BIOGRAPHICAL
Born Name: Unknown.
Given Name: Many
Used Name: He goes by whatever those around him wish to call him. His true identity is a secret that died with him on that day so long ago. He does not address, nor introduce himself as anything except for the Gatekeeper.
Titles/Aliases: The Knight of Thorns, Rider of Thorns, The Rose Knight, Skeleton Knight, Knight of Roses, King Ganashika, Rider of Dust.
Age: His true age is unknown, though is considered to be at least several centuries old.
------------------------------------
PHYSICAL
Height: 6'1.
Weight: 375 lbs.
Appearance: The knight of thorns is an imposing, ominous figure by all accounts despite his dualistic nature, taking the form of a tall and robust living suit of bone armor, headed by a skull-themed helm rather than a traditional variety. A ring of hooked, thorn-like protrusions circle the skull, curiously resembling a twisted crown. Glowing eyes that range from pale orange to deep red lay in the sockets. His armor continues to follow the spiked and thorned theme, featuring large, spiked shoulder pauldrons. (Better description coming soon.)
Mounted upon Guenhryvar:
Unmounted, weilding Bloom and the Rose Shield:
---------------------------------
ABILITIES(Physical)
- Unliving Armor: The Bone Knight is a consciensce irrevocably attached and interlaced within a hollow suit of skeletal armor from which he derives his namesake. This confuses some when explained, thinking he is a consciousness merely inhabiting a suit of armor. This is false; he is not just a tenant within the armor, but is the armor itself. This comes with several attributes par for the course, such as having no need for things like air, food, water, or sleep, though he may do so if he chooses. Moreover, while it may be a suit of armor, it is unlike any ever donned in the mortal world. It is no regular metal, but in fact a dense bone-metal alloy, with both halves of that equation coming from no creature or place recorded on Earth. It is insipidly resistant to piercing attacks, and only more susceptible to blunt trauma by a fractional degree via its almost preturnatural way of sluicing force evenly around the armor like water over rocks. It is capable of withstanding heats up to that of re-entry scales, though massive cold is capable of slowing him down.
This dense skeletal structure protects the second layer of defense for his armored physiology - a fleshy, fibrous myomer mesh analogous to human musculature that lies just beneath the dense outer layer. This myomer rig is not as dense nor as sturdy as its counterpart, but is incredibly flexible and form-returning. One could press with a blade for minutes on end and still only manage a slight puncture into its countenance. However, kinetic force travels through this layer much easier to reach his much more sensitive insides. If pierced, this myomer will release a crimson fluid, though much thicker than blood, giving the visual appearance of a suit of armor bleeding as though one were inside it. Speaking of wounds, the Bone Knight is entirely capable of feeling them and being slown down by them. While he does not experience physical pain quite like a biological life-form, he can surely hurt in his own way and even be killed if sufficient damage is brought upon him.
- Crystal Iris': Instead of eyes, the Bone Knight appears to have glowing crimson orbs. These lights are in fact refracted from a crystal set in either socket. These crystals grant him both sight and sight beyond sight, with an almost unlimited number of energy and wavelength filters, as well as an equally diverse number of metaphysical filters, allowing him to detect most any presence or attack. They sport almost infinite farsight in any direction and are capable of magnification up to 500x, as well as posess , a 360 degree field of vision. Sight isn't the only way he can track and pinpoint enemies, however, with a 'that's not quite right' range of 50 meters. In essence, if something is near him, it cannot hide from him.
- Legendary Swordsmanship: In his time the Rose Knight was a legendary and feared swordsman, considered by those who knew of him to have been on par with Musashi Yamamoto himself, and is even rumored to have faced and defeated him in secret in his later years, though he has never confirmed this rumor himself. In the hundreds of years following his phase-change into his current form, ushering in an entirely new breed of enemy that forced him to grow or perish, his swordsmanship catapulted to heights never before witnessed in the material world. His techniques are often unheard of in the fencing world and almost endlessly numerous, and executed with an unprecedented speed and ferocity. Hundreds of years of fighting a quite exhaustive list of varied foes using varied weapons and varied techniques makes him capable of adapting to almost any style or weapon and fight on par, becoming a tornado of metal and blood. It has even been rumored that his strokes so true and keen that they are even capable of cutting through the 'fabric', as some have witnessed him cut enemies while being nowhere near them. In truth, this is merely the force and angle of his swings creating 'cutting' winds that can travel several yards before dissipating.
