The Roster (CWW)

Champions great and small are drawn to fight in a battle against the odds, for the prize of a lifetime. From warriors and mages to demons and mortal men, the **Roster** is populated by the best the Verse has to offer, from its greatest heroes to horrors the likes of which have never been seen.

The player is tasked to choose from these a Team with which to face the challenge, each with strengths, weaknesses, and a secret hope for something they can only find here, in the Arena.

## Competitors

### Team DI

**Homeworld**: *Dark Illustrations: Sketches in Blood (2002)*

**Main Combatant**: Adrian Blackthorne - 19. French. A peculiar artist with a deadly secret. Bound to the soul of a fallen angel, Adrian wields the Hellfire, a scarlet flame summoned from the depths of the Underworld. His status as vessel to the dread Horseman of Famine also grants him use of a cryptic gift that allows him to bend subspace, visiting misfortune and manipulating fate to turn the odds to his favor.

**Supporting Combatant**: Mikhail "Mischa" Zion - 18. Texan. (Yee-ha!) A loud-mouthed college student, armed with words and Soulsight. Chosen by the heavens as a check against the End of Days, Mischa has friends in High places. His words are biting, stunning most who hear him, and his Higher connections grant him the ability to summon a Lightsword from his own aura, arming him against demonic foes.

**Overkill**: Hellfire - Adrian summons the Flames of the Underworld, engulfing the field in a scarlet inferno and inflicting Void damage on everyone it hits.

**Summon Card**: The Angel - Mischa calls down the Archangel Seraphine, unleashing Holy Fire and healing the team for resulting damage. Demonic enemies hit for double.

Adrian is a demonic battlemage, combat-trained, immune to dark magic, and armed with a massive casting pool. His lack of armor and frail build make him melee vulnerable. Mischa's angelic abilities make him a strong support, able to shield Adrian and even take his place for short bursts. This ability is limited by his mortal status, and can only be used for a short time.

### Team TDW

**Homeworld:** *For Love of Evil/The Devil Within Series (2003)*

**Main Combatant**: Falcon Faulkner - 417. American? A vampire turned vampire hunter, in the body of a teenage boy. Born in 1599, Falcon has seen the horrors of the world and faces them without fear. Armed with a plethora of Dark Gifts, his hands can rend steel, his body moving at twice the speed of a mortal, able to grasp and hurl objects--and people--with only his mind. And the night brings him even greater power.

**Supporting Combatant**: Malachite Sable - 15. American. A depressive teenager with an eye for details. With the help of Idni, a vampiric specter, Chite is able to repel any foe, directing the spirit on the field through their mental connection. When cornered, he can channel it, gaining its speed and pinpoint accuracy in combat. Years spent reading have taught him things, and Chite remembers everything.

**Overkill**: Darkform - Falcon's true monstrous form appears under the light of the moon, and with it comes a bloodlust sated only by the death of his enemy. Inflicts Bleeding and heals Falcon.

**Summon Card**: The Reaper - Summons the Gentleman Vampire to the field, inflicting critical damage as well as Horror and Berserk, with a high chance of inflicting Bleeding.

As an immortal, Falcon is fast and strong, and extremely resilient to harm, menaced only by silver and holy energy. Chite's vast fictional knowledge lets him size up enemies, identifying their weaknesses. When wounded, Chite can sacrifice health to heal Falcon, but doing so makes him harder to control. If done too often, Idni will retaliate--by turning on Falcon.

### Team KoY

**Homeworld**: *Kingdom of Yaoi (2006)*

**Main Combatant**: Helvah Sei'Dist - 29. Paraphilian. A Royal Inquisitor, Helvah is skilled in the art of manipulation, using restraints and his personal persuasion to immobilize and disarm enemies. His disarming nature has an effect on *just* about everyone. More a lover than a fighter, he is nevertheless a giant, agile and flexible, armed with a wire spool that cuts, snares and strangles.

**Supporting Combatant**: Double Mountegue - 25. Who Knows? A hyperactive hunter with a big personality and a bigger...familiar. *Yeah*. Unlike his partner, Double *is* a fighter, using nets and traps to catch targets unaware. A constant stream of inappropriate chatter acts as a taunt, distracting from a shockingly dirty fighting style that leaves its victims in need of an adult. A *different* adult.

