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Username: Stryphe

Name: Stryphe

Description: I'm at a rough six feet, covered from head to toe in a sharp, dark business suit. Not very distinguished at all, I know. But hey- I make it look pretty damn good. Beneath the suit, nearly every inch of my agile, capable body is covered in toned, efficient muscle. I know I sound like I'm advertising myself or something, but Dan's making me do this so that I can whup some a** for the Shades and make some connections. So I've mastered his body and sculpted it into an ally that will do all of the things I tell it to with as much speed and power as capable. I like to be able to kick as much a** as I can, ya know? It's the body of a master warrior that's had centuries to turn himself into a fighting machine. This body, since I began living, for the most part, at the Alpha building, has been kept pretty clean. No dirt under the finger or toe nails; no dreadlocks; no body odor- nothin'. It's like the 'old' days, really. Now for the last few details. My hair was getting pretty long not too long ago, but after a nasty little run-in with a pain-in-the-a** bird, I had to get it chopped off. After a little bit of attention from some nice people in town, I'm sporting, once again, the short, black hair. The kind a babe can run her fingers through. And, ah... Green eyes. Bam. Done.

Quirks: Okay so my character's a bit of a blockhead when it comes to personal issues, or anything that involves his pride or confidence. That's when he let's go of his usual calculative eye on things. He's calm, cool, and very efficient as long as things don't get personal. When they do, which is rare, he will fight for what he believes in no matter what. He's also a very loyal dude- especially to his friends and ally's. He's a fun loving demon-man, and will take most chances he gets to use snide, rude, and/or scathing sarcastic comments to get a rise out of people who haven't earned his respect. His main strength is his iron will- but his weakness is his confused stayed of living he's in. Stryphe doesn't know what path to take himself down- he does not know what he truely values. He's kinda unpredictable sometimes, on a small scale.

Equipment: Just one thing- his halberd. Not any normal halberd, it's made from metals not found on Gaia, and has yet to suffer any dents, scrapes, or breakings. Crucial gripping points on the staff part of the weapon are covered in a decorative looking layer of shark-skin. That bad boy isn't slipping from his hands anytime soon, I guarantee that. Also, in true a**-kick fashion, the weapon is much taller than he is. It's just more badass like that, you know? And the actual top of the weapon, the part with the blade and all that, is just badass. It's like some sort of fantasy weapon people get custom made and sell on ebay or something, you know? It's wicked looking, not smooth at all, but still sharp as hell. Almost as if it's some sort of jagged crystal formation. A portion of the blade once kept the soul of a nemesis-turned-friend he's had for centuries- the serpent demon, Jormagand (the spirit now resides within Stryphe himself). The inexplicable connection between the blade and the actual soul of Jormagand is the most important detail concerning Stryphe's weapon.

Abilities: Stryphe's not the kind of guy to come up with special moves and memorize flashy names for them, you know? So he's got three basic areas of ability, when it comes to combat. I'm gonna lay 'em out for ya.

Demonic Omnipotence- This kicks d**k. Stryphe has the spiritual one-ness needed to be able to focus his and Jormagand's spiritual energies and give them massive kinetic force using his body as a conduit between the spiritual and the physical. This power is flexible- he's able to enhance his already superhuman punches and kicks with this spiritual energy, giving them more force or intense heat. Stryphe's able to fire the energy away from him and blast/impale opponents from afar. I'm not going into the super-specifics here. Let's just say you're not gonna see the man blowing massive craters in the ground or destroying cities, but he can seriously ******** up most anyone or anything not smart enough to move it's a**.

Superhuman reflexes/strength- It's not what he rely's on completely, but yeah, he's got a bit of it. You know how some demons can appear to be normal human beings but be able to lift cars anyways? Neither do I. This applies to Stryphe, as well. Though not completely a demon, the demonic qualities left in his soul and the entirely demonic soul of Jormagand give Stryphe superhuman level strength and speed. Far stronger than than the strongest human beings he is, but lifting a bus or something in one hand is something you're not going to see him do. You're not going to have 80 rounds of bullets dodged, either. The superhuman qualities he does have are nowhere near the point of a character who's only power may be super-strength or super-speed. They just put him well beyond average.

History: Long damn story, folks. I'm gonna try to make it short, and hopefully remember all of this for you.

Centuries upon centuries ago, before Stryphe was born a demon, the giant serpent-demon Jormagand slumbered in the depths of the Gaian seas, wrapped around the world. This is where Stryphe's story truely begins, if you want the entire picture. So the snake demon slept- and the thing was powerful. Powerful enough so that the higher-ups down in hell didn't really want it to wake up. Ever. They feared that if it ever proved disloyal, it would be too much a pain in the a** to try to destroy or contain. But when sleeping, they could make sure no problems could ever arise. Naturally, they wouldn't do such a thing without making sure that Jormagan could still be used. So, the most powerful demons in Hell devised a way to contain the serpent but still use it's vast power- and that was to trap it's spirit in the blade of a knife. A knife to be used by many of Hell's most trustest agents for ages.

But why did the knife get passed on to more than one immortal being? Because the demons using it wouldn't stop, in one way or another, destroying themselves. The anger of the soul trapped inside the blade of the knife overcame all who tried to weild it's power.

