Special Characters

Reapers are extremely uncommon- and with very good reason; an individual who should not have been born, but was. Most of the time, when a pair of twins are born, both infants are born whole in every way; however, on occasion, one of the two will be imperfect.

These imperfect babies are simultaneously considered to be the children of the Gods and cursed, for they are incomplete; born with a weak, "leftover" soul.  They are not as physically strong as most other people are and most are born with  either an illness or peculiar, almost debilitating weakness that they will never outgrow. Because of this, Reapers are incapable of experiencing all of what life could have offered; to them, life is little more than a series of lost chances.

However, Reapers are far from simple, pathetic individuals to be doted on. They make up for their weaknesses and shortcomings by being exceptionally gifted and oftentimes feared individuals, if they  manage to survive into adulthood. Once they reach adulthood, they experience an "awakening" of sorts that allows them to tap into their innate and unique skills: Reapers can syphon other peoples' lives in order to strengthen themselves and prolong their typically very short lives, which is how they got their name. By doing this, not only are they able to remain alive, but they are able to harness and tap into seemingly magical abilities that no other sorcerer is able to: depending on the individual Reaper in question, they can manipulate either the essence of shadows or light, or their own blood and the blood of others. How they use these abilities vary from person to person.

As they are connected to death and the Gods, some Reapers are able to see an individual's life force; this manifests as a colored "aura" surrounding the person they are looking at. This color will seem to be very bright when they are looking at a healthy person and very dim when they're looking at someone who is seriously ill or injured.

Regardless of their race or profession, Dolls are looked down on by most people, due to what they are and what they have sacrificed. A Doll is a person who forms a parasytic symbiotic link with a Reaper, usually for purely selfish reasons. A Reaper syphons the life force from their Doll- and in exchange, the Doll gains power and strength that they would not otherwise have, while cutting their own lives short. Over time, a Doll loses their will, purpose and sense of identity, becoming a living weapon  at their Reaper's disposal.

The method a Reaper might use to bond with and drain their Doll varies vastly from person to person. While it is beneficial for a Doll and their Reaper to have some sort of attachment to each other, it is absolutely not a necessity-- there have been instances of Reapers close to death paying someone a large sum of gold to become their Doll.

Unless a Reaper is very weak, close to death, power-hungry, manipulative, cruel, or a villainous character, they will not likely seek out someone to become their Doll. Any character can become any Reaper's Doll, as long as both players agree OOC to it.

Duelists can be of any race-- and characters do not have to be the same race or species to form a Duelist pair.

If Reapers are considered to be an unfortunate birth, Duelists are thought to be somewhat fortunate individuals. These people are said to have been touched by the Gods before they were born, though they are dependant on another person. Before they find their partner, both members of a Duelist pair simply think they are missing something that they need, which leads them to be adventurers and explorers, for the most part.

Regardless of their race, half of a Duelist pair (the Sword) is born with pale grey eyes that will remain that color, until they meet the second half of their pair (the Shield;) then the Sword's eyes will change color to match the Shield's; the only physical sign that they are linked.  Though most Duelist pairs are (or try to become) close to one another, it is not a necessity- and their bond can be of any variety..

Whether they have found their partner or not, Duelists are usually skilled in their art. Swords are always a fighter-type class: warriors of all varieties, gladiators, rogues of any sort, Dervishes and archers are just a few kinds of Swords to be found. Shields are almost always a magic-using class, such as: sorcerors, illusionists, enchanters, clerics, necromancers, even bards.

Before they have located their partner, all Duelists are quite strong. However, when they find and link with their partner, both Duelists become a true force of nature, for they now share each others' life essence. Duelists all have their own personalities and each pair has a different method of forming and strengthening their links; there is no universal rule for how or when it happens- or through what means they are able to strengthen their link.

No matter what their character class is, all Duelists are individuals, even after their link is formed, which is something their players should remember.

Though Duelists prefer their link to last a considerable amount of time, it is understood that people die, or otherwise cannot remain as part of the pair- and if a link is severed, it is possible for a Duelist to find another. Though re-linking has happened on more than one occasion, it is frowned upon by other Duelists as being somewhat taboo and strange.

The Gods were supremely cruel when they decided that when a Duelist link is formed, so is a basic master-servant relationship. The Sword is the Shield's living weapon; as such, they act as a willing servant to their Shield, though there are some things that a Sword will not do, depending on their own personalities and values.  In some cases, this might make the pair simply appear to be especially close, though in the worst of situations, a Sword may appear to be little more than a Shield's guard dog.

While it uncommon, Duelists are not always well-matched pairs; in some instances, they can have a great deal of difficulty getting along,  they could outright despise each other, or be rivals forced by fate to work together.

When playing either a Sword or a Shield, it is important to remember that  your half of the pair is still your character. They have their own personalities, wants and goals. When your character finds another Duelist to link to, you need to remember to ask OOC if they want to be your character's link. Duelists are very powerful characters that, as a whole, have a great deal of fun IC drama at their disposal!