Name: Arcelia Cruz
Age: [Insert Large Number Here]
Gender: Female
Height: 5'8"
Affiliation/Type: Las Noches, Espada
Aspect of Death: Betrayal
Speech Color: #EE8800
Appearance: Arcelia is slender and supple, her precisely curving body augmented by the flow of her golden hair and effortless grace. The curving bone of her fragmented mask sweeps through her hair and over her brow in a silver circlet, each end stopping above on of her dark blue eyes. Arcelia takes great pains to keep herself pristine and immaculate, and her alabaster skin and perpetually white clothing are a testament to her constant success. Her clothing is tailored to avoid covering her back and arms, to allow her release to be performed without harming her clothing.
Notably, Arcelia also wears long white gloves, which cover the twin signs of her Espada nature- the hollow hole, which manifests on her left hand, and the tattoo of the number three, which is on her right hand. Even underneath her gloves, she has the hole and tattoo covered in thin, tightly wound bandages.
Personality: As befits her unusual appearance for an Arrancar, Arcelia also has an unusual personality. Though marked as one of the strongest Arrancar, Arcelia's initial impulse is never to fight, and she takes great interest in the world of others. Those who meet her may swiftly get the impression of someone more fun loving, cheerful, and friendly.
The other Arrancar, of course, know this is an absolute lie. Arcelia is just as egotistical and ruthless as the rest of them, and she can be exceedingly cruel. The difference is that Arcelia pretends to play nice, twisting words and manipulating subtly rather than crushing her foes openly. To some extent, she drops this habit among her fellows- though she is still more likely to use biting and spiteful words to strike at them rather than her powers.
Arcelia finds her greatest joy in tempting and corrupting others, either by twisting a Plus into a Hollow, or convincing a wayward Shinigami that he has been betrayed... but she can help him. She makes promises and collects those whose minds and thoughts she manipulates, gathering an array of lesser servants for her own selfish whims. Because of this, Arcelia spends a great deal of time in the mortal world.
Backstory: Arcelia was always a bit of an oddity. It was not primarily through great strength that she got to her position, but her unceasing power of manipulation. From the beginning, she twisted others to do her bidding, simultaneously using and feasting on her underlings until she finally reached the station where she could advance to her current status. She always would make things seem so inevitable and reasonable, getting her way every time.
She does not prefer to remember her days of cannibalism and savagery however, focusing instead on her acceptance into the Espada, whereupon she took the title of Herald and Steward to their King. She acts as his messenger, proclaiming his edicts and carrying them out so that he can keep a kingly distance, yet still have his orders executed by a powerful presence.
Capabilities
Standard Arrancar Powers:
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-Bala: Unusually, while Arcelia utilizes Bala, she chiefly uses it in conjunction with slashes from her Zanpakutō rather than condensing her power around her fist.
-Cero: Arcelia's Cero is white, and she launches it from her left hand only. Her Cero is otherwise unremarkable.
-Hierro: Arcelia's hierro leaves much to be desired. She is not even necessarily capable of blocking an average strength Zanpakutō strike.
-Sonido: As to be expected of a messenger, Arcelia's speed is very notable, and as such, she is certainly of Master level.
-Garganta: Using her swift speed and practiced mastery of Garganta, Arcelia is capable of opening, entering, and closing a Garganta almost instantly, denying all but the most perceptive the opportunity to even see what she has done. The only sign of her departure is a soft crackling sound- that and her disappearance.
-Pesquisa: In the short range, Arcelia's Pesquisa is fairly detailed, allowing her to detect the nature and power level of close to her quite accurately (the range is comfortable speaking distance). This takes a little time for her, however, so she primarily uses it outside of combat.
: Mensajera
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While her Zanpakutō is a sword, as is standard, it takes the form of European longsword. The sword follows Arcelia's color scheme, crafting with glistening golden in its guard and blade, while the pommel is wrapped in white. Arcelia's swordsmanship is average, and though her strength is sub-par, her speed and ability to combine attacks with Bala make up for it.
Most notable, however, is that Arcelia has two levels of release:
Resurrección: Ascensión
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The first level of release is Arcelia's Ascensión, which bathes her in silver light, shifts her mask fragments to form a halo behind her head rather than a circlet, and most notably, grants her beautiful white wings. In addition, her spiritual energy becomes awe inspiring. Not necessarily due to its power, however, but simply due to its nature.
Arcelia also still possesses her sword, though it is made out of brilliant light and spiritual power.
While in this form, Arcelia gains the following abilities:
Holy Aura: Arcelia's spiritual energy gains a quality that moves those who feel it, inspiring awe and making them question any ill intentions they may have towards Arcelia. Those who are more amoral or who don't care about the consequences of their actions are less likely to be affected by this.
Enhanced Speed: Arcelia moves noticably quicker while in this first level of release.
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While this level of release is known to her fellow Espada, Arcelia uses it only when she is desperate and intends to actually kill an enemy. Condenar is Arcelia's true Resurrección- it is not that she has two releases, so much as Ascensión is a false release, a mask suiting her nature and abilities (which is why it does not increase her power much).
When using her true form, Arcelia appears as a terrible demon- humanoid, but massive in size (over ten feet), and no longer appearing beautiful or human. Her mask remnants form pointed horns that sweep backwards from her brow, and her blue eyes turn red, her golden hair blackening and turning wild. Her hollow hole and tattoo also become visible, with the latter settling between her horns, and the former taking its place at her sternum. Further, she sprouts wings of flame and shadow, which allow her to soar through the sky with ease.
Her sword also undergoes a drastic change, becoming engulfed in fire. Its crossguard is burnt away, and it is now large enough for Arcelia to use two-handed, even as her size has increased.
Arcelia gains the following abilities in this form:
Enhanced Hierro: Arcelia's Hierro strengthens dramatically, allowing her to turn away lesser strikes without effort, and disallow a Zanpakutō to harm her without supreme effort.
Enhanced Speed: Arcelia remains as fast as she is in Ascensión.
Enhanced Strength: Arcelia's strength increases in her Condenar form, allowing her to deal much more devastating blows, comparable to other more potent Espada.
Searing Bala: As normal, Arcelia can channel her Bala through her sword. However, her Bala are now charged with fiery power, scorching anyone they touch. She can use this to set fire to landscape or incinerate flammable objects.
Demonic Hate: While this form increases Arcelia's power in many ways, it has its drawbacks. In Condenar, she may not use Garganta, Pesquisa, or any of her unique abilities, as she has revealed the monster of her true form, and dedicated herself to the destruction of her enemy.
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Spiritual Disguise: Arcelia is very adept at manipulating her spiritual presence, and uses this to either decrease it to quite hidden state, or shift it to seem more natural, nearly undetectable as what it really is (that of an Arrancar). She cannot impersonate any particular type of spiritual energy, however.
Sense Weakness: With practice, comes ability. Arcelia has tirelessly practiced the art of twisting and manipulating others, and she finds that true power comes through understanding precisely what weak points her opponents have and exploiting them. When sensing others with her Pesquisa, Arcelia can also try to learn of one of their weaknesses- whether this be a flaw in their character, a particular emotion or emotional attachment that can be exploited, or a vice. She cannot choose what she learns, nor can she manipulate these weaknesses with her power. With more time, she can learn more weaknesses, but every weakness after the first requires substantially more time than the first.
Hango