[OOC] Starless - Unique Fantasy RP

[Kingfisher]

Hope y'all are fans!

Jaralia Xavfoukari Al-Yoreed Kamihaliuss

N A M E / A L I A S
Jaralia Xavfoukari Al-Yoreed Kamihaliuss

The Night Thirster

Blood Mistress


M Y T H O L O G Y
The Khamihaliuss line were a lineage of supposedly god-appointed desert kings and queens who ruled over the kingdom of Vasihelios; a domain of holy cities and vast barren wastes, situated in what is now the Plains of Dust.

Jaralia was the seventh born child of the thirteenth King of Vasihelios, and was brought up with her every need and whim being attended to by harmes of slaves and loyal followers. As was befitting a princess of Vasihelios, Jaralia was educated in one of the three schools of the desert people’s culture. Out of Economics, Faith, and Magic, Jaralia chose magic, and was trained in the ways of the sorceress. From a young age, it became evident that Jaralia’s magical capabilities were immense, with her area of expertise being the Law of Vicissitude.

Whilst the people of Vasihelios slaved away in the Plains of Dust, sweltering beneath the boiling rays of the twin suns, the royal Khamihalians remained tucked away, cool and pale-skinned, within the confines of their vast pyramid palaces, which was where Jaralia furthered her arcane education.

As time went by, Jaralia became drawn towards increasingly dark and twisted schools of magic, and began to conduct monstrous experiments from within the safety of her scared chambers.

It was whilst conducting a particularly dark ritual, that Jaralia had the misfortune of bringing Canistuju the Devourer, an otherworldly being with an insatiable thirst for blood, into Ansus. Jaralia defeated the creature, but in doing so shackled a splinter of the demon’s soul to her own, and began to develop her own horrific appetite.

One night, beneath the cover of a full moon, a sickly red mist swept through the Pyramid Palaces of the Khamihalians, snuffing out the other members of the royal family, until only Jaralia remained amongst the living. It would be many years before the historians of the future would discern that Jaralia’s horrific blood magics had been responsible for this mysterious plague.

Crowned as the God-Queen of Vasihelios, Jaralia now had all the resources she needed to further develop her mastery of the dark arts, with a piece of Canistuju perched on her shoulder the whole while.

Jaralia was a tyrant if ever there was one, pushing her people to breaking point in order to grant herself a deeper understanding of blood magics. She waged war on the surrounding kingdoms, stripping them of their magical artifacts, and turning their people into slaves, as her dark empire grew and grew, spreading out into the green lands beyond the desert.

By the time revolution swept through Vasihelios, Jaralia was ruling over an empire which stretched across the roof of the world.

Despite her unparalleled magical prowess, Jaralia could not compete with the sheer vastness of the mob which rose up against her. As the rebels drew closer and closer to the gates of her palaces, those few soldiers who still remained loyal to the crown threw down their banners and joined the masses.

Jaralia was dragged out into the sunlight, kicking and screaming, and cast down the side of her own pyramid, her body dashed against the rocks below

Jaralia lived on as a sort of dark superstition, her vast assortment of forbidden tomes becoming quite popular amongst the occult groups of Ansus. In the time leading up to her resurrection, Jaralia existed as a mythological figure amongst some of the land’s more sinister religions. .

A P P E A R A N C E


Jaralia is a huge, heavy young woman, who carries most of her weight in her enormous stomach. Her neck is thick with fat, and her plump face bares a double-chin. She has soft arms, decked with pillowy flab, and her muscular legs have become built like tree trunks from supporting her immense weight. She has dark lips which conceal glistening white teeth, and bright maroon eyes shimmer on either side of her stout nose. An explosion of fiery red hair cascades down her shoulders, falling in loose tangles.. Her cheeks are rosy and puffy, and she is reasonably large-breasted. She has a relaxed and casual stance, with slopped shoulders and a slightly curved spine.

Her teeth are one of her more noticeable features, as they take on a sharp, fang-like appearance. She has eerily pale skin, which is bewitched to a ghostly pale quality, glistening like water beneath the light of a full moon.



A B I L I T I E S / E Q U I P M E N T
Blood magic is Jaralia’s most devastating weapon. She feeds off of the life force of her enemies, and uses their very essence to fuel her dark powers. Provided she has enough sustenance, Jaralia can bend people to her will, getting inside their heads and forcing them to do her bidding. She can conjure bolts of shadow magic, create arcane explosions, and unleash terrible conflagrations upon her enemies.

Equipment wise, Jaralia dresses in the royal garb of her people, with a few adjustments. A long purple silk veil covers her lower mouth, and an ornate headdress rests atop her fiery tresses. Her large form is wrapped up in a stunning robe-like dress, encrusted with all manner of rich gems and jewelry.

A G E O F L E G E N D
15,000 years.

[Tuujaimaa]

@Kingfisher I like it! I can see a lot of interesting interactions in the future with the more wholesome legends. ;)

[Kingfisher]

@Kingfisher I like it! I can see a lot of interesting interactions in the future with the more wholesome legends. ;)

@Tuujaimaa

Many thanks!

[rivaan]

There we go with some minor edits :3 ^_^. I was planning on making them quite bigger changes, but then I realized those are mostly how history remembered her, while the truth can naturally be somewhat different and revealed in story right ^_^?

My Hider

N A M E / A L I A S
Ki'ira Infera – Calamity

M Y T H O L O G Y

Ki'ira is a very unusual character from legends, her first mentioning comes from records about 1800 years ago. The place was not named as it was a nameless battleground where two opposing armies clashed. At the time of her appearance there, she wrecked havoc among both armies, sending many to the embrace of death. The chaos on the battlefield continued until the two armies retreated, leaving her alone in the field of death, afterwards she vanished. From that point in time onward, she would appear at random intervals in the middle of battles, attacking everyone she comes across. She became one of the fairy tales on the fields of battle. Every commander sent to fight, would fear her appearance as it would mean the destruction of his armies. Thus she was nicknamed the Calamity on the battlefields. From that point she was remembered in history as a destructive force of nature rather than a villain or a hero.

