Lucifer of Phoenix
"We must not look to the Gods for help. We must all help each other, no matter who, no matter what."
Name: Lucifer of Phoenix (Empusa)
Appearance: Scrawny, underweight and short, with big blue eyes and dark, fairly short hair. As a result of his possession, his pupils have vanished, leaving solid blue iris on white sclera. His skin is pale white, further hinting at his demonic nature. Facially, he is delicate and pretty, almost girlish in appearance. His body is lissom and sylph-like, though unhealthily thin.
Clothing-wise, he typically wears a set of modified Monk robes, custom made and recreated to better suit his position amongst the Other Kingdom.
Age: Unknown, appears 17
Gender: Male
Race: Possessed – Was once human, but is now host to the demon Empusa.
Side: Other Side - Fifth of the Seven, Daemonhost and Holy Child of the Outlands
Weapons(s): Rephaim: Silver shortsword designed by the Outlanders, good for stabbing and slashing.
Dagger: An ornate steel dagger. Nothing special about it, though it does look pretty.
Hidden blade: Gauntlet-mounted wrist blade with a spring-loaded catch. Can be released easily, but difficult to put back. A rare functional version, most whos see this sheathed may not realise what it is.
Phoenix Amulet: A small golden amulet with a brilliant ruby in the middle of it. Less a weapon than a charm, this unsuspecting piece of jewellery actually holds Lucifer's soul inside. Understandably, this amulet is incredibly precious to him.
Abilities/Powers:
Empusa's Blessing: Lucifer is capable of learning demonic magic and boasts a considerable resistance to it, at the cost of being highly vulnerable to Angelic and light-based magic.
Ageless: Through both demonic possession and lack of a soul inside him, Lucifer does not age. He can still be killed by normal means, however.
Staying Power: Lucifer's Stamina is legendary - he can work for hours on end without showing any signs of tiring.
Speaking in tongues: Empusa understands foreign tongues and black speech and, if she feels like it, she can translate any foreign language into something Lucifer can understand
She Who Mauls: When badly injured or infuriated, Empusa gains control over Lucifer's body. Whilst under her control, he becomes faster, stronger and tougher. However, Lucifer cannot control himself in this and is left totally at the mercy of the demon.
Talent(s): Lightweight: Lucifer is physically lighter than most people. As such, he moves quietly, doesn't get hurt as badly from falling long distances and can walk along weak structures
Agility: Lucifer is quick and nimble, can run swiftly, climb buildings with relative ease and can jump out the way of slower attacks.
Ambidextrous: Lucifer is comfortable using either his left or his right hand.
Intimidating Presence: Being host to a demon isn't a good thing. With his solid eyes and pale complexion, Lucifer is slightly feared by the peasantry and even some nobility.
Medic: Lucifer knows a great deal about plants and chemicals when it comes to healing, and he knows exactly what kind of balms and salves to apply to what wounds. In addition, he knows a lot about the body, its functions and abilities and the most vulnerable and most well-protected parts.
Demon Detection: Empusa recognises her kin and will point out other possessed to Lucifer.
Occult Knowledge ~ Holy Child: Being trained to become a monk, Lucifer has studied the workings and variants of Angels and Demons, as well as their relatives, to no end. Becoming the host to one has only boosted his knowledge.
Zealots ~ Holy Child: Being a Holy Child has its advantages. Lucifer commands a small group of Zealots who follow him without hesitation
Swordsmanship ~ Outlander: The Outlander fighting style is often seen as barbaric and vicious, emphasising pain and fear as well as practicality. Combined with Lucifer's biological knowledge and far calmer rationale than the Outlanders and he is a fairly dangerous opponent to fight against.
Weaknesses:I Hear Voices... : Lucifer is the only one who can hear Empusa's voice, unless she has total control over him and thus his voice (See She Who Mauls above). One can often finding him 'talking to himself' even in public.
Nyctophobia: Lucifer is terrified of the dark, not least because Empusa loves tormenting him with tales of demons who attack their prey in the dark.
