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warforged Application
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randomtology
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randomtology
OTHER CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER NAME: Zelos Wilder
CHARACTER SERIES: Tales of Symphonia
SPECIES: It's...complicated. The short answer is Angel/Human.
The long answer is that in Tales of Symphonia, angels aren't so much holy beings that serve God (though some they claim they do), but humans and half-elves that have undergo a long and painful transformation process called the Angel Transformation (or Angel Toxicosis) using a special soul sucking rock called a Cruxis Crystal. These Angels have wings along with all sorts of powers (which I'll discuss later). On the downside, since the Cruxis Crystal is a soul sucking rock, unless they are wearing a special piece of jewelry called a keycrest- they can lose their humanity and even become a soulless husk devoid of thought or emotion beyond self-preservation. Also removal of the Cruxis Crystal can result in their death or worse, turn into a giant monster because their mana has gone out of whack.
Zelos was born human, but underwent this transformation later on in his life. Whether or not he's still a human or an entirely different species is a debate that is ongoing even in canon. He'll likely still call himself a human though to anyone who asks.
AGE: 23 as of his game pull point. He's immortal, but he's not old enough for that to really be noticeable yet.
CANON POINT: Post-Death/Kratos Path in Tales of Symphonia, and post endgame from the RP Exsilium.
CLASS/ABILITIES:
Zelos is called a magical swordsman in canon. He can use elemental magic (fire, earth, air, lightning, and one healing spell that's water based), heal, is very good with a sword and can wear heavy armors so he makes a decent tank as well. While he doesn't extremely excel in any of these areas (Raine is a better healer, Genis is a better mage and a couple of the pure-melee characters beat him out in raw DPS) - he is definitely strong enough to be one of the more useful characters in the game.
It should be noted that only covers the abilities that Zelos openly uses. Zelos spends most of the first game posing as a human who just happens to have magic and an exsphere (an item that boosts people's abilities), but in truth he's a lot more powerful. Zelos is an angel. This means that he, like all angels, has wings, heightened senses, super strength, super reflexes, super endurance, doesn't need to eat or sleep or breathe, could live forever, control his body temperature change his appearance at will, teleport short distances and use extremely powerful light magic called angel skills. Though since Zelos is a young angel with issues, he can't do half the fancy stuff like change his appearance, control his body temp, teleport or use half the angel skills just yet.
In Warforged, Zelos is gonna be extremely nerfed upon arrival. He'll start off human again, with his magic gone as well. His Cruxis Crystal initially will only give the same boost a weak exsphere does- some performance enhancement, but nothing game breaking.
Over time as he grows stronger, his powers will start to come back. Unfortunately for him, gaining powers when you're an angel is actually pretty painful! Each time of gaining more power as an angel is marked by a night of extreme pain and illness. The illness passes by the time the night is over with, but they are left with a longer term price.
The steps of his process are as followed:
1st Upgrade
> Gains Wings
> Hearing Improves
> Low level light magic
> Low healing magic returns
> PRICE: Loses ability to taste anything and stops eating.
2nd Upgrade
> Sight Improves
> Low level fire and lightning magic return
> PRICE: Loses ability to sleep
3rd Upgrade
> Medium Power Light Magic
> Strength Improves
> PRICE: Loses sense of touch
4th Upgrade:
> No longer need to breathe
> Low level earth and wind magic return
> PRICE: Voice
5th Upgrade
> High Powered light magic
> Immortality kicks in
> PRICE: "Heart and Memories". This usually means they become a soulless zombie until an activated keycrest is on them. SINCE Zelos has a keycrest, zombie time would be less than it was in canon for Colette. It will vary from a couple days to a week (mysteriously depending on whether or not I need a hiatus!).
> Once that time period passes, all other prices will be returned to him to how he was at pre-warforged. Including his voice. Sorry guys.
After his fifth upgrade, he'll be able to level his elemental magic, healing and work on not being a sucktastic angel.
The times between upgrades will depend on how active he is! If he's super involved and constantly on missions, it will be about a month between upgrades. If he sits on his ass and drinks brew of the month all the time, it might take 2-3 months (or even more) between upgrades (so clearly the answer is to kitchen him forever after he loses his voice).
As for class for plotting purposes, I'm putting him under Paladin due to his cray cray light powers and canon gear.
HISTORY:
Canon
Zelos's first life was a life of misfortune and bad life choices. Born out of an arranged match made by the church, he came into the world with a Cruxis Crystal in his hand which marked him as the next Chosen One of Tethe'alla. To the people of the world, this meant he could possibly be a savior to bring them salvation and prosperity according to legends in their religion (think the Dali Lama meet Jesus with an extra emphasis on sacrifice). And so Zelos was raised in the same manner that most Tethe'allan Chosens were raised, as an inhuman thing meant to save the people who one day may have to give his life in order to save his world.
When he was about seven years old, his father (the previous Chosen) committed suicide after an affair with a half-elven woman was found out by the public. His mother, resentful of her life, mostly kept herself locked in her room and would never look at her son. When he was about ten, he discovered that he had a half-sister through the affair his father had named Seles. Even though she was seven years younger and sickly, they would play together whenever they could and they were each other's only source of happiness and love. However this went sour not too long later when his mother was murdered by Seles's mother in an attempt to kill Zelos so Seles could be the Chosen. His mother's dying words were "You should have never been born" to a traumatized Zelos. Seles's mother was executed, Seles was sent to an abbey for a life sentence of house arrest and Zelos was left as an orphan alone in the Tethe'allan noble court- a place so corrupt and vile that it makes a den of vipers feel like a vacation spot.
With no friends and now no family, Zelos's life over the next years was miserable. Due to Meltokio's uncaring atmosphere and attitudes towards the Chosen, he was forced to lock away any negative emotions, guilt, insecurities and fears behind a mask of fake happiness, confidence and shallowness. He hated his life, but he was never allowed to show it. Any trauma he had developed from his childhood ended up festering inside of him, twisting them into feelings of self-hatred and worthlessness.