- The Knight of Thorns: Before he was called the Bone Knight, he was known as the Knight of Thorns for his ability to conjure and control great rose-vines from the earth or out of thin air around him to ensare, constrict, and vivisect his unfortunate foes. Each thorn is more akin to needle-tipped blades, their sizes capable of being adjusted as need be and could cut through several inches of steel with little resistance. In unlife this ability has only had time to foster and grow; they can be summoned in much greater numbers, now bolstered by the Rose Knights powerful, but dying spirit - It is spoken of in his sorted legends that he has erected entire forests of bladed vines in his wake, blooming blue roses all year round.
Fires nor lightning could deter these forests, for the vines exude a particular, flame retardant sap, allowing them to exist in full form within raging inferno's. This sap is not endless, however, and with enough prolonged exposure to high enough heats it will inevitably dry and flake away, allowing the vines to go with it shortly after. The most interesting capability witnessed by the ephemeral vines was their strange mutation of photosynthesis, into the estranged manasynthesis; Strange emenations, auras, particles, mana and otherwise quasi-natural forms of energy are metabolized by the vines, large quantities of the forner resulting in a sudden and beautiful bloom of azure roses which deposit said material back into the atmosphere like pollen.
- Touch of (un)Life: Touched by the power of Unlife so long ago, the undead knight himself now can now administer the chilling touch of death. Should his hands come into contact with another living being, their very essence would be leeched from them, visible as the atrophying of flesh. Skin would fall away from bone in a dangerous and quickly spreading necrosis that has the potential to consume a fully grown man. This rule does not only apply to biological matter, either. Anything in the way, be it leather or plate, will be reduced to nothingness as it is eaten away by the necrotic touch.
- Miasma: Flowing through his body and swelling within his gut is a mass of liquefied Amalgam’s(more on this in Demon Blood Armory), which have a natural byproduct of noxious, purple-black gas, termed Miasma for its qualities and multiplanar nature. This thick smokey substance, much like the mass of Amalgam’s itself, is capable of being controlled by the Bone Dust Knight and exhausted from whatever Angstrom-thin cracks are present in his armor, primarily through the spaces in the ribcage. Miasma, being a product of coagulated demon blood, can naturally effect creatures and materials on any plane, and when that contact is made, effects not unlike those witnessed in his Touch of Unlife ability abound. Organic creatures whom breath in such a toxin would have their insides liquefied, as particular enzymes present would eat away at all living tissue without prejudice. For non-biological creatures thinking they are safe, this is simply untrue. While mechanoids and other non-organic life could certainly withstand the Miasma for much longer periods, dense exposure to the material would begin to erode away in a slow necrosis that would spread from the point(s) of contact.
-------------------------------------------
ABILITIES(Arcane)
Old Knowledge: The Bone Knight is an old being. Quite old. Old enough to be ancient to an ancient. In his time, magic was largely unfocused and unclassified; wild and untamed. In these infantile days of magic, in the time before the material world came to be, TBK was an accomplished sorcerer who brought some semblance of order to the ethereal world. He discovered that there was an integral, low level 'background energy' unique to all the realms comprising the Astral plane. Each of these energies, with their personal flavors, he discovered, could be called upon and manipulated as ones understanding of them deepened. These energies all shared several qualities, such as being able to manifest as holophysical constructs and bend the laws of physics to some degree. He documented his findings, that are as follows:
- Ao: The flowing river of life whom's channels cut through all levels of Creation. Ao corresponds to the most recognized and general of the many Astral planes, Salfar, the home of restful and peaceful spirits, as well as many living creatures of fantasy such as elves, dragons, and a variety of fae. salfar is the most interesting of the planes from a human perspective for its strange symmetry with the material plane. They are almost exact replica's of one another simply abiding by very different sets of laws. This symmetry is theorized by wizards and witches to be due to the fact that the material plane was in fact born of Salfar, which explains the current theory for why Ao can be found in trace amounts in virtually all things in the material world, in particularly higher quantities in living things. Practitioners of Ao are considered the most well-rounded learners, for they have many useful angles and avenues to draw upon given Ao's incredible vastness, from manipulating the natural elements to structuring complex spells out of its pure power. Because Ao interacts and is interlaced with matter in most of its levels and forms, most forms of matter are free tools to be used for the avid practitioner.
