Post by Kainus Maximus on Apr 7, 2010 12:35:42 GMT -5
I'm not active much anymore, so the chances of me using this character are slim to none, but still, I'm a completionist, and thus feel that I must complete Darsitan's Story. Beware walls of text, bad grammar etc.
Master Tannes (Non epic version found here: eabii.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=characters&action=display&thread=566 )
Name: Daristan Tannes
"Why have I called myself Master Tannes? Various reasons. I preffer to teach those who are willing to listen as I travel. My title in such a case means no more than that of being a mentor when need be."
Age: 426, appears in his 40s
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Alignment: Unaligned
"I do not view myself as good or evil. I have experienced both, as well as the ideals of neutrality, they are all apsects of the world we live in, and I have learned to encompass them all."
Power Level: 8+
Timeline: Flexible, but more comfortable in medieval settings
Appearance
Daristan appears as a much older version of what he used to be, his hair now beginning to grey, wrinkles are beginning to show themselves on his face from aging and his constant scowling. The one major difference between this incarnation and his earlier one are the various magical tattoos that have been written onto his body. These tattoos have no real image or depiction, but are a continuous flow of ancient texts and runes of magical power ranging in various colors, but seem to have faded in color over time. Daristan’s physical stature is still impressive despite his age, still keeping his body in peak condition. Daristan still keeps his body completely covered in clothing, as such, his skin is still very pale. The Black Blood still affects his appearance as it did in his previous profile, affecting his eye color as well as the gunk that appears in his hair, hands, and feet. Daristan retains much the same uniform as he previously wore; a black robe with gray almost tribal like markings worn around his body. A black plain martial artists belt that has been tied around his waist, however instead of a single knot, there are two knots, one three inches below the other with the tails of the belt reaching just below his knees giving it a unique appearance. He continues to wear his hood, gloves, and boots as he did before, though they have been updated with similar unique gray colored symbols. Those capable of sensing deific energies can sense very faint traces within Daristan, this is essence from Bhaal, lord of Murder, who was killed long ago and who died in a river, where his essence tainted the river. The very water from the river is what fuels Daristan’s black blood.
Personality
“In the grand scheme of things, I’m relatively young. Most races would consider me naught but a youngling, but as a human, I am far older than I should ever be. I have learned much, experienced much, and from these experiences, my wisdom may very well exceed that of those who have lived for thousands of years. Perhaps that is the reason for a human’s short life? If we were to naturally live too long, we’d potentially eclipse the other races.”
Daristan has finally, over a period of hundreds of years, mellowed out. No longer does he have an uncontrollable hatred for those around him, no longer does he view non-human races with scorn and contempt, no longer do ideals of vengeance carry him through life. Daristan has acquired a new set of goals and ideals to live by. Daristan now only acts as a quiet moderator, only helping when it is needed, only speaking and lecturing when it is necessary. Daristan’s wisdom has expanded greatly, though at times, he ignores his own wisdom to perform what he believes is right. Perhaps this contradictory attitude to his wisdom is a result of the black blood, or perhaps it is just a personality quirk. Daristan is still arrogant, still being quite proud of his abilities but he makes it less apparent then he once did in the past. Daristan’s willpower is still incredible, being one of his strongest assets inside and out of combat, however he has become less stubborn over the years, and is open to new ideas when presented to him.
History: (History takes place after events of Airoar’s Rage and it’s absent sequels. A Brief Summary follows each section for those who are less patient or easily made bored.)
Part 1: Seeking Peace
Daristan’s quests and objectives have been completed. He had acquired vengeance, made peace with those who had wronged him, fought against the over deity Od and aided in stopping the destruction of innumerable realms. What else was there to do? Nothing. There was nothing left on his agenda. He did have the option of settling down and enjoying life, but really, was that an option? A black blood still coursed through his veins, so powerful that nothing could remove it. He had just cleared a number of obstacles in getting this far, a lifetime of adventure preceded him, but despite how far he had come, he was still filled with evil, a contempt for life around him, and taste for destruction. Could he ever truly find peace?
Daristan realized, perhaps through ascension he could acquire peace and quell the blood inside him. Daristan was a monk; his ultimate goal should have been elevating his mind, body, and soul in unity to achieve enlightenment. Indeed, he had been training these aspects through combat, but little else. He could never reach his full potential simply through combat; he would have to find another means of reaching ascension. It was at this point, Daristan made a momentous decision; he took a temporary vow of non-violence, and turned his back on the ways of combat. Instead, he focused on improving his inner being, healing the internal wounds that others have given him as well as those he had inflicted himself. Daristan spent several years training himself, through meditation, studies in philosophy, and understanding the world around him. This did not prevent Daristan from becoming active in the world around him however, as he still sought to solve problems as they arose as acts of good will, to quell his dark blood and prevent it’s expansion. Although he was absolutely terrible at it at first, he learned the means in which to talk down his foes, to end combat through spoken word. This is not to say that Daristan forgo his physical training, as he made sure to keep in top condition and have sharp technique, one cannot talk everyone down, and must be ready to flee if the need arises. Daristan accepted his internal training to be as competent as his physical capabilities, when he was able to convince a red dragon, that its aggression and violence to a nearby settlement would only bring about its own destruction, and thus must halt its unwarranted violence. Daristan relinquished his vow of non-violence, but would keep both his skills sharp, not favoring one over the other. This training did not bring Daristan peace, but it brought him comfort, and it was a step in the right direction. He realized that if he continued at this pace, he would eventually reach enlightenment. He came to a very obvious, yet jarring realization soon after however; he was mortal, and getting older.
Brief Summary: Daristan had completed his initial journey, but the black blood within him was still a source of torment. Daristan decided that he would attempt to reach the monk’s idea of enlightenment in order to quell the blood. He begins by taking a vow of non-violence, focusing on combating his foes through spoken word. He completes this training, and feels he has taken a step in the right direction, but realizes his age is catching up to him, and that he must find a way to extend his life so that he may eventually reach enlightenment.
Part 2: Achieving Immortality.
“I never cared to live for an eternity, such thoughts are maddening. I know not how elves can bear it. However, as long as I have purpose, as long I have drive, I must not expire, no matter what. Before I die, I MUST rid myself of this black blood.”
Daristan knew that he could reach enlightenment, if given the time he needed to pursue it, but already in his early 40s, he would never reach it before he was to expire. His monk training had helped a bit, while he was in his 40s, he only appeared to be in his mid 30s, but the energy that flowed through his body would only slow the aging process, not stop it, nor slow it enough to where Daristan could accomplish his goals. He needed a more permanent solution, yet how could one achieve immortality? It was a trait highly sought after by everyone that desired eternal life, one of the more common solutions being lich-hood and other undead, but this was an inacceptable solution. Daristan eventually realized that his deceased master, Rothir Tamebarer, after he had been possessed by the over deity Od, had used powerful runes and scripts in the form of tattoos upon himself to keep the body young and healthy. Of course, the tattoos wouldn’t work on any normal human, the tattoos themselves required deific essence in order to fuel their magic, and Rothir while possessed by Od, had the essence of an over deity fueling the tattoos. However, the black blood that ran through his veins, one of the primary ingredients of the blood was water from the river from which the dead god of murder; Bhaal had died in; his essence tainting the river. Perhaps, the essence of the dead god that ran through his veins would be enough to power the tattoos. He had to find out the answer, and the only answer was to search the realms in an attempt to Rothir.