Around age of fourteen, he was approached by Cruxis with a deal: if he worked for them, they would free him from his status and transfer it to Seles. Thinking this was the only way to bring him and sister any sort of happiness, he agreed. At some unknown time later, he was approached by the Renegades with the same sort of deal. Being both perceptive and un-trusting, he decided to play all the fields. And so for the next eight years he led a triple life: to the Tethe'allan public he was a shallow and womanizing happy-go-lucky Chosen that seemed more interested in women's measurements than world saving. To Cruxis he was an "unwitting pawn" that they groomed to be their ace in the hole (though their original intentions with him are not known); bestowing him with magic and having him go through the angel transformation process. Finally with Renegade he was their "friend", a spy used on anyone the Renegades regarded as threats. All the while none seem to catch on that he was playing all sides against each other to see which side would come out strongest and worth his allegiance.
Life remained to be the status quo craptastic until he was twenty-two years old and a group of mysterious travelers showed up in Meltokio. They were from Sylvarant, who had come to Tethe'alla in hopes of finding a cure for their Chosen, led by a young man and idealist named Lloyd Irving. Zelos was sent to accompany them to keep an eye on them (by Cruxis, the Renegades and the kingdom of Tethe'alla - though they only knew about the last one). Zelos intended nothing more than to use them for his own advantage- then lose them.
The journey lasted a long time, spanning across two different worlds. While initially apathetic to everything, Zelos began getting affected (or "infected" as he called it) by the events and people around him much more than he had ever anticipated. Little by little, he found himself caring about his traveling companions and the state of the world. He began doing actions that went against the defensive mantra, doing things that served no benefit to him and only brought him trouble - simply because they were the Right Thing to Do or he wanted people to be happy. Whenever he realized what he was doing? He'd waiver between scoffing in disbelief and feeling a great deal of fear that this would only lead to more pain - yet there was little he could do to go back.
But eventually it came time for Zelos to choose a side, as things started to stack up. He caught himself feeling torn about what to do, to do the logical thing and side with Cruxis - or do the right thing and side with Lloyd's group of idiot idealists. He only grew more torn when Kratos (Lloyd's father and agent of Cruxis) approached him with a task - to use his skills to get into Cruxis and retrieve an item that would make it possible for Lloyd to reunite the worlds once and for all - though would completely jeopardize everything Zelos had worked for if things went badly. He sat on this problem, trying to figure out what to do until Lloyd approached him after a group meeting and showed that he did not trust Zelos. In fact he was told quite the opposite in that Lloyd showed an inability to trust him, but still a willingness to use Zelos in a plan to unite the worlds. The effect of these words proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Zelos Wilder, as it made him realize that not even the kindest people he had ever met were not above treating him as nothing more than a tool. This knowledge in hand, he rejected Kratos's request to help the group, claiming he would "follow his own path".
When they reached the Tower of Salvation, Zelos handed the Chosen Colette over to Cruxis as part of a deal that would allow the title of Chosen to be passed to Seles. He then went to confront his companions, revealing that he was an angel and starting a fight with them under the guise of a villain despite being horrendously outnumbered. As expected by him, it was an impossible fight and he was mortally wounded.
At the end of the fight, Lloyd went to Zelos's side, distraught at the turn of events. Zelos tells him that he was tired of living anyway, and pleaded for Colette to be rescued. Shortly after, Zelos died from his injuries with a smile on his face.
Exsilium
Zelos never reach his long sought after afterlife, though. Worlds away on one of the many Earths, there was a war between a tyrannical government named the United Earth, and a small resistance group called the Initiative. The Initiative, knowing they could never beat the United Earth in a straight up fight, used time travel technology to alter history and weaken the United Earth. And since they needed help, the Initiative brought in aid from other worlds - largely against their will. Zelos was one of many brought in to aid in their war.
Zelos arrived in the city of Exsilium in December of 3312 (2012), freshly revived from the dead. Surprising no one, he didn't take too well to the idea that he had been brought back to life to be used as a tool in another group's war - causing him to be cynical and untrusting of the Initiative for his entire stay in Exsilium.
However, even if he wasn't thrilled at being alive again- Zelos wasn't a person to miss out on an opportunity to benefit himself. Realizing this was a chance to get rid of his status, to have something close to the normal life he dreamed about - Zelos began to lie. He told people his name was Kaneis Major (a name that just popped into his head) and that he was just a mercenary from Tethe'alla. He did everything he could to distance himself from his past life and being the Chosen. While his act as the Chosen had been a happy-go-lucky and obnoxious womanizer, his act as Kaneis the mercenary was a cynical but easy-going (more like apathetic) and almost forgettable guy.
And so, he began his life as Kaneis. His rooming assignment was with two "teenagers", Sophie Lhant and Allen Walker. Sophie was the more child-like of the two. Sweet and innocent enough to make Colette seem jaded, she was quick to consider her two roommates as part of her family- and Kaneis quickly grew to be affectionate of her. Allen, on the other hand, clashed with Kaneis's personality and viewpoints in practically every way (seriously they only agreed that zombies and mass murder is bad) - and their relationship was one that was extremely rocky. So rocky that had Sophie not been there to make them behave better- they probably would've eventually murdered each other.
But even so, the three of them stayed together for the rest of their stay in Exsilium and over time grew extremely close (er, as close as a crazy clown shonen kid, a 1000 year old robot child and a crazy dead angel can get anyway). Kaneis over time grew to care about them like family, and they did a lot to stabilize him mentally and emotionally.
Outside his roommates, his friendships were sparser. His first life had done a great job teaching him to always be wary and cynical of those around him. He wanted little to do with most of the people he met. People from his world got the worst of this treatment - frequently he'd do whatever he could to avoid or push them away. This came as a shock for many of them who had come from alternate timelines where Zelos hadn't died and had gone on to be their close friend.
