Rag
02-02-2006, 11:06 PM
Name: Draith
Age: No longer remembers
Appearance:
Despite being a man of average build, Draith nevertheless has a strong presence about him, emanated even when seen at a distance by his controlled posture and slow, deliberate movements. His confidence seems impervious, and no amount of surprises can upset the unearthly serenity of his face. If ever a crack appears in his demeanour, it usually stems from a disturbance within.
His face is youthful but pallid to an unhealthy degree, and the smoothness of his porcelain skin is interrupted in many places by thin, violet veins. Dark rings surround large eyes, which are without doubt his most striking feature: drowning in light grey irises, his pupils are tiny pinpricks, making for a stare like a knife edge. His hair is black and unkempt, with long curls that hang about his face, and parts of a tattoo that covers his entire torso can be seen creeping up his neck.
When travelling, Draith wears a long and heavily worn raincoat made of thick black leather, which reaches midway down his shins. A hood is attached to this, and is almost always pulled up, more in response to a dislike of sunlight than a desire to hide his eerie features. Other notable garments include a pair of stout, aged boots, which are even more weathered than the raincoat, and a fingerless glove on his left hand. The other hand is bare, revealing a detailed symbol tattooed into his palm that resembles an eye.
Background:
Draith’s precise origins are unknown even to him, but there is no shortage of rumours. A long trail of them marks a path between the many settlements he’s visited, leading back to a region known as the Southern Wastes: the edge of the civilised world, beyond which an enormous stretch of barren earth is home to nothing but the most resilient plants and animals. Assuming one could somehow find enough food to survive, it’s suggested that crossing this wasteland on foot would take an entire year. And yet the residents of one town swear that, one freezing morning, a man came staggering across the cracked earth, his battered clothes plastered with the dust of countless days of travel.
Further along the trail, the rumours tell of an exorcist. He travelled miles at a time to draw unwelcome spirits out of bodies that do not belong to them, or to purify haunted buildings. His work was fast and simple, utilising no special tools or commands. He simply placed his tattooed right hand upon the subject of the possession and, with apparent satisfaction, absorbed the misplaced spirits into his own body.
As the trail begins to catch up with Draith’s most recent footprints, encrusted in unnatural frost, the rumours turn dark. Crypts are invaded and the dead disturbed, though nothing of eathly origins is stolen. An exorcist forces his way into homes uninvited in order to purge them of spectres. Lifeless bodies are discovered without a mark on them, and no apparent cause of death presents itself. And always the stories make mention of the eyes: those terrible pinprick pupils that focus on things unseen by ordinary men, forever searching for new spirits to collect.
Personality:
As cold a person as one could ever meet, Draith is a stranger to the concept of empathy. If he resists harming others, it’s simply because this would make life easier for him in that particular situation. Otherwise, he feels no regret about the lives he takes, and nor does he derive pleasure from it; almost exclusively, he only takes action against others if they get in his way.
Egotistical and quite, quite mad, the voices in his head have become so numerous that he can no longer make out what any particular one is saying over the din of the others. His infallible calm is disturbed only by the occasional writhing spasm brought on by a severely overcrowded mind, but as unnerving as these moments of instability are to witness, he tends to recover from them quickly.
Ever since he acquired the ability to draw evil spirits out of others and into his own body, Draith’s obsession with the notion has grown in proportion to his dwindling sanity. Each new ghost he absorbs makes him stronger, and while he constantly teeters on the edge of losing control of the excess of souls charging around inside him, he always hungers for more. He believes that, ultimately, if he absorbs enough of them he’ll be able to match the demigods in power.
Abilities:
Physically weak and rather less agile than the average person, Draith relies entirely on magic in combat. The vast majority of the spells in his arsenal come from the countless spirits swimming around in his body, and as his control over these entities is fickle at best, he can’t always rely on these spells to work as they’re supposed to. The unpredictable nature of his magic is furthered by a tendency of his more wilful spirits to launch attacks of their own, and on occasion previously undiscovered skills will surface in the chaos of his mind.
His most common abilities, and those which he has the firmest grasp on, are as follows:
Radial Shield – Used more than any other, this spell erects an invisible spherical barrier around Draith which can deflect magical attacks, making up for his inability to dodge. It can be extended to a maximum radius of roughly five metres, but can be sustained for longer when summoned at a smaller size.
Screaming Maelstrom – Should an unwitting opponent step within the confines of the abovementioned Radial Shield, Draith can briefly release the sprits within his body and allow them to run riot within the confines of the sphere. Typically appearing as pale, translucent, wraiths in varying shapes and sizes, these insubstantial beings will swarm about their target, repeatedly diving through him or her and stealing a little bit of their energy with each strike, until Draith decides to call them back to him. Though they can’t cause any bodily harm aside from a very cold and painful sensation, the life they steal will leave the target severely dazed and exhausted.
Thunderclap – An unpredictable telekinetic ability, allowing Draith to exert a brief but incredibly powerful force within a range of roughly ten metres. This force, like a sudden impact, is heavy enough to smash a large hole through a brick wall or hurl unlucky opponents over great distances, but lacks the precision to focus on single objects or small areas.
Drain – An ability of Draith’s own, which comes from the mysterious tattoo on the palm of his right hand. Should be successfully manage to press this palm against an opponent’s skin, he can steal their energy in order to replenish his own. If he can maintain contact for long enough, this will kill them altogether, but the amount of time this takes is dependent on the opponent’s vitality and strength of will.
Regeneration – Lacking in agility and having no extra defence against physical attacks, Draith is easily wounded, but his ability to repair these wounds quickly counters this disadvantage. Cuts and bruises will repair themselves almost instantly, and though more severe injuries require extra time and energy, even broken bones or lost limbs can be replaced.
Creeping Death – An ability in which Draith draws on the negative energy of the spirits, gathers it together, and then releases it in the form of creeping vines. Sprouting either from his hands or at his feet, these black vines spread across surfaces rapidly and randomly, ensnaring anything that gets in their way and bringing with them a wave of extreme cold. They die and become brittle almost immediately after they’ve finished growing, but, reinforced by the ice that spreads around them, it can take some effort for an opponent to break free. Should the vines touch skin while still growing, they’ll freeze it solid, causing a great deal of pain.
Age: No longer remembers
Appearance:
Despite being a man of average build, Draith nevertheless has a strong presence about him, emanated even when seen at a distance by his controlled posture and slow, deliberate movements. His confidence seems impervious, and no amount of surprises can upset the unearthly serenity of his face. If ever a crack appears in his demeanour, it usually stems from a disturbance within.
His face is youthful but pallid to an unhealthy degree, and the smoothness of his porcelain skin is interrupted in many places by thin, violet veins. Dark rings surround large eyes, which are without doubt his most striking feature: drowning in light grey irises, his pupils are tiny pinpricks, making for a stare like a knife edge. His hair is black and unkempt, with long curls that hang about his face, and parts of a tattoo that covers his entire torso can be seen creeping up his neck.
When travelling, Draith wears a long and heavily worn raincoat made of thick black leather, which reaches midway down his shins. A hood is attached to this, and is almost always pulled up, more in response to a dislike of sunlight than a desire to hide his eerie features. Other notable garments include a pair of stout, aged boots, which are even more weathered than the raincoat, and a fingerless glove on his left hand. The other hand is bare, revealing a detailed symbol tattooed into his palm that resembles an eye.
Background:
Draith’s precise origins are unknown even to him, but there is no shortage of rumours. A long trail of them marks a path between the many settlements he’s visited, leading back to a region known as the Southern Wastes: the edge of the civilised world, beyond which an enormous stretch of barren earth is home to nothing but the most resilient plants and animals. Assuming one could somehow find enough food to survive, it’s suggested that crossing this wasteland on foot would take an entire year. And yet the residents of one town swear that, one freezing morning, a man came staggering across the cracked earth, his battered clothes plastered with the dust of countless days of travel.
Further along the trail, the rumours tell of an exorcist. He travelled miles at a time to draw unwelcome spirits out of bodies that do not belong to them, or to purify haunted buildings. His work was fast and simple, utilising no special tools or commands. He simply placed his tattooed right hand upon the subject of the possession and, with apparent satisfaction, absorbed the misplaced spirits into his own body.
