The above edit has been
APPROVED. With my approval, it has been folded into a completely rewritten character bio, which can be seen in the first post of this thread.
For archival purposes, Kitharsis' 'pre-separation' character bio is posted below:
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KitharsisWhere are you from?Legund, a distant, primitive planet split between desert and swampland. Legund is populated by a race of humanoid reptilian beings. They stand as tall as a normal human and they are covered in scales. Jataka is the name of their people. Their communities are small and spread out through the swamps. Very few tribes live in or near the deserts. Each village has a Shaman that leads and cares for the people.
They have not a care for technological matters yet they are quite advanced in affairs of spirituality and magic. The young are shape shifters that live in the villages located in the swamps. They are like any culture. There are times of war and times of peace; times of plenty and times of hardship. Most disputes are put to rest by the village Shamans before bloodshed occurs. There are few traces of war between the Jataka. In fact, the most damaging times to their people are when outsiders stumble upon their world. It is because of these intrusions that there is little in-fighting among the Jataka.
What are you? A Tirthandara.Upon coming of age, the Jataka meet with one of their peoples Shaman. He leads them on a ritual to find their true selves. This is a ritual of transformation. For most it is the last time their bodies will change shape, the process stripping away the magic of their youth and replacing it with something...
else. Many stay in their reptilian form without their shape shifting abilities. Yet through the ritual they gain great magical prowess. Those who go through this type of transformation return to the swamps to care for their colonies. Some eventually become Shaman themselves. On the day of his ritual Kitharsis changed into something altogether different.
The Tirthandara are an ancient subculture of the Jataka. The few who would know of them would regale you with tales of terror and torment. They would curse the ground that they once walked and spit on their graves. The Tirthandara were not a peaceful people. They are fueled by a dark and sinister energy that resides deep within their being. Through using this energy their souls are corrupted. With each use it erodes their sanity and washes away any goodness within them. The horrors that the Tirthandara had inflicted upon the surrounding planets were grotesque and unforgiveable. Quite a legacy to inherit for a champion of peace...
So why isn't Kitharsis marauding about the countryside - slaying innocents and laying ruin to great civilizations? He possesses a unique talent allowing him to purify the dark, seething energy flowing inside of him. At his core Kitharsis is just and good. This spark of goodness is surrounded by the putrid energy of the Tirthandara. Through meditation he can cleanse the Tirthandaran energy of its taint. This pure energy is stored in his body apart from the darkness. Having to cleanse the energy that he uses cuts short the amount that he can use. While this is very limiting, it saves his soul from damnation. His sanity remains intact and whatever company he keeps stays safe. Safe from Kitharsis, at least.
Curtailing the limitless energy inside of him is a fair trade off for sanity and goodness. Should Kitharsis ever have to dip into the vile, unpure energy irreparable damage would be done. Doing so too many times could spell disaster. The need has to be very, very great for him ever to do so.
So great, you're full of evil. What do you look like?Large.Kitharsis is 8 feet (2.44 Meters) tall and almost half as wide at the shoulders. His skin is smooth, like an ancient marble statue and is colored a light shade of grey. Muscles pop out of every inch of his body. He rarely wears clothes or armor on his torso. The only real protection he wairs are a pair of thick knee-high armored boots. The metal on the boots was once shiny and polished, but through years of use it has been dulled. They boots are quite resilient, having very few scratches or dents on the metal and no tares in the leather underneath. Loose light brown pants made out of a burlap-like material are tucked into the tops of his boots. A thick leather belt hangs from his waist, strapped with leather pouches. Some pouches contain various trinkets he's picked up over the years. While some are full of sand from various deserts he's come across. He is nearly hairless, save a shaggy blond Mohawk sprouting from the top of his head. No matter what he does to it, it always springs back straight to full attention.
The most defining trait that Kitharsis possesses, though, are his tattoos. Black tattoos that start at his wrist snake down his right arm, stopping halfway up his bicep. A black diamond sits on the back of his right palm.
On his left arm, there are also spiraling tattoos from his wrist up to his bicep. They are more sparse than on his right. Taking up the space where the spirals aren't is a wickedly grinning skull. The eye sockets seem like dark holes into the abyss and the bone almost seems real, as if you could reach out and touch it. In the center of his left palm is a tattoo of a circle.
