Atius

Information

Player: Piken

Character Full Name: Atius Nicholas Mardonius

Character In-Game Name: Atius

Nickname(s): Cleric, Dark Cleric, Nicholas, Mardonius

Association(s): The Horde(Neutral Stance), The Forsaken(very loyal), Black Harvest(very loyal), Cult of the Forgotten Shadow(very loyal)

Race: Human in life... dead guy in death

Class: Priest

Age: 43, died, is now 52

Sex: Male

Hair: Short, shaggy dark hair

Eyes: Glowing Yellow

Weight: 157 lbs.

Height: 5'9"

Appearance

Usual Garments/Armor: He wears an assortment of robes ranging from modest to intricate and fanciful designs with simple under-clothing. Nothing spectacular. All made by himself, though.

Other: His body is not all that rotted, some areas here and there that seem to have more rot than others. The big thing, though, is his jaw. He has a replacement jaw that is somewhat poorly put on, but he doesn't ever seem to fix it too much. It stays on enough, but at times, especially during his speaking, it will un-attach and interrupt his words and he will have to spend a few minutes trying to fix it.

He also has a more 'fragile' body than others, clearly not fit for battle. Especially since he has experienced it before, he knows that he cannot bear the intensity of prolonged combat, damage to his body quickly bearing down on the magic sustaining him.

Personality

Alignment: True Neutral

Atius is a scholar through and through. He is quite literally obsessed with learning and will almost always take a chance to learn something new. He believes that no information or knowledge is 'bad'. He sees it all as valuable, as you never know when a minor bit of information could resolve a situation, or avoid a situation in general, etc.

He also is of the belief that there is no such thing as 'absolute'. There is never the guarantee of.. anything. There is always that sliver of a chance that something unexpected will happen, no matter how much one plans to avoid it.

A very devout man, he believes heavily in the Forgotten Shadow. In life, he was very loyal to the Kingdom of Lordaeron and in death, he is still loyal to it and its new inhabitants. He is very loyal to his Forsaken brethren and their Queen and will put all on the line to further their goals.

He is quite a jovial man, usually. He attempts to make jokes here and there, sometimes being the only one that gets or understands them. He also has a very macabre curiosity and will be oddly calm and even excited when it comes to learning something he's been curious about, regardless of it causing someone extreme harm or putting himself in danger. Another little quirk of his is that he will sometimes speak his thoughts on whatever is happening around him, regardless of them being offensive or in opposition. He speaks his mind, being quite blunt most of the time; such as telling someone they are extremely foolish or stupid for trying something without putting any thought into it, but in a calm, normal voice. Like he was simply thinking it to himself and not even realizing he was saying it to them.

Through his experiences over the last year, his views have changed somewhat. He has become somewhat of a pacifist, frowning on too much martial focus and searches for glory. He finds battle and war to be a very sad thing for all, though he understands that if you are allowed free-will, there will always be conflict. But he sees this free-will, any free-will, the ability to make a choice is a miraculous gift and is usually very respectful of anyone's opinion on something.

History

Atius was the second-born to a modestly wealthy family in the city of Stratholme. He lived quite a boring life, one would say. He received the best tutoring academically and minor swordsmanship training(by his own request). His parents spoiled him greatly, giving him whatever his heart desired.. And what it desired was knowledge. Atius would spend day and night reading and reading, studying all different kinds of things, from different philosophies and theories on the world to simple little guides on how to tie a good knot. He could not get enough of it. His family didn't seem too bothered by this in his younger days, but as he grew they would come to wonder about him. They attempted and even pleaded with him to find a wife, and even offered him wives, but he was spoiled enough to have none of it. His mind was focused on learning. On Knowledge. He had no time for things such as love or companionship. It was too simple for him. He wanted the complexities of books. All he wanted was to be left to his collections of fantasies and philosophies. It was an ideal life for him.

