Name: Thorn
Creature Race: Revenant (however, his mind is less coherent than that of his peers)
Gender: Male
Undeath Age: 40
Appearance: Thorn is a massive revenant, a testament to his build and strength in life. He stands just shy of 7ft, with large hands and wide shoulders. He is constantly armored and rarely ever takes off his helmet. Underneath his steel, however, is a desperate and weary face, set upon decaying flesh.
Abilities: While Thorn was already inhumanly strong in life, death has augmented it to mythic levels; such that it is entirely possible for Thorn to tear his own body down due to the stress of it. Another ability he has been cursed with is an inability to feel pain from normal weapons and magic.
Talents: In life, Thorn was a warrior that charged into battle with the terrifying combination of battle-tested instinct, raw power, and skill. Now, in death, he brings this all with him augmented by the powers undeath has granted him. Still, these great skills of his is hampered by frequent bouts of madness where he can no longer distinguish between past and present.
Weapons: A regular flanged mace and two-handed sword. Despite the years, they have been meticulously cared for and still retain their luster and sharpness.
Steed: A large, armored war horse that was Thorn's boon companion in life, now following him in death.
Magic: While before, he could use various magics, now he cannot. All that remains is his most prized ability: he can enchant his steel to cut through magic and prevent it from touching him. Unfortunately, this magic is 'holy' based, so with every use he burns himself. Not to mention that he can heal living creatures using holy magic, which is even
more deadly to him.
The Tale of a Corpse: Before Thorn came to be, was Thomas. Thomas was born in a hamlet nearby Actium, and his youth was marked by poverty and chaos. Though he was born during the height of the Empire's - and, conversely Iron Coast's - prosperity, he was one of the few that did not benefit from it. His father was terrible with money, as he was oft to use whatever meager pay he had earned cleaning the harbors at the gambling tables. His mother was no better. The daughter of a wealthy merchant who had eloped, she grew embittered at the lack of money and romance in her life, and took it out on her son. Thomas, for his part, grew to become a thief and troublemaker. He constantly got into trouble - with the law, with other street rats like himself - until one day, trouble had come around and had gotten into
him instead.
Thomas had contracted a disease, one that slowly eroded at his body. It was at this time that the Magnor Dragonblade scandal had happened, and many at the time were hard up - none more-so than his family. Not unable and not bothered to find someone capable of curing him, Thorn's father dumped him outside of the city of Actium, covered in leaves so as not to be found, and left him for the dogs. He could only curse his luck in life, unable to move, unable to cry. It was then that his fortunes turned around.
A visiting commander of the Empire happened to find him, despite the foliage he was covered in, and rescued him. Ordering the troop physician to nurse him to health, Thomas, for the first time in his life, felt gratitude to another living being. He swore on that day, as his health recovered and his strength returned, that nothing, not even death would prevent him from repaying this man. On the day that he was proclaimed fit to return home, Thomas dropped to his knees and professed his undying loyalty to the man who had saved him. And thus, Thomas had changed:
From beggar, to soldier.
From then on, he was to serve as part of the troop, serving under the Emperor and fighting their battles. Thomas could not care less. Now, he had a purpose in life. Now, he had companions who he trusted, and who trusted him. Here he had learned what it meant to fight for a cause, and here, he was taught the meaning of bravery. The man who had saved him proved not only honorable, but heroic, and Thomas made him into his example. In the few years that he had served, he distinguished himself as soldier, and gained a reputation of being an unstoppable juggernaut of the Empire. He learned magic to supplement his already impressive skills, and became the bane of the elves and the drows - for he had only learned magic to counter it. Physically, he became a warrior without peer; magically, only the deadliest could pierce his armor. Thomas had changed once more:
From soldier, to warrior Thomas fought in more battles, and the more he fought, the stronger he became. He was unstoppable on the field of battle, and carved out a reputation among the populace of the empire as a legendary hero reborn, and though Thomas basked in the fame, in his mind, all he could remember was the feeling of dying and being saved by a man, a man he had long ago out-shined and yet continued to serve. And thus, Thomas had reached the prime of his life.
From warrior, to Hero. And, with the advent of the Emperors Folly, from Hero, to
Monster.
He fought valiantly, with the ferocity that made even the undead hesitate; he fought a battle worthy of his reputation, slaying more undead than could be counted by ten men. But no man is an army, and all men fall eventually. Thomas was overrun, and his black reward was undeath. His mind addled by the resurrection and his natural drive to dominate at conflict with his heroic nature, Thomas wandered the death-ridden planes, and killed all that came within reach - undead, especially. He retained the capacity for rational thought as a Revenant, but all it served to do was heighten his anguish.
From then on, Thomas became a near mindless undead, with only a single goal in mind. His being warped and he became someone, something else. The years took its toll on him, and he isolated himself, preferring to avoid the other undead like himself. The isolation changed him, completing his transformation - his mindlessness receded, and yet, his bouts of madness grew stronger and more frequent. He could no longer be called Thomas - that was the name of another man; another life.
Finally, from
Thomas, to
Thorn