Ten years after her first appearance, Ki'ira appeared for first time in the middle of a pillage of a town which was later recorded by survivors from there. After the town's protectors were slaughtered and the aggressors began pillaging it and indiscriminately killing it's residents in twisted games they forced them to take part of, a single caped individual walked into the town. Records state it was a woman, but on her head a pair of fox ears could be seen along with a tail that was moving around behind her. When the pillagers tried to attack her, the woman went into rampage, mowing down every last one of those who tried to fight. Records state that those who tried to run away form the carnage of their friends, were slashed from afar, using what witnesses only describe as flying blades of fire. According to the records, she was laughing during the entire slaughter and when there were no more enemies around, she just took a bag from one of the dead bodies, filled it with some food and then walked away as quickly as she appeared. It wasn't until a year later that the mystery woman was recognized as the walking calamity.

Ki'ira's stories were always similar, she would appear during a battle and would always mow down soldiers in both sides. Occasionally she would appear when there were pillages going on, would kill everyone with a weapon and then vanish again. As the number of people saved by her continued to increase, some began to regard her as a mythical fox creature that appears to save the innocent from aggressors. Which wasn't always far from the truth, in fact her rampaging on battlefields had caused many wars to stop in their tracks, effectively saving the lives of many civilians, but also costing the lives of many soldiers and capital, as the money she costed to countries wasn't insignificant at all. Eventually a coalition from several countries was formed to deal with this calamity. The strongest warriors were gathered and send after her as she had proven that her power was overwhelming.

According to legends she should have been around 29 years old when that happened. Despite the protest from the side of normal people, the expedition from multiple countries was sent after her. The calamity made her final stand near a now not existing village known as Kaleze. The soldiers had attacked the village to draw her out and she appeared for the joy of the village's inhabitants. The soldiers quickly reorganized and attacked her. Legends state the battle continued for days as the soldiers were many and strong and even had magic on their side. The calamity was not behind them though, her strange powers over fire allowed her to sweep many in her attacks. When the battle ended, not one of the soldiers send after her was standing, but they had done their jobs. Ki'ira was mortally wounded as dozens of weapons were sticking out of her body. In her final moments it's said that a single child approached her to offer her a cup of water. She took the cup, drank the water and thanked the child. As she reached a hand to pat the child by the head, she died. Her hand, softly placed on the child's head, her body still standing tall with her sword in her other hand. Following the defeat of the expedition force, all the kingdoms sent soldiers to retrieve her body and belongings, but not a single soul was to be found in the village. The final legend states, the villagers knowing soldiers will come for her again, took her body and placed it in a coffin and left Kaleze with Ki'ira's body and belongings. No one knows where they went and what happened with them. Some say they found a new place to settle down away from everyone where they idolize her to this day, other say they were ambushed on the road and killed to the last person. No one can say for sure, but what is known is that her body was never recovered or found. Still to this day she is regarded as many things, for some her story is the one of a person who gave her all to protect the innocent from the horrors of war, for other she was the personification of destruction and chaos. As some tell it to their children to learn and become a better person, others use her to scare their young into obedience.

Yet for those with the iron will to find the truth, a single clue remains, locked inside one of the many libraries. Unknown to most and ignored by those who have seen it, a single small leather bound diary lies covered in dust. It's content are nearly impossible to read as it has nearly dissolved under the relentless tides of time, but the old diary written by an old forgotten general contains a single untouched by time sentence:

“And by our hands, by attacking those who had not the power to protect themselves, we awoke a fiery monster in the form of a child...”
Another rare known fact is that Ki’ira is one of the daughters of Vinsha. Vinsha or also known as the Fox Goddess or The trickster is a deity that’s not very popular among the civilized nations. The residence of Vinsha and the cult towards the great fox known as the Daughters of Vinsha reside within the Ancient forest of Atma. The sea of trees known as Atma is among the most dreaded by travelers place to cross as the wild women within also known as Vinsha’s daughters use ancient magics that twist senses and play endless tricks upon travelers that cross their lands. The priestess(Daughters) of Vinsha doesn’t leave the Forest of Atma, but for some reason Ki’ira had broken that unspoken rule. That’s why Ki’ira’s origins are quite questioned for even those who are very familiar with the cult of Vinsha doesn’t want to admit that one of the daughters had left the forest. Many had traveled towards the great sea of trees in search for the wild women within, but none had found them, though all usually got caught up in their tricks.

A P P E A R A N C E

My Hider

(Mind not the elfish ears :3)

My Hider

An image created by historical records left from survivors from encounters with Ki’ira.

Ki'ira's appearance is quite the discussed topic for records that contain it have been lost so all that remains are varying legends. Some described her as astonishing otherworldy beauty while other as a mostly foxlike monster with long face and slit eyes. Still her most distinguishing feature were her fox ears and tail, they appear in every legend and even the vague mentioning in historical texts. She was always told to have the pair of red fox ears and a tail.

In reality, Ki'ira was tall 1,75 meters tall, with long straight dark brown hair, reaching down to her waist, which was often put in a braid. Her face was beautiful with clear skin and a pair of piercing gray eyes. On her bare body could be seen many of the scars she bears as marks from the devotion she had towards fighting WAR.

A B I L I T I E S / E Q U I P M E N T

Ki'ira has been often depicted as a monster that slashes people with her bare hands, but as many myths that's simply not the truth. She was an excellent sword wielder who lived her entire live with a sword in her hand. Additionally the abilities of fire she is often told to have had are quite true. Ki’ira possessed a very unique type of fire magic known as ‘Primordial Flames’, a very rare and unique talent that allows the user to manipulate flames in any desired way. It lacks the refinement of the typical taught magic, but it makes up for it with sheer destructive power and versatility.

