Arkash
Full Name: Arkash
Race: Rathor Neoalt, Dranoch Cardinal
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Height: 5'9
Weight: 150lbs
Birthdate: Ash 25th, 4597
Birthplace: Lorien, Lower Nivenhain
Profession: Assassin
Housing: None
Partners: None
Titles: None
Factions: None
Fluencies: Common, Vithmi
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Race: Rathor Neoalt, Dranoch Cardinal
Sex: Male
Age: 24
Height: 5'9
Weight: 150lbs
Birthdate: Ash 25th, 4597
Birthplace: Lorien, Lower Nivenhain
Profession: Assassin
Housing: None
Partners: None
Titles: None
Factions: None
Fluencies: Common, Vithmi
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Profile
Humanoid:
Arkash's alter ego, Derek Egon, stands at 5'9 with a lean muscular build that's easily concealed by the loose clothing he wears. His hair is often a mess of curls and matted locks that seems to jut in every direction. Deep brown eyes peer from his rounded, unremarkable features, but carry a distinct, often chilling hunger to his gaze. He carries himself with confidence and wears a sort of welcoming wolfish grin. His dark skin is absent of marks and blemishes, perfectly maintained and clear of any indication of any sort of injury to ever have happened upon him. His nails are well-maintained, and his body hair appears very sparse on the canvas of his skin, such is deliberately fashioned by cause of his own Necromancy.
When his Cardinal features manifest, his skin lightens considerably but remains dark around his sunken, blood-red eyes and lips. Black flames pour from his lips like a trail in the breeze while his sharpened teeth are bare. His fingernails become long, sharp claws that also appear to bleed those same frigid black flames. Long, sharp quills run from the backs of his hands to halfway up his forearms, pointing toward his body akin to the needle-like quills of a hedgehog. Those same quills accumulate on the back of his neck and run down toward his spine. The spines are hard and flexible, some of which bare feathers.
True:
Arkash's true form takes many traits from a Komodo Dragon, though his features and extremities are largely humanoid in design. In place of skin, he is covered from head to toe in tough scales and pieces of bone called 'Osteoderms'. His carapace is largely made up of a basalt shade of grey with a lighter beige belly and chest that reach up toward his neck, and under toward the base of his tail. His tail is a three-foot appendage (which doesn't quite touch the floor) in which all his fat is stored, which is reflected in the stiffness and tapering thickness. Its primary use is as a bludgeon but also serves as a counterweight when running with his full body forward. Dull claws extend from the tips of his fingers and toes, which sit upon the slightly elevated heel of large reptilian feet, which are attached to otherwise regular, scaly human legs. His head is mostly shaped like that of a Komodo Dragon with a slightly shorter muzzle. Sixty serrated teeth sit in his mouth as a frame to his forked yellow tongue and pink gums. His amber/yellow eyes sit on a dark grey tapestry of subtle capillaries with only one set of eyelids to protect his eyes. He appears to have no ears but listens with the subtle grooves of his ear canals, which are largely hidden by the shape of his scales.
When his Cardinal features manifest, his scales lighten to a few shades brighter than slate, and his eyes turn blood red on their darker canvas. The sharpened spines that extend from his neck and hands are stark against the natural armor of his hide and grant him a truly monstrous visage. Black flames pour from all his claws and teeth in long trails, chilling the air around them with their vicious frost.
Faunis:
It's only here that the extent of Arkash's stunted growth is truly apparent. His Faunis form appears to be a regular quadrupedal Komodo Dragon with dark scales and osteoderms but is far smaller than the rest of his species. While most Komodo Dragons grow to be 300lbs and 10' long, Arkash's Faunis form is roughly 6' long, and 140lbs. The claws on his hands and feet are dull, similar to his True Form, and are mostly used for gripping the ground. Whereas his heavy tail, a mouthful of teeth, and venom are his natural weapons.
