[hider=Arthur and Matka-Ura][hider=Arthur][center][h2] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ukEVtOL.jpg[/img] [color=7db0ff]Arthur Brzeziński[/color][/h2][/center] [color=7db0ff]Age[/color]: 22 [color=7db0ff]Normal Appearance[/color]: While Arthur’s force of personality can engage someone in an instant, his physical appearance is concerning. The man takes care of himself, and is well dressed, but he clearly seems to be suffering from some sort of chronic illness- or worse, drug addiction. While his genuine smile reaches up to his eyes, they’re framed by bags that could belong to a man 20 minutes older. Everything about the man speaks of lethargy and fatigue, even though he clearly tries to power through it. He isn’t quite frail, and would probably sport an impressive figure under different circumstances, but circumstances being what they are his six-foot figure is usually in a slouch, and the muscled he had cultivated as a youth have all but withered away. If nothing else, Arthur looks like he’s in dire need of a vacation- or ten. [color=7db0ff]Medium Appearance[/color]: When channeling, Arthur’s body becomes cloaked in black robes that shroud his face in an unnatural darkness. Two great horns grow from his skull and tower two feet over the rest of his body, though they feel weightless to him. While perhaps unsettling at first glance, the outfit overall is reminiscent of a priest, and he has an aura of… almost holiness to him. The horns act as the catalyst for his abilities, and in spite of their weightlessness are very real for anyone who might be caught on the receiving end of a charge. [color=7db0ff]Channeling Abilities[/color]: Arthur is able to imbue himself or his allies with immense strength, far surpassing normal human limitations. While nowhere near the strength of the Mother-Bull’s true form, when buffed he can lift up to a ton and carry it around with him, to say nothing of what his punches would be able to do. Still, he is not a trained fighter, and while the increased strength is a boon, his power is better spent being given to someone else. Within a range of 60 meters Arthur can lend half of this immense strength to another, though this generally leaves him otherwise useless in the fight. [color=7db0ff]Grade[/color]: University [color=7db0ff]Personality[/color]: There is a brightness to Arthur that is held back by his seemingly chronic exhaustion. The man is always quick to strike up a conversation and offer advice, but will be the first to decline to actually go and do something. There is an aura to him that has nothing to do with his spiritual energy, one that says “Yes, I actually give a shit”. Still, he’s not perfect. He can be a bit preachy, in particular when it comes to the environment, and he’s the type of vegetarian who judges those that eat meat. Easygoing but not careless, laid back but surprisingly judgmental on some things. It annoys Arthur to no end that he can’t discern what parts of his personality are his alone, and what has been influenced by a lifelong connection to Matka-Ura. Would he have always been an understanding- even fatherly- figure if he hadn’t been raised by the great Mother-Bull? He certainly wouldn’t be an adamant vegetarian without her spitting on “Devourers” and their inclination towards consuming life. He had become increasingly calm and level headed since the spirit had begun feeding on him, but it seemed as if she could effortlessly light a fire under him like in the days of his youth. Usually to irritate him, more than anything productive. [color=7db0ff]Background[/color]: For better or worse, Arthur has always had strong ties to the world of Spirits. However, unlike most Mediums, he did not form a contract with his Spirit. No, that contract was formed for him hundreds of years ago, in a land thousands of miles away. It was a fact that he held more than a little resentment for, but after 22 years Arthur had more or less come to accept his lot in life. Still, while a life of being bonded from birth was hardly a normal one, the young man did not lead anything resembling an extraordinary life. In fact, he’d always claim that his contract had been more of a pain in the ass than any sort of boon. And that was at least half true. Being bonded with Matka-Ura as a child had its benefits, and those benefits were part of its end in the centuries-long contract. Heirs to the Brzeziński line were never lacking for energy or spirit as children, both in the literal and figurative sense. The boy was never ill, and tackled both his school work and sports and a vigor that his peers couldn’t keep up with. Some tried to bully him, as children