Character Series – Ardeth

I’m going to be starting a series of posts, each one focusing on one of my major characters! It will include various information as well as artwork of the character. If you have any ideas for something that should be included, write it in the comments and I will be sure to add it if I can. 

The character artwork in these posts are made by Emily B. aka ViceralSiren.

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Info

Name: Ardeth
Age: 23
Height: 6’5” (196cm)
Eye color: Dark brown
Hair color: Black
Special traits: Cursed Mark on left cheek
Ability: Skeletal manipulation
Ethnicity: Sinarian
Affiliation: None(Formerly the Demios Clan)
Occupation: Assassin

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Backstory
As a child he lived in a small village with his mother. One day when he was playing at a lake, a villager saw him pull a bone from his wrist and immediately ran to tell the rest of the village.
When he got home, an angry crowd was waiting at his house, while his mother was crying and trying to calm them down.
When they saw him, his mother tried to prevent them from getting to him and ended up getting beaten to death.
The villagers dragged Ardeth through the town, intent on tattooing the Mark of the Cursed on him, marking him as someone who had been influenced by demon magic.
To prevent them from hitting him, he let his bones grow out over his skin so they couldn’t touch him.
It took four full-grown men to restrain him as they tattooed the mark on his cheek, but in the end it wasn’t enough and he ended up killing every single one of them.
Later in life he ended up joining the Demios Clan, led by the fanatic necromancer Ilyan, whose goal was to revive the demon lord Azarial.
Ardeth didn’t share Ilyan’s ambitions, but joined simply for the sake of having a place to belong.
As he didn’t hold any loyalty towards the Demios, it didn’t take much for him to abandon them after meeting Selissa, who the clan wished to capture.

Personality
He acts charming and playful most of the time, but he has no qualms about taking a person’s life, no matter the reason. To him, a human life is worth nothing more than a rat’s.
He almost never gets angry, handling anything with absolute calm.
He’s loyal only to himself and only works for others to relieve his boredom.

Abilities
He was born with the ability to freely manipulate his bone structure, enabling him to regrow his own bones or pull them from his body.
He is extremely talented at combat and can easily take down 10 armed men. He often uses his bones as weapons, growing them into swords or claws. He can also use them to shield his body.

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Relationships

Selissa
Ardeth started helping Selissa on a whim as he had grown bored with the Demios Clan and didn’t feel any real loyalty towards them. At first he merely found her fascinating, but it soon grew into a deep attraction.
Selissa is the only person who can make Ardeth unsure of himself, as he has never felt anything towards another human being. He values her deeply, but has a hard time understanding her compassion for humans.

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First appearance: Resounding Echo – Chapter 14

Cold, dark eyes were watching her intently. The man watching her was crouching on the roof of one of the buildings and was dressed from head to toe in black clothes. Black clothes covered in blood.
Long, black hair was tied in a low ponytail and falling down his chest. And a black tattoo snaked its way across his face…
Demios. A feeling of dread spread through her body. The man was watching her calmly, appearing completely relaxed, but still he appeared to emit a feeling of danger. Of death. She felt it surround her and made her feel like she was choking.
She swallowed hard, her eyes never leaving the Demios. The man cocked his head, strands of dark hair falling into his eyes. A smile graced his lips, standing in sharp contrast to his blood-covered appearance.
“Something wrong, sweetheart?” He asked, smiling at her gently.
Selissa took a cautious step back, all the while trying to swallow her panic. He was smiling. He was covered in the blood of a man he had practically slaughtered, and he was smiling.
“Their insanity is clear for everyone to see”. Alassane’s words echoed in her mind.
The man didn’t move, but his eyes continued to bore into her.
A million things ran through her head. Could she run? Would he go after her if she did?
It wouldn’t help. He had attacked that man and had been gone before no one even noticed something was wrong.

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Artwork of Ardeth: