[center][img]http://i.gyazo.com/f5fb358da9453a27d9aba952f9cf56fe.png[/img][/center] [center][img=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/312/7/a/paladin_by_neoartcore-d6th824.jpg][/center] --- [center]"[i]The endless nothing, it is something I have seen. Nobody deserves that. Nobody.[/i]"[/center] --- [center][b]Username:[/b] Inull [b]Race:[/b] Race of Ritual [b]Class and Level:[/b] Templar; Level 82 [b]Subclass and Level:[/b] Shrine Keeper; Level 90 The Shrine Keeper is in fact a title, instead of standard subclass. Inull does not know exactly how or when he became a Shrine Keeper, but he knows that it makes him more “in tune” with shrines and cathedrals. Namely, he can tell when one isn’t working properly. It’s a weird feeling. The Shrine Keeper gets abilities that revolve around his or her shrine, Inull has gathered, though he only has one Shrine Keeper related ability. There are probably more, but he isn’t quite sure. [b]Guild:[/b][/center] [hider=Crusader Knights of the Western Lands][center]The Crusader Knights of the Western Lands was a guild that was founded by Inull, long before his days as a Shrine Keeper. The guild was at one point one of the most well-known on the Western European server. It had quite a few members and was always accepting new recruits, so long as they weren’t vampires, player killers, or anything else considered unholy. The guild was roleplay heavy when Elder Tale was a game, and dedicated itself to protecting players, hunting the undead, and completing raids that were connected to things considered holy and unholy. They were also known to follow the Knights of Alvar and partake in their antics when the opportunity arose. They were also known for their “Crusades”, where they actively sought out vampires and “purified” them, as well as anyone who did not “adhere to the faith”. Despite these being player-killings and literal witch hunts, the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands claimed that “the undead, the faithless, and the unholy are not people”. Their leader was known as the “Western Patriarch”. During the Apocalypse, however, nearly all of their members were offline. Inull is unsure if there are any other members out there, and he is also unaware that he is the leader of the guild. He is aware he is the “Western Patriarch”, due to his armor, but he doesn’t know what that is.[/center][/hider] [center][b]Background:[/b] How long has it been since he lost his name? The torn ruin of his mind no longer knows. He was haunted of vague memories of a place infinitely empty, yet also full of something he could not remember. When he tried to, he only succeeded in remembering the infinite expanse of nothingness he saw in his dreams. The memories he had, he clung to, fearing that they too might be lost to that infinite nothingness. He remembered the shrine. He remembered his blade. He remembered his armor. He remembered… making a mistake? What was the mistake? He remembered it not. He remembered nothing anymore. He knew only what was evident. He was a member of the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands. He carried their banner with him proudly. He was a Templar, he remembered the prayers by heart. But beyond these things, he knew little, not even his name. How long had it been since he had awoken near that shrine? His head hurt. It was empty, yes, but not calm. It was not tranquil. The important bits seemed to remain, but the remainder was gone, lost to that infinitesimal void that was the remainder of his memories. He had lost his memories ages ago, in times immemorial. Or had he? When he awoke, he waited for a time for someone to help him. But none came. He was alone and impossibly lost. Crestfallen, he resigned himself, sitting near the shrine, keeping vigil. None came. None left. Any attempt he made to contact one of these names on his list was met with a blunt rejection. It was him and him alone. An empty vessel, wishing for things lost to eternity. He could not leave this place, what if someone came? He knew not where he was, he knew only that he was lost. This place was his only memory. Could he stand to lose even that? No. He would stand vigil until he could stand no more. This was his shrine. Had his Gods abandoned him? Had the Templar’s prayers been naught but lies? No. Surely he would not be here if that was the case. They had something in store for him. His faith would not be shaken. He planted his banner and watched the woods, waiting to greet any travelers with open arms. Then the hunger came. It was subtle at first, an empty desire for something to fill his stomach. He ignored it. He needed nothing but his faith; and he had nothing but his faith. Soon it grew. It began to hurt. But still, he kept his vigil. He needed only his faith; he wanted only his faith. But hunger is not so easily dissuaded by even the most righteous or the most faithful. Hunger is only