Name: Shinsou Vaan OsirisQuote:
Updates in blue. Re-added Dark Matter from level 7 at its originally approved level.
Gender: Male
Age: 32 years old
Race: Telgradian / Jal Shey hybrid Human
Eye Color: Gold
Hair color: Brown
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 155lbs
Alignment: Neutral
Personality
Now well established within the world of Althanas, Shinsou carries himself with confidence. He can be crass, dry humoured and sometimes a little selfish but is loyal to his friends and expects loyalty in return.
He is known to be vengeful if betrayed and will often seek to extend his wrath towards those who step on his trust. As the co-leader and Executor of the Brotherhood of the Castigars, Shinsou has had to mould himself into a role that demands authority and absolution. As such, his decision making usually revolves around what is best for the Brotherhood before himself.
Armor
Executor Shinsou’s Armour:
Shinsou’s personal armour consists of a silver coloured Dehlar suit covering his torso and legs completely and a white cape with black runes etched on them. A pair of enchanted Titanium gauntlets allow him to channel his icecraft ability through his armoured hands. Obtained here.
Weapons
Stygian
(Won from the Auction House here for 1550 GP)
Stygian is a Mithril longsword crafted in time immemorial by a Raiaeran swordsmith who's name has been lost to obscurity. In addition to it's natural fortitude and innate mystical proclivities, the blade holds a deeper enchantment that was sung into its craft by one of the ancient High Bards.
In darkness, it glows with a faint light that provides the bearer visibility within ten feet, and faint light outside of that for another five. This cannot be stifled.
Its song resonates from deep within, and those with magical training or understanding can hear it if they concentrate. It can be invoked thrice a day/thread by utterance of the word "nightfall." Doing this will cause anyone who has been struck by the weapon within the past ten minutes to become intoxicated by "the darkest night," a nightmarish evil from Elvish lore. This state causes them to lose their wits and become thrall to the bearer of the blade for twelve hours. They will obey any command short of something that directly endangers their life.
Shira
An icecraft sword created by Breaker using his water affinity to replace Enpera after the events of Old habits die hard. It is cold to touch, though not so frigid as natural ice, and similar in dimensions to his former sword with the blade being ninety centimeters long. The sword is as strong as steel and will never melt, though it may shatter if met with a force which could break or bend steel.
Traditionally, the Telgradian race have been able to form a connection with their weapon and make it sentient. Shinsou's loss of Enpera has allowed Shira to manifest a spirit and attach itself to Shinsou. This allows him to commune with the sword and tap into ice-elemental magic (detailed in the abilities section) at the cost of his Telgradian magic.
Shira's spirit is steadfast but hot-headed. Appearing as a young woman dressed in an elegant dress of ice when communed with, Shira will often scold Shinsou if she believes he is not putting his all into a task or looking after himself. On the other hand she is also very protective; as Shinsou becomes injured, the color of Shira's blade brightens. This is believed to be a personification of her growing anger.
The Goat
The fire blade had been rumoured to have been seen in the back alleys across Alerar, but its true location had been unknown for centuries. Shinsou and Enpera tracked it down using notes from the Brotherhood's archives and eventually located the sword deep within the catacombs under Radasanth itself. The sword is a regular steel sword with a crimson blade and a black hilt, but it is said to harbour a power that is yet to reveal itself (please refer to Hysteria's crystal sword thread here for further details).
The Goat was obtained here.
Equipment
Faustus Gauntlet (Purchased from the Bazaar here)
A single leather gauntlet that contains a crystal. The crystal, upon command, can activate a shield around Shinsou capable of withstanding a single melee strike, projectile strike or magic strike up to damascus strength. Anything that hits the barrier above steel strength will break it, but the blow's severity will be lessened.
Skills
Swordsmanship
Shinsou has grown to be a master swordsman, allowing him to duel with even the most schooled of warriors on an equal footing.
Abilities
Miscellaneous
Spirit Sense
Shinsou has recently been able to sense powerful sources of energy, and refined this skill further to allow him able to gauge the current “power level” of his opponent. For this to work, the opponent must be a living entity or have a soul of some description. He cannot sense inanimate or soul-less beings.
