Love
Love is the name given to an assassin serving the Caliginous Church. Offered to the Church alongside his twin brother by their parents in an exchange for their freedom from servitude, Love and his brother Innocence were trained from a very young age to serve as killers for hire under the eternal service of Mother Meness. Now operating under a C-Rank, Love has solidified himself as a formidable killer and deadly assassin, devout in the teaching of Menessis and fiercely loyal to the Church's teachings.
Now, Love aspires to reach higher. He desires to push further up the hierarchy of the Chruch and prove his love for Mother Meness as an Archbishop, no matter the cost to his body or his mind. For within the embrace of The Mother, Love has found his namesake, which he has grand plans to spread across all of Arethil until the Menessis is the only undeniable truth.
Appearance
Love is tall, pale, and somewhat gaunt in appearance. Wild and unkempt black hair seems to sprout from his head like roots, and his blue eyes have an unsettling emptiness to him that chills even the most hardheaded and stalwart. Usually, Love wears a long black coat with leather wrappings underneath, shying away from anything heavier lest it hamper his flexibility or the use of his Shadowkin. He sports many tattoos, most of them performed by Innocence, as the two of them enjoyed expressing themselves on one another.
Skills and Abilities
As a trained assassin, Love is extremely stealthy, perceptive, and deadly with his both his hands and small blades and bows. His personal favorite tools of his trade are thin wires which he ties to his hands, which are very versatile in their use, from strangulation to pulling things from a distance and setting intricate traps.
Of course, Innocence is not entirely lost, now dwelling within the vast shadow of Love, emerging to serve him in times of great need. Even today, the twin brothers refuse to allow death to meet their other half. The powerful bond between them has given Love a considerable amount of control over his Twin's shadow, and he uses it quite often, a deal more than is the usual.
Of course, Innocence is not entirely lost, now dwelling within the vast shadow of Love, emerging to serve him in times of great need. Even today, the twin brothers refuse to allow death to meet their other half. The powerful bond between them has given Love a considerable amount of control over his Twin's shadow, and he uses it quite often, a deal more than is the usual.
Personality
Despite his profession, appearance and history, Love is very pleasant and polite to those around him. Even to those he is meant to kill, his demeanor is quite personable. This goes double for other followers of Meness, with whom he considers himself closely tied to through shared experience and like-mindedness. Love is extremely devoted to the religion of Menessis, praying and professing his love for Mother Meness for at least two hours each day. Any sins that he must commit are justified, as they are in her name.
Even so, any of those who've worked alongside him would tell you of the silent maelstrom of rage that lies just beneath the surface, waiting to explode into violence befitting the assassin he is. His calm and kind personality only seems to make his fits of anger more terrifying, a smile upon his face and a song on his tongue even as he rips the life from any unfortunate target he may have.
Even so, any of those who've worked alongside him would tell you of the silent maelstrom of rage that lies just beneath the surface, waiting to explode into violence befitting the assassin he is. His calm and kind personality only seems to make his fits of anger more terrifying, a smile upon his face and a song on his tongue even as he rips the life from any unfortunate target he may have.
Biography & Lore
Born Neilian Hawke in the city of Cerak At'Thul to two slaves, Love spent the earliest years of his life toiling in servitude with his twin brother Garrick, under the thumb of the man who owned his mother and father. Life was difficult, beatings were often, and affection was scarce. Such difficult living served to strengthen the bond of the twins, however, and through sheer will and love for one another, they kept each other alive through the worst of times.
Their parents, however, were not nearly as content. They desired freedom more than they valued the children they'd brought into the world, yearning to be free of the pain and suffering that The Black Bay brought them every day. In a desperate attempt at this freedom, they offered The Caliginous Church their sones, Neilian and Garrick, in return for help escaping to the mainland of Arethil.
It was an usual arrangement, but it was plain to the Church that even at such a young age, the brothers shared an exceptionally powerful bond. The deal was accepted, Mother Meness' operatives extradited the family out of Cerak At'Thul, and took the children for the Church.
For some, it would be a nightmare. For Neilion it was freedom. No longer bound by the slavery he was born under, Neilion gratefully accepted his new name of Love, as did his brother, who was christened Innocence. Both boys eagerly embraced Menessis and its teachings, becoming as devout as they were deadly, and growing even closer in the process.
The two brothers were practically inseparable, with one another at all times of the day. That could not, however, last forever. Menessis states that when the time comes, one twin must kill the other so that the two halves can become whole. In secret, both brothers planned a protest against the Trial of Bonds, as it was called.
When the time came for them to fight, instead they embraced one another in a show of their unbreakable connection and love for one another. It was the last hug they would ever share, as Love raised the knife he'd hidden and drove it deeply into Innocence's back, holding him tightly and speaking comforting words of affection and adoration into his twin's ear as the life slowly left his eyes.
Since becoming one with Innocence, Love quickly began making a name for himself among his constituents, achieving the rank of B-Rank Priesthood, with no signs of slowing down. His unique blend of both cold-heartedness and calm kindness has garnered him a reputation as volatile, but his efficiency makes up for any arguments against him.
Their parents, however, were not nearly as content. They desired freedom more than they valued the children they'd brought into the world, yearning to be free of the pain and suffering that The Black Bay brought them every day. In a desperate attempt at this freedom, they offered The Caliginous Church their sones, Neilian and Garrick, in return for help escaping to the mainland of Arethil.
It was an usual arrangement, but it was plain to the Church that even at such a young age, the brothers shared an exceptionally powerful bond. The deal was accepted, Mother Meness' operatives extradited the family out of Cerak At'Thul, and took the children for the Church.
For some, it would be a nightmare. For Neilion it was freedom. No longer bound by the slavery he was born under, Neilion gratefully accepted his new name of Love, as did his brother, who was christened Innocence. Both boys eagerly embraced Menessis and its teachings, becoming as devout as they were deadly, and growing even closer in the process.
The two brothers were practically inseparable, with one another at all times of the day. That could not, however, last forever. Menessis states that when the time comes, one twin must kill the other so that the two halves can become whole. In secret, both brothers planned a protest against the Trial of Bonds, as it was called.
When the time came for them to fight, instead they embraced one another in a show of their unbreakable connection and love for one another. It was the last hug they would ever share, as Love raised the knife he'd hidden and drove it deeply into Innocence's back, holding him tightly and speaking comforting words of affection and adoration into his twin's ear as the life slowly left his eyes.
Since becoming one with Innocence, Love quickly began making a name for himself among his constituents, achieving the rank of B-Rank Priesthood, with no signs of slowing down. His unique blend of both cold-heartedness and calm kindness has garnered him a reputation as volatile, but his efficiency makes up for any arguments against him.
