[hider=Baron & Baron][center][img]https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/668295959147745280/NtLaxe-5_400x400.jpg[/img][/center][center][h2][color=firebrick]Baron & Baron[/color][/h2][/center] [hr] [b][u][color=firebrick]N A M E[/color][/u][/b] Jacques Baron [b][u][color=firebrick]A G E[/color][/u][/b] 25 (244, technically) [b][u][color=firebrick]G E N D E R[/color][/u][/b] Male [b][u][color=firebrick]S P E C I E S[/color][/u][/b] Demon-tainted human [b][u][color=firebrick]A P P E A R A N C E[/color][/u][/b] Jacques stands at 6'5", and sports a lean build -not terribly muscular, but not out of shape either. Too skinny to be considered conventionally attractive, yet not hard on the eyes. One of his more notable physical features is his lack of a right arm. Nothing but a stump at his shoulder, it was long ago replaced with a robotic prosthetic in sleek black and grey. The flesh surrounding his stump is ashen and leathery, resembling that of a corpse. Perhaps even more noteworthy than the prosthetic are his tattoos -intricate designs and sigils that wrap and twist around his body. They span from just below his neck to his waist, winding down his good arm just to the elbow. While they appear first to be tattoos, closer inspection reveals them to look almost seared into his flesh like a brand on cattle. His face has a small scar less than an inch across just above his right eye. His eyes themselves sport dark brown irises, easily mistaken for black in poor lighting. Dark circles wreath his eyes, accenting bags caused by stress and lack of sleep. Typically, Jacques is seen dressed well. Day to day, he is seen wearing a full suit -most commonly full white, with a silky black button up, and a vest of some varying color from day to day. Depending on the occasion, he may or may not put in the effort to wear a tie, though this is a rare sight. When feeling more casual, he will leave behind the suit jacket, rolling the sleeves of his button ups to the elbow. When wearing this more casual outfit, he tends to wear black slacks and white button up more often than the reverse. Around his neck on a small chain is an almost comically antiquated key, in rusted iron red. On his wrist he sports a shiny platinum watch, with a minimalistic face of simply two hands. Ever present in his robotic hand is a walking cane -simple black design, topped with a silver grip. One looking at Jacques would notice first his seemingly laissez-faire attitude. In standing, he leans back to form an oddly obtuse angle with the ground at almost all times. Given a wall, counter of suitable height, or a table, he'll be seen using it for support. When such a crutch isn't available, Jacques puts his weight on the cane he carries so frequently. Everything he does, from speaking to walking, he does at an almost infuriatingly slow pace. His movements and words are always carefully measured, a necessary precaution to prevent any incidents relating to his extreme clumsiness. [b][u][color=firebrick]B A C K G R O U N D[/color][/u][/b] The year, 1788. The place, France. A country on the verge of revolution faces problems far deeper rooted than the overturning of a king. Beneath the streets, hidden in the shadows, an ancient demon of immeasurable power stirred. Likely the cause of the raising chaos in the region, the demon known only to a very few locals as [i]Baron[/i] had gone unchecked for far too long. A cult of demonologists live at the fringe of the city, shunned as witches, plot a solution to the utterly inevitable downfall of France, and likely all of Europe after that. Plans were drawn, and resources were collected by the witches, who set a massive pyre in the square of Paris. Along with the fire and a thousand arcane reagents was the sacrifice of thirteen children -each child hand picked to be innocent and of pure bloodline. The demon, taking notice of the plot against him, reared an ugly head from the shadows to disrupt the ritual. Baron; however, was not the only one who seemed disapproving of the ritual. Records of history have expunged all note of the demons presence -those who recall the events from memory will more than likely fail to recall that which came to stop the demon. Tales passed down from generation to generation describe it only as a burst of light from the sky -simultaneously taking the sacrifices to safety and smiting down the demon. Fools regard it as an angel -those who know better believe it to simply be a more powerful demon. [center]...