Cold Soul
Shinsou’s body has 100% resistance to the element of ice. This allows him to survive in harsh artic climates with little clothing and will only suffer light trauma wounds from the force of physically damaging ice spells. He remains unaffected by any other ice elemental magic. This ability is always active.
Offence and defence
Dark Matter
Shinsou can call upon powerful non-elemental dark energy that can be used as handheld weapons, moulded into another shape or used as a projectile up to a range of two hundred yards. The dark energy comprises solid dark matter that can pierce or cut flesh and medium tier armour, and is the equivalent strength of titanium. Shinsou can call forth vines of dark matter to do his bidding in an area up to thirty feet away and can call upon this skill four times before exhausting it for the duration of the battle. Weapons and objects created by Dark Matter last four posts.
Shira's Icecraft
Shinsou is able to create and manipulate large amounts of ice. The ice he creates can come in many forms – particle, solid mass, beam, object / tool or area-of-effect. The strength of the ice can be reinforced to Dehlar strength and will not melt unless heat of equal strength comes into prolonged contact with it. The following limitations apply to projectile and area-of-effect based ice:
- Solid mass / projectile ice may only travel fifty feet at high velocity
- Beamed ice may only travel thirty feet at high velocity
- Area-of-effect ice can spread up to twenty feet from source at a high velocity
There is no limit to the amount of times Shinsou can create ice, but due to his relative inexperience with his new abilities he is subject to a stamina drain through prolonged use. This equates to a 2x debuff to his endurance after four consecutive posts, followed by a complete physical shutdown after six consecutive posts. Shinsou must take a one post break from creating ice on the fourth post to avoid the threat of the debuff and recover his stamina.
Shinsou may also not use icecraft through any item other than his enchanted Titanium gloves - in order to conjure, he must ensure his hands have skin to air contact, although it matters not whether the Telgradian is holding a sword or not.
Shira / Enpera Kurohitsugi
This spell, a similar ability to Shinsou's previous trademark attack, allows him to unleash a volley of up to fifteen ice projectiles of Shinsou's choosing (as long as they conform to the rules of the Icecraft ability), each with the strength of Dehlar, from an icy vortex of his creation. The void can be created with the wave of a hand and appears on command, usually from behind him. The ice that spawns forth from this void can freeze solid any area it impacts up to a radius of five feet around it.
Shinsou may also now substitute between Shira and Enpera Kurohitsugi – allowing him to choose between ice or dark matter projectiles. This is purely cosmetic; regardless of the projectiles used, they still adhere to the rules of the ability. Dark matter projectiles will not freeze the area around them.
This skill can be used twice per battle.
Shira / Enpera Kurohitsugi - Phalanx Form
By slightly changing the consistency and molecular structure of the ice at his command, Shinsou can turn the projectiles that Shira Kurohitsugi usually summons into fifty centimetres long by twenty five centimetres wide curved scales of Dehlar strength ice.
Once in this form, the scales of ice that levitate around Shinsou are controlled entirely by the Telgradian’s will. Each scale, individually, has the strength of Dehlar. However, they can be called upon to converge in one place, forming a solid surface that can withstand blows equating to the force of a Dehlar greathammer when all fifteen scales are interlocked. It will also halve any damage from the elements of fire and lightning magic whilst nullifying any ice magic cast upon it. This ability lasts four posts or until the ice is broken or melted by an equivalent tier force.
Shinsou may also now substitute between Shira and Enpera Kurohitsugi – allowing him to choose between ice or dark matter projectiles. This is purely cosmetic; regardless of the projectiles used, they are the strength of Dehlar.
This skill can be used twice per battle.
Absolute Zero (Capped)
Once per day, Shinsou is able to freeze Shira’s blade to the point of absolute zero. This reinforces the sword to Mithril strength and subsequently sharpens the edge of the sword, allowing it to cut through Titanium. The process takes a couple of seconds to complete and absolute zero is maintained for a maximum of five posts.
