The thing is I know little of this Academy so I'm not sure how to approach my next decision
Closet Nerd
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9 yrs ago
Themerlinhawk Aegis Kai Doru
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3 yrs ago
yoshua171 said
I enjoyed the character sheet, Hawk, good job ^_^I'm curious if his ability to read surface thoughts can be clouded or resisted depending on the person and the circumstances.Also thanks for the mention of Athriohm in there, nice to have a bit of integration
The problem with resisting the surface thought thing is A) you have to know that's what he's doing and B) You'd have to actively be resisting it since Lazarus just kind of has that going on in the backround its more of a developed reflex than anything else for him. But yeah i certainly think it could be resisted you'd just have to know that is what was happening and then shield yourself specifically from it
yoshua171 The Loremaster
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10 hrs ago
Themerlinhawk said
The problem with resisting the surface thought thing is A) you have to know that's what he's doing and B) You'd have to actively be resisting it since Lazarus just kind of has that going on in the backround its more of a developed reflex than anything else for him. But yeah i certainly think it could be resisted you'd just have to know that is what was happening and then shield yourself specifically from it
Well for his sake then, I hope he never comes into proximity with a certain Western Lord (which is sadly quite unlikely). But hey, might be an interesting plot point eheheheh *smiles evilly*
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Wind Wild A sprinkle of Weird
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1 yr ago
Rtron
Social Status: Renegade. Pretty much everyone wants him dead.
Relations: Everyone who didn’t want to kill him is probably dead.
Hahahahah! Love that! xD
Rtron, great CS-es, no objections. I like how you tied everything together and the addition to Luciana’s technique to breaking apart Hazumi. Good job. ^^
Merlin
Merlin, just a little warning,
Dracul can also steal essence from anyone struck by it
That’s alright with me, just wanted to warn you not to make it OP – like poking someone with the blade and sucking their entire soul out. I would allow you to do that but under the condition that the person is KO-d first and isn’t resisting.
and takes pleasure in putting them in their place when they are arrogant or cross him out of hubris.
Ah, don’t they all~! <3
Overall, very cool CS and a very interesting addition to the story. Your character seems to be the magical version of Solus so I demand you have a duel with him at one point! xD
Synthorian
Speaking of which, Syn.
“and cocky with an ego the size of the Sun” – you said it. xD
No problem with Solus, he’s OTT but you know how to handle him. ;)
Everyone's accepted!
Btw, to all the old members, I’m going to pretend Season 2-A never happened. That isn’t because I don’t appreciate all the effort put into it by all of you but because otherwise bringing characters like Emmet and Olivia, Zi and the Broker will be much harder. So, because S1 ends with Judas obtaining the sword and S2-B starts with him having long lost it, there’s a time-gap for S2-A to be rebooted should the GMs ever like to do it.
Coming soon….
Masks
Themerlinhawk Aegis Kai Doru
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3 yrs ago
Lazarus isn't actually aware of what he picks up from other beings. So if you think coming in contact with a being who's mind is twisted beyond belief will mess Lazarus up in theory all that will happen is Lazarus wont pick anything up from the being since he doesn't actually know what they are thinking it's closer to reading body language than anything else. I haven't decided how he developed it yet though but I should probably figure that out.
Themerlinhawk Aegis Kai Doru
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3 yrs ago
@Wind
Unless someone is actually killed by Dracul it won't consume their soul/essence, if they are hit by Dracul it nicks at their essence but nothing soul sucking. Unless, you know Dracul kills them or something
Unless someone is actually killed by Dracul it won't consume their soul/essence, if they are hit by Dracul it nicks at their essence but nothing soul sucking. Unless, you know Dracul kills them or something
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Wind Wild A sprinkle of Weird
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1 yr ago
Oh, right.
I'm looking forward to establishing the Academy and we all love some madness so I'll be looking forward to seeing your CS. I still haven't decided on my characters but I'll definitely have one or two there so it's very likely we can link them. :)
Merlin, that's ok with me. ^ ^
Closet Nerd said Now the only question I have for myself is whether she's kicked from, currently occupied as, or has never been a student of the Academy. And the reason why I say all my thoughts on the matter so outwardly is because I want to gain some interest from your characters for potential interactions which will help me decide on the previous question. Plus the more collaboration the better. Also I'm realizing that this group has the big players from Blood as well as one from Zhymos so the roleplayer composition here is utterly fantastic.
I'm looking forward to establishing the Academy and we all love some madness so I'll be looking forward to seeing your CS. I still haven't decided on my characters but I'll definitely have one or two there so it's very likely we can link them. :)
Merlin, that's ok with me. ^ ^
Themerlinhawk Aegis Kai Doru
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3 yrs ago
Awesome!
yoshua171 The Loremaster
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10 hrs ago
Characters
For now I'm entering this guy, as I did last Season. I have three or so more, most likely. Still unsure if I'm bringing back the Broker.
Dormant or Deceased:
Szayeis
Chimeric Lord of Chaos
Theme I\|/Theme II
Demons of embodied shadow and darkness, nightwalkers are typically found in the western realm of hell where the sky is forever dark and no sun shines down on their shifting features. One of the few races of true shape-shifters, Nightwalkers are capable of changing their form with essentially no limits other than size, which is dictated by their individual power and/or how much they have assimilated, be it shadows, essence, or other sources of such. While able to near perfectly shapeshift to emulate any form they desire, nightwalkers have an acute weakness to things that emit powerful illumination, such as fire, sunlight, holy luminescence, and lightning. This has led to most nightwalkers being active primarily during the night time as most of their ilk would die under the harsh rays of the sun.
Having rather unique capabilities due to their shadowy make-up, nightwalkers are capable of controlling, traveling between, and outright assimilating shadows. One can generally identify the power of a nightwalker by noting what form they decide to take and whether or not they can exist in the sunlight without being harmed or otherwise altered by the rays. As such it should be noted that weak nightwalkers will perish in mere minutes under the light of the sun and will remain permanently damaged if they survive, whilst a considerably more developed nightwalker will only be weakened by the sunlight, decreasing its overall power until the light wanes and the sun dips beneath the horizon.
This brings one to a unique fact about nightwalkers. While all demons are weakened somewhat and are thus stronger during the night, this particular species actually becomes stronger depending on how dark a locale is. Thus, the less light there is, the more powerful a nightwalker will become. When night falls, even a weak nightwalker should not be underestimated as they will become at least two to three times more difficult to kill and a good deal stronger than before, allowing them to compete with the average demon and fend off minimally trained angels. The average nightwalker during night time is far more deadly as they become a force to be reckoned with so much so that the majority of human and angel kind have recognized nightwalkers of the average level and above as being “nigh immortal during the night.” This is largely due to a nightwalker's ability to assimilate shadows into their body, allowing them to effectively /become/ the darkness of night, closing in on their opponent from all angles, and devouring them alive without consequence.
Not only does this ability make them difficult to locate, not to mention damage, but it also increases the size that the nightwalker can reach when shifting forms, thus allowing them increased variability in their shapeshifting. Also due to their shadowy and incorporeal or intangible natural state, nightwalkers are essentially immune to conventional weaponry, be they guns, swords, or any other variety of weapon. In fact, the only material that seems to have any increased effectivity against them is gold, which can harm them even in their incorporeal state. It is not entirely known as to why this is the case, but it is theorized that it is gold's highly conductive state as well as the way that it reflects light, making it especially bright and particularly reminiscent of the sun.
They are capable of traveling through shadows or pitch black areas with ease, not having to move in the physical sense, but being able to effectively transport themselves from one place to another through darkness/shadows. While this is the case for normal, or conventional, weaponry, it should be noted that enchanted weapons have a higher chance of effecting nightwalkers as they are infused with magical energy and thus, in part, exist in the same space as their allegedly incorporeal bodies. Fire, light, 'holy', and lightning based enchantments tend to cause these demons the greatest damage.