[/center] New York, New York, 1923. A young child aged no more than ten is found wandering the streets, pale and wasting away, right arm missing. As luck would have it, or possibly fate, a philanthropist of a man was the first to find the boy, and took him in. A lawyer by trade, at least on paper, the man was in possession of far more... interesting talents off of the books. A master of the arcane, the lawyer by name of Frank Murdoch was a generous benefactor. Though he refused to teach his new prodigy the secrets of the arcane, he introduced him to the world of magic. Mr. Murdoch took special note of the boys interest towards demonology in particular. Their companionship was regrettably short lived -Mr. Murdoch refused to deal with demons in any way shape or form, but he made rather regrettable deals with some shady characters. When Frank was unable to pay a debt, the debtors came in storm. Realizing his time was coming to a rather swift end, Frank left the world in one final act of selflessness -sacrificing himself to hide away and save the child. Though the debtors came with a violent vengeance, they appeared to be satisfied on taking the life of Frank Murdoch and moved on after his blood was spilled. This left the young boy, a teenager now, heartbroken and alone. Whisked away from his life under unknown circumstances, only to have his new life torn away from him in a bloody mess. Had his relationship with Murdoch been stormy? Absolutely, the two seemed to disagree at every turn. But still, he loved Frank like a father, and was devastated at his loss. Depressed, he spent years locked away within the estate of Mr. Murdoch, studying all he could from the plethora of knowledge stacked on bookshelves. Though he briefly skimmed through all schools of magic, he was determined that Diabolism was the only place he would find the cure to his woes, and a way to save the life of his father. Eventually, Jacques' sweet memories of Frank Murdoch turned bitter, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Years of dealings with various demons gained him naught but pain and suffering, and he soon saw his 'father' to be at fault. He felt betrayed, abandoned by the man, and made an oath to himself to trust no one. In the rather mislead belief that only time now could heal his scars, Jacques found an arcane ritual from his fathers books -one to put him into an impenetrable stasis for a lifetime. [center]...[/center] On his awakening, Jacques found himself in an entirely alien world. A small town by the coast -Belfast, Main, appeared to be his new home. The year 2016(?) and he had no idea how he had been moved to this small town, but he was soon confronted by Seph Kane and Markiel Relov, seemingly intrigued by the time-travelling diabolist. Even disregarding his shenanigans spanning several centuries, Jacques showed talent in troves. While he found his studies after the death of his father to be inconclusive, he was able to, in the process, hone an already incredible talent for demonology. Though his talent for other magics was clumsy at best, he was a natural prodigy of the diabolic. [hider=Tl;Dr/Timeline] [u][color=indianred]Tl;Dr?[/color][/u] 1788, Paris, France there's a massive demon attack. A cult sacrifices a bunch of kids to stop it, but an unknown force ends up whisking away the kids and smiting the demon. 1923, New York, NY a one-armed child is seen limping around. Cool-guy arcanologist Frank Murdoch saves the kid, tells him about magic. Frank gets in debt with the wrong people, and gets magic shiv'd. The kid gets all angst-y and starts summoning demons to bring back Frank The kid gets daddy issues, and casts a magic coma on himself. The kid wakes up face to face with the dynamic duo themselves [s]Wells and Raick?[/s] [s]Batman and Robin?[/s] [s]Will Ferrel and Pharrel Williams?[/s] Seph Kane and Markiel Relov. Then goes on to train his diabolism further. [u][color=indianred]Timeline[/color][/u] 1781:[right]Jacques Baron is born[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1781-1788:[right]Normal childhood[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1788:[right]Jacques Baron (9 years old) half-sacrificed, then hidden away[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1788-1923:[right]Jacques kept in stasis by mysterious force[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1923:[right]Jacques (9 years old) reemerges, is taken in by Frank Murdoch[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1923-1930:[right]Jacques training under Frank Murdoch[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1930:[right]Frank Murdoch is killed, orphaning Jacques (16 years old)[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1930-1939:[right]Jacques self training[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1939:[right]Jacques (age 24) puts self in magic stasis[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1939-A year before present:[right]Jacques (age 24) wakes up under counsel of Wells and Raick[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A year before present-Present year:[right]Jacques acclimating to the new year, as well as training.