A Touch of Frost
Twice per day, Shinsou is able to change the molecular structure of anything he touches, even fleetingly, with his palms to ice. The effects last two minutes (or three posts) before the affected area returns to normal. The ice's weight, flexibility and toughness can be manipulated as long as it adheres to the rules of Shinsou's Icecraft ability. Shinsou can use this magic through his enchanted gloves per the Executor’s Armour.
The Arbiter of Shadows
The Arbiter of Shadows is a transformation that allows Shinsou to exceed his limitations. Cosmetic differences include a change of Shinsou’s sclera to jet black and his irises become slightly more intense. Whilst transformed, wisps of black and purple energy that can’t be contained within the body burst forth and snake around him to form a glowing aura, accented by sparks of electric.
The Arbiter of Shadows lasts for four posts and can only be used once a day in the Citadel or competitive threads. Outside of the Citadel, the transformation can be held for one hour.
Practical changes come in the form of separate abilities:
[Your blade can’t reach me] – Shinsou’s agility (speed and reaction time) is increased to 6x that of his normal level, leaving afterimages. This is a passive ability that is only active for as long as the Arbiter of Shadows remains active.
[Epitaph of the Mirror] – Any person who gazes upon Shinsou's sword becomes susceptible to powerful hypnosis. This allows Shinsou to conjure powerful hallucinations that affect all five of the opponents senses. but do no physical damage. Only a person with strong psychic abilities will know the difference between reality and the illusions he conjures. This is a not a passive ability and needs to be activated before use. It is only active for as long as the Arbiter of Shadows remains.
[Desolation] – Shinsou is able to gather a huge quantity of dark matter energy and focus it into either his sword or his fists. Once a one-post charge time has elapsed, Osiris may then release the concentrated energy into a giant, crescent shaped wave of dark matter that spans twenty five feet and can travel up to fifty feet. The dark matter released in Desolation can cut up to Titanium strength armour. It can only be used for as long as the Arbiter of Shadows remains and only once per day
Sword Abilities
Widowmaker
Shinsou concentrates a quantity of dark matter energy into his sword and ‘taints’ it. The resulting effect ensures that any residual or gradual healing abilities learned or inherent in an opponent are negated entirely for four posts if any part of them (flesh, blade or armour) touches the blade. This ability will not work on or through barriers and can be used three times a day.
The Goat's inherent ability: Ram
Creates five floating horned-goat heads the size of watermelons that float around the caster for three posts. Anyone (friend or foe) within a metre of one of the heads will trigger it and the head will lock onto them as a target (no longer floating around the wielder). For the remainder of the time the head has been summoned it will charge at the target, striking with the force of a warhammer and doing light burns. Once the head has struck, it will back up and attack again, possibly two attacks within a post. It is possible for one target to be targeted by multiple heads. The heads will not avoid the wielder and will strike him or her if he or she is in the way of their target. The heads can be individually unsummoned by the wielder. (One use)
(Ability gifted as part of Crystal Sword spoils, link to thread in weapon section above)
Background:
Early years and the Telgradian Civil War
Shinsou Vaan Osiris, a Telgradian / Jal Shey hybrid, was believed to have been born in the Outer Territories of the Planet Telgradia in year 515 and studied under a number of different Telgradian masters as a student of the elite Council of Five, a powerful warrior force that protected the Telgradian Royal Family, with the sole intention of being Telgradia’s finest warrior. His biological father, Telos Soltair, was one such master. During his upbringing he became fast friends with a fellow student named Jaeger Keats, who with Shinsou (known at that time as Atlas Revaan) graduated from the Telgradian military academy with the highest honours. The young Shinsou became a respected commander of a Telgradian division and was a vocal critic of the Council of Five's inactivity in the ongoing war between the nations of Telgradia and the Kratas Outlands, home to the Jal Shey sect. This criticism stretched to fury when Telgradia’s princess Rhovani, Shinsou’s love interest, was kidnapped and taken by the Jal Shey to the Kratas Outlands without meeting the slightest bit of resistance.