But there were a few who managed to get through his defenses. Here and there, there were people he met in Exsilium that he warmed to. Among people from Tethe'alla/Sylvarant, Sheena and Emil managed to befriend him after a great deal of time and persistence. Sheena and Kaneis even started a romantic relationship after 9 months of being stuck in Exsilium. A...pretty rocky relationship, but whatever it counted.
Also it was through castmate CR did he eventually discover that his death had been...essentially pointless. His sister wasn't happier for it, if anything she was worse off. Had he remained alive like in the other timelines, he could have gone on to lead a better life. He...didn't take to the news too well.
Outside his friendships, for the first part of his stay he was extremely apathetic to the situation around him. He was dead, so what did it matter to him? Three months in, he picked up a job at the clinic- but it was only to pass the time and get enough money to pay for Allen's bottomless appetite. He worked primarily the night shift, and was decent at the job- but clearly didn't take it very seriously since he spent a lot of his time making paper airplanes, doing Sudoku puzzles and reading trashy erotica.
Things for Kaneis changed in May 3313. There was an experiment with the transporter to see if they could send unwilling transports home. He didn't participate, but he watched idly and hoped for it to work so maybe he could world hop somewhere else - far away from all his problems.
But the experiment went wrong. While they were successful in reaching another world (another Earth), it also led the United Earth right to that world in full force. The United Earth decided to wipe out the population on the world so it could be harvested for its resources. The Initiative tried to fight back, but in the end it was futile. The entire world was wiped out with a death toll of six billion people.
This served as a harsh wake-up call for Kaneis. Selfish as he was, he never truly wanted anyone to be hurt by his actions - and yet desires like his to get out of this mess had led to the death of so many innocent lives. It made him realize that maybe he shouldn't just sit idly by and let things happen. So he started to take a more active role in the war: he participated in missions, he actually took his work at the clinic more seriously. He wanted to make sure there'd never be another incident like that again.
And so, he began to change as a person. He became more attached to the people around him, and took the situations around him more to heart. He was still wary and mistrusting of the Initiative, but he was more willing to work with them. His sister arrived and over time, they were able to make amends. His life even started improving some, partly thanks to these actions- even if there were bumps in the road here and there.
However shit hit the fan again when he got kidnapped by the United Earth and found a way to copy his powers. And then it got worse when the rest of the Transports broke him and the other captives out because that made the United Earth respond by nuking the city of Exsilium which had become a second home to Kaneis.
Yeah. He might have a guilt complex after that.
The survivors got shipped to a moon base that was infested by zombies. From there they worked until they could go back to the surface of a now snowy Exsilium (it's a long story). And from there, there were some missions until they found a way for the United Earth to be destroyed once and for all. I'm sure it was quite epic.
When all was said and done, they were all given a choice to go wherever they want. Kaneis decided not to go home and was going to head to a world with friends along with Sheena to have an actual happy life.
But right before he could leave, the Burning Legion attacked. Thanks guys.
PERSONALITY:
"Zelos...you hate half-elves, right?"
"I don't like them, anyway."
"Then why are you coming along on our journey?"
"....Well, in the end, we're of the same lot, really."
"What do you mean?"
"No one wanted us to be born."
When you first meet Zelos, he comes across purely as a comic relief character. He flirts with the ladies, he ignores the guys. While the rest of the team is still reeling from the harsh turns of their situation, Zelos seems to just take everything with a smile or, at most, a shallow complaint that's usually unimportant. Raine even remarks that she can't tell if he's an overly positive thinker or simply doesn't care about anything. It's of little surprise that several of the party write him off as a spoiled idiot with more interest in goofing off and women's measurements than any actual world saving.
But as their journey continues, hints start to appear he isn't as happy as he acts. The conversation above is one of the first, followed by others that are also quickly dropped after he says too much. His observations about a situation tends to be the most cynical, the most biting. When he isn't acting over the top, his remarks about himself tend to lean towards extremely self-deprecating. He expresses trouble in believing the goodwill of his traveling companions, as if he's waiting for the other shoe to drop.
In truth, Zelos has the makings less of a comic relief, and more of a tragic character. The smile and cheerful attitude is an act. An act carefully constructed by an intelligent and perceptive kid who spent his entire life alone and with a grim outlook of that changing any time soon. Realizing from a young age that 99% of the world only cared about him because he could be used for their own means, Zelos built defenses to protect himself - creating a way of life in which he needed no one emotionally and no one would think to need him. Everyone has an agenda; never do anything that can't benefit you, always pick the winning side and trust no one became his survival mantra.
As a default, Zelos is incredibly cynical and un-trusting of everyone around him. While he openly states not to like Half-elves, but really its show it's more he doesn't seem to like any group - half elves included. He knows full well that no one would ever save him from a life he hates so much, so he takes it upon himself to try to save himself and rely only on himself. While acting like a complete goofball, Zelos is actually observing everyone around him very carefully and trying to discern what they are after. Often he will use this to manipulate people around him to his advantage. And if push comes to shove, he isn't above backstabbing people he views as bad to further his own goals.
If you do notice this and call him on it, he'll be the first to call himself incredibly selfish and a jerk. In some ways, this is true. He has very selfish tendencies and he can be rather dismissive of the people around him - especially if they are genuinely concerned for him. His survival methods have taught him to prioritize self-preservation, making him a bit slower to agree to help someone out if it'd put him at risk than heroes who'd agree with barely a second thought. And if they lying and playboy act didn't drive enough people away, Zelos has a tendency to be extremely blunt when he does speak his mind. He frequently upsets and angers people with his harsh words and responds with not much care if they took offense. It's not his problem they can't handle the truth.