dissuaded when the stomach is no longer empty. But he kept his vigil. He would not falter so easily. He would not give into the temptations that dared to draw him away from this sacred shrine. He stood his vigil, still. But his gods were not without mercy, he soon found. A boar taunted him from the woods. He cared not about it until the day his hunger caused him to finally falter. The beast put up a fight, something he did not expect. But he managed to slay it and cook its meat. When cooked, he found that it was much different than he anticipated. It was a goop. Cooking was most likely not his thing. But it filled his stomach and allowed him to stand vigil once again. Again he waited until his hunger overcame his faith, venturing out to obtain more food. He overcame the hunger without abandoning his faith. His gods were sending these meals, he could feel it. Whenever he slept, he would awake to another in the place of the previous. They skulked the edge of the woods; peering into his clearing. They were sent to feed him and he thanked them each for the strength to stand his vigil. And then, his gods tested his faith. He had awoken to find the place empty, as always. The shrine stood a reminder of the Templar’s fate. But today, it was emptier than usual. Whereas there was once a feeling of tranquility around the sacred shrine, there was nothing. It was as if his gods had left him in this place. Things began to come within the sacred clearing, the Templar caught unprepared. They tested his faith and they tested his blade. But he knew it was a test. When he nearly fell, he called upon his faith to stop the pain. They could not hurt the Templar while he remained faithful. One by one, he slew the intruders, his Greatsword becoming stained by their blood. They thought his faith had faltered, but it had not. But this place was no longer safe, the beasts of the wilds knew that the gods had abandoned the shrine, but they did not know that they did not abandon the Templar. The Templar, in an act of astounding strength, took the Shrine with him, upheaving it from the clearing and taking it with him. Taking his banner from his ground and strapping it to his back, sheathing his Greatsword, and using both his hands to lift the shrine with all his strength, the Templar began to walk through the woods, lost, but not without his faith. It was long and treacherous, but the Templar found his way out and into the open. Though, he was still a long way off of being done. There was nothing outside of the woods. The outside world was wrought with peril and wild beasts that hunted the Templar, as if they were testing his faith even more. Each of these beasts was bested, their natural weapons doing nothing against the Templar’s faith. They did not even affect his armor. They simply became stains on the Templar’s blade. His faith did not waver, nor did his ability to succeed. But still, the Templar was haunted by vague memories of before the shrine. Before the shrine, he remembered nothing, save for the feeling of making a mistake. He remembered refusal. He remembered a blessing, or maybe it was a curse? Had he been cursed by the denizens of the woods? Nay, they knew not the touches of magic. Perhaps his gods were only testing him? Who were his gods anyway? He knew not their names, only their prayers and hymns. Now he carried their shrine, seeking a way to fix it. But his names still eluded him. What was this mysterious list of names he had anyways? Why were they each greyed out? What did they mean? These were the only links the Templar had to the past, but without context they meant nothing. What of the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands? Who were they, exactly? Surely they were others of the faith? But he only had a location to look. Maybe they could fix the shrine? Without a map, it was impossible for the Templar to find his way to the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands. His best hope was to continue wandering, hoping that his gods would send him a sign. In time, the shrine became like a remote piece of the Templar, something that he was always aware of. If a beast threatened to harm it, he would react first. If he must have scaled a mountain, he did not leave the shrine behind. It was heavy, yes, but the Templar’s faith made sure he did not falter in his sacred task. For a long while, or at least what seemed like a long while, the Templar traveled with only the shrine to keep him company. He knew his destination, but he knew not the path that would take him there. And then his gods showed him his sign, and showed him the path he must take. The Templar came upon a grisly scene. A near-defeated group stood against a wave of enemies, weaker than they, but much more plentiful. They fought valiantly, but they fought a losing battle. Should they fall, the Templar would have stood idly by and done nothing. He would not stand idly by. Rushing