When his Cardinal features manifest, it can be hard to distinguish his Faunis form as any sort of animal at all, as he can easily appear as some sort of mystical monster. The blood-red shine of his eyes, the long black quills that extend from his forelegs and neck, and the black flames that pour from his jaws and claws, all make it hard to identify his Faunis form as Dranoch or beast.
Behavior
Arkash's personality varies widely based on the form he's in when he first encounters someone. The identity he assumes in his Humanoid Form (Derek Egon) is different from that which he has created with his true form (Arkash). He tries with great attention to detail to appear as someone different, but this is easily undone when his altered personality is investigated or looked at with any sort of depth. People that know him are usually quick to suss out the truth if they by chance encounter both forms separately.
Derek Egon:
An optimistic and caring individual with no shortage of welcoming allure to the smile he wears. He greets those in the street with eye contact and treats those around him with respect. His posture is correct, and his mannerisms are even set to project a distinct openness and attention during conversation. He doesn't often delve into his history outside of the surface-level facts, like his time as a mercenary in Tyrclaid. it is known that he was born in Lorien as a Nameless, but left to fetch some fortune with his sword, and later returned to buy his citizenship many years afterward. He also claims to have carried a blade since boyhood but demonstrates little in the way of conventional swordsmanship. His animalistic, brutal fighting style is difficult to measure and counter, but its irregular style is often excused due to the majority of the population in the land where he learned the blade. Most see Derek as an individual with no depth of character or any sort of sincerity, and this is due to Arkash's unpracticed acting.
Arkash:
A product of his environment, Arkash is socially inept, impulsive, emotional, blunt, and independent to the point of isolation. The majority of his life was spent confined to the fringes of an open flame just for the sake of his survival in the harsh conditions of Lorien's climate, which severely impacted his social development and the ability to form interpersonal relationships. Below are a few of his personality traits, and how they can manifest:
Reserved: Jokes fly over his head, affection is looked at with perturbation, and his aversion to touch and intimacy often ends with violence without substantial trust and development beforehand. Arkash is almost completely incapable of forming long-lasting relationships and is more than comfortable with this reality. It's uncommon that he feels the desire to be in the company of anyone else, and even less common that he lets those feelings show.
Psychopathic: Arkash is almost completely without empathy. It usually takes significant development for him to regard an individual as anything but a threat, a nuisance, food, or a monster. Arkash will quickly deliver fatal blows or maim others as a warning for perceived slights against him. He has killed hundreds without an ounce of remorse or empathy, and consciously eats the remains of his victims in their entirety without regard for the terrified expressions they wear in death.
Obsessive: Despite his cold exterior, Arkash does have the capacity to become endeared to others; this can even extend to a community if the right conditions are met. Due to his repressed personality and the thickness of his walls, those that find their way to his core often find no shortage of affection or admiration from Arkash. His loyalty is unwavering and his tolerance appears boundless. These special few can test his limits without fear of harm and know the depths of his admiration to be boundless. Even though he expresses clear boundaries, there is very little he will not do for those that he obsesses over.
Passionate: Arkash is anything but lazy or unmotivated. He relentlessly pursues his goals and will stop at nothing to see his objective through. He has bouts of terrible anger encounters resistance, and gives everything he sets his mind to a hundred percent of his effort. Minor pain and discomfort do not slow him down, and anything but the most intense levels of adversity have hope to stop him in his tracks.
Derek Egon:
An optimistic and caring individual with no shortage of welcoming allure to the smile he wears. He greets those in the street with eye contact and treats those around him with respect. His posture is correct, and his mannerisms are even set to project a distinct openness and attention during conversation. He doesn't often delve into his history outside of the surface-level facts, like his time as a mercenary in Tyrclaid. it is known that he was born in Lorien as a Nameless, but left to fetch some fortune with his sword, and later returned to buy his citizenship many years afterward. He also claims to have carried a blade since boyhood but demonstrates little in the way of conventional swordsmanship. His animalistic, brutal fighting style is difficult to measure and counter, but its irregular style is often excused due to the majority of the population in the land where he learned the blade. Most see Derek as an individual with no depth of character or any sort of sincerity, and this is due to Arkash's unpracticed acting.
