On her face, Neriah Parringer is a simple excavator, a freelancer who wanders parts of Ignas in search of adventure parties to accompany on their delves into old ruins and caverns, putting her skills to work in search of answers. If only things were that simple in the private confines of her heart, where endless questions have lived since childhood. She could define herself by her job, but beyond it, Neriah seeks answers to more fundamental questions of the self - who she is, why she's here, and why the world has conspired to make her what she is. While she's quiet, withdrawn and a little salty, prone to opening up to her friends and acquaintances with a little time but keeping part of herself forever guarded, what's clear enough is that she rarely seems to find satisfaction - as if something is always just outside her grasp.
Unbound of Valmar: Neriah is capable of channeling an enormous font of dark magic. The source of this spell seems to be hereditary, and was for most of her life bound by a Shaman of Ge Ramtos's ancient death curse, known as the Chains of Arius - a curse which would attempt to kill her any time she drew upon the darkness. However, the curse was meant to last for seven generations - and Neriah is NUMBER EIGHT. The decay of the curse through the generations, and the lapsing of its term of effect, permitted the Chains of Arius to be broken. Even when bound by the Chains, Neriah's negative energy was immense but out of control, capable of consuming her and overwhelming her body while driving her to insanely destructive rampages. Her potential with the Chains shattered is unknown and unwitnessed.
Marilyn: Neriah's trusty pistol, a glossy-looking pistol with a curious firing mechanism. Rather than a conventional hammer, there's a steam-powered firing coil buried inside, and it fires the bullets at a significantly higher penetrating power than a conventional revolver could, venting steam out the 'nostrils' behind the magazine in the process.
Trusty Shovel: It's a simple excavator's spade. With this, she can dig into the turf, or into piles of rocks, or even use it to pry open doors or smash locks. It's a big help to the team, too - when Neriah digs in, it gives the entire team a helping hand by opening up handholds or giving them something to use for leverage.
Excavator's Lens: A simple eyepiece, a common tool used by Excavators across Filgaia. Neriah can use it to inspect things for treasure, helping her to uncover hidden secrets the naked eye might miss.
Chameleon Cloak: Neriah found this in a dungeon somewhere in western Ignas and managed to wrangle it away from another Drifter. The cloak shifts its colour to match the background she's standing against. Most often she'll use it to blend into the background in a fight so she can maneuver into an advantageous position and attack.
Evie: "Maybe if I love her like the ones I took from her, I'll feel better...."
Yvain de Malville:
Svetlana: "Thank you for trusting me from the beginning. Thank you for trusting me again."
Trent and Severn:
*sniffle*
Riesenlied: "At first I thought she was really saccharine and just this big obnoxious super-pure saint, but she's actually really nice and treated me like I'm a person and not just someone's boot scrapings. She's just about the only one who treated me like she cares... and for all that, I repaid her by blasting her in front of Mikaia. Riese... I'm sorry I'm a horrible person. I wish I could've been more like her. Of all the people to fight against... I didn't want it to be her."
Mikaia: "I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible person."
Jacqueline Barber: "I'm sorry. Jay is one of the good ones. I hate that I had to hurt her. I wanted to save her and let her be happy in a world with no assholes left in it. I would've killed everyone who so much as looked at her funny and we would've been great friends. And you know what really makes me feel awful? She barely even raised a hand against me. Jay... what a sweet person. If everyone in the world were like her, I would've never ended up this way, I bet. And the fact that she still believes in me.... I can't bear it. I wish I wasn't so horrible...."
People who feed the sickness
Millenia: "I feel really drawn to her in this strangely magnetic way, even though she's really forward and keeps suggesting she wants to eat me.... But I think I'm starting to understand why now. Millenia... she and I really do share the same birthright, even if she seems to have a different "feel" than I do. We're peas in a pod - maybe even pieces. Together, I think we can do a lot of great things."
Seraph Ragnell: "Okay, maybe she's not the dead, but she's still a pretty interesting person, and kind of sly and witty, which I really like. Ragnell... she really helped me learn a lot about myself. I'm grateful to her for coming with me."
Rosaline Calice: "I like her a lot better now that she's accepted that the horrible feelings inside her are perfectly fine. Rosaline was always scared of me before, but now I think she's starting to realize that the world really is terrible and it's alright to hurt the people who hurt you. If I can help her continue down the road she's on, then I have to try... just like Ginny helped me."