However, a nightwalker's two greatest banes are in fact sunlight and what are referred to as 'despells'. These 'despells' are a class of magic that can deactivated or negate the magical properties of other spells, objects, or beings. Thus, when effected by a despell nightwalkers will lose their ability to become incorporeal shadows and will have to maintain some kind of physical form. Lastly among the typical abilities and traits of nightwalkers is the following, their cunning mindsets and their ability to manipulate essence. This ability varies in its use and largely depends on the individual, but it can be applied in any field from manipulating people's minds and emotions to warping their very souls to cause harm. The limitations and weaknesses of said ability depend on the individual nightwalker.
Moving from their traits and delving into their culture some very intriguing details can be found, first and foremost among these is that nightwalkers do not appear to hold the first demon, and second god, Lucy in reverence. The reasoning behind this is unknown and while there are a great many theories none of them hit anywhere near the mark. Moving on from this, there is a focus on treachery, intelligence, a strict understanding of the vague, mysterious, and unseen aspects of reality in nightwalker society. In fact many nightwalkers tend to give out a title rather than their name for they believe not only that names have an inherent power, but also that this chosen title is more of an aspect or trait that describes them more vaguely than their name does, allowing them a degree of anonymity.
As to their history and interactions with other demons, well, nightwalkers are typically a rather tight knit group and while many betrayals and the like will occur within their fold, they typically do not associate themselves with the majority of demonkind. The reason for this is unknown, but what is known is that it is not caused by either xenophobia or disdain. This mentality has made it rather rare to see hybrid nightwalkers who are a mixture of nightwalker and some other demonic race. In fact, their only truly prevalent interactions appear to be with the lord of their realm who they appear to have some sort of pact or magical contract with no matter if the lord changes or not. It is not entirely known what this pact entails, but it is very apparent that it does in fact exist. Beyond this nightwalkers keep to themselves, not intruding in the affairs of other demons or realms if at all possible.
While they are not very sociable in hell, nightwalkers seem to change somewhat when they venture to surface, something all nightwalkers can do effortlessly and without passing the gatekeeper due to their ability to transmit themselves through shadows the exception to this being especially powerful nightwalkers, whose essence signature is too large to slip through the cracks and seams of the boundary. Regardless, when on the surface to explore, hunt, or scheme, nightwalkers will interact with humankind quite often, either misleading, devouring, manipulating, or even befriending their ilk.
The presence of nightwalkers throughout human history points to this even more as in old myths and the like there are often described nightmarish creatures with no form, malevolent auras, and a wide variety of other traits that, if one does a bit of digging, seem to point towards nightwalker activity. In fact, one of the typical abilities of nightwalkers is that of nightmare creation where they enter the vicinity of their to-be victims, assimilate with the shadows of their surroundings, and utilize their essence manipulation to instil terrifying scenarios into the minds of their chosen prey. This has earned their kind another name and has led many demonologists to believe them a part of the demon classification of beings referred to as “Nightmare creatures”. These beings essentially feed off of the terror of their victims, dragging out their feeding processes for years whilst gradually killing their target through terrible nightmares. While nightwalkers are perhaps /capable/ of this sort of thing, they are not in fact nightmare creatures.
Moving on, it should be noted that while nightwalkers themselves are not nightmare creatures, they are capable of creating such. How one might ask, well quite simply by infecting humans with their demonic taint which will typically create one of three types of surface demons these being Shades, vampires, or Sollicitus. For further information on these demons one must do further research.
A detail about nightwalkers that has been hidden from the majority of not only the dwellers of surface, but from demon kind itself is that while they are indeed shapeshifters they all possess one form which is the truest expression of their essence. It is their Origin State, the state in which their power and personality is expressed fully. While this is universal to all nightwalkers, the lord of the western realm, Szayeis, has a particularly unique Origin. While this is not immediately notable, it is rather evident as while all of the lord's other forms possess the eyes of Praestrigia, this one does not. It is unknown why this is the case however, it is thought that it has some relation to the lord's life before he became a lord, though this is strictly rumor. Beyond this, Szayeis' Origin State is particularly unique because, unlike most nightwalkers, it is almost entirely physical.
That's right, it still maintains some of the nightwalker's intangibility in the form of the body's shadow which is both unnaturally large and unnaturally dark, making it rather bizarre. Furthermore, this shadow's shape is entirely up to Szayeis. What is this shadow, one might ask, well it is the embodiment of the lord's ability to endlessly consume, be it shadows, essence, or chaos itself. It is the manifestation of his tireless will to control and to manipulate, drenching the world in his dark influence. The traits and abilities of this shadow are the following:
Entrenchment: This relates to the shadow's ability to slow things that are standing atop it by pulling them into its depths. This ability acts much like quicksand, but it can be avoided by moving quickly and with great force over the surface of the shadow. While the movement of the shadow's Entrenchment is like quicksand, its consistancy is reminscent of tar, sticky and extremely difficult to get out of. It should be noted that, for the most part, this shadow will not materialize however, it is in fact capable of such, though certain capabilities will cease to work during its materialization. This ability appears to correlate to Szayeis' manipulative nature as he is easily capable to entrench others in his madenning schemes and delusions, allowing him to easily control their understanding and reaction to him.
Endless Consumption: This ability is simple and relates to the previous capability, "Entrenchment", and is typically activated allowing it to chain in with some of Szayeis' more physical capabilities whilst in his Origin State. When things are pulled into Szayeis' shadow area they can be consumed. While normally there is a limiter to how much Szayeis can hold within his ethereal shadow body, this ability, while in Origin State, is active allowing him to endlessly consume essence to improve his physical capabilities, his ability to shapeshift when exiting this form, and to fuel any of his magic. This trait relates to his insatiable lust for power, though the reason behind this lust is unknown.
Constriction: This ability is applied in a spherical area that follows Szayeis' physical body and is inherently linked to the demonic lord's shadow. When in a circular format, Szayeis shadow has a 6.5 yard radius. There is an invisible hemisphere which surrounds the lord's physical body, with its boundary always being of the same radius. Within this area Constriction is active. Constriction causes anyone within the 6.5 yard hemisphere to be physically limited in some sense depending on their method of locomotion. Any being with wings finds that flight becomes impossible within the constriction area, making aerial assault effectively impossible. Humans will typically find their movement speed decreased somewhat, which is felt as a crushing gravity on their bodies, as if the atmosphere within the area was different than what is outside of it. Szayeis can freely control who this ability effects, allowing allies to be unaffected by it, while enemies will be terribly limited by the crushing force of his embodied will to control.
- - - - - - -
Moving on from Origin State's non-physical capabilities, this form also greatly increases the output of Szayeis' physical body allowing him to achieve great physical feats. The base level of speed alowwed is blinding while his strength is at least enough to lift trucks and crash his body through buildings. However, likely the most amplified of these abilities is Szayeis' durability, which has become such that a building could collapse ontop of him and he would remain mostly, if not wholly, undamaged. This is because while in his typical ethereal state Szayeis is nearly impossible to damage. Additionally, this durability relates to Szayeis' unbending will and persistance to keep going. The real kicker in relation to Szayeis' physical traits is that while his regeneration is decreased, this and all of his other physical traits become more and more powerful as he consumes essence via his shadow's Endless Consumption ability. This, among the rest of its traits, make Szayeis' Origin State truly a force to be reckoned with.
Furthermore, while his Origin State does not have many physical abilities, there are a few that should be noted, they are as follows:
Essence Inversion - Aspect of Ruin: By pushing his influence from his body in an area and then rapidly pulling in non-living essence, Szayeis is capable of then slamming any portion of his body into the essence deprived surface and causing an eruption of physical force to tear the structure apart. This ability can even be utilized on air to send enemies flying with a sort of force push. This ability relates both to a Sharvalli he has assimilated and to his chaos aspect.
