Afanas
"He who denies the existence of gods is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply."
Appearance
Afanas is exceedingly tall and long-limbed, with notably dry, chiseled musculature clinging to his skeleton. He appears to be in his mid-twenties and sports youthful, if not sharp, facial features. He has thick eyebrows, a smooth bridge of a nose, and long, thin eyes shaped like twin almonds. Whenever sufficiently angered or using his witch sight, Afanas' eyes undergo a drastic change. His atygian orbs lighten to grey, silver, chrome and white consecutively and the usually round pupils coalesce into vertical, dagger-like slits.
His complexion is unnaturally pale, if not slightly grayish under the right lighting.
There's a marble, or rather porcelain-like quality to his skin, further accentuated by the fact Afanas is entirely hairless, sans for his brows and locs, the latter of which are the color of roasted chestnuts and reach well past his mid-back. He wears a tight-fitting bodysuit that hugs his bodice closely, leaving only his feet and hands exposed, opting to cover the former with knee-high boots.
Oftentimes he's seen sporting a maroon cloak draped over his broad shoulders and a wide-brimmed traveler's hat meant to protect him from the sun's harmful gaze. A dazzling sapphire pendant hangs from his neck, its metallic edges chased and fashioned in the likeness of evil beasts.
Skills and Abilities
Afanas is magically gifted, possessing much raw power but not enough skill, or rather experience, to reap all of its benefits. Afanas does not carefully sculpt and tweak the supernatural energies he commands so much as he simply grabs the energies and forces them into the desired effect through harsh and bloody-minded determination.
It is a crude and terrifying spellcraft, much like the club of a northern raider, apt to strike down anything and anyone in its vicinity. The downside is that Afanas must actively wrestle the chaotic magic into shape, an endeavor requiring supreme strength of mind, a megalomaniacal self-confidence, and an absolutism of will and purpose that only someone so bold as to be borderline stupid could accomplish.
Failing to do so would lead to a great deal of unintended damage as the unrestrained and unguided arcane energies twist the physical environment, cause rampant mutations in the caster or bystanders, or otherwise scar the very fabric of reality.
Those who had the misfortune of casting their witchsight upon his magecraft say it flows like sluggish, shimmering tar, drowning, in its sticky embrace, the minds and souls of any who carelessly approach it.
It is a crude and terrifying spellcraft, much like the club of a northern raider, apt to strike down anything and anyone in its vicinity. The downside is that Afanas must actively wrestle the chaotic magic into shape, an endeavor requiring supreme strength of mind, a megalomaniacal self-confidence, and an absolutism of will and purpose that only someone so bold as to be borderline stupid could accomplish.
Failing to do so would lead to a great deal of unintended damage as the unrestrained and unguided arcane energies twist the physical environment, cause rampant mutations in the caster or bystanders, or otherwise scar the very fabric of reality.
Those who had the misfortune of casting their witchsight upon his magecraft say it flows like sluggish, shimmering tar, drowning, in its sticky embrace, the minds and souls of any who carelessly approach it.
Physiology
Afanas is a Psuchephage, a sort-of naturally occurring vampiric creature, meaning that he was never mortal and wasn't turned.
Still, he's considered "cursed" for having to live in a symbiotic relationship with the supernatural symbiote dwelling within his body. This parasite/entity/whatever is an immaterial entity latched to his soul. This "hunger" entity compels Afanas to consume the vital energies of other living creatures in order to fuel itself. In return, Afanas is endowed with superhuman physical attributes, monstrous resilience, heightened senses, and enhanced mending properties.
His father, his sire, the only parental figure he ever knew, is a peculiar creature. Afanas could never tell the true age of his father and all the peculiarities regarding his existence.
Undoubtedly, though, Afanas knows his father was never mortal, not once. The towering monstrosity of alien elegance that is the patriarch couldn't possibly be of human stock.
Sometimes, Afanas wonders just how much of the world's ancient history dis his father actually experience, for the old hermit claims to have been present in a time before the first ancestors of man clawed their way out of the primordial sludge.
Still, he's considered "cursed" for having to live in a symbiotic relationship with the supernatural symbiote dwelling within his body. This parasite/entity/whatever is an immaterial entity latched to his soul. This "hunger" entity compels Afanas to consume the vital energies of other living creatures in order to fuel itself. In return, Afanas is endowed with superhuman physical attributes, monstrous resilience, heightened senses, and enhanced mending properties.