Yet at the same time, there's a great deal of selflessness and kindness to him. While he dreams of freedom from being the Chosen, a huge part of his drive is the idea of freeing his sister from the abbey and giving her the privileged status he thought she wanted -- even if it means dying in the process. While he's slower to agree to help someone out than Lloyd or Colette, most of the time he will agree to help out. His words can be harsh on the ears, but he won't hesitate to try to cheer someone up in his own quirky way.
No matter how quickly and how much he would deny it, at his core, Zelos is a good person. He cares much more than he likes to let on and even tries hard to remain apathetic to everything around him, but it doesn't work out very well. Even near the beginning of the journey when he's at his most jaded, talking to the children in his hometown when he's in the party reveals that, despite his cool act, he takes the time to play with them and tell them stories. As the journey goes on, the good side of his nature gets brought to the surface more and more thanks to Lloyd and the others. In the endings where he lives, he goes on to be a major driving in changing the world for the better.
Unfortunately, while he'll be the first to admit he's a jerk, he'll be the last to truly agree that he's a good person too. Zelos's self-image is completely and utterly terrible. He's well aware that he's a damaged person and how he often behaves is terrible or wrong. Zelos hates himself for his flaws, but he's been damaged for so long he doesn't know how to stop being the way he is. He's extremely critical of himself, even going so far as to think his entire existence does nothing but bring misery to those around him and things would be better off if he had never been born. It was a thought instilled in him from his mother at a young age, and the thought has only festered over time thanks to the standards he's been held to as a Chosen. He has no true confidence in himself when it comes to things that matter in his life (love, friendships, saving the world, helping people). He's very quick to put people like Colette and Lloyd on pedestals for their attitudes and acts all while being convinced that he could never be like that.
His lack of confidence manifests in a whole hosts of deeply embedded fears. He's terrified of failing the world and the people he cares about, so he doesn't try. He's terrified of being like his parents (especially his father), so he does whatever he can to avoid that yet ironically tends to act just like them in this various attempts. He's terrified of actually living so he acts generally suicidal half the time yet his fear of being like his father stops him from simply killing himself....at least, until his circumstances led him to that choice.
Zelos is very well aware that the Chosen system is entirely made up, yet it still seems to affect much of his thought process and outlook. He considers himself to be a failure partly because he's not good at fitting into the traditional ideal Chosen mold. In terms of faith he falls very deep into the Atheist category, and yet he's still fixated on finding some sort of meaning to his life.
Because of all his problems, Zelos can be a very hard person to truly befriend. Trust is extremely hard to earn from him and it's something that you cannot force. This has gotten even worse after his death at the hand of the only people he had ever considered to be his friends. Even if somehow trust is earned, there is no guarantee that Zelos will open up entirely or be straightforward in his requests for help- he's still learning what it means to be a friend and to trust others. Often he will choose to do things by himself simply because that is what he's used to doing, even if he has friends nearby. Like Colette, he has a nasty habit of bottling things up and burdening himself with problems that could be more easily solved if he simply spoke up.
However befriending Zelos has its rewards: to earn Zelos's trust is to earn a true friend for life that will always watch your back. He'd do anything to help or protect the people he loves - whether that means being a doting older brother, backing you up in a fight or always believing in you even if the rest of the world is against you.
Just you know, seriously good luck getting him to feel that way about you.
Exsilium Development
The year spent in Exsilium had a lot of influences on his personality! Being worlds away from Tethe'alla and his life as a Chosen, meaning for the first time in his life he could be a person instead of a status. Realizing this, he did everything in his paranoid power to make sure to keep it that way. He changed his name, ditched the happy-go-lucky act, lied about his background and did whatever he could to distance himself away from his previous life. In a way, he stopped being Zelos, and became Kaneis.
His outward demeanor as Kaneis is fairly different from his one as Zelos. While the act of Zelos was meant to be so over the top no one looked too close, the act of Kaneis was meant to be so unremarkable he'd be overlooked and forgotten. He still has the overly easy-going attitude, but it's clearer to be from apathy than the impression he's an idiot. While he's more charming to women, he doesn't go overboard with the flirtations. Kaneis doesn't advertise himself as anything more than just decent enough to be a mercenary in terms of skills. He doesn't wear a scowl all the time, but he maintains that he'll smile only when he feels like smiling.
Which is safe to say, won't be very often.
It should be very important to note that Kaneis and Zelos are the same person. There's no multiple personalities going on, no alter egos. Just a simple mask exchange for another. This becomes even more readily apparent in moments where the act of Kaneis slips and he acts much more like the cheerful Chosen he used to be. The act is far from perfect, and if someone is perspective enough- it can be seen through.
Outside his act as Kaneis, the events and relationships he's built there influenced him a lot. Even though he's from the Kratos ending, he's learned a little bit about having friends, and even trusting.....one person. He got to experience sort of like what having a family is like with his roommates and the time he got to spend with his biological sister. It's hard to say if he'll ever feel like family to anyone in Warforged, but he at least knows what the feeling of having people around feels like.
Coming into Exsilium after choosing to die, Zelos didn't take his second chance at life very much to heart. He spent almost the entire time convinced he would die again once the Initiative was through with him and therefore there was little point in getting over attached to being alive (though he still did to some extent without realizing it, because living is addictive). Now that the Initiative gave him the choice to live, he's a bit lost at what to do. Trying to figure that out will be a long term process for him in Warforged.
What more than that, he's been dealt some heavy blows in Exsilium. The deaths of a world destroyed and all the people erased by changing history still weigh heavily on his conscience. Finding out that his death was for nothing and actually made things worse weighs on his conscience too. Frequently he feels at a loss of what to do with himself. He hates the fact that people seem to get hurt by his existence, but he has no idea how to stop it since hey- not even dying stopped that one! He's still looking for meaning to his life, for a way to atone for all his mistakes. Whether or not he finds that meaning he looks for will be up to CR and plots.