in, shrine in tow, the Templar immediately set to work drawing attention away from the group, which seemed to be consisted of five mages and one swashbuckler. The Templar, despite having much lower health than they, had the ability to shield himself, thanks to his faith. He wore his faith like a much stronger second layer of armor, ignoring the brutish blows that came down upon him. They did not hurt him, for he was faithful. Without a shield, though, he quickly found that even his faith began to falter as he was overrun by the sheer amount of enemies. Refusing to return to that infinite expanse of endless nothing, he fought on harder, cleaving a bloody path to his shrine. It did nothing special, but he stood close to it, defending it with everything he had. Planting his banner, he grabbed the hilt of his greatsword with both hands, managing to draw the horde towards him. As the blows began to reach through his faith, he found himself actually feeling their effects. But he fought on, until he nearly fell. As he was about to give up, he called upon another shield, this one much more powerful than the last. The group that he had saved intervened then, repaying the favor. Soon, the horde was naught but a pile of ashes, burned by the five mages. The Templar opted to stay with them, at least for a while, hoping they would lead him to his destination. Luckily enough for him, they were headed in that general direction, apparently. The group traveled for a time, becoming tight-knit, they worked well together, and they called the Templar Inull, a name very familiar but not remembered. It was only when they told him why they called him that that the Templar knew that they would part ways when they reached his destination. They had asked his name, and he could not answer. They had decided to call him by the name that they could see when he began travelling with the party. They poked and prodded, asking him about himself, but he could not remember. He only remembered the shrine and the clearing. They discussed themselves, their “former” selves. They talked of “the real world”. Was this not the real world? Inull was very confused at this, but he remained with them for a time, though he was always distant after that event. He could not stay. When they reached the city of Whitewater, Inull said his goodbyes and parted ways with the group. He carried his shrine with him, knowing where to go from here. He searched for anything marked with the emblem of the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands. He knew the emblem well, for he carried it with him on his banner, on his armor, and on his greatsword. When he found the emblem, he entered the small building, hoping for answers. Instead, he found nothing but a small and empty home. This was their guild hall, at least in Whitewater. It was empty and that was all that mattered to Inull. Were his gods testing his faith again? Or had they been playing games with him all along? Inull was disappointed, but he believed that his gods would show him the path he was supposed to take. In the meantime, however, he asked around the rather populated city of Whitewater, trying to find someone to repair his shrine. As he wandered the streets, he felt the same sense of tranquility as he had felt when he stood his vigil over the shrine in those cursed woods. He saw the Cathedral, a marvelous building, one that was erected to honor his gods. Inull took his shrine there, hoping to find a priest that could help. But there was none. The Cathedral was empty. He rested then. His faith was beginning to waver. He could not let his gods down. How else would he restore what he had lost? That was it. That was why his gods had brought him here. They needed to show him that he clung to what he no longer had. They needed him to let go, so that he may prevent others from the same fate. Perhaps they did not even need the shrine repaired. But Inull kept it still, a reminder of his fate, a reminder of what he needed to prevent others from experiencing. And then he left again, headed towards Lun. Inull began the long and treacherous journey to Lun on his lonesome, shrine in tow. He helped many groups that were down on their luck. He shared many meals with them. But Inull never stayed. He would get to Lun quickly, hoping to find more evidence of the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands. If he found them, then perhaps he could convince them to help him prevent others from finding that endless nothing that he had seen. He had a map this time, so he was not aimlessly wandering. But he knew they had a building somewhere in Lun. He was unsure of whether or not it was the main one, but maybe it was. If not, then it would just be another location to mark off of his list. Shrine in tow, Inull slowly made his way to the city, after a few weeks, or maybe it was days? Inull knew not exactly how long it had been since he actually