While her abilities themselves helped about her incredible strength, it was also her equipment that proved worthy to follow her in her legend the most. The calamity had many different artifacts, most of which no one knows how she acquired. Names and existence of many were lost in the time, but a few still live in her legends:
Infernal fang – that was her signature weapon, a longsword that she wielded with one hand. It had glowing red blade with many carved figures on it. It was a magical artifact that could withstand heat and fire and it's blade was harder than even the greatest steel. In her entire life it never broke, never chipped and never dulled. It’s probably one of the very few weapons that can withstand the heat of her magic.
Blessings of the fox goddess – The legend about her having fox ears and tail come from these artifacts. A headpiece looking like a pair of fox ears and and a small metal tablet that has a tail attached to it. Once put on, they magically connect to the user’s body and become part of it until taken off. The ears give her the ability to hear so far away that she could actually hear the clanking of an armor from miles and the tail allows her to run nearly as fast as a horse and not leave tracks behind her. Though she still tires with time and cannot run for a long time.

A G E O F L E G E N D
1815 years ago.

[DeltaV]

Jacaerys the Godseer

N A M E / A L I A S
Jacaerys the Godseer

A G E O F L E G E N D
A mere 1,500 years.

M Y T H O L O G Y
Unlike many of the ancient tales of tens of thousands of years ago, the story of Jacaerys the Godseer is perhaps unique in that it was all reasonably well-documented at the time, and the effects of the man's existence continue to ripple into the modern day.

The precise details of the Godseer's early life are unknown, though it is generally hypothesized that the boy grew up as an acolyte in the temple of Oraum, God of Purity. In the time of a millennium and a half ago, you see, almost the entirety of the continent of Ansus -- from the great deserts of the northeast to the southern coast -- was infected with a vile combination of plague and pestilence that killed men, beasts and crops alike. The general ledgers mark that approximately one-third of the population of the continent was dead of sickness or starvation by the time that we now recount. As a direct result, the tale goes, Jacaerys found himself an acolyte in the service of Oraum. Some say that the Godseer's parents died of the plague when he was a boy, prompting him to be delivered to the temple, while the man's detractors claim that he served in it as penance after being caught stealing food from a granary.

Regardless of the truth on that matter, it is well-documented that Jacaerys held thirty-nine years to his name at the time that the plague reached its peak. In the streets of once-magnificent cities bodies piled along the roads, food for dogs and maggots. Only the great Temples were safe, and even then it was said that any priest who traveled out of eyesight of the great ever-burning Fire of Oraum was liable to contract the plague. In fear, the head priest gave the order that the Temple be closed off entirely so as to keep it pure.

This did not resonate well with the Godseer, who could not bring himself to sit and wait out the plague while thousands died outside its door. It is said that he sat perilously close to the great fire for seventy-seven hours, forgoing all contact in a fervent bout of fasting and prayer. Upon the end of the seventh minute of the seventy-seventh hour, the story goes, Jacaerys, blanketed in soot and singed all about, found the favor of the God of Purity. In a great vision and a blast of light, the Godseer was told of a great and dark tower far across the deserts, where a half-dozen mountain ranges came together in one great peak. There, Oraum intoned, a great cult of necromancers channeled dark energies to bring death to the people of the continent. When too many were dead to bury or even to burn the corpses, Jacaerys learned, they would rise up and kill those who remained cowering in their keeps and temples.

Overwhelmed by prophesy, it is said that the Godseer reached blindly into the great flames, and drew out the great war mace Lightwarden, aglow with holy flame. As Jacaerys walked out of the Temple, followed by a number of acolytes who had seen what transpired, it is said that he took on a hale and healthy glow, and the charred flesh of one hand had already recovered to its natural state. His eyes, however, marked by Oraum, had turned a milky-white -- though by all accoutns Jacaerys could see even more clearly than he had before the events that transpired.

Thus began the Great Pilgrimage. The Godseer traveled northeast towards the dark tower that he had seen in his visions, and found himself able to cure the sick -- and, it is said in a slightly more hushed tone, to sometimes return the dead to the land of the living. In the center of each hamlet and great city alike he built a towering flame, and on it burned the corpses of those who had already succumbed to the plague. And as he passed nutrients returned to the soil, crops grew to five times their natural size, and the size of the Godseer's party grew with admirers -- and, perhaps more unsettlingly, worshipers. Many of the people of the furthest villages had never seen any sort of miracle performed, and to them this stranger with his holy mace who healed their sicknesses was nothing less than an Avatar of God.

So it came to pass that the Pilgrims of Oraum found themselves on the edge of the great deserts. But they were not met with emptiness -- Jacaerys had traveled at a leisurely pace indeed, and all the strength that the necromancers could muster stood before them. Thousands of reanimated corpses stood in the sands, advancing southwards. But by that time the Godseer's host numbered just as many, and he led a valiant charge into the heart of the ranks. It is said that with each strike the undead erupted into holy flame, and their souls were reclaimed for hte God of Purity. Though the costs were great, by the time that the sun set a great and cleansing bonfire glowed on the scrubby grass of the desert, white-hot with holy flame.

It was at this point, knowing that the deserts could not support such a vast host as he had accumulated, that Jacaerys sent many of his Pilgrims back to their homelands, to tend their fires and lament the dead. Embarking off into the wastes with his remaining acolytes and a few of the most devout followers, the Godseer traveled for several months across white-hot sands. Whenever it seemed that they might succumb to heat or hunger, great Oraum sent a pillar of flame to guide them to the nearest oasis.

The events that transpired at the great Tower that they found at the end of the wastes are not entirely known, as several of the lettered acolytes wrote occasionally conflicting accounts of what occurred. All logs agree that the remaining holy warriors fought their way up the great twisting stairs of the Necromancer's Tower, smiting hordes of undead. At the top of the tower, however, they found a great and dark flame, surrounded by the remaining sorcerers who channeled its power. As they had driven the forces of darkness from Ansus it had become more and more concentrated in its place of origin, until only the great Lightwarden's glow could hold out against the shadow. Several of the weaker-willed acolytes, looking on the heart of the great darkness, were consumed or driven mad by it, but not the Godseer. With a great war cry, he charged towards the source of the evil that had corrupted the continent.

