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 _______________________________NAME:
Croix
AGE:
30(?)
RACE:
Human
PRONOUNS:
He/Him
HOMETOWN:
Alphos
HEIGHT:
6'6
WEIGHT:
194lbs _______________________________
"The changing of this world is not as fearsome as it sounds." | _______________________________ Bearer Of The One Truth
Bearer Of The One Truth "Well met, do you have a moment to discuss the word of The One Being?"
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What are you?
APPEARANCE
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔"An irregular Missionary, perhaps. But a Missionary none the less."At a distance, Croix could easily pass for your stereotypical marauder or general thug. His build is stocky and tall, his face and body littered with scarring, strange markings and the general dirt that comes from travelling the Deadwoods. And his mangy shoulder length silver hair and beard. Yet when closer inspected his dress sense does not evoke that of a brigand, indeed, he is closer to that of a priest.
There are... Liberties taken with his choice of outfit compared to how one would typically picture a priest however. His collar is discoloured and appears homemade and his overall outfit is worn and tattered. Fitted more for Deadwood's hazardous terrain than a sermon. He wears two layers on his body, one being a standard black duster style coat while the other is a torn cloak worn over his shirt and jacket in order to protect against the colder nights and terrain. He also wears a wide brimmed black hat to combat against the sun along with handwraps to offer some degree of protection when needing to hold or tear through the sharp brambles in the heavily forested areas. CAPABILITIES
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔"To spread the word of The One Being. One must be ready to face those unwelcoming to hear it."In spite of his spirituality, Croix's skillset is much more suited towards his frame than his faith. Able to wield an axe or great-sword like it was a common long-sword without any obvious difficulty, yet his powerful frame does not seem to be justification enough for his raw strength and durability. While normally affable, even jovial, in a fight he seems overcome like a mad beast. Swinging his axe with enough force to split trees and taking punishment that should realistically stop him in his tracks all while seemingly revelling in the bloodshed like a man possessed. It is theorised by some who have seem him in battle that he is possibly part giant or split with another race, whatever he may be, it is not fully human.
In terms of weakness however, Croix is not unstoppable. While he can swing weapons his height without any physical problems on his part, he is still slower on the swing than someone using a much lighter weapon. Furthermore, his style is inherently bestial, meaning that while it often only takes one hit from him to at least force an enemy into panic, his attacks can be blocked, dodged or parried by skilled or fast enough enemies. Lastly, while near everyone is susceptible to magic regardless, Croix seems to be debilitated by it more than most. His strange durability means he can withstand it most of the time but offensive spells that hit or effect him often make him clutch his head in pain or even make him fall to his knee outright while he composes himself. EQUIPMENT
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔"My faith is all I require... And perhaps some wine."Croix typically travels quite light, typically his largest and most prominent item is his Axe for which he has no scabbard or way to hold it save carrying it rested against his shoulder. Beyond that his notable items are a small coin purse with rarely much currency within and his leatherbound locked tome, the key for which rests on a necklace that Croix never removes. Although often friendly, if offputting, he is extremely protective of his book and will politely but firmly deny any one else the chance to read its contents or even hold it. Though vague, Croix at most insinuates the book is related to his religion and knowledge of The One Being but refuses to go into much detail beyond this. |
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Who are you?
Who are you?
GOAL
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"Endure. And in enduring, grow strong."
Quite simply put, Croix hopes to spread and preach the word of The One Being wherever he travels. Croix is incredibly strong but he is still one man, by journeying the Deadwoods alongside others he is eager to deepen the reach of The One Truth. It is hard to imagine he can do worse anyway, considering he touts a religion no one in the land has heard of and its followers amounts to just himself.
PERSONALITY
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"Our fires never stop burning, friend. All we can do is temper them. Through hope... And through faith."
Croix is a conflicting and strange presence to get an accurate reading. Most of the time he is quiet yet polite and even friendly. As though he is existing in an alternate world unseen by the rest of the Deadwoods. He is willing to listen, patient even to the most belligerent of people he finds himself in the company of and of course more than eager to discuss the various faiths of the land as well as espouse on his own.
Yet he is also unsettling, Croix has a strange manner about him, a serenity that often makes him come off as detached and indifferent to the horrors that surround him. His hopefulness, while seemingly genuine, can easily be seen by others as denial or rejection of the current state of things. In his mind, The One Being represents change and the current state of the world is merely its endurance as it forms into something new and is not to be frightened, but this is little comfort to those who consider themselves more in touch with reality. This is all to say nothing about him in combat, where he seems to regress into a monster of man, laughing and hollering with joy at the carnage he unleashes. While he can tell apart friend from foe and even strategize and coordinate his attacks when in enough control of himself, he seems to revel in the suffering inflicted upon his enemies.