As the trail begins to catch up with Draith’s most recent footprints, encrusted in unnatural frost, the rumours turn dark. Crypts are invaded and the dead disturbed, though nothing of eathly origins is stolen. An exorcist forces his way into homes uninvited in order to purge them of spectres. Lifeless bodies are discovered without a mark on them, and no apparent cause of death presents itself. And always the stories make mention of the eyes: those terrible pinprick pupils that focus on things unseen by ordinary men, forever searching for new spirits to collect.
Personality:
As cold a person as one could ever meet, Draith is a stranger to the concept of empathy. If he resists harming others, it’s simply because this would make life easier for him in that particular situation. Otherwise, he feels no regret about the lives he takes, and nor does he derive pleasure from it; almost exclusively, he only takes action against others if they get in his way.
Egotistical and quite, quite mad, the voices in his head have become so numerous that he can no longer make out what any particular one is saying over the din of the others. His infallible calm is disturbed only by the occasional writhing spasm brought on by a severely overcrowded mind, but as unnerving as these moments of instability are to witness, he tends to recover from them quickly.
Ever since he acquired the ability to draw evil spirits out of others and into his own body, Draith’s obsession with the notion has grown in proportion to his dwindling sanity. Each new ghost he absorbs makes him stronger, and while he constantly teeters on the edge of losing control of the excess of souls charging around inside him, he always hungers for more. He believes that, ultimately, if he absorbs enough of them he’ll be able to match the demigods in power.
Abilities:
Physically weak and rather less agile than the average person, Draith relies entirely on magic in combat. The vast majority of the spells in his arsenal come from the countless spirits swimming around in his body, and as his control over these entities is fickle at best, he can’t always rely on these spells to work as they’re supposed to. The unpredictable nature of his magic is furthered by a tendency of his more wilful spirits to launch attacks of their own, and on occasion previously undiscovered skills will surface in the chaos of his mind.
His most common abilities, and those which he has the firmest grasp on, are as follows:
Radial Shield – Used more than any other, this spell erects an invisible spherical barrier around Draith which can deflect magical attacks, making up for his inability to dodge. It can be extended to a maximum radius of roughly five metres, but can be sustained for longer when summoned at a smaller size.
Screaming Maelstrom – Should an unwitting opponent step within the confines of the abovementioned Radial Shield, Draith can briefly release the sprits within his body and allow them to run riot within the confines of the sphere. Typically appearing as pale, translucent, wraiths in varying shapes and sizes, these insubstantial beings will swarm about their target, repeatedly diving through him or her and stealing a little bit of their energy with each strike, until Draith decides to call them back to him. Though they can’t cause any bodily harm aside from a very cold and painful sensation, the life they steal will leave the target severely dazed and exhausted.
Thunderclap – An unpredictable telekinetic ability, allowing Draith to exert a brief but incredibly powerful force within a range of roughly ten metres. This force, like a sudden impact, is heavy enough to smash a large hole through a brick wall or hurl unlucky opponents over great distances, but lacks the precision to focus on single objects or small areas.
Drain – An ability of Draith’s own, which comes from the mysterious tattoo on the palm of his right hand. Should be successfully manage to press this palm against an opponent’s skin, he can steal their energy in order to replenish his own. If he can maintain contact for long enough, this will kill them altogether, but the amount of time this takes is dependent on the opponent’s vitality and strength of will.
Regeneration – Lacking in agility and having no extra defence against physical attacks, Draith is easily wounded, but his ability to repair these wounds quickly counters this disadvantage. Cuts and bruises will repair themselves almost instantly, and though more severe injuries require extra time and energy, even broken bones or lost limbs can be replaced.
Creeping Death – An ability in which Draith draws on the negative energy of the spirits, gathers it together, and then releases it in the form of creeping vines. Sprouting either from his hands or at his feet, these black vines spread across surfaces rapidly and randomly, ensnaring anything that gets in their way and bringing with them a wave of extreme cold. They die and become brittle almost immediately after they’ve finished growing, but, reinforced by the ice that spreads around them, it can take some effort for an opponent to break free. Should the vines touch skin while still growing, they’ll freeze it solid, causing a great deal of pain.