Weakling: Fast? Yes. Agile? Definitely. Endurant? Certainly. Strong? Eh... well, at least he's trying.
Lightweight: Lucifer's light weight has its disadvantages too, most notably being knocked down more easily, sleeping for longer if tranquilized or hypnotised and being easy to lift, hold and restrain.
Blasphemy: Lucifer and Empusa share a particular fear of the Angelic, particularly Fallen Angels and Dark Angels.
And I Must Scream: How do you gain leverage against a person who does not age? Simple. Threaten them with something they cannot fix or escape from, but will not kill them. The mere thought of eternal punishment, and evidence that one has the power to back these threats up, will have Lucifer in tears. By extension, holding his Amulet to ransom grants the blackmailer serious influence over the Holy Child.
Personality:▐ Kind▐ Loyal▐ Resolute▐ Just - ▐ Honest ▐ Cynical▐ Merciful▐ Chaste▐ Proud - ▐ Cowardly▐ Submissive▐ InhibitedLucifer can generally be described as a kind-hearted yet disillusioned young man. At his heart, he believes in some very admirable things - tolerance, peace, equality and justice. He is well spoken, slow to anger and quick to forgive. He is gentle but firm, not afraid to speak his mind when he is asked and eager to find some way to help. He has a strong sense of justice which he is not afraid to act on and aims to be as fair and merciful as possible.
With this in mind, one may question why he pledged allegiance to the other side. The answer lies in the way he sees the battle as not between good and evil, but between the Trance Kingdom and a claimant to the throne. In his mind, the choice he made was more a political one to start with than an ideological one. However, over time, he has grown a strong sense of loyalty and belonging to the Other Side and will fight alongside them through choice rather than coercion.
Speaking of coercion, Lucifer is also a bit of a wuss. Being physically weak, he relies on allies, his intelligence and, at worst, his fast feet to get out of undesirable situations. If there is an escape route, he will try to take it. But don't think this means one can back him into a corner and watch him surrender. When cornered, he will fight with the vigour of a man with everything on the line until he busts a hole to freedom. AFTER his capture is another story entirely - he will hold out for a ridiculously amount of time against conventional torture. One will have to know his weaknesses to get anything useful out of him.
He suffers a horrific and paralyzing fear of the dark, of divine retribution and of eternal torment. Slavery is a big trigger for him - he has nightmares about the shackle-and-collar combination he has heard of many times but rarely seen.
He does not like being the highest level of authority, which may explain why he wanted to join the Other Kingdom. He hates having to call tough decisions and always shoulders the burden of failure on himself. He hates putting other people through pain and even when he knows there is nothing he can rationally do, he still feels guilty.
And finally, though it may seem minor after all the above, he does not cope with flirtation well. At all. If he thinks someone, male or female, is trying to hit on him, he blushes furiously and avoids eye contact, praying the person will give up. It's not so much an aversion or asexuality as much as it is simply not knowing what to do - a position he hates even more than having to make a hard choice.
Empusa, by contrast, is everything Lucifer isn't - hedonistic, cruel, sybaritic and decadent. She hates they way her host tries to be just and kind, and instead she urges him to be more arbitrary and carefree. To her, life is a party - a great game to be enjoyed for as long as it lasts. And when one is forever young and good-looking, like Lucifer is, then that is one very long party. She cares little about right and wrong - only pleasures and pains. To her, asceticism is the biggest waste of time and the willing denying oneself of pleasures is the most foolish action.
However, she cares about her host dearly. Over time, she has grown to love his little quirks and tics and as such has become very protective over him, going so far as to refer to him as "her human" rather than the more generic "her host" or "puppet". She wants to make Lucifer happy, but she feels that her way is the best way to achieve this. She also sees the Holy Child as being subordinate to herself, often making demands and threats even though she can't really do anything about it without wresting power from Lucifer - and then it just isn't fun, is it?
Biography: "So where did you come from, Lucifer?"
