I'm just setting up a skeleton to save here so I can work on it. I've got to leave soon for the day so I can't do much more than this right now, anyway.
Sethran Ravenhall
The time-stray, the Timeless Avenger, the Chrono-Blade
Battle: Epic
Race: Human
Age: 22 *Currently immortal due to the time-lost effect of the Chrono-Blade*
Origin: Planet Alastus, city of Xanthoc
Appearance:
Nothing describes Seth more than worn. His hands and feet are wrapped constantly in bandages, though he occasionally will wear rough leather boots. He wears ragged Leather clothing all about his form, skinned pants and shirt adorned with many nicks and slashes over the years. His Cloak is worn and barely keeps out the cold, overall giving Seth the appearance of a poor man. But the gleaming cutlass at his side offsets that, bejeweled as it is, and lined with gold. His shoulder-length hair is a shining silver, as are his eyes, deep enough for a man to drown in, and as haunted as a graveyard. He is scrawny, almost underweight, and tall, despite the fact. He stands just under six feet, though his hood constantly concealing anything more than his scruffy beard makes it hard to see anything else about him.
Personality:
Sethran Ravenhall is normally a man of few words. Though he spoke frequently with his friends in the past, his newfound timelessness has made him loathe to make new ones, as he knows they will die as he remains young. This leads to him seeming rather sheltered, and mysterious, as few know exactly who he is anymore. He does not tell of his past often, and travels from place to place, living off of earned money and gifts of those he protects. Intelligent, and wise, though more often than not depressed, Seth has not yet found a way to cope with immortality, and so puts off the encroaching Languor with his drive to do justice, and defend the weak from suffering the same fate as his parents had.
Abilities:
1) Chrono-freeze - Using the Chrono-blade, Seth is able to freeze a target in time, draining his own stamina to keep up the effect. It becomes consistently more draining as it goes on, and can even cause Seth to pass out from overexertion, leaving the now-free enemy able to do whatever it wishes.
2) Time-step - Seth Freezes time around him and moves, sometimes making a quick strike on foes that he passes by, giving the illusion that he teleported from one place to the next. Given that this is only a quick stop of time, it doesn't take much, however, stopping time is more tiring than freezing a target, and will drain him faster if he uses it frequently.
3) Time-sight - Seth can see events in time, but unless he knows what he is looking for, he will see random events that may or may not be significant. This requires him to channel and meditate, so he cannot do it in the middle of combat. It is also very taxing on his mental health, and he will need rest shortly after it.
4) Self Enhancement - Seth can subtly enhance his speed, making himself move faster at the cost of stamina. The greater the enhancement, the more it drains him.
5) Heightened Sense - Though it does not drain him as his other powers, Seth's time in the Chrono-blade's presence has enhanced his senses, giving him faster reaction times and quick-thinking skills.
6) The time-lost - Though originally the blade was unable to keep one from aging, when the mage who created it imbued it with his life, its power increased dramatically. Its designated wielder is kept in time, frozen at the age at which he is chosen to wield the sword, and never aging. Seth has watched those he loved die to this, both a blessing and a curse.
Equipment:
Chrono-Saber, the sentient Time-blade - A magical Cutlass imbued with the power to control time using its wielder's stamina, and then later, when the wizard who created the blade neared the end of his life-span, it was enchanted with said wizard's own soul, making the sword Sentient. The Wizard is the one who controls the blade's powers now, and can easily refuse any commands given to use his power. If Seth and The Wizard, who can remember nothing of his past life, but remembers all of his skills, are ever at odds, Seth can expect no help in a fight until they can make up. The Blade is incapable of harming the one that it designates as its wielder, though it can give up its wielder if it has found one suitable to replace it. This decision is easily undone, however, if the decision was made in rage, because if the sword feels that it has made a wrong choice, then the action is reversed, making the sword's magic unresponsive to the false owner.
