Arkol
05-07-11, 07:11 AM
(I hope I didn't get carried away with this..lol)
Name: Arkol of the Irontree Clan
Age: 97 (not including time spent in sleep)
Race: Undead (formerly of elven and orcish heritage)
Hair Color: Dull sleet
Eye Color: Faded blue
Occupation: Dark Druid
Appearance:
To most onlookers, Arkol bears an unsettling figure with brazenly pointed ears and a tiny pair of sharp fang-like tusks. Easily looking for one not quite dead, he appears completely drained of vitality.
Arkol has pupil-less eyes tucked underneath a heavyset brow which show little sign of life and pallid white skin streaked with haphazard branches of violet colored veins. He has long tied back hair of a dim silver color that appears as though it was struck by lightning and it reaches far down his back. Though tall, his posture is slanted forward with a thin unevenly shaped torso that appears small due to his unusually long limbs which bear strange bulges of flesh that do not appear to be muscle.
The clothes Arkol is seen wearing are hard, tough looking leather items all showing blue and black, with blue being the outer color and black being in the inner parts. Though worn out by time, they do appear to still be battle worthy. The leathers seems most tightest on his shoulders, with pauldrons in the shape of a lotus flowers from which is tethered a long tattered violet cloak. Covering the lower part of his face is a black cloth mask tied around the back of the head in a knot. It is here where his small set of tusks jut out from.
History:
A long time ago in uncharted lands, all manners of Elves, Orcs and Humans of assorted groups and clans lived and sometimes warred over territory, resources and mutual hate. This lasted till the Elven Rainshadow Clan under mysterious circumstances began to swell in power and assert dominance over the land. Using dark and forbidden sorceries that tampered with the essence of nature itself, they brought new and horrifying weapons to the battlefield with soldiers and spellcasters empowered by forces never before seen. It was they who through tremendous arcane effort and dark ritual grew a great tree of corruptions in the heart of their land and reaped its many gifts. The Rainshadow was a force looking to change the world and forcefully united any conquered Elves, Orcs and Humans underneath its banner and destroying their past cultures to create one united clan of many races. As the lands of the Tree of Corruption thrived underneath its miasma, so did the Rainshadow create new clans to act on their own as vassals.
Arkol was born of the Irontree Clan and deemed to have a close enough affinity with the Tree of Corruption to become an acolyte in the order of Dark Druids. Eventually, he became fully initiated and forced to be planted with a seed from the Tree of Corruption itself as all Dark Druids were required. The seed, through much suffering and torment on Arkol's part feasted upon his life force. Over time, the seed tainted his body, slowly warping and changing every fiber of it. Eventually his body was all but dead yet still kept alive unnaturally by the seed which became the heart that sustained his new undead body.
As soon as his ascension started to take hold however, many of the enemies of the Rainshadow Clan, Orc, Elven, Human alike united to stand against what they saw to be the true threat to all their lives. Their fear of the corruption growing across the land grew much greater than that of their past enemies, and together they put aside their differences to make a war with the Rainshadow and all its clans that lasted decades. After much ruin and devastation, the united free races succeeded in penetrating the heart of the Rainshadows capital and destroyed the tree of corruption. All touched and blessed of the trees taint were hunted without mercy and the vast corrupted stretches of the former Rainshadow Empire began to slowly be healed and purified through the works of High Elven Druidry.
Arkol became part of a increasingly shrinking enclave of remaining Rainshadow forces and eventually he had no choice but to return to his war embroiled Irontree swamps and take refuge in the most secret and most hidden of the Dark Druid crypts and slumber there indefinitely. With all the most powerful Dark Druids slain, there was no choice but the lesser ones to have to sleep for many years if any hope of the Tree of Corruption's legacy to survive.
He did not know how many years it had been, but one day Arkol awoke in a place he did not recognize. Had even the underground sanctums changed after so long? Unable to locate the rest of his fellow Dark Druids, Arkol had no choice but to venture to the surface. Discovering the land to be only wasteland and devoid of any life. He ventures to the lands known as Althanas to see if one day a new tree may one day be planted in a land still full of life.