Able to secure a talisman that allowed Daristan to jump the planes of existence freely. There were many realms where the souls of the deceased resided, and each of these realms was nearly infinitely expansive. Figuring to know Rothir and his relationship to the deities, he made his best guess, he started search at the Wall of he Faithless where it was established presumably by the over-deity Ao to force mortals to choose a deity to worship, be they good or evil. After years of searching, Daristan eventually found Rothir. Most of the souls in the wall writhed in pain and anguish, their souls being slowly dissolved by the mold of the wall. Rothir however remained stoic in the wall, even though his soul was being tortured for all eternity within the wall, he simply existed beyond it. Their meeting was brief, but productive. Daristan was able to explain to his mentor the need for the tattoos, and eventually through copying them down onto parchment from Rothir’s spoken word, had what he had needed. A brief farewell later, and they parted, for the last time. Daristan attempted to find his mentor again in the future, but was never able to find him again.
The application process of the Tattoo’s was painful, physically and mentally, and it required all of Daristan’s will power to stay awake during the tattooing process. He did not trust anyone outside of himself to apply the tattoos, and a single mistake, would cause the entire piece to be ruined, and unless Daristan somehow happened to get new skin, the tattoos would not work. After several months, Daristan eventually completed the tattoos, and over a period of several years, noticed he no longer was aging. The essence that powered the tattoos was weak however, and merely stopped his body from aging; he still could be killed if he were careless. Regardless, he had taken his next big step, he had achieved virtual immortality.
Brief Summary: Daristan seeking a means of achieving immortality sought out his deceased mentor, who had previously used tattoos powered by deific essence to grant him immortality. Daristan eventually finds his Mentor Rothir in the realm of the Wall of the Faithless, where Daristan is able to coax his mentor into telling him the tattooing process. He performs the process and achieves a form of eternal youth (if 40ish can be counted as youth)
Part 3: Chasing Enlightenment
Daristan continued his training for several years, even establishing a monastery in the secluded regions of Faerun where he followed in his master’s foot steps, adopting orphaned children into his monastery and giving them a purpose to life. It gave him purpose, but it did not get him any closer to enlightenment, which he craved. Despite the distance he had traveled, the blood still clawed at him from the inside, driving him mad. He had to conquer it, and it was obvious, enlightenment was not here in Faerun. Daristan would eventually to leave the monastery once it had become established, and set off across Toril. He learned much from the variety of countries across the planet, and learned more about his art. The most significant discovery was that the idea of ‘ki’ he had been taught, was a pervasive trait with a number of names. The term ‘ki’ originated from the east, in Kura-Tur, but he found across the lands a variety of names for it; Ki, Chi, Life Force, Energy, Psionics, all of them referring to the same thing, the power that flows from within. Daristan studied each of these methods, each with similar and different practicing methods, and through these studies, his power increased over a greater period of time. Eventually, Daristan had learned all he could, he would have to expand his journey beyond Toril, and he had the capabilities to do so. Using the Talisman he used to travel between the dimensions, he left Toril to explore and learn amongst the realms.
Brief Summary: Daristan begins to study abroad, finding that his art is found across the planet, under a variety of names and practices. He adopts these practices and over a period of time begins to improve in his understanding towards enlightenment. Soon however, he feels there is nothing more he can learn from his home dimension and sets out to study amongst the realms.
Part 4: The Path of Void
Years upon years pass as Daristan travels among the realms, each with different people, civilizations, deities, everything. It was through his travels, he eventually met an alien being in a dead dimension known simply as ‘Kru’ who claimed to know enlightenment. Kru had escaped a maddening past, to where it now simply was a bother, a simple past that was now behind him, and he achieved it through understanding the realms around him. Daristan had encountered many beings that claimed enlightenment, yet were under false pretenses as to what enlightenment was. Kru explained to Daristan, that in order to achieve enlightenment, he would have to realize his lowliness in the worlds around him. He would have to change his loyalties, experience the various faucets of life and death around him. Daristan, trusting in Kru, followed the instructions. He had already lived a virtuous; law filled life in his early years, before the black blood, as well as an evil, hateful life after the black blood, as well as a neutral life of melancholy after the defeat of Od. He spent nearly a hundred years following Kru’s instructions, as he engaged in life. He experienced the virtues, the sins, and the grays of life, he dedicated years of his life to loyalty to noble and vicious kings and queens, evil and misunderstood monsters, beautiful but fickle nature, deadly but peaceful desolation, the separate but equal elements, life, death and many others, he even dared to take glances at the Far Realm, and was able to gain a minor comprehension of it, just enough so that he could retain his sanity. He studied them, understood their positions, so that he couldn’t just emphasize with them, but sympathize with them.
After much time had passed, Daristan had returned to Kru, explaining that he had understood all that he could. Kru disagreed, as there was one aspect Daristan had failed to attempt to understand, and that was reality itself. Kru gave Daristan a scripture, but told him to never return upon reading this, as there would be no need for his return. He either understood, or didn’t, there was no other way. Daristan took the scripture and left without a word. He studied the realms themselves as well as the scripture, most of it was garble that he could not understand, even though he could speak and understand a variety of alien language, the structure of the language just did not make sense, except for the final sentence of the piece. “By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.” Upon reading the sentence, it suddenly clicked into his mind, what he did and did not understand, what he had always known but never acknowledged. He understood… he understood everything there was to understand. If he were to achieve enlightenment, he would have to abandon his attachments to the worlds around him, as well. He would also have to abandon his care for others, as well as himself, as this would allow him to view his black blood and minor, in comparison with the world around him, and thus have no worries, no troubles. This was not what Daristan had in mind for enlightenment.
He was not enlightened, the mortal realm still meant much to him, and he could not simply let it go. But, the pain and madness the black blood that flowed through his veins contained, meant little to him now. He had not conquered it, it was still there, but he accepted it. It was part of him, and would always be part of him. What was his purpose now? Now that he understood? What was left?
Brief Summary: Through his travels, Daristan eventually meets an alien being named Kru. Kru instructs Daristan that to achieve enlightenment, he must experience life through a variety of point of views, in order to understand all that is around him. Daristan Understands it all except for reality itself, to which Kru gives Daristan a scripture, then asks him to leave, the scripture reading “By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void” Daristan is able to understand that in order to achieve enlightenment, he must let go of all things, but feels he cannot do so, however, he realizes that the black blood, no longer controls him, and he simply accepts it.
Part 5: Empty Vengeance
Daristan considered himself to be a very honorable person, one who repaid their dues. He had never thanked Kru for his help in understanding. Kru had told him that he would not need to come back, as there would be no purpose, but still Daristan needed to thank him, whether he accepted his thanks or not. When Daristan returned to the dead plane however, he found that there was a very strange occurrence. Where Kru once had been, only a mutilated body now resided, and next to the body, a being of another race stood. Daristan calmly questioned the being, to which the being calmly replied that Kru was his enemy and that he wished for himself to be the only one to know the path of void. Daristan felt the rage build in him, and yet, he surprised himself, when the rage immediately subsided despite the urging of the black blood. There was no rage, only acceptance. He felt no need for vengeance, and understood that Kru would feel no need to be avenged, but one thing was certain, the being standing before him, would kill him next, and kill anyone who knew the path of void. This stranger must be stopped, at all costs. Only a moment had passed, before Daristan and this stranger had become immediate enemies, and engaged one another in combat. The battle was vicious; this was the most difficult challenge Daristan had in a very, very long time. The being wielded power similar to that of Daristan’s capabilities, but seemed to understand the realm around them better than Daristan did, and used it as a weapon against him, tearing the very fabric of reality apart, in an attempt to destroy Daristan. Something happened however, and the power his foe wielded, suddenly backfired, and ended up destroying himself in the process. Sensing an immediate, unavoidable threat, Daristan immediately left the realm, and returned later to find that the area they had battled was a wasteland of… nothing… emptiness, just a sphere of the white energy his foe had used against him. Daristan studied the sphere for a good while, and soon was able to understand what it was, that it was the chaos between the dimensions, and the very building blocks of reality itself. Daristan began to practice, and was in time, able to master this ability of sundering reality. He had the power of ultimate destruction at his fingertips, but what would he do with this power?