- Aoni: The fetid, cursed and rotted energies of Aoni correspond directy to one of the lowest rungs of the astral heirarchy - the realm of Sephirot, the land of decay and bile, which in itself draws its power from death and suffering within any of the other planes. Sephirot are where those who die unpeaceful deaths are sent, as well as where the subconcious fears and nightmares of mankind are made manifest. It is from this plane which unwanted supernatural events such as Hauntings and malicious posessions originate. Those aligned with this forsaken place are oft practitioners of curses, necromancy, and the general perversion of life in all its forms and energies. Aoni is drawn to places(and times) where death occurs often or in vast quantities, most ferociously on fields of battle, and often appears within the natural world as the running blood of dying things.
- Sana: The aethyric protection of the realms - the veil which shrouds and insulates each phase of existence from bleeding into the next. This strange emanation is tied to the plane of Kyrsei, ethereal land of love and protection, and crossroads of the astral plane. Sana is the conceptual spirit of keeping in its greatest and smallest forms; From simple religious chants praying for safekeeping to sacrificing oneself to protect another, Sana is present either literally or conceptually in each. It is an incredibly inward-driven discipline, forcing one to look within to see what truly lies in the deepest corners of the psyche, and pulling it into the light. It is self worth and self improvement actualized. Strong users of this discipline are masters at protecting themselves and others, and bringing the absolute potential out of themselves in a quite colorful myriad of ways.
- Djura: The fluid nature of change and metamorphose, the primordial expression of the ever churning maelstrom of time. Djura is connected to the outermost and highest of planes, Aciante, the home of Fate and the very land of the Higher Beings whom TBK serves. The nature of Djura inspires one walking its path to not merely walk it, but discover its truth. Its inner workings. Its nature in itself. To this end, students of Djura are astute scholars, seeking to understand the nature of things, and ostensibly the nature of change itself. This intimate knowledge of matter across the planes manifests as the ability to transmute or alter the nature of some thing or purpose into another thing or purpose, most generally physical matter. Lead to gold. Fire to diamond. Water to lightning. The elements are all connected, as the Alchemists of old so desperately sought to prove. It's merely about looking at all things from separate angels. In this sense, Prana is only as useful as its practitioner is intelligent.
Enervation Aura: A thin, but dense airy presence encompassing the space about the Bone Knight. This incredibly dense cloud of power, in its base form steals energy from those people or objects that would seek to enter from the outside, while empowering speed via transferred energy from within. At significantly higher outputs, the field is capable of outright denying the transfer of kinetic energy through, effectively achieving infinite inertia. However, when erected in this state, inertia works both ways; the force that stops the air from passing through is the same force that stops him from moving the air, disabling all motion on his part. To boot, this powerful form of the field only lasts for split second intervals, usually only good for a single strike at a time.
-----------------------------------------
INVENTORY(Weapons)
- Demon Blood Armory: The name given to a coagulative mass of liquified Amalgams coarsing through Bone Knight's faux musculature that congregates in a large pool in his abdomen. Aside from naturally generating the oppressive Miasma the suit exudes, this mass of failed or defeated demons hopes and dreams is capable of being acutely controlled by Bone Knight, released in gory festivals of viscera and the mutilated, liquified eyes and faces of monsters. Capable of hardening outside of the body into preturnaturally tempered, biplanar weapons of any design, the demon blood armory essentially turns every square inch of Bone Knight's body into a dangerous weapon.