Skills:
Toxicology (has a wide knowledge of what produces the best poison and acids)
Herbalism (wide knowledge on the properties of many common and rare forms of plantlife)
Staves (Above average):
Having trained underneath a military sect armed with staffs to bludgeon opponents, Arkol is above average when fighting with such a weapon, able to make far more impressive blocks, flourishes and attacks than the common fighter.
Throwing (Expert):
When Arkol throws something, it almost always ends up where he wants it to be. Not only is his aim accurate, but the velocity at which he could throw an object is also impressive.
Hookshot (Above average):
He is above average in using a hookshot, able to aim it well enough and utilize its ropes correctly for it to be a reliable utility for both combat and mobility.
Rope handling (Avove average):
Arkol never gets caught in his own lengths of rope and can swing and climb from such material with ease as well as creating sufficiently effective bindings for captors.
Alchemy:
Arkol is able to mix components together to cook various substances and chemicals that include simple salves, poisons likely deadly upon ingestion and corroding acids that inflict terrible pain if applied to bare skin while leaving deep scarring. He is also able to make a few terribly addictive solutions if using the necessary components.
Wilderness survival: Vast knowledge of the natural world makes Arkol an expert pathfinder and able to recognize the dangers and sanctuaries of the world and where certain things live. In his past life he knew much about protection from the elements but this is unnecessary now with his undead body, completely sustained by the dark seed within himself.
Oceanic dredging: Most newly raised sentient creatures in undead bodies are uncertain about the prospect of living underneath bodies of water, but throughout the years Arkol has gained an intimate knowledge of the depths and gained skill in traversing them. He is familiar with the ways life works in the seas and knows much of currents and their dangers to make himself able to move and fight throughout liquid environments with ease that most of the living lack.
Animal empathy: Arkol knows how to very easily keep calm wildlife, making himself seem a friend even in their own home unless tamed by someone else to attack.
Abilities:
Living Corruption:
The seed of a dark sapling pulses strong within Arkol, his very blood completely changed by the dark saps and fluids within. He may apply at will the powerful influence of the Tree of Corruption on living things such as plants and animals by touch or spreading smoky dark violet spores around an area. Spreading corruption takes effort out of the sapling, the force which powers Arkol's body so he has to be methodical and careful not to render himself weak while utilizing this. Plantlife does not take long corrupt or much amount of spores while animals require a few hours of consistent exposure before starting to change.
Plants that are corrupted physically change and gain properties of dark magic that could make them drastically different than before. A corrupted herb is much more versatile in its application to Alchemy as it can potentially gain properties that can be toxic, magically unstable, be very addictive or a mix of things. A certain few plants could become predatory and sentient if exposed a few weeks, developing parts they never had before and growing in size. The mark of a corrupted plant is always a red change to color, usually bright in tone and sometimes the presence of a faint black-violet miasma hanging in the air. The plants most responsive to corruption always turn violet in color which usually marks the few that turn sentient.
For animals a number of things could happen if they become corrupted, all of which are marked by hostile behavior, paler complexions, growths of thorns either along or jutting out the body, and reddish fur. Usually animals may develop seedlings inside of themselves, which almost always kills smaller creatures but bigger ones can become spore carriers if the rapidly growing seed takes root which could corrupt more plants and animals given a length of time. A very potent spore carrying beast usually becomes far more sluggish and slow moving than before. A different trait of corruption is a completely berserk behavior prone to attacking strangers of a habitat such as humans and is is more predominant in birds and smaller fauna than anything larger sized such as a bear, that while more hostile, is comparatively more docile if affected in such a way. In insects corruption is different as they embrace it more far easily than animals. The spores they produce do not hinder or madden them, but rather foster a very rapid growing rate particularly seen in spiders, which could make further generations reach unforeseen sizes if left unchecked.