**Overkill**: Inquisition - Helvah subtly pops his knuckles and goes to work. Inflicts high damage, with Horror and Confusion on most...saving the few that would enjoy it, who get a handy Stat boost for the trouble.

**Summon Card**: The Horror - Summons the Queen in Eldritch form to become *acquainted* with the enemy, inflicting Horror, Weakened and Confusion.

Helvah and Double have been a team for years, having the most equal balance of the starting pairs. Their audacious behavior and methods *terrorize* their opponents, but the lighthearted nature of their world leaves them at a disadvantage to less good-humored foes. Helvah's combat is limited to his tools, and Double is easily distracted. Their crazier antics simply cannot be used on some enemies.

### Team BT

**Homeworld**: Black Tears: The Russkaya Mafiya (2008)

**Main Combatant**: Dema Khrushchev - 33. Russo-Italian. A glass-sculptor with a fire fixation and *very* gray morals. Dema has few qualms when it comes to inflicting harm, wielding a baseball bat and his own two fists against whatever bothers him. Massive in stature and with no self-protective instinct, Dema can and will plow through anyone who gets in the way of a goal. Pain does very little to dissuade him.

**Supporting Combatant**: Aleksei Zel'dovich - 26. Lithuanian. An antisocial chemist with a brilliant mind and zero empathy. Aleksei is an inventor of frightening skill, arming his partner with technological weapons and crippling poisons that are neither fair nor legal. His analytical mind allows him to size up opponents, determining at a glance the quickest way to take them down and instructing accordingly from the sidelines.

**Overkill**: Alter Roulette - A gift from the judges, the Team transforms into one of their many Variants to even the odds, with one or both being affected. Inflicts Confusion.

**Summon Card**: None

Between Dema's strength and Aleksei's weapons, the pair is well matched against the other combatants. Despite this, they remain mortal and (relatively) normal, with Aleksei completely defenseless in combat and Dema's ability to hit things limited by practicality. Their boon from the judges improves their odds somewhat, but only goes so far against a menagerie of mages and immortals.

### Team SB

**Homeworld**: *The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty (2009)*

**Main Combatant**: H.I.M. Pavel Rurikovich - 31. Stellacian. Emperor of the Star, and hero of the Star-Crescent War. Pavel is a swordsman with no equal, strangely strong and *fiercely* brave. His skill as a mechanist allows him to improve and even *improvise* weapons, from traps to rudimentary firearms. Having run a country and won a war, very little frightens him. If it draws blood, he can wield it--and he will.

**Supporting Combatant**: H.I.H. Pyotr Rurikovich - 31. Stellacian. A scholar, a noble and a powerful sorcerer. Peter's time spent in books pays off in the form of the Arcanus Imperium, a spellbook that allows him to sacrifice his health in return for unrivaled spellcasting might. Fiercely loyal to his twin brother, Peter can augment Pavel's skills, and creatively defend him from attacks in a variety of ways.

**Overkill**: The Armory - Pavel wields his most deadly invention: a Gatling gun, loaded with a sheet of a hundred bullets, cast in silver. Inflicts Holy damage on dark immortals.

**Summon Card**: The Earth - The Elementals are summoned to the field to assist in the fight with healing, shielding and energy magic, casting Fearless on the combatant in the process.

The twins have spent a lifetime fighting side by side and do so here, Peter augmenting Pavel's strength and skill with his arcane abilities--at the cost of his own health. Pavel's training awards him strength, but takes its toll, making him susceptible to a Berserk Stat that only Peter can cure. Overuse of the Imperium can hurt Peter or even take him out of play--leaving Pavel in a rage from which he cannot recover.

### Team UNS (I)

**Homeworld**: *The Unnamed Story (2012)*

**Main Combatant**: Robin Loch Rainer - 28. Laedish. A soldier of impressive stature, with a big sword and a moral handicap. Though gentle by nature, Rainer is not above inflicting harm when harm is due, though he hesitates to kill. His unseemly strength and resilience make him a strong combatant, equipped with his own armor and training to match. And if a match doesn't go his way...

**Supporting Combatant**: The Witch of Caspaine - 24(?). Caspaini. An unpredictable pyromancer armed with a bladed staff and a *big* smile. Able to summon flame to his hands, Caspian can throw and cast fire spells from the sidelines at Rainer's armored back. He is no stranger to combat, and when his magic runs low, he is *not* afraid to bring the business end of his staff into the conversation.