Enter ME. Well, my character. And I'm gonna say it right now- no, Stryphe was never able to weild the knife. His fate would have been the same as the others who'd tried to use the weapon, had it not been for Jormagand's long-time plans finally being able to come to fruition. Stryphe was born, victorious over his brethren in a battle for rank, and then bestown the knife. He was crowned the Demon of Pain and sent to Gaia to carry out Hell's dirty work on the mortal plane. Jormagand would not kill Stryphe. No, Jormagand had finally managed to somehow gather enough power to be able to break himself free from his prison. He would posess Stryphe and bring justice to those who imprisoned him.

Only none of that ended up happening. Stryphe and Jormagand actually began to cooperate. Jormagand's power biding had given Stryphe time to befriend the vengeful spirit within the knife and find some common ground. After some business dealing with The League Of Gods and Deities, the powerful god, Falis, and the Barton Forest... Stryphe was dead. Killed by an abomination sent to plague the planet that was dispatched by Kitsune and the others protecting Gaia and the Barton Forest. However, Stryphe's spirit lingered. His one and only chance of coming back to life and not being sucked back into hell and punished for his rebellion was Jormagand- and it would seem that the serpent demon would be posessing Stryphe's body afterall.

With finally having enough power to break free from the blade of the knife, Jormagand did so. After entering Stryphe's body, Jormagand scoured the forest for his friend's soul and after finding it, united with the soul of Stryphe inside Stryphe's physical body. All was good and wonderful.

Let's see... Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention. This has all been roleplayed out since the mentioning of The League.

Back to the story.

So there was a little bit of this and that- a bunch of unimportant stuff- that led up to the next major event. Stryphe, after talking with some dude named Morgan (or something like that), gets this Morgan guy to agree to use his mech to bring Stryphe to the bottom of the ocean. What Stryphe wanted was more power- and he knew he'd be able to get this by bringing Jormagand into contact with his old body. And so he did, but drowned doing so, because his friend Sey just had to go with him for some reason, and Morgan didn't want to let her drown, so the only option was to let Stryphe die.

Bring on divine intervention.

Stryphe's bond with Sey caused Falis to take the opportunity to say something along the lines of, "Hey, work for me and I'll make sure you come back to life, good as new."

And so not long after that, Stryphe was a Paladin of Falis, protecting the good stuff. And not too long after that, Stryphe threw down the holy armor and got back in touch with his darker side, feeling more powerful than ever- finding out that his dive hadn't been useless afterall and that Jormagands power had multiplied. Stryphe was feeling stronger than ever at this point. I'm gonna go ahead and exclude the events of Grand Battle in this, because he didn't really have to much to do with that anyways. He managed to get a dragon and a small army of monsters from Kitsune before getting sidetracked.

So Stryphe lived alone in the mountains for a while, enjoying the solitude, planning his next move, and trying to find a direction. His hair got really long, and he started to smell a bit. Time to move back into Barton. He payed a visit to the church and soon after ended up living with his relatively new 'friend', Joseph, at Joseph's company building, trying to find a way to revive his longtime buddy, V13.

So yeah, that's about it. Stryphe's now thinking of bringing back the old B.D.S., and he's pretty much doing great. I skipped a lot of details- the forging of the Black Dragon Syndicate, the emergence of Atticus (Stryphe's malicious necromancing older brother), the battle with V12, the pregnancy of Sey; Grand Wish, that one event with the robots and the stones- tons of stuff. I left those out because Stryphe's history, especially his RP'd history, is so massive and detailed that I could almost write volumes- and that's just not neccesary. But I nailed the important stuff, the kind of stuff you'd find in a breif little history bio.

RP Sample: Here goes. This can be during Stryphe's earlier days on Gaia.

The demon swung his feet out of bed and placed them on the rough, wood floor. He wrapped his toes around a large splinter jutting out of the ground- the place really wasn't built with much care, it would seem. But he wasn't complaining- he'd never cared for comfort. This was actually his first time in his long life ever even sleeping in a physical bed. It made him feel soft, really. He stood up, letting the sheets that covered him slide to the floor and hang of the bed. He stepped over the sheets clinging to his ankles, naked, and headed for the kitchen, not bothering to look back at the soundly sleeping mortal female still in the bed. He was more concerned with breakfast.

His trip to the kitchen would be cut short, though. He'd turn on the television.

"Eh?"

On the bottom right-hand corner of the screen were the letters V and H, followed by a one. Stryphe glared at the screen for a moment. Then his gaze softened, turning to wonderment. The T.V. speakers were blaring out heavy metal. Stryphe turned a fist toward the screen to mimic what he was looking at.

His index finger and pinky slowly straightened, and he was never the same.

Faction you wish to join: Shades!

Username: Designated Hero
Character name: Athan Cole
Description:
Athan, despite the weapon he wields, is surprisingly lithe in body structure. He stands at 6’2” and weighs upwards of 190 pounds, and although the weapon he wields his large, the muscle definition apparent on his arms and visible body parts is enough to tell most people that he is a competent fighter. His exuberant blue eyes stand out in stark contrast to the dull brown color of his hair, and they never seem to linger in one place for long. Another interesting quality of the eyes is that around the pupil there is a thin golden ring visible plainly to the naked eye.
His attire isn't necessarily befitting that of a warrior, either. He often dons a short-sleeved shirt, black in color with a black vest thrown overtop. His legs are covered by a pair of denim jeans, while he laces up a pair of black boots to cover his feet. Athan's main weapon, the large sword known as the Kel'Drin, is attached to his back, with steel-reinforced leather straps that hold the weapon in place without the sharpened cutting edges of the weapon severing the bonds. There is also a short sword, scabbard and all, attached at the right hip (a souvenir from the Petals of Chaos). The weapon's qualities are pretty much a mystery to all but Athan, who still doesn't quite understand how it works.
After his time in the Dreaming, Athan’s outer appearance has changed slightly. He is now a full four inches taller than he originally had been.

