Elidian Imbrana

"One beast may have died that day, but another had been born in the blood-stained snow."

Original character by Captain Yes, for use in... Whatever, really.

Details
Full name: Elidian Imbrana.

Age: 19.

Gender: Male.

Species: Human.

Appearance
Keeping himself both imposing and presentable is a priority for our man of the hour. Standing shorther than most his age at a measly 5'4", Elidian sports slicked back black hair and sharp blue eyes over pale skin. Many scars are evident on his body, with the most easily noticeable of all being on his face -- a small scar on the right cheek and a much larger scar running from the temple to the jaw on his left, beside his eye -- and all up the length of his left arm. These gashes and cuts are a constant reminder of his past, but serve as a way to look to the future.

Elidian wears many layers and articles, all keeping to a theme of black, white and blue, with some splashes of other colours thrown in. The core of his outfit is a sleeveless woollen black shirt worn loosely over faded blue pants and a black belt, with black boots to top it all off. Over this 'core', Elidian is always seen with a bandage sling for his left arm, tied in such a way that he can adjust the tension and tightness as he needs to. He sports a small silver necklace styled after crossing swords at all times, and considers it his 'emblem' of sorts. His right forearm is heavily wrapped in dark grey bandages, with black fingerless gloves appearing on both hands.

His final article of clothing is his deep blue 'gothic' longcoat, highlighted and lined in both black and gold in many places. The piece bares -- on its back -- two crossing swords in reference to his necklace, as well as bright gold buttons along the front. Its left sleeve is almost completely torn off and shredded, with only a single 'scrap' hanging loose on the back.

Personality
To describe him simply, Elidian is an anti-hero. He's uncaring, difficult to approach and distant to the point of being almost completely aloof. The only thing keeping him from being the "strong and silent type" is his extremely outspoken nature. The kid is more than willing to speak his mind about almost anything, and will often due so through lashings of snark and sarcasm. No topic is too soon, too dark or too much for him; everything is fair ground to Elidian.

Very rarely does Elidian become angered, and very rarely will he show weakness or fear. Instead, his usual emotions are that which can be displayed proudly through a smirk or grin, or through determination in his eyes. He holds the virtues of both justice and courage with immense regard, and is known to "break character" to prove this.

After a savage encounter with a Beowolf at age 13, Elidian lost almost all use of his left arm, and gained a fear of dogs and canine-like figures that he would take to his grave. It's a sensitive topic for the young man, and one of the few things that can make him truly irate. Baring many horrific scars along the left side of his body for the whole world to see, Elidian convinced himself that "the world" was out to get him, and the only way to fight back would be to become stronger in whatever ways possible. Because of this.

History
Growing up as the only child of an upper-middle class family in an area close to the Snowy Forest, life was good for Elidian. He was quiet and somewhat reserved, but by no means the anti-social sort. At about age 7 or so, he met an older boy -- 6 years difference, in fact -- by the name of Roy Braithe. The two became very good frinds and were almost impossible to seperate, often being seen together constantly going off on adventures into the forest. They shared a spirit to explore, find treasures or fight 'monsters'; the spirit of those who wanted more than anything to see the world.

At age 13, "life" and "the world" had other plans for Elidian. Roy had become a mercenary the year before, and was tasked by a wealthy old man on the outskirts of their town to hunt a 'beast' in the Snowy Forest. Desperate and pleading to go alongside Roy, Elidian eventually got his way, and the two made their way deep into the wilderness in the early morning.

Roy, armed with a prototype LACN (Lever Action Converting Ninjato) -- a lever-action shotgun with an extending stock that concealled a hilt, and a spring-loaded blade beneath the sawn off barrel -- and Elidian with a mere shortsword waited in the harsh cold for their target. Hours passed in the wind and snow before the 'beast' in question made its entrance. Lunging from seemingly nowhere came forth a Beowolf, its black fur and bright red eyes striking out against the white around them. In a single swipe it had pinned Elidian to the snow on his right side and begun rapidly clawing and slashing away. Blood spilled to the ground beneath him as the mauling continued for what seemed like years before Roy intervened. In a point-blank shot of his weapon, the Beowolf had burst into scarlet and smoke, launching back to the ground, dead.

Rushed back home over the shoulder of a panicked and distressed Roy, Elidian was taken to hospital suffering severe blood loss. A large cut was made on the left side of his face -- a smaller on his right from impact with stones beneath the snow -- and several deep gashes ran along his left arm. His right forearm bore a massive slit down the inside, only millimeters from arteries and veins. It was a miracle the boy had survived the onslaught in the way that he did...

Now 6 years later, his wounds had healed over and become scars, his left arm sustaining so much damage and trauma that it was deemed worthless by Elidian himself. He had sworn to become stronger since that day; he couldn't allow for weakness in himself anymore. He picked up swordplay and soon became something of a self-taught master, driven by his own tenacity and need to better himself.

One beast may have died that day, but another had been born in the blood-stained snow.

Combat
Combat isn't something Elidian enjoys. He finds physical conflict meaningless, and only resorts to fighting should it be the only option at hand. Elidian wields a very basic -- yet reliable -- shortsword. The hilt is wrapped in a blue cloth, with the crossguard styled after spreading angelic wings. The sword sheathes at his left hip in a black hardwood scabbard, fitted to his belt.

Elidian uses a straightforward and self-taught form of swordplay. Being forced to rely on one arm means that timing and power is everything in a fight; missing a slash or not hitting hard enough could be the deciding factor between life and death. In the event that his sword is sheathed, powerful kicks and tackles are readily available to turn the tides of a battle.

When faced with combat, Elidian refuses to truly injure his enemies. Using the only magic he knows, his blade becomes cursed to never draw blood or leave wounds, only cause the pain of an attack. For example, driving the blade into the throat while cursed -- very simply -- wouldn't kill the individual on the receiving end, but would cause the full extent of pain possible. The has been deemed one of the most terrifying experiences a human can live through, purely for the sensations of death the cursed sword can cause.

Author's notes

 * Elidian's design was inspired by Vergil from Devil May Cry 3 and Zack Fair from Crisis Core. These two are shown in the slideshow up top.
 * His left arm can still be used, but only in extremely short bursts, and with limited movement. This is why he's always wearing the sling.
 * Personaly wise he's a bit of a mixed bag. I wanted to create an anti-hero who was still outspoken and confident, so sarcasm came to mind. Is it perfect? No, not really. Is it what you'd expect from an anti-hero? Not entirely. Is it something different? I'd like to think so.