Humanoids seem very, very resistance to any of this corruption and would have to live in a completely corrupted area for years before exhibiting any of the above effects. However if being directly seeded by a very potent seed of a corrupted plant by force, they could undergo a drastic change which is never certain as to what it could be.
Irontree Birthing:
The Irontree Clan has developed and specialized in fostering the lives of a variety of creatures in their very selves and Arkol has learned in the course of his time some amount of this. Once every day or so he could unleash about a hundred maggots with a pension for living flesh out from the birthing canals of his arms onto his enemies. These could chew through light armor, find their way through steel if it isn't completely covered and could potentially inflict heavy bleeding on an enemy if left undisturbed in large numbers.
Before a daily birthing however, Arkol cannot run fast and must bear the additional weight and tax on maneuverability with the maggots inhabiting his limbs.
Circlet of Leaves:
A branch of the Irontree military have fought primarily through the use of magically blessed leaves used as deadly projectiles.
Though Arkol is not nearly as skilled as they were, he could still call upon a circling crown of five weaker leaves over his head, which he could replenish if given a few seconds. Not as mastered as those of the Irontree Leaf Disciples, his leaves currently bear the sharpness and durability of glass and may only be willed to fly at an enemy one at a time.
Equipment:
Irontree Leathers:
A set of blue and black leather a little heavier and thicker than standard leather, but still allow for relatively unhindered manueverability. It is more reinforced and thickest around the shoulders and limb joints than the rest of the body body.
Irontree Stave:
A long, black staff with violet lining that forms a bludgeoning crown at its striking point. It is made from the cursed wood of the Irontree itself which looks like steel and has the strength of steel as well.
Hookshot:
A compact trigger activated construction of wood with a glinting black missile end made of steel. The anchor is tethered by lengths of rope and made more to burying itself inside walls and lightly armored opponents rather than penetrating.
Utility belt:
Arkol wears a hefty belt where he stores two standard rope bundles, his hookshot, three storing pouches for herbs or other items and ten vial slots for whatever substances he decides to bring along with him.
Name: Arkol of the Irontree Clan
Age: 97 (not including time spent in sleep)
Race: Undead (formerly of elven and orcish heritage)
Hair Color: Dull sleet
Eye Color: Faded blue
Occupation: Dark Druid
Appearance:
To most onlookers, Arkol bears an unsettling figure with brazenly pointed ears and a tiny pair of sharp fang-like tusks. Easily looking for one not quite dead, he appears completely drained of vitality.
Arkol has pupil-less eyes tucked underneath a heavyset brow which show little sign of life and pallid white skin streaked with haphazard branches of violet colored veins. He has long tied back hair of a dim silver color that appears as though it was struck by lightning and it reaches far down his back. Though tall, his posture is slanted forward with a thin unevenly shaped torso that appears small due to his unusually long limbs which bear strange bulges of flesh that do not appear to be muscle.
The clothes Arkol is seen wearing are hard, tough looking leather items all showing blue and black, with blue being the outer color and black being in the inner parts. Though worn out by time, they do appear to still be battle worthy. The leathers seems most tightest on his shoulders, with pauldrons in the shape of a lotus flowers from which is tethered a long tattered violet cloak. Covering the lower part of his face is a black cloth mask tied around the back of the head in a knot. It is here where his small set of tusks jut out from.
History:
A long time ago in uncharted lands, all manners of Elves, Orcs and Humans of assorted groups and clans lived and sometimes warred over territory, resources and mutual hate. This lasted till the Elven Rainshadow Clan under mysterious circumstances began to swell in power and assert dominance over the land. Using dark and forbidden sorceries that tampered with the essence of nature itself, they brought new and horrifying weapons to the battlefield with soldiers and spellcasters empowered by forces never before seen. It was they who through tremendous arcane effort and dark ritual grew a great tree of corruptions in the heart of their land and reaped its many gifts. The Rainshadow was a force looking to change the world and forcefully united any conquered Elves, Orcs and Humans underneath its banner and destroying their past cultures to create one united clan of many races. As the lands of the Tree of Corruption thrived underneath its miasma, so did the Rainshadow create new clans to act on their own as vassals.