Quirks:
Depending on the situation, Athan may be one of the loudest, rambunctious people around, or take the route of a silent soldier, leading by example alone. At heart, however, he’s probably just as lost as a college freshman. With no clue as to who or what he really is, Athan has spent the majority of his recent history searching out that particular answer. This side of Athan is rarely, if ever, expressed openly, and only the most talented of psions can pick apart the conflicting surface thoughts to reveal this information. This selfish quest is probably the reason that Athan has not made many friends despite the amount of land he has traversed. Allies are rarely encountered, and they are never kept for long.
Gone is the self-doubting warrior. Without the weight of anyone but himself on his shoulders, Athan is free to boast a confidence that threatens to inflate his head to enormous proportions. Still, he isn’t as confident as to underestimate his opponents. Having seen the heroes (and villains) of Gaia in action, Athan knows full and well that surprises are far too common on the battlefield.
He's quick to anger and patience is, most decidedly, not one of his virtues. Athan's been known to jump headfirst into situations without any care of what the repercussions are. This, coupled with Athan's penchant for bad luck, serves to explain the numerous broken bones incurred throughout his short lifetime.
Untrusting of mages, Athan refuses to even consider the magical arts as a form of battle. He considers magic-users to be cowardly and frail beings, no matter how physically fit they may actually be. In contrast, he loves watching magicians.
A side effect of his lineage is that Athan grows extremely irritable and even develops symptoms of physical illness if he goes without a fight for too long. It’s hard to tell whether fighting or lack thereof will be his undoing.
After his return from the dreaming Athan found that he was no longer well-received by devout priests. Also, it seemed that any semblance of luck on his behalf was gone completely. This is a result of his heritage, as the gods do not tend to favor those that are of the same blood that consistently wage war against the divine. No matter how entertaining their exploits may be.
He's also deathly afraid of bees and will not, by any circumstances, voluntarily enter water.

Equipment:
Kel'Drin (Blade of the Godslayer): Known for its destructive power, Kel'Drin is Athan's weapon of choice. Unfortunately, while the weapon boasts quite a bit of offensive power; its defensive capabilities are limited to parrying. Being used strictly as an offensive weapon, Kel'Drin's blade is double-edged, allowing for more damage to be dealt from more angles. The weapon is surprisingly lightweight, weighing only 13.6 lbs for its 63 inches of length. Kel'Drin's main source of power comes from its extraordinary cutting ability, heralded by many to be unrivaled; Kel'Drin has been rumored to cut clean through solid stone.
Chaotic Blade: A strange weapon, gifted to Athan following the initial defeat of the Viceroy. The weapon seemed to be pretty fitting for a damage magnet like himself. The sword, comparable to a shortsword at first, grows in length when Athan takes damage. The weapon peaks at a size nearly equivalent to that of his other weapon, yet still retains its weight. Not one to deny a good sword a home, Athan has taken a shining to the weapon and uses it without hesitation.