[/right] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Present year: [right]Jaques (age 25) doing the best he can[/right] [/hider] [b][u][color=firebrick]C U R R E N T L I F E[/color][/u][/b] While not officially on the payroll of Wells & Raick, Jacques has been on a hunt guided by the organization. A demon of renown has been set free, a centuries old contract having hit it's expiration date. While Jacques has been making what seems to be great progress towards the binding of this beast, he is still far from a solution to the problem. [b][u][color=firebrick]P E R S O N A L I T Y[/color][/u][/b] Jacques' apparent laissez-faire attitude evident in simply looking at him is no facade. One of his most prominent traits is his lack of apparent care. He tends to have trouble understanding consequences, instead seeking out instant gratification. He also has trouble taking things seriously. He tends to make wisecracks whenever he deems it fit, whether or not it is truly tasteful.Linked rather closely to his careless attitude is a chronic sense of boredom that plagues Jacques. Jacques has trouble finding interest in anything that doesn't show immediate results, and gets bored quickly with things and even people who don't further his goals. That being said, Jacques' personality also shows a careful, measured side. His big picture skills are rather lacking, but in the face of immediate danger he is ever present, acting and reacting only with the utmost precision, as long as his relative clumsiness doesn't get in his way, that is. His paranoia is likely his greatest asset in this -having so much experience with demons has taught him to be paranoid of everything. Nothing is true until it's done as far as Jacques is concerned. Because of this paranoia induced stress, Jacques is often pushed to make impulsive decisions on the spot, often dangerous calls, despite seeming calculated and in control. Hand in hand with this impulsive behavior comes his most dangerous trait -years of suffering and trials, as well as demon taint in his blood, has given him a deadly temper. He often has a rather inappropriate rage in reaction to relatively small transgressions. He has trouble controlling this often unsanctioned anger, especially when in reaction to perceived threats -most notably to his status. He is almost arrogant in his diabolism, truly believing himself to be one of the, if not the, premier demonologist worldwide. He takes great offense to those who challenge that claim. His anger is also directed towards his own 'daddy issues' so to speak. Of course, there is more to Jacques than just these negative traits. Though he has trouble putting enough effort into anything to care, when he finds a person whom he truly cares for, he is unfalteringly loyal. Despite his anger issues, vengeful is not a word one would use to describe Jacques. He is very forgiving, even of those who directly betray him. On a more general note, Jacques truly enjoys happiness. If he's in a good mood and sees an opportunity to make someone smile or laugh, he will take it happily. Seeing others sad tends to only bring down his own mood. [b][u][color=firebrick]S C H O O L O F S T U D Y[/color][/u][/b] Diabolism (Demonology) [b][u][color=firebrick]S P E L L S P E C I A L I Z A T I O N[/color][/u][/b] Jacques specializes in the field of binding and controlling in regards to diabolism. Rather than making deals with demons to improve his own mastery of the arcane, he binds them to his will, surrounding himself with loyal familiars. [b][u][color=firebrick]S P E L L S A N D A B I L I T I E S[/color][/u][/b] [b][u][color=indianred]Personal spells:[/color][/u][/b] [list] [*][color=indianred]Silence-[/color] Cast with a simple hand gesture that is, by this point, muscle memory for Jacques. Manifesting as a ring of magenta-pink energy that flies true in the direction cast, Silence is a rather weak spell that has very little tax on Jacques' natural reservoir of mana(? No idea how the hell that works yet). In effect it is simple -it hits with the force of a medium-strength punch, and has the unique property of dispelling magic for as long as it lasts. That being said, it lasts for about half of a second after contact. While generally useless in truly stopping anything of arcane nature, it serves its purpose in being extremely disorienting. [*][color=indianred]Binding Pact-[/color] An incantation personalized to the needs of Jacques, the Binding Pact is what Jacques has used to subjugate demon after demon. At his best, Jacques can recite the entire incantation within a minute. It relies on the nature of the demon or creature he is trying to bind to determine it's success. When preforming the Pact, Jacques channels his arcane power through some form of implement, which almost always is the difference between a successful and a failed binding. Following true to the chemical property that 'like dissolves like', the Pact is far less likely to work should his implement be related to the nature of that which he is binding. Rather, Jacques relies on using the inverse of that which he is binding. For example, should he wish to bind a demon of destruction, he may use a bandage as his implement for better results, or a magical healing potion for almost guaranteed results. Inversely, should he wish to bind a healing spirit, he would use a torch, gun, or something similarly destructive as an implement. His most powerful personal spell, it is very predictably extremely taxing on his mana reserves. At his best, usable once per day. [/list] [u][b][color=indianred]Familiars:[/color][/b][/u] [list][*][color=indianred][u]BARON, THE