left the shrine. But he knew that he had traveled quicker than most, despite having a shrine to drag around and constant stopping. He traveled the pious path, though, hoping that his gods still smiled upon him. Eventually he found his way to Lun, exhausted but hopeful. He lugged his shrine behind him, finding his way to the building marked by the same emblem he wore proudly. He opened the door to a large building, though not nearly as large as he had expected. It was large, yes, but he knew it was not the major guild hall. But all of this mattered little to Inull. All that mattered to Inull was that this, too, was a home. And it had been abandoned. [b]Personality:[/b] Inull has no memories of the world before Elder Tale. He does not remember the real world and so it is as foreign to him as Elder Tale was to someone who had a friend who played it, but themselves did not even have an internet connection. While he is aware that people have experienced this “real world”, he believes that it is either mass hysteria or something he did not partake it. This, of course, is wrong. He is aware of the user interface and knows what it does and what it accomplishes, though the idea that this was something not always present in his life is bewildering and hard for him to grasp. It is, to him, exactly like being told that he has not always had to breathe. When told that this ability was not present in the “real world” he expresses confusion and does not quite understand the idea of that not being present. Due to the fact that he has no memories of the world before Elder Tale, or even of Elder Tale before he came to at the shrine, he has no idea what taste is. Every meal he has eaten has been cooked, tasting like a dull sort of mush. He is not picky about food. Sights, sounds, and smells, however, are not as foreign to him, though he would not know what a car sounded, looked, or smelled like. His perception of time is significantly different from most. A week feels like a lifetime to Inull, mostly because his memories only span a week so far. Though one might suggest that his perception of time would “balance out” after filling his mind with experiences, they would be wrong. He seemingly does not notice, or maybe he just does not care, about the day/night cycle. It is best not to ask him when something was, is, or will be done because his estimates are based on how he percepts time. While he acknowledges a difference between the People of the Land and Adventurers, Inull considers them all to be real. They are real, to him at least. For this reason, he resents people who do not treat People of the Land as equals, often resorting to physical violence to “put them in their place”. Inull will, on occasion, count or recite the alphabet. He will do so at a normal pace, due to the fact that he remembers them quite well, but after a time he will begin to struggle. The reason for this lies in the fact that he will forget which number he was on after a time. Whether this is a side-effect of not having any memories, or something that has always been a part of Inull, remains to be known. Inull is a faithful man that follows gods he does not know the names of. While one could accurately say that he clearly followed the gods that existed within Elder Tale, he would not be able to tell them their names. It seems he has forgotten their names, but not their “presence”. Speaking of his faith, Inull is very serious about his beliefs that his fate is in the hands of these gods. When questioned about this fate, he says that he trusts the gods to guide him and that they have a plan for him to follow. The truth is that Inull believes in whole-heartedly that there is a grand plan and that there is something in store for not only him, but for everyone. But, he does not have the slightest clue to what exactly this plan might even begin to be. When asked to describe his beliefs, he expresses that it would be complicated to express the feelings and pure threads of thought that he has about them, but he will simplify it down to “I believe in [i]something[/i], but I am not entirely sure what this [i]something[/i] is.” Insulting his faith will lead to him using physical violence to “put you in your place”.