UserName: Rtron
Character name: Althalus Marik
Age: 32
Mageblood type: Lues
Favoured Magic Class: Noxomancy(Shadows)
Previous Magic training: On the job training, so to speak. He's fairly quick at gathering shadows around himself to prevent horrid death.
Race: Human, Naersan.
Appearance: Armor:
The mask is nothing more than a scare tactic, having made a name of it(and thus, himself) when he worked as an assassin. Why fight when you can intimidate people? As a matter of practicality, his armor has runes of silence engraved(through Subscription) upon it all, combined with his, now unconscious, tendency to move in almost complete silence it gives him the unnerving(to some) habit of unconsciously sneaking up upon people, who only figure out someone is behind them through sound.
Face:
Althalus stands at five foot seven inches, a couple inches taller than your average Naerse human. He has golden eyes and a rather nasty scar going horizontally across his throat that gives his voice a slight rasp.
Short Bio: Althalus was born in Port Slaughter, son of a tavern owner whose wife was a rather skilled Vitalimancer who healed all the patrons who were injured. For a fee of course. For him, his older brother, and his younger sister born a few years later, it was a happy time. He had a caring father and a loving mother. Protection, warmth, shelter, food, and clean water. It wasn't so for a large amount of Port Slaughter. There are a few things one has to realize about Port Slaughter to appreciate how lucky Althalus was to be born to a Tavern Owner. There is only one rule that governs that town. Loyalty to Family. Whether they be adopted or related by blood, one doesn't betray, manipulate, cheat, or whatever else they do, their family, for any reason. Anyone who isn't family is a potential target or a potential victim. Most of the population is poor, and most of the population is tearing itself apart to survive. Muggings, scams. murders, thefts, the list goes on.
Althalus grew up in this world, yet he and his siblings were sheltered from it. A tavern owner had wealth, denizens of Port Slaughter liked to drink away their pain, and wealth meant power. Althalus's father was able to pay bodyguards to not only protect his tavern, but also his children. Still, his father taught them how to survive on their own. How to be ruthless, cold, efficient. For Althalus and his younger sister, these never really stuck. It wasn't that they
couldn't be ruthless, it was simply that his sister was too young(just having turned four a couple weeks ago) and Althalus preferred to be friendly, rather than terrifying. Respected and liked, rather than feared. Of course, that wasn't able to work in Port Slaughter, but he never stopped giving people at least one chance. The lessons stuck with his brother. Perhaps too well.
Althalus was 13 when he began displaying his aptitude for Noxomancy(rotting a coin, rather than someone's face thankfully), around the same time his brother(two years older than Althalus), began displaying an aptitude for Psychomancy. While their father began to search for a teacher for one or both of them, their mother began making sure they wouldn't accidentally do something stupid...like kill themselves by overusing their blood. She even went so far as to delve into the legends of Wild Magic. Much to Althalus's brother's interest.
In the following year his brother grew more withdrawn. Scribbling on a journal, talking, muttering, and snapping to himself, sneaking off at random times during the night(though only Althalus noticed this), he was jumpy, hostile, and seemed to be suffering from a decided lack of sleep. The family grew ever more concerned. He grew ever more withdrawn. The night of his fourteenth birthday(where his brother wasn't there) Althalus, overcome with curiosity, sneaked into his brother's room, determined to get a look at the journal. He had been lucky, and came at a time when his brother was gone. After a few minutes of dedicated searching, he was successful. Not the journal, but a page from it. Hidden behind the dresser, it appeared to be a list of names when Althalus unfolded it.
That's when the screaming began.
Shoving the paper into his pocket, Althalus ran too the noise, picking out the baritone roars of rage from his father, the shrieks of his mother, and the terrified wails of his young sister. The screams were coming from the Tavern, a purplish light glowing behind it. Just as Althalus reached the door, the wails were abruptly cut off, and the roars of rage and the shrieks grew louder, torn with grief. As he opened the door, he saw what should have been impossible. His brother, bloody sword in hand, over the still bleeding corpse of his sister muttering something Althalus was only able to make out part of. '-ld!'. In quick succession, the blade flashed again as Althalus stood their, frozen. Two more corpses hitting the ground. Every part of him screamed the need to run, to
flee, before this purple eyed monstrosity that had become his brother noticed and killed him.
Too little, too late. Even as his feet began to move in retreat, his brother noticed him. And spoke only one word. "
Stay." Althalus froze. His brother approached, slowly, blood still dripping from his blade. There were no explanations. No final words. No taunting. Just step, after step, until he was close enough to swing a the sword in a lazy arc towards Althalus's throat. To this day, Althalus has no clue what allowed him to break free. His own will? A mistake on his brother's part? Some small part of guilt? Whatever it was, it allowed Althalus to leap back. Far enough that he wasn't killed, but close enough that damage was immediately done. What happened next was a blur with brief moments of clarity. His brother, howling and gibbering as his body glowed with the purple light, twisting in inhuman ways. Stumbling out onto the street, looking for help. Collapsing in an alley.
A terrible mask leaning over him, a voice speaking to him in a strange accent. Then, darkness.
The mask wasn't, as it turned out, the person come to loot his corpse. Rather, it was someone to who Althalus was better off alive than dead. The man didn't give any name, didn't remove his mask, didn't do anything but be Althalus's mentor. "I need a partner. Getting too old to go alone on my missions. You're the lucky one who I decided wouldn't kill me later." 'Missions' turned out to be murdering people for money. Or, as Althalus's mentor insisted upon calling it, assassinating problematic people for a small fee. Though, he never did explain how a young girl could be 'problematic' to a young noble.
By the time Althalus was 22, he was good at his job. He helped his savior, and never even thought about betraying him. Name or no name. But, as the years had wore on, his mentor grew ever more paranoid. Till, the very night the man had been celebrating Althalus's birthday with him, he tried to kill Althalus. Althalus won, leaving the man gasping for breath with a knife in his ribs and his lifeblood pouring onto the ground. Althalus took the mask with him.
Ten more years passed, and Althalus made a living for himself. Even gathered a small guild of Assassins to help him out. But his brother was always a persistent one. Mages came. Mages came with their spells Althalus could do nothing to respond forcefully too, and killed his guild members. Althalus, barely escaping with his life, decided to run to the College of Mages. There at least, he would be able to learn how to use his long neglected magic.
Good Attributes:
Patient: Althalus is patient, very much so. It takes a lot to get him angry..or generally upset for that matter.
Career Killer: Althalus is fairly well versed in moving, and killing, silently, he's accurate with his throwing knives and competent with his array of daggers(hidden). He's killed at least one of the creatures on the face of Tien(Stretching from Naga, to Foreas, to even a Harmony). He can recognize most races and knows how to kill them quickly. Even if he's only had one of them as a target, he does his research. He's also quick to react and quick with his reflexes.
Optimistic: He always has an optimistic, slightly defiant, outlook on life.
Bad Attributes:
Procrastinator:Some, actually quite a few, would call him childish. Lazy.
Cheater: Due to his profession, open combat isn't exactly his style. He fights openly only when he has to, and even then he fights dirty and to get out of the open fight as quickly as possible. There's no such thing as a fair fight in his book.
Trusting: Despite everything, when you've earned his trust(after all, an assassin doesn't just go around trusting everyone he meets), he often refuses to believe that you would betray him, and makes emotional attachments quickly after.
Secret Word: Rebirth
Konan375
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