CONTACT:
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
randomtologyOTHER CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER NAME: Zelos Wilder
CHARACTER SERIES: Tales of Symphonia
SPECIES: It's...complicated. The short answer is Angel/Human.
The long answer is that in Tales of Symphonia, angels aren't so much holy beings that serve God (though some they claim they do), but humans and half-elves that have undergo a long and painful transformation process called the Angel Transformation (or Angel Toxicosis) using a special soul sucking rock called a Cruxis Crystal. These Angels have wings along with all sorts of powers (which I'll discuss later). On the downside, since the Cruxis Crystal is a soul sucking rock, unless they are wearing a special piece of jewelry called a keycrest- they can lose their humanity and even become a soulless husk devoid of thought or emotion beyond self-preservation. Also removal of the Cruxis Crystal can result in their death or worse, turn into a giant monster because their mana has gone out of whack.
Zelos was born human, but underwent this transformation later on in his life. Whether or not he's still a human or an entirely different species is a debate that is ongoing even in canon. He'll likely still call himself a human though to anyone who asks.
AGE: 23 as of his game pull point. He's immortal, but he's not old enough for that to really be noticeable yet.
CANON POINT: Post-Death/Kratos Path in Tales of Symphonia, and post endgame from the RP Exsilium.
CLASS/ABILITIES:
Zelos is called a magical swordsman in canon. He can use elemental magic (fire, earth, air, lightning, and one healing spell that's water based), heal, is very good with a sword and can wear heavy armors so he makes a decent tank as well. While he doesn't extremely excel in any of these areas (Raine is a better healer, Genis is a better mage and a couple of the pure-melee characters beat him out in raw DPS) - he is definitely strong enough to be one of the more useful characters in the game.
It should be noted that only covers the abilities that Zelos openly uses. Zelos spends most of the first game posing as a human who just happens to have magic and an exsphere (an item that boosts people's abilities), but in truth he's a lot more powerful. Zelos is an angel. This means that he, like all angels, has wings, heightened senses, super strength, super reflexes, super endurance, doesn't need to eat or sleep or breathe, could live forever, control his body temperature change his appearance at will, teleport short distances and use extremely powerful light magic called angel skills. Though since Zelos is a young angel with issues, he can't do half the fancy stuff like change his appearance, control his body temp, teleport or use half the angel skills just yet.
In Warforged, Zelos is gonna be extremely nerfed upon arrival. He'll start off human again, with his magic gone as well. His Cruxis Crystal initially will only give the same boost a weak exsphere does- some performance enhancement, but nothing game breaking.
Over time as he grows stronger, his powers will start to come back. Unfortunately for him, gaining powers when you're an angel is actually pretty painful! Each time of gaining more power as an angel is marked by a night of extreme pain and illness. The illness passes by the time the night is over with, but they are left with a longer term price.
The steps of his process are as followed:
1st Upgrade
> Gains Wings
> Hearing Improves
> Low level light magic
> Low healing magic returns
> PRICE: Loses ability to taste anything and stops eating.
2nd Upgrade
> Sight Improves
> Low level fire and lightning magic return
> PRICE: Loses ability to sleep
3rd Upgrade
> Medium Power Light Magic
> Strength Improves
> PRICE: Loses sense of touch
4th Upgrade:
> No longer need to breathe
> Low level earth and wind magic return
> PRICE: Voice
5th Upgrade
> High Powered light magic
> Immortality kicks in
> PRICE: "Heart and Memories". This usually means they become a soulless zombie until an activated keycrest is on them. SINCE Zelos has a keycrest, zombie time would be less than it was in canon for Colette. It will vary from a couple days to a week (mysteriously depending on whether or not I need a hiatus!).
> Once that time period passes, all other prices will be returned to him to how he was at pre-warforged. Including his voice. Sorry guys.
After his fifth upgrade, he'll be able to level his elemental magic, healing and work on not being a sucktastic angel.
The times between upgrades will depend on how active he is! If he's super involved and constantly on missions, it will be about a month between upgrades. If he sits on his ass and drinks brew of the month all the time, it might take 2-3 months (or even more) between upgrades (so clearly the answer is to kitchen him forever after he loses his voice).
As for class for plotting purposes, I'm putting him under Paladin due to his cray cray light powers and canon gear.
HISTORY:
Canon
Zelos's first life was a life of misfortune and bad life choices. Born out of an arranged match made by the church, he came into the world with a Cruxis Crystal in his hand which marked him as the next Chosen One of Tethe'alla. To the people of the world, this meant he could possibly be a savior to bring them salvation and prosperity according to legends in their religion (think the Dali Lama meet Jesus with an extra emphasis on sacrifice). And so Zelos was raised in the same manner that most Tethe'allan Chosens were raised, as an inhuman thing meant to save the people who one day may have to give his life in order to save his world.
When he was about seven years old, his father (the previous Chosen) committed suicide after an affair with a half-elven woman was found out by the public. His mother, resentful of her life, mostly kept herself locked in her room and would never look at her son. When he was about ten, he discovered that he had a half-sister through the affair his father had named Seles. Even though she was seven years younger and sickly, they would play together whenever they could and they were each other's only source of happiness and love. However this went sour not too long later when his mother was murdered by Seles's mother in an attempt to kill Zelos so Seles could be the Chosen. His mother's dying words were "You should have never been born" to a traumatized Zelos. Seles's mother was executed, Seles was sent to an abbey for a life sentence of house arrest and Zelos was left as an orphan alone in the Tethe'allan noble court- a place so corrupt and vile that it makes a den of vipers feel like a vacation spot.
With no friends and now no family, Zelos's life over the next years was miserable. Due to Meltokio's uncaring atmosphere and attitudes towards the Chosen, he was forced to lock away any negative emotions, guilt, insecurities and fears behind a mask of fake happiness, confidence and shallowness. He hated his life, but he was never allowed to show it. Any trauma he had developed from his childhood ended up festering inside of him, twisting them into feelings of self-hatred and worthlessness.
