[hider=Ciel Lalune] [center] [b]Name:[/b] Ciel Lalune [b]Age:[/b] ?? Looks young. He forgot his age, but he likes to think he's of age. [b]Gender:[/b] M [b]Race:[/b] Human [b][i][color=0054a6]"From that day in the cave I swore to try to become a better person... I'm still trying."[/color][/i][/b] [/center] [hider=Appearance] [center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/hjeQjFr.jpg[/img] [i]Height:[/i] 166cm [i]Eye Color:[/i] Purple [i]Hair Color:[/i] Silver [/center] Ciel's malnutrition at birth made him look much younger and much shorter than his age, and other's attitude to treat him like a child annoys him. Ciel still hopes that drinking enough milk will make him grow taller and look more imposing. Alas... Ciel's preferred attire is usually tough leather and nearly fully covers him from head to toe, although most of the times he just wears whatever is given to him, which is just plain cloth. [/hider] [b]Personality[/b] Defeatist and shy, Ciel has a strict line between his friends and his enemies, acting quiet and aloof towards those he does not know. Unless Ciel has an especially strong stance in terms of morality or decision making, Ciel will act conflict avoidant in terms of decision making. He has trouble speaking and will stutter a lot, which is partially why he stays silent for most of the time. However, this does not mean that Ciel is not expressive or cold, as Ciel will do his best to help others he views as friends. Ciel is easily flustered and although he will appreciate compliments, doesn't actually know how to handle attention. Ciel is industrious and gets restless if there isn't anything to do, even if it is menial tasks. Most of the time, this means scouting nearby places or eavesdropping on others to see if he can help them without being noticed. However, Ciel is surprisingly vengeful and will viciously hunt down all those who betrayed him, the Crown and the Lalunes alike, and especially those who came from his original town of Naravini. When enraged, Ciel's usually calm disposition will turn into a clinical cruelty, aiming to tear enemies apart both emotionally and physically. Personal morality mostly hinges upon trying to find the best for the people he has decided to care about, even if it means he has to do morally questionable actions to reach that end. Ciel is painfully aware of his amorality, and beats himself up over his need for vengence; but in the spur of the moment, he can't help but let his suppressed temper rise. Ciel longs to feel like a part of a group, even if he tries to convince himself that he's better off alone. He has a complex about his skin condition that makes him difficult to feel tactile sensations and pain in general, and will pretend that he is able to feel things more than he really can. Ciel is good at keeping up appearances and insist everything is fine, but deep inside he knows that something fundamental died within him. Ciel's hobbies usually involve going up to the highest vantage point and gazing out at the landscape or the stars. He's heard that apparently the stars were supposed to represent tales of epic battles and flawless heroes, but has never gotten a chance to hear them. Perhaps out here Ciel would be able to find someone who does know. [b]History[/b] [hider=Teshmire, Naravini and the Lalunes] [center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/q7e7s1o.jpg[/img] [/center] Naravini was a sprawling economic powerhouse during its prime. The city itself grew initially over a cave system within a frigid sea crag as a measure of safety from bandits. Initially a city-state, it joined with the nearby Kingdom of Praxim in exchange for their powerful arcane knowledge and alliance. When trade started to flow through from West to East, the city's tight control over the few safe roads that passed through the surrounding mountain ranges became powerful economic assets. Along with the merchants and annual fairs, mercenary security troupes formed to accompany those who sought safety from the inevitable bandits that patrolled the old roads. But as travellers started to search easier ways to pass through the mountain ranges, Naravini's economic center was threatened. The lord of Naravini, Baron Teshmire, came up with a 'solution'. In secret, he hired the most dubious troupe of Naravini, a family-run guild of the Lalunes. With a wealth of hush money, he ordered them to strike down every adventuring party that ventured the mountains. As the legend of the ghosts of the 'haunted' mountains grew, so did Naravini's wealth and Teshmire's greed. The Lalunes became a staple for Teshmire's operations, some of which included abduction of children to indoctirnate them at a young age. With a shadowy force to enforce his might, Teshmire ruled over Naravini unopposed. But sure enough, the Lalunes could not stop the adventurers from progressing entirely - and soon a breakthrough was found that allowed safe passage across the previously uncrossable mountains and crags. With power slipping away and vengence on his heel, Teshmire's growing paranoia made him take the rest of his still-vast reserves of wealth and flee deep into the Naravini cave systems, never to be found. The Lalunes, now without a sponsor, warped into an autonomous criminal group of contract killers. Naravini fell into disrepair and in place of merchants and seafarers, pirates and bandits seeking refuge from prosecution within the sea fortress-like city of Naravini filled the streets. Even the most foolish adventurers seeking to find 'the lost gold of Naravini' came to fear the madness of the rotting city. When it became clear that the once proud city of Naravini was turning into a haven of criminals, the Praxim Crown sent a force of elite magi and knights to crack down. Although it initially seemed like the Crown would take the city through sheer might, the criminal underworld mainly spearheaded by the Lalunes used the city's labryrinthine caverns and streets to their