Abilities:
Learned abilities:
1. Ambidextrity: Fairly obvious.
2. Quick-to-Learn: Athan's improvisational skill allows him to gain a feel for a weapon that has only just recently fallen into his grasp. He is, by no means, a master with the weapon, but he can wield it with decent skill. This skill excludes firearms, which he simply refuses to use.
3. Heroic Resolve: Athan's determination has grown to near superhuman levels. Athan has come to be expected to give his best effort, no matter the debilitating effects that he has experienced.
4. Teamwork: At the climax of PoC, Athan teamed up with a pair of heroes that he had no familiarity with. It was there that he uncovered his tendency to pair up with his allies in order to maximize damage output. Athan is now readily aware of such opportunities, should they arise in the future.
Already having familiarity with Vahn Kyonuske, Athan would probably be more apt to team up with this individual than others.
Racial abilities:
1. Steel Skin: As a descendant of the Tyr Kana, Athan's skin has grown tough over the years, making it harder and harder for objects to pierce his flesh. Suitable force is thus required to deal any real damage to him. (IE: Swinging a sword with enough force will cut him, or an arrow will still pierce his skin. But splinters of wood or small objects don't stand a chance.)
2. Master of the Elements: Athan's racial heritage allows him to resist any damage that might be placed upon him by elemental sources. He is able to withstand heat upwards of one hundred and fifty degrees (Celsius) and Cold at negative 50 degrees (Celsius). Any extreme above this range will begin to show surface damage, and if it is well above the range (about 50 degrees in either direction), Athan will suffer the effects any normal human would under similar circumstances.
3. Anti-Venom: The Tyr Kana's blood had been known for its ability to withstand even the most potent of toxins. While Athan's blood is diluted, he is still able to shrug off the effects of many debilitating poisons, and survive extremely potent ones. Concentrated doses may still have an effect, but he will not be killed by them.
4. Strength of the Tyr Kana: While not nearly as strong as his ancestors, Athan's muscular fibers are so tightly woven that he possesses superhuman strength. While his lithe frame limits his strength to a degree, Athan still retains the ability to push and press objects much larger than he. It has not been unheard of for Athan, with arms and legs combined, to press 1000 lbs with his most extreme effort.
5. Agelessness: As Athan has untapped the potential of his dormant bloodline, he has begun to experience the slowed aging process that comes along with it. His aging process has slowed to about 1/10th of the average human, keeping him near peak physical condition for a longer period of time.
6. Mending: Athan's metabolic rate has ascended beyond that of humans. As such, his rate of healing is greater than most. For any real effect to be seen, Athan must rest. Serious wounds (more than two inches deep) require a day or two of bed rest to be completely mended, depending on the extent of injury.
Sword-based abilities:
Fighting style: Brute force, finesse is for sissies, swordplay.
Athan doesn’t play around with tactics or defensive strategy. He sticks to his guns, which involves a lot of charging, screaming, and sword-swinging.
1. Focus Energy (Req: Kel’Drin or Chaotic Blade.): Focus energy requires four seconds (one turn) of uninterrupted concentration. This ability channels the ambient energy of the world around Athan into either the Kel’Drin or the Chaotic Blade. The resulting 'charge' may then be used for any number of Athan's special attacks. Up to four charges may be stored at one time. Any more, and the blade becomes unstable and may break. The more charges the weapon carries, the harder it is to control. Initially, one charge may be held for a minute. Two charges, 30 seconds, three, 15 seconds, and four for 5 seconds. If held for too long, the energy will explode outwards, destroying the weapon and leaving a large crater where its holder once was.
2. Sonic Blade (Req: Kel'Drin, Focus Energy (1-4)): Athan’s only ranged attack. After successfully channeling ambient energy into Kel'Drin, Athan is capable of swinging the sword in any manner chosen. No trigger is required, as the charged energy will simply release itself from the blade in a crescent arc, moving in an identical manner as the original sword slash. The energy does not have any elemental origin, and tears across the landscape for roughly fifty meters distance-wise and has a length of four meters from end to end. The width of the crescent is practically non-existent, a testament to the brutal efficiency with which it cuts through anything in its path. This ability is triggered for every sword swing following the use of Focus Energy. (IE: If Focus Energy is used twice, the next two swings will each trigger the use of the ability. There is no way to hold the charge.)
3. Drive (Req: Kel'Drin, Focus Energy (4)): Athan’s ‘ultimate attack’, as it were. This maneuver requires that Athan first have twenty seconds of constant concentration (for the use of Focus Energy), and then the ability to keep his sword under control the entire time that the action is taking place. If Athan is interrupted at any point before the energy is released, there is a 25% chance that the energy will disperse harmlessly. If not, Athan (not a mage by any means) would become the center point of a very large explosion, leaving no remains other than a crater. Both hands are required to hold the weapon (now incredibly heavy, weighing upwards of 150 lbs) over his head. The blade of the Kel’Drin actually grows in length to over fifteen feet, and glows an unearthly yellow before being smashed into the ground. Anything dumb enough to be standing in the way would instantly be sliced in half due to the extreme weight of the weapon. The impact alone is enough to rip up the earth in a two yard radius, from the point of impact. Cracks in the earth would reveal vibrant burning energy that ends up forming a 20’x 20’ square centered on the extended portion of the sword. (So anything closer than 5 feet to Athan or on the opposite side of him is considered ‘safe’).
This energy rips upwards, destroying the portion of the blade caught in the blast and sending dangerously sharp fragments into the air while utterly annihilating anything caught in the blast radius. Chunks of rock and earth also become hazardous objects for those standing around Athan and Athan himself. The aftereffects are slim. While Athan must exert some energy in maintaining concentration, he is merely used as a channeling device, while the sword itself becomes the focal point of the energy. The Kel’Drin’s point is shattered by the explosion and is rendered incapable of harnessing energy until it recovers of its own accord.
Note: This attack may be cancelled at most any time if Athan uses Sonic Blade, thereby releasing one of the charges stored up in the weapon and rendering Drive impossible to perform.

4. Chaos Factor (Req: Chaotic Blade, Focus Energy (2-4)): The Chaotic Blade, a strange weapon in its own right, has adapted the Kel’Drin’s energy charging aspect to its own structure. The action to Chaos Factor is two fold, the first requirement being that Athan is within striking range of his opponent. With the Chaotic Blade, a quick stabbing motion is performed, impaling the target on the weapon’s point (note: the length of the blade is irrelevant for this ability). The moment that Athan’s blade sinks into flesh (or anything, for that matter) the second portion of the attack begins automatically. At the point of the weapon the charged energy suddenly releases itself by way of pure concussive force. The amount of force is relative to the number of charges placed in the weapon. (The bare minimum would shoot an average person (180lbs) about fifteen feet away from the weapon, while four charges would punt them with enough force to travel a good sixty yards unobstructed.)
End of skills.

History:
(Pre PoC. Made up.)
Athan grew up an orphan under the care of his grandparents. As their surrogate child, he did his best to make them proud through hard work and honoring them as faithfully as he would his own parents. His life remained rather uneventful up until adolescence, when he entered himself into the military. His brief stint in the army was enough to ignite the previously dormant spark of adventure within his soul, and he soon forgot all about his origins, often requesting transfer from unit to unit in search of battle.
The constant barrage of new allies proved to weaken Athan's feelings of camaraderie with his fellow soldiers. Every battle became a quest to prove to himself that he was the best he could possibly be, and he often left many of his fellow soldiers to die as a result.
His individualistic mannerisms eventually resulted in his expulsion from the military, and Athan started a new career as a sword-for-hire. He established himself as a jack of all trades, although most of his work fell into the category of a mercenary, Athan would occasionally find himself in out-of-the-ordinary occupations, including one time that he was hired as a cartographer to chart a safe route through the northern continents, and even once as a diplomat for a group of persecuted natives. The wide variety of jobs taken on from age eighteen to present has since made Athan a very resourceful person.

