Kryos
04-24-07, 09:08 PM
Name: Kryos Ralshyn
Age: 20
Race: Dwiilar
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Red (during the day), Silver (during the night)
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 163 lbs
Occupation: Freelancer
-----
Dwiilar Info:
(This part is quite long. Just a warning.)
The Dwiilar (d-WHY-lar) are a race that has seldom been seen in Althanas. Human in appearance, scholars believe that they are some sort of twin with humans and/or elves. They have flitted through myth for centuries, and believed to originate from Trenvar’s Forest, on the border of The Mountains of Twilight, in Alerar. Little is known about the Dwiilar, except about their Dwiileye.
Appearance:
•Human in form.
•Ears are sometimes rounded, sometimes pointed.
•Two pairs of eyes.
The Dwiileye
The one thing that ensures that the Dwiilar are not human, nor elven, is their Dwiileye, or “dual eyes.” The Dwiileye are two types of eyes, the Lumneye and the Shrodeye, that every Dwiilar possesses. These eyes appear in accordance with the time of day. Lumneye during night, and Shrodeye during the day. It takes an average of three minutes for the transition from Shrodeye to Lumneye, or visa-versa, to occur. During this time, a Dwiilar’s vision is hampered. Also, rumor has it, that extremely experienced Dwiilar can switch their Dwiileye at will, although the time it takes is doubled or tripled.
The Lumneye
•Appears at night.
•Colors are violet and gold, common, and silver, rare.
•Improved night vision (better than humans and elves at least).
The Shrodeye
•Appears during the day.
•Colors are sapphire and green, common, and dark red, rare.
•Able to see farther distances (again, better than humans and elves).
Shadows and Reflections
The Dwiilar, because of their Dwiileye, are able to see what they call shadows and reflections. Shadows and reflections are basically influences that are invisible to all others. The stronger the shadow or reflection, the greater the influence. Shadows influence greed, hate, and power, while reflections influence love, equality, and kindness. Because they can see these influences, they can also fight them. Therefore, they have their own type of magic, soul magic.
This magic appears as a white and black flame in this dimension. To summon this magic, it takes little energy and concentration. They reach into their own soul, and grasp a form of energy that they compress into a “physical” state, around an area of choice, usually hands or weapons. If a non-Dwiilar is touched by the white flame, or Charity spell, they feel happier and more relaxed, as if their burdens have been erased. If, however, the black flame, or Bane spell, touches them, they feel depressed and helpless. This feeling will wear off in an amount of time depending on the intensity of the Charity or Bane spell. The control of the spells, as well as the intensity will improve with use and experience. These spells work because the spell affects the soul.
However, this magic is also used to fight against shadows and control reflections. Normally, a Dwiilar can feel strong influence nearby, and are oblivious to weak ones. To be able to see all of the influences nearby, a Dwiilar must enter the dimension where they exist. In this dimension, the world is still present, but it is like liquid, colors vibrant and dull at the same instant. Then, can a Dwiilar combat the influences. The method of entering this warped dimension, is by using an advanced Dwiilar ability known as “fargazing.”
Fargazing takes concentration and considerable energy to use. It is used to combat shadows and reflections, as well as give them an edge in normal battle. While fargazing, the color of the current Dwiileye expands to cover the entire eye, and faintly glows. Because a Dwiilar only possesses two eye colors, he is limited to those only. Once they achieve this state, they can move themselves between dimensions. While in the influence’s dimension, they can fight the influences, and also other Dwiilar that are in the area who are fargazing. While in the dimension that the rest of Althanas is in, they take on advantages that differ for the current eye color that they have, Lumneye or Shrodeye. Fargazing in this dimension takes more effort than in the influences dimension. As a result, fargazing in this dimension can only be maintained for 5-10 minutes, while they can maintain it for 10-20 minutes in the Shadow’s and Reflection’s dimension, since they fight with their souls, more or less.
