Lunar Shadows/Sablemoon
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
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| "Many ancient magics have long been technology used to ensure a deception." | |
| Valin the Heretic | |
| Player: @Gravewhisper | |
| Origin: | Science |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | "Restrained" Nictus |
| Security Level: | N/A |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Sablemoon |
| Known Aliases: | Hades, Pluto, Alishair |
| Species: | Nictus |
| Age: | Unknown (Estimated 2,300+) |
| Height: | N/A |
| Weight: | N/A |
| Eye Color: | Varies |
| Hair Color: | Varies |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Corwraithain |
| Occupation: | Historical Scholar |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Known Relatives: | Shattered Moon, Silvermoon |
| Known Powers | |
| Umbral Energy Manipulation, Nictus Possession | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Historical expertise (various cultures). Nictus conversion process. | |
| Equipment | |
| None of note. | |
| Modified via Warshade techniques to inhibit Nictus traits in personality. Considered to have been forced to have converted to the Warshade path. Energy signature registers an old modification of it's pattern. | |
At one time, the name Sablemoon reflected the mythology of a world that had founded a religion centralized around lunar worship of its triple moon companions. It has since become the auspice adopted by a Nictus that had come to aid in subverting the ancient religion on the world of Cowraith. Sablemoon is a creature that was born during the beginnings of the first Nictus conversions and endured to the modern day on Earth. It has come to leave a legacy of false godhoods and tainted myths once embraced by native cultures in its time.
Sablemoon, better known as Valin the Heretic, currently exists on Earth as a member of the Warshade faction. Defeated in the ancient days in Rome by Shadowstar and her compatriots, its influence on the history of the Kheldian race has dwindled after the effects of its “restraining” by the reformed Nictus faction. Well-known as an unwilling convert, its role has shifted to that of a scholar in ancient history and cultures. The term 'pacifist' has come to be associated with its lack of interest in the general community and the war against the Nictus. Whether true or not, Sablemoon's disregard for the Warshade and Peacebringer community at large is well known in related circles.
The character of Valin reflects the Kheldian-aspect of Lunar Shadows, a Warshade character on the server. Unlike most of its peers, it was created to show a different possibility of a conversion to the path of the Warshade. The character has been created as a dynamic persona to mature and grow depending on role-play interactions throughout the character's career.
Contents |
Personality Profile
Many words can easily be used to describe the creature known as Sablemoon—resigned, bitter, and often detached from current politics within the war of the Kheldians and Nictus. Its personality archetype often falls under the concept of a “burn out,” in regards to dealing with matters of its own race. A bit of a cynic and curmudgeon, Sablemoon often reflects this view in the partial merger with its current hosts over the years. To others, the bound Nictus can seem hostile and arrogant in regards to subject matter that it considers distasteful—mostly the war. It holds an interest in human culture on Earth and how it has evolved over the centuries. History, sociology, and psychology have evolved into a minor passion. It holds a firm belief in the concept that “all roads led to Rome” in regards to how many paths can lead to the same goal. One of its major goals has been in the concept of freeing others from being locked in one world view and accepting that not a single route is right for the masses—each person travels their own road and path. The few times the Warshade community has managed to get Sablemoon involved in historical events is eras when governments have used rhetoric and manipulation to bind societies to preconceived views of a master race or justifications for the destruction of other cultures.
Power Matrix
Sablemoon's power archetype reflects the standard range of abilities of that of a free-form Nictus often encountered in areas around a Shadow Cyst. It rarely remains in a free-floating form for long periods of time due to the requirement of Nictus physiology to have a host to survive for long.
Umbral Energy Manipulation
The main forte' of the Nictus and Warshade, control over entropic and gravitational forces allow for a variety of offensive and defensive manifestations of their innate power. While in its native form, Sablemoon is only able to employ a limited selection of its offensive powers—projections of energy to cause damage and distortions of local gravity, possibly space-time, to ensure a target is unable to move from a set location. Similar to others of its kind, it is able to interact with a Shadow Cyst in order to prolong its existence outside of a host.
Nictus Possession
A mixture of ability and power, Sablemoon shares the innate ability of a Kheldian to bond with a living host. This ability allows for an attempt to subvert and assume control over the host. However, like other Nictus, this requires the target host to be in a weakened state to allow a forced attempt. This can either be accomplished through weakening the host or mental coercion on the part of the Nictus on the target they have been introduced. A strong-willed host is able to force a Nictus out if they are unable to overcome the host's control.
Merger
A modified joining with a host, at least in the eyes of a Nictus, a merger allows for the Kheldian to join with a host in an equal partnership. Sablemoon's own past and outlook, however, seems to cause the Nictus half to take a dominant role in its mergers often causing an unequal partnership to form. It is suspected that it's “binding” by the Warshade faction may have affected this aspect of its' conversion. Others, however, have put forward the theory that Sablemoon's unbalanced approach may be due to resistance on its part to the reform required for a Warshade to accept its path.