(PoC):
When chaos erupted throughout Gaia, Athan was one of the many adventurers to answer the call. Searching for the answers to his lost bloodline while honoring the memory of his grandfather, Athan was bound and determined to be the one left standing in order to receive his wish. Throughout the course of the event Athan met and collaborated with a number of other adventurers, although he befriended none, he had begun weaving connections that would, later, prove to help him encounter and eventually end the Chaos Viceroy’s attack on the Barton Town Square.
Whether by luck or skill, he found himself one of Gaia’s chosen champions, and even saved the world (whether or not this was his intent is something that only Athan knows). During the final encounter with the Viceroy, Athan tapped deep into his heart, mustering enough strength to unleash one final attack. It was then that he heard a voice in his head, mentioning the name of a race, the Tyr-Kana. After the fight was over, Athan escaped a death pit and spent a good week or two licking the wounds sustained during the battle.
While he never actually received the wish that he had been promised, he received a hefty paycheck from the invitation giver, Samantha Browning. A large portion of the money went to paying off the Barton Police Department for crimes incurred during the course of his adventure, although they were fairly lenient when they realized the circumstances he was under (they went as far as dropping the charges he wasn’t actually confirmed of committing, such as the abduction of a little girl).
(Post PoC – The Made up stuff):
Following the rescue of Rafe, Athan went into seclusion for quite some time. Not like it mattered to most people, those who had known him were only acquaintances at best, and his friends were few and far between. Athan’s choice of refuge was not an uncommon place. He spent most of his time in the library, reading up on various ancient texts, attempting to solve the history of his ancestors. What were they, how had they come to pass, and why were they no longer present? He knew what it felt like to be one of them, but what did it mean?
What he found was the following:
The Tyr-Kana are a strange race in that their long, gradual ascent to power was followed almost instantaneously by their sudden disappearance. Initially used as slaves, the Kana, as they were originally called, were a race of cat-like imps that had a lifespan of only a few years at most. The Kana, through years of artificial selection, began to grow stronger, live longer, and flourish as a species. They eventually evolved into biped, bilateral creatures that resembled a human with claws, cat-like ears and a scale-like pattern that ran down the length of their back. As all slave societies do at some point, an uprising occurred, and the Kana threw off the shackles of their masters.
That was not the end of their growth, however. Living in an area where predators were numerous, the Kana continued to struggle for survival. Their proximity to the gods only produced more evolutionary pressure upon them, as the gods consistently found joy in tormenting the beleaguered race. Resistance to sudden death was soon a common trait among the entire population, and became a vital role in their next evolutionary leap. Soon, the Kana would be known as the Tyr-Kana, a race to be feared by all.
Fed up with being seen as mere playthings, two Kana lead their people on a crusade. They burned temples, killed pilgrims, and weathered the wrath of Sirtos, greater god of pestilence, upon themselves. The Kana were nearly wiped out by the god's fury, yet somehow their race survived. When Sirtos fell at the hands of two Kana (Valan Keil and Kyrein Traveska, as they came to be known in the texts), something strange occurred. The void of power caused by the fallen god had somehow empowered the race, giving the former slaves the power to bend reality to their will.
From that point on the little race simply faded from the texts, as if nothing happened. Whether the gods wiped them out or they found a new home, it is hard to tell. After some diligent studying, Athan’s books finally discovered something that his sword could not. When Gaia was still young, one of the Tyr-Kana had coupled with a human female. The resultant offspring had started a long lineage, despite the strange ability to only produce one child per generation.
Strangely enough, Athan also noticed that the family name had suddenly switched from ‘Keil’ to ‘Cole’ by way of a translation mishap. Things began to fall into place, and Athan now had a faint grasp on the power that lay dormant in his bloodline. He became obsessed with honoring his forefathers and learning more about them, perhaps even one day meeting them face to face. So he went into training.
Not much had been heard of Athan, but when word of the Vale reached his ears, he found it was finally time to put himself to the test. Armed with a new sword, a handful of skills, and a new motivation, Athan has once again thrown himself into the heat of battle. This time, anything goes.

RP Sample:
“Fff…UCK!”
Athan landed flat on his a**, kicking up a good amount of dirt from the force of impact, his sword clattered to the ground somewhere behind him.
“You really shouldn’t be playing with that power, young one. It’s not a toy.”
Athan’s eyes narrowed at the featureless figure in front of him. What the hell did it want with him, and why was he so damn strong? Athan’s right hand blindly searched behind him, finally finding the source of his sword by way of slicing his finger against the blade. Flesh wound aside, he followed the sharpened edge all the way to the pommel of the weapon before rolling backwards, planting his left foot behind him and assuming a fighting position with the sword pointed forward.
“What’re you talking about? Who the hell are you?”
The ‘person’ in front of him was hardly a person at all. It was tall, easily seven feet in height but it held no actual features. It was naked, or at least, Athan figured it was. Its skin was silver and it had nothing aside from eyes on its face. Somehow it was able to will its voice out into the open, a strange conglomeration of voices that lacked both gender and universal tone.
“I speak of the power of your bloodline, young one. I’m here to warn you that should you grow too careless with it, we will be forced to strip you of it, one way or another.”
“Wait, what do you know about my bloodline?”
“If I told you more now, you would only use that knowledge to bring more pointless war to this place. Why don’t you use what you know now to make a difference somewhere?”
“If you aren’t going to tell me what I want to know, just get the hell out of here before I make you regret interrupting my lunch.”
“I will leave, but not before I tell you this. There is a place called the Vale. The valley there trembles with war. Three factions remain deadlocked over its fate. Go there, find meaning to yourself. Find your reason to fight, child of the sixth movement. Reclaim the honor that you have lost.”
And then it was gone, as if the mysterious visitor had simply willed itself out of existence. Athan didn’t quite believe it, nor was he sure that it was telling the truth. Had it been stalking him? There had to be more to it, that thing wouldn’t have tracked him down just to issue a warning.
“Alright, you win.”
Once he found out where the Vale was, he was going to pay the place a visit. Figure out what was going on, and then maybe, just maybe, start taking things seriously for once.