**Overkill**: Phoenix - Caspian unleashes the bottled power within him, transforming into a flying horror that creates a blazing tornado in its wake. Inflicts Burning *every time*.

**Summon Card**: The Dragon - Little Bit is called to his master--and then, he calls his mother. The Great Dragon rains fire over the field, knocking the enemy down. If she doesn't *snatch them up* on her way out.

Between Rainer's sword and Caspian's flames, the two are a deadly pair, with Rainer's time abilities giving him the power to stop or even reverse attacks--but Caspian's powers are not limitless, and when Rainer hesitates to strike the killing blow, he is left wide open for one of his own. While Caspian is fireproof, Rainer is not, and field-wide attacks can hurt him too. And Caspian's assistance relies heavily on his mood.

### Team UNS (II)

**Homeworld**: *The Unnamed Story (2012)*

**Main Combatant**: Nikolai Kingslayer - 25. Riverki. An assassin with a singular goal: *getting that wish*. Armed with cruel curved daggers and a collection of throwing spikes designed to pierce skills, Cole does not believe in mercy, and strives to end every battle moments after it starts. By no means handicapped by his missing eye, the relic beneath allows him to see the vital points most in need of a blade.

**Supporting Combatant**: A. Creed Valiant - 30. Malvarian. A Temple priest with qualms about this competition. A healer by trade--though more like a medic--Creed is there to keep Cole fighting. His gift can be used to knock enemies back and even into the air. When push comes to shove, he has some skill in hand-to-hand, and if all else fails, his staff is a hell of a club.

**Overkill**: Gravity - Creed unleashes a force blast that batters the opposed team against the walls of the arena, Crippling human combatants. Inflicts Disoriented, and does 1.5x damage to Armored foes.

**Summon Card**: The Mirror - Rhys Kingslayer is summoned to the field to fight alongside Cole, drawing enemy focus while inflicting critical damage. High chance to Cripple the opponent.

Cole is one of the most dangerous people in the competition, and it shows. What does not show is his hereditary weakness to magic, which causes him crippling pain and costs him extra health when a blow connects. Though Creed is able to defend him from this, Cole will not always allow it, his determination hampering his foresight. When stressed, Creed's powers break things. Hopefully, not *people*-shaped things.

## Opponent Teams

### Team Hostile

**Homeworld**: *Dark Illustrations: Sketches in Blood*

**Main Combatant**: Callisto Galen-Castillo - 19. Mexican-American. A part-time mechanic and full-time asshole. Middle child of *quadruplets*, Cal is used to violent conflict. He's been in more fistfights than most boxers, and can return every hit he takes (with change). Competing in marksman competitions has made him frighteningly good with firearms. He is strangely hard to hit at times.

**Supporting Combatant**: Damian Darkholme - 17. English. An exotic dancer who just keeps starting brawls. As vessel to the Horseman of War, Damian is known for causing fights, his will turning people to his cause, and inevitably to battle. When angered, he can summon vine-like tendrils from the energy left by spilled blood, which inevitably leads to more, multiplying the harm he can cause.

**Overkill**: Devil's Snare - Damian summons a spiked forest of dark vines from any point where Bleeding has occurred, immobilizing his opponent and inflicting Berserk.

**Summon Card**: The Sword - The Seraph Tsacillo replaces Cal on the field, shielding partner while inflicting critical Holy damage with every successful strike. *Massive* damage to demonic, half to angelic.

### Team Hunter

Homeworld: *For Love of Evil/The Devil Within Series*

**Main Combatant**: Pavel Ivanovich Yustinov - 18. Russian. A teenage giant with a temper problem. Stoic and vengeful, his scarecrow frame belies an uncanny strength that crushes human bones with ease, wielding the silver axe of Van Hellsing with unnatural ease and precision. As the heir to the First Great Hunter, Pavel is familiar with inhuman opponents, and will not hesitate to dispatch them with *extreme* prejudice.

**Supporting Combatant**: Pyotr Ivanovich Yustinov - 16. Russian. A cherubic boy armed with a book of spells. Cheerful and determined, Peter is a diminutive powerhouse of magical energy, having followed in his mother's magi footsteps. Armed with the Stone of Sorrow, a vampiric relic, he is able to cast a variety of useful spells, and his book is filled with information on immortals of all types.

**Overkill**: Slayer - Pavel channels the memory of the Great Hunter, gaining speed and strength and imbuing his axe with Holy energy, cutting through the enemy combatant. 1.5x damage to dark immortals.