Around age of fourteen, he was approached by Cruxis with a deal: if he worked for them, they would free him from his status and transfer it to Seles. Thinking this was the only way to bring him and sister any sort of happiness, he agreed. At some unknown time later, he was approached by the Renegades with the same sort of deal. Being both perceptive and un-trusting, he decided to play all the fields. And so for the next eight years he led a triple life: to the Tethe'allan public he was a shallow and womanizing happy-go-lucky Chosen that seemed more interested in women's measurements than world saving. To Cruxis he was an "unwitting pawn" that they groomed to be their ace in the hole (though their original intentions with him are not known); bestowing him with magic and having him go through the angel transformation process. Finally with Renegade he was their "friend", a spy used on anyone the Renegades regarded as threats. All the while none seem to catch on that he was playing all sides against each other to see which side would come out strongest and worth his allegiance.
Life remained to be the status quo craptastic until he was twenty-two years old and a group of mysterious travelers showed up in Meltokio. They were from Sylvarant, who had come to Tethe'alla in hopes of finding a cure for their Chosen, led by a young man and idealist named Lloyd Irving. Zelos was sent to accompany them to keep an eye on them (by Cruxis, the Renegades and the kingdom of Tethe'alla - though they only knew about the last one). Zelos intended nothing more than to use them for his own advantage- then lose them.
The journey lasted a long time, spanning across two different worlds. While initially apathetic to everything, Zelos began getting affected (or "infected" as he called it) by the events and people around him much more than he had ever anticipated. Little by little, he found himself caring about his traveling companions and the state of the world. He began doing actions that went against the defensive mantra, doing things that served no benefit to him and only brought him trouble - simply because they were the Right Thing to Do or he wanted people to be happy. Whenever he realized what he was doing? He'd waiver between scoffing in disbelief and feeling a great deal of fear that this would only lead to more pain - yet there was little he could do to go back.
But eventually it came time for Zelos to choose a side, as things started to stack up. He caught himself feeling torn about what to do, to do the logical thing and side with Cruxis - or do the right thing and side with Lloyd's group of idiot idealists. He only grew more torn when Kratos (Lloyd's father and agent of Cruxis) approached him with a task - to use his skills to get into Cruxis and retrieve an item that would make it possible for Lloyd to reunite the worlds once and for all - though would completely jeopardize everything Zelos had worked for if things went badly. He sat on this problem, trying to figure out what to do until Lloyd approached him after a group meeting and showed that he did not trust Zelos. In fact he was told quite the opposite in that Lloyd showed an inability to trust him, but still a willingness to use Zelos in a plan to unite the worlds. The effect of these words proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Zelos Wilder, as it made him realize that not even the kindest people he had ever met were not above treating him as nothing more than a tool. This knowledge in hand, he rejected Kratos's request to help the group, claiming he would "follow his own path".
When they reached the Tower of Salvation, Zelos handed the Chosen Colette over to Cruxis as part of a deal that would allow the title of Chosen to be passed to Seles. He then went to confront his companions, revealing that he was an angel and starting a fight with them under the guise of a villain despite being horrendously outnumbered. As expected by him, it was an impossible fight and he was mortally wounded.
At the end of the fight, Lloyd went to Zelos's side, distraught at the turn of events. Zelos tells him that he was tired of living anyway, and pleaded for Colette to be rescued. Shortly after, Zelos died from his injuries with a smile on his face.
Exsilium
Zelos never reach his long sought after afterlife, though. Worlds away on one of the many Earths, there was a war between a tyrannical government named the United Earth, and a small resistance group called the Initiative. The Initiative, knowing they could never beat the United Earth in a straight up fight, used time travel technology to alter history and weaken the United Earth. And since they needed help, the Initiative brought in aid from other worlds - largely against their will. Zelos was one of many brought in to aid in their war.
Zelos arrived in the city of Exsilium in December of 3312 (2012), freshly revived from the dead. Surprising no one, he didn't take too well to the idea that he had been brought back to life to be used as a tool in another group's war - causing him to be cynical and untrusting of the Initiative for his entire stay in Exsilium.
However, even if he wasn't thrilled at being alive again- Zelos wasn't a person to miss out on an opportunity to benefit himself. Realizing this was a chance to get rid of his status, to have something close to the normal life he dreamed about - Zelos began to lie. He told people his name was Kaneis Major (a name that just popped into his head) and that he was just a mercenary from Tethe'alla. He did everything he could to distance himself from his past life and being the Chosen. While his act as the Chosen had been a happy-go-lucky and obnoxious womanizer, his act as Kaneis the mercenary was a cynical but easy-going (more like apathetic) and almost forgettable guy.
And so, he began his life as Kaneis. His rooming assignment was with two "teenagers", Sophie Lhant and Allen Walker. Sophie was the more child-like of the two. Sweet and innocent enough to make Colette seem jaded, she was quick to consider her two roommates as part of her family- and Kaneis quickly grew to be affectionate of her. Allen, on the other hand, clashed with Kaneis's personality and viewpoints in practically every way (seriously they only agreed that zombies and mass murder is bad) - and their relationship was one that was extremely rocky. So rocky that had Sophie not been there to make them behave better- they probably would've eventually murdered each other.
But even so, the three of them stayed together for the rest of their stay in Exsilium and over time grew extremely close (er, as close as a crazy clown shonen kid, a 1000 year old robot child and a crazy dead angel can get anyway). Kaneis over time grew to care about them like family, and they did a lot to stabilize him mentally and emotionally.
Outside his roommates, his friendships were sparser. His first life had done a great job teaching him to always be wary and cynical of those around him. He wanted little to do with most of the people he met. People from his world got the worst of this treatment - frequently he'd do whatever he could to avoid or push them away. This came as a shock for many of them who had come from alternate timelines where Zelos hadn't died and had gone on to be their close friend.