Book of Spells - A book with a chain attached to the spine hanging from Seth's shoulder, this book contains several basic incantations, from fireballs to teleports to summoning food and water. Nothing that would require massive knowledge of magic, however. Seth has yet to learn enough from his sword to utilize spells of that magnitude. While the book itself is not sentient in the manner that the Chrono-blade is, it does seem to have a mind of its own, following whom it chooses to and able to make decisions without the sword, as well as being able to give its owner certain signs by highlighting its text and flipping pages.
Background:
"Mother! Father!" The twelve-year-old Seth shouted to his parents, the wealthy merchants John and Maria Ravenhall, as a group of bandits crashed through the front door, weapons bared and blood in their eyes.
"Maria, take Seth into the back room, and stay hidden." John said as he reached above the fireplace for the longsword placed there. As his mother ushered him into the back room of their house, a large, spacious room filled with valuable art and ornamental jewelry.
"Oi. Ye're the current head of the wealthy Ravenhall family, ain't ye?" Seth could hear one of the bandits say to his father in a gruff voice. "What say you give us all of your money and we let you live?"
"Out of our home, bandits!" came his father's loud reply, and then all that was heard was the clash of steel. Seth was able to count five bandits when they came in, and he heard three fall before he finally heard his father's scream. The blood drained from his face and he nearly fainted at the noise. Mother gave him a quick hug, and pushed a large pouch of money in his hand, enough for him to buy a house, easily. It was practically as large as his head. She tied it around his back and then pointed him at the window. "Go, quickly! And don't look back!" she said quietly, pushing him out through the window as the two remaining bandits broke down the door.
"MOMMY LOVES YOU VERY MUCH!!!" were the last coherent words Seth heard from his mother, shouted out into the night before her screams filled the air.
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The only food that Seth bought with that money was a loaf of bread, a skin of water, and some tough meat. The rest was all spent for the purchase of a room in an inn in a small town for permanent residency, and the enlistment of the local vigilante group, who called themselves the Hooded fox, to train him in combat. At first the members laughed at the prospect of training a child of twelve in the art of combat, but when they saw the steely look in his silver eyes, and the amount of money laid before them, their minds were quickly changed. Seth rarely spoke a word other than "Yes, master." "No, master." "Of course master." in his time of training, keeping shut up about his past, about anything, for that matter. The only other words that left his mouth were only necessary ones. He spent all possible hours training with the foxes, learning to fight with his fists, and, once he reached the age of eighteen, with a dagger. He trained diligently, taking each lesson to heart, bandaging his fists and feet to avoid injuring them. As time went on, he became more open, both with the Hooded Fox group, and with Rosa, the buxom woman who kept the inn in which he stayed. He revealed his reasons for wanting to train, to get revenge upon the bandits, and to keep such things from ever happening to another so long as he could stop it, to them, and the others agreed to train him harder, to teach him faster. Rosa began bringing food to him while he was training, and he slept at the Hooded Fox hideout, only going back to his room when he needed something, such as clothing, a bath, or something he had left there.
There came a day when Seth was wandering the streets of the town when he saw a bandit attempting to mug a woman, brandishing a knife at her. Seth, wearing no boots, as he often did, stepped up silently behind the bandit and tapped him on the shoulder. The man spun, swinging the knife wildly only to miss Seth as he took a quick step back.
"Who the 'ell are you?" The man asked, looking at the smiling figure of Seth, a grin plastered on his face, incredulously.
"Me? Nobody. Just a fox." he said, as his foot swept out quickly, catching the bandit unaware and sweeping him off his feet, the dagger flying from his hand, only to be caught by Seth mid-air. The Silver-haired teen, about nineteen, leaned down over the bandit, a smirk still plastered on his face. "A Hooded Fox."
"I knew I should'a-Wait..." The bandit said, recognizing the silver eyes and hair. "You're the kid! The Ravenhall kid!"
Something clicked inside Seth. This was one of the men who had killed his mother and father. Imagine the odds. The grin melted from Seth's face, replaced by a mad scowl, as he knelt down next to the bandit and placed the knife to his throat. "Where is your partner? The other one who survived that night?" Seth growled, pressing the knife so close that a small trickle of blood began to drip from the bandit's neck.
