Post by Balmung on Jul 4, 2013 2:48:23 GMT -5
Name: Balmung, Serren (the name his body had).
Alias: The Crimson Shadow, The Blue-Eyed Devil
Class: Assassin/Fighter
Race: Human
Age: Unknown
Occupation: Vigilante
Residence: Last known location was Piltover.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Abilities:
The Shadow's Embrace: Passive: Balmung's body is fused with shadows, his essence mixed with them. As such, his body produces shadowstuff: semi-sentient shadows that "bleed" from his body, almost looking like a writhing fog, and heed his commands.
They can help shield him from harm, knit any wounds that he may be given, allow him to traverse great distances in an instant, and make him stronger, faster, more agile and give him unrestricted sight even in the darkest of places. The only downside is that he must be in shadow in order to be granted these benefits, and even when he is, he is only granted 2x that of a normal human in good shape.
When confronted with bright, directed light, his shadows cling close to him, and hinders Balmung's abilities. Based on the intensity of the light, his strength, speed, healing and travel can be returned to normal Human standards. The protection his shadows afford him become progressively weaker in direct light as the light intensifies, until he gains no such protection.
Shadow Manifestation: Balmung is able to form rudimentary items from shadow, ranging from a cup to a set of lockpicks. He cannot make anything complex (like a clock or anything of that sort) since it puts to much of a strain on him. But he has been able to find clever uses for it, nonetheless.
This ability can only be used at night and the items only last for as long as Balmung is concentrating or until he no longer needs them. Balmung can only have three different items manifested at a time.
Cooldown: Five seconds if he only manifests one item, 15 seconds if he manifests two, 30 seconds if he manifests three items.
Shadow Walk: Balmung is able to feel the presence of shadows as if they were living entities. Through that sense, he is able to control said shadows and transport himself anywhere that shadows are present within a two hundred foot radius of himself.
While fully immersed in shadows (in buildings with closed shutters with soft light sources, during night, under a well-forested canopy) he is able to make the distance in an five seconds.
When only being surrounded by an average amount of shadows (an overcast sky, inside a decently lit building with additional natural light) it takes him around a minute with full concentration to complete the connection and travel, and about five minutes when in battle.
When there are little to no shadows (bright clear noon sky, intense artificial lighting) it can take Balmung up to ten minutes with full concentration to travel, and practically impossible while in battle.
Cooldown: Fifteen seconds while immersed in shadows, 30 seconds when in average light, a minute when used in intense light.
Shadow Blade: Balmung is able to call upon shadows to form a sword with the equivalent of good steel. As long as Balmung is able to keep his concentration in battle while fully immersed in shadows, the sword's existence is indefinite.
Balmung cannot make a shadow blade while in average to intense light, but if he is confronted with light and has a blade already formed, the blade's existance shortens to five minutes in average light, and a minute in intense light. Afterwards, the sword dissipates.
If he loses his concentration completely in any situation, the sword dissipates.
Cooldowns: Five seconds fully immersed in shadows.
Shadow Hand: Balmung is able to send forth a single string of shadows that can act like a whip or a five-fingered hand, to grab, smack, or do anything else that a normal hand can manage, within a twenty-five foot radius of himself.
The range and life shortens depending on intensity of light. Twenty-five feet and indefinite existance while fully immersed in shadow, ten feet and two minutes while in average light, and five feet and twenty seconds while in intense light.
Cooldowns: Seven seconds full immersed in shadows, 15 seconds used in average light, 25 seconds used in intense light.
Shadow Bind: Balmung sends forth a large mass of shadow strings in every direction for up to thirty feet of himself. These strings can bind and incapacitate anyone or anything that Balmung deems hostile, while leaving everyone else untouched. The shadows have a strength of steel with the flexibility of rope, and Balmung can choose to tighten or loosen them at will.
Using this ability requires Balmung to draw upon his own essence. As Balmung is confonted with more and more light, it takes a greater amount of essence to use, and as such, is only used in extreme circumstances.
Without Balmung consciously sending the shadows away, they can exist for up to half an hour when fully immersed in shadow and offers small side effects (light-headedness, body aches) that last for about half a day.
When used in average light, the shadows can exist for fifteen minutes, and have more moderate side effects (heavy, labored breathing, deep muscle aches, stiff joints, massive headaches) that last for two days.
Balmung has never used this ability in intense light, and fears what might befall him, were he to do so. As such he will never use this ability in intense unless under very extreme duress.
Cooldown: Thirty seconds while fully immersed in shadows, two minutes when used in average light.
(This ability cannot be used at all while in intense light, without risking serious, permanent harm to himself, maybe even death.)
Relationships:
Balmung doesn't know any of the champions at the Institute of War. He has heard of them, certainly, but yet to meet any. It is unclear to him whether or not the man that once inhabited Balmung's body, an archaeologist named Serran, knew of them, either.