**Summon Card**: ?

The Yustinov brothers rarely get along, but their involvement in the war on the Dark makes them well-suited to the competition. With Peter's magic and Pavel's brute strength, the two of them make a deadly team. But the fact remains that they are young and largely mortal. Pavel's power is limited by his poor health, and Peter's small stature makes him ill prepared for full combat. When his magic wanes, he becomes vulnerable.

### Team Turncoat

**Homeworld**: *The Unnamed Story*

**Main Combatant**: Kura Curseborne - 23? Caspaini. A thief with a short fuse and no people skills. An accomplished bandit, Kura is a cursewitch and ice-forger, able to cast misfortune and solidify the water in the air to deadly effect. Her true skill however lies in knife fighting, and she is more likely to put a blade between an opponent's ribs than to wield her magic. No mortal in the Verse has faster hands.

**Supporting Combatant**: Valen d'Velasco - 26. Corvite. A sorcerer and diplomat armed with an array of tricks--not all of them magical. Valen is an unpredictable foe, gleefully utilizing the power of illusion to turn his enemies on each other. When his patience for games runs out, he can cast lightning bolts--and having little respect for rules, he is not above taking pot-shots at combatants waiting on the sidelines.

**Overkill**: Imprison - Kura unleashes her ice powers, freezing all opponents solid. Victim remains frozen, slowly losing health until their partner can free them--opening them to attack.

**Summon Card**: The Storm - Valen calls down a deadly storm, flooding the field with lightning strikes that electrify the ground where they hit. Inflicts Paralysis on contact, 1.5x damage to Armored foes.

Between her powers and her anger, Kura is a force of nature, cursing and freezing the things she doesn't slice through, bolstered and hampered both in that her partner is a world-class mage. Valen is a master of fulgamancy, and can cast illusions that Confuse and slow the competition. But there is no loyalty between them, as neither would hesitate to stab the other in the back. Both have plans of doing so.

## Bonus Encounters

Optional challenges, some of them specific to certain characters, unlocked by certain achievements--or lack thereof. Single-player challenges pit one combatant against enemies or a task with the promise of a bonus Cooperation boost and unique upgrades. Failing a challenge does not count towards the final tournament score.

### The Witch Hunters

Rainer's bonus challenge. Hailing from Northern Kyravelle, the Witch Hunters are a group of mercenaries employed by the Temple. And they have a bone to pick with Rainer, who has three minutes to KO as many of them as possible--unarmed, and without his powers.

**Level Rewards**: "Sleeved Longcoat" armor upgrade for Caspian; "Aurelia" longsword unlocked for Rainer.

### A Bunch of Fucking Wolves

Creed's bonus challenge. Hailing from the sprawling forest of Riverenbeck, these wolves are particularly vicious, and not at all deterred by weapons. Creed has two minutes to slay as many as five wolves without being felled. Competitor is advised not to make *too* much of a mess.

**Level Rewards**: "Bear Pelt" armor upgrade for Cole; "Raider Armor" and "Silver Song" spellsword unlocked for Creed.

### Rurik Ivanovich & Falcon

Optional for everyone, mandatory for Pavel and Peter (SB). A former warlord and abdicated emperor, Rurik is a seasoned veteran, whose great size belies his genuine kindness. As tournament trainer, he challenges his students to a friendly match. But defeating a giant is no easy feat. Less still, a giant served by a jinn.

**Level Rewards**: "The Scorpion" summoning item awarded to the winner; "Sword of the Bear King" unlocked for Pavel if he wins in a Dual.

## Sub Bosses

### Axe, Blade and Derringer

The triplets are demonic headhunters, loyal to Lucian and his master. Appropriately named, Axe and Blade are armed with a battle-axe and greatsword respectively, waging a slow but coordinated attack on their targets. Derringer represents the brains of the outfit, commanding her gargantuan brothers from the safety of their backs. Able to apparate between dark-points, the trio is able to surround their enemies and deal devastating damage.

**Overkill**: Shadow Snap - Derringer pins her target into place, allowing her brothers to rise from the ground at either side to strike, inflicting Void critical damage on the victim.

### The Gentleman Vampire

The Gentleman Vampire, more than a person, is a ranking office occupied by half a dozen revenants over the centuries--and is currently held by one who is uniquely unhinged. Able to bridge distances in the blink of an eye, he is freakishly strong for his willowy build, with the ability to shrug off even the most lethal attacks. When he stops moving, it's time to get cautious.