His father, his sire, the only parental figure he ever knew, is a peculiar creature. Afanas could never tell the true age of his father and all the peculiarities regarding his existence.
Undoubtedly, though, Afanas knows his father was never mortal, not once. The towering monstrosity of alien elegance that is the patriarch couldn't possibly be of human stock.
Sometimes, Afanas wonders just how much of the world's ancient history dis his father actually experience, for the old hermit claims to have been present in a time before the first ancestors of man clawed their way out of the primordial sludge.
Weaknesses
↪Aversion to sunlight: While the sun doesn't burn him, it causes him discomfort. One could say that he's light sensitive, hence the heavy cloak and the wide-brimmed hat.
↪Hunger: The parasite requires sustenance to fuel its host's immortality. If Afanas fails to feed at least once every few days, his body starts to rapidly deteriorate and he loses much of his supernatural prowess. Think of the parasite the way you'd think of a curse or any other spell. No magic is eternal, everlasting, hence the parasite needing outside sustenance.
↪Silver: Burns him on contact. The wounds inflicted by silver present a challenge to heal, even if they are not necessarily fatal.
↪Decapitation: Will kill him, especially if performed with a silver blade.
↪Running water: Doesn't harm him, but its grounding effects disrupt his spellweaving. Afanas finds it difficult to use magic if he is submerged in running water.
↪Inability to enter homes without an invitation.
↪Consecrated grounds: Not a massive hindrance, but operating on consecrated soil renders him weaker, gradually sapping away at his strength by irritating the parasite.
Personality
Afanas is a loyal friend to those true to him and abides by his own set of chivalric ideals, which often marks him as more civilized than those more sophisticated people he meets in his travels. Indeed, straightforwardness is the staple of his character. He rarely lies and is often brutally honest, regardless of consequences. Despite his impressive martial prowess, he tries his best to avoid abusing and suppressing others, especially for the sheer sake of it. His vampirism makes him stick out like a sore thumb and often leaves him feeling like he does not belong to the world around him.
Being a man of good humor, Afanas is hard to anger. He sees violence as a means to an end and despises needless cruelty. Nonetheless, when spurred, his wrath can be a terrible, bestial thing. These heightened emotions, a trait seemingly consigned to vampires and other cursed creatures, are something he struggles to deal with.
Inventory
Besides the aforementioned knickknacks, Afanas carries a large blade strapped to his hip. The sword in question is a finely-wrought runeblade, double-edged, with a slim crossguard, a two-handed grip, and a robust, skull-shaped pommel. The hilt itself is embedded with a large spherical sapphire that vaguely resembles a human eye. The blade is made entirely from an unearthly, vaguely flesh-like black metal, and is etched with a myriad of runes that not even Afanas is able to decipher. The sword was fashioned with durability in mind so that it could survive the tremendous stress brought upon by its owner's strength. Furthermore, it's a magic conduit, enabling Afanas to channel magic through it as a sort of improvised casting wand/staff.
When deployed blade is often wreathed in black light and dark fire, and the very air around the wielder howls with crackling energies. Any creature felled by this wicked blade will have their essence snuffed out.
Due to having been used to slay countless fel beasts, monsters, demons, fae and other malevolent astral entities, the sword has been tempered by the malice of such beings. As a result, this instrument of death has become more effective against supernatural threats, capable of harming otherwise intangible beings and even interfering with regeneration.
Afanas didn't bother to name the blade, even if it was a gift from his father dearest. It is unclear whether he failed to do so because he doesn't feel emotionally attached to the weapon or because he is simply a forgetful individual.
(Close approximation, although the guard isn't quite right)
When deployed blade is often wreathed in black light and dark fire, and the very air around the wielder howls with crackling energies. Any creature felled by this wicked blade will have their essence snuffed out.
Due to having been used to slay countless fel beasts, monsters, demons, fae and other malevolent astral entities, the sword has been tempered by the malice of such beings. As a result, this instrument of death has become more effective against supernatural threats, capable of harming otherwise intangible beings and even interfering with regeneration.
Afanas didn't bother to name the blade, even if it was a gift from his father dearest. It is unclear whether he failed to do so because he doesn't feel emotionally attached to the weapon or because he is simply a forgetful individual.