often do (Not the least because he carried a cow plushie out in the open even as he reached puberty), but Arthur was always quick to end any fight that started- much to his mother’s exasperation and his father’s understanding. Throughout it all Matka-Ura was his constant companion, though as he grew older the two developed an almost antagonistic relationship. Neither would go as far as to say they outright hated the other, but the two would constantly look for ways to irritate the other. Considering he still was forced to carry the spirit’s childish sealed form out in the open, the great guardian spirit seemed to have the upper hand in that contest. Still, as time went on the contract turned from beneficial to harmful. The spirit had [i]not[/i] simply agreed to help the youths of the Brzeziński family at no cost. They would be protected until they could be used as an energy source for Matka-Ura, much as man had domesticated animals for thousands of years. Even among Mediums Arthur had always possessed an abnormally high amount of spirit energy. However, even that was not enough for the great aurochs. She was mother to an extinct species, a guardian without her natural source of energy to draw on. When she finally began feeding on the teenager’s energy the change in him was remarkable to all but his father. Arthur stopped playing sports. He stopped scoring at the top of his class. Any attempts to goad him into a fight were met with half-hearted retorts and no real action. The youth, simply put, was exhausted. And while he has learned to manage that exhaustion over time, it has stayed with him for the entirety of the last seven years. As a kid he always dreamed of being someone who would change the world, but as the reality of his newfound lack of drive and energy settled in, Arthur had to swallow that he would never be able to push himself to be one of those people, that he didn’t [i]want[/i] to be anymore. It wasn’t as if the desire for change had left him, however. Instead, he settled on trying to raise the next generation of ambitious world-changers. While his grades had slipped into a freefall since feeding Makta-Ura, the teenager was able to stabilize in his senior year of High school. And while those grades were never able to recover to where they were before his contract began sucking him dry, he was still admitted to Lakewood University in order to pursue a degree in education. Keeping up with his studies became harder every year, but it was clear to everyone he met that he was fighting through [i]some[/i] kind of chronic illness. He was barely making his way through his program- but he was still in it. And now it was finally his chance to enter the classroom and actually [i]do[/i] something for the first time in years. Arthur was still exhausted, but he was finally [i]excited[/i] for the first time in a long time. [color=7db0ff]Other[/color]: He’d always wanted to take up boxing, a sport that probably would help him greatly right now. His father, Leonard Brzeziński, was a State Representative for decades before retiring from public life. He too was initially known for the strange disease that now seems to infect his son, though he began making a remarkable recovery two decades ago.[/hider] [hider=Matka-Ura][color=ffc330]Spirit Name[/color]: Matka-Ura [color=ffc330]Spirit Personality[/color]: Matka-Ura is… bitter. A caretaker by nature, but one who has seen all of her children killed, largely by humans. She has no love for mankind as a whole, and calls them the “Devourers”- destined to consume the entire world. Still, she is also a pragmatist. Humans killed her children, but humans also tried to protect them from extinction. The Brzeziński family was one such group of humans, and after bonding with their patriarch centuries ago, she has had enough experience with mankind to come back with a mixed opinion. Mankind was contemptible, but individual humans could be stomached. She has always had a high sense of duty and honor, and expects any agreement- even casually made- to be upheld to the letter. She may, for example, pity the strain her contract places on Arthur, but has no intention of ever easing its strain on him. A contract was made, and she would collect her due. It mattered little that the man she was now bonded to had no say in the matter. Her great span of time spent among humans has encouraged her to actually pick up some of their languages (Namely centuries-old Polish and modern English) and she communicates freely with her bonds. Perhaps not as “Equals” in the spirit’s mind, but it was far preferable to spending centuries communicating with scattered dreams and