**Overkill**: ?

### A. Vischias Sei'Dist

A sociopath and downcast noble with a taste for blood and a mean-streak a mile wide. His name is not a bluff--it is a *warning*. And it suits him just fine.

A mercenary by trade, Vischias honed his skills in battle in the only way fitting: by hunting *human beings*. His knowledge of anatomy combined with his unseemly strength and speed allow him to cut through most mortal foes, inflicting Bleeding, from which he restores health. Landing blows against him only makes him hit harder, chaining critical attacks more frequently the lower his health drops. An unhinged hyena-laugh acts as his taunt, inflicting Horror those who hear it.

As brothers, Helvah and Vischias have a *complicated* history, one requiring a final confrontation. The match starts with Helvah in persistent Horror, and he suffers Stat ailments from several of Vischias' tactics. There is a unique cutscene for both victory and defeat--with the former having consequences that ripple into a future battle, depending on how it's handled.

### Elessa Contravi

Hailing from southern Corva, Elessa is a former sorcerer wanted by the Temple for human rights violations, in the form of using people as puppets to certain nefarious ends. And it is a practice that has not been given up.

Utilizing an unrivaled skill in mentalism, Elessa takes control of the main competitor, turning them against their ally--who must then fight them, in order to break her control. Enough damage done *can* snap the victim out of it--which means the best hope the remaining combatant has is hurting their partner, as much as possible...as quickly as possible. Mages are resistant but not immune, and their powers

This battle is only accessible if Team BT has gotten Elessa in Alter Roulette. Once unlocked, it becomes a random sub-boss encounter for *anyone*.

**Overkill**: Cut the Strings - Elessa frees the puppet from its torment, reducing their health to critical with a high chance of KO. This leaves Elessa open to attack, but removes the strongest combatant from play.

## Bosses

### Sethuran the Destroyer

Though Lucifer is most popularly held as the ruler of the Underworld, the fact is that he did not Fall alone. Sethan--a name derived from the Hebrew *satan--*was once Sephiel, an Archangel who stood at the side of the Morningstar when Judgment came to the traitors. It is a moment he will never forget.

As a Fallen, Sethan is not limited to a single being, shifting between forms at will. His omniscience shows him everything--from the people who matter most to you, to those you had the most trouble defeating. All of this will be relevant to his battle, which starts with his taking the form of the player's partner. He will then cycle through those opponents that caused you the most harm, adopting their tactics and learning from how the player defeated them.

## Unlockable Bosses

### Possessed Helvah

Unlocked by the Halloween DLC, and triggered if Double's Loyalty check fails at the end of Vischias' match, resulting in Helvah strangling him to death with his wires. Vischias' body fails to fade afterward, a fact Wyvern will remark on.

A cutscene shows Helvah distractedly abandoning his gauntlet before the fight with Wyatt's Retribution. The battle is affected throughout, with Helvah letting out a strange laugh instead of dialogue, inflicting Horror on Double in the process. When the battle ends, a special cutscene triggers, showing Helvah balking, Jason's Hellscape lingering on the field. He attacks Double, knocking him out with intent to kill, when Frederick jumps from the stands to intervene, taking the form of his protector. The player takes control of the Traveler to banish him.

Helvah takes on Vischias' move-set and Stat boosts for the duration, making him twice as hard to fell. The Traveler fights with light and flame, utilizing QTEs during grappling to let Frederick appeal to Helvah. Failing them results in Helvah grappling Frederick directly, attempting to strangle him. If Double's Cooperation is high, he can recover and intervene to break them apart, acting as a secondary target until Helvah is downed or knocks him out again.

Enough successful appeals result in Helvah resisting, immobilizing him to allow a finishing blow. Winning by knock-out results in Helvah remaining possessed, changing his ending, where banishment leaves him with a persistent Horror Stat for the following match.

## Downloadable Competitors

### Team Hell

**DLC**: Highway to Hell

**Homeworld**: *Dark Illustrations: Sketches in Blood*

**Main Combatant**: Cerberus II/"Cejay" - 200(ish). A teenage girl with purple hair, no fashion sense and the ability to morph into a hellhound. As the Heir of the Gates, Cejay has lots of experience handling the souls of the dead, but her experience with the living is limited. Combat to her is a dance that involves pain, because that's how it works, right? Her true form has two heads. And *everything* is a toy to an eight-foot-tall dog.