Fargazing Enhancements:
Because the Dwiilars have six eye colors, there are six enhancements, each enhancement corresponding to the appropriate color.. However, a Dwiilar can only use a maximum of two, since he has one Lumneye and one Shrodeye.
•Liquid Gaze (Sapphire) - This grants the user increased agility and reaction time. Relatively easy to initiate.
•Forest Gaze (Green) - This grants the user increased intelligence and clears the mind. Relatively easy to initiate.
•Blood Gaze (Dark Red) - This allows the user to analyze another person, and be able to recall, and in some rare cases, mimic, what they see. This fargaze is extremely difficult to achieve and maintain.
•Twilight Gaze (Violet) - This enables the user to blend into shadows almost perfectly. This is moderately harder to initiate, compared to Liquid or Forest Gaze.
•Star Gaze (Gold) - This gives the user the ability to make hardly any noise while moving. This is at the same difficulty to initiate as Twilight gaze.
•Moon Gaze (Silver) - This lets the user sense any beings in an area around him. The area that he will be aware of will get bigger with more experience with it. Also, the user’s hearing is enhanced, letting them overhear those in his range. The closer the user is to a conversation, the better he/she can hear. This fargaze is extremely difficult to achieve and maintain.
From the point that a Dwiilar is able to fargaze, they train to become better at their own gazes, while physically trying to improve the areas that they aren’t gifted in. For instance, if a Dwiilar doesn’t have Star Gaze, he would practice on being unnoticed.
Innate Abilities of the Dwiilar:
•Improved night vision.
•Able to see farther distances.
•Use of soul magic.
•Fargazing
Other Notes: The Dwiilar are very vulnerable during the time that they transition between Dwiileye types. Also, they have a fear of places where footing is unsure, such as on steep mountain passes, since they could fall if a transition were to take place, or if they had to fargaze into the influence dimension. Also, because there has been very little contact with the Dwiilar, and because most mistake them for humans or elves, very few know of their phantom magic, and even less know about fargazing, while most people know of their Dwiileye.
-------
Appearance: Kryos has a dark demenor about him. His black hair extends a little below his cheekbones, which are set a little higher than average. His eyes, both red and silver, have a deadly beauty to them, and he has a piercing gaze. Kryos has very faint, flame-like patterns around his eyes, of whom no one knew how he received. He wears a dark blue tunic with a black belt. Over his tunic, he wears blue-black cloak which is ripped in some places. On his right ring finger, and his left middle finger, he has two rings with the Dwiilarian symbols of destiny and wisdom, respectively. Also, he has multiple scars across his arms and hands that he received while training with his muandrian.
History:
(Again, quite long.)
“Again, Kryos.”
“Yes, Vinyara.”
The sun beat down through the clearing in the trees, one of the many training areas for the Dwiilar. A gentle wind played though Trenvar’s Forest, making the trees sigh. Across the clearing, near a crystal green pool, a doe and her young made their way to drink. Overhead, a flock of geese soared though the sky. All of this was noted by Kryos, and all of it was pushed out of his mind.
Sweat dripped down his brow, as he tried again to fargaze. His mentor, Vinyara, was an extremely capable fargazer, but was surely growing tired of his failure, day after day, hour after hour, though she never let it show. Kryos was 15, and yet he still couldn’t fargaze. Most Dwiilar first fargazed when they were 12 or 13, but Kryos hadn’t succeeded yet. However, it could be that he was trying to activate Blood or Moon gaze, the hardest to achieve. But, because of that very reason, he had been placed under the training of Vinyara. But still, the next Raldian should be exceptional. Kryos was anything but.
Kryos closed his eyes, and again tried to concentrate. He had been able to use the soul magic when he was nine, earlier than most, yet he still hadn’t been into the Fluenta, the other dimension. He was tired of being made fun of by younger Dwiilar, but he couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t find the “place of vision” that Vinyara continually told him to search for in his mind. Maybe he just wasn’t cut out to be the next Raldian.