Abilities
Historical Expertise
Sablemoon's main attribute lies in the area of knowledge and ancient history. Over its lifespan, it has taken considerable pains to attempt to witness what many would consider keystone moments. Despite its efforts, it has missed many of these events and often was relegated to pursuit of books and other accounts. This as resulted in a familiarity with fields related to historical pursuits, research, and investigations. Its main focus lies in areas of human history and the Kheldian war.
It currently works with Oxford University with a long-term arrangement in regards to an on-going retainer. Through the agreement, its future hosts are granted honorary credentials if the new merged persona is able to meet requirements of the degrees in question. At present, Sablemoon has been accredited in general history, sociology, cultural anthropology, cultural conflict theory, and esoteric sociology.
Nictus Conversion Science
One of the facts of Sablemoon's past that is detested within the Kheldian community, it has proven a familiarity with the process of sciences required to convert a Kheldian into a full Nictus. It has been noted as part of a cabal on Cowraith that was a member of the first generations that turned to science in order to evolve from their native beginnings. This expertise has come to extend to general knowledge of the creation of what is dubbed as a “Galaxy” troop by the Council and similar techniques used in the creation of the Void Hunters. It is unknown if it is able to duplicate the process, but Sablemoon has become a consultant for various parties in regards to researching the issue. At one time, Sablemoon had been known for the use of N-fragments for the infusion of acolytes during its tenure as the cult leader Hades before its' binding by the Warshade faction. It is suspected this manipulation is related to a modified version of genetic engineering, rather than true development of a future Nictus.
It has been noted by those assigned to monitor Sablemoon's status that this knowledge has not surfaced in modern-day hosts. It is suspected the Nictus has suppressed the information due to various reasons and may be part of its refusal to accept a complete merger with a host. Its motives for holding this information back, however, remain in question.
Character History=
The Triad of Cowraith
The exact time of Sablemoon's birth or beginnings as a true Kheldian have never been placed. Dates have been vague in reference to its lifetime until the beginning of the era of Empire on in ancient Rome on Earth. It's earliest incarnation has been described in ancient lore on the world of Cowraith. Originally known as Valin among it's kin, it had been part of a group of Kheldians that had become discontent with their lifespan. As science had begun to dominate their pursuit for expanding their lives, three companions had established themselves on a world known for its superstitious folklore. Cowraith religion had been long centered around the three moons that shared orbit with their home world. Native technology had only advanced to the point of refined mining techniques and a late 'medieval' era of social advancement.
The lunar-based religion would provide the three ambitious newcomers with a point of entry to reveal themselves in a direct fashion. Over a short time, the 'appearance' of the lunary 'deities' had gained the three Kheldians the role now dubbed the Triad by their new followers and themselves. Valin would adopt the name of Sablemoon, the black rock moon so named for the lord of the Cowraithian dead. Its companions would assume the names of Shattered Moon and Silvermoon. Their roles would come to aid them in preparing the groundwork to seek ways to transcend death.
As the discovery of the road of the Nictus was made, the information was eventually shared by the three companions as they considered the implications of their new niche among the locals. Sablemoon and Shattered Moon were quick to assume the transition only to discover their third companion was reluctant to accept a path that would cost the lives of their own kindred to preserve their existences. The locals would soon find themselves in a planetary upheaval as a darkness seemed to corrupt the essence of the aspect of death and balance in their lunar pantheon. The ancient religion would evolve into what was claimed to have been foreseen of a clash between the forces of heaven that would herald the fall of their world in time. In the end, the conflict would evolve between Sablemoon and Silvermoon as their third companion began to seek another base.
Dubbed the Heavenly War by the natives, the clash of Kheldian and Nictus technology ravaged the planetary surface as attempts were made to combat the new threat. Nictus warlords had arose in the void as the shock of the change in their race had stunned the Kheldians. As technology had evolved to allow the traitors to siphon the life essence of hapless Kheldians across vast distances, the stakes rose to an unexpected level. Attempts to dislodge the besieged Nictus ended in considerable losses on both sides, but Sablemoon had somehow continued to find reinforcements despite the high price paid to keep its hunters at bay.
The exact duration of the war on Cowraith was never truly recorded. But, the effects were felt as the damage to the planet was compounded by falling debris that scorched the world's ecosystem. Once a life-sustaining world, the planet would devolve into a graveyard as the native race was hunted for conscription or hosts for the forces of the Nictus that had claimed it. In the end, the fall of the local race would be laid squarely at Sablemoon's feet for the damage as Cowraith would fall into a barren rock that continued to shield the Nictus stronghold. In time, its fleets would be dispersed by the efforts of Silvermoon returning to complete the purge of the rogue Nictus once and for all. However, attempts to capture the Nictus would fail as the warlord appeared to disappear from the last battle—either dead or escaped.
Fall of a False God
Sablemoon had disappeared from the public eye among the Kheldians for many years. Overtime, it had become widely accepted that the Nictus has been destroyed by the last battle on Cowraith. That belief would be put to the test by the established Warshade faction that had begun to grow slowly around the rumors of Shadowstar in ancient Egypt on Earth. Rumored to have found the path of redemption nearly three thousand years ago, Shadowstar was often sought out by those that had come to seek a way to redeem themselves for their past sins against their kin. In the case of Sablemoon, however, that was not the course the Nictus has sought.