**Supporting Combatant**: Charon, Ferryman of Hell. A man in the thinnest sense of the word, and barely trying to hide it. Charon is a primordial demigod, older than Hell itself and frankly tired of life. His interest in the battle is fleeting at best, and only truly rouses when Cejay is hurt. He is *immune* to physical damage, and when angered, his presence drains life energy. If his goggles come off, anyone looking will be sorry.

**Overkill**: Pay the Fare - Charon summons the SS Acheron, sending a spectral ship of lost souls screaming across the Arena and *right through* the competition. Inflicts Horror and Weakens living combatants.

**Summon Card**: The Beast - Cerberus is summoned to the field to plow through the enemy team, rending and slashing in a flurry of claws and teeth. Inflicts critical Void damage and Horror.

Cejay and Charon are not remotely human and that gives them an advantage. With her speed and shapeshifting, Cejay is a dangerously cheerful powerhouse, and Charon watches from the wings, reluctantly ready to rescue his charge. As demonic beings, they are vulnerable to Holy energy, and though Charon cannot be defeated, he *rarely* intercedes. Cejay can be reckless, having no understanding of risk or harm.

Charon and Cejay will *not* fight Mischa and Adrian. Their match is replaced with a cutscene.

### Team Phantom

**DLC**: This is Halloween

**Homeworld**: *Silent Hill: Phantom Echoes*

**Main Combatant**: Jason Warren - 26. American. A disturbed man with unfortunate circumstances. A life of crime and difficulty have left Jason a skilled fighter, able to improvise a weapon out of just about anything. Jason has a Sanity meter in place of a health bar. When his Sanity falls too low, the world around him distorts, spawning nightmarish monsters. Jason has experience fighting these horrors. His enemies don't.

**Supporting Combatant**: Wyatt Warren - A boy who is always in the right place at the right time. Wyatt's connection to the world is a strange thing, allowing him to blink in and out of existence. His abilities vary depending on Jason's mindset, but the weaker Jason gets, the easier it becomes for Wyatt to transform the arena, whispering tactics to his brother and redirecting the spawning monstrosities.

**Overkill**: Shatter - At low Sanity, Jason suffers a mental breakdown, locking the arena into an apocalyptic hellscape that spawns monsters until someone is defeated.

**Summon Card**: The Fog - A siren sounds, dropping the battlefield into pitch black. Wyatt is able to protect Jason from it, but everyone else on the field is hit with Void damage and Weakened.

Jason is of a fragile state of mind, filled with anger and tormented by the shadows in his head. Though he benefits from his illness, it takes its toll. Allowing Jason to Shatter or relying too heavily on the monsters weakens him.- How Wyatt works depends entirely on the state of Jason's Sanity, which recovers only when he wins battles, or slays the monsters he spawns. He has to fight to survive, even if it means fighting himself.

### Team Origin

**DLC**: Time Warp

**Homeworld**: *The Devil Within Series: Origin*

**Main Combatant**: Midnight Sable - 18. American. A reclusive teenage boy with a sun allergy that somehow makes him a superhuman. The halfling son of the Mad Prince of the vampires, Midnight is gifted and cursed by his nature, his darkform able to fight hand to hand with the largest opponents despite his slim frame, and to influence thoughts. His Gift of clairvoyance allows him to predict moves.

**Supporting Combatant**: Yulia Terlyeva (Yustinova) - 17. Russian. The world's tiniest self-taught witch. A bibliophile, little Yulia holds within her the mastery of the earth element, and tomes upon tomes of knowledge about arcane creatures. If it isn't human, she knows how it ticks. A master of improvisation, Yulia can enchant her Hunting stakes to fly on their own, raining pointed death (or discomfort) on any in her path.

**Overkill**: Impaler - Yulia summons tendrils from the ground to spear through the enemy, entombing them in gripping vines. Chance to inflict Death on Weakened vampires.

**Summon Card**: The Gatekeeper - An Old Friend from the shadows, dropping the competition through a portal into the Dark World.

Yulia and Midnight were some of the world's greatest Hunters, and as such are well suited to fighting inhuman targets. Midnight's Gifts makes him more resilient than most, both faster and stronger, but his fullblood genetics hamper him with all of their weaknesses. Yulia is willing and able to add her stakes and magic to the mix, but her small stature makes her ill-suited to combat with larger immortals.