Ruina – Aspect of Amplification: By focusing essence in any portion of his body, Szayeis is capable of temporarily amplifying his physical characteristics to reinforce his blows or his ability to defend against them. Additionally, he can utilize essence pulled into his body via Essence Inversion to further amplify his blows and/or create a personal shield of sorts over the surface of his flesh.
Essence sense: This is an ability that most nightwalkers can develop and it is what allows Nightwalkers to detect essence signatures so well and to see even in the absence of all light. Basically nightwalkers can both smell and physically see essence, allowing them to locate and even define the details of a creature's body simply by detecting and analyzing their essence. This ability is particularly strong in Szayeis' Origin State due to the fact that his does not possess eyes.
Vibration sense: In addition to his Essence sense, Szayeis has also developed an ability to define forms by way of vibrations which are released in his surroundings. This ability is more or less an extremely advanced version of echo location.
Demonic Abilities:
Enhanced Senses: As a nightwalker class demon, Szayeis has incredible hearing and night vision, not to mention he can see even in the complete absence of light. This is likely due to the fact that the western portion of his home realm and ruling domain is essentially without light at all times. Additionally, Szayeis can focus his vision, zooming in to see details, or zooming out for an incredible 200 degrees of vision. The extra 20 degrees of visual range appears to be an inherent magic of sorts. Last of all, as with his hearing, Szayeis (and any nightwalker) can detect the unique life signatures of others as well as track people through their blood alone. While, like all demons, Szayeis is forced to use blood or some other sacrifice for his magic, Szayeis actually devours or soaks himself in the blood itself to fuel his functions.
Incredible Intellect: Szayeis, unlike the majority of his kind, is incredibly intelligent. While most nightwalkers or cunning and instinctual, Szayeis is this and more. He has amazing memory, amazing perceptiveness and foresight. Not only this, but he is exceptional at planning and even better in the departments of creativity. He is rather difficult to outsmart and learns very fast.
Shapeshifter: Simply put, Szayeis can change his shape. His maximum size depends on how much blood, gore, or otherwise sacrifices have been given to him, or even gathered by his own hands. This makes his potential size utterly immense, however, he has not been viewed as an exceptionally large demon while in the midst of humans. However, it should be noted that Szayeis' eyes never change, no matter how different he becomes, the color and effect of his eyes remains uniquely unaltered. As a master of this ability, Szayeis is capable of utilizing the 'extra' or 'stored' mass within his body to emulate essentially any material. His body is capable of doing this as well, but generally he does not for it takes more energy to do so.
Possession: Though a rare ability among demons, Szayeis, like most nightwalkers, is capable of possessing the bodies of other beings, particularly humans. In Szayeis' case, he must wait for the subject to be led, or in, near complete darkness or in direct physical contact with his body. As such, Szayeis has his followers keep victims in a variety of locations. Not only that, but when Szayeis possesses something, the effects of his eyes near automatically subjugate the mind therein and turn the body into his. The body does in fact take on his abilities and essentially ceases to be human entirely.
Magical Abilities:
Eyes of Praestrigia: Deception, trickery, and the searing coldness of infernal influence, Szayeis' eyes are unlike any other demon's. However, while there may be similarities no one has exactly this manner of eyes. Essentially, Szayeis has managed to devour enough of his own kin, died and transcended enough times, and been given enough sacrifices that his eyes have altered entirely. It is said that these eyes are 'given' only to the demonic lords of deception, trickery, the game, and manipulation. In essence, these rather special eyes are capable of not only seeing through lies and deceit --though there are some demons who manage to trick him regardless-- they are also capable of a sort of hypnotic effect on those who gaze into them, be it forcefully or otherwise. It should be noted, that gazing into Szayeis' eyes tends to either be an intensely frightening or awe inspiring experience, depending on his intentions and the individual in question. These eyes allow him to cast illusions or the like around himself or within a general area of effect. These illusions can be likened to projections.
Essence Manipulation: This ability is very simple. By locking gazes with the Eyes of Praestrigia and then placing his hand on any part of a being's body --as long as that being is of lesser power than himself-- he can manipulate the essence that makes them up. This process can cause physical, or otherwise, mutations and tends to be extremely painful. Additionally, if he kills a living being, he can manipulate their soul essence. He seems unable to do this to angels, however, demons and humans are easy. He can eat these souls if he wishes to, effectively assimilating them. Conversely, he can merely use this ability to apply his demonic influence to another.
Demonic Influence: Applied through either his eyes or Essence manipulation, Szayeis' demonic influence typically creates vampires, but it can also corrupt a person turning them into a manipulative or destructive individual. Its effects vary really, which is likely due to his high status among his demonic kin.
Skills and Learned Abilities
Szayeis is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to both human and angelic psychology. However, he cannot figure out demonic psychology considering the incredible variety of his race. He also has a good knowledge base on the human world, his own domain, and magic in general. His other abilities are combat related, but are not specific enough to mention really.
Pertinent Lore - Magic
It's likely to be added to over time.
The Art of Athriohm
For now I'm entering this guy, as I did last Season. I have three or so more, most likely. Still unsure if I'm bringing back the Broker.
Dormant or Deceased:
Chimeric Lord of Chaos
Name: Szayeis(Pronounced Ss-Zay-is).
Alias: The Chimera; Lord of Chaos; Lord of Shadows; Master of the Game.
Nicknames: None, there is only one demon he will allow to call him any sort of nicknames, her name is Lily. Anyone else typically receives punishment for such.
Age: While it is not common knowledge, Szayeis is over 5,000 years old.
Species: Demon(Hellion).
Sub-Genus: Nightwalker.
Social Standing - Demonic Lord: Having ascended the western throne over 5,000 years ago, Szayeis has ruled the West ever since and as such is easily recognized by most demons. His status provides him a natural dominance over lesser demons as well as incredible influence within hell, and quite often beyond due to his extensive networking and manipulation of the inhabitants of Progaia, be they angel or human. Additionally, his status, when others become aware of it, alludes to just how frighteningly powerful he is and as such tends to warrant a certain degree of either fear or respect from those involved.
Appearance: The reference seen at the top of this sheet can be considered Szayeis' typical human guise, which can be often seen when he is masquerading on the Surface to accomplish his myriad goals and enigmatic aspirations. However, while that form is one of his favored appearances, it is by no means his true appearance. Afterall, Szayeis is a Nightwalker and as such is a shapeshifter. His 'true' appearance can be seen only when he enters 'Origin State' as otherwise he is more or less a shifting mass of living darkness and essence.
While this is all true, there is one trait of his that, for the most part, he cannot alter and this trait is his eyes. Due to his status as demonic lord of the West, Szayeis has, like all his predecessors, awakened(?) the infamous Eyes of Praestrigia which are depicted below. For further information, read on.
Personality: While I could go through and define the many facets of Szayeis' personality, I won't. You'll see eventually anyways.
The Old One: An ancient being of unknown race, though most seem to think he is a demon, who is sealed inside of Szayeis' essence. It is unknown exactly what, or who, this being is. However, it should be noted that from the few interactions that have occurred already, the Old One is allegedly even more overwhelming than Szayeis. It is some kind of miracle and genius that has allowed the demonic lord to keep the Old one imprisoned in him for so long.
Biography: Life is a cycle and Szayeis has fallen into the longest and 'final' portion of his. Having died with the correct rituals and been reborn many times, Szayeis is a highly evolved demon. His life has been very eventful, but really nothing to mention in his opinion. He has killed and he has tricked, he has assisted, and betrayed. Evolved and portrayed many persona, masks if you will, to the many who have shared his company. However, in all his time, he has found only several among his demonic brethren and sistren that he considers either equals or amusing individuals. One of these individuals goes by the name of Lily, another highly influential demon, and as of late he has taken an especial interest in the female demon. Last of all it should be noted that Szayeis is a demon of whim, tending to be chaotic, or chimeric, in his activities. He has, in the past, taken on large escapes. Such as the time when he managed to take over an entire library, which he now uses as a base. He has gradually been attempting to take over a variety of other libraries so as to give himself a chain of locales to organize his forces and use as head quarters and the like.