Brief Summary: Daristan returns to thank Kru for his help, but finds that Kru has been killed by another being who sought to stop Kru from teaching anyone the path of Void. Daristan is able to fight the being, not through a need of vengeance, but through a need to stop this being from destroying another being or abusing their power. The being eventually destroys himself through the abuse of an ability known as the Unity Rupture, to which Daristan soon adopts as an ability of his own.
Part 6: Becoming the Nomad
“I understand my place now. Nobody has given me this position, I have bestowed it upon myself. I must maintain balance in the realms, where balance is absent. Through this balance life will be preserved and march on through time and the ages. An infinite number of realms, and I have merely taken my first step into the forest. I shall see to it that each tree stands tall for all of time, for as long as I live.”
Daristan had achieved more than he had ever set out to accomplish, not only had he achieved a minor idea of enlightenment, but he achieved great power in doing so. His hatred for those around him had been quelled, and the Black Blood was no longer a vessel of weakness, but was now a strength, a tool fuelling his immortality. He began to study the balance of the realms. There were a variety of dead realms out there, but how does a realm destroy itself? Indeed he had understood enlightenment, but could not achieve it for he valued life too much to move past it. So he decided that he must set his goals to preserving life, and destroying all that threaten it. He studied the balance of good and evil in the realms. Often times, they would be evenly matched, or one would become too strong and topple the other, until it became weak and was toppled itself, resetting the cycle. However, sometimes one became too powerful, toppled over, and the other side became too weak to reassume dominance, and the realm would simply die. These were very rare cases, but they did exist, examples of races wiping out other races, before wiping themselves and everything else out did indeed exist. Powerful beings that fed on weaker realms did roam, and they had no purpose other than destruction. These examples could be prevented, they could be stopped, and Daristan would fulfill the role as a preserver. If a realm’s evil was close to destroying itself, Daristan would destroy the cause of the evil, if one were present. If a realm had an excess of good to the point where peace began to cripple its strength, Daristan would introduce an evil to bolster strength of the good, so that if a true threat ever emerged, they may have the strength to deal with it. Daristan discovered through his travels, that a variety of realms have a variety of sizes. His home plane of Abeir-Toril, for instance, is relatively small, while other realms are infinitely expansive. As such, sometimes only planets themselves are at risk rather than an entire realm. Daristan does not discriminate however. One planet may fall, causing a domino effect that destroys other planets, and potentially the realm itself, and may potentially bring down another realm with it. In either case, preservation of life, preservation of the realms is his top priority. For hundreds of years, Daristan would upkeep this role and ideals, as he still does today.
Brief Summary: Daristan adopts a new role, as a balance keeper through the realms, playing the role of both good and evil whenever one is absent, and thus balancing a realm and preventing it from destroying itself.
Equipment:
Obdurium arm guards and Shin Guards: These nigh indestructible pieces of equipment serve to protect Daristan from weapons that would otherwise chop of his arm if he were to block with said arm. These are used purely for defense.
Plane Stepper Amulet: An Amulet Daristan acquired early in his adventure that led to his journey across the planes. At one time, it allowed Daristan to step in and out of a dimension almost immediately, but over time and through use and abuse, the amulet now needs a brief warm up period, thus Daristan can no longer use the device tactically.
“For as much power as I have acquired, I am still fragile, what does one do when one opens a door to find a room full of fire? They adapt, they adapt and enter the room.”
Magical Scrolls: Daristan keeps a variety of magical scrolls on him while he is traveling the dimensions, the most common scroll being “Protection from Elements” a spell which is used prior to traveling to unknown planes, in case Daristan enters a realm that is completely hostile to him (too hot, too cold, too much gravity, no air etc) he and all that he is carrying can survive it. Daristan carries a small collection of other scrolls as well, such a scroll of regeneration (limb loss has happened) flight, etc. Daristan has minimal training in spellcraft, as such he is more than capable of performing these spells, but not capable of memorizing them. As such, performing them during battle can be tedious and dangerous.
Tattoos: The tattoos Daristan bestowed upon himself have no name, and there is no written record showing the application process. Fueled by the deific essence of the black blood, these tattoos prevent Daristan from aging. He however, can still be killed.
Powers: Daristan retains most of his powers that were included in his previous profile as well as these additions and changes.
Abilities that have changed
Fast movement: Daristan’s speed has continued to improve over the years, at this point, he can move at speeds faster than the human eye is capable of tracking, his attacks and blocks are so fast, they create supersonic booms as they break the sound barrier.
Ki Strike:
“My blows not only encompass my power, they encompass my experiences, my loyalties, love, hatred, everything there is about me that there is to be told. Each strike I make, tells a story of my life.”
All of Daristan's attacks are fused with energy from his very being, and thus have various properties. When striking, Daristan's fists, elbows, and legs are considered to have magical properties. Early on his blows used to have subtle feeling of law to them, but over time they have expanded to have a variety power, from law, to chaos, from good to evil. This aura really has no effect, however it can come in handy against creatures that are weak against such auras, or have a resistance to attacks unless infused with such an aura. Daristan's fists are also incredibly resilient as well as having the capability to bypass even the strongest of defenses. If Daristan were to repeatedly punch a solid object such as adamantine (AKA: adamantium, which has durability like that of diamond) His hands would suffer no pain or damage, even if he were to repeatedly punch for a long period of time. The force of Daristan's blows have reached such a point of training that they can easily destroy Adamantine, and crush Obdurium (a metal rarer than Adamantine and more durable) In addition, the force of his blows seemingly pass through such objects unhindered. Thus, if Daristan were to strike a character in “Indestructible” armor, they would feel the force of the effect, and thus still receive a great amount of damage. There are few things in the realms that can stand up to a barrage of attacks from Daristan.
Diamond Soul: Daristan has become nearly impervious to magic. In order to combat Daristan effectively with magic, one must be well versed in a variety of schools of magic, as using one school for more than a couple of spells will cause Daristan to soon become immune to that school for a limited time (a couple minutes). So powerful is this ability, that putting enchantments onto Daristan, including shape shifting transmutations simply do not work. As before however, the strong the individual is in magic, the greater chance they have of bypassing Daristan’s defense.
Quivering Palm: Quivering palm functions the same as it did before, however Daristan is not necessarily limited to the number of times he can use this ability per day. This ability has become nearly mute however, as Daristan’s blows in general are incredibly destructive.
Perfect Blow: Daristan focuses on expanding his inner energy out of his fist or foot, which results in no immediate visible change, but when he strikes, it causes the invisible energy to be discharged, making the blow twice as powerful, and causing a visible ‘ripple’ of force at the point of impact of Daristan’s blow. Due to the energy that surrounds his hand, Daristan is also capable of momentarily controlling and manipulating foreign energy and simple offensive spells such as fireballs.
Empty Being: A very powerful defensive maneuver. If Daristan sees an attack that he may not survive, if he focuses to a high enough degree, he can momentarily make his body like that of a ghosts or spirits, any attacks made against him just pass right through him. Daristan is capable of moving short distances with this ability activated, and can even make certain parts of his body ethereal while the others remain normal, opening up more combat tactics for Daristan.