### Team Bloodbath

**DLC**: Narcissistic Cannibal

**Homeworld**: Kingdom of Yaoi

**Main Combatant**: A. Vischias Sei'Dist - 21. Paraphilian. A fallen noble with a taste for human flesh and a *scary* laugh. Vischias is *too* familiar with death, fast and strong and not at all hampered by a conscience. Hurting him just makes him fight harder, and disarming him invites the use of his hands, to terrifying effect. He *always* goes for the throat. And if he seems off, that's not the half of it.

**Supporting Combatant**: ??? - Unknown. An ethereal also known as the Traveler, summoned to the mortal coil, who stuck around because it fucking felt like it, that's why. Not a partner in the traditional sense, the Traveler intervenes when it chooses, often without permission or prompting, razing the ground with searing white flame, and variously inflicting Confusion and Disoriented.

**Overkill**: Withered - Vischias takes his mutilated undead form, becoming invulnerable to all damage in return for automatic critical hits, inflicting Horror on everything but Bosses. Triggered when his health is near-fatal, the resulting damage healing him for half what he inflicts.

**Summon Card**: None

Vischias has experience killing, deriving health from spilled blood, but his shaky mentality means the lower his health gets, the harder he is to control, with chances of flipping into Berserk. When weakened or staggered, the Traveler may intervene to absorb damage, giving him time to recover. Once he enters Withered state, his partner stops helping, and remains inactive for longer each time it happens.

## Downloadable Bosses

### Lucianus de Lumen

A traitor to Heaven loyal to the Lord of Hell, Lucian is a fallen angel bent on securing a win for his master, by any means necessary. Ruthless and powerful, he wields the Daylight, the blinding brilliance of God's majesty, burned into his being by his execution.

As a general of Hell, Lucian can summon lesser demons to fight in his place, and soars over the battlefield on seared wings, casting pestilent curses and causing the ground to buckle beneath the feet of his foes. As a fallen, he is vulnerable to Holy damage, and silver weapons.

**Overkill**: Daybreak - Lucian unleashes the Daylight, inflicting critical damage on non-Holy immortals and setting the blinded humans ablaze.

### Wyatt's Retribution

The culmination of Jason Warren's madness, Wyatt's Retribution is a representation of his guilt, weaponized and created to make him suffer for the harm he caused, and his hand in his brother's fate. A towering armored horror wielding tendrils and wearing the mutilated face of Wyatt Warren, Retribution seeks to subjugate those in its shadow.

The monster calling twisted horrors from the shadows to tear and rend them and striking with flame and great, clawed hands to tear its targets to pieces. The sight of it alone inflicts Horror, and every massive blow to the ground knocks weaker combatants down. It is vulnerable to explosive weapons and magic, with cutting edges doing precious little against its armor.

When Jason reaches this boss, he is forced to fight alone, as it represents the madness Wyatt's existence symbolizes. Even the monsters cannot help him then. He must defeat it alone, or succumb to the shadows.

**Overkill**: Despair - Jason is snared by medical restraints and hoisted into the air, where a black vortex of despair draws him into the dark. Fragments of his past echo back to tear at his Sanity, reducing it by half.

### Dark Prince Malachi Denrose

Fifth-born of the Dark Empress, Malachi (formerly Malakh) is a vampire prince, locked away to protect both worlds. Cursed with the Dark Gift of clairvoyance, he is plagued by visions of the suffering of every being in every world, at all times, and the constant onslaught drove an already sadistic immortal mad. He delights in creating torments he has never seen, and passes his crippling madness to anyone he turns.

Malachi's psychic abilities cripple those around him, filling their minds with horrors as he drains away their lives, flickering in and out of space in a frightful show of speed. As a Borne vampire, he is weak to sunlight and to silver, but is nearly immune to physical harm. Only magic can bring him down--magic, or another, greater vampire.

**Overkill**: Madness - Malachi sends out a psychic attack that Breaks the mind of the main combatant, inflicting Horror, Paralysis and chaining damage.

## Non-Playable Characters

### Wyvern

Charming, wise and wholly irreverent, Wyvern is a Borne vampire, and Master of Ceremonies for Cross World War. He acts as moderator and commentator, explaining the stakes and rules to the combatants and commentating on each fight.

The whole thing may or may not have been his fancifully sadistic idea.