Is it No Naught November already?

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[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/19vGYhP/The-Nihilist.png[/img]
[h3]"[color=AB66E5]To exist is to suffer, to forever be burdened by pain, hunger, the frailty of man... Allow me to ease you of such burdens![/color]"[/h3][/center]
[color=AB66E5]Name[/color]: Cipher

[color=AB66E5]Gender[/color]: Male (0)

[color=AB66E5]Abilities[/color]:
Aside from the physical and blood-borne abilities of a vampire, Cipher possesses all manner of 'dilettante' knowledge. In particular, he is a genius mathematician, navigator, and astrologer, although much of his knowledge seems to have been lost in the interim, a consequence of his long life. Cipher also possesses the ability to calculate information at rapid speeds, although this ability has somewhat degraded ever since his reawakening. However, none of these skills are as impressive as his master over the stars, and what lies between them.

A master navigator of the Crimson Star, Cipher's signature magic is known simply as [b]Null Nihil Naught - the Origin of All[/b]. In essence, it is the creation and utilization of 'rifts' within the world, allowing one to travel from one point to another at an instant. In other words, wormhole generation. The farther and more esoteric the destination, the more difficult it is to create a rift to such a place. If one uses this magic with reckless abandon, there is a chance they may open a rift to the darkest of places between the stars, where countless horrors lie in wait. As such, precise coordinates are required to achieve the best results.

It is quite strange that this is Cipher's sole magic, as he was known as a grandmaster of the Crimson Star in his time. Perhaps even his skills at magery have degraded over time, lost to the long slumber and his apparent degrading sanity.

Perhaps what's stranger is how Cipher had adopted a rather vicious new mode of combat utilizing monofilament wires embedded within the fingers of his gloves as a deadly, if unorthodox weapon. These wires have been reinforced with blood magic to a degree, adding some sort of control to an otherwise wild method of attack.

[color=AB66E5]Personality[/color]:
A man whose head is truly in the stars. Aloof and apathetic of most things around him, Cipher's attention is directed to what is beyond. After all, he is a man consumed by his own desire; to achieve eternity, immortality, and everlasting life. His opinion of other vampires is that of pity, seeing them all as trapped in the perpetual cycle that is hunger and satiation. This extends especially to other humans, of whom he sees as especially pitiful due to their mortality.

In essence, a man who only cares to look at the big picture, missing the most minute of details. Perhaps this very nature would lead to his downfall, to be consumed by something much smaller than himself.

[color=AB66E5]Bio[/color]:
The man known as Cipher was once an academic of no small renown, a philosopher from a time when philosophy was held in great regard. His true name had been lost to time, but many of his contributions had progressed civilization forward, credited to his students, followers, and admirers. He did not care for such fame and fortune, as there was only one thing he sought in his quest for knowledge: Eternity, immortality, the chance to live everlasting and free from the struggles of the mortal form.

It was through his studies that he looked to the stars, and to the darkness between. It was from this darkness that he had found his scarlet salvation. His captivating countess, clad in crimson, promised him eternal life and more so long as he swore fealty to her, and offered his blood in her name. Such a proposition could not be denied, and soon, the long-lost philosopher king would then be known only as Cipher.

Once an influential mage and advisor to the First of the Undead, Cipher soon grew at odds with his unliving status, not wishing to suffer the hungering pangs of a bloodthirsty vampire. He would grow increasingly complacent in his role the further he increased his mastery and understanding of the stars. It only made sense that Cipher would abandon his court at a time where his abilities were most needed as the Hundred Paladins began their crusade.

Cipher had warped to what he believed was his answer to his thesis, the origin point of all life and existence, a place where he would remain eternally so. Instead, he merely found himself in the wilds, probably the place where the first two humans had fucked or something. It didn't take long for a squad of paladins to find Cipher's whereabouts, brought forth by a peculiar blood mage...

[color=AB66E5]Anything else[/color]: Cipher wears a strange helmet that covers his entire visage. Some say it is to protect his head both physically and socially, for his visage was completely masked. A hypothesis closer to the truth would suggest this mask allowed him to see deep into the stars, and what lies within. In truth, it was merely a glorified shade that allowed Cipher to gaze at the stars eternally without hurting his eyes.