This is where the accounts given by those few survivors vary. Some say that, guided by the light of his weapon, Jacaerys pushed through the overwhelming darkness to find and slay the remaining necromancers, severing the bond that kept the vile demon they channeled tied to the mortal plane. In this tale the great Godseer, it is said, built a magnificent bonfire and burned the corpses of the necromancers within, bringing their souls back to the light. When the white-hot flames burned their brightest, the story goes, Jacaerys threw himself into the blaze that he might forever sanctify the once-vile tower.

Other stories dismiss this tale, instead claiming that Jacaerys instead fought through the darkness straight to the nameless demon he faced, and there vanished from the mortal plane. In this version of the events, the Godseer does endless victorious battle with the force of evil on another plane of existence, slowly driving back the hordes of darkness that they might never again return to the world.

Both accounts agree, however, that when the tower was finally cleaned of darkness their leader had vanished. Some time after the remaining pilgrims had returned to the wastes to seek out and defeat any remaining evils that lurked, it is recorded that the tower itself burst into inferno, and stood as a glowing beacon of light for seven years. In this time, other histories tell us, not a single necromancer or bloodmage was able to channel any dark magicks into the land of the living.

In the modern day the Temple of Oraum stands somewhat divided on the status of Jacaerys the Godseer. Some of the younger and more cynical declaim it as a mere tale, Jacaerys himself the imaginary figurehead of what was actually a large and leaderless movement to end the Plague. Others still commend the Godseer as a great holy warrior. But in every temple, and especially among the smaller nightfires that burn in the continent's forgotten hamlets, there exist some who declare Jacaerys himself to have been elevated to godhood, serving as the right hand of Oraum forever and always.

In truth, perhaps the truth lies somewhere in-between.

A P P E A R A N C E

Image

Accounts as to the Godseer's appearance vary greatly, with many of the known descriptions coming from common farmhands and elders who themselves have had the stories passed down and twisted throughout the ages. In the majority of tales he is clean-shaven, but some describe a great beard -- in truth, no doubt it depended on the time at which the person actually saw Jacaerys. In any case, 'official' frescoes and statues from the Temple of Oraum depict a man of slightly above-average height and hair of medium-length, wearing a tatter of armor and robes.

All depictions agree, however, that the Godseer's eyes were a milky white, and in many cases he seemed to glow with trails of holy light.

A B I L I T I E S / E Q U I P M E N T
Lightwarden
The only canonically-recognized piece of the Godseer's equipment is Lightwarden, the great glowing mace that he took from the fires of Oraum before setting of on his great pilgrimage. It is said that the weapon gave off a great glow at all times, and the mace's head was ringed with a dozen ornately-engraved steel blades. In many accounts foul mages and necromancers were rendered temporarily blind to look on it, and any blow delivered by the weapon to the undead would cause them -- and those nearby -- to erupt into white-hot flame.

Equipment aside, there are several known and documented supernatural abilities that Jacaerys seemed to possess without any special sort of equipment. It is said that he was immune to any sort of flame, and could walk across hot coals and into infernos alike without being singed. With a touch he could heal many wounds and diseases. Two times the Godseer is recorded to have raised the dead -- once at the first village he came upon, to bring a grieving mother's infant son back to life, and the second time upon finding his most trusted friend and ally, the acolye Aelar, dead following the Battle on the Sands. In both cases, eyewitnesses agree that it took significantly more effort than your average necromancer's ritual or incantation, and left the Godseer utterly drained for some time -- though unlike your average necromancer, the revived seemed to be reasonably healthy, if a bit frail, rather than walking corpses.

[ravenDivinity]

@Kingfisher: I don't know how to feel about this yet... Please don't take us into your magical realm.

@Dextkiller@rivaan: Very nice, very nice. Go ahead and post them in the tab.

@DeltaV: I approve! He'll fit right in with Altim and his ilk.

@Dead Cruiser: Accepted! I'm ready for that Volkimir blood-sucking goodness. ;) _/s Jokes aside, I can't wait to see how you play him this time around.

[Dead Cruiser]

I tried to draw a stronger mythological basis for Volkimir this time around.

Anyone that can guess my inspiration will get a pat on the head.

[Kingfisher]

@Kingfisher: I don't know how to feel about this yet... Please don't take us into your magical realm.

@Dextkiller@rivaan: Very nice, very nice. Go ahead and post them in the tab.

@DeltaV: I approve! He'll fit right in with Altim and his ilk.

@Dead Cruiser: Accepted! I'm ready for that Volkimir blood-sucking goodness. ;) _/s Jokes aside, I can't wait to see how you play him this time around.

@ravenDivinity

Should I take that in a bad way?

[ravenDivinity]

@Kingfisher: I'm just a little concerned about the description, and I also think that her blood magic has some overlap with another character's abilities. Make a few tweaks here and there, and I think we'll be good.

[yoshua171]

@ravenDivinity sent you a PM just briefly discuss one or two items so I can make sure I have him edited properly. Shouldn't take too long :)

[ravenDivinity]

Updated the pantheon in the OP with all gods that have been mentioned so far. (Of course, feel free to make more gods, and if you created a god, feel free to describe them better.)

[yoshua171]

_{"It is my last conscious breath which shall sunder your being, demon! Let history remember that. Let him know that were it not for you, he would know my fury!"}

Spoiler

N A M E / A L I A S

Lyrsaeyn Dryeir – Beacon of the Lost.

A G E O F L E G E N D

48,000.

M Y T H O L O G Y

_{As told from the Journals of Orthun Raith:}

“Born among the once petty folk of Evaeryn, the larger of two islands off the southern coast of Evaeryn, Lyrsaeyn's story is one of tragedy. Loved only by his poor urchin parents, the young child was kept secret from the townsfolk so that the family, though poor and miserly, might live a peaceful life. It was not to be so, for at the age of seven their secret was discovered and so was revealed to the Islanders the blindness of the child. First he was cast into the forests, made to survive in the wilds of the town.