[/center] --- [center][b][u]Stats[/u][/b] [b]HP:[/b] 1 [b]MP:[/b] 6 [b]STR:[/b] 4 [b]DEX:[/b] 3 [b]Physical DEF:[/b] 2 [b]Magic DEF:[/b] 2 [b]INT:[/b] 5 [b]WIL:[/b] 7 [b]AGI:[/b] 2[/center] --- [center][b][u]Spells[/u][/b] Most of Inull’s abilities are divided into two sub-sections: Sins and Virtues Sins cost a big amount of mana to use, have a short cooldown, and are able to be cast on enemies and allies alike. They are generally riskier to use, however, being able to greatly buff an enemy or hinder an ally. Virtues cost a small amount of mana to use, have a long cooldown, and are only able to be cast on allies. They are generally much safer to use, though misuse can result in tragedy. Every Virtue also has the added benefit of being affected by the Virtuous passive. [b]Sins[/b] [b]Passive Abilities[/b] Whenever the Templar uses a Sin, his damage gains a slight bonus, but his abilities cost slightly more mana to use. This ability cannot stack, but it can reset. [b]Active Abilities[/b] The Templar targets an ally, enemy, or himself and temporarily makes them lose control. Their damage and speed is greatly increased, but they take greatly increased damage and have lowered armor and magic resistance. -Costs a large amount of mana. -Lasts about 5 seconds. -2.3 second cast time; 10 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally, enemy, or himself and grants them a long-lived but weak shield. While this shield persists, the target redirects a portion of all friendly healing to themself, and is healed for slightly less than the portion redirected to them. -Costs a large amount of mana. -Shield persists about 30 seconds. -2.7 second cast time; 35 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally, enemy, or himself and grants them a short-lived but powerful shield. While this shield persists, the target gains bonus damage and incoming healing for each enemy near them, but also takes the same amount of bonus damage and healing as bonus damage dealt to themself when attacked by an enemy. -Costs a plump sum of mana. -Shield persists about 7 seconds. -1.5 second cast time; 25 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally, enemy, or himself and grants them a moderately-lived and moderately strong shield. While this shield persists, the shielded target has a portion of their speed temporarily taken away, and equally divided among any allies of the Templar caught within its radius. -Costs a huge amount of mana. -Shield persists about 15 seconds. -1.7 second cast time; 34 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally, enemy, or himself and gives them a short-lived shield that absorbs damage. When the damage threshold is reached, or the shield expires, it explodes, dividing the damage that was absorbed equally among enemies of the Templar caught within its radius. -Costs a very generous amount of mana. -Shield persists about 8 seconds. -2.3 second cast time; 16 second cooldown. The Templar targets two allies or enemies. The initial target gains the second target’s stats for a very brief period, while the secondary target gains a very powerful shield that persists until Envy wears off. Should this shield expire before then, it will cause Envy to last a few more seconds than it initially would. When Envy expires, any damage taken by the secondary target is transferred onto the primary target and doubled. -Costs a huge amount of mana. -Lasts about 6 seconds; if shield expires before then, lasts about 11 seconds. -2.6 second cast time; 38 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally, an enemy, or himself and gives them a powerful and long lasting shield. While this shield persists, everyone caught in its radius becomes significantly weaker, transferring a good portion of their stats to the target of Pride. While Pride is active on a target, however, all damage dealt to the target of Pride is halved. When Pride expires, however, the other halve of damage is then quadrupled and divided equally among any allies of the target of Pride caught in the effect’s radius. This damage can never be fatal, though. The damage dealt is returned as very short-lived shields. -Costs a massive amount of mana. -Shield persists about 66 seconds. -3.5 second cast time; 600 second cooldown [b]Virtues[/b] [b]Passive Abilities[/b] The strength of the Templar’s “standard” shields grow in strength when the Templar is missing health. [b]Active Abilities[/b] The Templar targets an ally and exchanges his aggro with them, granting whoever has the higher aggro a short-lived shield that is more powerful with more aggro. -Costs a moderate amount of mana. -Shield persists about 5 seconds. -.5 second cast time; 60 second cooldown The Templar targets an ally and gives himself a shield. His target, however, does not receive a shield. Instead, any healing effects the Templar receives are instead redirected onto his target, and then slightly increased. Any healing effects the Templar uses on his target are doubled; If the Templar heals another target, the target of Temperance receives a slightly weaker version of that heal. -Costs a moderate amount of mana. -Lasts about 40 seconds. -1.3 second cast time; 120 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally and sacrifices a portion of his own health to heal his target and give them a moderately strong shield. Consumes very little mana, but a moderate percentage of health. -Costs a very tiny amount of mana and moderate amount of caster’s health. -Shield persists about 30 seconds. -.2 second cast time; 45 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally or himself and gives them the