Arkol was born of the Irontree Clan and deemed to have a close enough affinity with the Tree of Corruption to become an acolyte in the order of Dark Druids. Eventually, he became fully initiated and forced to be planted with a seed from the Tree of Corruption itself as all Dark Druids were required. The seed, through much suffering and torment on Arkol's part feasted upon his life force. Over time, the seed tainted his body, slowly warping and changing every fiber of it. Eventually his body was all but dead yet still kept alive unnaturally by the seed which became the heart that sustained his new undead body.
As soon as his ascension started to take hold however, many of the enemies of the Rainshadow Clan, Orc, Elven, Human alike united to stand against what they saw to be the true threat to all their lives. Their fear of the corruption growing across the land grew much greater than that of their past enemies, and together they put aside their differences to make a war with the Rainshadow and all its clans that lasted decades. After much ruin and devastation, the united free races succeeded in penetrating the heart of the Rainshadows capital and destroyed the tree of corruption. All touched and blessed of the trees taint were hunted without mercy and the vast corrupted stretches of the former Rainshadow Empire began to slowly be healed and purified through the works of High Elven Druidry.
Arkol became part of a increasingly shrinking enclave of remaining Rainshadow forces and eventually he had no choice but to return to his war embroiled Irontree swamps and take refuge in the most secret and most hidden of the Dark Druid crypts and slumber there indefinitely. With all the most powerful Dark Druids slain, there was no choice but the lesser ones to have to sleep for many years if any hope of the Tree of Corruption's legacy to survive.
He did not know how many years it had been, but one day Arkol awoke in a place he did not recognize. Had even the underground sanctums changed after so long? Unable to locate the rest of his fellow Dark Druids, Arkol had no choice but to venture to the surface. Discovering the land to be only wasteland and devoid of any life. He ventures to the lands known as Althanas to see if one day a new tree may one day be planted in a land still full of life.
Skills:
Toxicology (has a wide knowledge of what produces the best poison and acids)
Herbalism (wide knowledge on the properties of many common and rare forms of plantlife)
Staves (Above average):
Having trained underneath a military sect armed with staffs to bludgeon opponents, Arkol is above average when fighting with such a weapon, able to make far more impressive blocks, flourishes and attacks than the common fighter.
Throwing (Expert):
When Arkol throws something, it almost always ends up where he wants it to be. Not only is his aim accurate, but the velocity at which he could throw an object is also impressive.
Hookshot (Above average):
He is above average in using a hookshot, able to aim it well enough and utilize its ropes correctly for it to be a reliable utility for both combat and mobility.
Rope handling (Avove average):
Arkol never gets caught in his own lengths of rope and can swing and climb from such material with ease as well as creating sufficiently effective bindings for captors.
Alchemy:
Arkol is able to mix components together to cook various substances and chemicals that include simple salves, poisons likely deadly upon ingestion and corroding acids that inflict terrible pain if applied to bare skin while leaving deep scarring. He is also able to make a few terribly addictive solutions if using the necessary components.
Wilderness survival: Vast knowledge of the natural world makes Arkol an expert pathfinder and able to recognize the dangers and sanctuaries of the world and where certain things live. In his past life he knew much about protection from the elements but this is unnecessary now with his undead body, completely sustained by the dark seed within himself.
Oceanic dredging: Most newly raised sentient creatures in undead bodies are uncertain about the prospect of living underneath bodies of water, but throughout the years Arkol has gained an intimate knowledge of the depths and gained skill in traversing them. He is familiar with the ways life works in the seas and knows much of currents and their dangers to make himself able to move and fight throughout liquid environments with ease that most of the living lack.
Animal empathy: Arkol knows how to very easily keep calm wildlife, making himself seem a friend even in their own home unless tamed by someone else to attack.