"Oh god, don't kill me! Our hideout's in the Greenwall forest, just outside town! Please don't kill me!"
"Did you spare my Mother and Father?" Seth asked, before raising the dagger high into the air and plunging it into the man's skull, right between his eyes.
That night, he left the hideout of the Fox hideout, dagger in hand, and crept his way into the Greenwall forest. He wandered his way through the small forest, until he tripped over what felt lke a fallen piece of wood. Upon further inspection, it turned out that this piece of wood was in fact a trap door. Opening it, Seth slipped inside to find a large bandit hideout. Obviously this place had been made for a large group of the bandits. Which meant that the ones that killed his family weren't the only ones out there. He knew he had to end them all, for the sake of the world. He crept silently from room to room, slitting throats, until he crept his way into the largest room, likely the room of the leader. There he found not another sleeping man, but another familiar face, and awake as well.
"So, boy. Come for revenge have you?" the bandit asked, the large broadsword on his back clearing its sheath easily as he recognized the boy at sight.
Seth said nothing, but just grinned menacingly, tightening his backhanded grip on the dagger to the point that his knuckles turned white.
"Let's not waste time then!" he shouted, bringing the blade down on where he thought Seth was, only to see that he was actually at his side, having moved when he brought the blade down. He could only manage to widen his eyes before the dagger sunk into his throat.
"Let's not." he said, as the bandit fell limp to the ground. Seth took a quick search of the room, and found a small scroll. Opening it up, it revealed the location of a fabled blade. Rumored to control time, it was called the Chrono-blade. A thought popped into his head. If he could control time, then he could bring his Mother and Father back! It was a stretch, but it was a risk he was willing to take. But he wouldn't be doing this all on his own. He'd need to train a bit more.
He spent the next three years training harder than ever with the Foxes, leaving on his twenty-second birthday, the same day his parents had died, ten years ago.
When he arrived at the cave, he found it strangely unguarded, for such a magnificent treasure. Then he found its natural guardian. A gigantic wolf the size of a man leaped out of a nook in the cave, growling and barring Seth's path. When Seth attempted to stab the wolf, his dagger bounced off as if it were made of stone. The wolf used this opportunity to pounce at Seth, but only succeeded in getting itself tossed over Seth with a leg push before the Silver-haired man rolled to his feet, rushing past the spot the wolf had been only moments ago as the wolf righted itself and came chasing after. This cave was a maze. Left, right, straight, sometimes it felt as if these turns were being pointed out to him. He didn't know why he made them. He ultimately came to a large chamber with the blade floating in the air in the center, suspended over a hole in the earth the size of a pedestal, as if it were floating in a case that no longer existed, and had been sucked into the bowels of the ground. He stopped to stare in awe for a moment, but then heard the growl of the wolf and quickly decided this was unwise. As fast as he could, he ran over to the sword and grasped it with both hands.
The ear-piercing scream rent the air before Seth could even realize it was his. He was no longer in the cave, he was everywhere. or rather, EveryWHEN. He could see every event, every moment of time, all at once. It felt as if he would go insane. But then he remembered his mother and Father, lying face down on the floor of their home, and he remembered why he had come all this way. He gritted his teeth, and forced himself to calm his mind, to block out the images. Soon they died down, and a voice spoke into his mind.
"You have passed the test of time. I hereby select you as my Wielder." came the voice of an Elderly man, and Seth could only stare at the blade a moment before a howl caught his attention, and he ducked to the side to avoid the Wolf's lunge.
"Quickly lad, kill it! Use the sword!" the voice said, but Seth could only keep away from the wolf, dodging and rolling.
"Help me!" Seth said, continuing his evasion.
"I cannot! This is your fight! Use the damn sword!"
"I've never used a sword before! Help me! Do you want to go back in there!?"
Suddenly the Wolf froze, mid-lunge, suspended in the air.
"Kill it." The voice said sternly, and Seth did as told, sliding the blade between the beast's lungs, the masterwork blade piercing easily, and as he pulled the blade from the suspended wolf, it fell to the ground, dead.