Faction you wish to join: Skinner Mining Company

Username: Your Akina
Name: Akina M. Doriligh
Description: One. Two. Three. Four.
There aren't many people you'll find with leafy green hair, but Akina is one of them. The locks are chin length, curling slightly outward. Usually, she doesn't wear a hair accessory, but when she has to put her hair up, the easiest way is in pigtails, as it pulls the most hair out of her face. Her round eyes nearly match the colour of her hair. A deep green, they're framed by black glasses; she's nearly blind without them on. Underneath her right eye is an inch long scar, traveling down her cheekbone.

Akina is lithe and slender, with very few curves to accent her feminine figure. She's more than a bit embarrassed about her body, as she didn't come out with curvy hips and her bust size barely makes a b-cup; her mother and sister are well endowed and endlessly poke at her because she isn't. She can barely lift her own weight, struggling to do so. While she lacks strength, she is agile and makes up for it in speed and stamina.

Her first layer of upper clothing is a large, white, long sleeved shirt. It's old, and the neckline must have been torn at one point in time or another, because it was cut wide with inexperienced hands. The shirt now slips off of her shoulders every now and then, and because it's so large, it would fall off of her completely if not for the second layer of clothing. She wraps a green length of clothe around her chest. It prevents the shirt from falling down. Her pants are black, patched up in odd places from the wear and tear. She hasn't bought new clothes in a while; she prefers to spend whatever money she has on other things. They are too long for her, falling overtop her green and white shoes. Overtop the pants is a skirt; a short, green skirt. To others, it may be a random piece of clothing, but there's a purpose for it. Hooking both items to her hips is a white belt. Her hands are covered by green, fingerless gloves. They don't cover her wrist, and on her right wrist is a tattoo. It's a seemingly random design, almost tribal, done in black ink and circling around the wrist. The only jewelry she wears is a green pendant on a silver chain. But she does have two more accessories. A leather satchel, which carries many a thing, and her weapon.
Quirks: Akina loves to be around order. She can't stand to be around irrational thinking or chaotic motions. While she doesn't talk much, she is in no way shy. Calm, cool, and collected, she has to analyze things before going off to perform an action. If she's swept into action without being prepared, she gets agitated with fear and doubt creeping in close behind. She likes to have control of the situation, though not lead unless she feels the current leader is incompetent. Then, she'll fight for leadership or leave the group. She has a way of doing things that she doesn't like people to change. Stubborn and full of determination, she always sees something through. Her magic is a cause of great fear for her. She lacks talent and skill in wielding it, and the only time she has ever had no control over it was when she first discovered she had an ability with it. She doesn't understand her gift, and though she studies and practices with it, it's always a last resort because she fears it. She is endlessly looking for someone to tutor her.
Equipment: Akina uses a staff for a weapon. It's around six feet tall and little over an inch thick. It almost seems alive with the little buds shooting out at random spots on the weapon. She carries around a small knife, no more than four inches long. It's not much of a weapon, and she mainly uses it to clean out under her fingernails. Her pendant supposedly holds a forest spirit, though she's seen nothing to claim that fact to be true. Inside her satchel are a couple of books, mostly about plants. She also carries around seeds. Many seeds of different size, colour, and use. A couple bottles of water, some food, and personal items also can be found inside.
Abilities: It wasn't until two years ago that she discovered her ability to manipulate the flora around her. Nothing on a grand scale; she cannot make the forest bend or move a mountain. But she can channel her magical talent into growing healthy plants with a fierce speed. She works best with plants that have already matured because it takes less energy and focus. She is not an aggressive fighter; most of her talent lies in defense and stalling and enemy. Her staff is used mainly as a conduit for her talents, but each time she channels energy through it, the staff seems to become more alive. When she first recieved it, the wood was simply twisting around to form a staff. Over two years, small buds have begun to appear as if the staff is a maturing plant.

Since she has nearly no physical strength, she doesn't rely on brute force. Even her magic is a seldom used weapon; the power is used only in practice for fear of it getting out of control. But Akina is fast and agile due to her upbrining near the mountains and her job as a messanger. She doesn't use the staff skillfully, knowing only simple attacks such as thrusting and whacking. It's not enough to wind an alert person, but she has enough stamina and agility that she can dodge and attack for a period of time longer than a normal person. While not strong, she is smart, and uses her brain to trip the enemy up. But she'd rather just talk her way out of a battle.
History: Growing up in mountain city of Bardos, Akina was mostly miserable because of the cold weather. She spent most of her time in the library, reading up on interesting locations; places she might possibly visit when she was older. But as she grew, she came to terms with the cold weather and decided that the adventurous life of a wanderer, seeing new places and experiencing new things, wasn't for her. What she really wanted to do was settle down in one location. A message runner, she had been going up the mountain trail to the mines, there was a cave in. The mines collapsed, and so did half the mountain, destroying a good chunk of the city and killing or injuring hundreds of people. Akina should have been one of the citizens killed. She was injured badly with a concussion, broken arm, and a new scar underneath her right eye, but with the spark of fear came the spark of life to untapped magical energy inside her. It was the awakening of her ability to manipulate plants, and the strongest feat she had ever performed since then. Roots from the many trees had snapped up, creating a shield to block her from the full impact of the rock fall. She and Taana had been trapped underneath the rocks for hours before they were fished out.