At the moment he is working with Lily, and his own forces. Additionally, he has taken a fancy to a particular group of beings, which he has been toying with for quiet some time now. He derives great amusement from this.
--Over the last year or so, Szayeis' affiliation with Lily has declined following her injury, his assistance, and then her subsequent disappearance. However, this is hardly the most prevalent detail of his more recent history.
During the conflict preceding the fall of the demonic gateway, Szayeis once again visited Progaia where he proceded to begin gathering his various minions and associates for some form of grand scheme. During his stay he did many things, including torment an old acquaintance, rescue a friend from mortal peril, play with the emotions of one of his toys by kidnapping his sister, Aeris Kasio, and finally entering Origin State and laying waste to Loom.
As he strode through the streets human and angel alike stood fast or scattered before him. Those who opposed him were devoured and those who ran...were barely luckier. With the angels unable to face him and humans failing to even hold a candle to his wrath, the lord walked from one end of Loom to the other where he stood before the Council's headquarters and promptly unleashed a horde of demons upon the entirety of Loom, blanketing it completely in his chaotic essence, and weakening the will of all within.
Then the emanation of the World's Essence struck him and he turned path, allowing his hordes to crush the angelic base instead. However, even with his quick traversal of the space he was impeded by one of Ioi's brood, a former(?) human named Aulder. The man stood no chance and so withdrew as the Essence of the Old One struck forth to protect its vessel despite its wish to harm those who inhabited its form.
While the obstruction was cleared, the Reclaimer, daughter of the same master Aulder served, struck at Szayeis' realm. This pulled him from the jaws of the ancient and into the clutches of Lautumiae, the Living; a being formed from the West and those whom inhabited it. Thus the Western realm escaped the binding chains of the Reclaimer and stood before her, subduing her with their sheer vastness, before returning to their prior state and restoring the Realm as it is known.
With his realm safe, though only for the moment, Szayeis retired to his castle, exhausted, after giving orders to the Nameless Aide. Since then the Aide has faithfully defended the realm while its lord regains his vitality and renews his essence.
[Insert the happenings of the timeskip. Likely including a war with the Eastern realm, scuffles with other demons trying to invade the West while it's weak, and a multitude of plans being readied on Szayeis part. Daiyrisa assisted in his recovered quite considerably. It took Szayeis 6 months to be entirely able to function again. It took him a month to recover mentally and emotionally. Aeris is traded over to Daiyrisa at some point as a 'gift'.]
Flourishing in the chaos following the fall of Hell's gate, the Lord of the Western realm played the strings of a great many, though he knew that the state of anarchy, at least not this time, was unlikely to last. Thus he made the best of it, amplifying and feeding from the chaos of the world, pushing some to war, and some to yearn for peace. Manipulating the minds of men, angel, and demon alike to create as much conflict, as much destruction and torment as he could and then his actions ceased.
For the last [insert years here] the Western realm has been silent and even its people have seen their lord not at all. Some wonder if another lord has usurped him, or if the imminent Szayeis has finally perished in his struggles against the one who dwells within.
There is dissension within the Western Realm, and much talk of a run on the Citadel. Who knows if the lord remains, or has perished. Either is possible...but which is more likely?
[Both angels and demons alike are unsure if Szayeis predates the fall of the angelic gate or not, this is because he is a shapeshifter and his only defining feature is technically his eyes. However, the eyes of Praestrigia have been possessed by every demon, hellion or otherwise, that has ever reigned over the western realm. It is thus difficult to determine if Szayeis is just an incredibly powerful 'surface' demon, or a hellion from before the fall.]
Alias: The Chimera; Lord of Chaos; Lord of Shadows; Master of the Game.
Nicknames: None, there is only one demon he will allow to call him any sort of nicknames, her name is Lily. Anyone else typically receives punishment for such.
Age: While it is not common knowledge, Szayeis is over 5,000 years old.
Species: Demon(Hellion).
Sub-Genus: Nightwalker.
Social Standing - Demonic Lord: Having ascended the western throne over 5,000 years ago, Szayeis has ruled the West ever since and as such is easily recognized by most demons. His status provides him a natural dominance over lesser demons as well as incredible influence within hell, and quite often beyond due to his extensive networking and manipulation of the inhabitants of Progaia, be they angel or human. Additionally, his status, when others become aware of it, alludes to just how frighteningly powerful he is and as such tends to warrant a certain degree of either fear or respect from those involved.
Appearance: The reference seen at the top of this sheet can be considered Szayeis' typical human guise, which can be often seen when he is masquerading on the Surface to accomplish his myriad goals and enigmatic aspirations. However, while that form is one of his favored appearances, it is by no means his true appearance. Afterall, Szayeis is a Nightwalker and as such is a shapeshifter. His 'true' appearance can be seen only when he enters 'Origin State' as otherwise he is more or less a shifting mass of living darkness and essence.
While this is all true, there is one trait of his that, for the most part, he cannot alter and this trait is his eyes. Due to his status as demonic lord of the West, Szayeis has, like all his predecessors, awakened(?) the infamous Eyes of Praestrigia which are depicted below. For further information, read on.
Personality: While I could go through and define the many facets of Szayeis' personality, I won't. You'll see eventually anyways.
The Old One: An ancient being of unknown race, though most seem to think he is a demon, who is sealed inside of Szayeis' essence. It is unknown exactly what, or who, this being is. However, it should be noted that from the few interactions that have occurred already, the Old One is allegedly even more overwhelming than Szayeis. It is some kind of miracle and genius that has allowed the demonic lord to keep the Old one imprisoned in him for so long.
Biography: Life is a cycle and Szayeis has fallen into the longest and 'final' portion of his. Having died with the correct rituals and been reborn many times, Szayeis is a highly evolved demon. His life has been very eventful, but really nothing to mention in his opinion. He has killed and he has tricked, he has assisted, and betrayed. Evolved and portrayed many persona, masks if you will, to the many who have shared his company. However, in all his time, he has found only several among his demonic brethren and sistren that he considers either equals or amusing individuals. One of these individuals goes by the name of Lily, another highly influential demon, and as of late he has taken an especial interest in the female demon. Last of all it should be noted that Szayeis is a demon of whim, tending to be chaotic, or chimeric, in his activities. He has, in the past, taken on large escapes. Such as the time when he managed to take over an entire library, which he now uses as a base. He has gradually been attempting to take over a variety of other libraries so as to give himself a chain of locales to organize his forces and use as head quarters and the like.
At the moment he is working with Lily, and his own forces. Additionally, he has taken a fancy to a particular group of beings, which he has been toying with for quiet some time now. He derives great amusement from this.
--Over the last year or so, Szayeis' affiliation with Lily has declined following her injury, his assistance, and then her subsequent disappearance. However, this is hardly the most prevalent detail of his more recent history.
During the conflict preceding the fall of the demonic gateway, Szayeis once again visited Progaia where he proceded to begin gathering his various minions and associates for some form of grand scheme. During his stay he did many things, including torment an old acquaintance, rescue a friend from mortal peril, play with the emotions of one of his toys by kidnapping his sister, Aeris Kasio, and finally entering Origin State and laying waste to Loom.
As he strode through the streets human and angel alike stood fast or scattered before him. Those who opposed him were devoured and those who ran...were barely luckier. With the angels unable to face him and humans failing to even hold a candle to his wrath, the lord walked from one end of Loom to the other where he stood before the Council's headquarters and promptly unleashed a horde of demons upon the entirety of Loom, blanketing it completely in his chaotic essence, and weakening the will of all within.
