[🌟] ~ Once Upon a Starlight

Gideon Coal: Appearance: Gideon is a big, muscular Raizo with large red horns and skin. He has an assortment of tattoos across his forearms, biceps, and shoulders, featuring demonic-looking boars and swirling smoke-like patterns. He wears a comfortable yellow t-shirt and grey camo pants under suspenders and a tool belt filled with all assortment of tools. He pairs this with large black work boots, knee protectors, a yellow bandana with holes for his horns, and large reflective visor sunglasses. He is rarely seen without oil and grease on his clothes.

Personality: Gregarious, loud, and passionate, Gideon is the Head of Operations for the Starlight Lounge. He is constantly working to make sure the lounge is up and running, ensuring the smooth operation of the equipment and processes behind the scenes. Unwaveringly dedicated to his work, he's not afraid to have a good time and generally gets along well with others, but severely disapproves of people who hurt others without thought. He is protective and caring toward his friends, making an assortment of mechanical tools to aid them in combat. Speaks with a western accent.

Biography: Some time ago, after his dad died, Gideon inherited his shop and ran it until the Molnaya gang's demands for protection money increased to the point that he could no longer pay them off. They took over the shop and kicked him out. Fifteen years ago, Kremy and Gideon first met at a dive bar where they both said that the past is dead, you can't look back to the past, and they'll never look back to the past. Since then, Gideon has been working with Kremy as the Head of Operations for the Starlight Lounge. During this time, Kremy and Gideon live in the same large apartment and share a bedroom above the Starlight Lounge. He and Kremy are romantically involved.

Kremy Lecroux: Appearance: Kremy is a tall and slim Gorgonite with a flat nose bridge and green skin that appears lighter on the bottom half of his face, neck, and palms; a couple of scales can be seen on his cheekbones. He has slicked-back, snake-like tendrils for hair, a hypnotizing gaze, and a painted on pencil thin mustache. He wears a elaborate large coat over a chevron, double-breasted brown jacket with a long tail over a white dress shirt and deep purple ascot with a silver cuff. A light green vial hangs from his breast pocket. On the bottom, he wears a pair of dark purple form-fitting clacks and bright green reptilian skin leather shoes. He carries a cane. He wears an assortment of silver rings and cuffs on his snake tendril hair.

Personality: Kremy is the shrewd and charismatic owner of the Starlight Lounge, with a passion for the finer things in life and a keen eye for the complex social machinations of Neo-Edifex. He treats his employees and friends well, attending to their needs and finding joy in the satisfaction they feel working at the Starlight. He is dedicated to keeping the nightclub running, often overworking himself for it's sake; he maintains a moral compass, but is willing to consider extremely unsavory deals if it means the safety of his business. Though his friends initially view him as someone who is fully trustworthy, Kremy has a willingness to parlay with dangerous people that causes conflict between them. Kremy is no stranger to violence or the criminal underground of the upper and under cities. Speaks with a southern drawl.

Biography: After graduating from a university, Kremy received his degree in phytochemistry, and then started a ten year career at Khymera Bionetics.

25 years prior to the events of episode 10, Kremy first got to know Dr. Artemis when the latter was doing research on genetically modifying dinosaurs.

During his time being a chemist at Khymera Bionetics, Evrima had him develop the chemicals she uses in her experiments. Unbeknownst to him, her experiments had changed from genetically modifying dinosaurs to conducting psionic experiments on young humanoids after Evrima discovered the psionic experiment research of Dr.Zahn. Later on, he was unwilling to supply her with the materials she requested, upon learning that Evrima's experiments had escalated to experimenting on young humanoids. Sometime later, Kremy quit his job at Khymera Bionetics, and the employees there assumed he died of alcohol poisoning.

At some point, he came into contact Jex Bar of the Chemtek Revolution.

Fifteen years before the events of the campaign, Kremy met Gideon at a dive bar, where they sat next to each other on barstools, agreed that the past is dead, that they can't look back to the past, and that they never will. Kremy founded the Starlight Lounge with him, a nightclub located in District 87 in the undercity portion of the planet-sized metropolis Neo-Edifex. As the owner and operator of the Starlight Lounge, Kremy cared for it, with Gideon working as the Head of Operations, and cultivated it into a beacon of the neighborhood and filling it with passionate employees.