Arkash:
A product of his environment, Arkash is socially inept, impulsive, emotional, blunt, and independent to the point of isolation. The majority of his life was spent confined to the fringes of an open flame just for the sake of his survival in the harsh conditions of Lorien's climate, which severely impacted his social development and the ability to form interpersonal relationships. Below are a few of his personality traits, and how they can manifest:
Reserved: Jokes fly over his head, affection is looked at with perturbation, and his aversion to touch and intimacy often ends with violence without substantial trust and development beforehand. Arkash is almost completely incapable of forming long-lasting relationships and is more than comfortable with this reality. It's uncommon that he feels the desire to be in the company of anyone else, and even less common that he lets those feelings show.
Psychopathic: Arkash is almost completely without empathy. It usually takes significant development for him to regard an individual as anything but a threat, a nuisance, food, or a monster. Arkash will quickly deliver fatal blows or maim others as a warning for perceived slights against him. He has killed hundreds without an ounce of remorse or empathy, and consciously eats the remains of his victims in their entirety without regard for the terrified expressions they wear in death.
Obsessive: Despite his cold exterior, Arkash does have the capacity to become endeared to others; this can even extend to a community if the right conditions are met. Due to his repressed personality and the thickness of his walls, those that find their way to his core often find no shortage of affection or admiration from Arkash. His loyalty is unwavering and his tolerance appears boundless. These special few can test his limits without fear of harm and know the depths of his admiration to be boundless. Even though he expresses clear boundaries, there is very little he will not do for those that he obsesses over.
Passionate: Arkash is anything but lazy or unmotivated. He relentlessly pursues his goals and will stop at nothing to see his objective through. He has bouts of terrible anger encounters resistance, and gives everything he sets his mind to a hundred percent of his effort. Minor pain and discomfort do not slow him down, and anything but the most intense levels of adversity have hope to stop him in his tracks.
History
In the beginning, Arkash lived with his mother, a wolf beastalt, and father, a horse beastalt. They were poor but made the most of their time together in place of material goods that the higher castes toiled with. Whenever young Arkash asked why they were in Lorien, his mother and father both explained that they dreamed of leaving whenever they could afford the journey out of the frosty reaches. Alas, they were nameless, and dranari farthings were difficult to come by. Hard labor paved the road ahead for all three of them, including Arkash when he came to be thirteen years of age. It was hard, but he was happy. As he grew older, however, his shedding became less frequent, and his scales began to dry out and chafe while he worked. His parents, who knew other reptilians that faced similar issues, knew that his scales needed waxing and polishing, which was another expense they were willing to pay for. At the time, it didn't matter. They were still saving money quickly, and the journey from Lorien was looking more and more likely with every passing day.
Despite all working different jobs day in and day out, they managed to find one another home at around the same time. Then they would take to the streets, where the three would partake in snowball fights as well as a relatively close-quarter hide and seek. Most of it was for Arkash's amusement, but keeping him happy made them happy by extension. They cooked together, talked, laughed, and cleaned afterward too. From early on, Arkash earned his keep, and the three lived in relative prosperity for their hard work. The one-room house was fixed when the roof began to leak and drafts were sealed. Furthermore, they were able to keep the hearth going for most of the day, which kept them all warm while they huddled. The warmth was particularly important for Arkash, as his true form was cold-blooded and the cold made him tired and slow.
After a particularly long workday in the freezing woodland, his father fell grievously ill while Arkash was only fifteen. It didn't clear in a week as it normally did and his symptoms grew worse. A throaty cough turned to hacking, then coughing up blood and rust-colored phlegm. The raspy hoarseness of his breathing kept them up at night, and he complained of unbearable pain throughout the days. It was eventually decided that Arkash would stay home and take care of his father while his mother worked to pay for his medicine and food; plans to leave were put on hold. But, despite the sudden drop of two incomes and the added expense of medicine, they were still saving money. Granted, they were eating far less than they had been, but the savings jar would still look at least a little more full every other week.