“I’m sorry, Vinyara,” sighed the resigned Kryos. Vinyara reached out, and placed her palm on his cheek. Tilting his face up, she gazed into his blood red eyes, her own reflecting his color.
“It’s perfectly understandable, Kryos. I was the same as you. But never become discouraged. Always remember, we always prefer capable fargazing users, than lucky ones. Once you can fargaze, you will use your power justly, since you know the pain of failure.” She smiled. “Remember, Kryos. You are the next Raldian. You must become the best you can on your own, and then experience the joys that come from your accomplishments. Be here tomorrow at dawn, and we will continue.” With that, she turned and left.
Kryos remained a while, pondering her words. The sun was almost setting, and the cool breeze across his face made him at peace. Inhaling deeply, he turned and began his way back to his home.
The city was busy, as usual. People hurrying here and there, anxious to finish their last minute errands. Along the way, Kryos bumped into Lorin, a friend of his same age.
“Greetings, Kryos. Has Vinyara been working you hard again today?”
“Well met, Lorin. Yes, she is still helping me try to fargaze. Her patience amazed me. If I were her, I would have given up long ago.” Kryos smiled. “On a better note, how has your day been?”
“Not bad at all.” Lorin paused, looking around. “Listen Kryos. Some friends of mine believe that they have found an easier way to fargaze. We’re going out tonight, to practice using our Lumneye. You should come. We’re meeting at Darken’s Cave.”
“I’d rather not, Lorin. I’m really tired and I have more training tomorrow. Maybe some other time.”
“Hmm, you sure you don’t want to come? Think how surprised Vinyara would be if you showed up tomorrow and you could fargaze. Come on. Then you could finally be done with all of the snide remarks. What do you say?”
Kryos thought about it. He had been the target of abuse since he was fourteen, and Lorin was right. He would like to be rid of it all.
“All right then. When are you meeting?”
~ / | \ ~
The instant that Kryos stepped into Darken’s Cave, he knew that something was amiss. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but his instincts flared. He slowly slid his muandrian from its sheath, and cautiously pressed on. How he wished that he could fargaze right now, and sense the presence of others around him.
Deeper, and deeper still, Kryos moved on, looking for any signs of danger, any signs of Lorin. It was then that he reached a part of the cave that was very narrow, forcing him to sheath his weapon. As he began to make his way, he engulfed his hands with Bane. Slowly, he forced his way though. As he stepped into a wider section, he heard one word that reverberated throughout the cave. “Now!” After that, he felt pain blossom on his forehead, and he blacked out.
When Kryos awoke, he wished that he hadn’t. He was tied to a pole, on the edge of a cliff. Strangely, he was still inside Darken’s Cave. His muandrian was missing. As he looked around, he beheld another pole to his right, with a figure bound in the same manner as he. To his horror, it was Lorin. His face was obscured by his brown hair. Kryos sighed with relief that he was still breathing. There was movement off to the left. Kryos’ head swung around, to find himself gazing into glowing gold eyes. No wonder he hadn’t heard the person approach.
“Well, what have we here? The next Raldian, so helpless.” The man smirked. “Well, now that you’re awake, let us make you wish you were still asleep. After all, you, who can’t even fargaze, should feel the power of the rightful Raldian.” Others appeared into Kryos’ line of vision, each with a serrated dagger in hand.
Off to the right, Kryos heard a moan. The leader looked at Lorin, and grunted. “Looks like the mut has come around. Release him, and bring him to me.” Looking at Kryos, he added, “Have you ever seen murder before, Kryos? Well, here’s your first chance, so don’t look away.”
Lorin was dragged before the evil man. Lorin was groggily looking about him. Upon seeing Kryos, his eyes lit up, only to be smashed shut as a fist connected with his cheekbone. Tumbling to the ground, eyes filled with fury, Lorin let out a savage roar. His violet eye color expanded, and he summoned black flame to his fists. Leaping at his enemy, he prepared to tear him apart for what he had done to them. The leader wore an amused grin, and nodded to his companion, who in turn, leaped forward . . . and plunged his dagger into Lorin’s side. A small gasp escaped his lips, and he collapsed to the ground. As the murderer pulled his blade from Lorin, a drop of blood was flicked on Kryos. His eyes were wide with shook, his muscles frozen with fear.
