Stories and legends have always been plentiful in the intensely volatile world of Mizahar; word passes by quickly with each traveler’s story like a contagious disease, and often this grows more potent with every mouth that it passes with, until all that is left is a twisted aberration of its own truth. There could be no greater truth than this. Still, some legends and tales survive into becoming tradition, and eventually tradition manifests itself as a great culture, symbolic of the time tested fortitude of what truly is, and what truly should be.
One of the greatest and most unchanging legends in the world concerns the warrior race of the Akalak, long held in the highest regard as the fiercest warriors to ever walk the plains of Cyphrus. It can be said that no trace of their culture had died even with the infamous Valterrian, for among the various races populating the great wilds of the sundered continent of Mizahar, the verdant blue hues of the Akalak’s visage still towers proudly at the very center of warrior fame and lore. Continuing to be feared and yet respected, these warriors serve their disciplined ways with the utmost fervor, denying themselves the terrifying comforts which remain lodged discreetly within their souls..
Rare are the times when the valiant Akalak fall prey to their literal inner demons, for almost all of their lives has been spent in an earnest attempt to fight back the darkness which their race had inherited from their wickedly volatile mother, the night goddess Akajia. Their ways silently bear witness to this cross which their inner sanctums must suffer for the duration of their lives, and truly the rigid and stoic ways that stem from these attempts can be of great distaste to others. While most of their number adheres to this doctrine, there has been a select few who have indeed fallen on the wayside, consumed by the eternal night that harbors shelter in their souls.
When these evils do unsheathe themselves, they turn the normally kind and honorable Akalak into the worst—and deadliest—of fiends. Their unmatched athleticism and strength turn into gigantic maws of death, and their dreary and lucid eyes burn with hellfire that see no bounds in what acts they can perpetrate. Some people have called the sight of a possessed Akalak to be the bringers of the ‘most beautiful and savage deaths ever known’. And this unbridled bloodlust never does end, even when the hostilities do. They swamp the Akalak’s soul with even more sorrow, even more despair, even more hate, which in turn fuels the already scalding darkness into twisting even further into pure madness.
This is the bane of the Akalak, a fate which most of them try to avoid at all costs. This however, would be the story of one of those who had lived in it, one who has grown to adapt in the insatiable hunger for fear and destruction that their ancient night-mother had bestowed. Fusing the discipline of father Wysar to the primeval void of mother Akajia into a lethal and ruthless machine of chaos, the true results of the Akalak primogenitors’ interbreeding manifests at last, in the fate of the ancient and tragic Sorian and his dark half Navis, known to all as the Tormentor. |
Character Concept
Sorian was originally a member of the Akalaks’ most elite hunters, borne of the union of a mighty Akalak warrior named Sandrus and a beautiful human woman named Rosarian who died giving birth to him. Owing to the careful grooming of his proud father he grew up to be a splendid physical specimen himself, passing the coming of age ritual at the age of 10.
The greater part of his first 100 years passed by without much fanfare, if not for the strange fact that by the time that he was nearly 70 the dual personality which was inherent in every Akalak had not manifested fully yet. It was not until he was nearing 90 that the as of yet nameless other half bloomed within him, and the other personality was very disturbing for everyone around him – it seemed to possess little intelligence, was far more violent and sadistic than most other ‘dark’ Akalak halves, and craved for a kind of freedom which was basically taboo in their society. The elders in their society tried to communicate with this dark half, but they were often met with a physical brutality that compelled them to contain and even harm Sorian.
Much of the last 30 years he spent in Riverfall was mired in controversy and reclusion; he began to lose the prominence that he had earned for himself, and could often be seen retreating to solitude within his mountainside home by the great waterfall. To pass the time by, he took to writing a diary that noted down the things which happened everyday with him; how the ‘monster’ side of him continued to grow more and more powerful and forceful within him; the eerie black voices that he began to hear in his head during his sleep. There was scarcely a friend who aided him through his realizations, until he met the love of his life, Karnelia.
The beautiful human maiden was one of the most highly regarded females in Riverfall, a lady who was met with adulation and flowers everytime she went to the temple to pray to the patrons of the city. Much like most of the females in Riverfall, she was a victim of slavery who was rescued by Akalak protectors from the Zith. In her particular case, it was a temporarily reinstated Sorian that saved her life, and her kindness and beauty instantly captivated him. For the next ten years he passively courted her, eventually winning her hand despite whispers that he was not the most suitable candidate to sire her a child.
On the first night of their wedding, as they were consummating their love for each other, the dark one within Sorian awakened, and the resulting event changed his life forever. He lost complete control of himself, and with his hands the dark one murdered Karnelia, brutally beating her almost to death before choking the life out of her. When Sorian came to his senses, Karnelia was already dying in his arms, meeting his betrayal with a weak smile and parting words that would sear his mind forevermore.