A good question. Lucifer never really had a place he called 'home'. His earliest memories are working as a trainee monk in a monastery around the Badlands, around the age of three. Before that is a blank. The Friar told him he found him as at the doorstep of the monastery one day, wrapped in a blanket with nothing but the Amulet to protect him from the wilds. The Amulet and Lucifer himself got their name from the symbol on the blanket, which bore the sigil of a rising Phoenix.
As a child, Lucifer was brought up to keep five vows - pacifism, poverty, celibacy, honesty and teetotalism. He was taught to be kind and charitable in all acts. This wasn't forced upon him, but rather integrated with him. He never knew any other life.
However, as he got older, he began to question certain aspects of the monastic life. He knew what they were doing was helping people - but why was it necessary? This grew in his mind until he began to question other aspects of the faith. How could they continue to survive if they didn't fight their aggressors? How could they help the poor when they barely had enough money to survive themselves? Were they really in a position to advise on marriage and the affairs of love if they were forbidden from loving someone? Concerned and confused, he approached the Friar with his questions.
The Friar was understanding. He told Lucifer that, especially at his age, it was common for one to question his faith. If Lucifer felt like the life of an ascetic monk wasn't for him, all he had to do was say so. In the meantime, he suggested going out and seeing the world so he would learn by himself what he looked for in life. He was 15.
Over the next two years, Lucifer became a wanderer. He went from town to town, his presence always welcomed, learning more about the ways of the world as he went. He applied his knowledge as a healer to the places he visited, something that gave him enough money to support himself whilst also earning the gratitude of the locals.
He decided to grant himself a few indulgences, but ultimately wasn't cut out for it. He was too cowardly to fight, found nothing to spend his money on - and thus gave it away to the poor - and was far too bashful and shy to make advances on the girls and occasional guy who flirted with him. Even simpler pleasures, like drink or gambling, he found himself being unhappy with. When he gambled, he played purely for fun and he couldn't stand the taste of alcohol. All in all, he found himself unsuited to the life of the 'normal' peasant and decided to return to the monastery.
One fateful night, on a lonely road, he came across a man foaming at the mouth and gibbering to hiself wildly. When the man saw Lucifer, in his plain white robes and his young, innocent features, he stopped, smiled cruelly and approached him slowly. In a faint whisper, he cackled
"She's your problem now..." before running off down the way Lucifer had just came up. Confused, yet feeling no different, he continued walking.
Eventually, he decided to stop and rest for the night. It was a long road and few towns were on it, so he had to make do in the wilderness. He had just got settled down when...
"Put the campfire out. There's a Lamia nearby."Panicking, Lucifer barked aloud
"Who's there? Who said that?""Ssh! Do you want to spend the rest of your life in chains? Put the fire out!"Silently, Lucifer did as the voice asked. He waited for what felt like forever, wondering if he had finally gone mad. Just when he was at the point of breaking and re-kindling the fire, the voice spoke again.
"Run. She's coming for you. Run!"He ran as fast as he could. But monks don't exactly work out much and before long he was encoiled in the Lamia's embrace, her staring into his eyes with a sadistic grin plastered on her face. But when she saw his eyes, her face fell.
"Empusa? No fair - this one belongs to me."Lucifer could feel his mouth moving, but it wasn't his voice that came out. It was female, more seductive, and a great deal more assertive. He didn't know what the voice was saying, but it seemed to frustrate the Lamia more and more. At last, she let him go and slithered away, but not before delivering a few choice words.
"Your lucky day, monk. But if see you again, Empusa or no Empusa, I will have you. Understand?Lucifer has never been able to look at a Lamia again after that.
That was how he discovered he had Empusa, a demon who, rather than manifest her own form, decided it would be a lot more fun to possess the minds and bodies of others. Lucifer, who had been brought up to believe demons were foul creatures whose sole purpose was to tempt mortal men into committing atrocities, was understandably quite upset. He wouldn't listen to a word she had to say and he marched straight back to the monastery, practically fell before the Friars feet in tears and begged him to get rid of his new-found curse.