Although, Balmung has been attributed with looking a bit like Nocturne around the face, when random people saw him at night. Balmung is interested in meeting this entity, to know whether or not they are somehow connected.
Description:
Cloaked and wrapped in shadows, it can sometimes be hard to see the man underneath. The only distinguishable feature are the glowing blue eyes. At night, they turn incandescent, almost burning. In varying differences of light, his eyes can go from glowing to appearing to be normal eyes (if you don't count the lack of pupils or irises and their solid blue color).
Balmung stands at six feet tall, and has the lean lithe body of a man that never stopped moving. He is coated in steel chainmail, with sturdy shoulder guards, wrist guards, and thigh guards, as well as a pair of thick, calf-high leather boots.
Underneath his armor he wears garments with a deep crimson, leaving none of his skin exposed.
He wears a cloak of the same color, and when the cowl is raised, his shadows fill the small space and obscure his features, leaving only his glowing blue eyes to be visible in the darkness. In average light directed straight in his face's direction, will only reveal a general outline of his face. Intense light directed the same way will reveal his face. As long as the average or intense light comes from any other direction than straight in front of him, his face will remain obscured.
A single sword is strapped at his side, the only weapon he carries. It was the same sword he was drawn from, the sword of his namesake: Balmung, the Shade Slayer. Balmung does not call the weapon by its name anymore, believing that the sword is no longer the true bearer of the name.
Aside from those things, Balmung carries regular supplies with him from time to time. Small scraps of food, a coinpurse (his or someone else's), and a simple bedroll.
In broad daylight, without wearing any of his armor or crimson garments, he seems like a normal human. His skin is pale and dusky, and his eyes are a solid blue. His head is usually shaved or has close cut. So otherwise, he seems like a normal human.
Biography:
In the legendary era of the Rune Wars, there was a rune-sword named Balmung. It was forged with a mixture of metal and magic. Not much is known about the blade, other than the half-forgotten legend surrounding it. Wielded by a great and powerful warrior, Balmung helped the man slay a mighty shadow dragon. They fought for days, dragon and warrior, none knowing who would win. But through the strength of the warrior's arm and the magic of the sword Balmung, the warrior was victorious.
It is said that when the blade plunged deep into the dragon's flesh and the great beast released it's dying breath, the sword took on the qualities of the great dragon it killed. The blade had turned dark and shadows began to drip and bleed from its surface.
Believing the sword to be cursed, the warrior abandoned it to time.
An archaeologist, by the name of Serran, ridiculed and mocked by his peers, longing for a breakthrough that could launch him into stardom, stumbled across his first clue surrounding the fabled blade. Upon a stone tablet, bearing markings of ancient language, Serran found his purpose.
After days of painstakingly translating the tablet, he discovered the legend of the Shade Slayer, the fabled sword Balmung. It took him nearly a decade to track down, but he did. He had followed lead after lead from Freljord to the Plague Jungles, from tombs of warrior kings and servants alike.
In the barrow of a forgotten tribal king, Serran found the sword. It was even more magnificent than he could have imagined, and after all the years that had passed... it was still sharp. Here was his chance to show his worth, to rub the greatest find of the century in all of their smug faces and take his rightful place at the top.
But then, a different thought struck him. "Why stop at fame and riches, when I could have true power." The one thing Balmung's legend that had always stuck in Serran's mind was the way it took on the shadow dragon's properties after it was slain. What if he could harness that power? What if he could transfer that power to himself?
The man was giddy! To think... he could have the power of an ancient dragon! He set out immediately for Zaun. What Serran was proposing would go beyond the bounds of morality, and as such, could not be hindered by Piltover's. He knew that the Zaunians were willing to try just about anything that would mix magic, industry, even the human body.
Once in Zaun, Serran found it surprisingly easy to find an experienced thaumaturge. The older man, who's name Serran didn't bother to learn, was a master of magic and medicine alike, dealing with enchantments and magical weapons. The man seemed unconvinced at first, but after explaining the myth behind the blade to the man, Serran had turned him around.
The older man had also taken in interest in the way the blade took on the dragon's properties, and began work on a way to understand and use this process.
After hours of work the older man had figured it out. "Aha! I've got it!" Serran hurried to him, asked him to explain.
"You see... the binding force of the human body is the blood. It is the essence of our soul!" He went on to explain that since the sword was able to drain and keep the dragon's essence, it acted as more than a sword. It was some sort of container.
The old man kept talking, but Serran had stopped listening. All he cared about was obtaining the power. Not long after, Serran underwent the procedure.
He closed his eyes and, soon after, Serran was no more. Balmung had awoken.
((I'd like to leave this part out so I can tell it through RP. I hope this character's good enough! ^___^))