(Close approximation, although the guard isn't quite right)
Biography & Lore
Born 157 years ago in Elbion, Afanas was the product of a secret union between a mortal sorceress and a pseudo-vampiric non-human. In the early months of his life, he remained hidden away with his young mother, concealed not only from the public but even from her closest kin.
Had the truth of Afanas' parentage come to light, it would have ignited a scandal that would have forever marred the young woman’s standing. She loved the child, in her own way, but fear outweighed affection. Terrified of the disgrace that would surely follow, she began making quiet plans to have Afanas sent away—somewhere far, somewhere he could be forgotten.
Before she could act, however, Afanas' father intervened. By means unknown, he slipped past the protective wards of her home, entered unseen, and stole the sleeping infant from his crib. Thus, Afanas was spirited away to a hidden stronghold deep within the most remote reaches of the Spine, where his father had made his permanent residence.
There, Afanas was raised, cared for not without a certain stern tenderness. As he grew, his father revealed to him the truth of his heritage—the nature of their kind, and how they differed from those merely afflicted by vampirism. The term "vampire" was met with disdain; Afanas learned early that his blood carried an ancient legacy, not a common curse.
Under his father’s harsh but patient tutelage, Afanas spent nearly five decades mastering his innate powers and learning to keep in check the spiritual "parasite" he bore. Not once, in all those years, did he hear a whisper or feel a yearning for his mother. Her memory had faded to nothing, a ghost of a life he never truly lived.
Eventually, the desire for independence stirred within him. With his father's reluctant blessing, Afanas set out into the wide world, carrying little more than what he could bear and the lessons carved deep into his bones.
He lived by the strength of his own hands and the sharpness of his mind, drifting from place to place. Afanas took on a colorful assortment of roles to survive—thief, outlaw, mercenary, even monster hunter. For a brief and disastrous time, he tried his hand at piracy, but the open sea and Afanas were not destined companions.
In time, his journey brought him back to Elbion, drawn by a thirst for arcane knowledge he could no longer ignore. Aware of his own magical potential, he paid handsomely for private instruction. He proved a quick and eager student, advancing faster than any mortal peer could hope to match. Yet, restless as ever, Afanas grew weary of the city's stifling life and abandoned his studies after a handful of years, once again surrendering the comforts of civilization for the wild and unknown.
Had the truth of Afanas' parentage come to light, it would have ignited a scandal that would have forever marred the young woman’s standing. She loved the child, in her own way, but fear outweighed affection. Terrified of the disgrace that would surely follow, she began making quiet plans to have Afanas sent away—somewhere far, somewhere he could be forgotten.
Before she could act, however, Afanas' father intervened. By means unknown, he slipped past the protective wards of her home, entered unseen, and stole the sleeping infant from his crib. Thus, Afanas was spirited away to a hidden stronghold deep within the most remote reaches of the Spine, where his father had made his permanent residence.
There, Afanas was raised, cared for not without a certain stern tenderness. As he grew, his father revealed to him the truth of his heritage—the nature of their kind, and how they differed from those merely afflicted by vampirism. The term "vampire" was met with disdain; Afanas learned early that his blood carried an ancient legacy, not a common curse.
Under his father’s harsh but patient tutelage, Afanas spent nearly five decades mastering his innate powers and learning to keep in check the spiritual "parasite" he bore. Not once, in all those years, did he hear a whisper or feel a yearning for his mother. Her memory had faded to nothing, a ghost of a life he never truly lived.
Eventually, the desire for independence stirred within him. With his father's reluctant blessing, Afanas set out into the wide world, carrying little more than what he could bear and the lessons carved deep into his bones.
He lived by the strength of his own hands and the sharpness of his mind, drifting from place to place. Afanas took on a colorful assortment of roles to survive—thief, outlaw, mercenary, even monster hunter. For a brief and disastrous time, he tried his hand at piracy, but the open sea and Afanas were not destined companions.
In time, his journey brought him back to Elbion, drawn by a thirst for arcane knowledge he could no longer ignore. Aware of his own magical potential, he paid handsomely for private instruction. He proved a quick and eager student, advancing faster than any mortal peer could hope to match. Yet, restless as ever, Afanas grew weary of the city's stifling life and abandoned his studies after a handful of years, once again surrendering the comforts of civilization for the wild and unknown.