Virginia Maxwell: "If it weren't for Virginia's help, I would still be bound by the Chains of Arius. She's the one who made all this possible. She helped me to understand that I am NUMBER EIGHT and that what was holding me back was something else. I wonder if she knows how important she is to me...."
People who deserve to not have their legs chopped off
Ambrosius: "He seems like a pretty okay guy for someone who's supposedly a crazy space alien. I wonder if his planet's made of cheese. He was incredibly helpful when I needed someone to back me up, though. What a dedicated guy."
Emma Hetfield: "I instantly feel stupid when she walks into a room."
Fei Fong Wong: "I feel like Fei understands me a little bit. People hate us both... maybe that means we can be friends."
Iskandra Grendorre: "She's kind of a butthead sometimes, but then, I hate most people in Filgaia too, so, whatever, let's be buttheads. At least she seems cool.""
Layna Manydays: "Where's she from? She seems like she's from a time long past... but I'm glad she stood up for me. It's nice."
Lily Keil: "It's nice that someone out there doesn't expect me to be a cackling bundle of evil monologues. Though with some of those spells, I wonder if she's just as horrible as me in her heart? That's kind of appealing and I wanna meet her."
Lunata Croze: "She's a nice girl... she's really sensitive. She's not afraid of me like the others, I don't think. I'm... I'm kind of glad."
Lydia Seren: "YAY WE'RE GINNY BUDDIES but I wish you didn't have to put me in Astie Jail for that like y'know??? Also what happened to your Rigdohead? Also I'm sorry I set you on fire but Ethius really is kind of a shithead."
Malfi: "She's really nice and kind of elegant. I know people bag on the Metal Demons, but I like her a lot better than most humans, that's for sure."
Morgan Newkirk: "He's handsome and he was definitely coming on to me... before he got to know me, anyway. I regretted having to hurt him and his friends back there at the Pleasing Garden. I wonder if that'll change how he feels about me. I hope not."
Sephilia Lampbright: "SHE'S SO CUTE I WANNA PINCH HER WIDDLE CHEEKS but she'd probably be really offended if I said so? Plus I think I scare her, which sucks. Still A+ would get punched by Chauncey again."
Yarobeleedt: "Awwww, Mr. Garbles... what a shy guy. I'm sorry I scared him. I always scare people. I hate it. I wish I didn't have to."
People on the fence but who might be OK
Elena: "She's one of those Granas nuns, isn't she? She always seems to be on edge around me. But then, I would be too...."
Siegfried: "I don't think he respects me much - or any human - but that doesn't matter. Our objectives intersect sometimes. I was glad I could help him go after the Statue of Ge Ramtos... glad he accepted my help."
People who deserve to be set on fire from the soul outward
Cassidy Cain: "She's sassy and doesn't seem to take anything seriously. People like that irritate me, especially when the one they're mocking is me. Even if she does have style, I don't think we'll ever be anything but enemies."
Ethius Hesiod: "It's OK if Mr. Ethius hates me. I hate me too. I don't understand why the CaraKin hangs around him. He's a psychopath and a murderer and he'll just turn on them eventually."
Fenrir: "Oh, please. Glare away. I don't mind. Ha. Ha. Ha."
Ida Everstead-Rey: "What a hateful person. Her despair really suits her. I hope she spends a good long time wallowing in it. If I ever see her again, I'll make her pay for lecturing me like a snotty normal person."
Josephine Lovelace: "It must be easy to lecture people when you're normal. But she won't be doing much lecturing if I run across her again."
Jude Moshe: "Another flippant person who doesn't take me seriously, even knowing what I can do."
Margaret: "I'll teach you to short me on tips, even if that cigarette holder thing is awesome."
Matilda Whitehead: ""I used to really like Matilda, until she decided I deserve to be summarily executed. That hurt. She seemed like she was an OK person but she turned out to be someone awful, just like most other people in my life."
Noeline: "Why does she have to be so sassy? If Riese didn't like her so much, I'd definitely Ethius her. A lot."
Rose: "I used to like her. She's just another one like all the rest. Another one who just takes one look at me and throws me under the cart. Go figure."
I LOVE YOU I HATE YOU
Id: "He's right. I am a destroyer. I was bound by the chains of causality. Generations ago, someone acted, and I've been reacting ever since. Action, reaction. Cause, and effect. But now I'm the one acting. If I want to, I feel like now I could destroy everyone who's wronged me. And I'm not sure if I hate him for driving me down this road... or owe him a debt of gratitude."