But there were a few who managed to get through his defenses. Here and there, there were people he met in Exsilium that he warmed to. Among people from Tethe'alla/Sylvarant, Sheena and Emil managed to befriend him after a great deal of time and persistence. Sheena and Kaneis even started a romantic relationship after 9 months of being stuck in Exsilium. A...pretty rocky relationship, but whatever it counted.
Also it was through castmate CR did he eventually discover that his death had been...essentially pointless. His sister wasn't happier for it, if anything she was worse off. Had he remained alive like in the other timelines, he could have gone on to lead a better life. He...didn't take to the news too well.
Outside his friendships, for the first part of his stay he was extremely apathetic to the situation around him. He was dead, so what did it matter to him? Three months in, he picked up a job at the clinic- but it was only to pass the time and get enough money to pay for Allen's bottomless appetite. He worked primarily the night shift, and was decent at the job- but clearly didn't take it very seriously since he spent a lot of his time making paper airplanes, doing Sudoku puzzles and reading trashy erotica.
Things for Kaneis changed in May 3313. There was an experiment with the transporter to see if they could send unwilling transports home. He didn't participate, but he watched idly and hoped for it to work so maybe he could world hop somewhere else - far away from all his problems.
But the experiment went wrong. While they were successful in reaching another world (another Earth), it also led the United Earth right to that world in full force. The United Earth decided to wipe out the population on the world so it could be harvested for its resources. The Initiative tried to fight back, but in the end it was futile. The entire world was wiped out with a death toll of six billion people.
This served as a harsh wake-up call for Kaneis. Selfish as he was, he never truly wanted anyone to be hurt by his actions - and yet desires like his to get out of this mess had led to the death of so many innocent lives. It made him realize that maybe he shouldn't just sit idly by and let things happen. So he started to take a more active role in the war: he participated in missions, he actually took his work at the clinic more seriously. He wanted to make sure there'd never be another incident like that again.
And so, he began to change as a person. He became more attached to the people around him, and took the situations around him more to heart. He was still wary and mistrusting of the Initiative, but he was more willing to work with them. His sister arrived and over time, they were able to make amends. His life even started improving some, partly thanks to these actions- even if there were bumps in the road here and there.
However shit hit the fan again when he got kidnapped by the United Earth and found a way to copy his powers. And then it got worse when the rest of the Transports broke him and the other captives out because that made the United Earth respond by nuking the city of Exsilium which had become a second home to Kaneis.
Yeah. He might have a guilt complex after that.
The survivors got shipped to a moon base that was infested by zombies. From there they worked until they could go back to the surface of a now snowy Exsilium (it's a long story). And from there, there were some missions until they found a way for the United Earth to be destroyed once and for all. I'm sure it was quite epic.
When all was said and done, they were all given a choice to go wherever they want. Kaneis decided not to go home and was going to head to a world with friends along with Sheena to have an actual happy life.
But right before he could leave, the Burning Legion attacked. Thanks guys.
PERSONALITY:
"Zelos...you hate half-elves, right?"
"I don't like them, anyway."
"Then why are you coming along on our journey?"
"....Well, in the end, we're of the same lot, really."
"What do you mean?"
"No one wanted us to be born."
When you first meet Zelos, he comes across purely as a comic relief character. He flirts with the ladies, he ignores the guys. While the rest of the team is still reeling from the harsh turns of their situation, Zelos seems to just take everything with a smile or, at most, a shallow complaint that's usually unimportant. Raine even remarks that she can't tell if he's an overly positive thinker or simply doesn't care about anything. It's of little surprise that several of the party write him off as a spoiled idiot with more interest in goofing off and women's measurements than any actual world saving.
But as their journey continues, hints start to appear he isn't as happy as he acts. The conversation above is one of the first, followed by others that are also quickly dropped after he says too much. His observations about a situation tends to be the most cynical, the most biting. When he isn't acting over the top, his remarks about himself tend to lean towards extremely self-deprecating. He expresses trouble in believing the goodwill of his traveling companions, as if he's waiting for the other shoe to drop.
In truth, Zelos has the makings less of a comic relief, and more of a tragic character. The smile and cheerful attitude is an act. An act carefully constructed by an intelligent and perceptive kid who spent his entire life alone and with a grim outlook of that changing any time soon. Realizing from a young age that 99% of the world only cared about him because he could be used for their own means, Zelos built defenses to protect himself - creating a way of life in which he needed no one emotionally and no one would think to need him. Everyone has an agenda; never do anything that can't benefit you, always pick the winning side and trust no one became his survival mantra.
As a default, Zelos is incredibly cynical and un-trusting of everyone around him. While he openly states not to like Half-elves, but really its show it's more he doesn't seem to like any group - half elves included. He knows full well that no one would ever save him from a life he hates so much, so he takes it upon himself to try to save himself and rely only on himself. While acting like a complete goofball, Zelos is actually observing everyone around him very carefully and trying to discern what they are after. Often he will use this to manipulate people around him to his advantage. And if push comes to shove, he isn't above backstabbing people he views as bad to further his own goals.
If you do notice this and call him on it, he'll be the first to call himself incredibly selfish and a jerk. In some ways, this is true. He has very selfish tendencies and he can be rather dismissive of the people around him - especially if they are genuinely concerned for him. His survival methods have taught him to prioritize self-preservation, making him a bit slower to agree to help someone out if it'd put him at risk than heroes who'd agree with barely a second thought. And if they lying and playboy act didn't drive enough people away, Zelos has a tendency to be extremely blunt when he does speak his mind. He frequently upsets and angers people with his harsh words and responds with not much care if they took offense. It's not his problem they can't handle the truth.