"Lost and alone for days Lyrsaeyn wandered among the trees, yet no beast attacked him and even what plants could have harmed him, did not. So it was that a month later the young, frightened child emerged from the forest...but alas he was changed. His blind eyes could see and his awakened sight was frightening to the villagers, as his eyes shone a haunting light, full of an intensity which pierced the soul itself. So he was chained and brought to knee before the city's leader and the execution whom he controlled.

"Yet, when his form they sought to kill, the winds rose, the woods shrieked, and the earth trembled—sky shrouded in malicious clouds. Thunder and lightning descended upon the village and so, as the blade swung through the air, it was struck, the executioner felled, and the blade struck through the air, where it pierced the leader's heart.

"Then, as if nothing at all had transpired, the sky was clear and the marketplace of the city...calm. The folk of Evaeryn looked at one another, and then to the boy with terror and awe in their eyes and so...they allowed him stay in the village for five more years. Still, as nothing further occurred in this time, the Islanders grew restless, forgetting the results before, and so sent him into Evaeryn's forests once more, bidding him farewell and warning him never to return.

"So the boy wandered among the wilderness, now more aware of his circumstances...and the world around him. He came to feel comfortable among the forests of the land, but the island, with its vile memories, made him restless. So it was that he came to Evaeryn's coast, and as if waiting for him, was a fishing boat. Allowed on board, the boy was delivered to the mainland, South of Heartlands.

"His path taking him through towns and forests, Lyrsaeyn brought peace to wherever he went, as spirits were called to him...and away from those whom they tormented. With time they became a burden and so, hearing of the Wisemen of Orthus' Isle, the young man made way to the smaller of the southern islands: The Isle of Orthus.

"Twas here, in the forests of the temple islands that the Wisemen taught him the ways of the Invoker, showing him the path he was to tread. It is said that he stayed for two years, before the winds of fate called him away.

"There were no winds. No, only the words of a hooded stranger come in the dead of night. To him the stranger spoke these words, 'To the Heartlands go, scion of mind and spirit both. Your life, while a burden to you, is one of just purpose. For in the Heart of these lands there slumbers a beast, and only by your hand and that of two others, can it be slain. Without one the others fail. Do not fail.' The man, it is said, turned and began to walk away. If the young man replied history does not remember his words.

"Nonetheless, given purpose by the enigmatic stranger, Lyrsaeyn bid the Wisemen farewell, and set sail, then made way to the Heartlands on foot. However, granted greater power and understanding of the world, Lyrsaeyn became a saviour to the people—or so many would like to think.

"Often untold by storytellers and minstrels both, there are those few who tell the story of Lyr's wretched trek. For while much good was wrought in his wake, the world is a balance, and so—though I regret speak it—evil was wrought as well. Though most benefited from his passing, there were those unlucky few who drew the mage's ire, and to them and all who were near came depravity of a sort not seen since his passing.

"Villages left with not a conscious soul, minds torn from their bodies while others still are haunted to this day, the taint of rage and fury in the errant spirits of old. Still, perhaps the outcome was worth the cost.

"However, with the fateful meeting of Lyrsaeyn and Sarynia, the storm calmed and so the beginnings of the Triumvirate were made. Then as news of blood spilled on the soil of Evaeryn reached his ears Lyrsaeyn, pulled by fate, made his way to the island where the third of the Triumvirate came to know the other two.

“Retracing his steps, Lrysaeyn made his way back to the Island of Evaeryn, a place which had brought little but despair to his life. So it was that he caught a boat to its shores and upon arriving discovered the people of the island in a sorry state. Everyone of them, women and children included, had been slaughtered—they had been judged unworthy, some say.

Twas on that island that the Triumvirate united, though little is known as to exactly why. From there, the trio made their way northwest.

It was there, in the Heartlands, that the Triumvirate's Legend truly began."

---

"When the Restless March was completed, the three Trials of Mind, Body, and Soul overcome, the time came for the Triumvirate of eld to set their sights upon the Elysian Plains and meet the destiny that the Prince of the Void had laid out for them. Few records manage to recount precisely what it was that was fought, referring to it only as a great evil, but the true name of the scourge of the realm that they faced was Lazarus, the Undying.

As little literature survived Lazarus' various onslaughts, and history is written in the glory-emboldened eyes of those who did manage to drive the abomination into slumber, the truth of what Lazarus was or could do is lost, even to we Fates. Lazarus possessed unnatural durability, to the point that it simply could not be killed by normal means or normal men, and only with great sacrifices was it pushed to the brink of dormancy that it hovered upon before it set to consume all things. We believe that Lazarus corrupted and twisted the natural cycle of life to its own benefit, drawing strength from the untimely demise of those around it to extend its own time in this world. Perhaps, initially, it was no more than a nuisance but the continued reaping of helpless souls eventually rendered it beyond death until the Triumvirate arrived. Even now we do not know if this explanation is true, as none of the Triumvirate survived the encounter (with the exception of Lyr, whose mind was broken and thus was of no use)."

When the Triumvirate completed their respective Trials, they each marched upon the resting grounds of the abomination Lazarus and sought to vanquish it for all of eternity. In order to weaken the creature, Dormeria raised a veritable army of the dead whose vitality and souls had long been spent to wear Lazarus down, sacrificing much of her own life force to do so. Lyr shattered Lazarus' mind, bringing his own to the very edge of madness, and grappled with the creature long enough for Sarynia to perform the ritual to bind its soul within a mortal vessel that it might be slain. Lyr was the first to sacrifice himself, utterly breaking his own mind to temporarily render Lazarus vulnerable to the psychic and spiritual onslaught of Sarynia. While Sarynia bound the creature's essence, Dormeria prepared the ritual to bind the demon within her body and then die, killing them both in the process.