New Abilities
Perfection of Mind: Daristan has perfected his mind, and as such, has gained several abilities with this. Like before, he is incapable of being affected mentally, which include psychics, psionics, etc, but now has an added addition of allowing Daristan to maintain a stable Sanity. Through training, Daristan’s sanity has become stable, and cannot be affected by outside means. This does not prevent Daristan from going mad from traumatic events, but does prevent him from going mad through unnatural means.
Perfection of Body: Daristan has trained his body to the point where it is perfect, the epitome of power. Not only is his body more agile as he was when he was younger, but is now more capable of taking damage than one would normally be accustomed to. While he can’t survive being utterly crushed and such, he can survive several direct blows from powerful beings who themselves would have what is considered super strength. Using this strength, he has adopted a fighting technique used by his deceased mentor. Daristan is able to take a blow (preferably in a noncritical area, such as the shoulder, hip, leg, etc) convert and control the kinetic energy as it enters his body, and send the blow back at his opponent. As he is struck by his opponent, he almost simultaneously strikes his opponent, thus sending the entirety of the blow back to the source. If Daristan misses, he can expend the energy, converting the kinetic energy into force, and dispel it as an attack, whether it is a blow to his opponent, the wall behind them, or the floor beneath them. This allows Daristan to survive blows that would normally cripple him.
Perfection of Soul: Daristan has trained his soul, and of the three aspects, took to the longest to perfect. However, the time and hard work was well worth it in the end. As a result, Daristan’s very soul is a weapon of incredible power. Daristan’s soul cannot be separated from his body (whether Daristan wills it or not) unless his body is killed, however, this does not prevent the soul from lashing out at opponents near Daristan, or blocking incoming attacks. The soul itself always remains in contact with the body, thus it cannot go off and attack separate enemies that are a distance away from Daristan’s physical body. The soul itself appears as a blue blurred version of Daristan. Daristan’s soul has the same powers and abilities as Daristan (naturally) and can manipulate them just as Daristan can. Through the focusing of his soul, Daristan can make aspects of it physical and indestructible, to all but incredibly powerful magics and powers. In practice, fighting against Daristan is like fighting against two opponents at once, with them both occupying the same space, literally doubling Daristan’s attack and defensive options. Daristan’s soul does not think or act on its own, and can only react to what Daristan can perceive. The speed that the soul strikes however is faster than Daristan himself, as it strikes as Daristan would if unhindered by weight.
Planar Unity
“I am one with the realms, as I move through the planes of reality, they move through me as well.”
Through hundreds of years of dedicated training in meditation, philosophy, and mentoring, Daristan has achieved greater understanding of himself and his relation to the world around him. Daristan is able to extend his consciousness to the immediate world around him, as if giving himself an extra sensory. This extra consciousness has several benefits.
-See the Unseen: Daristan is fully capable of deciphering presences as well as what those presences are, whether they are hidden or invisible. In essence, nothing is ever hidden from Daristan if he is looking for it, for if it exists in the realm, Daristan is aware of it, even going as far as to perceiving its actions and movements. Daristan cannot completely see the being or object, as perceiving them is like perceiving a silhouette, where their general outline is distinguishable, but their characteristics are not. The range of this ability is not expansive however, and this consciousness only extends outwards of about 60ft
-Expanded Danger Sense: Daristan’s ability to sense impending attacks and enemies has greatly improved since his earlier incarnation of this ability. Now that his consciousness has been expanded, his ability to perceive movement, motions, and attacks from enemies has also improved. This allows to Daristan to predict and react to foes that would normally overwhelm Daristan with speed.
-Decipher the unknown: Daristan is able to perceive attributes and capabilities of those around him, as well as their equipment. If a character or item has an ability that is regularly used, Daristan is able to identify the qualities of the ability, as well as its limitations. The less an ability is used, the less Daristan can know about it. Daristan must actually see the target in order to use this ability.
Unity Rupture:
“Through training, I can perceive the realm itself, not only that, but I can act upon it. I can touch it, feel it, and rip it asunder if need be.”
Daristan’s most destructive attack, an attack so powerful that Daristan uses this power only in extreme cases where an opponent must be completely and utterly destroyed. Modifying his previous technique; The Quivering Palm, Daristan sets up vibrations in his hands, but unlike The Quivering Palm, these vibrations do not disrupt life force, they disrupt the very essence of the planes. Daristan uses this attack in two methods.
Method One: Lighter vibrations in his hands, a strike from them can actually crack reality, which other than having an impressive use for intimidating enemies (“my fists can crack reality itself, I doubt you can stand up to that.”) putting cracks in reality even when striking an opponent is only as dangerous as a normal strike from Daristan, (which seen from previous descriptions is still dangerous) as the crack only affects the space time of reality, but nothing physical within the crack. One can move freely within and through the crack without disturbance, without threat of harm. Over a minor period of time (30 seconds- 1 minute) the crack in reality heals and repairs itself. As said, this method is used more for intimidation tactics than anything else.
Method Two:
Brief Summary: Daristan creates a dimensional rupture that is capable of destroying anyone and anything that touches it.
Expanded Summary: By setting up heavier vibrations in both of his hands, and striking with his palms, Daristan can in fact shatter reality. This shattering, is a result of Daristan destabilizing a certain part of the realm, to where a fissure opens from a large crack, this fissure leads to what Daristan terms as “Void”. Void, an ironic name since the space within the fissure is pure white light (but not bright enough to be blinding). Daristan has come to understand that Void is a space that exists between the dimensions, and may in fact be the building blocks of reality, of the dimensions and planes of existence. In such a raw form, Void is utterly chaotic and destructive. Any matter or energy that touches Void is simply erased, being converted into the chaotic energy that Void is derived from, thus reverting the matter/energy back to its original state. Only immediate matter that touches void is erased, thus if one were to touch void with their hand, only their hand would be destroyed, not the rest of their body. This being said, one is still fully capable of regenerating any part of their body that touches void, if they are capable of such feats. Daristan himself is not immune to Void, and if is not careful, may lose parts of his hand, though he is very careful about his position in relation to the rupture during and after it’s creation, in case a foe has the bright idea to push him into his own attack. Since the Ethereal Plane of existence overlaps reality, the ethereal plane is also ruptured, thus ghosts, spirits, souls, consciousness, etc are also subject to being utterly destroyed. The only beings capable of surviving this attack are over-deities, though many characters (of appropriate power levels) are capable of dodging the attack if they see it coming.
The size of this rupture is generally dependent on how powerful the blow or the manner in which Daristan makes the blow. A general rupture is 6 feet wide and 30ft long, but can be formed to be longer, or to be wider, a wall of void can be the ultimate shield against an enemy’s ultimate attack. The speed in which a rupture travels is equal to that of a rupture appearing in a piece of glass which is (according to wiki answers) around 3000mph A rupture can also heal much like Cracks from method 1 of this technique and takes about the same amount of time. This does not mean anything that was destroyed returns, only the space of reality reappears.
Using this attack is dangerous, not just to Daristan’s enemies, but to his allies, himself, and everything around him thus he uses this attack with extreme discretion. Too many uses of this ability in too close a period of time can cause dimensional instability causing reality to break down uncontrollably and turn an immediate area (1 mile radius) into a permanent zone of Void, almost instantly destroying everyone and everything in the radius, including Daristan. The destabilization is nearly instantaneous and centered on Daristan, thus he cannot simply set up the destabilization then flee. The number of times Daristan can use this attack before the area destabilizes depends on the dimension. Each dimension is capable of taking at least one rupture, beyond this it is unknown however, and Daristan must use his judgment and understanding of the plane to evaluate how many more it can take. The strongest of dimensions could take as many as eight, while the weaker dimensions cannot take more than one rupture.