Cipher also has a pistol. He knows how to use it.

Perhaps something most peculiar about Cipher is how... off he would seem after his awakening. It's as if he received much more than mere silvered wounds. What isn't known to him, or anyone else in Ichor's fledgling court, is that the Blood Mage that had aided in his death had left something quite insidious within his very being, a 'parasite' that should not once be awakened....

[hider=Unfortunately...]... It has already taken root.
[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/JCqw5RD/The-Puppeteer.jpg[/img]
[h3]"[color=D3CD26]My pawns are in place, my bishops have you cornered, and my knights are at your throat. Your king will be mine. [i]You will be mine.[/i][/color]"[/h3][/center]
[color=D3CD26]Name[/color]: Ivaroth "Iv" Fortinell

[color=D3CD26]Gender[/color]: A Master of Puppets transcends all form of identity! (Male)

[color=D3CD26]Appearance[/color]: 
A frail boy clad in extravagant attire, Iv stands at a mere 4'9" and sports a rather sickly composition, even as a vampire. Of note, his gloves seem to be laced with thin fibrous wires soaked in blood, a medium for his particular affinity of magic.

[color=D3CD26]Abilities[/color]:
While Iv possesses the physical capabilities of a vampire, he is still physically weak in comparison to others of his kin given the nature of his transformation as well as the blood-borne illness that plagued him before he was turned. Inversely, Iv's sports an extreme compatibility with blood magic due to this very same illness. His primary use of Blood Magic is known as [b]Hematic Hegemony[/b], utilizing a series of specially-crafted wires that act as artificial blood vessels. When properly embedded into a living being, they would find themselves 'bound' to Iv's very will, commanded like grotesque marionettes. Sporting an unfathomable potential in the art, it would not be far off to call Iv a genius when it comes to blood sorcery.

However, it seems that Iv had focused his magical knowledge towards a specific niche. What could be considered a cross between Blood Magic and Summoning, Iv specializes in the art of creating familiars: beings who are subservient to their master while also being an 'extension' of the master. Iv's aptitude revolves around the creation of more powerful familiars, favoring quality over quantity. By domineering the bodies of powerful beings through his Hematic Hegemony and slowly integrating their existence into his, he is capable of turning even the most powerful of corpses into a mere part of him. Of course, this process is delicate and time-consuming, with particularly incompatible existences being an extremely painful procedure.

When a familiar is fully integrated, they are able to take the form of Iv's limbs, replacing his frailty with their prowess. Iv has only integrated one familiar into his body so far, the Vampire Lord known as Cipher. However, due to the grisly nature of Cipher's death and Iv's own inexperience in the creation of familiars, Iv was incapable of replicating his knowledge or maintaining his full affinity with the Crimson Star. While Cipher takes the form of Iv's left arm under normal circumstances, he is the form that Iv has chosen to 'adopt' given the position he has found himself in.

An imposter among the vampire lords, one would say.

While his primary fighting style involves the use of familiars, he is capable of using his blood-soaked wires as an insidious, "unseen" weapon. Its potential for slaughter is high, although these wires are somewhat unwieldy, controlled via Blood Magic.

[color=D3CD26]Personality[/color]:
Iv conducts himself as a "mage" first, and a "vampire" second. However, it could be said that his very mentality as a mage is inherently the same as that of a vampire. That said, he does not see the disparity of the living and the dead in the same way a 'true' vampire would. Instead, Iv views all in one of two lenses: the weak and the strong. The weak are there simply so that the strong could have those to tower over. They are simple tools at his disposal, whether it is a soldier to fight his battles or a sac of blood to satiate his hunger.

The strong, however, are those that hold Iv's true respect. Those who make their mark on the world, the few who hold power, [i]true[/i] power, over the many. In Iv's case, he holds mental acuity in the same light as physical prowess, if not moreso, given his background as a mage and scholar. The strongest among the strong are those that Iv would idolize, superior beings to strive towards becoming... and to Iv, this desire to 'become' another can be interpreted as very literal.