On his right shoulder rests an ancient rune symbolizing speed. And on his left is a rune for strength.
The spiraling tattoos on his arms and the skull appeared on his body during his transformation into a Tirthandara. The runes, the circles and the diamonds were added later by someone Kitharsis trusts. Having means to create more tattoos, he is always considering new things to modify his body with. But the permanence and significance of such decisions makes him consider the changes for great lengths of time. (
Any new tattoos will of course mean some new ability. These will be replies to this thread and will have to go through approval.)
That’s great, some big punk with a Mohawk, can you fight?Yes, very well.Melee Combat.Kitharsis was trained to be very aware of his surroundings. Individual movements can be broken down into small bursts of kinetic energy. He is able to focus and anticipate people's movements by the changes in their energy. This works very well on lesser foes. For exceedingly fast or extremely subtle movements it is much more difficult to manage. And of course, there are always those enemies who are so strong it doesn't matter if you know what they are doing or not, it will still hurt...
As a Tirthandara, he initially did not carry any physical weapons, relying on his body to deal damage. As such he is an expert at hand to hand combat. The strength behind his blows is enough to overwhelm foolhardy challengers very quickly. The boots given to him by the Shaman amplify the power of his kicks through some minor enchantment.
Through his travels Kitharsis discovered an ancient war hammer used by Tirthandara in the past. The ruins that he found it in were very well preserved. He spent days there recording any findings he came across. One day he stumbled upon what was once an armory. There were many weapons similar to the war hammer. All were meant to be wielded by Tirthandara. He chose the war hammer, having wielded one quite proficiently while battling in the arena for the OGHRUN before his transformation. The war hammer is more like a
Horseman's Pick with a head the size of a fist and a large curved spike on the opposite side. The head is capped with runes that whisper of ancient power. The metal handle is wrapped in a pattern of twisting spirals much like his tattoos. The handle is long enough to be held with two hands but still short enough to be perfectly wieldable with one. He typically grasps it with only his left hand while fighting. Two handed blows are saved for incidents where extreme strength is necessary. When not in battle, Kitharsis keeps the war hammer in a harness on his belt with a sheath around the sharp spike.
For defense, Kitharsis's rock hard skin is for more than show. He has been known to withstand direct hits from bullets. This of course incapacitated him for a time, but no permanent serious damage was done. His skin is so hard for a reason. It needs to keep his energy in... If his body is scratched or cracked open the unrelenting energy inside his body makes a bee-line for the opening. This causes Kitharsis to have to concentrate on sealing the energy in. This extra concentration can be very costly. For whenever Kitharsis is this injured, it is very unlikely that whatever did it to him is going to stop any time soon...
Tattoos.The more desirable way to release Tirthandaran energy is by the tattoos they have on their bodies. When Kitharsis has enough purified energy available (and even if he doesn't, although it’s not advised...) he is able to use his tattoos as weapons. The purified energy glows red and is very powerful.
The tattoos snaking around his arms are able to burst into life as tendrils of energy. They can act as whips to slash, ropes to bind, and any combination in between. These tendrils are most effective in an open area where they can stretch out and effect as many foes as possible. Maneuvering then in tight spaces or a crowd is more difficult and Kitharsis typically prefers melee combat in these situations.
The new diamond on the back of his right hand can extend into a blade, long or short, to aid in melee combat. It can also expand and solidify to act as a shield while he is wielding his war hammer. Sustaining the shield takes no extra energy once it has solidified. After deflecting a great amount of damage it will need to be recharged or it will shatter. Recharging the shield takes considerable less energy than erecting a new one.
The circle on his left palm can be used to shoot blasts of energy. If Kitharsis ever waves to you with his left hand, be wary, as he might be aiming a red blast of death at you. These energy blasts are a handy side effect of the real reason the circle was added. When he discovered the ancient war hammer he found that the weapon is able to absorb Tirthandaran energy and use it to empower its blows. Once charged it must be used quickly otherwise the energy will dissipate and be wasted. Timing is a virtue when using this technique and a failed blow can be quite costly. The circle is always in direct contact with the weapon as he wields it with his left hand, so there is no delay when he wants to charge it.