Weakness: None, Daristan has no glaring weaknesses. He does however, struggle in combat against foes comprised purely of energy.
Master Tannes (Non epic version found here: eabii.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=characters&action=display&thread=566 )
Name: Daristan Tannes
"Why have I called myself Master Tannes? Various reasons. I preffer to teach those who are willing to listen as I travel. My title in such a case means no more than that of being a mentor when need be."
Age: 426, appears in his 40s
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Alignment: Unaligned
"I do not view myself as good or evil. I have experienced both, as well as the ideals of neutrality, they are all apsects of the world we live in, and I have learned to encompass them all."
Power Level: 8+
Timeline: Flexible, but more comfortable in medieval settings
Appearance
Daristan appears as a much older version of what he used to be, his hair now beginning to grey, wrinkles are beginning to show themselves on his face from aging and his constant scowling. The one major difference between this incarnation and his earlier one are the various magical tattoos that have been written onto his body. These tattoos have no real image or depiction, but are a continuous flow of ancient texts and runes of magical power ranging in various colors, but seem to have faded in color over time. Daristan’s physical stature is still impressive despite his age, still keeping his body in peak condition. Daristan still keeps his body completely covered in clothing, as such, his skin is still very pale. The Black Blood still affects his appearance as it did in his previous profile, affecting his eye color as well as the gunk that appears in his hair, hands, and feet. Daristan retains much the same uniform as he previously wore; a black robe with gray almost tribal like markings worn around his body. A black plain martial artists belt that has been tied around his waist, however instead of a single knot, there are two knots, one three inches below the other with the tails of the belt reaching just below his knees giving it a unique appearance. He continues to wear his hood, gloves, and boots as he did before, though they have been updated with similar unique gray colored symbols. Those capable of sensing deific energies can sense very faint traces within Daristan, this is essence from Bhaal, lord of Murder, who was killed long ago and who died in a river, where his essence tainted the river. The very water from the river is what fuels Daristan’s black blood.
Personality
“In the grand scheme of things, I’m relatively young. Most races would consider me naught but a youngling, but as a human, I am far older than I should ever be. I have learned much, experienced much, and from these experiences, my wisdom may very well exceed that of those who have lived for thousands of years. Perhaps that is the reason for a human’s short life? If we were to naturally live too long, we’d potentially eclipse the other races.”
Daristan has finally, over a period of hundreds of years, mellowed out. No longer does he have an uncontrollable hatred for those around him, no longer does he view non-human races with scorn and contempt, no longer do ideals of vengeance carry him through life. Daristan has acquired a new set of goals and ideals to live by. Daristan now only acts as a quiet moderator, only helping when it is needed, only speaking and lecturing when it is necessary. Daristan’s wisdom has expanded greatly, though at times, he ignores his own wisdom to perform what he believes is right. Perhaps this contradictory attitude to his wisdom is a result of the black blood, or perhaps it is just a personality quirk. Daristan is still arrogant, still being quite proud of his abilities but he makes it less apparent then he once did in the past. Daristan’s willpower is still incredible, being one of his strongest assets inside and out of combat, however he has become less stubborn over the years, and is open to new ideas when presented to him.
History: (History takes place after events of Airoar’s Rage and it’s absent sequels. A Brief Summary follows each section for those who are less patient or easily made bored.)
Part 1: Seeking Peace
Daristan’s quests and objectives have been completed. He had acquired vengeance, made peace with those who had wronged him, fought against the over deity Od and aided in stopping the destruction of innumerable realms. What else was there to do? Nothing. There was nothing left on his agenda. He did have the option of settling down and enjoying life, but really, was that an option? A black blood still coursed through his veins, so powerful that nothing could remove it. He had just cleared a number of obstacles in getting this far, a lifetime of adventure preceded him, but despite how far he had come, he was still filled with evil, a contempt for life around him, and taste for destruction. Could he ever truly find peace?
Daristan realized, perhaps through ascension he could acquire peace and quell the blood inside him. Daristan was a monk; his ultimate goal should have been elevating his mind, body, and soul in unity to achieve enlightenment. Indeed, he had been training these aspects through combat, but little else. He could never reach his full potential simply through combat; he would have to find another means of reaching ascension. It was at this point, Daristan made a momentous decision; he took a temporary vow of non-violence, and turned his back on the ways of combat. Instead, he focused on improving his inner being, healing the internal wounds that others have given him as well as those he had inflicted himself. Daristan spent several years training himself, through meditation, studies in philosophy, and understanding the world around him. This did not prevent Daristan from becoming active in the world around him however, as he still sought to solve problems as they arose as acts of good will, to quell his dark blood and prevent it’s expansion. Although he was absolutely terrible at it at first, he learned the means in which to talk down his foes, to end combat through spoken word. This is not to say that Daristan forgo his physical training, as he made sure to keep in top condition and have sharp technique, one cannot talk everyone down, and must be ready to flee if the need arises. Daristan accepted his internal training to be as competent as his physical capabilities, when he was able to convince a red dragon, that its aggression and violence to a nearby settlement would only bring about its own destruction, and thus must halt its unwarranted violence. Daristan relinquished his vow of non-violence, but would keep both his skills sharp, not favoring one over the other. This training did not bring Daristan peace, but it brought him comfort, and it was a step in the right direction. He realized that if he continued at this pace, he would eventually reach enlightenment. He came to a very obvious, yet jarring realization soon after however; he was mortal, and getting older.
Brief Summary: Daristan had completed his initial journey, but the black blood within him was still a source of torment. Daristan decided that he would attempt to reach the monk’s idea of enlightenment in order to quell the blood. He begins by taking a vow of non-violence, focusing on combating his foes through spoken word. He completes this training, and feels he has taken a step in the right direction, but realizes his age is catching up to him, and that he must find a way to extend his life so that he may eventually reach enlightenment.
Part 2: Achieving Immortality.
“I never cared to live for an eternity, such thoughts are maddening. I know not how elves can bear it. However, as long as I have purpose, as long I have drive, I must not expire, no matter what. Before I die, I MUST rid myself of this black blood.”
Daristan knew that he could reach enlightenment, if given the time he needed to pursue it, but already in his early 40s, he would never reach it before he was to expire. His monk training had helped a bit, while he was in his 40s, he only appeared to be in his mid 30s, but the energy that flowed through his body would only slow the aging process, not stop it, nor slow it enough to where Daristan could accomplish his goals. He needed a more permanent solution, yet how could one achieve immortality? It was a trait highly sought after by everyone that desired eternal life, one of the more common solutions being lich-hood and other undead, but this was an inacceptable solution. Daristan eventually realized that his deceased master, Rothir Tamebarer, after he had been possessed by the over deity Od, had used powerful runes and scripts in the form of tattoos upon himself to keep the body young and healthy. Of course, the tattoos wouldn’t work on any normal human, the tattoos themselves required deific essence in order to fuel their magic, and Rothir while possessed by Od, had the essence of an over deity fueling the tattoos. However, the black blood that ran through his veins, one of the primary ingredients of the blood was water from the river from which the dead god of murder; Bhaal had died in; his essence tainting the river. Perhaps, the essence of the dead god that ran through his veins would be enough to power the tattoos. He had to find out the answer, and the only answer was to search the realms in an attempt to Rothir.