Then the emanation of the World's Essence struck him and he turned path, allowing his hordes to crush the angelic base instead. However, even with his quick traversal of the space he was impeded by one of Ioi's brood, a former(?) human named Aulder. The man stood no chance and so withdrew as the Essence of the Old One struck forth to protect its vessel despite its wish to harm those who inhabited its form.
While the obstruction was cleared, the Reclaimer, daughter of the same master Aulder served, struck at Szayeis' realm. This pulled him from the jaws of the ancient and into the clutches of Lautumiae, the Living; a being formed from the West and those whom inhabited it. Thus the Western realm escaped the binding chains of the Reclaimer and stood before her, subduing her with their sheer vastness, before returning to their prior state and restoring the Realm as it is known.
With his realm safe, though only for the moment, Szayeis retired to his castle, exhausted, after giving orders to the Nameless Aide. Since then the Aide has faithfully defended the realm while its lord regains his vitality and renews his essence.
[Insert the happenings of the timeskip. Likely including a war with the Eastern realm, scuffles with other demons trying to invade the West while it's weak, and a multitude of plans being readied on Szayeis part. Daiyrisa assisted in his recovered quite considerably. It took Szayeis 6 months to be entirely able to function again. It took him a month to recover mentally and emotionally. Aeris is traded over to Daiyrisa at some point as a 'gift'.]
Flourishing in the chaos following the fall of Hell's gate, the Lord of the Western realm played the strings of a great many, though he knew that the state of anarchy, at least not this time, was unlikely to last. Thus he made the best of it, amplifying and feeding from the chaos of the world, pushing some to war, and some to yearn for peace. Manipulating the minds of men, angel, and demon alike to create as much conflict, as much destruction and torment as he could and then his actions ceased.
For the last [insert years here] the Western realm has been silent and even its people have seen their lord not at all. Some wonder if another lord has usurped him, or if the imminent Szayeis has finally perished in his struggles against the one who dwells within.
There is dissension within the Western Realm, and much talk of a run on the Citadel. Who knows if the lord remains, or has perished. Either is possible...but which is more likely?
[Both angels and demons alike are unsure if Szayeis predates the fall of the angelic gate or not, this is because he is a shapeshifter and his only defining feature is technically his eyes. However, the eyes of Praestrigia have been possessed by every demon, hellion or otherwise, that has ever reigned over the western realm. It is thus difficult to determine if Szayeis is just an incredibly powerful 'surface' demon, or a hellion from before the fall.]
Demons of embodied shadow and darkness, nightwalkers are typically found in the western realm of hell where the sky is forever dark and no sun shines down on their shifting features. One of the few races of true shape-shifters, Nightwalkers are capable of changing their form with essentially no limits other than size, which is dictated by their individual power and/or how much they have assimilated, be it shadows, essence, or other sources of such. While able to near perfectly shapeshift to emulate any form they desire, nightwalkers have an acute weakness to things that emit powerful illumination, such as fire, sunlight, holy luminescence, and lightning. This has led to most nightwalkers being active primarily during the night time as most of their ilk would die under the harsh rays of the sun.
Having rather unique capabilities due to their shadowy make-up, nightwalkers are capable of controlling, traveling between, and outright assimilating shadows. One can generally identify the power of a nightwalker by noting what form they decide to take and whether or not they can exist in the sunlight without being harmed or otherwise altered by the rays. As such it should be noted that weak nightwalkers will perish in mere minutes under the light of the sun and will remain permanently damaged if they survive, whilst a considerably more developed nightwalker will only be weakened by the sunlight, decreasing its overall power until the light wanes and the sun dips beneath the horizon.
This brings one to a unique fact about nightwalkers. While all demons are weakened somewhat and are thus stronger during the night, this particular species actually becomes stronger depending on how dark a locale is. Thus, the less light there is, the more powerful a nightwalker will become. When night falls, even a weak nightwalker should not be underestimated as they will become at least two to three times more difficult to kill and a good deal stronger than before, allowing them to compete with the average demon and fend off minimally trained angels. The average nightwalker during night time is far more deadly as they become a force to be reckoned with so much so that the majority of human and angel kind have recognized nightwalkers of the average level and above as being “nigh immortal during the night.” This is largely due to a nightwalker's ability to assimilate shadows into their body, allowing them to effectively /become/ the darkness of night, closing in on their opponent from all angles, and devouring them alive without consequence.
Not only does this ability make them difficult to locate, not to mention damage, but it also increases the size that the nightwalker can reach when shifting forms, thus allowing them increased variability in their shapeshifting. Also due to their shadowy and incorporeal or intangible natural state, nightwalkers are essentially immune to conventional weaponry, be they guns, swords, or any other variety of weapon. In fact, the only material that seems to have any increased effectivity against them is gold, which can harm them even in their incorporeal state. It is not entirely known as to why this is the case, but it is theorized that it is gold's highly conductive state as well as the way that it reflects light, making it especially bright and particularly reminiscent of the sun.
They are capable of traveling through shadows or pitch black areas with ease, not having to move in the physical sense, but being able to effectively transport themselves from one place to another through darkness/shadows. While this is the case for normal, or conventional, weaponry, it should be noted that enchanted weapons have a higher chance of effecting nightwalkers as they are infused with magical energy and thus, in part, exist in the same space as their allegedly incorporeal bodies. Fire, light, 'holy', and lightning based enchantments tend to cause these demons the greatest damage.
However, a nightwalker's two greatest banes are in fact sunlight and what are referred to as 'despells'. These 'despells' are a class of magic that can deactivated or negate the magical properties of other spells, objects, or beings. Thus, when effected by a despell nightwalkers will lose their ability to become incorporeal shadows and will have to maintain some kind of physical form. Lastly among the typical abilities and traits of nightwalkers is the following, their cunning mindsets and their ability to manipulate essence. This ability varies in its use and largely depends on the individual, but it can be applied in any field from manipulating people's minds and emotions to warping their very souls to cause harm. The limitations and weaknesses of said ability depend on the individual nightwalker.
Moving from their traits and delving into their culture some very intriguing details can be found, first and foremost among these is that nightwalkers do not appear to hold the first demon, and second god, Lucy in reverence. The reasoning behind this is unknown and while there are a great many theories none of them hit anywhere near the mark. Moving on from this, there is a focus on treachery, intelligence, a strict understanding of the vague, mysterious, and unseen aspects of reality in nightwalker society. In fact many nightwalkers tend to give out a title rather than their name for they believe not only that names have an inherent power, but also that this chosen title is more of an aspect or trait that describes them more vaguely than their name does, allowing them a degree of anonymity.
As to their history and interactions with other demons, well, nightwalkers are typically a rather tight knit group and while many betrayals and the like will occur within their fold, they typically do not associate themselves with the majority of demonkind. The reason for this is unknown, but what is known is that it is not caused by either xenophobia or disdain. This mentality has made it rather rare to see hybrid nightwalkers who are a mixture of nightwalker and some other demonic race. In fact, their only truly prevalent interactions appear to be with the lord of their realm who they appear to have some sort of pact or magical contract with no matter if the lord changes or not. It is not entirely known what this pact entails, but it is very apparent that it does in fact exist. Beyond this nightwalkers keep to themselves, not intruding in the affairs of other demons or realms if at all possible.
While they are not very sociable in hell, nightwalkers seem to change somewhat when they venture to surface, something all nightwalkers can do effortlessly and without passing the gatekeeper due to their ability to transmit themselves through shadows the exception to this being especially powerful nightwalkers, whose essence signature is too large to slip through the cracks and seams of the boundary. Regardless, when on the surface to explore, hunt, or scheme, nightwalkers will interact with humankind quite often, either misleading, devouring, manipulating, or even befriending their ilk.
