Name: Kasus Cloud
Age: 262 years of age. (appears 26.)
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 192 lbs
Race:
(Powered): Dark Human/Artificial Demon.
Appearance: A great mystery of our time. (I hope to have a picture here soon)
Caste: Skirmisher (Mobile, heavy hitter. Conditioned.)
Caste Weakness: (If he can't dodge that spear, there's no way he'll end up blocking it.)
Notable Features: Kasus is, surprisingly, blind. Despite this, he is one of the most adept blind fighters of his time. This is partly because of his hyper-acute hearing, which in noisy areas can be similar to Sonar/Echolocation. He can hear the movements of his enemies, the placement of their feet, the swing of their sword, and from the sound judge their location and react, all in the same, if not less amount of time it would take a normal human with sight to see and react.
Personality: Kasus is a friendly, if not quiet fellow. Witty and with a smirk which just means trouble (in a good way), Kasus doesn't have too much trouble making friends. When he's not talking or making a witty joke with his somewhat lighthearted attitude, Kasus can become very broody, which also brings out his cynical view of the world. He is not a fan of blind jokes and can easily get annoyed with people telling them or complaining about it being dark outside. Kasus is terribly jaded; he's seen a lot of the horrors this world has to offer and lived through him, though quite a few of his friends can't say the same.
Weapon of Choice: A Large Claymore with a thicker curved crossguard than the traditional scottish slanted crossguard. It is temper-forged and enchanted using Kasus' own black blood, giving it a density and magical resistance that renders it VERY durable so it can go multiple instances without repair. It is weighted specifically to Kasus' own liking and is heavier than your normal Claymore, and another user might find it heavy or far too encumbersome.
Spare armaments: Kasus carries an array of smoke bombs and a telebrace which can telekenetically return the Claymore if it is knocked free. The Telebrace is single use. Has a spare, back up Longsword with a hand and a half hilt and a thicker, straight crossguard.
Armor: Gambeson underneath A modified, black stained hardened leather brigandine armor, more than enough to stop a blade's slice, and slow an arrow or crossbow bolt. Attacks from a Rapier, close range shots from bows or crossbows, and heavy weaponry can still easily rend through the Brigandine. A Black Leather hood which he can pull down if necessary. Occasionally utilizes a Black Leather Cloak.
Abilities:
(Powered):
Kasus is slightly stronger than your average human, due to a lifetime of conditioning for heavy weapons and armor. Despite this, he prefers the usage of hardleather armors, and occasionally chainmail. He can move very quickly; easily matching the speed of even some of the quickest elves, and is an adept free-runner. He has high stamina thanks to his conditioning, and can march for a full day without stopping to rest. Kasus can just about hear a feather falling on the floor. He can feel differences in temperature several feet away. Kasus utilizes a form of Dark Magic reminiscent of certain Primordial Demons.
Anonymity: The ability to go almost completely unnoticed, looked over by just about anyone and everyone and passed off as simply nothing until he makes an action which proves otherwise (attack, magic, quick movement/dodge/deflection). This move is created by creating a temporary and massive weakness in himself, though not in his ability to move or act, and any attack made during this time could decimate the man if struck true. Despite this, the move can fool all but the most mentally pristine of warriors. This ability only works if his opponent has not yet seen him; once he is located, this ability loses all effectiveness.
Field of Illusion: The ability to create and manipulate sensory illusions to baffle and otherwise screw with his opponents. They can effect any of the five senses but they ALWAYS have a weak point, and if found, the illusion will break. Kasus has practiced, time and again, in the art of illusion, and if there is a sense to be deceived, Kasus can trick it. Heat. Cold. Light. Dark. Size. Movement. Visual, Auditory, taste, smell, feel. Anima. Life Force. All are subject to illusions crafted by Kasus. Illusions can remain for as long as it takes for the opponent to break them but will grow weaker if they remain for extended periods of time, larger and more complexified illusions take more out of Kasus, while smaller, more simple and weaker illusions are simple and can be done repetitively for most of a fight.
Hidden by Shadows: Your basic invisibility spell, utilizing Shadow Magic. This effect can take on traits of Anonymity, Shadowstep and/or Field of Illusion and can be used in conjunction with the three, though this can take more out of Kasus. Multiple uses.
Shadowstep: in any shaded spot, whether under a tree or in the shadow of his opponent, Kasus can disappear altogether, and appear in another shaded spot in the area. He cannot appear in multiple places. He cannot remain within the shadows forever, and the ability, even if used without delay to appear in another area, will drain Kasus more quickly than any other move in his arsenal. This is a move he uses sparingly.
Lifedrain: If he grabs hold with this spell active, a deathly chill paralyzes the opponent's body and mind, rendering them helpless as Kasus siphons the life force from their body. This move requires physical contact while the spell is active, and can easily be interrupted by removal of physical contact. This can only be used once; it is the move Kasus often uses to finish off his opponents.