Abilities:
Living Corruption:
The seed of a dark sapling pulses strong within Arkol, his very blood completely changed by the dark saps and fluids within. He may apply at will the powerful influence of the Tree of Corruption on living things such as plants and animals by touch or spreading smoky dark violet spores around an area. Spreading corruption takes effort out of the sapling, the force which powers Arkol's body so he has to be methodical and careful not to render himself weak while utilizing this. Plantlife does not take long corrupt or much amount of spores while animals require a few hours of consistent exposure before starting to change.
Plants that are corrupted physically change and gain properties of dark magic that could make them drastically different than before. A corrupted herb is much more versatile in its application to Alchemy as it can potentially gain properties that can be toxic, magically unstable, be very addictive or a mix of things. A certain few plants could become predatory and sentient if exposed a few weeks, developing parts they never had before and growing in size. The mark of a corrupted plant is always a red change to color, usually bright in tone and sometimes the presence of a faint black-violet miasma hanging in the air. The plants most responsive to corruption always turn violet in color which usually marks the few that turn sentient.
For animals a number of things could happen if they become corrupted, all of which are marked by hostile behavior, paler complexions, growths of thorns either along or jutting out the body, and reddish fur. Usually animals may develop seedlings inside of themselves, which almost always kills smaller creatures but bigger ones can become spore carriers if the rapidly growing seed takes root which could corrupt more plants and animals given a length of time. A very potent spore carrying beast usually becomes far more sluggish and slow moving than before. A different trait of corruption is a completely berserk behavior prone to attacking strangers of a habitat such as humans and is is more predominant in birds and smaller fauna than anything larger sized such as a bear, that while more hostile, is comparatively more docile if affected in such a way. In insects corruption is different as they embrace it more far easily than animals. The spores they produce do not hinder or madden them, but rather foster a very rapid growing rate particularly seen in spiders, which could make further generations reach unforeseen sizes if left unchecked.
Humanoids seem very, very resistance to any of this corruption and would have to live in a completely corrupted area for years before exhibiting any of the above effects. However if being directly seeded by a very potent seed of a corrupted plant by force, they could undergo a drastic change which is never certain as to what it could be.
Irontree Birthing:
The Irontree Clan has developed and specialized in fostering the lives of a variety of creatures in their very selves and Arkol has learned in the course of his time some amount of this. Once every day or so he could unleash about a hundred maggots with a pension for living flesh out from the birthing canals of his arms onto his enemies. These could chew through light armor, find their way through steel if it isn't completely covered and could potentially inflict heavy bleeding on an enemy if left undisturbed in large numbers.
Before a daily birthing however, Arkol cannot run fast and must bear the additional weight and tax on maneuverability with the maggots inhabiting his limbs.
Circlet of Leaves:
A branch of the Irontree military have fought primarily through the use of magically blessed leaves used as deadly projectiles.
Though Arkol is not nearly as skilled as they were, he could still call upon a circling crown of five weaker leaves over his head, which he could replenish if given a few seconds. Not as mastered as those of the Irontree Leaf Disciples, his leaves currently bear the sharpness and durability of glass and may only be willed to fly at an enemy one at a time.
Equipment:
Irontree Leathers:
A set of blue and black leather a little heavier and thicker than standard leather, but still allow for relatively unhindered manueverability. It is more reinforced and thickest around the shoulders and limb joints than the rest of the body body.
Irontree Stave:
A long, black staff with violet lining that forms a bludgeoning crown at its striking point. It is made from the cursed wood of the Irontree itself which looks like steel and has the strength of steel as well.
Hookshot:
A compact trigger activated construction of wood with a glinting black missile end made of steel. The anchor is tethered by lengths of rope and made more to burying itself inside walls and lightly armored opponents rather than penetrating.
Utility belt:
Arkol wears a hefty belt where he stores two standard rope bundles, his hookshot, three storing pouches for herbs or other items and ten vial slots for whatever substances he decides to bring along with him.