Akina came out lucky; her family had been safe. Taana on the otherhand, became an orphan that day. She refused to stay in Bardos, and after much persuasion, she finally convinced Akina to come with her to another land across the sea. Their destination was unknown as they paid for the ticket, joining the quest of a bunch of strangers who happened to be in Bardos, also. One of the group members happened to be a fire mage on his way to sell some magical artifacts. During the voyage, he taught Akina what he could, though it wasn't very helpful. His reason was that their magics were conflicting, though she blamed it on his lack of ability to form a coherent sentence.

The very day they started across the ocean, it turned out that bandits had forced their way on the ship to capture the leader of the gang; a youth who had supposedly been wrongfully accused of murdering his girlfriend. The father of his lost love had put a bounty on his head to have him captured. In the end, the youth, his gang, Akina, and Taana had overthrown the group. Akina had saved the firemage's life, and in return, he had given her the pendant she wears and her staff.

After that, the roleplay pretty much died because the GM was grounded, and I rarely used her since.
RP Sample:
Faction you wish to join: The Settlers

Username: One Who Is Wise
Name: Brian Traves
Description: Brian is 6' 8", and is the definition of "meaty". He's big, broad shouldered, has strong, good-sized muscles, and is just...big. He weighs quite a bit, despite having much excess body fat, but that can be attributed to his size and muscle mass. He doesn't have much in the way of scars of any real distinguishing marks, except perhaps for a faint, thin line of a scar on his forehead, and maybe perhaps his large stature.

His hair, in the back, reaches to the end of his neck, and along the sides goes just past his ears. In the front, his bangs cover some of his forehead, but only thinly. His hair is a dark brown color, with a few lighter patches. The only other thing of note about his hair is its thickness, and just how shaggy (wild, whichever word suits you better) it tends to be. In terms of facial hair, he has a neatly trimmed beard on his chin, and only a ghost of a moustache.

Brian's eyes are a simple blue color, and like most irises, have some a few other small spots of color tossed in, like small slivers of cyan and green. Just around his pupil is a small ring of brown.

Being the outdoorsman he is, Brian's skin is tanned to the kind of reddish brown (cinnamon?) color that one affiliates with long-term exposure to the sun. His skin is a lighter color under his shirt, and of course, his pants, but under his shirt it isn't much lighter, showing that he tends to go shirtless, something that makes sense if he's from a hot place.

In terms of clothing, Brian wears simple, practical clothing. This is why his clothes are almost all brown and green, with some white shirts when he’s washing the others. His usual clothes are a pair or brown cloth pants, the ends barely reaching his ankle, as they are a bit ragged and worn. His shirt is generally green tan-top of sorts, or a normal green shirt. If it's a tank top, he often wears a loose, white long or short-sleeved linen shirt over that. He avoids clinging clothes, and prefers loose ones, which give him more free movement and comfort, but had an annoying tendency to get caught in things.

In terms of shoes, he sandals, or if he knows he's going to fight, he wears black combat boots.

Quirks: Brian has a tendency towards silence, a large change from his former exuberance as a child. However, having been traveling alone for the most part, he's gotten used to just thinking, having no reason for talking. When he does talk, he speaks softly.

He has a preference of quiet, but not solitude. He enjoys company, conversation as well, but doesn't like to speak loudly, or listen to another speak loudly. He's very protective of his allies, because when you travel, you find yourself depending on your traveling companions in many cases, and they depend on you. However, he hates to depend on others, thus he tries to be as powerful as possible, and gain as much as possible, so that he can always protect others, and not need to be protected.

However, Brian always looks out for himself. He may be irrational in his protection of others at times, like trying to hold of several people so his ally can escape, but he's so stupid that he stays in a situation he knows he can't win. He only fights when he knows he has a change, even if it's slim, because the rush of battle is that much stronger.

However, this doesn't keep him from knowing when to be protected, like if he's injured. He's not stupid, but he can be irrational at times. Normally, he's very calm, quiet, and understanding, he likes to help others with there problems, often because he likes a good challenge, although he wouldn't say that. However, when he get angry, which being as rare as it is, he releases all of his bottled up rage, and gets a massive adrenaline rush, and flips out, attempting to hurt, main, or kill whoever angered him so.

One odd thing to him is his habit or raising an eyebrow, he's one of those infuriating people who knows how to raise one, single eyebrow, which he enjoys flaunting as much as possible. Once again, he'd never admit that he 'flaunts it'.

When it comes to fighting, Brian tends to do two things: One, charge directly into the thick of things, using his Great Sword to cleave his opponents.
Or two: hide and use his bow to shoot someone down, and then charge.
Well, he'll ambush people every now and then (it is practically war isn't it?), which he is good at, because hunting an animal is a lot harder than a person (better hearing), but he likes the rush you get from a battle, the knowledge that you can die, that your life is on the line, and he enjoys that rush.