Able to secure a talisman that allowed Daristan to jump the planes of existence freely. There were many realms where the souls of the deceased resided, and each of these realms was nearly infinitely expansive. Figuring to know Rothir and his relationship to the deities, he made his best guess, he started search at the Wall of he Faithless where it was established presumably by the over-deity Ao to force mortals to choose a deity to worship, be they good or evil. After years of searching, Daristan eventually found Rothir. Most of the souls in the wall writhed in pain and anguish, their souls being slowly dissolved by the mold of the wall. Rothir however remained stoic in the wall, even though his soul was being tortured for all eternity within the wall, he simply existed beyond it. Their meeting was brief, but productive. Daristan was able to explain to his mentor the need for the tattoos, and eventually through copying them down onto parchment from Rothir’s spoken word, had what he had needed. A brief farewell later, and they parted, for the last time. Daristan attempted to find his mentor again in the future, but was never able to find him again.
The application process of the Tattoo’s was painful, physically and mentally, and it required all of Daristan’s will power to stay awake during the tattooing process. He did not trust anyone outside of himself to apply the tattoos, and a single mistake, would cause the entire piece to be ruined, and unless Daristan somehow happened to get new skin, the tattoos would not work. After several months, Daristan eventually completed the tattoos, and over a period of several years, noticed he no longer was aging. The essence that powered the tattoos was weak however, and merely stopped his body from aging; he still could be killed if he were careless. Regardless, he had taken his next big step, he had achieved virtual immortality.
Brief Summary: Daristan seeking a means of achieving immortality sought out his deceased mentor, who had previously used tattoos powered by deific essence to grant him immortality. Daristan eventually finds his Mentor Rothir in the realm of the Wall of the Faithless, where Daristan is able to coax his mentor into telling him the tattooing process. He performs the process and achieves a form of eternal youth (if 40ish can be counted as youth)
Part 3: Chasing Enlightenment
Daristan continued his training for several years, even establishing a monastery in the secluded regions of Faerun where he followed in his master’s foot steps, adopting orphaned children into his monastery and giving them a purpose to life. It gave him purpose, but it did not get him any closer to enlightenment, which he craved. Despite the distance he had traveled, the blood still clawed at him from the inside, driving him mad. He had to conquer it, and it was obvious, enlightenment was not here in Faerun. Daristan would eventually to leave the monastery once it had become established, and set off across Toril. He learned much from the variety of countries across the planet, and learned more about his art. The most significant discovery was that the idea of ‘ki’ he had been taught, was a pervasive trait with a number of names. The term ‘ki’ originated from the east, in Kura-Tur, but he found across the lands a variety of names for it; Ki, Chi, Life Force, Energy, Psionics, all of them referring to the same thing, the power that flows from within. Daristan studied each of these methods, each with similar and different practicing methods, and through these studies, his power increased over a greater period of time. Eventually, Daristan had learned all he could, he would have to expand his journey beyond Toril, and he had the capabilities to do so. Using the Talisman he used to travel between the dimensions, he left Toril to explore and learn amongst the realms.
Brief Summary: Daristan begins to study abroad, finding that his art is found across the planet, under a variety of names and practices. He adopts these practices and over a period of time begins to improve in his understanding towards enlightenment. Soon however, he feels there is nothing more he can learn from his home dimension and sets out to study amongst the realms.
Part 4: The Path of Void
Years upon years pass as Daristan travels among the realms, each with different people, civilizations, deities, everything. It was through his travels, he eventually met an alien being in a dead dimension known simply as ‘Kru’ who claimed to know enlightenment. Kru had escaped a maddening past, to where it now simply was a bother, a simple past that was now behind him, and he achieved it through understanding the realms around him. Daristan had encountered many beings that claimed enlightenment, yet were under false pretenses as to what enlightenment was. Kru explained to Daristan, that in order to achieve enlightenment, he would have to realize his lowliness in the worlds around him. He would have to change his loyalties, experience the various faucets of life and death around him. Daristan, trusting in Kru, followed the instructions. He had already lived a virtuous; law filled life in his early years, before the black blood, as well as an evil, hateful life after the black blood, as well as a neutral life of melancholy after the defeat of Od. He spent nearly a hundred years following Kru’s instructions, as he engaged in life. He experienced the virtues, the sins, and the grays of life, he dedicated years of his life to loyalty to noble and vicious kings and queens, evil and misunderstood monsters, beautiful but fickle nature, deadly but peaceful desolation, the separate but equal elements, life, death and many others, he even dared to take glances at the Far Realm, and was able to gain a minor comprehension of it, just enough so that he could retain his sanity. He studied them, understood their positions, so that he couldn’t just emphasize with them, but sympathize with them.
After much time had passed, Daristan had returned to Kru, explaining that he had understood all that he could. Kru disagreed, as there was one aspect Daristan had failed to attempt to understand, and that was reality itself. Kru gave Daristan a scripture, but told him to never return upon reading this, as there would be no need for his return. He either understood, or didn’t, there was no other way. Daristan took the scripture and left without a word. He studied the realms themselves as well as the scripture, most of it was garble that he could not understand, even though he could speak and understand a variety of alien language, the structure of the language just did not make sense, except for the final sentence of the piece. “By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.” Upon reading the sentence, it suddenly clicked into his mind, what he did and did not understand, what he had always known but never acknowledged. He understood… he understood everything there was to understand. If he were to achieve enlightenment, he would have to abandon his attachments to the worlds around him, as well. He would also have to abandon his care for others, as well as himself, as this would allow him to view his black blood and minor, in comparison with the world around him, and thus have no worries, no troubles. This was not what Daristan had in mind for enlightenment.
He was not enlightened, the mortal realm still meant much to him, and he could not simply let it go. But, the pain and madness the black blood that flowed through his veins contained, meant little to him now. He had not conquered it, it was still there, but he accepted it. It was part of him, and would always be part of him. What was his purpose now? Now that he understood? What was left?
Brief Summary: Through his travels, Daristan eventually meets an alien being named Kru. Kru instructs Daristan that to achieve enlightenment, he must experience life through a variety of point of views, in order to understand all that is around him. Daristan Understands it all except for reality itself, to which Kru gives Daristan a scripture, then asks him to leave, the scripture reading “By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void” Daristan is able to understand that in order to achieve enlightenment, he must let go of all things, but feels he cannot do so, however, he realizes that the black blood, no longer controls him, and he simply accepts it.
Part 5: Empty Vengeance
Daristan considered himself to be a very honorable person, one who repaid their dues. He had never thanked Kru for his help in understanding. Kru had told him that he would not need to come back, as there would be no purpose, but still Daristan needed to thank him, whether he accepted his thanks or not. When Daristan returned to the dead plane however, he found that there was a very strange occurrence. Where Kru once had been, only a mutilated body now resided, and next to the body, a being of another race stood. Daristan calmly questioned the being, to which the being calmly replied that Kru was his enemy and that he wished for himself to be the only one to know the path of void. Daristan felt the rage build in him, and yet, he surprised himself, when the rage immediately subsided despite the urging of the black blood. There was no rage, only acceptance. He felt no need for vengeance, and understood that Kru would feel no need to be avenged, but one thing was certain, the being standing before him, would kill him next, and kill anyone who knew the path of void. This stranger must be stopped, at all costs. Only a moment had passed, before Daristan and this stranger had become immediate enemies, and engaged one another in combat. The battle was vicious; this was the most difficult challenge Daristan had in a very, very long time. The being wielded power similar to that of Daristan’s capabilities, but seemed to understand the realm around them better than Daristan did, and used it as a weapon against him, tearing the very fabric of reality apart, in an attempt to destroy Daristan. Something happened however, and the power his foe wielded, suddenly backfired, and ended up destroying himself in the process. Sensing an immediate, unavoidable threat, Daristan immediately left the realm, and returned later to find that the area they had battled was a wasteland of… nothing… emptiness, just a sphere of the white energy his foe had used against him. Daristan studied the sphere for a good while, and soon was able to understand what it was, that it was the chaos between the dimensions, and the very building blocks of reality itself. Daristan began to practice, and was in time, able to master this ability of sundering reality. He had the power of ultimate destruction at his fingertips, but what would he do with this power?
