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[Ari]

Name: Ari
Age: 40 (looks 20)
Gender: Male
Job Class: former Blue Knot (Soullinker); Silencer to Zelreine Mystille (Assassin Cross); Day Job: Spice merchant in the eastern district of Morroc City
Nationality: Uncertain

Physical Attributes:
Standing at a middling 5'8, Ari has a slight and slim stature, and definitely does NOT look his age. He has short blue hair, with bangs that slightly cover his right eye. He has a slightly tanned complexion, which matches his clear gray eyes. He is often sporting casual clothing like shirts, denim and tough sneakers. However, his Assassin Cross uniform is made in deep purple shades.

He has a slight hunch and likes to keep his hands in his pockets. He is also fond of wearing a headset (the headgear only), and has a silver chain necklace with a dagger pendant hanging from his neck. He rarely talks, because he's deaf in both ears. He knows sign language, however, and communicates with it, although most of the time he just keeps his silence.

Personality:
Ari is a very calm and level-headed person, even for an Assassin Cross. Very few things can faze this guy. He prefers to work alone, and usually works best alone. He can be a team player if situations call for it, but if something doesn't jive with his own perception of the Balance, he isn't afraid to go after that belief. He appears to be always drowsy, and seems to zone out on things most of the time. But this is a front; underneath the sleepy and indifferent facade, Ari is very much aware of his surroundings, only discounting the fact that he's actually deaf.

He's comfortable with his current work as Silencer, as the Sword rarely does give him a task and often leaves him to his own devices. He does any work as efficiently as he can, often pushing beyond his own limitations to succeed in a mission. He does, however, dislike being cited or subjected to disciplinary actions, but he goes through it anyway to appease his superiors. He does know not to attract trouble to himself, keeping in mind the Cross Rishid's mistakes in his long reign.

Because of his lack of expression and obvious handicap, other Eliminators and Executioners often forget about him. He really is a tad forgettable if you don't know what he can do. But his summoning skills are one of the best of his generation. Only after seeing his full abilities do people tend to remember him and know that he can be quite dangerous in his own right.

He doesn't have difficulties killing people. It can be said that he's gotten used to slitting people's throats. He seems to harbor a fascination with death, and in his own way, looks forward to a task and mission, whatever it may be. He will not also hesitate to eliminate a threat barring his path, but this only after careful consideration of his options. He is a thinker, and prefers mulling over ideas and options first before striking the killing blow.

Strengths:
+ His sense of sight, touch, smell and taste are all freakishly heightened to compensate for his lack of hearing.
+ Summoning skills
+ Excellent observer

Weaknesses:
- Obvious lack of communication skills.
- Elements strong against his current attribute.
- Has his own notion of the Balance; sometimes goes to do his own thing in a pack mission.
- Has a dislike for being cited and being subjected to disciplinary measures.
- Quite a smoker; he can't seem to be coordinated properly if he doesn't smoke first before any task or mission or guild war.

---

History:
The earliest half of Ari's history began in the Ash Vacuum world. His father had been a Rune Knight, one of the handful few adventurers who had gotten lost into the inter-dimensional rift left behind by the rending of the plains millenia ago, and somehow managed to find their way home in Midgard. His mother on the other hand, knew him only for the briefest weeks from his birth, as she was a Sorcerer boasting of human and Lapine descent. She and his father never intended to marry, but had reached an amicable state of their relationship by agreeing to remain friends. His mother didn't want a child, but his father was all too happy to have a son, so by mutual consent, he was given over to his father. When he was a month old his father had somehow ended up back in Midgard, coming to just west of the city of Lutie, with his son with him.

Lord Gavin knew he couldn't go back to the ordinary course of things in Midgard, so he never returned to the Chivalry and established a living by being a chocolateur in Lutie. People eventually recognized him, and he explained away his years of absence by saying he had met an accident was now rendered unfit to serve, so he had to look for another means of a living to provide for his son. Life was pretty much stable until Ari was two years old, where his father disappeared, without leaving any trace behind.

Several songmaidens discovered the freezing, close-to-death boy in the apparently abandoned chocolate shop, and took him to the orphanage in Prontera after exhausting all efforts to look for Gavin.

In the orphanage, life took a sour turn for Ari. Being deaf in one ear, and short for his age, the boy was more often that not the subject of the worser forms of bullying. The child would get beat up so bad that one day, the caretakers discovered him unconscious in the playground, bleeding from his right ear. He would never regain his sense of hearing no matter what help the clerics gave him, and because of this, he was always last priority on the list of children endorsed for adoption.