Choosing to go against the Council’s wishes and wanting to wait no longer to take action, the now powerful Shinsou gathered a small, ragtag guerrilla force together in defiance of the overwhelming Jal Shey numbers and waged a relentless campaign against the Kratas Outlands. However, when Shinsou eventually defeated the Jal Shey lords at the Battle of Gaus VII in Telgradian year 535, he and his friend Keats followed the trail of a mysterious dark influence to the far reaches of Kratas. Here, the two discovered a reconstituted Jal Shey Empire and learned of four great powers that had been controlling events from the very beginning; Temperance, Hierophant, Chariot and Justice. Temperance, being the most powerful of the four great lords, had devoured Rhovani’s soul after needing a source of energy to continue to live. As Shinsou arrived at his temple, the Telgradian could only watch as the remnants of his love were scattered like ash into an abyss by the terrible beast. A chaotic battle ensued that destroyed Temperance’s temple, but even with Shinsou’s full power he could not match the beast’s supernatural abilities. Temperance saw the power that Shinsou possessed and chose to take possession of his and Jaeger’s bodies to further the Jal Shey goals. Both men were forced against their will to betray Telgradia, declaring themselves Emperor and Servant to the new Jal Shey Empire and declared war against the Royal State of Telgradia and the Council of Five.
Sent back to Telgradia as Temperance’s agents of death, the newly anointed Emperor Shinsou Vaan Osiris (having discarded his old moniker of Revaan) and Keats broke the ranks of the Telgradian forces with relative ease. However, a matter of miles from Telgradia’s capital city, Garah, Shinsou and Keats were separated. All five members of the Council of Five appeared to stop the possessed Shinsou from obliterating the capital, Telos Soltair included, and after a gruelling battle Shinsou was subsequently captured and sentenced to imprisonment in the high security facility Kokushi for his crimes. The Telgradian, considered too powerful and dangerous for a normal incareration, was also sentenced to a process known as razing – used only on the most violent and profound of criminals – which strips the soul of an offender from their body completely and imprisons it inside a crystal artefact known as a Pillar. His body was then cleansed over a period of three years and Shinsou’s mind, along with Temperance’s influence, was eradicated.
The Council of Five believed that was the end of Shinsou.
The Gnarled Roots of Osiris (click to read)
With his memory wiped, three years later Osiris was visited by the Council of Five commander, Dxun Ra, at Kokushi’s most secure level. As the captain-commander released the seals on Shinsou’s body, the Telgradian remarked that he recognised the magic that Dxun had used to release him. Intrigued by how Shinsou was able to remember anything at all, Dxun Ra promised that they would meet again soon and left him in the hands of Kokushi’s guards and the lower Telgradian Council. Now restored to the name of Atlas Revaan and unaware as to his previous identity, Shinsou was summoned by councillor Flexton Ra for an important mission that the Council of Five wished him to undertake. After leading Atlas to believe he had been a heroic general who had fought Shinsou Vaan Osiris’s empire before being gravely injured and had been “healing” in Kokushi, Flexton told the man that, overnight, the Pillar artefact containing Shinsou’s original soul had been stolen and he wanted Atlas to retrieve it. Reluctantly, Atlas agreed to the mission, which lead him to once again, unknowingly, cross paths with his old friend Jaeger Keats (now a member of the Telgradian Royal Guard and still under Temperance’s influence).
After cryptic meetings with Keats, and with Atlas becoming more suspicious of his own identity, the mission proceeded as planned. Atlas Revaan and a prison guard that included Gnarloc within its ranks landed on Althanas, where the Pillar of Osiris had been tracked. It was then that Jaeger Keats appeared and revealed his true colours to Atlas, bringing with him both the head of Atlas’s murdered commanding officer General Osho and the Pillar of Osiris. In a flash, Keats used the pillar to restore Shinsou back to his “original self”.
With his memory somewhat restored, Shinsou initially appeared to be his old self. Recognising the fortress they were in as the one containing the legendary Cartographer (a building containing the seal of Temperance, who had lay dormant since Shinsou’s incarceration), the Telgradian revealed himself to be free of Temperance’s influence and now instead turned on Keats, who was attempting to convince Shinsou to help him revive Temperance and lay waste to Telgradia once again. Shinsou’s refusal led to the former allies duelling and, after intervention by Gnarloc, the Telgradian succeeded in killing his former right hand man. This chain of events helped to shape Shinsou to be something encompassing both of his identities and, with his business concluded and no further desire to return to his home planet, the Telgradian began to settle on Althanas, making the restoration of his mostly sealed power his top priority.