Brief Summary: Daristan returns to thank Kru for his help, but finds that Kru has been killed by another being who sought to stop Kru from teaching anyone the path of Void. Daristan is able to fight the being, not through a need of vengeance, but through a need to stop this being from destroying another being or abusing their power. The being eventually destroys himself through the abuse of an ability known as the Unity Rupture, to which Daristan soon adopts as an ability of his own.
Part 6: Becoming the Nomad
“I understand my place now. Nobody has given me this position, I have bestowed it upon myself. I must maintain balance in the realms, where balance is absent. Through this balance life will be preserved and march on through time and the ages. An infinite number of realms, and I have merely taken my first step into the forest. I shall see to it that each tree stands tall for all of time, for as long as I live.”
Daristan had achieved more than he had ever set out to accomplish, not only had he achieved a minor idea of enlightenment, but he achieved great power in doing so. His hatred for those around him had been quelled, and the Black Blood was no longer a vessel of weakness, but was now a strength, a tool fuelling his immortality. He began to study the balance of the realms. There were a variety of dead realms out there, but how does a realm destroy itself? Indeed he had understood enlightenment, but could not achieve it for he valued life too much to move past it. So he decided that he must set his goals to preserving life, and destroying all that threaten it. He studied the balance of good and evil in the realms. Often times, they would be evenly matched, or one would become too strong and topple the other, until it became weak and was toppled itself, resetting the cycle. However, sometimes one became too powerful, toppled over, and the other side became too weak to reassume dominance, and the realm would simply die. These were very rare cases, but they did exist, examples of races wiping out other races, before wiping themselves and everything else out did indeed exist. Powerful beings that fed on weaker realms did roam, and they had no purpose other than destruction. These examples could be prevented, they could be stopped, and Daristan would fulfill the role as a preserver. If a realm’s evil was close to destroying itself, Daristan would destroy the cause of the evil, if one were present. If a realm had an excess of good to the point where peace began to cripple its strength, Daristan would introduce an evil to bolster strength of the good, so that if a true threat ever emerged, they may have the strength to deal with it. Daristan discovered through his travels, that a variety of realms have a variety of sizes. His home plane of Abeir-Toril, for instance, is relatively small, while other realms are infinitely expansive. As such, sometimes only planets themselves are at risk rather than an entire realm. Daristan does not discriminate however. One planet may fall, causing a domino effect that destroys other planets, and potentially the realm itself, and may potentially bring down another realm with it. In either case, preservation of life, preservation of the realms is his top priority. For hundreds of years, Daristan would upkeep this role and ideals, as he still does today.
Brief Summary: Daristan adopts a new role, as a balance keeper through the realms, playing the role of both good and evil whenever one is absent, and thus balancing a realm and preventing it from destroying itself.
Equipment:
Obdurium arm guards and Shin Guards: These nigh indestructible pieces of equipment serve to protect Daristan from weapons that would otherwise chop of his arm if he were to block with said arm. These are used purely for defense.
Plane Stepper Amulet: An Amulet Daristan acquired early in his adventure that led to his journey across the planes. At one time, it allowed Daristan to step in and out of a dimension almost immediately, but over time and through use and abuse, the amulet now needs a brief warm up period, thus Daristan can no longer use the device tactically.
“For as much power as I have acquired, I am still fragile, what does one do when one opens a door to find a room full of fire? They adapt, they adapt and enter the room.”
Magical Scrolls: Daristan keeps a variety of magical scrolls on him while he is traveling the dimensions, the most common scroll being “Protection from Elements” a spell which is used prior to traveling to unknown planes, in case Daristan enters a realm that is completely hostile to him (too hot, too cold, too much gravity, no air etc) he and all that he is carrying can survive it. Daristan carries a small collection of other scrolls as well, such a scroll of regeneration (limb loss has happened) flight, etc. Daristan has minimal training in spellcraft, as such he is more than capable of performing these spells, but not capable of memorizing them. As such, performing them during battle can be tedious and dangerous.
Tattoos: The tattoos Daristan bestowed upon himself have no name, and there is no written record showing the application process. Fueled by the deific essence of the black blood, these tattoos prevent Daristan from aging. He however, can still be killed.
Powers: Daristan retains most of his powers that were included in his previous profile as well as these additions and changes.
Abilities that have changed
Fast movement: Daristan’s speed has continued to improve over the years, at this point, he can move at speeds faster than the human eye is capable of tracking, his attacks and blocks are so fast, they create supersonic booms as they break the sound barrier.
Ki Strike:
“My blows not only encompass my power, they encompass my experiences, my loyalties, love, hatred, everything there is about me that there is to be told. Each strike I make, tells a story of my life.”
All of Daristan's attacks are fused with energy from his very being, and thus have various properties. When striking, Daristan's fists, elbows, and legs are considered to have magical properties. Early on his blows used to have subtle feeling of law to them, but over time they have expanded to have a variety power, from law, to chaos, from good to evil. This aura really has no effect, however it can come in handy against creatures that are weak against such auras, or have a resistance to attacks unless infused with such an aura. Daristan's fists are also incredibly resilient as well as having the capability to bypass even the strongest of defenses. If Daristan were to repeatedly punch a solid object such as adamantine (AKA: adamantium, which has durability like that of diamond) His hands would suffer no pain or damage, even if he were to repeatedly punch for a long period of time. The force of Daristan's blows have reached such a point of training that they can easily destroy Adamantine, and crush Obdurium (a metal rarer than Adamantine and more durable) In addition, the force of his blows seemingly pass through such objects unhindered. Thus, if Daristan were to strike a character in “Indestructible” armor, they would feel the force of the effect, and thus still receive a great amount of damage. There are few things in the realms that can stand up to a barrage of attacks from Daristan.
Diamond Soul: Daristan has become nearly impervious to magic. In order to combat Daristan effectively with magic, one must be well versed in a variety of schools of magic, as using one school for more than a couple of spells will cause Daristan to soon become immune to that school for a limited time (a couple minutes). So powerful is this ability, that putting enchantments onto Daristan, including shape shifting transmutations simply do not work. As before however, the strong the individual is in magic, the greater chance they have of bypassing Daristan’s defense.
Quivering Palm: Quivering palm functions the same as it did before, however Daristan is not necessarily limited to the number of times he can use this ability per day. This ability has become nearly mute however, as Daristan’s blows in general are incredibly destructive.
Perfect Blow: Daristan focuses on expanding his inner energy out of his fist or foot, which results in no immediate visible change, but when he strikes, it causes the invisible energy to be discharged, making the blow twice as powerful, and causing a visible ‘ripple’ of force at the point of impact of Daristan’s blow. Due to the energy that surrounds his hand, Daristan is also capable of momentarily controlling and manipulating foreign energy and simple offensive spells such as fireballs.
Empty Being: A very powerful defensive maneuver. If Daristan sees an attack that he may not survive, if he focuses to a high enough degree, he can momentarily make his body like that of a ghosts or spirits, any attacks made against him just pass right through him. Daristan is capable of moving short distances with this ability activated, and can even make certain parts of his body ethereal while the others remain normal, opening up more combat tactics for Daristan.
New Abilities
Perfection of Mind: Daristan has perfected his mind, and as such, has gained several abilities with this. Like before, he is incapable of being affected mentally, which include psychics, psionics, etc, but now has an added addition of allowing Daristan to maintain a stable Sanity. Through training, Daristan’s sanity has become stable, and cannot be affected by outside means. This does not prevent Daristan from going mad from traumatic events, but does prevent him from going mad through unnatural means.