Then the War began. Word spread of the growing threat of the green-skinned beasts in the far south. They reaped the destruction of all in their path.. But he cared not. It would all make a wonderful story to read when it was all done with, he thought. He let not these things bother him. His family's wealth kept him safe enough, and he cared little of the events happening. The Second War came.. and with that.. so did the Orcs. It was as if coming out of a daze. Years and years, he had been shut away, reading and reading.. but now.. His life was actually in danger. His home was attacked and ravaged. While fleeing, the feeble man was cornered and about to be killed when he was saved by a group of soldiers. A priest came up to him, whispering blessings and tending to his wounds. This priest would come to educate him more on the Light and its laws and virtues. This situation is what changed Atius' life. He was inspired by this, in his traumatic state. His family still had enough wealth, through family ties, to move to the capital city of Lordaeron and live comfortably. Atius would not be having this, though.. He was now on his way to being a faithful man, giving himself to the Church. But that curiosity lingered in his mind. That need for more knowledge. And it would not leave him.. Years later, he had been accepted into the Church as a fully-fledged Priest now. He was learning the spells of the Light, how to heal others with this divine magic. But he still did much reading.. And he heard of a different type of divine magic. Shadow magic, it was called. A priest could control darker powers.. It was terrifying. It was fascinating. The priest stumbled upon a book speaking of it and he had found a new obsession. It was fascinating, the information it held. What a priest could do with the Shadow at his fingertips. Incredible! After months of reading and doing what he could to study its intricacies, while keeping it hidden from his peers. They would not understand. They would see it as blasphemous, he thought. They did not understand as he did, nor did they want to learn as he did. They did not need it as he did. For over a decade, he studied in secret. He began to play with fire, as it were, teaching himself basic spells, doing it all by the books. Though, they weren't always the most detailed, so he did what he could. But he delved further and further into it.. He was no master, by far, but he was learning well. Having taken on tailoring as another minor past-time, he found himself very good at it and wondered if he would be able to implement it into his spells.. But he did not have the power for that. He could not keep himself concentrated enough.. Not with having to hide his studies. He grew increasingly worried as he went on.. Unsure of who was trustworthy and who wasn't.. But Atius went on, though more and more paranoid as the days passed. Then..

News of this Plague. It was terrifying! What it did it people.. The falling of Human settlements and cities, the extermination of his former home.. It was all horrible. And it was a horribly well-timed situation for him to attempt delving further.. To leave the constantly-watched halls of the Church in Lordaeron and move to the outer cities and towns to try and calm the masses. To watch over them. And this, he did. He aided the wounded and sick, and was forced to see some change into horrific beings before his very eyes. It was disgusting and brutal.. How could such things happen to such innocent people? Though.. it was a nice little facade he had. While he was most certainly effected, his obsession won out over his worry and trauma. He continued his studies and one night, he would sneak away from the campsite to practice something entirely new.. Surrounding himself in the Shadow. Encasing himself in Shadow energy. He had done it! It was marvelous! Spectacular! Wonderful! TRAITOR! Traitor? No, it was not traitorous.. Wait. No! Atius had been found! And even worse, they suspected him of being a member of the Cult of the Damned. He was no such thing! But his pleas fell on deaf ears. He was chased into the forests and cut down, taking several stabs through his torso. A man walked up upon the dying man, calling the little mob aside to stop. It was a Paladin of the Light! Surely he would hear to Atius's pleas and hear reason.. But no. This man.. He was a zealot. The Paladin looked down upon Atius, cursing him for being a traitor, a heretic. A heretic!? No! He still believed in the Light! It was all just studying! Learning! The dying priest gasped for air as his life energy slowly seeped out of him. The Paladin simply watched him dying his agonizing death.. And before he could pass on, he repeated it. Heretic. And brought a heavy hammer to smash him across the face, destroying his jaw and ending the priest's life.. A sad event.. And even worse.. There was a Cultist among them. And this Cultist had planted plagued bread among their food stores.. Which all of the men helped themselves to not long before..

The next thing he would remember would be.. freedom. His mind set free from the Lich King's grasp. He was thankful! He was alive and well..! No.. No, he was not. Looking down at himself, he would see a disgusting corpse where his body once was. His most recent memories.. A Paladin of the Light striking him down. The Light.. How was -Atius- the heretic? His own beliefs had betrayed him. One who was held with the highest regard of the Light, a warrior of the Light, ended Atius' life! Without hearing any of what he had to say! He did not offer any aid! The Light was not something to be worshiped.. Especially if it let him sink into this.. thing. This undead abomination. But he could not bring himself to end his un-life. And so, he was gathered into Sylvanas' flock.. He followed her group and did what he could to aid their efforts until Undercity was reclaimed. And in that time.. he learned something new. Something so valuable to him.. This new un-life he had.. It was a blessing, not a curse. He was not held back by the limitations of living flesh. No hunger, no fatigue. Only the will to move on. And his will was restored ten-fold. And with the founding of the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow.. He was as loyal as ever. For himself.

When things had calmed down, Atius sunk back into his studies, but now.. he had no reason to stop. Though, he did get a replacement for his jaw. It was the first thing he had ever used his 'stitching' on. It was a poor job, but it kept it there. For years, he would just read, doing little bits here and there but only so he could purchase or gather new reading material. His skill with Shadow magic increased, as he could practice freely without the fear of being ridiculed or slain.. again. Undeath was utopia. In these studies, even to current day, he found many tomes on many different things. Including other types of magic. They were fascinating. He looked deeply into Shadow magics, reading of the differences of the Arcane Shadow and the Shadow magic he had learned to wield.

