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{{DEFAULTSORT:Figure in Bismuth, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figure in Bismuth, The}}
[[Category:Operation Shackled Sun arc]]

Revision as of 19:42, 30 April 2024

The Figure in Bismuth, later known simply as the Figure or Figure, is a player character in PARTIZAN and PALISADE. Once a history teacher, they are now undead, having died and then been reanimated by the Witch in Glass.

Appearance

They are humanoid, and their body is covered in rainbow crystals. Of his head, only his jaw is visible; the rest is a large crystal (reference).[1] The weight of the crystal requires them to do certain physical exercises as self-maintenance. His body is also partially covered in vines, but their extent is not visible as they're covered by his clothes.

In PALISADE, they're further described as imposing but hunched over by the weight of the crystals over their body, and wear a tight flight suit adorned with medals commemorating their skill as a pilot.[2]

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 15: Upon Our Grace Pt. 2.
Click here to reveal.

In response to being turned into a portal for the Iconoclasts by the Usher of Truth, Figure turns the material their body is made of into concrete.[3] Following surgery after a battle, some of this concrete is run through with azurite.[4]

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

After being attacked from afar by Clem, Figure has deep finger gouges in their shoulder. Perennial's intervention has begun to fill those gouges with slowly budding Russian sage, which is compared to the look of fibers protruding from broken fiber-reinforced concrete. Figure gets a new outfit as well. They wear a cropped jacket with a cape and flowy sleeves (Dre references American Duchess's cape pattern) in a sage green paisley pattern with lavender accents. They also wear capris with two buckles on the bottom, paired with tall, worn brown boots.

Personality

Figure remembers little of their life before they died, and nothing about their death.[4]

In PARTIZAN, they clearly haven't done a lot of political thought and are surprised when called on it. They are "just asking questions"[5] both in the annoying sense (blithely insensitive) and in that they are trying to listen to a different way of thinking and viewing the world. They are also rater soft spoken and mild.

In PALISADE, Figure is frequently willing to push themself to the limit and act impulsively in combat. They have also begun to regret what they remember of their first life and their old ideology and have resolved to make things right.[6]

Figure is a fan of the universe's equivalent of a Ken Burns documentary. He is very excited by an opportunity to watch a documentary about Gig Kephart.[7]

Hooks (Armour Astir)

  • No matter how far I run, I am still tethered to the Witch in Glass.[2]
    • The only way to escape the Witch is by endangering others, but they seem eager to accept the risk.[7][Note 1]
    • The wheel must break.[8]
  • I've lived two lies; I would happily die for the truth.[2][Note 2]
  • If Phrygian were to test my loyalties, I'm not sure which way I would go.[2][Note 3]
  • Using this new lease on life purely for violence would be a waste.[9][Note 4]

Burden (Armour Astir)

History and Involvement

Origins

In his original life, Figure was a politically conservative history teacher.

PARTIZAN

After being injured and near-death due to the battles raging across Partizan, Figure was healed by the Witch in Glass. Because of this, he believes he owes her his loyalty. Within the Reflecting Pool, he serves as a benevolent sort of alderman for the fellow residents, attending to their problems. He is now a supernaturally gifted ace pilot.

Their first appearance involved bringing Sovereign Immunity to speak with the Witch in Glass. Months later, he assists Millennium Break in investigating the Chasmata Quarry. When the Witch in Glass joins the fight during Operation Shackled Sun, he plays a pivotal role there as well, disobeying her orders by destroying the Lattice to keep people from getting killed defending it. Afterward, he is described as spending some time in isolation, hanging out in a cave.

PALISADE

Warning.png Spoiler warning!
This section contains major spoilers for PALISADE. Tread carefully!
Tools.png This section is under construction. Please excuse the mess.

In the years following the events of PARTIZAN, Figure remains connected to the Witch in Glass despite being on indefinite loan to Millennium Break as a member of the Blue Channel.

During a mission in Violet Cove, the Usher of Truth (through Kenneth Marian Colver) opens Figure's flight suit and turns them into a portal for the Iconoclasts. In order to contain this threat, and because the specialized concrete of the Rapid Evening can trap Iconoclasts, Figure turns the material their body is made of into concrete.[3]

Relationships

The Witch in Glass

The Witch in Glass resurrected the Figure against their will. When the Figure joins the Blue Channel, they are forced to return to the Witch's palace in the Crown of Glass at regular intervals to refresh the magic that sustains their body. When they're in the Witch's presence, she can monitor the everything that Figure has seen, done, and learned during their time apart, and she uses this information to surveil not only Figure but also the actions of Millennium Break.[Note 5] Figure resents this intrusion.[10]

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

The Chimeric Cadent grants Figure a means of freeing themself from the Witch, and they accept it. Outraged, the Witch retaliates by turning their mech into the Ingrate, the first new Axiom the galaxy has seen in millennia.[11]

Coriolis Sunset

Figure cares about and is concerned for Cori. His Gravity clock with her starts after she swings her weapon incautiously in battle, accidentally hitting him.[12]

Following the events of "Upon Our Grace Pt. 4", they seek her out after an emotional display in an all-crew meeting and have a conversation with her about the circumstances of their resurrection. They promise to help her in any way they can as long as she doesn't try to go to the Witch in Glass for help, because they don't want to see Cori hurt by the Witch.[4]

Gur Sevraq

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

When Figure makes the choice to live off of Perennial's magic in order to be free of the Witch in Glass, Perennial transfers the ghost of Gur Sevraq from Clementine to Figure. Figure is haunted by Gur's ghost off and on; mechanically, this is represented by their Cold Company move.[11]

Perennial

Tools.png This section is under construction. Please excuse the mess.