The Nictus had come to establish itself in Greece after the discovery of a small cult that had formed in a quiet farming village. A gathering had formed around the divine aspect of Hades in order to attempt to fend off death and gain immortality through the favor of the god. The cult leader, a false prophet, would come to draw the attention of the roaming Nictus immediately offering a new avenue to assume it's former role as a 'divine' being. Sablemoon utilized the leader's form as a host once it had taken the required steps to assume control over the human. Taking on the name of Hades, after their patron deity, it had begun to spin a new web in an attempt to discover the exact extent of the Kheldian presence on Earth.
While not as large as it had expected, the Warshade faction would prove to be its undoing as soon as it was discovered. Originally assumed to be simply a rogue Nictus, Sablemoon had been identified from its methods by its former companion Silvermoon as she took the lead in bringing it to heel. Rather than the effort required on Cowraith to defeat it, Sablemoon found its demise quickly dispatched by its enemies. Captured and forcibly separated from its host, it had found itself placed into containment with intentions by its captors for an execution. It's fate was altered through the decision of a local leader of the new Warshade faction that controlled the area it had invaded.
Under the decision, Sablemoon's energy signature was altered via an experimental process designed to attempt to recover other Nictus without destroying them. Refusing to outright alter the mental patterns of the captive Nictus, the unnamed figure had managed to forge a 'binding' program in it's native form that would allow it to continue to think freely—however, the effect would cause a disruption in attempts to act on its baser nature. It was further bound to be unable to cause harm to humans native to Earth in either the attempt to take a host or its future plots. The altered Nictus was released under the sentence of having to live with its new state. Caught in a shadow existence, Sablemoon found itself in a position of having to seek out willing hosts but unable to completely merge as the Warshade faction had discovered via Shadowstar.
Branding of the Heretic
Over time, Sablemoon had begun to completely fade from the general knowledge or acknowledgment of those focused on the war at hand. Considered neutralized, the Nictus had been left to face its existence on its own terms. Few within the Warshade community would initially have dealings with the unrepentant creature. But, overtime, Sablemoon had begun to make attempts to find some form of existence within the limits of its sentence and avoiding its former peers. Its presence was marked through a successive line of students that would later evolve into masters of lore or history. The Nictus had come to find a way to partially cope with the sudden self-pity via living among the human populace. Relying less and less on its own abilities, its joining with hosts seldom went beyond an informal partnership of sharing knowledge with each other.
It had begun to take more interest in human history and events than the affairs of the Kheldian conflict. The name of Sablemoon would come to be associated with a family of professors that had established themselves in England during the Age of Enlightenment. Promoting science over magic, the family would become known for its interested in social evolution and the advancement of new technologies. Lacking an interest in the war and use of its abilities, the Nictus had begun to lose itself in the human mindset of its hosts in an attempt to find some escape far more complete than simply existing. It would begin to be passed through the Sablemoon family as a legacy of information as the Nictus sought ways to adapt without harming its hosts. But, its sympathy for the local race had gained it a grudging acknowledgment as as a member of the Warshade faction. The exact number of Warshades at the time was said to be unknown, but the few that were known continued to follow their own focus on the war with the Nictus.
As of the modern era, Sablemoon has continued to remain at odds with the Warshade faction in various matters. But, it has begun to take a more direct interest in the conflict at hand. Unable to directly affect or becoming fully involved, it has begun to assist more with information and coordinating with others to identify possible threats on Earth. Overtime, it has become accepted as a “Warshade” in its intentions. Popular theory has come to claim its cooperation is merely an attempt to have the binding removed from its energy signature due to what appears to be a refusal to fully pair with its hosts. But, its recent attempts to try to embrace the path have failed in many cases. Shadowstar and other members of the community have begun to work with its case in order to determine if the conflict comes from itself or the binding in place. To date, however, the Nictus has shown itself committed to obtaining some form of peace with itself that the merger is said to offer as long as the Warshade attempts to atone for its former actions. The question that remains is if the Nictus has indeed accepted the error of its ways.
Weaknesses
Quantum Array Weapons
One of the hated weapons developed for use against Kheldians, Sablemoon has shown the trademark weakness shared by its kind to the devices.
“Binding” -- Modified Energy Signature
While the term echoes with an arcane name, the process that was enacted on the elder Nictus has been derived purely for a science-based technology. After the defeat of the Cult of Hades in ancient Rome, Sablemoon had been given the sentence to live with its defeat after its capture. To ensure control over it, members of the Warshade faction had developed a process to allow the energy signature of an unwilling Nictus to be modified. The modifications would allow a form of 'behavioral' correction, similar to neural surgery in a human, to inhibit certain traits within the personality of the subject. Unable to create a personality change, the process was used to subdue the aspects within Sablemoon's persona that would allow it to pursue a vendetta, further attempts to raise a power base, or act against the ethos of the new faction. The Nictus was termed as 'restrained' by its captors. Its mental patterns remained the same, but the ability to carry out its intentions were disrupted by the process that had been introduced.