Iv is a man who looks up to the strong, and who desires to become even stronger. That said, this does not mean he disregards the weak. After all, even the most pitiful and insignificant of maggots could be feasting on the flesh of even the gods. An ambitious man who holds the strong above else, but stays wary of the weak. A natural 'lord,' some would say, though it is more accurate to refer to him as a 'dragon' of sorts.

[color=D3CD26]Bio[/color]:
The heir of a long line of human heroes, it is said that Ivaroth was destined for greatness, one who is said to bring an end to the undead... or at least, that was what the prophecies promised. Instead of the strong	child that was promised to the Fortinell, what came was a sickly disappointment that could nary lift even himself from bed, let alone a sword. A shamed secret of the Fortinell, Ivaroth was instead sequestered away, his very existence censured and written off as a "death at birth."

As he grew older, Ivaroth had instead began a pursuit for knowledge instead, believing that he should fortify his mind as he was unable to do so with his body. It helped that he was all but forgotten, his duties as a lord abandoned to his more able-bodied siblings. He grew increasingly fascinated with the nature of the world itself, particularly in the fantastical beings that had been abundant in the Ophidiel Era. This fascination had lead him into reading into the studies of magic, something he had an astounding interest towards.

It did not take long for Ivaroth to delve into the forbidden, reading of the dark magics that humanity's darkest of foes have used. It was through this that Ivaroth discovered his affinity for Blood Magic. Ironically, it was the very sickness that plagued Ivaroth's entire life that also afforded him a great affinity with this art. At the mere age of 10, he had even developed his own foundation of magecraft in this art, utilizing wires attuned with his blood in place of vampiric abilities.

Ivaroth believed that this magic would give humanity an edge towards the undead beasts that plagued them. Naturally, he had ran away from home when he was barely of age, answering the call of the Hundred Paladins under the guise of a wizard named 'Iv.' While he was not given the honor of wielding a silver sword or given any of the blessings the others have received, Iv was still attached to a squad of Paladins as an auxiliary support. After all, one cannot expect much from a frail scholar.

It was through Iv's magic, however, that they were able to track down and slay a particularly powerful Vampire Lord, a pilot of the stars who possessed a maddening form of magic. In the end, while this lord was cut to pieces, the paladins Iv had ventured with had been afflicted with a strange madness, having seen things man was not meant to apprehend.

To Iv, however, this 'madness' had instead awakened a form of ambition within him. As he gazed upon the vampire's cosmic powers, he too saw beings of great and unfathomable might. To be mighty and powerful, to not be overlooked for his physiological failings... such power was tempting to Iv. It was at this moment that Iv could truly attain such heights, surpassing the frailty of his own mortal form.

And so, he had decided to put a hypothesis to the test. It was a theory that he had once abandoned before due to how maddening it sounded. Firstly, he had forced the remaining Paladins he was traveling with against each other, taking those who were dead or succumbed to their madness under his control. Like puppets under his command, Iv had them slay their fellow brothers and sisters before aptly killing themselves. When his former compatriots were finally taken care of, Iv then implanted his strings into what remained of the star-scourged vampire lord they had been sent to slay.

The lord's forbidden knowledge, maddening magery, and blasphemous blood had surged into Iv all at once. It was something he couldn't control, something he couldn't maintain. Iv knew that slowly, but surely, he was fated to die with the rest of his companions, to die with the quarry they had slain. And yet, Iv chose to live, to stubbornly cling to whatever semblance of life he had left. Power was so close to him, he could not let it get away!

And in his fleeting moments, before he had succumbed to his own maddening ritual, he had heard a voice in his head. Gentle, yet fierce. Welcoming, yet foreboding. It had promised Iv the power he had sought in exchange for mere fealty.

Given his situation, there was nothing Iv could do but accept.

[color=D3CD26]Anything else:[/color] Iv walks with a cane, with a ritualistic dagger hidden within its shaft. It is made of a similar material to his blood-soaked wires, and serves many purposes in his sanguinary rituals.

Iv is something of a polyglot, proficient in many of the old Human languages in the Ophidiel era. Whether this translates to languages of this 'new' era remains to be seen.

Iv can make a mean blood parfait.
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