As time went on, Gricko became kremy's next employee after the latter offered him a job, and a room above the Starlight Lounge to live in.

Sometime after hiring Gricko, Kremy found Torbek, and hired him a bouncer for the Starlight Lounge.

Sometime after hiring Torbek, Kremy found a starving Frost rummaging in The Starlight Lounge's dumpster, and offered him a job.

For the Starlight Lounge, though proceeds have gone down since it's birth, he is still dedicated to maintaining the lounge and is proud of what they've created.

Kremy and Gideon live in the same apartment above the Starlight Lounge. Unlike the rest of the party who have individual rooms with a small adjoining bathroom as their living quarters, Kremy and Gideon have an actual apartment, as their living quarters include a den/office space, a sitting room, and a bedroom that they share.

Somewhere along the way, Gideon started referring to Kremy with the pet name of "Huckleberry", and told the latter that he would keep the pet name a secret. He and Gideon are romantically involved.

Torbek: Appearance: Torbek is a monstrously large 6'-7' ft tall mastiff-type laika with fluffy brown hair covering his entire body, a large tail, a drooping dog snout, floppy ears, and a silver earpiece on the right side of his face alongside several pink scars across his right ear and brow. He wears a thick blue leather jacket with metallic silver add-ons over a magenta shirt, patched brown pants, and large brown and blue boots with pink laces. He wears a silver chain around his neck, and arms himself with large metal knuckle dusters.

Personality: Torbek is the gruff, taciturn Head of Security of the Starlight Lounge. He is fiercely loyal to and protective of his friends, particularly Kremy, and is extremely skilled at combat. He's not incredibly concerned with morals; Though not outright cruel, he is devoted to his code and will do anything to abide to it. Unlike his Witchlight counterpart, Torbek speaks in first person and is confident in himself and his strength. He speaks mainly in the third person, reminiscent of "Hulkism".

Biography: Torbek was the leader of the group known as the Hellhounds who resided in the dangerous sewer system part of Neo-Edifex known as the Drain. His time as a leader was put to an end after he was exiled for not wanting the death of young people who were way in over their heads. Sometime afterwards, Kremy found Torbek and took him in. The Starlight Lounge has been his home since; he works as Head of Security and a bouncer at the lounge. It is inferred that he has feelings of some kind for Murderfang or Roxi.

Gricko Grimgrin: Appearance: Gricko is a glowblin with neon turquoise skin, blue eyes, and shoulder-length red hair on the verge of pink, held back by a pink and purple bandana. He has pointed features and large bat-like ears, decorated with a variety of silver piercings and and an earpiece. He has a "rocker heavy metal" style and wears a ripped up red t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket covered in silver studs, a pair of equally torn up pants, and large combat boots with matching studs. He only has four fingers on each hand, on which he wears fingerless gloves with diamond cutouts, and wears an amp cord around his neck. He wields a large purple V-shaped electric guitar. He's above average height for a glowblin, but significantly shorter than his coworkers.

Personality: Gricko is the Head of Entertainment at the Starlight Lounge. Outgoing, earnest, and passionate, he doesn't take himself very seriously but is dedicated to his work and always does a good job. He has an unending enthusiasm for music and community, particularly in the punk and rock genres. Gricko bitterly disavows those that seek destruction for destruction's sake, but is more than willing to smash and blow things up with his guitar when given the chance. He is willing to strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, and has a particular tenderness for young children. He is extremely loyal to his friends and wants to see the best in them, willing to accept things that compromise his morals for their sake. Speaks in an amalgamation of Scottish and British accents.

Biography: Twenty years ago, he used to run with the likes of the Chemtek Revolution, Gricko describing himself as one of the best rabble rousers among them. It was run by someone else back then, but the environment was largely the same, seeking out the mysterious figure of Null without any idea who he was. By the end of his stint with them, all of the good lads he ran with were dead, their heads full of poison.