Dormeria's Trial of Body had taken its toll, and continued reliance upon Ukenagasu had left her with too little of her own inherent life force to bind Lazarus within herself for long enough to kill it. With no alternative, Dormeria bound the Undying within Sarynia's body and shortly thereafter breathed her last breath, crumbling to ash as she did so. Though strong of body and soul, Sarynia's mind could only contend with Lazarus for as long as Lyr's power weakened it, and Sarynia forfeited her soul to destroy Lazarus' - with no soul, Sarynia and Lazarus both expired within moments.

As only the three witnessed the battle, the stories that are told are all the world has to go by, with different cultures each celebrating a particular member of the Triumvirate and lording them above all others - some venerate Sarynia as an all-benevolent martyr betrated by Dormeria, some laud Lyr as the hero who outsmarted an undying demon, and some idolise Dormeria as the very essence of power and sacrifice. The only thing these various legends have in common is that they speak of the total eradication of Lazarus - and naught has been heard of the demon since.” - Historian Clorissa Thossarian, First Fate of the Order of the Skyward Eye.

A P P E A R A N C E

Standing at 5'9, slim form covered by cloak, hood, and the garments of a traveler, Lyrsaeyn has about him an air of mystery. His steps silent and his presence subtle, this mage is a man who keeps to himself. Often shaven despite his travels, Lyrsae does his best not to garner the attention of those around him, but despite his largely unassuming appearance, it is often that the lithe man finds others approaching him.

His form fairly athletic in musculature, features sharp and handsome, perhaps Lyr's most striking physical asset are his eyes. Shining from dark blue at the edges to a light cyan as they near their centers, Lyr's eyes have a subtle glow to them that, in the dim, clearly shine. Furthermore, should one catch the mage using his magic, this subtle glow shifts to a blinding ethereal fire. This is accompanied by the whispers, screams, and songs of any number of spirits as they whirl about him, bound to his being.

Lyrsaeyn's full traveling garb consists of many billowing layers, meant to insulate him from cold, but be loose enough to protect from heat. With the outer cloaks being largely waterproof from the oils of various plants and animals, Lyr's clothes serve him well in his travels.

A B I L I T I E S & E Q U I P M E N T

V A E N Y R -- L Y S A E A, G A T E W A Y S T O M E R I D I A N
A pair of rings, one crafted of the Heaven's shadow and the other of its light, Vaenyr and Lysaea were gifts from the God Orthus granted to Lyrsaeyn and Sarynia before their fateful battle against Lazarus, the Undying. While the rings appear to be polar opposites, the two are in truth twins in disguise. Possessing identical abilities, Vaenyr and Lysaea are capable of transmitting the boons of one upon another, thus transmitting certain protective properties between the wearers.

While the rings can be worn and utilized by anyone, they become innate when worn by those who were never meant to don their forms. When worn by the two they were created to unify their effects are as follow.

Lysaea, the ring which was worn by Lyrsaeyn, grants its wearer Sarynia's protection, thus shielding the mage greatly from psychic influences, which would otherwise pull on the soul and affect the mind. This primarily works upon negative or harmful influences meaning that Raelia, one of Lyrsaeyn's other Artifacts, would be unaffected by his wearing Lysaea. In fact, the two empower one another for reasons that only the two heroes know. The result is that Lyrsaeyn's ability to resist the influence of spirits bound to his person is heightened.

On the otherhand, Vaenyr, Sarynia's ring, grants its wearer heightened spiritual awareness, thus amplifying one's natural perception as well as allowing them to view emotions and impressions much as Lyrsaeyn does.

Last among the abilities of the two rings is their ability to allow their wearers an awareness of eachother's mental and emotional state. While this does not make them capable of reading one another's minds, it does make it easier for them to work together and for either to know whether their counterpart is alive and well. However, this awareness is not acute, meaning that it is more a vague impression if anything and with distance it becomes more vague. Thus, the closer Vaenyr is to Lysaea the more clear the awareness becomes.

While the rings become largely innate when worn by another, they do emit two frequencies that remain at the very edge of human hearing and extend outwards, channeling themselves through the spiritual energies throughout the realm. This allows them to be located by individuals with heightened hearing or magical awareness however, it also reveals just how the rings function as well. In essence, Vaenyr-Lysaea remain connected to one another by way of being part of the same whole, but power themselves via an exchange of energy between wearers. However, this exchange is minimal in nature meaning that the protective properties transmitted between individuals are weakened in some manner due to their being fueled by less energy. Still, these protections are weakened not by distance as they are transmitted directly between rings, rather than crossing the space that separates them.

R A E L I A, C H A R M O F T H E S I R E N
While it is said that Lyr bound the soul of a great magus into the amulet, the truth of the matter is far different. In truth, the Charm of the Siren was given to him by Sarynia Bael as a gift to sooth his pain and sharpen his focus. This reveals the Artifact's ability to bring a form of peace, infusing them with a dangerously disarming calm as the voice of the being held within, like a siren, sings its wearer into paradise. At least, this would be its effect should another without the blessing of its owner wear it. Instead, when worn by those with the blessing of its owner the Charm of the Siren diffuses stress, soothes the soul, and increases the focus of the wearer. In Lyrsaeyn's case, the amulet also serves to amplify his focus almost twenty-fold, thus increasing his range and potency phenomenally. This is largely due to the resonance which takes place between Lyrsaeyn and the Amulet's soul. How the amulet came to be inhabited by this soul is a detail lost to time, but perhaps, with his Resurrection, the mystery can be unraveled. Perhaps.

A R L A Y R E, W E L L O F S O U L S
An artifact of immense power, the Well of Souls is a long sword and sheath, the first more plain than the second. The longsword, which has been glimpsed by many, but remembered by few due to its nature possesses a host of complex inscriptions upon its form written in an unknown tongue. The longer the blade is exposed, the more these runes shift and shimmer upon the blade's surface. In regards to its sheath, which the longsword should have never been drawn from, it is ornately gilded with materials resembling silver, gold, and obsidian. The last of these three constantly shifts its location and arrangement when the blade is sheathed. It is said that this material is the essence of the Merkstave made stone, but such things are impossible to confirm.