images. She delights in spending these abilities annoying the Brzezińskis whenever possible- out of boredom if nothing else. [color=ffc330]Spirit Appearance[/color]:[hider=True Form][img] https://66.media.tumblr.com/e38d94b3002cdf81b06ed8d5bde34b33/tumblr_o4pwwyD2oH1tkkze0o1_1280.jpg[/img][/hider] Matka-Uras is an absolutely massive auroch, even by the standards of the long-extinct cattle. A six foot tall, Arthur’s head would barely graze the underside of her stomach. Runes of unknown significance and origin cover her body, and two massive horns protrude from her head. Still, in spite of her massive size the earth seems to be untouched by her presence. Her hooves leave no marks upon the ground, and not even the grass remains bent where stands. Her entire form radiates power, dignity, and… sorrow, for those that look upon her. [color=ffc330]Sealed Appearance[/color]:[hider=Sealed Form][img] https://static2.nordic.pictures/28064473-thickbox_default/plush-toy-zoo-european-aurochs-28.jpg[/img][/hider] Ever since Arthur was a child Matka-Ura has chosen to seal herself in the form of a plush mockery of herself. At first it was merely convenient- plenty of children had stuffed animals and it allowed her to communicate with him in a less alarming form- but as time went on and the growing boy asked her to change her form, she remained as she was. More than that, she began to make sure that he couldn’t get rid of her, and Arthur would often find that instead of shut in his closet like he left her, the spirit would be clipped onto his backpack by the time he got to school. She seemed to take great pleasure in irritating him this way, and even now he found himself unable to persuade her to change forms or leave him alone. [color=ffc330]Summoning Abilities[/color]: Despite her massive size and strength, Matka-Ura’s abilities are not physical. Instead, she nurses her herd back to strength using the massive amounts of energy she has stored from centuries of feasting on the Brzeziński family’s spirit aura. While she could, technically, give energy until her reserves dried up, the Mother-Bull would outright refuse to do so, especially to aid “Devourers”. She is a pragmatist, and while she will give what she thinks she needs to in order to keep Arthur- and thus his future descendants- alive, she will keep whatever she thinks she’ll need to survive if the line suddenly dies out. She is a giver, but a stingy one.[/hider] [hider=Weaknesses]The biggest weakness the team brings, aside from Arthur’s chronic fatigue, is Matka-Ura’s bullheadedness. The spirit has agreed to protect Arthur (And his eventual descendants) but not smite his enemies for him. Even when her true form is summoned she will refuse to do battle with it, outside of trying to ward off any enemies that might get too close. She can also be incredibly stingy with her ability to restore spirit, and woe be to anyone who asks for more than she’ll willingly give. The two also just generally lack a fighting spirit. The Mother-Bull is reluctant to get herself involved in “Devourer affairs” and Arthur has largely lost the fiery spirit that defined his youth. [i]If[/i] he could ever convince his spirit to give back some of the energy she’d been feeding off him, and she willingly lent her powers to a battle, the two would be an incredibly formidable force. As it stands though, it’s far more likely that they’d die arguing before that happens.[/hider] [hider=Contract][center][h2] Świętomarz, Poland, 1537[/h2][/center] Peace. What Narcyz Brzeziński felt was absolute peace. He was in a vast pasture that stretched farther than the eye could see. He had no memory of how he got here, and nor was he particularly concerned about it. All around him were aurochs, some grazing quietly, while others lay sprawled out on the grass in slumber. The animals were close to his family. They had watched over a small herd in their kingdom for hundreds of years, and even used the animal as their standard when marching to war. The Brzeziński family were not the most powerful nobles within the kingdom, but they lived comfortably. Surely the sign of so many in this place was a good omen. Still, as he looked around and gathered his wits he realized that something was… off. A different feeling began to creep into his peaceful existence, and Narcyz realized this place was far too still for the amount of life present. Cautiously, and wishing he had either a sword or lance with him, the man began exploring the pasture. It didn’t take long for him to come upon one of the sleeping aurochs and realize the reason for the strange stillness. It was dead. All of the sleeping aurochs were dead. [i][color=ffc330]Yes.