Driven almost to insanity by his actions, the broken and tormented Akalak fled Riverfall in shame and overwhelming grief, retreating to the grasslands, constantly hounded by the darkness which he refused to accept as a part of him along each inch of the way. There he attempted to fight himself, struggling with his overbearing sorrow and his self-hatred in an effort to tame himself. However the darkness proved to be far more willful than he, and there were many cases when it totally consumed him and wrought havoc on the sea of grass, committing countless murders and cannibalistic acts, devouring people and animals alike on the hunt. The Akalaks were unable to catch him, nor were they able to tame him either; deciding that they could not harm him even though he had grown beyond control, they placed a bounty on his capture, decreeing that to kill him would be to risk the wrath of Riverfall’s guardians. Thus he remained free and wild, the scourge of the sea of grass for the next century, a legend in Cyphrus history.
Eventually his story became a lesson for all Akalaks to take caution and to never be complacent when it came to the dark side within. |
Character
Sorian
 Once famous for being a kind yet valiant and honorable representation of his race, Sorian had become a true tragic twist of not only his former self, but of all his people. There is a great sadness that is apparent in every bit of him; the way he carries himself; how unselfish he is; in his voice; in his actions. While Akalaks are famous for being stoic and discreet in their ways, Sorian had taken these traits to a whole new level. Having been consumed, regurgitated, and then consumed by his darkness time and time again has given him a more or less withdrawn unsociable personality. He almost never talks, especially in his darker moods, and is given to saying but one or two words when he does. He is often docile and meek, and tries to keep to himself at all times. He has retained his personal bravery, but it borders on suicidal at times, and is prone to hurting himself to spare others of trouble. When roused to anger, he never immediately reverts to being Navis, but tries his best to ward the opponent away by threatening or warning him, diligently trying to spare him a gruesome death.
He speaks in broken lines that outline his feral nature, though during rare moments of clarity he’d be able to talk in smooth flowing lines unhindered by his pains. It is of a rich baritone quality, the kind which women can find seductive at one point, annoying on the other. His movements are often sluggish and lazy, walking as if he is always drunk and dizzy. Thinking is not his strong suit, but he possesses a distinctive brand of wisdom which the years had not denied him. He is also tender and gentle, especially when it comes to dealing with Kavala, the new love of his life.
Though he was not born into riches or great prominence in their society, he was always highly regarded among his peers because of his physical beauty and his purple skin – a rarity for a race which usually sported azure and dark tones. He was very gentle and unselfish to a fault, often giving up on the things he liked so that others may benefit from them. Furthermore, espite the fact that he was very brave and very powerful in the thick of danger, he was not arrogant or particularly proud of his achievements, always low key and unassuming. This humility drew people’s attention on him all the time.
Navis
 Navis, on the other hand, is a beast, a veritable demon in himself. Sporting an almost untamed malice and fury, he is a self-proclaimed monster who possesses no love for anything save himself, his crazed lust for blood, and his Kelvic bondmate Mao. He is the more calculating, keen and sensitive personality, often able to read people's moods without the necessity of repeating. Navis is also very snarky, cocky, witty and always very sarcastic or scathing when it comes to conversations, never hesitating for a moment to relish a good taunt towards the one talking to him.. His movements are more refined and precise than his other half’s, though it is still in a rather hulking and threatening posture.
Unlike Sorian, Navis possesses no speech impediments, speaks in quick succession, and never hesitates to say what he has in his mind. His intellect, however, is often wasted on words that are provoking and sometimes downright stupid and insensitive. Also very much worthy of notice is the way he deals with his victims; he often torments them, rending them piece by piece, limb for limb, until the bloody screams or cries stop spilling out into the open air. He delights in ravishing even the dead, paying no heed to any sort of restraint or doctrine of goodness. He basks in dominance over Sorian, and is especially strong during the night, when he is free to prowl the forests and plains of Cyphrus like a swift plague, bringing a hideous death to all he can catch.
He is self-preserving in every sense of the word, though his sense of arrogance will sometimes deny this as false. He would rush headlong into battle against any threat, whether it be male or female, living or undead, strong or weak. Still he is not beyond employing tactics: he was known to have been highly intelligent during his past, and what makes him so good at what he does is partly because he takes time to think over every move he is going to make, and how his opponent will react to it. Even when locked in the depths of madness he displays he remains precise and efficient, which earned him the terrifying sobriquet, the Tormentor.
