Alias: Nexus
Name: Veidt K. Anima
Age: Backstory: Veidt, or as he has been called for ages, Nexus or the Nexus. He’s a faux-immortal being who gained his curse at the hand of an ancient God of Death. This penance was part of a deal he made with it, to save and sanctify the soul of his dying sister. While Nexus was praying, the Death God touched his body, and fractured his soul. The Death God then took a falcon from a nearby mountaintop and placed a piece of Nexus inside, and enshrouded the animal, so that it might never again be discovered by Death. Then, he stole the mana inherent to Nexus’s soul. This way, Nexus could not break the barriers of the mortal plane: a piece of his soul is trapped eternally within the immortal falcon, and he lacks the power of mana required to return to the carousel of the soul cairn.
His spirit is bonded with this falcon, which follows him wherever he goes. When he does not have a human body, his soul undergoes a painful reconstruction from the fragment within the bird as it feeds on small animals. While he enjoys flying about very much, he can’t stand the incessant chattering of that immortal fucking bird who is starting to become very intelligent after all these years. Nexus has not named it out of principle.
The touch from the Death God also left a mark of championship on Nexus's soul, and over time his life force became corrosive to natural energy. His body still absorbs mana, but then converts it into a stable protective shell of qi energy. Qi is a mixture of life force and ambient mana absorbed through the skin; it is generated slowly at all times. His qi is not magical. It is a pure, natural life-force-mana symbiosis.
Personality: One of the first things many notice about Nexus is how dry he is. Often speaking with little vocal inflection, he gives off the impression of being extra bored. The truth is, he's rarely surprised anymore. The shiny parts of life are the same as they've always been, but with a shinier new coat of paint. Don't get him wrong- he's not one to lecture another on nihilism, and in fact tries quite hard to make his life worth living. It's the little things, he says. Regardless of his romanticism though, he's not very interested in matters of the heart. Eternal purgatory has done a number on his sentimentality. Even then, he's nothing if not respectful. Nexus is truly loyal to those closest to him, and is a fearsome protector. Though he often acts impulsively and definitely has a bit of a temper, and a vengeful streak, and a sour mood, and a foul mouth... he's really cool! And he's got white hair this time!
Profession: Blacksmith, hero (part-time), jackass (full-time)
Alignment: Somewhere on the spectrum between Chaotic Good and Lawful Evil
Weapons: Nexus is a skilled weapon smith, and makes a variety of arms and armors for himself and others. His sword is a 38" kodachi style blade, with deep burgundy wrappings on the hilt and a simple crossguard. The pommel is inlaid with a diadem of marble. The blade is made of a silver metal, but when the sun reflects off of it, the glare has a golden hue. He utilizes a two-weapon fighting technique, wielding the scabbard of his sword inverted in his off hand. The scabbard is lacquered in black and trimmed with metal. Golden dragons are embossed into the wood, with emeralds for eyes. It is hardened with energy, equal in strength and firmness to his sword. He primarily uses it to parry, block, and bludgeon.
Abilities: >< this symbol denotes a link between the functions of the mentioned abilities
<> this symbol means this ability cannot be used unless burning qi
Astral Projection >< Soul Channeler - Nexus can manifest his soul in the physical world to see, hear, and smell, and is able to poltergeist small objects and energies.
Expert Energy Sense - Nexus has a literal sixth sense allowing him to percept free-floating mana. When he comes into contact with this latent mana, he can identify the school and type of magic cast down to the element, the time since the spell was cast, and gets a read on the individual who cast the spell. He has a distant Energy Memory from which he can identify the specific mana signatures of individuals he has studied closely.
Mask Presence - Through concentration, Nexus can reduce his energy output to minimal, causing his unique mana signature to become almost imperceptible. Using this ability for too long can cause mana sickness due to the reverberating energy.
Qi Shell - Nexus’s body has replaced its mana shell with qi, a mana-equivalent that cannot be used to cast spells without further enhancement. It works in the same way as mana toward protecting his Life Force. He can project it like a spectral arm to extend his energy senses, but it does not have any tangibility. Heavy physical exertion, burning qi, and using qi attacks can cause Nexus to run out of qi. Running out of qi causes extreme lethargy and leaves his life force open to direct magical attacks. However, until then, he can act completely normal down to the last drop.
Burning Spirit - Nexus can burn his qi by enveloping it into his life source. Using this ability is an instant boost to a specific facet of the body, but only for the moment that qi is burning. Using this ability too quickly can cause mana sickness due to the injection of qi into his body.
Essence Flux - Nexus can alter his qi to imitate other energy signatures. This allows him to adjust the sensory properties of his energy for the purposes of interacting with people, objects, and spells. If Nexus is able to analyze an individual’s specific mana (we’ll call them Identified), he gains abilities that can interact with their use of mana by imitating the signature of their mana shell.
Clear Body <> - Nexus purges an area of his body of poisons, diseases, and infections. It is expelled into the air around him through his energy, and this energy can cause mana sickness to others.
Slow Fall <> - Nexus releases a burst of qi to reduce his momentum. Usually only reduces it to the point where he can dismount the fall safely.
Qi MagicMana Sickness >< (Energy Imitation) - Nexus can cause short bouts of mana sickness in an individual by infecting them with a corrupting form of mana. Mana sickness is similar to the flu, causing nausea, weakness, aches, lethargy. The more negative energy is imbibed, the stronger the effect. The individual cannot cast spells during this time, as their mana control is inhibited.
Free Counterspell >< (Energy Imitation) - Nexus interrupts the flow of mana through an Identified target he has recently touched. If they attempt to cast a spell and he counterspells it, their mana flow breaks and the spell misfires, rather than fizzling. This is a one-off and then it needs to be reset.
Leech >< (Energy Imitation) - Nexus can absorb the mana from an Identified individual, turning it directly into qi in the process. This is a slow process, and is distinctly different from his Drain ability.
Drain >< (Energy Imitation) <> - Nexus can drain mana from an individual at a distance once a touch link has been made. This can have such effects as fizzling spells, draining power from a magical summon or construct through its creator, or jolting a clairvoyant out of their remote viewing by interacting with the magical link between the viewing location and source. He can only draw mana from them in a quick burst, like pulling out their hair. Once done, the mana is pooled in a thin layer around Nexus’s Qi Shell. Over time, it becomes qi. This mana cannot be used to substitute for a qi cost for any ability except
MisdirectMisdirect >< (Drain) <> - Nexus can redirect a spell using the caster's own mana, so long as he has procured some through his
Drain ability. This ability's qi cost is nullified if Drain has been used recently. This ability can also be used by burning Qi, but the target must be Identified first.
Amplify >< (Energy Imitation) <> - Nexus releases his qi into another being, allowing them to absorb and assimilate it. Charging another person with too much raw qi can cause mana sickness, as the unassimilated qi becomes toxic as it deteriorates.
Ritual Casting >< (Energy Imitation) >< Soul Channeler <> - Nexus is able to charge his qi with his life force, granting it magical qualities identical to mana. This allows him to ritually cast spells at the cost of his life. However, his magic works for specific, niche situations that utilize his skill set to full capacity in order to produce wild and lasting magical effects, which are otherwise impossible for him to produce.
{STATS}STR 5
DEX 9
CON 1
INT 4
WILL 5
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