- The Sword of Thorns - Bloom: The Knight's sword of old, from before his descension into his current detestable form. Bloom is a meter long, perfectly balanced knight's broad sword, sheathed at his side featuring a thorned design with large spikes running along its tapered black hilt and around the gilded, winged cross-guard that would make it all but impossible for anyone capable of feeling pain to wield. Its faintly shimmering double-edged blade occupies 2.5 feet, featuring a broad base that progressively thins along the length into an arrowhead shaped point. While it began its existence no different than any other blade, like its master, so too did it undergo a massive metamorphose through the long years of him using it following his transformation. Soaked in the dew of a countless number of planes and essences, and bathed in the blood of demons and divinity in equal measure, the old rusted blade curiously maintains the truest edge. It can strike any being occupying any kind of plane/dimension/etc, and to that end is capable of outright cutting through magic and its effects and derivatives for much the same reason, going as far as to even resist anti-magical effects. Furthermore, on command the weapon can release secondary and triary "ghost" cuts preceding the first, allowing for a rapid succession of nearly invisible after-strikes. It can cut through several feet of solid bedrock with very little force applied, thus when taken into account with Bone Knights immense physical strength, there is very little capable of resisting a single blow from this sword, let alone multiple.
- Amalgam - Sword of Tears: The form taken by the Sword of Thorns when submerged in the subdermal ocean of liquified Amalgams swirling inside of him, only ever used in dire situations where other options are not optimal or possible. These thousands of broken dreams of humans and demons carry whispers of ephemeral power that he borrows for a time, allowing him to -briefly- create a weapon that can achieve the spatiotemporal manipulation power used by the Evils whom he seeks to destroy. As far as appearance goes, the physical paramaters are largely the same as the weapons base form - that is to say size, weight, and length. The face the blade sports is very new, however. Upon just a cursory glance, one would be able to tell there was something off about the weapon; it seems to be formed out of the crystallized blood of the Amalgams themselves, covered in contorted, grimacing faces and blinking, bloodshot eyes of all different flavors of colors and shapes. Its spatiotemporal qualities allows the weapon to create spatiotemporal wells or otherwise manipulate the space around it to bite through any physical defense or object. Massive stores of energy, however, seem to have a slight 'straightening' effect on the distorted space, sometimes disallowing the well to be used. In these instances, the multiplanar nature of the blade may show itself: it can, of its own amalgamous wills, choose which plane it occupies, and is entirely capable of occupying them all at once, or adversely... none at all.
- Rose Shield: A slightly larger than usual Heater shield, featuring a wide, equilateral triangular shape upon whom's face is emblazened an emblem featuring a rose within the center of entangled, thorned vines. Its wide surface area provides decent defensive coverage for his upper body, and is made of a non-metalic, sturdy but flexible material. This rigidity to flexibility ratio is so perfect in fact as for the shield to be considered the most perfect of its type, capable of resisting impacts that would destroy any other shield and the person wielding it. It has displayed extraordinary resistance to magical and natural energies as though it were magnetically sealed, with a particular focus against heat and electrical charges. In terms of special features it owns none outside of the base parameters above, but does have a bouche on the top right corner for resting weapons inside of while keeping his defense up, as well as a guige for strapping the shield to his back for when it is not in use.
------------------------------------
INVENTORY(Items)
Aphotic Cape: A billowing black cape connected to his pauldrons that moves and writhes more like a living thing than any cloth. The viscous dark material is likened to graphene in that it is incredibly light and thin, but could easily weather sniper rounds. It exhibits minimal morphic capabilities, able to alter its form and mass by moderate amounts. Aside from these feats Its most useful quality is that it can nullify gravity’s downward pull by some unseen, black-box system, allowing flight and levitation.