The old man knew a way - but it was risky. Lucifer told him he was willing to try anything if it meant getting his own body back. The exorcism required something that Lucifer held dear to him in order to bind the creature, as well as total trust for the Friar. The boy handed over his amulet, knowing that with it would go any hope of finding out where he came from.
The ritual lasted several hours and Lucifer had blacked out by the end of it. When he came to, the Friar was crying.
"Father? Is something the matter?"The old priest said nothing, but merely handed the boy a mirror. He looked in and saw what had become of him. His skin, previously a healthy peachy color, had went a snowy white shade. His eyes now lacked pupils. He felt hollow and empty inside.
"The ritual didn't work, did it?"It was Empusa who answered
"Oh no. It worked perfectly. Now I've got the place all to myself!"Lucifer sat back in shock as the Friar tried to explain what had happened. The ritual itself was alright. But Empusa was too crafty for him. He had mistaken Lucifer's own soul for the demon had had put that in the Amulet instead. It was only after he did this that he realised his mistake.
There was no way to reverse the Ritual. In a way, Lucifer was the worst person to cast such a spell on - being an ascetic monk who lived in poverty, he had no prized possessions to speak of and now his only hopes had been dashed. Fortunately, the Amulet was still in one piece and could still be carried and worn as per usual. But there was nothing that could be done to replace the lost soul.
The boy quickly lost faith in the monastery after that. They preached a kind and all-loving God looked out for them, but all that it had done for him was rob him - of possessions, of a normal life and now of a soul. He knew that they had meant well, but he just couldn't handle the monastic life anymore. So he excommunicated himself and took the the road once more. There was no bad feelings as he said his goodbyes, just sadness and shame from the monks and a grim determination from the boy.
For the next few years, little is known of Lucifer's life. He didn't go to towns and cities as before, but into the wilderness. Some say he went into the desert, others up a mountain. Where doesn't matter. All that mattered was that it was just the boy, his demon and his thoughts. Whilst he was alone, he trained his body to better survive the wilds. He never forgot that chance encounter with the Lamia, so speed became his top priority. He lived off the land, eating wild plants and honey and observing animals to see what was safe to eat and what wasn't. He pushed himself to his physical limit every day just to survive. And in the end, it made a damn big difference.
When he returned to civilisation, he was a boy changed. He moved with a grace and dexterity that many would not have thought natural. He could work for hours on end without even breaking a sweat. And he hadn't aged a day to those who knew him, despite the years. He continued his pre-demon works, going around the Badland villages to heal the sick and injured. But he also began to offer other things - many villages lacked a local medic, so he trained men and women to become healers. Spiritually, too, there was a shortage, so he guided the villages as best he could. Before long, the name Lucifer became attached to an mysterious, enlightened holy boy who went around the outlands. Some villages saw him as a demon, others a messiah. All saw him as a saviour of some sort.
When the Dark Lord made his presence known, representatives of many of the villages sought Lucifer out. They were border towns, barely worth saving in the eyes of the Trance Kingdom. They could vanish tomorrow and no-one would ever know.
It was Empusa who swayed Lucifer into joining forces with the Dark Lord. The Outland villages look up to Lucifer. He couldn't stand alone against the Lord, and the Trance Kingdom was too far removed to help. If he sided with the Other Kingdom, he could continue to offer the Outlands the help and support they needed without the looming threat.
So, under a great deal of pressure, Lucifer and the Outland villages swore fealty to the Dark Lord, in the hopes that maybe, hopefully, he may instil a fairer and more just reign
Extras: Being possessed, Lucifer feels more comfortable around 'monster' races – goblins, orcs, demons, lizardmen, slimes, etc. - than he does around more humanoid races – dwarves, elves, humans, etc.
Technically being a Holy Child, Lucifer commands a great deal of respect even in Mainland Trance. In the Outlands, he is treated as a hero.
Tries not to get involved romantically, but he still feels natural urges. The right person may be able to make something of this.