The runes for speed and strength can be activated by pumping energy into them. They require a constant supply and as such are rarely used. The drain of energy is often not worth more meager foes. And if a battle is misjudged there is often not enough energy left to sustain the runes for long enough to make a difference. Regardless, the mere presence of them on his body gives a weaker version of their effect. Once they were tattooed onto his skin they immediately amplified his strength and speed. Fueling them with energy exponentially increases their effect.
The desert.Kitharsis's element is the desert. During a rather dramatic confrontation with his Shaman in the desert of Legund, Kitharsis became attuned with the sand around him. It heeds his call and follows his commands. As such he can summon great sandstorms if left alone in a desert. Or he can call upon it to guard him, deflecting blows as he retreats - or charges. He always carries a few bags of sand with him on his belt for this reason. If he tosses a full bag at you, it is probably going to explode. The grains of sand grinding away your skin and bones before returning to its master. Kitharsis, always being the compassionate heart to his friends, considers the desert more like a friend than something he controls. Being away from it for too long makes him restless.
Being attuned to the warm desert, Kitharsis very much dislikes the cold. Being in the cold for too long makes him sluggish and vulnerable. And recovering from such takes quite a while.
Pets.Like his other tattoos, Kitharsis can channel energy through the skull tattoo on his left forearm. In doing so, he is able to summon skeletons to aid him in battle. They can come in all different sizes and their abilities can vary depending on Kitharsis's need. He has been known to summon tiny mages that have useful simple spells, and warriors with crude bone weapons and shields. They are skilled fighters, and can follow orders. Kitharsis seems to have a soft spot for them. Even so, does not think twice about using them to save himself or his companions if necessary, as painful to do so as it is. Upon destruction, the skeletons crumble into fine sand. Ready to be taken away by the wind to a desert of their own.
TrinketsThe pouches on his belt that are not filled to the brim with sand hold various trinkets and devices that Kitharsis has picked up over the years.
The most important device he carries is a ceramic relic that his Shaman gave him during one of his many visits home. This relic is capable of tearing open warp gates. It is limited in the fact that Kitharsis has to either have been to the plane and place that he wishes to travel to, or he must be focusing on one of his companions' energy signatures to be transported close to them. If he does not take these precautions, the warp will take him on a random jump through the multiverse. While this can be an interesting experiment, the outcome can be deadly.
The other devices and relics he carries are much more mundane. Some are merely good luck charms; others are objects of interest he found during his search for answers.
Transportation? You can't always jump around in the warp with that little toy...Kitharsis built himself a ship.Well, he and a couple teams of skeletons built a spaceship back on Jataka. It has no moving parts. Runes are carved over every inch of the hull except for a few of the view ports. A team of skeletons man the ship at all times. They were created specifically for the purpose of maintaining and operating Kitharsis's vessel. It is a small craft that can hold about 10 people comfortably. It is usually over run by skeletons, so there's barely room from 2 or 3 others most of the time. It has a few defenses, with one of the mages always sitting in the gunner position at the top, ready to fling magic missiles and meteors at any would be attackers. It is an ugly ship, winning no awards for aesthetics, but it gets the job done.
So, you must have had an interesting life... eh?Oh yes...The word
Catharsis's origins are:
Kátharsis - a cleansing. Which is Equivalent to
kathar - (variation of
kathaírein: to cleanse. Derived of
katharós: pure) +
-sis (Greek suffice for a process, state, or condition)
The word's definition and uses deal with purification and purging. It has been used to describe processes used to be rid of evil spirits, souls, and emotions like hate, pain and fear.
Kitharsis seeks the goodness in the universe. Evil and darkness that wish to harm others and oppress should be stamped out. Kitharsis acts as the catalyst that purges the evil in the world from existence. He also purifies the dark energy in his body, performing personal catharsis frequently.