Spirit Siphon: Kasus emits a cone of energies which, if coming into contact with a Spiritual or Ethereal entity of some kind, will create a vortex which begins to siphon their energies into Kasus. This move has short range, can be escaped using teleportation or other placement-altering magic, and can be interupted. Spiritual/Ethereal entities are not stunned from this effect during its duration.
Expulsion: "You merely adapted the Dark. I was born in it." If Kasus can sense the usage of Dark Magic and prepare this spell, any Shadow-aligned spell will be negated. This ONLY effects Shadow spells and can only dispel Shadow/Darkness spells. It also dispels his own spells.
History: "I saw you die. I saw you die over two-hundred years ago! How could you possibly be alive?!"
Kasus took a deep breath, his blade pointed at the man's neck. "...I did." he said quietly, before painting the ground a hue of crimson. He pulled up his hood, his head hanging low. How far he'd fallen into darkness... His mind wandered back to those moments just before the black tower fell; he came home, his manor up in flames... His wife, his children... He fought against his attackers, once-friends of his now become knights of this "King in Shadows", he slew four, but they overpowered him. To the black tower they dragged him, and lay him before the Tyrant, the pretender. A gift, he called it, a choice Kasus was to make; whether to serve the King, or die. But he knew better, there was no choice. The King wanted his soul and his service; but Kasus would be damned if he let this man take anything else from him. A white lie he told in that moment, and the King's men released him... One last breath, before he ripped the sword from one of their scabbards, and swung viciously out at the three knight's necks.
He wasn't sure if he'd killed them or horribly injured them, but he felt the blade bite into a thick pound of flesh, but control of his body was lost. He looked at the King, who held him aloft with some fell power, and for an instant Kasus swore he saw something behind the man. he swore he heard it whisper into the King's ear. "So, you are of the Seventh Bloodline... Your kind always resist, don't you? Now we meet again, after so many years... Our master believes you deserve a gift."
A horrid pain seared its way up his arms and legs, across his face, and into his eyes. He cried out in pain, until there was no air left to cry out with, held in a silent screech as his eyes melted from their sockets... and a fell power entered within. He fought to retain control, he fought against this gift... Things were hazy, after that; but he knows that something destroyed the black tower that day. He awoke many months later, in some healer's hut. He reached up his hands, and felt for his eyes... But what he found instead terrified him. He could hear the sounds of the forest outside... Heartbeats, the breaths of animals. The healer was not home, but he could smell the aromatic herbs and poultices that they often used.
He fumbled around until he found his belongings... His hands wrapping tentatively around his sword's hilt. Slowly, he worked his way through the hut, and then outside. He fumbled around, tripping over root and rock, but he kept going, trekking ever onward through the woods, until he found the road. From there, he wandered. Slowly, he became accustomed to his blindness, and his now sharp hearing. He found it to be a gift; he may have lost the ability to see, but with practice, he would no longer have just two eyes... but many.
And so, during the time he was not wandering this long road, he would practice in seclusion. Progress was slow at first; but the more he honed his blade in conjunction with his hearing, the more he could hear the sing of its edge, the wind rushing by, its ripples through the space. He may no longer be able to see his enemies coming... But he could hear them better than they could see him.
As the roads began to become more populated as he neared the town, he began to practice his new found skills amidst the travelers of the road. In the evening gloom, he would oft' run by their camp, and around, learning how to remain out of sight from the would-be archers. As his confidence grew, he would even begin to sit in their camp, going unnoticed for extended periods of time as he warmed himself. It was only then he began to realize his natural affinity to the shadows themselves. His confidence only grew with that, until he would no longer simply stalk travelers at night; but by day as well. Moving through the trees, out of sight, but well within their range.
But rumor had begun to spread of a fell entity in the woods; of Kasus, from the travelers he had been unable to hide from. Guards, growing worried as this entity neared their town, posted a bounty for the hide of this entity. And so it was, that one eve' as Kasus lurked a camp, he began to hear an odd sound approach the camp; chainmail... Metal boots... Swords, axes, and shields clanking. Bandits?... No, Bandits were not oft' this well funded. Guards?... No, they did not often patrol this far out of the town.
Mercenaries... But whatever were they here for?
He listened to their conversation. A Bounty on the creature which lurked in the shadows. He listened to them banter back and forth as to what kind of creature he was... And he couldn't help but laugh. Audibly. He listened to their heartbeats quicken, he could smell their fear.
"Its awfully annoying, having you go back and forth as to what I am. I'm just like you, only trapped in dark." He stated mischievously, toying with them as he remained just out of view. They shouted the oh so classic "Reveal yourself" and all, and Kasus couldn't help but laugh once more. This was awfully hilarious, but so predictable. He had been a man just like them once, before he had gone off to fight many of the greater threats of this world. Now, he couldn't help but find it amusing, just how ignorant they were. "Boy, you should know better than to ask a CREATURE in the dark to reveal itself. It never works out for the people in the light." He stated, as he inched into the light ever so much that they could see his outline. Weapons were raised and pointed at him. Predictable. So this was how it felt to be the beast.
"If I was going to kill any one of you, then you would be dead." Kasus shook his head, giving off an almost disappointed look.