The presence of nightwalkers throughout human history points to this even more as in old myths and the like there are often described nightmarish creatures with no form, malevolent auras, and a wide variety of other traits that, if one does a bit of digging, seem to point towards nightwalker activity. In fact, one of the typical abilities of nightwalkers is that of nightmare creation where they enter the vicinity of their to-be victims, assimilate with the shadows of their surroundings, and utilize their essence manipulation to instil terrifying scenarios into the minds of their chosen prey. This has earned their kind another name and has led many demonologists to believe them a part of the demon classification of beings referred to as “Nightmare creatures”. These beings essentially feed off of the terror of their victims, dragging out their feeding processes for years whilst gradually killing their target through terrible nightmares. While nightwalkers are perhaps /capable/ of this sort of thing, they are not in fact nightmare creatures.
Moving on, it should be noted that while nightwalkers themselves are not nightmare creatures, they are capable of creating such. How one might ask, well quite simply by infecting humans with their demonic taint which will typically create one of three types of surface demons these being Shades, vampires, or Sollicitus. For further information on these demons one must do further research.
A detail about nightwalkers that has been hidden from the majority of not only the dwellers of surface, but from demon kind itself is that while they are indeed shapeshifters they all possess one form which is the truest expression of their essence. It is their Origin State, the state in which their power and personality is expressed fully. While this is universal to all nightwalkers, the lord of the western realm, Szayeis, has a particularly unique Origin. While this is not immediately notable, it is rather evident as while all of the lord's other forms possess the eyes of Praestrigia, this one does not. It is unknown why this is the case however, it is thought that it has some relation to the lord's life before he became a lord, though this is strictly rumor. Beyond this, Szayeis' Origin State is particularly unique because, unlike most nightwalkers, it is almost entirely physical.
That's right, it still maintains some of the nightwalker's intangibility in the form of the body's shadow which is both unnaturally large and unnaturally dark, making it rather bizarre. Furthermore, this shadow's shape is entirely up to Szayeis. What is this shadow, one might ask, well it is the embodiment of the lord's ability to endlessly consume, be it shadows, essence, or chaos itself. It is the manifestation of his tireless will to control and to manipulate, drenching the world in his dark influence. The traits and abilities of this shadow are the following:
Entrenchment: This relates to the shadow's ability to slow things that are standing atop it by pulling them into its depths. This ability acts much like quicksand, but it can be avoided by moving quickly and with great force over the surface of the shadow. While the movement of the shadow's Entrenchment is like quicksand, its consistancy is reminscent of tar, sticky and extremely difficult to get out of. It should be noted that, for the most part, this shadow will not materialize however, it is in fact capable of such, though certain capabilities will cease to work during its materialization. This ability appears to correlate to Szayeis' manipulative nature as he is easily capable to entrench others in his madenning schemes and delusions, allowing him to easily control their understanding and reaction to him.
Endless Consumption: This ability is simple and relates to the previous capability, "Entrenchment", and is typically activated allowing it to chain in with some of Szayeis' more physical capabilities whilst in his Origin State. When things are pulled into Szayeis' shadow area they can be consumed. While normally there is a limiter to how much Szayeis can hold within his ethereal shadow body, this ability, while in Origin State, is active allowing him to endlessly consume essence to improve his physical capabilities, his ability to shapeshift when exiting this form, and to fuel any of his magic. This trait relates to his insatiable lust for power, though the reason behind this lust is unknown.
Constriction: This ability is applied in a spherical area that follows Szayeis' physical body and is inherently linked to the demonic lord's shadow. When in a circular format, Szayeis shadow has a 6.5 yard radius. There is an invisible hemisphere which surrounds the lord's physical body, with its boundary always being of the same radius. Within this area Constriction is active. Constriction causes anyone within the 6.5 yard hemisphere to be physically limited in some sense depending on their method of locomotion. Any being with wings finds that flight becomes impossible within the constriction area, making aerial assault effectively impossible. Humans will typically find their movement speed decreased somewhat, which is felt as a crushing gravity on their bodies, as if the atmosphere within the area was different than what is outside of it. Szayeis can freely control who this ability effects, allowing allies to be unaffected by it, while enemies will be terribly limited by the crushing force of his embodied will to control.
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Moving on from Origin State's non-physical capabilities, this form also greatly increases the output of Szayeis' physical body allowing him to achieve great physical feats. The base level of speed alowwed is blinding while his strength is at least enough to lift trucks and crash his body through buildings. However, likely the most amplified of these abilities is Szayeis' durability, which has become such that a building could collapse ontop of him and he would remain mostly, if not wholly, undamaged. This is because while in his typical ethereal state Szayeis is nearly impossible to damage. Additionally, this durability relates to Szayeis' unbending will and persistance to keep going. The real kicker in relation to Szayeis' physical traits is that while his regeneration is decreased, this and all of his other physical traits become more and more powerful as he consumes essence via his shadow's Endless Consumption ability. This, among the rest of its traits, make Szayeis' Origin State truly a force to be reckoned with.
Furthermore, while his Origin State does not have many physical abilities, there are a few that should be noted, they are as follows:
Essence Inversion - Aspect of Ruin: By pushing his influence from his body in an area and then rapidly pulling in non-living essence, Szayeis is capable of then slamming any portion of his body into the essence deprived surface and causing an eruption of physical force to tear the structure apart. This ability can even be utilized on air to send enemies flying with a sort of force push. This ability relates both to a Sharvalli he has assimilated and to his chaos aspect.
Ruina – Aspect of Amplification: By focusing essence in any portion of his body, Szayeis is capable of temporarily amplifying his physical characteristics to reinforce his blows or his ability to defend against them. Additionally, he can utilize essence pulled into his body via Essence Inversion to further amplify his blows and/or create a personal shield of sorts over the surface of his flesh.
Essence sense: This is an ability that most nightwalkers can develop and it is what allows Nightwalkers to detect essence signatures so well and to see even in the absence of all light. Basically nightwalkers can both smell and physically see essence, allowing them to locate and even define the details of a creature's body simply by detecting and analyzing their essence. This ability is particularly strong in Szayeis' Origin State due to the fact that his does not possess eyes.
Vibration sense: In addition to his Essence sense, Szayeis has also developed an ability to define forms by way of vibrations which are released in his surroundings. This ability is more or less an extremely advanced version of echo location.
Demonic Abilities:
Enhanced Senses: As a nightwalker class demon, Szayeis has incredible hearing and night vision, not to mention he can see even in the complete absence of light. This is likely due to the fact that the western portion of his home realm and ruling domain is essentially without light at all times. Additionally, Szayeis can focus his vision, zooming in to see details, or zooming out for an incredible 200 degrees of vision. The extra 20 degrees of visual range appears to be an inherent magic of sorts. Last of all, as with his hearing, Szayeis (and any nightwalker) can detect the unique life signatures of others as well as track people through their blood alone. While, like all demons, Szayeis is forced to use blood or some other sacrifice for his magic, Szayeis actually devours or soaks himself in the blood itself to fuel his functions.
Incredible Intellect: Szayeis, unlike the majority of his kind, is incredibly intelligent. While most nightwalkers or cunning and instinctual, Szayeis is this and more. He has amazing memory, amazing perceptiveness and foresight. Not only this, but he is exceptional at planning and even better in the departments of creativity. He is rather difficult to outsmart and learns very fast.
Shapeshifter: Simply put, Szayeis can change his shape. His maximum size depends on how much blood, gore, or otherwise sacrifices have been given to him, or even gathered by his own hands. This makes his potential size utterly immense, however, he has not been viewed as an exceptionally large demon while in the midst of humans. However, it should be noted that Szayeis' eyes never change, no matter how different he becomes, the color and effect of his eyes remains uniquely unaltered. As a master of this ability, Szayeis is capable of utilizing the 'extra' or 'stored' mass within his body to emulate essentially any material. His body is capable of doing this as well, but generally he does not for it takes more energy to do so.