BackstoryGrowing up in the swamp, Kitharsis loved to trounce around in the mud and cause trouble. On many occasions he could be seen doing menial tasks as punishment for his most recent adventure. The elders would joke that, while he was doing these tasks he would be calm and collected, and remain so for a few days until some new adventure caught his fancy. Soon they began calling his punishments his Catharsis, as they would calm him and purge his mischievous thoughts. If only for a short while... Being young he couldn't quite pronounce the word Catharsis correctly. It came out Kee-thar-sees when his friends asked him what he was doing. It stuck and his name became Kitharsis (pronounced without the ees) ever since.
As he grew older he became a very talented shape shifter and was relied upon in his village. His troublesome ways were in the past. Kitharsis was part of a group of Jataka that was in charge of hunting for food for the village. This group was also the first line of defense to ward off dangers to the village. It was during the defense of the village that Kitharsis developed a sense of duty to a greater good. Seeing the children and elderly that depended on him and his team for their very lives was daunting. Even at this stage of his life he was a fighter for peace. He never participated in tirades against other villages over petty arguments, making sure to be out hunting when the war band would leave. When visitors to their planet landed they were always given a chance to prove their intentions. This would sometimes end badly, but he could not give up his faith in goodness in the universe.
When the invaders first appeared Kitharsis's village was the first to make contact with them. He and his team met them far away from the village as a buffer for any violence that may break out. During introductions one of Kitharsis's team shifted their form. The invaders were acting skittish before this, and they took the shift as a threat. They burst out in violence, their superior technology being quick and efficient. The majority of Kitharsis's team was killed, unable to hold off the attack. Kitharsis and a few others fought bitterly until they were neutralized and captured, presumably to be used for experiments or other twisted means.
The surrounding villages were warned of the invaders, but the losses were great. Eventually they were driven off of Legund, but Kitharsis and a handful of the Jataka were taken into the invader's ships. Most of them never to return. In one last frantic push, the Jataka attacked the ships. Hoping to free their countrymen, they inflicted irrepairable damage to the craft. It was of no use, as the invader's were eventually able to take off into space.
The damage to the ships was great. The invaders were forced to crash land on the closest planet in the galaxy. Unfortunately, the OGHRUN inhabited this planet. This time the invaders were not given a chance to strike first. The considerable strength and skill of the OGHRUN quickly overpowered the weakened invaders. The survivors were tossed into the arena, along with the Jataka prisoners found in the ship. Kitharsis relished the chance to enact his revenge on the invaders, but the gravity of his situation quickly settled in shortly thereafter.
Having lost his shape shifting abilities due to the vortex gem, Kitharsis had to learn to fight without magic. Failure to do so meant death in the arena. He favored a war hammer when weapons were given to make things more interesting. Many people, just like him, were taken from their homes and forced to fight. At first Kitharsis mourned each and every person and creature that he was forced to kill in the arena. But then self preservation began to take over. The greater good would have to wait while he kept his head on his shoulders. In his cell, contempt and hate were threatening to overwhelm his soul, but a small part of him continued to believe in righteousness.
When the companions appeared everything happened in a blur. Before he knew it he was free and following them on a quest to aid a demon hunter. Once this was over Kitharsis knew he must go back to Legund. He was past due for his ritual with the Shaman.
Upon arriving home he could not associate with the small villages and the Jataka that lived there. He quickly found a Shaman who lived in the desert and performed the ritual. His change into a Tirthandara was shocking to both himself and the Shaman. Warily, the Shaman instructed him on how to fight in his new form. When not assisting the companions in their quests Kitharsis was training in the desert with the Shaman.
Thirsty for answers, Kitharsis built his space ship and began searching for traces of Tirthandara throughout the nearby universe. On a remote planet apparently no longer inhabited by humanoid beings he found an ancient Tirthandaran compound. It was called Trathid. It had a wealth of knowledge and tools once used by the Tirthandara. Kitharsis wished to stay here and restore the compound, but an ominous presence was lurking in the shadows and he thought it best not to tarry any longer than needed. Whatever was hanging around the old ruins did not want company, and far be it from him to disturb something so ancient.
He plans to return to Trathid once he finishes with the bounty he has in his ship. But until then he is travelling from planet to planet, restocking his supplies and assisting the locals. Planets with
deserts, of course, are given a more lengthy visit...
