Ikth

Species - Oyir

Homeworld - Obriea

Region - Empyrea

Individual Character - Dgtennek Ktarian Szradithlen Vitkari Avidkane Ehkren Ordallan Iktheniqs

“Ikth”      

“This battlefield is his altar, those bodies my offering; they belong to Rath now. All of them.”

Iktheniqs, First Hallowed of Rath, in opposition to a body recovery crew

“His hymns are the screams of the dying, I hear them gladly. His scripture is written in broken bodies and spilled blood, I read it gladly. His church is the field of war and I never fail to attend.”

Iktheniqs, First Hallowed of Rath, in response to questioning concerning the New Gods

“Exultation from extermination”

Iktheniqs, First Hallowed of Rath, in explanation of his devotion

Appearance

Ikth is a fully adult male Oyir, and stands as a massive 13 feet, unusually tall for his species. As a physical specimen, Ikth’s Hallowed-trained body had undergone magical and natural growth, and Ikth’s biological acceptance of these procedures is remarkable, resulting in his enormous height. Ikth is large, strong, fast, tough and quick to heal. Ikth’s skin is beyond the color spectrum of human vision, but other species have likened the color to an orange-ish hue. The color has a disorienting effect on those species whose eyes cannot accurately perceive the color, and results in their achingly seeing a blur where Ikth stands. Ikth’s red patterning from his dedication to Rath lends him an image of blurry fire as he sweeps across the battlefield. Unfurling his patterned wings magnifies this effect. Ikth’s horns are a dull red in color, and ring his head, creating a savage

Associations

Ikth is Hallowed, meaning he is a zealot in service to his chosen god. The Hallowed are deeply respected by other Oyir, and are given another name for completion of their Hallowed training, which is usually the first other name they receive. This achievement of another name and the respect that is associated with it manifests in a Hallowed’s ability to command other non-Hallowed Oyir to do most anything that does not conflict with their god’s wishes. Hallowed are considered spiritually elevated, and it is considered an obligation to obey a Hallowed if they wish it so. Ikth worships Rath, the War God. Rath, to Ikth, is the pinnacle of his Oyir religion, having been mortal and become a god. Ikth bears this in mind when in combat situations, believing his fanatical devotion and extreme lethality will bring enough glory to Rath that Ikth could achieve godhood, though Ikth is unsure if this is something he wants. Rath is god of war, and war is not won by those that fight fair. Ikth knows this. Well. Ikth is high-ranking in Cain’s Seventh, and was present in The Sickle Purges. After gaining Kalia’s trust, Ikth revealed to her that he killed a Titan for its betrayal. Using this information, Ikth conversed with Kalia about a campaign to unite the Heartworlds, and was the deciding force in her decision to do so. His reasoning is that theTitan’s commands are becoming increasingly cruel, and forcing the Empyrean races to die for a cause that is not theirs. Ikth has killed a Titan and comes to the realization that there is no reason to obey something that is cruel if it is not powerful enough to force you to. Ikth suggests that we should rebel against the ways of the Old Gods, since there are new ones. Ikth reveals that he has seen Rath, and in response, Kalia divulges that she has seen Gahl, God of Time. This information is not known aside from the two of them. In Oyir culture, Ikth is a revolutionary force, having abandoned the Old Gods in favor of the New Gods. This creates a massive cultural schism in time, and, though some Oyir are attracted to the New Gods, those that worship the Old Gods would eventually label them as heretics. However, this information is slow to reach the Oyir’s homeworld, since the speed of information is slow at this time.