SUBJUGATOR-[/u][/color] Baron the Subjugator, known once as the demon responsible for the French Revolution, is a powerful demon of unknown form who has bound himself to Jacques, and is quite likely the source of the young mans skill in handling demons. After being smote in the year 1788, the demon was forced into hiding. Injured within an inch of his life, the demon bound his essence to one of the surviving child sacrifices to save himself. Over the centuries of Jacques hibernating, Baron has slowly been rebuilding his own power. While nowhere near as powerful as he once was, the demon is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Baron presents himself as the patchwork of tattoos burnt into the flesh of his companion, Jacques. When manifesting his 'true' form, Baron appears as a mass of writhing tentacles of impossible number that protrude from the body of his benefactor. These twisting tentacles are of a smoky texture, fading in and out of reality in a pulsing manner, and glow with energy while channeling magic. Glowing eyes blink in and out of existence as the tentacles swirl, ominously staring at all around. The demons powers are of enough caliber to make all but the most confident of Demonologists hesitant to face his might. A set of magics based almost entirely around the capture, subjugation, and eventual assimilation of other demons, Baron makes the perfect compliment to a Demonologist. In addition to providing Jacques' ability to Silence others, Baron is able to lessen the mental resistances of those in the area with his magic, making victims far more likely to succumb to Jacques' Binding Pact. While his physical abilities are rather limited, his tentacles are not simply for show. In a pinch, they can be used to restrain aggressors with terrifying effect, with one caveat. He has trouble dealing with multiple at a time. The more targets Baron attempts to restrain, the less tentacles he has at his disposal, thus the weaker his grip becomes. Baron is heavily invested in the survival of his compatriot Jacques, for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, because they are rather inseparable in a literal sense. Though neither have sought one, there are very few spells available in the world capable of releasing Jacques from the grasp of the demon or peeling the demon from Jacques' soul. However, the demon stays with his human friend for a reason past that -he feels connected to the man, quite likely because of their literal connection, and sees potential in him. Thus, both are satisfied to keep their symbiotic relationship for the foreseeable future. [*][color=indianred][u]Quas, Wex and Exort-[/u][/color] A trio of imps under the indefinite service of Baron and Baron, each has a different specialization. Due to the nature of their Pact, Jacques can only summon one at a time. When Quas is present, he exudes an aura that bolsters Jacques' defense against the arcane. Without Quas, an average fireball would likely take Jacques out of commission, but with his assistance, Jacques would likely survive with 2nd degree burns. Quas also has the ability to enter a state of intangibility. While he is untouchable, he is also unable to affect the world in any meaningful way. Wex improves Jacques' mental barriers, allowing him to resist posession as well as spells that target his mind. Wex also has perfect memory, able to recall any information he is given. As such, Jacques has given him full access to his library -this gives him the opportunity to preform research on his opponents on the fly. Exort improves Jacques' physical defenses while present. Under the influence of Exort, Jacques has shrugged off small arms fire with nothing but a later bruise. Aside from this, Exort... well, he really doesn't do much aside from the occasional pun. [/list] [b][u][color=firebrick]E Q U I P M E N T[/color][/u][/b] [list] [*][color=indianred]Textbook behavior-[/color] Jacques carries a tome filled with pages on pages of text and pictures, detailing thousands of arcane creatures, specifically detailing demons and the like -summoning rituals, bindings, weaknesses, etc. [*][color=indianred]The Boy Scout-[/color] At all times, Jacques carries on him the most basic items to use as implements in his Binding Pact, so as to always be prepared. These include medicinal herbs, a candle with matches, an inkwell and pen, a pair of manacles, and a book of symbols, as well as more mundane items. [*][color=indianred]Handy-capped-[/color] His robotic arm -a simple prosthetic model made by the bebionic company. While it has little function past basic gestures and grips, a specialized magnetic grip is keyed to his walking cane. [*][color=indianred]"Lightning bolt!"-[/color] His walking cane has a rechargeable stun gun built into the tip -one that will only activate when used in tandem with his bionic arm. [/list] [b][u][color=firebrick]O T H E R[/color][/u][/b] -/- [/hider] Well, I think I touched on everything. Let me know if there's anything you need me to change. EDIT: Beat me to the punch, it seems, Poly. Well played, sir. Well played indeed