By the time he was 8, Ari was nothing short of a recluse, that small, quiet kid always sitting by the corner of the orphanage and immersed in his own world. A break would occur for him at this stage; the younger sister of the Soullinker Conduit, who had been married for eight years and still childless, had happened to be visiting the orphanage and spotted him. Ae Sook and her husband Dae-Jung were immediately attracted to the child's apparent silence, and after being informed of Ari's less then pleasing record, the two decided to proceed with the adoption anyway.

Ae Sook and Dae-Jung took their new adopted son home to Payon, but that wasn't the last thing Ari would see of Prontera, for his adoptive parents also decided to send him for schooling in the Novice Academy. Life was not easier to Ari since getting adopted; school was more or less a repeat of the incidents in the orphanage. But despite being bullied and lagging at some of his classes, Ari proved himself a silent but very diligent and persistent worker. He was a consistent student; he would always be at the upper 10% of the batch despite his apparent handicap. Encouraged by this, Ae Sook also enrolled her son for special classes offered by the Novice Academy for handicapped children. However, Ari remained a recluse, socializing only with very few people, and speaking (both with words and sign language) only when necessary.

When Ari was 14 he graduated from the Academy and returned to Payon. As always he was an average Tae Kwon student, but he showed a love for meditation and interest in the principles of the Tae Kwon discipline. Eventually, when he reached 16 years of age, Ari chose the Soullinker path, and this was where he excelled.

~

Ari didn't want to contract with just 'ordinary' spirits as he delved into the studies of his chosen path. He strove to be beyond all the Soullinkers in existence, even greater than his uncle the Conduit. He drew even more into himself and spent his days in deep study and discipline, until when he was 21, he had decided to be fully contracted to four 'beings' - Shekinah, Azazel, Taranis and Chi You.

Now, it is the core of the Tae Kwon discipline that the Tae Kwon, Star Gladiator and Soullinker never kill any human being. But Ari was determined to be the greatest of his path, and owing to his silence, nobody ever really knew what was in his mind. In order to be able to contract with Shekinah, first Ari killed an unsuspecting Priest as a sacrifice and blood bond. The cleric had been his doctor since he was 14, and when Ari came to him again the woman was aging and unsuspecting. Ari slit her throat and bled her dry, afterward disposing of her body in the Izludian sea. This is where he develops his ritual of smoking first before doing any killing, and this oddity will stick to him for the rest of his life.

When he was 22 he now contracted with Taranis, after successfully luring an unsuspecting Mage and sacrificing him in the same manner deep in the Payon forest. A year later, when he was 23, Ari struck again, this time killing a Lord Knight in a sea voyage toward Turtle Island. This murder would enable him to enlist the being Chi You into his service.

For his most powerful summon, Azazel, Ari would kill his adoptive parents in Payon, in their own home. But this also meant the discovery of his delving into forbidden arts of summoning, as his uncle the Conduit was informed by his spirits of what they had witnessed regarding his adopted nephew. Ari was caught in Payon forest, on the way to Alberta, where he would take the ship and flee into a neutral nation for some years to bide his time. In the struggle, Ari would manage to kill his uncle with Chi You's Vorpal Blade, and seven others before the authorities would subdue him. A month later and he was incarcerated in Izlude, waiting his turn on the gallows for his crimes.

~

The man came at around 3 in the morning, and introduced himself merely as 'Craven'. Ari had never seen an Assassin Cross before, but had an inkling that this Craven was one, judging by how he seemed to just appear from the shadows effortlessly and in a jail cell. Craven knew sign language and made an offer that would change Ari's life forever. It turned out Craven had been keeping track of Ari since the murder of the Lord Knight, and said that his skills were better used in service of the Balance rather than going to waste in the gallows. Ari gave thought to his options - no way he was going to let authorities take away his life's work, just when he'd finished everything too, so he agreed. As effortless as he had come in, Craven had taken him out of Izlude, and by sunrise, Ari was lost in the middle of the Sograt Desert.

He would make his way to Morroc five days later, close to death. A group of Peco-peco herders had found him in the desert and took him with them. He would regain consciousness in a cheap inn, and would later find the Peco herders and thank them for saving him. Now in Morroc, authority never had a firm hold. Ari considered Craven's words, mulling over his options. After three days of idling around, he made his way to the Pyramids, and found himself as a Thief soon afterward.

It was tailored to fit, the Thief path. Ari felt comfortable and oddly at peace with his newfound job, and spent only two years as Thief before earning his Necklace of Oblivion at the age of 25. He had never heard of Craven again, and Ari soon focused on the new opportunities that awaited him in his new job.