And now, a sudden change! The Traitorous Putress! Word of his 'feats' had reached the Undercity, which while some were happy and celebrated the events, others were angered and disgusted. Atius being one of them.. None should go against the Queen. And things only got worse when the rebellion inside of Undercity occurred, and came the Battle for the Undercity. He was no major figure in it, he simply aided in healing ways, mending his brothers and sisters, and doing what little he could for the living. Victory was theirs! Atius was disgusted at the thought of -any- of the Forsaken betraying their Queen and savior. But.. once it was all said and done..

As always, it was back to his studies.. And little did he know, the further he studied the Necromantic arts, the less he had control over any type of Holy power he had left. He did not notice it at all, but it slipped and slipped until.. it was just gone. He discovered this when trying to conduct a test.. Why couldn't he cast it? It was surprising. Fascinating. He worried not too much of it, though.. He would research it another time. His current "project" was much more important.

Here he was now.. A fledgling. His powers were basic and weak, but.. it was a start. His people had done so much for him, his Queen had done so much. This would be his way of repaying them for everything. For making him, in his eyes, the perfect being.

Being with the Reapers of the Black Harvest has brought him many things. Love, experience, wisdom. It has also made him even more of a believer of the Forgotten Shadow's teachings.

Over the Harvest's travels and victories, the Cult gave backing to the group and in that, they observed. From the outside they watched as this one man gave the Cult a good image. But when the Forsaken's military took an interest in the group, things became more difficult. As the Cult removed its backing of the vigilante organization, they kept in their view one Atius Nicholas Mardonius. If the Harvest was completely militarized, then this man would have no where to go. He would not fit in such a place. This was their time to strike!

Atius was approached numerous times by members of the Cult, speaking with him privately on each occasion until they invited him to Undercity for 'assessment'. The man was happy to oblige and traveled to the Capital. There, he was spoken to by several men and women, questioning his philosophies and beliefs, his aims and goals in educating others of the Forgotten Shadow.

They seemed happy with how he spoke for himself. The offer was then made that he would be an official man of the cloth for the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow. And with that title would come more power. Power to aid the Cult directly, instead of just preaching and hoping to educate a straggling non-believer. They sought to give him watch over his own 'followers'. But there was a plan involved in this. Those he would watch over and educate and protect in Shadow would be none other than the Black Harvest. There seemed to be some individuals that did not want the group completely out of the Cult's grasp. Not yet.

Skills and Abilities

Shadowform: He has the ability to encase his body in Shadow energy, greatly increasing the potency of his spells and also showing a certain measure of his strength, as the weaker he grows, the harder it is to sustain the Form.

Shadow-Healing: He has become very proficient with the shadow's 'healing' abilities. But he has learned that, as the Forgotten Shadow teaches, there must always be a balance. The healing and mending he gives comes at a cost, it must draw energy from another source. Usually this source is Atius himself, meaning that if he heals too much at once, or something requires a lot of focus and energy to mend, he needs to stop or else he may draw too much of his own and risk permanent damage or True Death.

Shadow Words: He has knowledge of a few Shadow Words, and how they work. He rarely chooses to use them though, and his favored would be the Word of Death. He utilizes it because it is the most powerful of his arsenal but understands that if it does not take the life of its target, the life-energy must be drawn from him as payment for such power. Careless use of these Words can be fatal. Nothing comes without a price.

Mind-Magic: Atius has spent a good chunk of time toying with this magic and he finds it to be the most difficult thing he has ever tried to master. And he would call anyone a fool if they could say that they were true masters of it. His abilities with this magic may be 'above-average' in some regards, but the amount of time, energy, and focus it requires it is deemed unnecessary in most situations.

Tailoring: In life, when he wasn't reading or even while he was reading, he practiced all sorts of tailoring. He grew to be very good in life and after death, he only improved and is capable of intricate and difficult designs.

Word of the Cult: He has been inducted into the Cult's loose ranks, and as such he is trusted enough to speak for his Sect. While this may only mean anything to those 'faithful', it is still an official word of the Cult.

Benefits of his new position: He will be allowed limited access to tomes that the Cult has come into possession of. Some of these tomes may hold new spells or knowledge for him.. Who knows what he may learn?

Very skilled in Shadow magic. In putting all of his studies into the darker magics, any Holy spells he knew were lost and he is now unable to cast any of them even if he wished to.

In being skilled with the Shadow, he has developed(as far as he knows) a technique he has come to call 'shadow stitching'. It is quite literally as the name says, he creates a 'thread' of concentrated Shadow energy and uses it to sew up wounds and cuts, making it look as if there was no cut to begin with or leave a minor scar. To the dead, this has no effect other than healing, but to the living it is an extremely painful process but it still heals their wounds.

For his non-magical skills, he is a very intelligent 'man'. His ability to learn through reading is extraordinary. He absorbs information through reading with ease, but seems to have issues with being taught by someone else. And he is also a skilled tailor.