While he is a friendly and outright optimistic sort regularly, there is undeniably a darkness to him that lurks underneath his warmth, hope and faith.
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Why are you?
Why are you?
"Who I was does not matter. I am something more. Changed."Croix's birth was unremarkable, a meeting between two members of a Bone Clan no doubt long since claimed by the harsh world. Unwanted by both parents he was birthed and left in the city of Alphos. This, truthfully, should be the were the story ends as life for children in general is not comfortable for most of the Deadwood's denizens yet Croix survived. Adopted, so to speak, by an orphan house in the city. Life was almost idyllic growing up for Croix, his fellow orphans being a motley crew that looked out for one another, something out of a story book really.
As happy stories typically go in the Deadwoods, it ended up taking a dark turn. Around the time Croix became a teenager, his home and friends began to act stranger around him, introducing new phrases and worldviews little by little as he grew older. He learned not to question the wisdom of the people who had so generously took him in yet he could feel himself slipping away piece by piece as information was filled into his head. About the power and superiority of demons and magic over the common man, the inevitability of demonic rule over these ruined lands. By the time Croix was becoming an adult, he was all but indoctrinated into the cult that his caretakers truly were, along with the rest of his brothers and sisters.
The cult consolidated their people and resources into a single purpose, their goal to summon and bind a demon to their will. In spite of being a small ramshackle orphanage in Alphos, the cult had grand ambitions of a crusade, led by demons and their own magical prowress, to slaughter or enslave the denizens of the Deadwoods and Exusia to their rule. The idea was that by binding and forcing a demon to submit to a mortal host, not only would that person's physical and mental capabilities shoot up considerably, it would give the mortal access to the demons unknown and strange magic, perhaps even eliminating the need for rituals all together. Each iteration of this ritual resulted in the chosen host simply twisting and contorting to disgusting angles before perishing, in one case outright exploding. But Croix was so conditioned by this point he did not question the horrors subjected to him and his once loving family, until the night where his name was called.
The Cult had failed repeatedly and was growing more and more desperate as their once small company of loyal followers began to dwindle. Croix, by that point being their physically strongest follower left, was ostensibly their perceived best chance at successfully binding the demon to a subject who could withstand it. The ritual began and the incantations murmured in the dead of night, Croix's eyes shut, awaiting either successfully serving his masters yet again or the embrace of oblivion. But something unexpected occurred. As Croix shut his eyes a light engulfed him, a disembodied voice spoke, one that opened his eyes to the lies upon lies fed to him almost since his birth. In what felt like an instant, with information it could not possibly know, the voice unravelled Croix's mental conditioning and awoke him to the truth. That voice was 'The One Being' and it needed a follower to begin prepping the world for what would soon follow. When Croix awoke, it was in the blood of his former family, those that had only ever saw him as either a tool or a fellow disciple. Yet, he couldn't feel any sadness, instead for possibly the first time in his life, he felt hope.
Though his body seemed change from the experience, that he was still alive seemed to indicate The One Being had intervened before it could destroy him completely. Armed with faith, his mind and something rarest of all in Deadwood, optimism. Croix left Alphos and travelled the land, stories began to emerge about a strange mountain of a man in a wide brimmed hat, preaching change and forgiveness as he went.
It was not until word reached him of the expedition organised by the Queen in Exusia that Croix felt purpose beyond merely spreading The One Truth. With this quest he could perhaps understand the Cataclycsm, find out what the world would change into under The One Being, use the gold and status offered by The Queen to even begin a full church if possible. These thoughts invigorated Croix's already unshakeable belief, with a smile he set off. Eager to spread The One Truth in earnest.
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What else is there?
What else is there?
The One Truth - In spite of its far reaching consequence of implication, Croix's religion is actually quite straightforward. Croix believes in a deity known as The One Being, one who exists in every form of religion as their god (or gods) as well, merely in a different face and manner. The idea is that The One Being seeks to unite the people of Deadwood in preparation for the world's change into something new after its destruction. Croix believes that, while not strictly benevolent, The One Being exists to facilitate change in the world and all things. Growing them into a better version of their original self or something outright new, and that this process is merely happening to the greater land as it morphs to something better, or at least different. There are other specifics to it but this, above all else, is the 'One Truth' Croix is so passionate in spreading to the world.
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