"Why did you come looking for me, boy, if you knew you couldn't use a blade, and possess no knowledge of magic?" The voice asked inquisitively.
"I came.....I came in hopes that you could help me. To help me bring back my family."
"I see....A noble cause.." The voice said after a lengthy pause. "How long ago did they die?"
"Ten....Ten long years..." Seth stated, letting out a sigh.
"........................I'm sorry boy, but my powers do not extend that far..." the blade stated, almost remorsefully.
"Then there is no point to continue." Seth said, turning the blade tip to his throat, only to find that the blade seemed to be frozen itself, unable to stab him.
"I am unable to harm my wielder." The voice stated sullenly.
Seth said nothing, but quietly sheathed the blade, beginning to walk out, when a book attached to a chain began to float towards him.
"This book is attached to me. Where I go, it must as well." The sword stated, as the book laid itself on Seth, the chain resting easily on his shoulder. "You may find it useful, even. I will teach you of magic, so you may learn yourself to use it. Of all of my life, the only thing I can remember is that I was once a powerful mage. But for now, you may call me Chrono. Chrono-blade."
After a second of thumbing through the book, Seth left the cave, looking up at the sky.
"You have much to learn, my friend. I must teach you both to wield a blade, and to use magic. but you will learn, my friend. You will learn." the sword spoke to him as he contemplated its words. As he walked, he heard a feminine scream and a haughty laugh, and as he ran, he found yet another bandit mugging. A smirk spread across his face yet again.
He had made a promise to make sure that this kind of thing wouldn't happen if he could help it. He couldn't die now. He still had much to learn, as the blade said, but he intended to learn quick. He drew the blade from its scabbard and approached.
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The rest, as they say, is history. He has travelled the world for a long time, has mastered the art of the blade, and become moderately skilled in magic. He has become known as the Timeless Avenger, having lived longer than most care to remember, and never having aged. He has witnessed many a love one leave, and has grown loathe to form new bonds. Still the Timeless Avenger wanders, dispensing justice where needed.
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More recently, as Seth was training with the blade, in a shadow-fight against foes unseen, his blade twirling through the air, he continued to think through about the strange feeling he got when he used the blade. Like reality didn't like him doing that. Little did he know that the realm he lived in wasn't particularly fond of Time-Magic. He had been using this area frequently, and the strange feeling was all the more oppressive here, but he ignored it, continuing his training. As he used the powers of time to make his blade swing faster, he found his blade tearing a hole in the air in front of him. Seth jumped back from the writhing mass as a clawed hand reached out of the rent hole, a small creature with many arms and tentacles on its head and an abnormally large, gaping maw crawled out, followed by five more. He was now face to face with six horrendous, diminuitive pink creatures, pink fire blazing inside their mouths. More creatures could be seen stirring inside the portal even now, and Seth had to act fast. Uttering a memorized incantation from the spell-book at his side, a minor fireball blazed to life, soaring from his hand and exploding in the group of demons, scattering them as Seth dashed forward, plunging his blade into the skull of a creature that was attempting to climb out. As he ripped the blade out, he noticed that the portal seemed to be shrinking, but he didn't have time to contemplate this, as another creature pounced at his back, forcing him to turn and impale the creature on his blade up to the hilt in its skull. He knew he couldn't use the blade's power here, at the risk of opening more of these strange portals, so he was only able to rely on his blade skill and his own magic. As he tossed the creature off of his blade, the five remaining decided to stop attacking him directly, and instead began to fling warp-spawned projectiles at him, solid enough to knock him flat. He moved his blade quickly, deflecting the projectiles as he muttered the phrases to an arcane spell. As the spell finished, he inhaled deeply, dropping his blade-guard for a moment to exhale a jet of frost, freezing the daemonic creatures solid. Before the creatures could thaw, he quickly sliced the heads off of each of them, before turning his attention to the portal. Hacking and slashing, he kept the clawing creatures of the warp at bay until the strange portal from another dimension closed, leaving the young, yet old swordsman tired, but now wary of using his blade idly