“What a brat. Who is he to think that he can fight the Shadow Riders. Oh, well. At least we can now add his Dwiileye power to ours.
With these words, Kryos felt hatred take control of his mind. Steal Lorin’s power. He had no idea what they had in mind, but he couldn’t let that happen. Lorin was still alive, barely. He concentrated on his eyes. Imagined them opening, growing, allowing him to see. Colors began to swim. Flashed of moonlight appeared in his vision. He felt himself on the edge of a watery abyss. He threw himself into it, an his eyes became stained with the mercury. He could see! A snarl escaped his throat, and he strained against the bonds that held him.
“Whoa, boss. Check out little Raldian here. It looks like he wants a piece of you too.”
“Well, I will certainly grant his request.” Turning to Kryos he smiled. “Come on then. Enter the Fluenta, and you will have your chance to fight me.
Kryos smiled, and relaxed. He let his soul out of his body for the first time. And there in front of him, was his enemy. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, midnight flame dancing along his arms.
~ / | \ ~
A pounding echoed though the dark halls. Vinyara sat up in her bed. Lumneye already activated, she padded along her home without a sound. Peering though the window, she made out a figure hunched over on the entryway. The figure pounded again, and she opened the door. Two figures tumbled in, drenched in moonlight. It was then that she recognized the faintly glowing silver eyes. “Gods above,” She whispered. “What happened to you?”
Kryos dragged himself to his feet. His face was streaked with blood, due to a gash on his forehead. His arms and legs were badly cut, his tunic was ripped. His right index and middle fingers were broken, but the pain was nonexistent to him. He looked into Vinyara’s eyes, and she saw black flames around his eyes, a mark of a Bane spell. He whispered, “The Shadow Riders. Lorin is wounded badly.” And with that, he fell into unconsciousness.
~ / | \ ~
When he next awoke, Kryos found himself in his bed. His fingers were splinted. and his wound on his head was bound. His eyes had returned to normal, and the marks around his eyes had faded to faint impressions of what they were. Groaning, he sat up.
What had happened in the cave? Kryos couldn’t remember. All he knew is that he and Lorin were captured, and he had some how escaped to Vinyara’s place. Getting up, he dressed in a clean tunic and cloak. Looking around, he found his muandrian by his desk chair. Retrieving it, he smiled, and made his way to Lorin’s house.
Gazing through the window, he saw Lorin resting. His heart sighed a breath of relief, and tears fell from his eyes. He entered his room, and gazed on the face of his friend, probably the last for a long time. He placed a note addressed to Vinyara on Lorin’s desk, explaining his reasons for leaving, and his gratitude for her.
As he slipped quietly away, questions nagged on his mind. Questions that needed to be answered. But above all, he sought to know what the Shadow Riders meant when they said that they would add Lorin’s Dwiileye power to their own.
Skills:
•Kryos, as a Dwiilar, can use soul magic. His current Bane spell is Level 2, which means that he can spread it around his hands, arms, and his muandrian, while the actual power of it is still weak. His Charity spell is at Level 1, so he can only spread it to his hands, and its power is weak.
•Kryos can also fargaze, specifically, Blood and Moon Gaze. He has not had much experience with them, so they are not very enhanced. Usually, he can maintain fargazing for about five minutes in Althanas, and eight minutes in the Fluenta.
•Kryos carries with him a muandrian, a weapon of the Dwiilar. He skill in using his weapon is average, since he avoids enemies often using his Lumneye.
Equipment: Kryos carries with him his muandrian, which is strapped to his back. The muandrian is similar to the Katana, only three inches longer, one inch wider, and is made of a material that is stronger than forged steel that only Dwiilar blacksmiths know of. Also, Kryos carries with him herbs and plants useful in healing, and a stamina potion that he can replenish every full moon if necessary.
