[Murkus]

Bellan Vraal

...Those great men from the dead place, scorpions that walk on two legs, with voices like thunder and eyes like stars...

Aliases: The Forgiven, though a great many of his people carry this title.

Gender: Male, if one can tell by his voice.

Race/Species: Clan Vraal, once part of a great race of men, the result of unnatural evolution and adaptation. Their flight from Man-home and consequent delves into space and alternate dimensions has slowly warped their forms and minds. They are, in fact, human, on some base level.

Age: Pretty young, at least for his people.

Alignment: Lawful Good.

Class/Profession: Knight Ascendant, a blend of gunfighter and knight/noble.

Power Rating: B. Scaleable.

Description: Realizing that his appearance tends to disgust, frighten or at least distract creatures of this Material plane, Bellan typical ensures that his body remains covered.

He's about ten feet in height, and maybe four feet from arm to arm. Poking out from the top of his cloak is a spiked orange head, arching back and laced across the 'scalp' with a series of organic tubes. These tubes travel from the back of his skull and down beneath his cloak. He has two large, close-set green eyes, the sclera an odd shade of yellow, with black pupils. He likes the colors, and he wanted a visual receptor that could take in light in the same manner as a human. He's regreting that decision now.

Like his uncle Teq, Bellan's face has a broad range of expression, with the mandibles that make up his mouth moving to imitate human facial musculature. It's only when he wishes to eat that his mouthparts spread, extending vicious serrated teeth along their lengths and a tubular tongue, along with two tiny pincers to grasp struggling meals. Ridges and curved grooves color his face, adding to the exotic appearance.

His hand appears to be three-fingered, soft and almost clawlike but for the blunt tips. His left hand appears to have been recently reattached, with a greenish line running around the wrist. His skin his smooth and corrugated in spots, etched with beautiful patterns or strange inscriptions.

Despite his size, Bellan only makes about as much noise as a human while walking. He's slower, though. Likes to take his time.

Personality: He is both fascinated and appalled by a great many things on the Material Plane. He loves to explore, to learn and discover, but he liked doing it more on his home plane.

Traits:

Pacifist: Will only kill or injure another living thing out of absolute necessity, and even then with great hesitation.

Short-tempered: Self-explanatory. This, in tandem with the Pacifist trait, leads to a lot of pent up frustration.

Moral Code: Though he's had his vices in the past, Bellan is perhaps the most moral individual you will ever meet. He is kind, compassionate, and selfless to the point of lunacy. He has bound himself to the Wheel's will, a sort of Vraal code. The code is as follows:

• Death without reason is the folly of the gods, and it shall not be permitted.
  
  Reason without morality is the folly of mortals, and it shall not be permitted.
  
  Morality without reason is the folly of good men, and it must be eliminated.
  
  Seek happiness in all things.
  
  Love all equally.
  
  Understand and defend all life.

The list goes on.

Abstaining: For the moment, Bellan takes little joy for himself. He does not permit much personal happiness, and his elders would frown upon any significant amount of self-indulgence.

Equipment:

-One flawlessly straight longsword, with a blade of grey metal and an organic hilt. Would be an oversized greatsword for most regular humanoids.

-A Yaeva'kal weapon, so named for it's use in the battle at Yaeva. Clan Vraal was forced to kill many thousands of innocent men driven mad by the Forces from the outside. To this day, as far as Clan Vraal knows, there was no other solution. Yaeva'kal weapons symbolize necessary murder - and a knight ascendant's task of judging that necessity. The weapon itself is a short rifle, a black-steel barrel over top an ironwood frame. Ironwood is a metal that grows, a living impossibility. Along the length of the barrel, in golden letters, is this weapon's name. This inscription can be universally read. It appears in whatever the reader's first language happens to be as:

'Wheel's Folly.'

-A notebook carved out of some sort of purple-blue plant matter.

-A set of plate armor that covers his knees, thighs, arms, chest, and head. Whatever isn't covered by metal is covered by a leathery, bulletproof material. Over top of the armor is a strange robe-tunic, one that does not cover the arms or head. Finally, the helmet is entirely face-concealing, in a particularly ornate style. The rest of the armor follows suit decoratively, and the inlaid 'gold' can be changed to other colors at will. It seems to be, at least in part, technological. The joints and edges of larger pieces give off a solid glow, like a strange green light. Each piece tells a different story or shares a different image.

-A bunch of odd things he's eaten. Healing salves, bandages, other magical medical gear.

-A skintaker. It's essentially a small shapeshifting device that crams his massive form into another fully functional body. He often transforms into a pre-human to better blend in. That's a trick he learned from Zee, the former bartender at Trogs. This device also changes the size of his weapons and equipment, which is dreadfully convenient at times. Unfortunately, it also limits his strength and combat abilities to those of his current form. These forms are drawn from the species that bred or changed his ancestors, and in turn passed their genes to him. There are thousands of species to choose from, but the main candidate is human.

-An eye amulet (actual eye) that provides the following advantages:

The amulet will take on different properties once Bellan exits the hospital. His connection with the world beyond (the spirit world) might be enhanced in some way that I cannot describe in addition to elevating his ability to slice through (or, now, possibly even craft) seemingly flawless illusions.

The amulet might only function for Bellan. It regards him as its rightful master and has chosen him to wield it.

-Very little else. Maybe a personal item or two.

Abilities: Strong. Fast. Tough as a truck. Absorbs his equipment into his body effortlessly. Can absorb other materials and use them in other ways. For example, absorbing stone and reconstituting it as an exoskeleton. Can talk loud enough to hurt ears. He has some weaknesses too, but I'll figger em' out later.

Has the ability to access a mystical Well, part of his worship for the Great Wheel. He dips his subconscious mind into the Well and can produce a variety of effects, generally some variety of healing. Healing people, buildings, minds... a great many miracles can be achieved through the power of his people's Faith. There is a limit to this power, though, and when he draws from it, he draws power from other Knights Ascendant.

Backstory: -IN PROGRESS-