What is not difficult to realize however are the devastating consequences of drawing the Artifact. In fact, so great is the power of the drawn blade, Arlayre, that since the loss of its sheath during the slaying of Lazarus, The Undying, the weapon has been placed upon the Altar of Souls in the center of the temple on the Isle of Orthus where it remains to this day. Since its relocation to the Isle, none, but the priests of Orthus have been capable of setting foot upon the island without being entrapped by the tool's insidious influence. This influence is such that it draws those with spirit, be they dead or living, to its form—culling their reason and sense of self. As a result those affected by the cursed blade often die of exposure, dehydration, or starvation—whichever comes first—due to the mindless urge to become one with its form. For the living, death binds the soul to the object while the spirits of the dead are bound the moment they enter its sway. While the blade's influence appears to cover the island itself, in truth it is the spirits which cover the twenty miles around the island, as well as the island itself. It is this storm of dead that prevents most from setting foot 'pon the island. Nonetheless, the blade's true influence spreads only a mile from its form.

As a result the Isle of Orthus has come to be known as the Bedlam of Souls and none who have so foolishly sailed the waters which surround it, let alone walked upon its shores, have left since the blade was relocated to it 30,000 years ago.

While the origins of Arlayre have never been confirmed, it is likely that, due to its immense power, it was not crafted by the hands of any mortal man, but was instead given as a gift to Lyr by Orthus himself.

It should be known that while the blade may appear powerful when unsheathed, it is useless without its sheath as it cannot even be carried into any populated location unless it has first been sheathed. It is this sheath which, so long as any portion of the blade is in it, restrains the more harmful influences of the blade--particularly its capability to influence the living. Additionally, the Well of Souls is not without its disadvantages, the most notable of which is the fact that while the unsheathed blade may have nigh indisputable power, this power is essentially useless to someone even so skilled as Lyrsaeyn. In fact, it is only with the sheath that the power can be contained within the blade, allowing its wielder to contain the spiritual power which has gathered to the blade over the millenia that it has been unsheathed. Still, even with its sheath the power's influence is not entirely curbed for its wielder. In fact, the very nature of Arlayre practically assures that the blade may only be partially unsheathed unless its wielder wishes to sacrifice themselves in one final attempt at victory.

While more rumor than fact, it is said that the strength of one's consciousness, and thus mind and will, dictate how strongly the Well of Souls will influence any given person. So it is seen that the weaker the will or lower the power, the less ability to resist one possesses. It is said that the ability of the Priests of Orthus to resist the blade's infernal power is evidence of this. However, it is just as true that no one has seen a living member of the isle's priests since the blade made the temple its home.

Who knows what is fact or fiction now?

---

Invocation

V A L E ' S I N S I G H T
Born into a world of indistinct colors and shapes, Lyrsaeyn was said to be almost blind to the physical world, and this holds true. Rather than view the material layer of Ansus like most mortal men, Lyrsaeyn was born with the ability to perceive both the spiritual energies around him as well as the realms of Heaven and Merkstave. This makes him abundantly aware of the subtle energies of magic, the emotions, and the mind in particular. However, while he can sense those with powerful magics or strong minds, Lyr cannot intrude into the minds of the living in any direct sense. Instead, the mage can pick up on the emotions projected between people, allowing him to tell how someone is feeling and gain impressions as to their basic intentions or mind state. Still, this is not to say that he can ordain the intricate details of one's mind, nor the reason for one's emotions any better than most men—though the ability does allow him to largely circumvent his inability to read body language or facial expressions due to the blurry nature of his physical sight.

While this ability is primarily tied to his vision, over the course of his life it progressed further, tying itself into all of his senses, allowing him to better discern energies through the use of taste, touch, smell, and even sound. This as such allows him to hear the voices of the dead or disembodied as well as feel the whispers of consciousness which remain woven into the very fabric of Ansus itself.

Perhaps least known of his perceptual abilities is related to his awareness of the Heavens and Merkstave respectively. Once his awareness of the former allowed him a unique connection to what became his patron god, Orthus, Prince of the Void. Unfortunately, with the death of the gods, the Heavens are largely empty now and so it is that the Merkstave writhes while its counterpart remain earily quiet. Nonetheless, this ability may serve some purpose in the conflicts to come, after all, the future is a strange and nebulous thing and one can never be too prepared.

I N V O C A T I O N
A magic art which few in the lands of Ansus have ever taken to and even fewer have mastered, Invocation is the power to call upon and manipulate spirits or beings from either the Merkstave, or perhaps for the most favored of the gods, the Heavens themselves. For Lyrsaeyn, this allowed him, via his Mind aspect, to tap into the energies inherent to the spirit, namely the emotions and consciousness itself. By tapping into these forces Lyrsaeyn is capable of manipulating, purifying, and otherwise influencing the spirit and its energies—known commonly as thoughts, emotions, and lifeforce. A wielder of this magic is first and foremost capable of affecting change to the spirit by imposing their will and their emotion upon them.

In the case of the living, Lyrsaeyn is only capable of emitting emotional or thought-form suggestions, which can influence one's natural actions only if their own will and emotion does not overpower the suggestion—as it so often does. However, unlike the minds of living men, the consciousness of a spirit is often weaker as it fades away and is integrated with the fabrics of Ansus. Due to Lyr's unique perception he is even capable, unlike any after or before him, of drawing spiritual energy, which has been integrated with Ansus, out and moulding it into a physical force, which he may wield to his own devices. More often than not this energy is utilized to impart greater tangibility to the spirits which he so frequently used as his tool in the world.

It is said that with this power, Lyrsaeyn could sunder even the minds of immortal beasts, but storytellers do love their drama do they not?