Age: 20
Race: Dwiilar
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Red (during the day), Silver (during the night)
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 163 lbs
Occupation: Freelancer
-----
Dwiilar Info:
(This part is quite long. Just a warning.)
The Dwiilar (d-WHY-lar) are a race that has seldom been seen in Althanas. Human in appearance, scholars believe that they are some sort of twin with humans and/or elves. They have flitted through myth for centuries, and believed to originate from Trenvar’s Forest, on the border of The Mountains of Twilight, in Alerar. Little is known about the Dwiilar, except about their Dwiileye.
Appearance:
•Human in form.
•Ears are sometimes rounded, sometimes pointed.
•Two pairs of eyes.
The Dwiileye
The one thing that ensures that the Dwiilar are not human, nor elven, is their Dwiileye, or “dual eyes.” The Dwiileye are two types of eyes, the Lumneye and the Shrodeye, that every Dwiilar possesses. These eyes appear in accordance with the time of day. Lumneye during night, and Shrodeye during the day. It takes an average of three minutes for the transition from Shrodeye to Lumneye, or visa-versa, to occur. During this time, a Dwiilar’s vision is hampered. Also, rumor has it, that extremely experienced Dwiilar can switch their Dwiileye at will, although the time it takes is doubled or tripled.
The Lumneye
•Appears at night.
•Colors are violet and gold, common, and silver, rare.
•Improved night vision (better than humans and elves at least).
The Shrodeye
•Appears during the day.
•Colors are sapphire and green, common, and dark red, rare.
•Able to see farther distances (again, better than humans and elves).
Shadows and Reflections
The Dwiilar, because of their Dwiileye, are able to see what they call shadows and reflections. Shadows and reflections are basically influences that are invisible to all others. The stronger the shadow or reflection, the greater the influence. Shadows influence greed, hate, and power, while reflections influence love, equality, and kindness. Because they can see these influences, they can also fight them. Therefore, they have their own type of magic, soul magic.
This magic appears as a white and black flame in this dimension. To summon this magic, it takes little energy and concentration. They reach into their own soul, and grasp a form of energy that they compress into a “physical” state, around an area of choice, usually hands or weapons. If a non-Dwiilar is touched by the white flame, or Charity spell, they feel happier and more relaxed, as if their burdens have been erased. If, however, the black flame, or Bane spell, touches them, they feel depressed and helpless. This feeling will wear off in an amount of time depending on the intensity of the Charity or Bane spell. The control of the spells, as well as the intensity will improve with use and experience. These spells work because the spell affects the soul.
However, this magic is also used to fight against shadows and control reflections. Normally, a Dwiilar can feel strong influence nearby, and are oblivious to weak ones. To be able to see all of the influences nearby, a Dwiilar must enter the dimension where they exist. In this dimension, the world is still present, but it is like liquid, colors vibrant and dull at the same instant. Then, can a Dwiilar combat the influences. The method of entering this warped dimension, is by using an advanced Dwiilar ability known as “fargazing.”
Fargazing takes concentration and considerable energy to use. It is used to combat shadows and reflections, as well as give them an edge in normal battle. While fargazing, the color of the current Dwiileye expands to cover the entire eye, and faintly glows. Because a Dwiilar only possesses two eye colors, he is limited to those only. Once they achieve this state, they can move themselves between dimensions. While in the influence’s dimension, they can fight the influences, and also other Dwiilar that are in the area who are fargazing. While in the dimension that the rest of Althanas is in, they take on advantages that differ for the current eye color that they have, Lumneye or Shrodeye. Fargazing in this dimension takes more effort than in the influences dimension. As a result, fargazing in this dimension can only be maintained for 5-10 minutes, while they can maintain it for 10-20 minutes in the Shadow’s and Reflection’s dimension, since they fight with their souls, more or less.
Fargazing Enhancements:
Because the Dwiilars have six eye colors, there are six enhancements, each enhancement corresponding to the appropriate color.. However, a Dwiilar can only use a maximum of two, since he has one Lumneye and one Shrodeye.