Possession: Though a rare ability among demons, Szayeis, like most nightwalkers, is capable of possessing the bodies of other beings, particularly humans. In Szayeis' case, he must wait for the subject to be led, or in, near complete darkness or in direct physical contact with his body. As such, Szayeis has his followers keep victims in a variety of locations. Not only that, but when Szayeis possesses something, the effects of his eyes near automatically subjugate the mind therein and turn the body into his. The body does in fact take on his abilities and essentially ceases to be human entirely.
Magical Abilities:
Eyes of Praestrigia: Deception, trickery, and the searing coldness of infernal influence, Szayeis' eyes are unlike any other demon's. However, while there may be similarities no one has exactly this manner of eyes. Essentially, Szayeis has managed to devour enough of his own kin, died and transcended enough times, and been given enough sacrifices that his eyes have altered entirely. It is said that these eyes are 'given' only to the demonic lords of deception, trickery, the game, and manipulation. In essence, these rather special eyes are capable of not only seeing through lies and deceit --though there are some demons who manage to trick him regardless-- they are also capable of a sort of hypnotic effect on those who gaze into them, be it forcefully or otherwise. It should be noted, that gazing into Szayeis' eyes tends to either be an intensely frightening or awe inspiring experience, depending on his intentions and the individual in question. These eyes allow him to cast illusions or the like around himself or within a general area of effect. These illusions can be likened to projections.
Essence Manipulation: This ability is very simple. By locking gazes with the Eyes of Praestrigia and then placing his hand on any part of a being's body --as long as that being is of lesser power than himself-- he can manipulate the essence that makes them up. This process can cause physical, or otherwise, mutations and tends to be extremely painful. Additionally, if he kills a living being, he can manipulate their soul essence. He seems unable to do this to angels, however, demons and humans are easy. He can eat these souls if he wishes to, effectively assimilating them. Conversely, he can merely use this ability to apply his demonic influence to another.
Demonic Influence: Applied through either his eyes or Essence manipulation, Szayeis' demonic influence typically creates vampires, but it can also corrupt a person turning them into a manipulative or destructive individual. Its effects vary really, which is likely due to his high status among his demonic kin.
Skills and Learned Abilities
Szayeis is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to both human and angelic psychology. However, he cannot figure out demonic psychology considering the incredible variety of his race. He also has a good knowledge base on the human world, his own domain, and magic in general. His other abilities are combat related, but are not specific enough to mention really.
Pertinent Lore - Magic
It's likely to be added to over time.
The Art of Athriohm
The Art, as it is called by those who practice it, is what one might consider magical science as it relies on fundamental laws and patterns that exist in reality. Through their mimicry of these patterns in both symbol and movement alike Practitioners can draw forth he same results that the natural patterns would instil. Rather than simply manipulating their own essence, as angels do, or sacrificing the essence of others, Anriohm, as Practitioners are known, memorize, modify, and bring together the patterns of their world, forged of their own essence, to draw forth the unbridled power of the world's own lifeforce. While this makes them no more powerful than an angel or a demon, it can certainly elevate them to the same tier. However, this is only achieved through long years of study and meticulous experimentation to reap experience from their activities.
The Art of Athriohm is, despite the turning of the times, largely a secret to the average individual and is kept in the shadows of society, only taught between master and student, passed down through lineage or simply between those who are chosen. Regardless, the Art is something coveted by its Practitioners, though not in a negative light. Rather, the majority of Anriohm are ever limited by the power of the oaths they take upon being inducted into the Practice of the Art. It is through their secrecy and these oaths that the Art remains largely without abuse by humanity, and untouched by angel and demonkind alike.
Capabilities: The scope of the Art's abilities varies greatly with the Practitioner, as each has their own specialties not to mention knowledge base, which more or less dictates what they are capable of doing via their Art. Some Practitioners prefer to focus on the Weaving aspect of the Art, making them similar to alchemists or enchanters in practice, as they draw forth the properties of objects and phenomena and imbue them into other objects, or even themselves, to create miraculous tools, armor, and weaponry alike. Other Anriohm will specialize in the making of sigils, letting them draw forth the forces, or elements, of nature to create effects and properties, rather than draw them from pre-established entities or objects. This allows them both to utilize what most refer to as seals, to temporarily condense their desired effects into a symbolic representation of the movements of Essence which create them. These can then be triggered by their will or even a set of predetermined circumstances.
While certainly the two are similar, their difference lies in reliability, as Weaving is more predictable though its potency pales in comparison to the potential of Sigils. As if to balance the two disciplines, Sigils are more difficult to make, and their practice more complex, making them inherently more powerful, taking less effort to reach such heights than Weaving would require. However, the difficulty comes from the mental focus and memory required to precisely create sigils. This is why many Practitioners stick to weaving, gaining them the title of alchemists or enchanters, while the more daring take to Sigils, earning them the title of Mage.
Functionality: While it is not common knowledge as to how the Art functions, and why it does so, over the past 200 years there have been a number of Practitioners, spearheaded by a man known as Vaihrn of the Sigil, who have largely uncovered the nature of the Art. With the creation of the ruling Chimeras, Dorin Katela's notes, and the results of the destruction of the last gate Vaihrn and his disciples managed to discover that the Art of Athriohm, as its 'founder,' supposed, was not created by man, or any other race. Rather, the Art was merely happened upon by chance, though its formation into what it is today was largely through the ministrations of its founder. Thus, in the book of Vaihrn's life work, it is simply stated that rather than a purely magical practice, the Art is instead the study of the nature of creation. In this way, Practitioners of the Art, known as Anriohm, are scientists, though they not only experiment to verify, but they also utilize their findings to assist, or in rare cases deter, society. They utilize their knowledge to mimic the forces of nature and creation, but only to an extent, as in their Oaths it is stated clearly that they are never meant to seek godhood through their Art.
Oaths, Taboos, and the like:
“Forces outside myself who hold thought within them are beyond the scope of my wishes to bend and know around them.” This Oath specifies that the Practitioner will not manipulate the essence of conscious living things, such as the three races, though this includes chimeras as well. The oath does not explicitly state that the Practitioner will not bend or modify their own essence, though many take it to mean such.
“The void, unreachable to us borne outside it, should not be drawn within the fold beside it. All within and those between and beside, should restrict their contact with this force that does deride. Draw not from its depths, and cease all thought of traversing, for it is not a place to go, not for I or those beside my person.” This Oath is sworn to restrict Practitioners from drawing the emptiness of the void into the world, and to stop them from entering it themselves. Through this they are also not allowed to seek gods, or other such entities who might dwell beyond their own world. Additionally, if those who take this Oath find another who has broken it, or intends to, they are to stop them from doing so if it is within their power.
“While there are few words to speak to make my life less fleeting, I will not seek to find and reap the seeds that offer us eternity.” This Oath dissuades Practitioners quite strongly from seeking eternal life, though it does not state that they are not to lengthen their own, nor does it state for how long they are allowed to do so.
The use of the Art on Living Things is essentially taboo.
The use of the Art to create life is taboo, the study of such is not, though it is frowned upon.
To seek eternal life, immortality as it is called, is a taboo. This is also to make it far more difficult for the Art to be abused as the less time one has to dedicate to the learning and mastery of such, the less likely they are to achieve power enough that it would corrupt them.
The Art of Athriohm is, despite the turning of the times, largely a secret to the average individual and is kept in the shadows of society, only taught between master and student, passed down through lineage or simply between those who are chosen. Regardless, the Art is something coveted by its Practitioners, though not in a negative light. Rather, the majority of Anriohm are ever limited by the power of the oaths they take upon being inducted into the Practice of the Art. It is through their secrecy and these oaths that the Art remains largely without abuse by humanity, and untouched by angel and demonkind alike.