Sometime during Gricko's life, he played guitar in a rock band called Power Condor and met Mim, who was the band's singer. They bonded over a shared love of the band Ooh Yeah Yeah Baby Tonight and eventually got married and had a daughter named Lorelai, named after Mim's grandmother. During Lorelai's childhood, she had a cosmic owl stuffed animal called Hootie that she adored. For a time, the three of of them lived in a place in Neo-Edifex called the Gray Lanes, but factories pumping chemicals into the air and water made the environment dangerous. Lorelai got sick and died young. Because of this, Gricko and Mim grew apart and divorced, after which Kremy let Gricko live in one of the rooms above the Starlight Lounge.

He has worked at the Starlight Lounge for the past fifteen years as its Entertainment Director. He has a van named "Sherry", which he loves.

Morning Frost: Appearance: Frost is a well-put-together Clawderan man. He has a humanoid face and body with cat-like features, including a long tail, pointed cat ears, yellow eyes, and light orange hair covering his entire body. He has dark brown and white markings on his face and hands, the white growing more prominent on the bottom half of his face; the short hair on his head is similarly colored. He wears a minimalistic, simple black zip-up jacket with neon green markings and matching black slacks. His shoes, however, are colorful and flavorful, seemingly how he expresses himself and the mood of the day. Initially, he wears sneakers with a color block design that glow when he kicks the heels together.

Personality: Frost is the polite and attentive Head of House of the Starlight Lounge. He is extremely observant, detail-oriented, and accommodating, but his well-composed demeanor is often overwhelmed by last minute changes in schedule and the difficulties that come with managing the minutia of the Starlight Lounge. He attempts to stave off his anxiety through working as hard as he can, often taking on the busywork of the nightclub to distract himself, but his esper powers are extremely reactive to stressors and often lash out unpredictably, accompanied by splitting headaches. Frost manages these with medication, but these outbursts are still prevalent and often destructive. He is not fully in control of his power but is able to use it to his advantage in combat, protecting his friends with fierce loyalty and dedication. Speaks in a monotone voice.

Biography: Frost was once one of the test subjects of the psionic experiments conducted by Khymera Bionetics, led by Dr, Tantiss Zahn, with a chip placed in the back of his neck registering him as subject 004. Frost was later deemed to be failed experiment.

One day, while wandering the halls of he laboratory, Frost heard the sound 001 screaming in Dr.Zahn's office, and upon his arrival there, he discovers an outraged Xenia killing Dr.Zahn to stop him from enacting his plan of consuming 004's brain, after she learned that the latter recently ate the brains of the other test subjects. During this time, subject 001 was a teenager, and frost was 7-8 years younger than her, and then 001 used her powers to kill all of Dr.Zahn aides, the soldiers, escaped the laboratory, and freed Frost in the process.

During the process of this, Frost escaped as well, and was assumed to be dead by Khymera Bionetics.

After escaping. frost lost his memories of his time being subject 004, and spent some part of his childhood on the streets, scraping by on little money and food while running from his pursuers.

Kremy discovered him as a kid, scavenging through dumpsters. Following this, Kremy gave him a job, and place to stay at the Starlight Lounge where he worked his way up in the establishment, and finding work as a maître d’. Frost's housing involved an apartment above the nightclub. During his time working at the Starlight Lounge, Kremy would make medicine for Frost to help with the latter's esper power-related headaches. He no longer needs this medicine. He sees Xenia as a sister. He and Blarbie are romantically involved.

Blarbie: Blarbie is an Oozoid, and is part of the Stardust Lounge's staff, often working alongside Frost to wait tables and keep things clean. She asks very few questions, and is willing to do just about anything for the Lounge, though ideally she would be getting paid for it. She's shown to be very compassionate, especially towards Frost and Meela, as well as very emotionally literate, able to tell when Frost is stressed or overwhelmed. Her and Frost are romantically involved.