•Liquid Gaze (Sapphire) - This grants the user increased agility and reaction time. Relatively easy to initiate.
•Forest Gaze (Green) - This grants the user increased intelligence and clears the mind. Relatively easy to initiate.
•Blood Gaze (Dark Red) - This allows the user to analyze another person, and be able to recall, and in some rare cases, mimic, what they see. This fargaze is extremely difficult to achieve and maintain.
•Twilight Gaze (Violet) - This enables the user to blend into shadows almost perfectly. This is moderately harder to initiate, compared to Liquid or Forest Gaze.
•Star Gaze (Gold) - This gives the user the ability to make hardly any noise while moving. This is at the same difficulty to initiate as Twilight gaze.
•Moon Gaze (Silver) - This lets the user sense any beings in an area around him. The area that he will be aware of will get bigger with more experience with it. Also, the user’s hearing is enhanced, letting them overhear those in his range. The closer the user is to a conversation, the better he/she can hear. This fargaze is extremely difficult to achieve and maintain.
From the point that a Dwiilar is able to fargaze, they train to become better at their own gazes, while physically trying to improve the areas that they aren’t gifted in. For instance, if a Dwiilar doesn’t have Star Gaze, he would practice on being unnoticed.
Innate Abilities of the Dwiilar:
•Improved night vision.
•Able to see farther distances.
•Use of soul magic.
•Fargazing
Other Notes: The Dwiilar are very vulnerable during the time that they transition between Dwiileye types. Also, they have a fear of places where footing is unsure, such as on steep mountain passes, since they could fall if a transition were to take place, or if they had to fargaze into the influence dimension. Also, because there has been very little contact with the Dwiilar, and because most mistake them for humans or elves, very few know of their phantom magic, and even less know about fargazing, while most people know of their Dwiileye.
-------
Appearance: Kryos has a dark demenor about him. His black hair extends a little below his cheekbones, which are set a little higher than average. His eyes, both red and silver, have a deadly beauty to them, and he has a piercing gaze. Kryos has very faint, flame-like patterns around his eyes, of whom no one knew how he received. He wears a dark blue tunic with a black belt. Over his tunic, he wears blue-black cloak which is ripped in some places. On his right ring finger, and his left middle finger, he has two rings with the Dwiilarian symbols of destiny and wisdom, respectively. Also, he has multiple scars across his arms and hands that he received while training with his muandrian.
History:
(Again, quite long.)
“Again, Kryos.”
“Yes, Vinyara.”
The sun beat down through the clearing in the trees, one of the many training areas for the Dwiilar. A gentle wind played though Trenvar’s Forest, making the trees sigh. Across the clearing, near a crystal green pool, a doe and her young made their way to drink. Overhead, a flock of geese soared though the sky. All of this was noted by Kryos, and all of it was pushed out of his mind.
Sweat dripped down his brow, as he tried again to fargaze. His mentor, Vinyara, was an extremely capable fargazer, but was surely growing tired of his failure, day after day, hour after hour, though she never let it show. Kryos was 15, and yet he still couldn’t fargaze. Most Dwiilar first fargazed when they were 12 or 13, but Kryos hadn’t succeeded yet. However, it could be that he was trying to activate Blood or Moon gaze, the hardest to achieve. But, because of that very reason, he had been placed under the training of Vinyara. But still, the next Raldian should be exceptional. Kryos was anything but.
Kryos closed his eyes, and again tried to concentrate. He had been able to use the soul magic when he was nine, earlier than most, yet he still hadn’t been into the Fluenta, the other dimension. He was tired of being made fun of by younger Dwiilar, but he couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t find the “place of vision” that Vinyara continually told him to search for in his mind. Maybe he just wasn’t cut out to be the next Raldian.
“I’m sorry, Vinyara,” sighed the resigned Kryos. Vinyara reached out, and placed her palm on his cheek. Tilting his face up, she gazed into his blood red eyes, her own reflecting his color.