Capabilities: The scope of the Art's abilities varies greatly with the Practitioner, as each has their own specialties not to mention knowledge base, which more or less dictates what they are capable of doing via their Art. Some Practitioners prefer to focus on the Weaving aspect of the Art, making them similar to alchemists or enchanters in practice, as they draw forth the properties of objects and phenomena and imbue them into other objects, or even themselves, to create miraculous tools, armor, and weaponry alike. Other Anriohm will specialize in the making of sigils, letting them draw forth the forces, or elements, of nature to create effects and properties, rather than draw them from pre-established entities or objects. This allows them both to utilize what most refer to as seals, to temporarily condense their desired effects into a symbolic representation of the movements of Essence which create them. These can then be triggered by their will or even a set of predetermined circumstances.
While certainly the two are similar, their difference lies in reliability, as Weaving is more predictable though its potency pales in comparison to the potential of Sigils. As if to balance the two disciplines, Sigils are more difficult to make, and their practice more complex, making them inherently more powerful, taking less effort to reach such heights than Weaving would require. However, the difficulty comes from the mental focus and memory required to precisely create sigils. This is why many Practitioners stick to weaving, gaining them the title of alchemists or enchanters, while the more daring take to Sigils, earning them the title of Mage.
Functionality: While it is not common knowledge as to how the Art functions, and why it does so, over the past 200 years there have been a number of Practitioners, spearheaded by a man known as Vaihrn of the Sigil, who have largely uncovered the nature of the Art. With the creation of the ruling Chimeras, Dorin Katela's notes, and the results of the destruction of the last gate Vaihrn and his disciples managed to discover that the Art of Athriohm, as its 'founder,' supposed, was not created by man, or any other race. Rather, the Art was merely happened upon by chance, though its formation into what it is today was largely through the ministrations of its founder. Thus, in the book of Vaihrn's life work, it is simply stated that rather than a purely magical practice, the Art is instead the study of the nature of creation. In this way, Practitioners of the Art, known as Anriohm, are scientists, though they not only experiment to verify, but they also utilize their findings to assist, or in rare cases deter, society. They utilize their knowledge to mimic the forces of nature and creation, but only to an extent, as in their Oaths it is stated clearly that they are never meant to seek godhood through their Art.
Oaths, Taboos, and the like:
“Forces outside myself who hold thought within them are beyond the scope of my wishes to bend and know around them.” This Oath specifies that the Practitioner will not manipulate the essence of conscious living things, such as the three races, though this includes chimeras as well. The oath does not explicitly state that the Practitioner will not bend or modify their own essence, though many take it to mean such.
“The void, unreachable to us borne outside it, should not be drawn within the fold beside it. All within and those between and beside, should restrict their contact with this force that does deride. Draw not from its depths, and cease all thought of traversing, for it is not a place to go, not for I or those beside my person.” This Oath is sworn to restrict Practitioners from drawing the emptiness of the void into the world, and to stop them from entering it themselves. Through this they are also not allowed to seek gods, or other such entities who might dwell beyond their own world. Additionally, if those who take this Oath find another who has broken it, or intends to, they are to stop them from doing so if it is within their power.
“While there are few words to speak to make my life less fleeting, I will not seek to find and reap the seeds that offer us eternity.” This Oath dissuades Practitioners quite strongly from seeking eternal life, though it does not state that they are not to lengthen their own, nor does it state for how long they are allowed to do so.
The use of the Art on Living Things is essentially taboo.
The use of the Art to create life is taboo, the study of such is not, though it is frowned upon.
To seek eternal life, immortality as it is called, is a taboo. This is also to make it far more difficult for the Art to be abused as the less time one has to dedicate to the learning and mastery of such, the less likely they are to achieve power enough that it would corrupt them.
Themerlinhawk said in theory all that will happen is Lazarus wont pick anything up from the being since he doesn't actually know what they are thinking it's closer to reading body language than anything else.
So, its like he gets vague intentions rather than thoughts. Like, if a demon was going to attack, he'd know it was going to do that, but not who the demon was going to attack or where the demon is (unless they're just staring each other down, in a duel, all alone).
yoshua171 said Dormant or Deceased.
He's deceased, right?.......Right?!
yoshua171 The Loremaster
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10 hrs ago
Rtron said
He's deceased, right?.......Right?!
Don't you wish you knew~
Themerlinhawk Aegis Kai Doru
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3 yrs ago
Rtron said
So, its like he gets vague intentions rather than thoughts. Like, if a demon was going to attack, he'd know it was going to do that, but not who the demon was going to attack or where the demon is (unless they're just staring each other down, in a duel, all alone).
When it isnt related to Lazarus he only has a vague sense of the intentions but his (and i think im sort of still fleshing this out) subconcious takes notice of things in regards to him since he isnt doing this consciously (im sure there is a psyc paper to be written in there somewhere). So a demon going "Im gonna tear mary's head off" would come across to Lazarus as "I'm going to hurt someone" but a demon going "I'm going to tear Lazarus' Head off" would come across as "That demon is gonna try and kill me"
yoshua171 said
Don't you wish you knew~
I liked you better when you just had Mairyell. >_>
Themerlinhawk said
When it isnt related to Lazarus he only has a vague sense of the intentions but his (and i think im sort of still fleshing this out) subconcious takes notice of things in regards to him since he isnt doing this consciously (im sure there is a psyc paper to be written in there somewhere). So a demon going "Im gonna tear mary's head off" would come across to Lazarus as "I'm going to hurt someone" but a demon going "I'm going to tear Lazarus' Head off" would come across as "That demon is gonna try and kill me"
Alright. Makes sense.
Closet Nerd
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9 yrs ago
So I don't have any info about the Academy other than what was told to me (that being there had to be a music instrument for magic and that every student goes insane). I am completely unaware of methods or inner workings atm. Does that mean I can make some of it up in my CS to sort of build it up myself? Or should I wait for it to be fleshed out by GMs before I start typing it up? (Or I can just be vague about Academty related things in the meantime)
Closet Nerd said
So I don't have any info about the Academy other than what was told to me (that being there had to be a music instrument for magic and that every student goes insane). I am completely unaware of methods or inner workings atm. Does that mean I can make some of it up in my CS to sort of build it up myself? Or should I wait for it to be fleshed out by GMs before I start typing it up? (Or I can just be vague about Academty related things in the meantime)
Build it up yourself for right now, and if break anything fundamental, Wind will tell you.
yoshua171 The Loremaster
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10 hrs ago
Rtron said I liked you better when you just had Mairyell. >_>
You mean when I wasn't the harbinger of chaos, terror, and disaster in everyone's lives?
Yeah, I'm sure you did *smirks*
yoshua171 said
You mean when I wasn't the harbinger of chaos, terror, and disaster in everyone's lives?Yeah, I'm sure you did *smirks*
Chaos and disaster yes, terror, not so much. Fallen has that title. For moi at least.
Closet Nerd
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9 yrs ago
I agree with Rtron on this one. The lass is much more frightening than the enigma.
yoshua171 The Loremaster
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10 hrs ago
I don't seek to terrify the players. However, I'd like to see Rtron try to claim that anyone left Szayeis' presence without some trepidation or fear.
List of who had some or both of those afterwards:
Luciana.
Mairyell.
Aeris.
Hazumi.
Mary
Julian (he wasn't afraid, more worried and wary)
Caeldrin(very briefly)
Maroon
(A few NPCs played either by myself or by Mikael, most of which were pertinent in some or another to the plot)
That's essentially every character who came into contact with him for the whole of Season 1. Hell, even Solus, when he felt Szayeis presence in the city, was worried that he was present and that guy faught and defeated Mephistopheles, one of the demonic lords at the time.
List of who had some or both of those afterwards:
Luciana.
Mairyell.
Aeris.
Hazumi.
Mary
Julian (he wasn't afraid, more worried and wary)
Caeldrin(very briefly)
Maroon
(A few NPCs played either by myself or by Mikael, most of which were pertinent in some or another to the plot)
That's essentially every character who came into contact with him for the whole of Season 1. Hell, even Solus, when he felt Szayeis presence in the city, was worried that he was present and that guy faught and defeated Mephistopheles, one of the demonic lords at the time.
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