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Description

Name: Therron Noctis
Occupation:Wandering Mercenary
Age:23

Therron stands about 6'1" and weighs in at around 220. He has long, wavy blue-black, reaching nearly to his waist and deeply tanned skin. His eyes, once green, are now a softly glowing violet.

He is rarely seen without being covered from head to toe by a dark, hooded traveling cloak, but underneath, he wears black lightweight leather armor, with matching books and bracers, trading high defense for ease of movement, which better suits his fighting style.

Strengths - Above average physical strength, great speed, and skill with weaponry, extremely analytical mind.

Personality

Therron is quiet, but not particularly reserved. He finds that he genuinely enjoys the company of others, especially children, but also realizes that he is a threat to the safety of anyone he gets too close to, and as such, tries to avoid attachments.
He has a great understanding of people, able to analyze peoples' emotions and their intentions with relative ease. He's also highly intelligent. These two traits make him a very effective tactician.

Equipment

Therron was born and raised in Thyre, and is a very adept blacksmith, although not quite at a master's level. He forges and maintains his own weapons, and carries a myriad of them. An insanely long nodachi (katana) on his back, dual shortswords on his belt, a variety of throwing weapons line his waist, and daggers are strapped to his upper thighs.

History

Therron often wonders why people use the words "demon" and "devil" as if they are interchangeable. He wonders how many people actually know the difference between the two and wishes that he had never had to find out for himself.

He was only ten years old, a boy, when he met a devil for the first time. He had begged and begged for months for his father, a master blacksmith to take him along on one of his trips to the outlying towns to sell his weapons, and until then, he had been bluntly told no every single time. He remembers being so excited to finally be able to do something, anything to prove that he wasn't just a child. And remembers even more clearly what he witnessed as a result of that decision.

Halfway to the the next town, the group of smiths was attacked. Therron had been asleep in his father' wagon waking to sounds of screams. Being a child and not thinking of his own safety, he rushed outside, walking into the scene of a massacre. His father and the other men all had their swords unsheathed circling around what Therron initially thought was a woman. It took a moment for him to realize that what he saw was not a woman, but a very pretty man,dressed in black silk, with black hair, pale skin and glowing violet eyes.

His father yelled at him to get back into the wagon, to stay away, but it was if his feet had grown roots. Something about that man held him there, and he watched as the entire scene unfolded before him. The smiths rushed the man at once, all thrusting their blades at him, yet he made not effort to dodge. All their swords struck home piercing the man from seemingly every possible angle. But the man didn't die. He simply laughed. He then grabbed the hand of the man closest to him, and with inhuman strength, lifted him off the ground and pulled him closer. The smith began to scream, although Therron couldn't tell why. Then, all of a sudden, it was as if the man imploded. Therron heard his bones snap as his body contorted and collapsed on itself. And then, suddenly, he was gone, leaving only is clothing and sword behind.

"He's a demon!" One of the men cried, in a panic.

One by one, all the other men met the same fate, his father being the last to go. His final words were for his son to run and hide, but then, even more than before, Therron found himself unable to move. He could only stare on helplessly as his father disappeared without a trace, as if he had never existed. And then, suddenly, the black haired man stood in front of him

'Delicious." He said, with a sideways smile. "Simply delicious."

He reached down and gently grabbed Therron's chin, moving it side to side as a person examining a fruit at the market might do. "It's a shame you're not quite ripe yet."

'Tell me, child..." the man continued, staring intently. "Why didn't you run away when I devoured the rest of them. You could have escaped, you know."

Somehow, with the help of anger, Therron found his voice. "Because I was hoping to see you die. Tell me what you did to them."

"As I said, my dear boy... I devoured them. Your kind are sooo full of wasted life energy. I decided I'd put it to better use. You'd be a part of me right now as well, were you not so young. Be thankful for your youth, dear boy. Without it, you'd be dead this day."

And he turned to walk away.

"I'll hunt you down!" Therron yelled after the man, his green eyes tearing up, full of sorrow and hatred at the same time. "Do you hear me, monster! When I'm older, I'll find you, and I'll kill you!"

"And on that day, you'll join these others." Was all the man said. He didn't even bother to look back.

Enraged, the young Therron picked up his father's sword lying on the ground, and rushed the man from behind, barely able to hold the heavy weapon upright. "Die, demon!"

And in one motion, the man grabbed the sword by the blade, flipped the sword around, and stabbed the boy through the chest.

Therron could only stare in horror at the blade protruding from his chest, before falling to the ground, gurgling blood, as gasping for air.

"Oh, forgive me..." The man said, standing over him as he lay dying. "I seem to have lost my temper. Now allow me to correct you. I, dear boy, and a devil, not a demon. I am a being of the Abyss, not a disgusting creature of the Inferno. I kill because it serves a purpose, not because I enjoy it. Although... I suppose I do enjoy it a little."

He kneeled down next the the boy before continuing. "And you.. what was it...? Therron? You, are a very interesting child. Most children would have cried and run away, or rushed immediately to their parents' side in a situation such as this. But you... stood there, assessing the situation, trying to think of the best way to assist them. And to be so young, and yet, discover true hatred so easily, the act without fear as you did... you must be a very special child. So, dear Therron, I offer you a gift."

The man held out his right index finger, the nail elongating, becoming sharp. He pulled up his left sleeve, and sliced his wrist open, pulling the sword out of Therron's chest.

"Tell me that you want to live, that you'd do anything to live, and live, you shall. I know it hurts, but you have to say the words."

"I..." Therron began, coughing up blood, his eyes open, but not seeing. "I... want to... live. I'll do.. anything... to.. live."

The man laughed. "Then the contract is made. You, Therron will now serve as my my connection between this world and the Abyss." He said, holding his wrist over Therron's wound, his black blood dripping into it.

"You and I are bound until death, dear boy. I am your Master, Dolus. I'll see you again soon."

And with that, A black mist escaped the man's mouth, and his body fell to the ground. Not that Therron saw, because by then, he was unconscious.
When he awoke, he found that his wound was healed, but in its place was a black pentagram surrounded by what looked like tattoos of black thorns.

It would be years before Therron learned the meaning of Dolus' words, and the truth of what happened that night. The man that he had met that night was a mage. He had attempted to summon a demon, but had failed, summoning a powerful devil instead - Dolus, the Seducer. Dolus had fooled the mage, breaking his protective circle, and possessing his body. Knowing that his link to the human world would end with the death of his summoner, he had then fooled Therron into making a true contract, giving him permanent access to the human world for as long as Therron lived.

Upon learning this, Therron said goodbye to his home, his family and friends. He's been traveling ever since, growing stronger, gaining knowledge and skill. He is seeking a way to nullify the contract. Every murder, every human Dolus manipulates into doing some terrible deed, he knows in on his head as well. This is why he became a mercenary.
And he hasn't even learned the worst part yet.

You see... that's the difference between demons and devils. A demon will kill you, true. Tend to be single minded that way, killing indiscriminately, or simply doing their masters' bidding. Devils on the other hand... well... you never, ever know what to expect from them. They'll find new and inventive ways to destroy you... sometimes down to your very soul.

Therron Noctis's Story