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Rue:
Original Concept Notes and Sketches
Normal Dog Form Sketch
Demon Dog Form Concept
Demon Dog Form Sketch
Demon Dog Base by Reki
Demon Dog Traits by Reki
Headshot Stylized
Disgaea Style

Rue's story as a Dog Demon of Regret:
TBA.

Name: Vermithirod (ver-MITH-ih-rod)
Gender: Male
Age: In his 70's (You try asking him his exact age. >_>; )
Race: Whyst (at least that's what he's thought to be by some, if not a normal human. He doesn't make it obvious he knows about/can use magic and doesn't use it often.)
Physical Description: He's a slightly rotund, stocky, hale old man who uses a cane and has hair and a jagged beard of gray. He wears glasses (if there were any in that time?) and has a scar over his left eye. (Please ignore the slitted pupils in the reference pictures.) His eyes are gold in color.

Personality: Vermithirod is a cantankerous curmudgeon. He is blunt and rude with almost everyone (though he tends to have a softer spot for women) and is very condescending when it comes to experience and age. The old man is very brutal with honesty to the point of being cruel and does not mince words. He almost seems to relish in others' disappointment and despair, for it seems to be his goal to get them down to his usual grumpy, cranky mood (perhaps because it's said misery loves company). He absolutely despises those with 'sunshine' personalities, finding them to be obnoxious and irritating.

Extremely cynical and negative, Vermithirod sticks with what is practical and logical, especially when it comes to daily tasks. Although he can use some magic as a whyst and actually has a great deal of knowledge about it, he will not use his magic unless he has a very good reason to. He believes in the fruits of hard labor, that something done right must be done with one's own too hands, and that magic is costly and thus should not be wasted.

The only exception to this way of thinking is if someone challenges him. He takes his dignity and pride very seriously and has something of a temper, even if he won't always outwardly show the extent of his anger. Generally, though, this elder man gives the impression that he doesn't give a damn about the world or what they think of him.

Contrary to popular belief, which follows the impression he intentionally gives others, Vermithirod isn't unfriendly for no reason. It's not even that he dislikes people or doesn't know how to get along with them, because both are untrue. Though it's true he's not fond of incompetence, one of the main reasons he is difficult to befriend is because he doesn't trust those who hide behind masks of shallow smiles, fake friendships, and politeness.

He is a whole-hearted believer in honesty and, following that, believes that others are more likely to be honest with someone they dislike rather than someone they would rather not risk disappointing or upsetting. Because he's completely honest with others and prefers them to be completely honest with him, he takes on an adverse role by being blunt and rude in his honesty. This, as expected, leaves him to lead a very lonely lifestyle.

While his own behavior nor others' toward him doesn't exactly make him feel good about himself, he feels this relationship with other people allows him unique insight into who they truly are at their core by revealing their true colors. After all, it's said that you can tell the most about a person by how they handle what vexes them the most.

In truth, Vermithirod really cares more about others than he lets on. This is more evident in his actions than his words, however, as he isn't one to freely give out compliments, praises, and kind words. On the rare occasions he does, one can be assured that they really earned it. In addition, if one wins Vermithirod's friendship and trust, which is by no means an easy or simple task, they will have gained a loyal and stubborn friend for life.

History: As old as he is, Vermithirod was alive when the Tolling was first heard coming from the Underground. He's been able to hear it since he was very small, but when he realized others didn't, he ignored it and pretended it didn't exist. When the meaning behind the Tolling became more clear and more people began to appear with Hell Hounds at their sides, Vermithirod ignored that, too. He wanted no part in it; he was content with living a normal life, which consisted of meeting a girl, marrying her, settling down, and having children. Vermithirod saved up his money through honest and hard work as a young man in order to buy land enough to work and profit off of so that he and his family could live comfortably. As part of the landed aristocracy, they lived well and wanted for nothing.

For many years he lived contentedly with his family, not bothering about old legends or superstitions. It wasn't that he didn't believe the tales of demons and Hounds of long ago - of course the growing number of Hounds being summoned seemed to confirm that much - but rather that he didn't care. Aside from the minimal magic he worked as a whyst, using less than he was actually capable of, he wanted nothing to do with the past, Hounds, or demons.

Whenever the Tolling sounded, he pretended not to hear anything just as he didn't make a big show of his abilities. He didn't like to waste his energy for magic when he could do things with his own too hands and believed in the fruits of hard labor. He taught his children not to be reliant on things like magic because they always came with a price. Despite his limited use, Vermithirod studied up a great deal on ancient magic, spending a lot of time reading all he could and testing the limits of his power, growing and learning more so that if he ever needed to use it, he could. Though he eventually discovered he had something of a knack for elemental magic associated with Fire, there was never really any pressing need to use it.

One fateful winter, a sickness broke out. Despite his best efforts, Vermithirod's wife and children perished from it, leaving him alone in the world in a home too big for just one man. All the magic in the world could not have saved them and he all but turned his back on his studies of it. Likewise, his relative wealth was of no consolation to him as he succumbed to bitterness.

Since the loss of his family, he has grown hard and cynical, going about his every day business and acting as though he doesn't need anyone else. Still he pretends to hear nothing, but unlike the majority of his senses which have only dulled over time, his ability to hear the Tolling has only grown stronger over the span of his life. In his old age, he attributes the gradually-increasing discomfort of its effects to his weakening body, denying that the pull of the Underground is growing ever stronger for him.

Hound's Name: Rue
Gender: Female
Personality: Playful, energetic, but keeps bumping into things because she can't see.

The Summoning: How your character and their hound came together.