“It’s perfectly understandable, Kryos. I was the same as you. But never become discouraged. Always remember, we always prefer capable fargazing users, than lucky ones. Once you can fargaze, you will use your power justly, since you know the pain of failure.” She smiled. “Remember, Kryos. You are the next Raldian. You must become the best you can on your own, and then experience the joys that come from your accomplishments. Be here tomorrow at dawn, and we will continue.” With that, she turned and left.
Kryos remained a while, pondering her words. The sun was almost setting, and the cool breeze across his face made him at peace. Inhaling deeply, he turned and began his way back to his home.
The city was busy, as usual. People hurrying here and there, anxious to finish their last minute errands. Along the way, Kryos bumped into Lorin, a friend of his same age.
“Greetings, Kryos. Has Vinyara been working you hard again today?”
“Well met, Lorin. Yes, she is still helping me try to fargaze. Her patience amazed me. If I were her, I would have given up long ago.” Kryos smiled. “On a better note, how has your day been?”
“Not bad at all.” Lorin paused, looking around. “Listen Kryos. Some friends of mine believe that they have found an easier way to fargaze. We’re going out tonight, to practice using our Lumneye. You should come. We’re meeting at Darken’s Cave.”
“I’d rather not, Lorin. I’m really tired and I have more training tomorrow. Maybe some other time.”
“Hmm, you sure you don’t want to come? Think how surprised Vinyara would be if you showed up tomorrow and you could fargaze. Come on. Then you could finally be done with all of the snide remarks. What do you say?”
Kryos thought about it. He had been the target of abuse since he was fourteen, and Lorin was right. He would like to be rid of it all.
“All right then. When are you meeting?”
~ / | \ ~
The instant that Kryos stepped into Darken’s Cave, he knew that something was amiss. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but his instincts flared. He slowly slid his muandrian from its sheath, and cautiously pressed on. How he wished that he could fargaze right now, and sense the presence of others around him.
Deeper, and deeper still, Kryos moved on, looking for any signs of danger, any signs of Lorin. It was then that he reached a part of the cave that was very narrow, forcing him to sheath his weapon. As he began to make his way, he engulfed his hands with Bane. Slowly, he forced his way though. As he stepped into a wider section, he heard one word that reverberated throughout the cave. “Now!” After that, he felt pain blossom on his forehead, and he blacked out.
When Kryos awoke, he wished that he hadn’t. He was tied to a pole, on the edge of a cliff. Strangely, he was still inside Darken’s Cave. His muandrian was missing. As he looked around, he beheld another pole to his right, with a figure bound in the same manner as he. To his horror, it was Lorin. His face was obscured by his brown hair. Kryos sighed with relief that he was still breathing. There was movement off to the left. Kryos’ head swung around, to find himself gazing into glowing gold eyes. No wonder he hadn’t heard the person approach.
“Well, what have we here? The next Raldian, so helpless.” The man smirked. “Well, now that you’re awake, let us make you wish you were still asleep. After all, you, who can’t even fargaze, should feel the power of the rightful Raldian.” Others appeared into Kryos’ line of vision, each with a serrated dagger in hand.
Off to the right, Kryos heard a moan. The leader looked at Lorin, and grunted. “Looks like the mut has come around. Release him, and bring him to me.” Looking at Kryos, he added, “Have you ever seen murder before, Kryos? Well, here’s your first chance, so don’t look away.”
Lorin was dragged before the evil man. Lorin was groggily looking about him. Upon seeing Kryos, his eyes lit up, only to be smashed shut as a fist connected with his cheekbone. Tumbling to the ground, eyes filled with fury, Lorin let out a savage roar. His violet eye color expanded, and he summoned black flame to his fists. Leaping at his enemy, he prepared to tear him apart for what he had done to them. The leader wore an amused grin, and nodded to his companion, who in turn, leaped forward . . . and plunged his dagger into Lorin’s side. A small gasp escaped his lips, and he collapsed to the ground. As the murderer pulled his blade from Lorin, a drop of blood was flicked on Kryos. His eyes were wide with shook, his muscles frozen with fear.