advantage. The city became stagnated in a gruelling quagmire - fights between the Crown forces and gangs were constant, and every day seemed like a miracle that the city remained somehow standing. Some argue that the war that wages within Naravini is a waste of resources, others believe it is a necessary means to root out the criminal underworld for good. Only those who pull the strings from behind know the true nature of the battle for Naravini. [/hider] Ciel was born into one of the most turbulent times of port city of Naravini, stuck between the war between the Crown and the criminal underbelly. Perhaps had he been born into a kinder environment, his natural talent for arcane magic and curiosity could have been fostered; but instead, it became a curse that painted him as a candidate for the Lalunes. Abandoned at birth due to the dire cirumstances, he was inducted into the Lalunes as a responsive measure against the arcane attacks of the Crown magi. Dropped into a world of desperate competition but naturally disposed to concede than fight, Ciel grew up being content with the smallest share and instead seeking affirmation and belonging. Ciel was blindly loyal to the guild, throwing himself into the most dangerous attacks against the Crown forces in service of a guild that had apparently saved him from the streets. He didn't care how cruel or how degenerate his actions were, as long as there was a clear distinction of 'us' and 'them'. However, when his group was ambushed during an attack against a Crown stakeout, he was trapped within a cave and blockaded by the Crown forces. At first he awaited rescue as he had ensured a message was relayed back to the Lalunes. But when a message of a blank note was returned to him, it became apparent that the Lalunes had abandoned him. Ciel realized that the Lalunes were never the saviors that he had fantasized, nor was he any better for serving them. Ciel was just a pawn and a disposable blade now past its usefulness. Heartbroken and betrayed, Ciel quietly allowed himself to be captured by the Crown forces. The judge took pity on Ciel and instead of an execution sent him to nearby quiet cities to serve his peonage. Recently released early for his good behavior, Ciel doesn't quite know what to do. Ciel was aware of his past crimes and was aware that he can't ever go back. Naravini was still in gridlock and there was little Ciel could do to exact vengence on anyone either. Ciel has been serving menial jobs in local military troupes, as well as help out local farmers in penance. But the walls of Naravini were always in the back of his mind, daring him to enter again. ----- [b]Level:[/b] 18 [b]Class:[/b] Assassin (Arcane) [b]Profession:[/b] Scout, Herbalist [b]Stats:[/b] [i]Strength (STR):[/i] D [i]Vitality (VIT):[/i] C [i]Dexterity (DEX):[/i] B [i]Intellect (INT):[/i] B [i]Wisdom (WIS):[/i] E [i]Charisma (CHA):[/i] F [b]Resistances:[/b] - Pain, especially tactile senses - Minor Cold - Minor Darkness (nightvision to a limited extent, can't see past artificial darkness) [b]Equipment[/b] [i]Fey & Fel[/i]: Twin daggers Ciel received from a local blacksmith when he helped them get rid of bats from a cave. They're plain daggers with casting ambers in their hilt, doubling as arcane tools. Aside from occassional rust and wear, the blade is relatively well-kept. [i]Minor Herbalist Kit[/i]: Tools and small bandages to allow basic salves and poutices to be made from scavenged herbs. The toolkit itself is mostly improvised from various tools from other kits. [i]Shortbow w/ Arrows[/i]: A plain wooden shortbow with a handful of arrows for long range combat. [i]Lalune guild badge[/i]: A small copper badge with a flying owl. Has no uses since Ciel was effectively disavowed by the guild, but he has since kept it for sentimentality purposes. [i]Blank messaging paper[/i]: A grubby, little scrap of paper used by Lalunes to message each other. Similarily kept for sentimentality purposes, in spite rather than fondness. [b]Skills & Spells[/b] [i]Mark[/i]: Single out a target and set a corrupting [u]Mark[/u] on them. Gain armor penetration and critical hit multiplier against a Marked target. Marks persist until the marked target disengages, either the user or the target is defeated. A maximum of 3 Marks can be maintained. This skill has a Mana cost. [i]Vanish[/i]: Disappear from detection with a camoflaging spell. This can be used out of combat to increase stealth effectivity, disappearing nearly entirely from visual detection for the user only. This can be used in combat to disengage an enemy and escape combat. Fails against enemies with high detection skills, and is ineffective against arcane or thermal detection. This skill has a Mana cost and Cooldown. [i]Execute[/i]: Attack with the intent to kill, targeting existing wounds to ensure a kill. Deal bonus damage against opponents under 50% HP, scaling with critical hit multiplier. If used against a [u]Marked[/u] target, consume the [u]Mark[/u] to recover large amount of stamina, and immediately reset cooldown of [u]Vanish[/u]. This skill has a Cooldown. [i]Silence[/i]: Within a small field, suppress hostile magic. Completely negates effects of weak magic, but has reduced effectivity against magic stronger than the user. The user may completely concentrate on Silence to increase effectivity at the cost of continuous Mana drain and inability to react to incoming attacks. This skill has a Mana cost and Cooldown. [i]Hidden Fangs (passive) [/i]: The user deals bonus damage when attacking from stealth or when using concealed weapons against unaware targets. Against [u]Marked[/u] targets, deal additional armour piercing damage and recover mana. [i]Dynamism (passive)[/i]: The user is especially focused against their [u]Marked[/u] targets, and gains increased dodge chance against attacks from Marked targets. Becomes more effective over time, but is reset when attacking unmarked targets or when focus is disturbed via status effects. [/hider]