[/color][/i] With a start the man turned around, intending to search for the source of the sudden voice, but he didn’t need to look hard. Immediately behind him was another aurochs, although this one far dwarfed the others in the pasture, and outsized the man by an order of magnitude. It’s body seemed to glow golden in the light of the sun, and markings that he could neither read nor recognize adorned its great body. He had never laid eyes on anything like her, and yet he knew- [i][color=ffc330]Yes.[/color][/i] It answered for him before he could even finish the thought. Matka-Ura, the great Mother-Bull. Guardian spirit of The Aurochs. [i][color=ffc330]Your people-[/color][/i] The great Mother-Bull continued before he could collect his thoughts; [i][color=ffc330]Brzeziński. Your ancestors once made an oath to my children that you would see them prosper. You imprison them on your lands, you devour them as Humans devour everything, but still you have kept a number of them alive. For this, I forgive the harm you have inflicted upon my children, because everywhere else…[/color][/i] The thought did not need to be finished. All throughout the pasture, dead aurochs littered the landscape. They used to be spread far throughout the lands, but everyone knew that Poland was the last kingdom where they could be found. Even there though their numbers shrank, and the Brzezińskis controlled one of the last herds of significant size. [i][color=ffc330]Your ancestors made an oath- and that oath has been found wanting. Is the honor of the Brzezińskis so little that they would forsake their promises? Prosper! My children have done naught but wither over time.[/color][/i] As intimidating as Matka-Ura was, Narcyz could not overlook this slight to his own honor. His family were not kings, they did not have the power to overlook an entire species! “[color=7db0ff]I beg your forgiveness Mother-Bull, but my family has done everything within their power to keep this oath. Your children on our lands are well cared for- and protected. We cannot oversee all of them-[/color]” [i][color=ffc330]Clearly.[/color][/i] The great Mother-Bull’s eyes seemed to narrow after spitting out this interruption, but the expression was quickly replaced by one of… Resignation? Sorrow? [i][color=ffc330]I have brought you here to give you a way to… amend this stain on your honor. To make a new oath- this time to me instead of my children. A pact, in order to help preserve what little of my children remain.[/color][/i] A pact. While he had not been there for this oath that his ancestor had made, he had no reason to doubt that Matka-Ura would lie about it. His family [i]had[/i], after all, always deeply tied themselves to the herd of aurochs on their land. If indeed his family had sworn on the prosperity of all aurochs then they had failed miserably, and that stain on their honor was unforgivable. Already the thought of this invisible smirch was making the young noble’s blood boil- but still he hesitated. “[color=7db0ff]This failure would be forgiven if I bind myself to you, Mother-Bull? My family’s honor will be restored?[/color]” [i][color=ffc330]That would satisfy your honor, young devourer. To cleanse your whole line would require a commitment from your whole line. You and your children, to preserve what you could not make prosper.[/color][/i] The two fell silent for some time, staring back at one another. Honor was no small thing. Narcyz would be more than willing to kill a man who damaged it. He could, of course, refuse. Turn his back on the contract and forget it ever happened. What if Matka-Ura went to his children though? His grandchildren? What if they found out that Narcyz Brzeziński knew of the family’s stained honor, and refused to salvage it? Could he afford to ignore the deal? Could he afford to take it? After a while of internal conflict, the great auroch seemed to sigh. [i][color=ffc330]Is it not enough then, your honor? The honor of your children? Fine, then I offer this, devourer. For as long as your family is bound to me, I will insure that your heirs grow up healthy and strong- to the point where they can take over this contract in their own right. I will restore their spirit in their darkest times, and lend them strength to overcome their greatest trials. This I offer in exchange for the spirit lost to me by the death of my children. Give to me what has been lost from the dead, and protect what remains, and I will give to you your lost honor and protect those who do not yet live.[/color][/i] Narcyz searched her face for any final signs that this might be a deception. Then he nodded.[/hider][/hider]