Perfection of Body: Daristan has trained his body to the point where it is perfect, the epitome of power. Not only is his body more agile as he was when he was younger, but is now more capable of taking damage than one would normally be accustomed to. While he can’t survive being utterly crushed and such, he can survive several direct blows from powerful beings who themselves would have what is considered super strength. Using this strength, he has adopted a fighting technique used by his deceased mentor. Daristan is able to take a blow (preferably in a noncritical area, such as the shoulder, hip, leg, etc) convert and control the kinetic energy as it enters his body, and send the blow back at his opponent. As he is struck by his opponent, he almost simultaneously strikes his opponent, thus sending the entirety of the blow back to the source. If Daristan misses, he can expend the energy, converting the kinetic energy into force, and dispel it as an attack, whether it is a blow to his opponent, the wall behind them, or the floor beneath them. This allows Daristan to survive blows that would normally cripple him.
Perfection of Soul: Daristan has trained his soul, and of the three aspects, took to the longest to perfect. However, the time and hard work was well worth it in the end. As a result, Daristan’s very soul is a weapon of incredible power. Daristan’s soul cannot be separated from his body (whether Daristan wills it or not) unless his body is killed, however, this does not prevent the soul from lashing out at opponents near Daristan, or blocking incoming attacks. The soul itself always remains in contact with the body, thus it cannot go off and attack separate enemies that are a distance away from Daristan’s physical body. The soul itself appears as a blue blurred version of Daristan. Daristan’s soul has the same powers and abilities as Daristan (naturally) and can manipulate them just as Daristan can. Through the focusing of his soul, Daristan can make aspects of it physical and indestructible, to all but incredibly powerful magics and powers. In practice, fighting against Daristan is like fighting against two opponents at once, with them both occupying the same space, literally doubling Daristan’s attack and defensive options. Daristan’s soul does not think or act on its own, and can only react to what Daristan can perceive. The speed that the soul strikes however is faster than Daristan himself, as it strikes as Daristan would if unhindered by weight.
Planar Unity
“I am one with the realms, as I move through the planes of reality, they move through me as well.”
Through hundreds of years of dedicated training in meditation, philosophy, and mentoring, Daristan has achieved greater understanding of himself and his relation to the world around him. Daristan is able to extend his consciousness to the immediate world around him, as if giving himself an extra sensory. This extra consciousness has several benefits.
-See the Unseen: Daristan is fully capable of deciphering presences as well as what those presences are, whether they are hidden or invisible. In essence, nothing is ever hidden from Daristan if he is looking for it, for if it exists in the realm, Daristan is aware of it, even going as far as to perceiving its actions and movements. Daristan cannot completely see the being or object, as perceiving them is like perceiving a silhouette, where their general outline is distinguishable, but their characteristics are not. The range of this ability is not expansive however, and this consciousness only extends outwards of about 60ft
-Expanded Danger Sense: Daristan’s ability to sense impending attacks and enemies has greatly improved since his earlier incarnation of this ability. Now that his consciousness has been expanded, his ability to perceive movement, motions, and attacks from enemies has also improved. This allows to Daristan to predict and react to foes that would normally overwhelm Daristan with speed.
-Decipher the unknown: Daristan is able to perceive attributes and capabilities of those around him, as well as their equipment. If a character or item has an ability that is regularly used, Daristan is able to identify the qualities of the ability, as well as its limitations. The less an ability is used, the less Daristan can know about it. Daristan must actually see the target in order to use this ability.
Unity Rupture:
“Through training, I can perceive the realm itself, not only that, but I can act upon it. I can touch it, feel it, and rip it asunder if need be.”
Daristan’s most destructive attack, an attack so powerful that Daristan uses this power only in extreme cases where an opponent must be completely and utterly destroyed. Modifying his previous technique; The Quivering Palm, Daristan sets up vibrations in his hands, but unlike The Quivering Palm, these vibrations do not disrupt life force, they disrupt the very essence of the planes. Daristan uses this attack in two methods.
Method One: Lighter vibrations in his hands, a strike from them can actually crack reality, which other than having an impressive use for intimidating enemies (“my fists can crack reality itself, I doubt you can stand up to that.”) putting cracks in reality even when striking an opponent is only as dangerous as a normal strike from Daristan, (which seen from previous descriptions is still dangerous) as the crack only affects the space time of reality, but nothing physical within the crack. One can move freely within and through the crack without disturbance, without threat of harm. Over a minor period of time (30 seconds- 1 minute) the crack in reality heals and repairs itself. As said, this method is used more for intimidation tactics than anything else.
Method Two:
Brief Summary: Daristan creates a dimensional rupture that is capable of destroying anyone and anything that touches it.
Expanded Summary: By setting up heavier vibrations in both of his hands, and striking with his palms, Daristan can in fact shatter reality. This shattering, is a result of Daristan destabilizing a certain part of the realm, to where a fissure opens from a large crack, this fissure leads to what Daristan terms as “Void”. Void, an ironic name since the space within the fissure is pure white light (but not bright enough to be blinding). Daristan has come to understand that Void is a space that exists between the dimensions, and may in fact be the building blocks of reality, of the dimensions and planes of existence. In such a raw form, Void is utterly chaotic and destructive. Any matter or energy that touches Void is simply erased, being converted into the chaotic energy that Void is derived from, thus reverting the matter/energy back to its original state. Only immediate matter that touches void is erased, thus if one were to touch void with their hand, only their hand would be destroyed, not the rest of their body. This being said, one is still fully capable of regenerating any part of their body that touches void, if they are capable of such feats. Daristan himself is not immune to Void, and if is not careful, may lose parts of his hand, though he is very careful about his position in relation to the rupture during and after it’s creation, in case a foe has the bright idea to push him into his own attack. Since the Ethereal Plane of existence overlaps reality, the ethereal plane is also ruptured, thus ghosts, spirits, souls, consciousness, etc are also subject to being utterly destroyed. The only beings capable of surviving this attack are over-deities, though many characters (of appropriate power levels) are capable of dodging the attack if they see it coming.
The size of this rupture is generally dependent on how powerful the blow or the manner in which Daristan makes the blow. A general rupture is 6 feet wide and 30ft long, but can be formed to be longer, or to be wider, a wall of void can be the ultimate shield against an enemy’s ultimate attack. The speed in which a rupture travels is equal to that of a rupture appearing in a piece of glass which is (according to wiki answers) around 3000mph A rupture can also heal much like Cracks from method 1 of this technique and takes about the same amount of time. This does not mean anything that was destroyed returns, only the space of reality reappears.
Using this attack is dangerous, not just to Daristan’s enemies, but to his allies, himself, and everything around him thus he uses this attack with extreme discretion. Too many uses of this ability in too close a period of time can cause dimensional instability causing reality to break down uncontrollably and turn an immediate area (1 mile radius) into a permanent zone of Void, almost instantly destroying everyone and everything in the radius, including Daristan. The destabilization is nearly instantaneous and centered on Daristan, thus he cannot simply set up the destabilization then flee. The number of times Daristan can use this attack before the area destabilizes depends on the dimension. Each dimension is capable of taking at least one rupture, beyond this it is unknown however, and Daristan must use his judgment and understanding of the plane to evaluate how many more it can take. The strongest of dimensions could take as many as eight, while the weaker dimensions cannot take more than one rupture.
Weakness: None, Daristan has no glaring weaknesses. He does however, struggle in combat against foes comprised purely of energy.