Abilities

In terms of Oyir standards, Ikth is nearly a paragon. Though still young, at only 566 years, Ikth has completed Hallowed training three times, which is highly unusual. Physically, Ikth stands at the maximum height of an Oyir, and practices magic as powerful as any other Oyir’s, both attributes fortified by years of combat experience and the rigorous practices and rituals of his Hallowed trainings. Ikth, because of the ‘quality over quantity’ nature of the Hallowed military structure, is extremely skilled in fighting solo or in a unit under his command, as well as one-on-one combat, both physical and magical. A favorite tactic of Ikth’s is to flush a small amount of magic into his skin, flaring the coloring DNA, and putting it into a disorienting color change schema that can incapacitate enemies who stare. Ikth’s experience as a commanding member of Cain’s Seventh has given him a massive library of battle knowledge that he takes into personal or commanding roles in combat situations. Ikth has experience in a wide array of battle situations, ranging from assassination to full-on extermination missions to against-all-odds missions, where Ikth’s incredible zeal powers him through situations where others are ready to die. In these situations, Ikth’s fanaticism burns in his blood as he tears through impossible odds, screaming worship to his god, praising and singing songs of devotion with every bloody swing of his blade and blast of lethal magic. Because of his devotion to Rath, Ikth’s magical abilities focus on combat, ranging from shielding spells to lethal bolts of force and blasts of immolating fire. Because of his Hallowed training, all of Ikth’s combat abilities are incredibly deadly. Ikth spent decades in a manic craze forging his weapon and armor. Nothing was good enough, and the longer it took the less Ikth slept until he reached the point there for almost a full year, Ikth subsisted entirely on magical energy and religious insanity. Two weeks after the decade mark, Ikth emerged from his forge, bearing pitch-black armor with dull red spines jutting out at strange angles, covering most of his body, including his wings. This armor, “Rathsmane”, feeds off of killing intent, and grows detachable thorn-like appendages that may be infused with magic and thrown for spectacular effect. This almost weightless mail is extremely durable and will actively consume any wearer that it does not recognize as its master, Ikth. Ikth’s weapon, “Final Sermon”, is a massive greatsword in the most traditional fashion, and does not itself possess and special mechanical function. However, it amplifies magical energy and can function as a sort of magical battery, absorbing energy that Ikth can tap into if his already bizarrely deep reserves get low. After the armor and blade were forged, Ikth flew out of his forge and went on a rampage, failing to stop, failing to sleep, and killed nearly everyone in his path until, coated in blood, bone, and viscera, Ikth fell to his knees and wept at the glory he had bestowed on Rath through his deeds, convinced his success in forging had been the will of his god. In his future, Ikth drinks of Rath’s blood and gains blood magic. This is amplified by Final Sermon, which draws spilled blood to him in combat, the blood slowly creeping onto Ikth’s skin where it is absorbed and converted into power. This gives Ikth another full dimension of power. As a practitioner of blood magic , Ikth’s skin and armor becomes stained a unique color the more he absorbs blood.

History

Iktheniqs – Chosen name, not of a notable family at birth.

Dgtennek – Name taken for completion of Hallowed trial for Rastlin

Ktarian – Name taken for completion of Hallowed trial for Caeli

Szradithlen – Honor-name taken for meritorious service in The Sickle Purges. To prevent Cain’s Seventh from being exterminated, Ikth and a small group fought off massive amounts of Astraphage enemies, allowing his team and others, including Kalia Cain to evacuate to safety. After Ikth's entire holdout team except for him were suspected of contamination, they were ordered to be executed; Kalia and others were not suspected, and were spared. After seeing his team executed by three Titans, Ikth sought out and killed one in vengeance for killing his team. The second was killed on board the Severance of Judgment by Kalia Cain. The third is still out there, and is a driving force behind keeping Ikth in opposition to Empyrea. After killing the Titan, Ikth met Rath for the first time, who never trusted Titans and revealed himself to Ikth for killing the Titan and for his extreme talent in war. After killing the Titan and meeting Rath, Ikth begins Hallowed training for Rath.

Vitkari – Name taken for secret killing of Titan. No one knows what this name means. To disguise the kill, Ikth mangled the Titan’s body in such a way that it seemed like Astraphage enemies were responsible.

Avidkane – Honor-name taken for completion of Hallowed trials for Rath as First Hallowed. This is remarkable since a First Hallowed has not been alive in eons.

Ehkren – Honor-name taken for forging of masterwork armor and weapon with Jaliad assistance.

Ordallan – Name taken for meritorious service to Kalia Cain in Cain’s Seventh and status achievement.

Personality

Ikth is a fanatic, and is readily aggressive towards those who worship another god. However, this aggression is kept in check for the most part as Rath is a god of war, not a god of mindless killing. Open combat is preferred, but Ikth will happily respond if provoked, and is very, very against showing mercy. Ikth sleeps very little, subsisting only on the essential amount of down time. When not in combat, Ikth is constantly practicing his magical abilities, and honing his physical skills through intense training. Ikth will speak if spoken to, but will not tolerate heresy, ending the conversation with an aggressive glare or snarl. However, Ikth responds well to conversations among warriors, and enjoys discussing tactics and tales of glory, occasionally lauding the other parties for their glory bestowed unto Rath. Because of this, Ikth bonds well with killers of most sorts, generals, and warriors. Conversely, Ikth finds no worth in pacifists, though begrudgingly acknowledges the worth of healers for their service in keeping warriors alive.

Weaknesses

If any, it could be maintained that Ikth’s devotion to Rath is a weakness, since it may make him close-minded. Ikth has no real exploitable combat weaknesses. He is willing to fight dirty, and is exceptional in both magical and physical combat.

Notes

Ikth puts little stat numbers into the mind category, with massive scores in body and spirit to represent his formidable physical and magical abilities.

Oyir have no souls, and Ikth is no exception.

Frank Files: Ikth heard from Kalia that she has seen Gahl. No one else knows this. Kalia trusts Ikth a lot to have divulged this informations