For the most part, he disliked team missions, preferring to accomplish his hitlists alone. He was a consistent and noted member of the Guild, well-known because of his peculiar way of combat. He never socialized much as always except needed, and never clashed with the Black Hand, the Listener and the Cross if he could help it. Ari settled into his day job of spice trading as well. By the time he was 30 he Transcended alone, finally earning reputation as an Assassin Cross.

He was aware of the changes within the Guild, but he wasn't there to see the action, as he had spent some time hopping from one neutral nation to the next. When he returned to the Guild, a surprise came to him in the person of Zelreine Mystille, newly instated Sword. She asked him if he wanted to serve as her Silencer. Ari, who had rejected offers of being Speaker, Listener and even as a Black Hand member, considered. He guessed it wasn't so bad. And now with a new Cross and new Guild Laws around, maybe things would be more interesting.

He accepted the post, and already he was thinking of another great What If.

...

What if he became Cross next?

---

Skills:
- High Jump
- Hiding
- Steal
- Grimtooth
- Sonic Blow
- Venom Dust
- Create Deadly Poison
- Enchant Deadly Poison
- Soul Breaker
- Meteor Assault

Custom Skills
Ari was originally a Soullinker by profession, but his discipline has enabled him to go beyond the usual Soullink methods, and thus earned his expulsion from the order. He has 4 distinct summons, all of which represent a different attribute. He can only summon a maximum of 2 of these beings in one RP, with a cooldown of 5 posts in between the switch. Each summon in turn, has its own special skills (maximum of 3 each), that add to Ari's normal skills. A summon also automatically imbues Ari with its attributes, from equipments to weapons. A summon can last to the end of the RP.

Holy
Summon: Shekinah
Skills:
Heal - This summon allows Ari to use be able to use the equivalent of Lv 3 Heal on others.

Brilliant Explosion - this skill causes a sudden explosion of light centered on the target on a maximum area of 20m. The explosion severely burns anyone struck and can cause Blind (Roll: 1-30) temporarily for 3 posts. The explosion deals Holy damage.

Shadow
Summon: Azazel
Skills:
Darkvision - this spell converts the medium the caster's eyes use from light to darkness. The caster can see perfectly in darkness but any form of light will be a hindrance. Can last throughout the RP.

Choking Darkness - this spell will saturate an area a maximum of 50m around the caster with shadow. It will plunge the place into utter darkness that cannot be penetrated by anything other than Sight, Sightrasher or Ruwach. Can last for 7 posts per RP. 1 post cooldown in between uses.

Curse of Undeath - imbues Ari's weapons with shadow energy. Any wound inflicted or attained from an imbued weapon will result on Bleeding and Curse status (Roll: 1-30). Otherwise it will inflict wracking pain. Can last up to 5 posts. 2 post cooldown in between uses.

Neutral
Summon: Chi You
Skills:
Vorpal Blade - Summons 5 Jian swords in the battlefield. Ari can choose how each or all swords attack. The swords can last for 7 posts in an RP, but can be destroyed by Soul Breaker, Spell Breaker or Lex Divina. When destroyed or cancelled, the skill has a 2 post cooldown in between uses.

Wind
Summon: Taranis
Skills:
Windsmash - this skill creates a puff of wind so strong that it will knock over any character (Roll: 1-30). It will fling such characters for over 20 meters before depositing them somewhere. It fling even carts and horses. 1 post cooldown in between uses.

Static Shield - this skill creates a coruscating layer of electricity 20m around the caster. The shield will deflect up to 10 physical attacks . The shield will not reduce the damage from MATK that come through. Melee attackers also suffer from Stun (Roll: 1-30) when they strike the shield. The shield can only be destroyed by Spell Breaker or Lex Divina. Lasts up to 5 posts. Cooldown of 2 posts in between uses.

Special Items:
- Silver necklace with dagger pendant


Equipment:
- Brave Carnage Katar x2
- Poison Knife x10
- Air Boss x1 pair
- Assassins Robe
- Pauldrons
- Beholder Ring x2
- Portable, magic whiteboard


Trivia:
- Always carries around a handy magic whiteboard for people who don't know sign language.
- He isn't immortal, but he ages very, very slowly due to his ancestry.
- Has to smoke exactly three sticks of cigarettes before any mission.
- Always seems to zone out of things
- Likes making and drinking fruit shakes, especially kiwi.
- Loves meditating

[Ari]

Done with history, still waiting on custom skills.