Even though he is supposedly the stronger and more evil personality, Navis retains a ‘good’ side all of his own. He can be tolerant and patient at times, especially when it came to his bondmate Mao, and would be willing to lay down his life to protect her from harm. It is this love for her that had forced him to try and get along with Sorian—even though it is because of his irrational fear that the other side might take revenge on him by killing her. —only to find out how quickly he can revert back to the dominant evil within him. He would quickly be overcome at the smallest ounce of stress and lash out at those whom he had confessed his anguish to but moments before, the bitter cold returning to his momentarily warm lips once more. It is said however, that beauty and music can pacify his restless spirit in infinite degrees, but this remains speculative. |
Similarities
Perhaps the most obvious similarity between the two is the fact that they both have cherished ones of their own; Sorian loves Kavala, the konti who had taken care of him and given him hope; Navis in turn loves Mao, the fiery, feisty and savage Jaguar kelvic he met in the sea of grass not long after they had been taken residence in Sanctuary. Both of them are extremely protective and jealous individuals, though Navis is far more pronounced and bold when it comes to expressing it.
They share the ability to read each other due to the shared consciousness which they possess, but this is not necessarily a good thing at times. Both possess a loathing for the other; Sorian for the killing of Kavala and the century of suffrage for it, Navis for Sorian’s refusal to acknowledge him as a separate entity and for his measure of immaturity.
Being an Akalak, Sorian and his other half revel in battle and honing his/their skills, but his is much more simple and unusual than the normal body toning and conditioning exercises which the present day’s warriors employ. He trains his body by engaging in direct combat to the death with any kind of foe from any kind of race or breed. A customary activity for him would be hunting Glassbeaks all on his own, a feat usually considered to be difficult for normal Akalaks.
Having used to be a good miner in his own right during friendlier days, Sorian often goes out of his usual ways to collect precious stones to keep with him for awhile, eventually discarding them when he has grown fonder of other stones. It is a hobby that Navis had curiously grown fond of as well. He has developed some measure of skill in it himself, but is much more abusive and abrasive when it comes to handling. |
Appearance
 Race:
Birthday & Age : 301 AV (209 yrs old)
Gender: Male
Eye color: Deep blue
Hair color: Faded blue / black
Weight: 265 - 300 lbs
Height: 6'9
Famous in Akalak society for being hard to find in the wilderness of Cyphrus, Sorian’s appearance has become the subject of many rumors, for he had rarely been seen since he had gone on his self-imposed exile a hundred years prior. Before his descent into darkness, Sorian was as handsome as an Akalak could be: with smooth purple skin, lucid purple eyes and messy purple hair, he had been called the ‘Purple Prince’ by his peers and admirers. Truly there had been some amount of jealousy directed by other Akalaks upon Sorian; rare as it was to even persuade women to stay in Riverfell, when they do they normally would swoon over him, ignoring all of the other men in the city. Nonetheless his gentle and princely appearance had bestowed upon him great love from both men and women alike.
Towering at 6’9, with a complexion much paler than that of most his brethren, Sorian currently exhibits a very weathered appearance for an Akalak, quite a contrast to the usually magnificent specimens to be found in Riverfall. His hair is always long, unkempt and filthy, with the formerly black color having turned into a pale shade of azure from an entire century’s worth of exposure to chlorines in plant matter. While the features on his face remain quite handsome, they seem more haunting than anything else, symbolic of the powerful emotions trapped within him. The large, sleepy eyes on his face, deep blue in color, always appear as if they’re in a trance, looking away like they’re totally unaware of anyone within his immediate periphery. When he’s conversing with people he often appears trapped in some distant memory, even though he remains acutely sensitive to what transpires around him. The bridge of his nose –which has never been broken despite decades of fighting– remains beautiful and elegant, still very much proportionate to his thin lips and sad, down-turned mouth.
Huge, bulging muscles line the contours of his bulk, and angry veins can often be seen popping and dancing in grotesque outlines. He seems to be in constant state of pain, as his speech impediment shows, and moves in a hulking, hunched manner that presents him to casual onlookers as a slow, lumbering fool. In addition to having disproportionately large arms and a sprawling chest seemingly made of stone, he has thousands of battle scars lining every part of his body.
As Navis, he takes on a more aggressive, barbaric and savage appearance. His hardened face starts to parade the madness of a fiend or rabid wolf, often bristling and showing his sharpened teeth in a menacing, frightful manner. His eyes, in a strange and perplexing change of tune, would grow much darker in color, the deep blue solidifying into a jet-black that could mirror people’s images back to them. How this physiological evolution took place in him is still unknown at the current time, and both personalities remain somewhat unaware of it. It adds to the terror which Navis can sow in his opponents, as well as to the enjoyment he gets from their varied reactions.
In contrast to Sorian’s hunched movements, Navis moves about by means of stalking, seeking to minimize the noises he’d make to increase the chances of a successful ambush. His hands would often be raised along both sides, as if he’s wading across thin air, ready to grasp and press at anything with both inhuman strength and precision. He also uses the balls of his feet exclusively, instead of his counterpart’s flat-footedness, giving out the overall impression of a demonic predator. |
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by Sorian on December 28th, 2009, 10:45 am 