B I N D I NG
An advanced form of Invocation, Binding is an art, which Lyr is said to have created himself, thus being the first Bound Mage in history. In essence, an Invoker can call upon the energies at their disposal and weave them into the bonds which hold an errant spirit to the physical world via their life's attachments. Once this is done the Mage imposes their will upon the bond, which the spirit's attachments have crafted and shifts the focus of said bonds. For Lyr, the Beacon of the Lost, this ability was utilized to bind errant spirits to his own, giving him greater influence, and ultimately complete control over both their energies and consciousness as a whole.

This art comes with great boons, allowing a bound mage to utilize the spirit to do their bidding, act as envoy for them, and supply them with its mental and spiritual energies thus empowering them in the process. However, binding or utilizing the energies of another is not an act which comes without a price—a fact which Lyrsaeyn was acutely aware of. When consuming the psychic or spiritual energies of a spirit bound to oneself, the user becomes reliant on these energies over time in addition to their own psyche becoming weaker and weaker over time. Additionally, should a malignant spirit or force be bound to something or someone that force will feed on their consciousness regardless to whether or not they feed on its energies, thus causing them to gradually lose their sanity. This incidentally makes it more likely for a Bound Mage to impart in the energies of these spirits to keep themselves sane.

This, as such, can turn its wielder into a form of psychic vampire, feeding off of the spiritual energies of other entities to maintain their own. In Lyr's case the Charm of the Siren was utilized, increasing his ability to resist the pull of the spirits bound to his person in addition to placating their lust for spiritual energies greatly. This alongside his proximity to Sarynia, the Soul's Bastion kept him sane and in relatively good mental health till the fateful battle against Lazarus.

A U R A
As a result of Lyrsaeyn's excessive use of Bound magic in his time, the man has become what one might call a spiritual Beacon. This is caused by a passive aura of psychic and spiritual energies, which flows from his form, created via his own energies mixing with those of Ansus, where they spread outwards. The resultant effect is an air which beckons people to come to him whether alive...or dead. The further away one is from him the weaker the effect, with few exceptions. The primary way in which this ability influences others is by causing an impulse to interact with Lyr, whether one knows who he is or not. However, this impulse is not specific and so the nature of that interaction is undefined. Furthermore, due to the sheer density of spiritual energy which became inherent to his being, Lyrsaeyn is a spiritual beacon, making him easily detectable by almost anyone with even a shred of magical sensitivity. While he can mask his exact location and suppress this energy greatly with the use of bound spirits, it is impossible for him to become wholly without presence. Perhaps this will remain a burden in this life as it was in the past...or maybe the world has changed.

Nonetheless, it is said that in life, it was this Aura which brought many a tragedy upon Lyrsaeyn. Though perhaps it brought him good fortune as well, since it is likely the very force which brought the Triumvirate together. Such things are hard to tell as in legend fact and fiction are blurred together making the truth quite the illusive thing indeed. Such is the nature of Myth.

R E N D I N G
A dark power discovered only due to the mind enhancing effects of Binding Lyr was capable of achieving heights unheard of by any before or after him. By this it is meant that he discovered that with sufficiently vast quantities of spiritual energy one is capable of damaging the soul or spiritual energy of others. Considered his most devastating ability, Rending came to be known particularly well among select communities south of the Heartlands, who were exposed to Lyrsaeyn's power before he had gained hold sufficient enough to contain it.

It is this power in its strongest form that served to slay the seemingly immortal Lazarus. In its most powerful form, Rending is capable of shattering the very bonds of soul and mind and forcibly integrating them into the world or the mage themselves. This spell, known as Mind Rend, is however immensely taxing not only in the energy required, but in the fact that it draws not only from the spiritual energies gathered by the user. No, instead, Mind Rend sacrifices both four times the energy density of the soul the mage wishes to affect, and a portion of the user's consciousness. It is for this reason that the use of Mind Rend upon Lazarus sundered Lyrsaeyn's mind as well, rendering him practically bereft of any mind at all, the rest of which he lost in the years that followed.

Due to its immense power and the sacrifices which are intrinisic to its use, Mind Rend is an ability not to be utilized lightly. Furthermore, the greater the power and psychic resistance or resilience of an individual the more energy it requires to use Mind Rend upon them. Lyrsaeyn, though legend tells not of it, firmly abhors this spell, despite being its creator.

Aesthetics

T H E M E : W A R D R U N A N A U D I R .

[ravenDivinity]

@yoshua171: Accepted.

[Yurishy]

N A M E / A L I A S
Gortsakal

M Y T H O L O G Y
Doctrined as a child to become an impeccable killing machine, he's the results of decades of training, endowed with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina and intelligence. Known only as Gortsakal, he followed a constant trail of evidence that began to unlock the secret of his past; to create an army of killers even more powerful than him. Seeking help from anyone he met, the elite assassin confronted revelations about his own origins whilst in an epic battle with the world's deadliest foe, which proved to be fatal.

A P P E A R A N C E

My Hider

A B I L I T I E S / E Q U I P M E N T
Bog-standard Human, but marginally faster, stronger, more agile and far more intelligent than most. Uses a crossbow. Nothing more needs to be said, really.

A G E O F L E G E N D
Not exactly identified. Between 1,200 years and 3,800 years ago.

[Yurishy]

@Guilty Spark I DO have a connection to him, but my application is serious. Lacking a lot compared to all the rest but, it's a start I guess.

[Guilty Spark]

@Guilty Spark I DO have a connection to him, but my application is serious. Lacking a lot compared to all the rest but, it's a start I guess.

@Yurishy

If you don't mind a comment on your sheet, your mythology sounds present tense, as if your character didn't die a thousand years ago. Also, it seems very secretive, not like notable and renowned heroes and villains, but I suppose as long as the God of Wisdom knows him that's not a problem.

[Dead Cruiser]

<Snipped quote by Yurishy>

If you don't mind a comment on your sheet, your mythology sounds present tense, as if your character didn't die a thousand years ago. Also, it seems very secretive, not like notable and renowned heroes and villains, but I suppose as long as the God of Wisdom knows him that's not a problem.

@Guilty Spark

Please stop responding to the troll.

[Yurishy]

@Guilty Spark Edited, thanks.