Abel

Physical Appearance

• Very tall in height
• Slender build
• Black leathery wings

His initial appearance has no face, and he wears a white mask with a red eyed design. He has no skin showing in this particular look. His eyes appear dark red unless channeling energy from his master, in which case they glow a more vibrant blood red color.

After the events of Clock Tower Fare, he starts using the face that Kain claims was his in life, and since Kain based his adult form on Abel's adult form in life, Abel looks almost identical to Kain facially, (black hair, red eyes, very pale/nearly white skin) although he has slightly longer hair than Kain, something he cannot explain since if he's imitating Kain he expects himself to look identical. Abel uses this face since he wants to believe it was his, and since he's actually able to change his appearance to it (something he's been unable to do otherwise) he feels it must be his true face despite the fact he cannot remember it, and also because he does not look identical to Kain so he feels he is maybe remembering his own face without consciously thinking about it. In combat he covers his face with his old mask though.

After the events of Faceless Memory, Abel rarely wears his old mask and continues to use his human face. During combat, instead of using his mask, he covers his nose and mouth with a cloth mask added into his cowl.

Clothing Style

Abel always wears the same set of black armor with silver accents, including chest plate, greaves, gauntlets, tassets, and boots. His shoulder plates are a bit more silver than black. Around his hips he wears a black cloth garment that wraps around his upper legs and trails in the back and front between his legs. He also wears a black hood along with his white mask. As mentioned before he later shifts to using a cloth mask with his cowl, the cowl also has a few black and red decorative strands hanging from two red stone clasps near the front of his neck.

After Abel is confident in his ownership of his human face, he gains a bit more power to change his appearance. Along with the previously mentioned changes he makes to his armored appearance, Abel is also capable of appearing as a regular human for brief visits to the mortal realm. He tends to wear rather simple clothes, usually black pants, a black and red striped long-sleeved shirt, black boots, and a black duster vest with a rather concealing hood to bring less attention to his red eyes (which Eksel cannot change).

Personality

Abel is a mostly emotionless and obedient guardian who has made ensuring his master's safety his sole purpose. He always speaks respectfully and eloquently, and he comes off as somewhat robotic since he is always very proper and polite with his word choice and never uses slang or simpler word choice unless specifically told to do so. For this reason he can sometimes be a bit long winded, but he can also be rather terse and to the point if he is conveying something simple. His voice is apparently somewhat quiet but smooth and even-tempered at all times, so Volkmar considers him relatively pleasant to listen to despite not being all that social. He tends to figuratively and literally act as Volkmar's shadow and prefers to observe silently and remain unnoticed.

Abel has a rather healthy curiosity and is very observant to his surroundings, physically and spiritually. He is always on the alert, both to look after his master and also to keep himself wary, since he is not a very strong Eksel and needs to approach combat strategically if he wants any hope of surviving. Abel tends to ask Volkmar many questions about many different things, mostly because he's rather naive about the world in general. He does not have any memory of his life before he became an Eksel, and although he states that it does not concern him and his duties, it is clear to Volkmar that he wonders about it often.

In general, Abel is a very passive person and usually doesn't act unless called upon. Despite the fact that he doesn't have a very strong personality, he does seem to have genuine concern for Volkmar's safety and well-being, especially as their time together goes on. He's also a bit concerned for Volkmar's family and friends for this reason, but he is more hesitant to act in assistance toward them and will only do so if ordered to by Volkmar, or if he feels nothing else will be done at the last possible moment. He is, however, more willing to come to Alec Dalian's aid without Volkmar's explicit command since he acknowledges the value that Volkmar places in him. It takes some time before he gets to this point though, since for a long period of time, Abel is stalked by a much stronger Eksel who seems to just observe him for the most part. This Eksel becomes hostile toward Abel if he catches the weaker Eksel intervening in any conflict involving Volkmar that is not caused by another Eksel, although Abel has no idea why for a long while. For this reason Abel is initially very passive to non-Eksel threats to Volkmar to avoid provoking the stalking-Eksel, although he eventually determines he cannot avoid confrontation with it forever.

Abel is completely inexpressive prior to the events of Clock Tower Fare since he does not have a face, although Volkmar is capable of reading his mild body language to get a gist of his feelings. After he starts using his human face, he doesn't get any more expressive in the least. He doesn't facially emote much, except sometimes when in extreme pain, and he tends to have a rather blank expression on his face when it's visible. Volkmar comments it might come off as a bit creepy since he kind of stares semi-wide-eyed at things and doesn't actually blink unless he actively thinks to do so, so Abel tends to not initiate direct eye contact with anyone unless prompted to.

Abilities

• Invisibility in the mortal plane
• Capable of disappearing completely for a short period of time
  • Can disappear for an indefinite amount of time when near Volkmar (he disappears within Volkmar's shadow)
• Teleportation between the mortal plain and the Realm of the Dead through the Void
• Telepathic and blood connection to his master
• Gains power when he absorbs his master's blood
• Flight by wings or levitation without
• Skilled with using a spear and in hand-to-hand combat (in terms of finesse at least, although he's usually not very strong)
• Although not very strong, he has superhuman agility and reflexes
• High pain tolerance and cannot be "killed" by standard conventions (since Eksel are already dead)

Strengths

• Observant, patient, and has heightened senses to the world around him
• Obedient, has very keen memory, and fearlessly follows orders with utmost precision
• Eloquent, thoughtful, curious, and logical
• Resilient, focused, and will not be deterred from his goals

Weaknesses

• Compared to other Eksel, he is very physically weak and is easily overpowered, and he is vulnerable when cut off from his master
• Naive, emotionless, and has trouble understanding motives not based on logic, even when he acts on his own illogical motives
• Unable to access most abilities that Eksel can use aside from traveling through the Void and disappearing
• Has no memories of his life before becoming an Eksel, and although he won't admit it, it weighs on him at times

Backstory

Abel awoke in Yashanarika in the form of a faceless, winged creature, having no memory of his death and therefore no power as an Eksel. He learned what he could from the elder Eksel that wandered the Waking Range before venturing out to observe the realm of the mortals. He would see other Eksel tormenting Devil Whisperers, those who could speak with the Eksel, and he found it peculiar that they would antagonize the only people that could hear them or could give them a chance at life.

Since Abel had no power, he could only avoid all other hostile Eksel to keep himself safe. After learning that the blood and souls of Devil Whisperers could be empowering to Eksel, Abel decided to make a pact with one for his own protection. He came across the six year old Volkmar Etruka being tormented by another Eksel, and the two entered a pact. Abel would protect his master from Eksel that threatened him in exchange for blood when he needed strength to fight them off, and he would be rewarded with Volkmar's soul as long as Abel kept him alive long enough for him to die of causes other than Eksel interference. Volkmar didn't really know what this meant at the time and was only interested in having someone protect him from the terrible creatures that haunted him. Abel was aware that the souls of Devil Whisperers were the only way Eksel could have a chance at being reborn into the realm of the living, but he didn't have any particular interest in simply taking Volkmar's soul then and there. He thought that entering the pact and having a means to protect himself would allow him to potentially figure out how he became an Eksel in the first place.

Abel continues to look after his master while learning more about the mortal world and his own. Although content with serving Volkmar, he silently hopes one day he will solve the mysteries of his past and his lost memories of his life and his death.

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