strength to carry on, giving them a very powerful short-lived shield and temporarily increasing incoming healing effects on that target greatly. -Costs a medium amount of mana. -Lasts about 5 seconds. -.1 second cast time; 70 second cooldown. The Templar targets an ally or himself and deals a small percentage of their current health to them as unavoidable damage and placing a timer on them. After the timer finishes, that ally receives double the damage dealt as healing and double the damage dealt as a shield that wears off only when the damage threshold is reached. -Costs a moderate amount of mana. -Timer lasts about 5 seconds. -.7 second cast time; 40 second cooldown. The Templar grants a long-lasting shield and a buff to his entire party, granting them all an increase to healing effects received and healing effects granted to other party members. -Costs a small amount of mana. -Lasts about 40 seconds. -5.6 second cast time; 100 second cooldown. The Templar temporarily reduces all of his stats, gaining a long-lasting shield in their place and granting bonuses to his allies’ stats depending on the reduction in his own stats. -Costs a very low amount of mana. -Lasts about 60 seconds. -5.1 second cast time; 500 second cooldown. [b]Other Templar Abilities[/b] The Templar sends the souls of the fallen away peacefully, causing them to lose slightly less experience if The Templar uses it before they revive. -Costs no mana. -25 second cast time; 1,000 second cooldown. [b]Subclass Abilities[/b] The Shrine Keeper gains an increase to all of his stats while his Shrine is nearby, but gains a decrease to all of his stats if the Shrine far away from him. The Shrine’s remaining power will also occasionally show, every once in a while dealing moderate area of effect damage within a short radius. [/center] --- [center][b][u]Equipment[/u][/b] [b]Memories[/b] [i]“The memories of the Templar are the stains this blade carries.”[/i] “This blade seems to be a hand-forged with a unique name and flavor text. When questioned about it, Inull simply shrugs.” -This blade has a very high physical attack rating and with each kill it gains a stain. -While each stain is unique, depending on the type of enemy, there are commonalities. Beyond aesthetics, the stains serve no purpose. Martyr's Memories is practically red from the amount of stains it carries, though it is still very easy to tell each stain apart from one another. -Ancient Greatsword (Reforged) [b]Templar’s Prayer[/b] “A standard Templar item that serves no real purpose; it was common amongst roleplayers.” The Templar’s Prayer has been handed down for generations, from Templar to Templar, a prayer that holds much significance to the faithful. -Common Item -No Stats [b]Crusader’s Banner[/b] "[i]The Crusader Knights of the Western Lands: a righteous force, working with the Knights of Alvar to defend the land from the demi-humans and those who would threaten others.[/i]" “The fact that Inull carries this banner proudly is evidence of his allegiance to the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands. While it is not classified as a weapon or armor of any sort, it is a cosmetic item that appears on the back. Banners like this among the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands were carried into battle by members of the guild for the sole purpose of immersion.” -May only be used by members of the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands -Cosmetic item that appears on the back. -Production Item (Magic) [b]Vestments of the Western Patriarch[/b] “[i]He wept.[/i]” “The Vestments of the Western Patriarch were forged from three ancient artifacts: The Flesh of Uke, which was exorcised of unholy spirits by The Fool and thrice blessed by the Western Patriarch. The Flesh of the Lamb, which was reinforced with blessed Radiante Ore, mined from the blessed mines belonging to the Crusader Knights of the Western Lands. Faith, the former armor of the Western Patriarch, blessed by the Gods themselves and nurtured by the Western Patriarch.” -Ancient Item (Reforged) -Originally “The Cursed Flesh of Uke” (Ancient Item), “Armor of the Lamb” (Ancient Item), and “Faith” (Renamed Templar Starting Armor) -Grants very decent level-90 stats. -Bound on equip. [b]Shrine Keeper’s Burden[/b] “[i]The Shrine Keeper’s Oath[/i]” A shrine that Inull lugs around with astounding will and strength; he claims that it’s lighter than it looks, but trying to lift it up will prove that false. Still, Inull carries it with an unnatural ease. Whereas most shrines give off a feeling of tranquility to some, evidence of the same magic at cathedrals at work, that feeling of tranquility is noticeably absent. Upon close inspection, one may notice that there are in fact no signs of damage. It must have stopped working, somehow. -Classless Item (Phantasmal-level item would be the closest thing, though.) -Non-functional Shrine [/center]