Looking after his father was hard work, as his illness spanned weeks, then months. His appetite became nonexistent, and the horse began to rapidly lose weight. He needed fewer trips to the bathroom, which Arkash was secretly grateful for, but he worried about his father and his worsening condition. The medicine didn't seem to cure him and only slowed his decay. He wasn't in as much pain, however. That alone was worth it in the young Rath's eyes. Whenever his mother came home from her long shifts, she was exhausted but brought food from whatever venue she'd worked at every other day. Arkash was always happy to see her, and she was happy to see him.
Despite her exhaustion, and the progression of his father's illness, the three made an effort to enjoy their free time together. Arkash no longer had snowball fights with his parents, but he did attempt to make snow-horse sculptures o a bi-weekly basis. They weren't very good, but his father claimed to like them all the same. Hide and seek turned to short walks around the street to keep his father somewhat active. Dinner time had become a task where Arkash and his mother cooked while his father rested. He didn't mind, of course. He'd somehow convinced himself that his father would one day be healthy again, and things would return to normal. But they never did.
Mother didn't come home one day at the age of sixteen, and Arkash set out into the night to find her. Not even an hour into his search, he'd lost too much heat, and returned home in fear of freezing to death. The next day, he made sure his father was well and took some of their saved farthings to pick up his medicine. He followed the route his mother had taken to work that day. Again, he found nothing. Everyone he asked either claimed they hadn't seen her or told him to fuck off. On his way back from the store, he saw her in the corner of his eye. She was lying face down in an alley, with snow piled atop her. She'd been mauled, torn apart by what looked to be a pack of monsters. He cried on her in a fit of horror and shock. Seeing his mother, discarded and left to freeze, broke his heart. His pained wails went ignored by passersby, and none came to his aid.
She was too heavy for him to move, no matter how hard or long he tried. Broken and defeated, he returned home to grieve with his father, who fell into despair at the news. It was all so sudden, and with his father's condition so poor, they didn't know how they would get by. The following months were filled with heartache and anguish, but Arkash couldn't mourn, not if they wanted to keep their savings and leave Lorien for good. So, he returned to work. His father just had to get by without him for most of the day. His mother's corpse remained in the alley, preserved by the ice and frost. He passed it almost every day until mid-searing and only wondered what had happened. One day he learned while working at one of his mother's popular venues; the mutt had been stealing food from them for months, and the Savant that owned the business had sent hollows to kill her. Not a word of it was spoken to him directly, but as mindless banter to customers over the counter.
Bitter hatred and rage consumed him, but as a nameless, there was nothing he could do. Most evenings were spent crying away from home, where he wouldn't disturb his father's rest. He didn't eat as often as his father would have liked, and his own weight loss sped up as he lost muscle and insulating body fat. He couldn't afford wax or moisturizer for his scales along with his father's medicine, and so they dried out, cracked, and chafed over the years. The painful discomfort was worth it, however, as they still managed to save money on just his income.
When it looked like they might be able to leave Lorien within the coming months, a new problem presented itself in the form of Savant sons, who prowled the streets collecting 'protection fees' from the residents of lower Nivenhain. Arkash's struggle continued until he finally snapped.
Despite all working different jobs day in and day out, they managed to find one another home at around the same time. Then they would take to the streets, where the three would partake in snowball fights as well as a relatively close-quarter hide and seek. Most of it was for Arkash's amusement, but keeping him happy made them happy by extension. They cooked together, talked, laughed, and cleaned afterward too. From early on, Arkash earned his keep, and the three lived in relative prosperity for their hard work. The one-room house was fixed when the roof began to leak and drafts were sealed. Furthermore, they were able to keep the hearth going for most of the day, which kept them all warm while they huddled. The warmth was particularly important for Arkash, as his true form was cold-blooded and the cold made him tired and slow.
After a particularly long workday in the freezing woodland, his father fell grievously ill while Arkash was only fifteen. It didn't clear in a week as it normally did and his symptoms grew worse. A throaty cough turned to hacking, then coughing up blood and rust-colored phlegm. The raspy hoarseness of his breathing kept them up at night, and he complained of unbearable pain throughout the days. It was eventually decided that Arkash would stay home and take care of his father while his mother worked to pay for his medicine and food; plans to leave were put on hold. But, despite the sudden drop of two incomes and the added expense of medicine, they were still saving money. Granted, they were eating far less than they had been, but the savings jar would still look at least a little more full every other week.
Looking after his father was hard work, as his illness spanned weeks, then months. His appetite became nonexistent, and the horse began to rapidly lose weight. He needed fewer trips to the bathroom, which Arkash was secretly grateful for, but he worried about his father and his worsening condition. The medicine didn't seem to cure him and only slowed his decay. He wasn't in as much pain, however. That alone was worth it in the young Rath's eyes. Whenever his mother came home from her long shifts, she was exhausted but brought food from whatever venue she'd worked at every other day. Arkash was always happy to see her, and she was happy to see him.
Despite her exhaustion, and the progression of his father's illness, the three made an effort to enjoy their free time together. Arkash no longer had snowball fights with his parents, but he did attempt to make snow-horse sculptures o a bi-weekly basis. They weren't very good, but his father claimed to like them all the same. Hide and seek turned to short walks around the street to keep his father somewhat active. Dinner time had become a task where Arkash and his mother cooked while his father rested. He didn't mind, of course. He'd somehow convinced himself that his father would one day be healthy again, and things would return to normal. But they never did.
Mother didn't come home one day at the age of sixteen, and Arkash set out into the night to find her. Not even an hour into his search, he'd lost too much heat, and returned home in fear of freezing to death. The next day, he made sure his father was well and took some of their saved farthings to pick up his medicine. He followed the route his mother had taken to work that day. Again, he found nothing. Everyone he asked either claimed they hadn't seen her or told him to fuck off. On his way back from the store, he saw her in the corner of his eye. She was lying face down in an alley, with snow piled atop her. She'd been mauled, torn apart by what looked to be a pack of monsters. He cried on her in a fit of horror and shock. Seeing his mother, discarded and left to freeze, broke his heart. His pained wails went ignored by passersby, and none came to his aid.
She was too heavy for him to move, no matter how hard or long he tried. Broken and defeated, he returned home to grieve with his father, who fell into despair at the news. It was all so sudden, and with his father's condition so poor, they didn't know how they would get by. The following months were filled with heartache and anguish, but Arkash couldn't mourn, not if they wanted to keep their savings and leave Lorien for good. So, he returned to work. His father just had to get by without him for most of the day. His mother's corpse remained in the alley, preserved by the ice and frost. He passed it almost every day until mid-searing and only wondered what had happened. One day he learned while working at one of his mother's popular venues; the mutt had been stealing food from them for months, and the Savant that owned the business had sent hollows to kill her. Not a word of it was spoken to him directly, but as mindless banter to customers over the counter.
Bitter hatred and rage consumed him, but as a nameless, there was nothing he could do. Most evenings were spent crying away from home, where he wouldn't disturb his father's rest. He didn't eat as often as his father would have liked, and his own weight loss sped up as he lost muscle and insulating body fat. He couldn't afford wax or moisturizer for his scales along with his father's medicine, and so they dried out, cracked, and chafed over the years. The painful discomfort was worth it, however, as they still managed to save money on just his income.
When it looked like they might be able to leave Lorien within the coming months, a new problem presented itself in the form of Savant sons, who prowled the streets collecting 'protection fees' from the residents of lower Nivenhain. Arkash's struggle continued until he finally snapped.