Bonds (Beam Saber)

  • Sovereign Immunity seems quite affable and amenable.
  • Phrygian and I might share a bond over our distinct appearances.
  • Kalar's heroism is quite striking.

Gravity clocks (Armour Astir)

  • Palisade and I were both resurrected against our will by people who won’t fix their own problems.[13]
  • Cori also moves like she is just a weapon.[12][Note 6]
    • Can I protect Cori from her grief?[14]
  • (Rival clock) I have to return to the Witch to sustain my life force.[10][Note 7]
  • I admire Phrygian's ability to freely question authority.[7][Note 8]
  • I want to convince Eclectic to be a true believer in the Cause.[15]

Abilities

Beam Saber

While Figure technically used the Ace playbook in Beam Saber, they never made any Ace moves.

Armour Astir

The Imposter

  • Arcane Augments: Figure controls their mech using arcane augments, tying their piloting skill to their emotions and physical state; their Channel increases as they put themself at risk.[10]
  • Hot Blooded: Once Figure accumulates three Hold, they can roll Channel to attempt something uncanny, superhuman, or unbelievable.[3]
  • Let Loose: Figure's traits increase as they accumulate Burdens.[4]

The Wither

Warning.png Spoiler warning!
This section contains major spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4. Tread carefully!


  • Abyssal Summons: Figure can reach out and teleport someone from their current location to his. For this to work, he must have a strong bond with that person, be in possession of something important to them, or have inflected a Peril on them.[16]
  • Born to Die[17]
  • Cold Company: Figure is haunted by the "distracting and difficult" ghost of Gur Sevraq. They make all rolls with disadvantage until they roll a complete success, which silences Gur. Then they make all rolls with advantage until they fail a roll, and Gur returns.[11]
  • Hot Blooded: Once Figure accumulates three Hold, they can roll Channel to attempt something uncanny, superhuman, or unbelievable. (Carried over from Imposter playbook.)[9]
  • Number of the Beast: Whenever Dre rolls a six, they may roll an additional die and add it to the total for that roll. However, if Dre ever rolls three sixes during one move, Figure is killed in a spectacular fashion at the nearest suitable moment and is claimed by whatever terrible power would be most interested in his soul, magical energy, unliving servitude, et cetera.[14]

Mech

In PARTIZAN, the Figure in Bismuth's mech is the Will of the Witch, a gigantic Hallow shaped like a Dark Souls knight made up of blocky PS1 polygons. The Will of the Witch is detonated during PARTIZAN's final episode without ever being piloted onscreen, which is not very wow cool robot.

In PALISADE, he has two mechs. The first is the Devil's Two Front Teeth, a zombie-like Altar with chunks missing from when heat exploded along its faultlines due to the lack of existing heatsinks and vents. It makes a horrible noise like howling wind when activated.

Palcover.jpg

This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.

In a fit of outrage, the Witch in Glass turns the Devil's Two Front Teeth into the Ingrate.[11]

Figure's second mech in PALISADE is the Broken Spoke, formerly known as the Day's Eye, a bipedal mech made of a matte, crystalline substance. Russian sage sprouts from between its shoulder and elbow joints and it wears a cloak.[14]

Trivia

  • Figure is unable to cry[7] until after the events of "An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4".[16]
  • They can eat if they choose to do so but they can only taste minerals, like salt and copper.[4]
  • They don't need to breathe.[18]
  • Although he was first introduced during Beam Saber, Figure was designed for Armour Astir's Imposter playbook.

Gallery

Appearances

PARTIZAN

PALISADE

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Loosened by Dust's influence in "Seize the Chance Pt. 4". Rewritten as of "Reach In / Reach Out Pt. 1".
  2. ↑ Deepened as of "An Impossible Ideal Pt. 2" and outgrown as of "An Impossible Ideal Pt. 3".
  3. ↑ Replaced in "Seize the Chance Pt. 3".
  4. ↑ Loosened by Dust's influence in "Seize the Chance Pt. 4".
  5. ↑ In the second episode of Gathering Information, Dre likens this to the intrusive surveillance and criminalization of people who take highly controlled substances (like stimulants or opioids) as medication.
  6. ↑ Increased to +2 and rewritten as of in "In Their Fear Pt. 1".
  7. ↑ Dre stopped reading this out later in the season and after "An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4" it is likely no longer applicable.
  8. ↑ Completed as of "Honesty and Integrity Pt. 1".

References

  1. ↑ PARTIZAN 34: Guests, Invited and Otherwise
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 PALISADE 01: Into the World Pt. 1
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 PALISADE 15: Upon Our Grace Pt. 2
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 PALISADE 20: In Their Fear Pt. 1
  5. ↑ PARTIZAN 45: Operation Shackled Sun: Act 1: The Fray
  6. ↑ PALISADE 24: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 3
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 PALISADE 12: Worth the Trouble Pt. 1
  8. ↑ PALISADE 39: A Mechanical Whine Pt. 1
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 PALISADE 31: Seize the Chance Pt. 2
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 PALISADE 05: I Would Like to Help You Pt. 2
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 PALISADE 25: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 4
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 PALISADE 09: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 4
  13. ↑ PALISADE 02: Into the World Pt. 2
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 PALISADE 30: Seize the Chance Pt. 1
  15. ↑ PALISADE 32: Seize the Chance Pt. 3
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 PALISADE 29: Honesty and Integrity Pt. 2
  17. ↑ Gathering Information: Into the Mirage
  18. ↑ PALISADE 22: An Impossible Ideal Pt. 1
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