The Gnarled Roots of Osiris II: The Council of Five (click to read)
Shortly after the events of the Gnarled Roots of Osiris, word had reached Telgradia that Shinsou Vaan Osiris had been resurrected. With this news alarming the general public, Dxun Ra calls a special assembly of the Council of Five, of which Telos Soltair (Shinsou’s father), Remy Krystantia and Riisa Endymeon attend. A priority one kill order is made against both Osiris and Keats (who, unknown to them, is dead) and for the first time in Council history Dxun sends the entire force to Althanas to kill the exiled Telgradian and his right hand man, something to which Remy felt extremely uncomfortable with due to conflicts with the Council’s code of conduct. Nonetheless, the captains obey their orders and set off to their respective locations on Althanas: Corone, Raiaera and Salvar.
In the meantime, Shinsou had hired former ranger Bane Stark and his men to provide him protection whilst he traversed Althanas in an attempt to restore his power. However, the Kinshara Assassin’s Guild, an organisation with a grudge against Bane and his men, assaulted the campsite they were staying at during the night. Shinsou fought admirably against the ambush alongside his burly counterpart, but was unable to save any of the other rangers, leaving Bane without a purpose and Shinsou without a bodyguard. Grateful to Shinsou for his assistance, Bane pledged his sword to protect the man who would become his friend, whilst Shinsou decided he would forge a new Kurai sword to replace his original one, Enpera.
Bane's death, the LCC, the Brotherhood, Joshua Cronen, John Cromwell and Amari
After re-forging Enpera, Shinsou received intelligence that Temperance had re-awoken from its five year slumber earlier than planned and was using the evil Jal Shey to set up warp portals connecting Telgradia and Althanas with the intention of conquering the planet. On top of this, Osiris was also made aware that the Council of Five (including his father, Telos Soltair) were preparing an invasion to quell the threat they believed Shinsou posed to peace in Telgradia. Shinsou and Bane traveled together to the wastes north of Salvar where they discovered the Jal Shey had already stepped foot on Althanas and resolved to halt them.
Killing the small advance invasion force, Osiris and Bane were about to destroy the portal to Telgradia when a phantom of Temperance tore through the membrane of the gate and murdered Bane with a brutal attack. Enraged at the loss of his friend, Shinsou obliterated the portal in a frenzy of dark magic before passing out in the snow. He was later rescued at the last minute by Sorian and Elite Optic.
From then on, believing that Sorian and Elite Optic could afford him some protection from the threat of the Council of Five until more of his powers returned, Shinsou traveled with and undertook contracts for Sorian. This line of work took him often to the Citadel where he participated in gladiatorial duels and culminated with a battle against the powerful Elijah Belov and the wanderer Nanashi. Despite being outclassed, Shinsou was able to defeat Nanashi with his Enpera Kurohitsugi before himself succumbing to wounds sustained.
The next contract took Shinsou to the Twilight Mountains, where a cohort of warriors fought to suppress the mighty dragon Sunwing that had been terrorizing the area. It was here that the Telgradian first met Storm Veritas, a man with whom he would have both a conflict and an uneasy alliance with in future.
His next and final contract with Sorian and Elite Optic took the Telgradian to the streets of Radasanth, outside of the protective healing powers of the Ai'bronne monks. Storm Veritas and Rayse Valentino had undertaken a contract on a Radasanthian official's life and whilst attempting to flee the scene had engaged Elite Optic in a dangerous and public fight in the city center. Shinsou, realizing what would happen if the skirmish was allowed to continue but not wishing to engage Storm, attempted to quickly defeat Veritas to end the battle but was incapacitated by the extreme power of Valentino. Unknown to Storm and Rayse, only the power of Cavum Ira, his Jal Shey persona that had laid dormant for years, revived the fallen Telgradian before dissipating entirely from Shinsou's being.