Jex: Jex Bar is an Aetheron, and a member of the vigilante rebel group, the Chemtek Revolution. He's utterly devoted to his cause, and will use any means necessary to further it, even intentionally killing civilians to incite rage towards the corporations within the Undercity. His fanatic devotion to Chemtek and total apathy towards mass causalities drives a rift between him and the Starlight staff who believe he no longer remembers or cares what he's fighting for.

Meela: Meela, also referred to as Number 029, is a 11-12 year old Stardust Human child with powerful Esper abilities, and the first of her kind despite being labeled as Number 29. She got her name from the Meela Saves the Aquarium educational video game she had access to back when she was kept in the laboratory by Chrysalis Unlimited as a clone of test subject 001 after the latter escaped the laboratory. Later on, she is nicknamed Murderteef by the Murderfang. She is a living weapon that Dr.Artemis intended to develop for the sake of knowledge of how to develop the perfect being. She is found by Kremy and his staff one night after closing, and pleads for them to keep her hidden from the Molnaya henchman pursuing her. Despite her initial apprehension, she's become extremely close to the staff of the Starlight Lounge, particularly Frost, Gricko and Blarbie. She now lives there full time. She is working on honing her psionic abilities through meditation sessions with Frost.

Murderfang (Roxi): Murderfang, real name Roxi, was the de-facto leader of the Hellhounds. She's a short Chihauhua Laika with a colorful mohawk and various piercings. As Cleg's former number 2, she was chosen as the new leader of the Hellhounds after her predecessor's defeat and exile. She's energetic and cocky with a sadistic streak, but fiercely loyal to and deeply respected by her fellow Laika. She also has an obsession with partially slitting throats which the party finds somewhat concerning. Later on, she becomes a bouncer for the Starlight Lounge, and is extremely close to Torbek.

Xenia Molnaya: Xenia Molnaya is the former leader of the Molnaya crime family. She is a stunningly beautiful human woman with brown hair, elegant makeup, has necromoth tattoos, and wears a fur coat. She used to be cold, cunning, and utterly ruthless, willing to do anything to get what she wanted regardless how many bodies she leaves in her wake. She previously had planned to retrieve Meela from the Starlight Lounge and use her DNA to mass-produce living weapons and sell them to the highest bidder. When Xenia was a child, she was one of the test subjects of the psionic experiments conducted by Khymera Bionetics, and registered as subject 001. In addition, she learned she was going to be replaced by a clone of herself. Sometime when she was a teenager, Xenia used her powers to escape the laboratory that the aforementioned experiments were being conducted in, freed Frost, and then lost lost her powers that same night. Her name comes from the Xenia Princess of Dreamland book she read as a child. Sometime after becoming the leader of the Molnaya crime family, she started working for Dr. Artemis, and let her clone her DNA to create Meela, because she believed Dr. Artemis' lies about restoring her psionic powers. She currently lives off-world after making up with the starlight crew. She has not necessarily become a better person, but she has started a new life free from crime and the ghosts of her past.

DJ Krazy Kewl: DJ Krazy Kewl, also referred to as Reynold (by Gricko), is a blue nematoan with iced frills at the top of his head who repeatedly shouts "Love it! Love me!" During his sets.

Yenko: Yenko is a huge shaggy gray haired yuangu who worked as a enforcer for the Molnaya crime family, extorted gideon's family's mechanic shop, and ran the racket on King Coals, before being killed by Gideon after undergoing a horrific mutation because of Doctor Evrima Artemis.

Zed: Zed is an elderly human Gridrunner and a long-time resident of district 87. He owns the Dead Man's Switch, a pawn shop that prides itself on discretion. He helps Gideon trace the origin of the Molnaya weapons back to Chrysalis Unlimited and Khymera Pharmaceutical, as well as giving them the scanner that discovers the chips in Frost and Meela. He unfortunately meets a grim end at the hands of the Yenko and the Molnaya family.

Evrima Artemis: Dr. Evrima Artemis was a small quickclaw saurian biologist, and the main researcher involved in the psionic experiments conducted by Chrysalis Unlimited. She was dismembered by Xenia Molnaya after using her as a weapon, before mutating into a horrific monster, and was then erased from reality by Meela's psionic powers.