manipulation of luck.
}}{{APQ
|pq=quirk
|pqname=Nocturnal
|note=Born of Nyx, the Goddess of Night, Nemesis is only active once darkness falls, but during the day she's rather lethargic if being awake is a necessity.
}}{{APQ
|pq=perk
|pqname=Minor Power: Winged Celerity (Finesse)
|note=Vengeance and retribution comes on swift wings to whomever deserves it, and when it comes time to deliver, Nemesis is ''quick''. Her wings grant her the speed to get to where she needs to go.
}}{{APQ
|pq=quirk
|pqname=Too Pretty
|note=Even with her mortal guise, there's an unnatural, otherworldly beauty about Nemesis, an allure or aura the woman possesses that just isn't...normal. The sort that sets a smart man's teeth on edge, makes them wary, but they can't help but look and be enthralled, if not obsessed.
}}{{APQ
|pq=perk
|pqname=Shapeshifting (Animal)
|note=When neither her true face or mortal guise is sufficient, she has taken the form of animals, primarily a white-fronted goose, but it is an infrequent thing.
}}{{APQ
|pq=perk
|pqname=Shapeshifting (Human)
|note=There are times changing your mortal face becomes a necessity, for a variety of reasons, but she primarily shifts her appearance when looks and styles change, in order to blend in (mostly).
}}
|contacts={{AC
|contact=Melancholic3/EightofCups
|name=Hypnos
|note=Hypnos, the elder brother, one who creates much concern and worry for Nemesis, with his defeatist attitude, set to just wither and fade away. She won't allow it.
}}{{AC
|contact=Hunter3/AceofSwords
|name=Zeus
|note=It's well documented that Nemesis interjects herself into the affairs of mortals in order to balance their scales, Zeus is the King of the Olympians with a notorious reputation - but there's no rule that says she ''can't'' deliver justice to Gods or monsters. ''His'' scales could use some balancing. She has an extreme dislike for swans.
}}{{AC
|contact=Capitalist1/Wheel
|name=Cedric
|note=TBD
}}
|soundtrack=[[File:ElTarot.png|x350px|border]]
|st={{AS
|song=Hammer of Justice
|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ygB3Sb5cro
|lyrics=You see me but I'm not there

Like the calm before the storm

You hear me, I'm everywhere

In the wind and in the rain

Feel me in every breeze

I'm the chill inside your spine

I'm burning you start to freeze

As you slowly turn around

And down in your hole

Solitary darkness rule

You are forlorn

Cause justice will be mine

Prowling the night

Justice calling, we'll track you down

Justice calling, ready to strike

Justice calling, breaking the chains

Hammer of justice seeking his revenge
}}{{AS
|song=Eden (To Hypnos)
|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hzssKb9940
|lyrics=I see the darkness in your eyes

I feel the spark of life go weaker in your restless soul

I can hear your fading cries

A relentless wail now going on and on

When the tears are in your eyes

You sing a drunken lullaby

And the weight of the world

Comes crashing on your spine

Now remember what's inside

The warmth that made you smile

And rise up high
}}{{AS
|song=The Sentinel
|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXlzjfYTNvU
|lyrics=Across his chest is scabbards rest

The rows of throwing knives

Whose razor points in challenged tests

Have finished many lives

Now facing one another

The stand-off eats at time

Then all at once a silence falls

As the bell ceases its chime

Upon this sign the challengers

With shrieks and cries rush forth

The knives fly out like bullets

Upon their deadly course

Screams of pain and agony

Rent the silent air

Amidst the dying bodies

Blood runs everywhere

The figure stands expressionless

Impassive and alone

Unmoved by this victory

And the seeds of death he's sown

Sworn to avenge

Condemn to hell

Tempt not the blade

All fear the sentinel
}}{{AS
|song=Let the Hammer Fall
|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZU6eMxeltk
|lyrics=It's getting closer now

The clock strikes midnight time

It is the tolling of the judgement bell

You fear the dead of night

There ain't no place to hide

This is your point of no return

Now we are ready to strike, again

It's getting far to late, my friend

Let The Hammer Fall

We are above the law

Let our power show

That we're in full control of your destiny

Now we are ready to strike, again

It's getting far to late, my friend

Let The Hammer Fall
}}
}}
[[Category:Done]]