“What a brat. Who is he to think that he can fight the Shadow Riders. Oh, well. At least we can now add his Dwiileye power to ours.
With these words, Kryos felt hatred take control of his mind. Steal Lorin’s power. He had no idea what they had in mind, but he couldn’t let that happen. Lorin was still alive, barely. He concentrated on his eyes. Imagined them opening, growing, allowing him to see. Colors began to swim. Flashed of moonlight appeared in his vision. He felt himself on the edge of a watery abyss. He threw himself into it, an his eyes became stained with the mercury. He could see! A snarl escaped his throat, and he strained against the bonds that held him.
“Whoa, boss. Check out little Raldian here. It looks like he wants a piece of you too.”
“Well, I will certainly grant his request.” Turning to Kryos he smiled. “Come on then. Enter the Fluenta, and you will have your chance to fight me.
Kryos smiled, and relaxed. He let his soul out of his body for the first time. And there in front of him, was his enemy. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, midnight flame dancing along his arms.
~ / | \ ~
A pounding echoed though the dark halls. Vinyara sat up in her bed. Lumneye already activated, she padded along her home without a sound. Peering though the window, she made out a figure hunched over on the entryway. The figure pounded again, and she opened the door. Two figures tumbled in, drenched in moonlight. It was then that she recognized the faintly glowing silver eyes. “Gods above,” She whispered. “What happened to you?”
Kryos dragged himself to his feet. His face was streaked with blood, due to a gash on his forehead. His arms and legs were badly cut, his tunic was ripped. His right index and middle fingers were broken, but the pain was nonexistent to him. He looked into Vinyara’s eyes, and she saw black flames around his eyes, a mark of a Bane spell. He whispered, “The Shadow Riders. Lorin is wounded badly.” And with that, he fell into unconsciousness.
~ / | \ ~
When he next awoke, Kryos found himself in his bed. His fingers were splinted. and his wound on his head was bound. His eyes had returned to normal, and the marks around his eyes had faded to faint impressions of what they were. Groaning, he sat up.
What had happened in the cave? Kryos couldn’t remember. All he knew is that he and Lorin were captured, and he had some how escaped to Vinyara’s place. Getting up, he dressed in a clean tunic and cloak. Looking around, he found his muandrian by his desk chair. Retrieving it, he smiled, and made his way to Lorin’s house.
Gazing through the window, he saw Lorin resting. His heart sighed a breath of relief, and tears fell from his eyes. He entered his room, and gazed on the face of his friend, probably the last for a long time. He placed a note addressed to Vinyara on Lorin’s desk, explaining his reasons for leaving, and his gratitude for her.
As he slipped quietly away, questions nagged on his mind. Questions that needed to be answered. But above all, he sought to know what the Shadow Riders meant when they said that they would add Lorin’s Dwiileye power to their own.
Skills:
•Kryos, as a Dwiilar, can use soul magic. His current Bane spell is Level 2, which means that he can spread it around his hands, arms, and his muandrian, while the actual power of it is still weak. His Charity spell is at Level 1, so he can only spread it to his hands, and its power is weak.
•Kryos can also fargaze, specifically, Blood and Moon Gaze. He has not had much experience with them, so they are not very enhanced. Usually, he can maintain fargazing for about five minutes in Althanas, and eight minutes in the Fluenta.
•Kryos carries with him a muandrian, a weapon of the Dwiilar. He skill in using his weapon is average, since he avoids enemies often using his Lumneye.
Equipment: Kryos carries with him his muandrian, which is strapped to his back. The muandrian is similar to the Katana, only three inches longer, one inch wider, and is made of a material that is stronger than forged steel that only Dwiilar blacksmiths know of. Also, Kryos carries with him herbs and plants useful in healing, and a stamina potion that he can replenish every full moon if necessary.