Yet at the same time, there's a great deal of selflessness and kindness to him. While he dreams of freedom from being the Chosen, a huge part of his drive is the idea of freeing his sister from the abbey and giving her the privileged status he thought she wanted -- even if it means dying in the process. While he's slower to agree to help someone out than Lloyd or Colette, most of the time he will agree to help out. His words can be harsh on the ears, but he won't hesitate to try to cheer someone up in his own quirky way.
No matter how quickly and how much he would deny it, at his core, Zelos is a good person. He cares much more than he likes to let on and even tries hard to remain apathetic to everything around him, but it doesn't work out very well. Even near the beginning of the journey when he's at his most jaded, talking to the children in his hometown when he's in the party reveals that, despite his cool act, he takes the time to play with them and tell them stories. As the journey goes on, the good side of his nature gets brought to the surface more and more thanks to Lloyd and the others. In the endings where he lives, he goes on to be a major driving in changing the world for the better.
Unfortunately, while he'll be the first to admit he's a jerk, he'll be the last to truly agree that he's a good person too. Zelos's self-image is completely and utterly terrible. He's well aware that he's a damaged person and how he often behaves is terrible or wrong. Zelos hates himself for his flaws, but he's been damaged for so long he doesn't know how to stop being the way he is. He's extremely critical of himself, even going so far as to think his entire existence does nothing but bring misery to those around him and things would be better off if he had never been born. It was a thought instilled in him from his mother at a young age, and the thought has only festered over time thanks to the standards he's been held to as a Chosen. He has no true confidence in himself when it comes to things that matter in his life (love, friendships, saving the world, helping people). He's very quick to put people like Colette and Lloyd on pedestals for their attitudes and acts all while being convinced that he could never be like that.
His lack of confidence manifests in a whole hosts of deeply embedded fears. He's terrified of failing the world and the people he cares about, so he doesn't try. He's terrified of being like his parents (especially his father), so he does whatever he can to avoid that yet ironically tends to act just like them in this various attempts. He's terrified of actually living so he acts generally suicidal half the time yet his fear of being like his father stops him from simply killing himself....at least, until his circumstances led him to that choice.
Zelos is very well aware that the Chosen system is entirely made up, yet it still seems to affect much of his thought process and outlook. He considers himself to be a failure partly because he's not good at fitting into the traditional ideal Chosen mold. In terms of faith he falls very deep into the Atheist category, and yet he's still fixated on finding some sort of meaning to his life.
Because of all his problems, Zelos can be a very hard person to truly befriend. Trust is extremely hard to earn from him and it's something that you cannot force. This has gotten even worse after his death at the hand of the only people he had ever considered to be his friends. Even if somehow trust is earned, there is no guarantee that Zelos will open up entirely or be straightforward in his requests for help- he's still learning what it means to be a friend and to trust others. Often he will choose to do things by himself simply because that is what he's used to doing, even if he has friends nearby. Like Colette, he has a nasty habit of bottling things up and burdening himself with problems that could be more easily solved if he simply spoke up.
However befriending Zelos has its rewards: to earn Zelos's trust is to earn a true friend for life that will always watch your back. He'd do anything to help or protect the people he loves - whether that means being a doting older brother, backing you up in a fight or always believing in you even if the rest of the world is against you.
Just you know, seriously good luck getting him to feel that way about you.
Exsilium Development
The year spent in Exsilium had a lot of influences on his personality! Being worlds away from Tethe'alla and his life as a Chosen, meaning for the first time in his life he could be a person instead of a status. Realizing this, he did everything in his paranoid power to make sure to keep it that way. He changed his name, ditched the happy-go-lucky act, lied about his background and did whatever he could to distance himself away from his previous life. In a way, he stopped being Zelos, and became Kaneis.
His outward demeanor as Kaneis is fairly different from his one as Zelos. While the act of Zelos was meant to be so over the top no one looked too close, the act of Kaneis was meant to be so unremarkable he'd be overlooked and forgotten. He still has the overly easy-going attitude, but it's clearer to be from apathy than the impression he's an idiot. While he's more charming to women, he doesn't go overboard with the flirtations. Kaneis doesn't advertise himself as anything more than just decent enough to be a mercenary in terms of skills. He doesn't wear a scowl all the time, but he maintains that he'll smile only when he feels like smiling.
Which is safe to say, won't be very often.
It should be very important to note that Kaneis and Zelos are the same person. There's no multiple personalities going on, no alter egos. Just a simple mask exchange for another. This becomes even more readily apparent in moments where the act of Kaneis slips and he acts much more like the cheerful Chosen he used to be. The act is far from perfect, and if someone is perspective enough- it can be seen through.
Outside his act as Kaneis, the events and relationships he's built there influenced him a lot. Even though he's from the Kratos ending, he's learned a little bit about having friends, and even trusting.....one person. He got to experience sort of like what having a family is like with his roommates and the time he got to spend with his biological sister. It's hard to say if he'll ever feel like family to anyone in Warforged, but he at least knows what the feeling of having people around feels like.
Coming into Exsilium after choosing to die, Zelos didn't take his second chance at life very much to heart. He spent almost the entire time convinced he would die again once the Initiative was through with him and therefore there was little point in getting over attached to being alive (though he still did to some extent without realizing it, because living is addictive). Now that the Initiative gave him the choice to live, he's a bit lost at what to do. Trying to figure that out will be a long term process for him in Warforged.
What more than that, he's been dealt some heavy blows in Exsilium. The deaths of a world destroyed and all the people erased by changing history still weigh heavily on his conscience. Finding out that his death was for nothing and actually made things worse weighs on his conscience too. Frequently he feels at a loss of what to do with himself. He hates the fact that people seem to get hurt by his existence, but he has no idea how to stop it since hey- not even dying stopped that one! He's still looking for meaning to his life, for a way to atone for all his mistakes. Whether or not he finds that meaning he looks for will be up to CR and plots.