future!au details (abraxas)

[funbreaker]

basics

full name: Thancred Waters Aegis

titles: Guardian of the Shield; The Fatebreaker; The Knife in the Dark

age: ~840

blessing: Aegis — Strength and protection granted to others; tenacity; diverting attention from another onto yourself

affliction: Shirk — Abandoning duty; impatience and haste leading to harm; redirecting an attack or burdens onto another

arcana: Strength

location: All over, but can most commonly be found in the Horizon, the Godlands, or somewhere in the Velan Republic

appearance

details

height: ~8', varies

build: muscular

hair color: white

eye color: white

img: here

Thancred, now known by the name Aegis or his various titles, retains similar facial features and hair (although his hair tilts up more at the ends) and continues to carry a Gunblade wherever he goes, but the rest of his appearance has changed drastically. He has a large golden halo that floats behind him (similar to Himeka's, which might be another reason why people relate them to each other), segmented gold wings, a large spiked serpent tail that wraps itself around him almost like a scarf and extends down his arms (said to be a boon granted by Bahamut/Dion), gold inlays crafted into his skin with ring-like jewelry around his wrists and ankles, red scaled armor pieces that extend from his waist, and flowing dark fabric that covers a portion of his lower half. [ x, x ]

He is also often seen with a small canary on his shoulder. While it is unclear what the meaning behind it is, many assume it to be similar to the idea of a canary in a coal mine, which is meant to alert people to danger long before they could ever notice it themselves.

lore & influence

Aegis, Guardian of the Shield, is known by both name and title as a guardian of protection. This protection is often sought out by those setting forth on a treacherous journey (often as a dual prayer made to him and his sister, Azem), or in the midst of battle. Many speak of his ages-old clash with Bahamut, where he did his utmost to protect people from the dragon's rage and suffered grievous wounds in the process. This sacrificial act is what solidified him in the lore as a god of protection.

Aegis' blessings show themselves in a variety of different ways: an added resilience or burst of energy in a fight; the appearance of a canary to lead someone out of danger; water taken from a stream or other source becoming potable/safe to drink; or even someone's enemies being cut down unexpectedly by a knife in the dark. (In fact, this is another title of his among certain circles: The Knife in the Dark.)

However, there are times when protection can backfire. For example, someone is spurred to run away from a fight to protect themselves, leaving their friends in the lurch. Or a shield is granted to one person, but this means that the person next to them suffers that damage instead. Or perhaps that burst of energy and resilience leads someone to be too reckless, inducing further harm as a result.

It is not often that Aegis appears to humans in any sort of perceivable form. He appears to prefer keeping to the shadows, granting his boons and blessings without being seen. If he does mingle among humans, it is rumored that he takes on a disguise, appearing to them without them realizing who he truly is.

abilities

🛡️ Heart of Light — With a burst of golden light, one person and any friendlies in the area are given an invisible shield that mitigates any incoming damage for a period of time. Often granted by those who pray to Aegis during a fight.
🛡️ Pass Without Trace — The person in question is blanketed in shadow, allowing them to sneak past any nearby danger without being seen or heard. But perhaps they are at times too well-protected, causing them to lose track of anyone else who is with them, lost in the dark.
🛡️ Shirk — Any incoming damage is reflected off of the person in question and onto someone close-by, but what if this is friend rather than foe?
🛡️ Fated Circle — All nearby enemies are suddenly cut down without warning, clearing a path to safety.
🛡️ Superbolide — The person in quest receives a completely impenetrable shield that will protect them from any sort of mortal blow, no matter the strength. However, they also suffer a severe injury, and will have to be healed up if they wish to press on.
🛡️ Water Purification — Nearby water is purified and made safe to drink, for the weary traveler who needs to maintain their strength during difficult times.

story

god bonds

Thancred and Himeka (or Aegis and Azem) cannot remember a time that they were not together. They know that they came from the same original world, even if their memories of it have now faded with time. With their original surnames being so similar, at this point they consider themselves actual brother and sister, and this is why they so often travel together and are summoned together by those who want their boons. As they are both associated with safe travels, those who go on long journeys will pray to them for fresh food and water on their treks, as well as protection from danger.

Thancred made a blood oath and ritual pact with Stephen and Yennefer when Stephen was driven to make a connection with the old god, Sannleikr, Herald of the Many Faces. This likely happened among war and conflict, as that is one of Sannleikr's realms. Sannleikr seemed to approve of "many faces" (that is, three separate people) appealing to them for aid. Along with granting Stephen godly powers, Sannleikr also seems to have bound the three of them together into a triad — meaning they are indelibly connected, or so the story goes. In reality, the three of them are quite close still and often work together when responding to summons, particularly in the Velan Republic region. Many suspect that the three of them are also lovers.

history

As time passed and Summoned realized that they were not aging and that they were gaining more and more power from the Singularity, Thancred felt perhaps less affected than most due to his aether scarring which limited his magical capabilities. This did not bother him, as the idea of becoming something more than human did not sit well with him.

However, this is not a fate he could avoid. While working with the people of Nott on the Velan Revolution and wherever that fight took him (subject to change as we learn more), Thancred convinced a young man to take part in the fight, and as a result, this man died. As it turned out, this was the lover of one Dion Lesage, who then lost control of himself in a fit of anger and sorrow and primed into his eikon form of Bahamut. Thancred did everything he could to keep the people in the area safe, fully ready to sacrifice himself to protect them.

He took a nearly mortal blow and was on death's door, but Himeka sensed this, and her powers had grown to the point where she was able to teleport to his side and stabilize him by having him ingest ambrosia, one of her godly powers. She then took him to the site of the Singularity to ensure that he did not succumb to his wounds, and with the combined power of her and the monolith, Thancred was healed — his aether scarring included. This sent him down the path to his own ascent to godhood, his power growing exponentially from here.

As more time passed, more and more memories of his home world faded, though he and Himeka did everything in their power to remind each other of where they come from. While they remember that they are from a different star, at this point they don't recall much else. Most importantly, Thancred has forgotten his adopted daughter, Ryne, and with her being his primary motivation to return home, he has left that dream behind. Now, his drive to protect her has instead transferred to the people of Abraxas. He and Himeka are known to often travel together, delivering their boons where they wish. However, Aegis is also primarily known as the protector of the Velan Republic, and is often worshipped by its citizens alongside the triad that he is a part of with Stephen and Yennefer's god forms.

horizon

While Aegis does not remember where his domain comes from or why it is what it is, he also no longer has reason to question it. From the outside it appears to be a strange tower of sorts — a recreation of Eulmore, which is where he originally found his daughter, Ryne. (Minus all the colorful parts, sadly.)

Inside it is a well-protected fortress, all cold stone with a winding staircase that takes one up to a simple living area. It is well-fortified and clearly all built to ensure that whoever lives there can be assured of their safety while inside, but one could also consider it a gilded cage of sorts — a symbol of what happens when protection turns into suffocation.

When in his domain, Aegis' golden-colored canary is always with him, perched on his shoulder.

ooc

PLAYER: court . TIMEZONE: pst . CONTACT: demonology

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