Not that he'd admit that. Brian doesn't like to admit his flaws, while he acknowledges them, and tried to fix them, he doesn't not like to admit them to others. He also doesn't like to admit just how much he enjoys the company of others. He tries to seem like the lone wolf, the lone wolf who helps you if you need it, but is always a bit aloof, distant.

However, that’s not really how he is, but he tries to come off as that, because 7 years of being alone for the most part made him independent, and starved for company, even if he doesn't want to admit that, because that proves that he depends on others, and he doesn't want to depend on anyone.

Equipment: Brian makes use of his strength in the form of 7' Steel Great Sword, which is great for cleaving. He also has a bow and arrow for hunting, but he's no sharpshooter, but he can hunt down his dinner well enough. The only other weapons he has is a dagger he has on his belt and one hidden in his boot, cliché, but it works.

(I'm not good at describing appearances, as seen in my description; suffice to say I view them as the kinds given in the DnD v3.5 books...)

Abilities: Above and beyond simple strength and strong will? I don't believe so, unless the Shades give him some or something...

History: I have not used this character in an RP before, but here's the history I made for him:

Brian was born in Barton Town, but soon after he was born, his family moved to the Port of Gambino, since his dad got a job as an angler. Brian grew up in a large, healthy family, and lived an average life. Actually, average isn't the right word, awesome comes closer. Living in a loving family, playing games with your brothers and other friends along the beach, swimming, surfing, adventuring around in the not-so-far-off foothills and forests, camping out, etc. The only real schooling they had was tri-weekly home schooling, which may have taken up the whole day, but it left four days to mess around, have fun, and be kids.

His family was a strong believer in the old saying 'do it yourself', and this when asked, "When's dinner?" The answer was "whenever you make it". Thus, when they when they wanted a car, their dad bought an old, beat up one, and they rebuilt it, and none of them were mechanics. However, Brian was 12 at the time, and each boy was two years older (14, 16), were made into just that as they rebuilt the old thing. They had to learn along the way, and often had to completely restart, but after two years, they had it, and beautiful, red hot rod.

These kinds of things are what dotted Brian's life, and molded him into the easy-going, life-loving guy he is...although that would change in time. However, when his father had him and his brothers sent to Durem for a semester so that they could get High School Diplomas, Brian was exposed to drugs and all that. He stayed clean, for the most part, but found himself with a like for smoking cigarettes, although he stayed away from any other drugs. He also witnessed the death of one of his friends (well, to be truthful, he wasn’t much of a friend, in fact Brian didn’t really even know the guy, he was a friend of a friend, but the in the end, death is death) , and that was when he gained his protective, slightly power-hungry nature. He always tried to hide his thirst for strength, and succeeded, since his family thought that all his body training was simply mild vanity, or just wanting to be in good shape.


When he was 14, Brian started taking Martial Arts seriously (he'd always taken a few classes every now and then, the Port of Gambino had a large enough town to have a few schools), and he also started to look for a weapon that he could ‘call his own’. He had wanted to be an adventurer ever since he was a kid, but he had never really taken to any weapon. Swords were to cliché, every hero used one. Axes were like Great Swords without reach, Spears were only stabbing weapons, and the list went on. It was not until he was 17 he reluctantly settled on the Great Sword, and was able to find a weapons teacher in the port who would teach him. After another, tough year of training, Brian found himself an adult, his own man.

At first he though of joining the military, but quickly dismissed the idea, he was not very good at taking commands, not because he would not take them, but because he always thought he had a better idea. Thus, there was just one path left for Brian. Adventuring.

His brothers thought it was funny that their younger brother was to the most adventurous of all of them, but wished him good luck, whereas his mother got a bit teary and told him to be careful, and his dad gave him and old long sword he once used. This, to Brian, was a lifesaver, because he knew he could not afford a weapon. Too bad, it was not a Great Sword.

Brian adventured around, sometimes doing some body-guard duty, security, or just wandering out into the wilderness, finding several amazing things likes enchanted trunks, the occasional wandering wizard, and many other things. He had even been a mechanic for a month, something he had not dabbled in since he was 14. Truthfully, if it had not been for the many travelers he met in first year, or the occasional job he took which took him to Barton Town or Durem, he probably would have starved. He had not had a single idea just how much he depended on his family before, and was disgusted when he saw just how much he actually did. Brian wanted to be independent, depend only on himself, the blade in his hand, and the skill in which he wielded it.



After a year of traveling, he found himself stronger, and wiser than he was before. Definitely, a great deal wiser. He was able to sell some of the interesting items he would found in his travels, and buy himself a good smith to forge him a Great Sword, and get himself a good bow. He quickly left civilization, and found himself once again in the wild.


For the next six years, Brian adventured from one end of Gaia to the other, learning much from nature, wanderers, and from himself. Meditation allowed him to learn much about himself, which was a good thing, and at the same time disappointing.

He had entered the wild with no skill in the bow, mediocre skill with a blade (having, after all, no real combat experience), and a combination of over-eagerness and a hunger to become stronger that led his first year in the wild to be a hard one. Now, he was a veteran, touch as nails, and wise in the ways of life.

He had become an accomplished hunter, a master Swordsmen, and much life experience. When he heard of the Vale, and all of the parties who held interest in it, he found himself inclined towards the Shades. From the rumors, the shades were no longer evil, and could grant someone great power if they aided them. How could he resist? Brian was a good man, through and through, but his lust for power was something deeply ingrained in him, connected to his hate of dependence, his need to need no one to help him. With the kind of power they could give, he would need no one, ever.

Therefore, he found himself on joining the Shades cause without a second thought.


Faction you wish to join: Shades