After breaking ties with Sorian and Elite Optic, Shinsou was approached by the Brotherhood of the Castigars, a modern-day revival of the Castigar clan that had been led by Arius Mephisto centuries ago. Seeing opportunity in being involved in such a powerful organization, Osiris became the Brotherhood's enforcer and set a plan into motion. He would rise in their ranks and usurp power from the council when the time was right, allowing him to take control of their vast resources and create a force capable of repelling the threat of the Council of Five.
The start of his tenure was marked with success after success but this changed after the Brotherhood decided to pursue political interests in Corone. Plotting to overthrow the imperials, they set Shinsou the task of getting their representative Oliver Kadar into the senate after a spate of murders (perpetrated by none other than Storm Veritas) opened up a number of positions. Sir Augustus Bannon (leader of the house) refused to patronize Kadar on grounds of neutrality and left Shinsou with little option but to commence a smear campaign from the shadows against Kadar's opposition, wanting to keep the uprising subtle and blood-less.
After a chance meeting with Veritas, who had been chosen by the Brotherhood to become their latest asset, it turned out that the Brotherhood had run out of patience with the men. They framed Storm Veritas for Augustus's untimely murder and charged Shinsou and Storm with directly assassinating Kadar's competition. Failure to adhere to this would result in Shinsou and Storm being incarcerated by corrupt police and murdered. Success meant Storm's induction into the Brotherhood and the murder charges wiped from his record.
It was then Shinsou realized that this was the moment he had been waiting for. Enlisting his one time ally and enemy Storm Veritas's help, the pair headed for Whitevale to overthrow the council.
Once head of the Brotherhood, Shinsou found himself tested by the goddess Am'aleh. Imprisoned in a dark cell in the middle of nowhere, disarmed and unable to use his magic, Shinsou found himself a pawn in the deity's challenge to Joshua Cronen a.k.a Breaker. Having forged an alliance with Cronen, the pair managed to escape their cells and traverse an old silver mine that Am'aleh had chosen as their proving ground. Eventually, Osiris and Cronen escaped and as a reward Am'aleh allowed Shinsou to tap further into his power. Following this, Am'aleh tasked the pair to travel to Lornius to break up a slaver ring masquerading as the cult of Draconis. Shinsou, knowing that some of his own Brotherhood agents had also succumbed to the cult, joined Breaker in exposing the ring led by Terrinore escapee 'Smarteye' Samuel Faustus and killed him, also destroying a crystal that was being used to brainwash those who the cult deemed fit for slavery.
After the events on Lornius, Shinsou travelled to Salvar. There he sought to hunt and destroy a slaver gang that consisted of the remnants of those from the cult of Draconis on Lornius. They had chosen to take their revenge on four of Am'aleh's worshippers in a brutal and unprovoked attack, raping the women and beating them senseless. Enraged, Shinsou sought to wipe out the offenders but instead stumbled on a bandit group that were beating and sexually assaulting Amari; a girl who had been captured and was being passed around for the group's amusement.
Shortly after rescuing Amari, Shinsou headed back to Corone. Here, he encountered his toughest test in the Citadel to date; a confrontation with the giant John Cromwell. After an intense and exhausting battle that displayed exchanges of both physical power and philosophy, Shinsou realized he had finally found a warrior that had the strength and heart to not only push the Telgradian to his limits, but to make him question his own ideals and perspective on good and evil. After the conflict, one of the Citadel's monks, whilst in the process of healing Shinsou's wounds, observed that the Telgradian had a tear in his soul that could not be healed by conventional means. Osiris soon discovered that he was losing the ability to call upon his Telgradian magic, but after accidentally communing with his sword, Shira, Shinsou realized that the now-sentient weapon had instead allowed him to tap into previously hidden abilities that aligned with Shira's ice elemental enchantment in exchange for a piece of his soul. The tear had, in fact, been a sacrifice to his original blade Enpera to allow the sword sentience; the cost of being able to summon powerful dark magic. The piece of his soul that was sacrificed contained memories of his life as Atlas Revaan.
Despite losing Enpera and replacing it with Shira, Shinsou found to his surprise that his ability to wield dark matter had returned to him.
(Update to follow)
