Trivia

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Character

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History

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Originally constrained to the region of the forest that he calls home, Dmitri is able to move around freely as he wishes, visiting places that he's heard or meeting up with travellers that he met while in the forest. Occasionally, Dmitri will offer a helping hand to those that he likes, and his power is feared among both humans, witches, and others alike.

An Offering

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Dmitri was not liking this plan. As part of a small squadron of 20 people, they were set on a destination carrying a special type of package. To whatever the package was, they never received details. They were only told to transport.

And transport they did.

The chosen path that they were taking was not a well-known one. After all, going through the Cardinal Forest wasn't something that people generally did; there were rumours that people would mysteriously vanish, only for their bones to be found in another location. Other rumours spouted from travellers said that an offering was required in order to enter the forest. The offering would act as a scapegoat, and every single time a traveller has done so, they were able to make it out of the forest. However, sometimes travellers would have no problems at all. There was very little information about this forest.

Unfortunately, the route through the forest was on of the most convenient to reach to certain locations. It cut a considerable amount of distance, and the route otherwise from its spookiness had no major environmental factors that could impact the route.

The team leader suggested that, whoever wasn't feeling too great or felt that there was a need to could provide some sort of offering before entering the forest. Dmitri, not feeling too good about entering this forest, decided to provide an offering of meat bought from the local butcher at the bordering town. Three others, including the team leader, opted to provide one as well.

They made a quick "prayer" before entering the forest, half-assed because they really didn't know what to say or expect.

Slowly, they made their way in.

The Birth of a Witch

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They didn't get very far into the forest before they were ambushed. The package was of high priority, so it made sense that they would be targeted.

It made perfect sense to target within this forest.

It was also the opponent's mistake.

In one way or another, the team number dwindled, either succumbing to the death by the opposition or mysteriously vanishing into the forest. Screams and fighting could be heard throughout in the forest, and in an attempt to protect the team leader from the opposition, Dmitri sacrificed himself against the opponents. The team leader, along with the other two individuals who provided an offering and the medic, were able to escape with minor wounds.

Dmitri, as well as the rest of the squadron, was not as lucky. Even the opponents too, had perished either by their hands or by the forest.

Dmitri expected this, given the fact that he sacrificed himself to protect the others. What he was not expecting, was to hear a voice resonate in his mind.

The voice pitied him, thanking him for his offering and disappointed that he did not make it through the forest alive. There was another path that he could take however, but he wouldn't have much time to decide.

The voice suggested that Dmitri be turned into a witch. It was one of the fastest ways to heal his dying body, the voice explained, and that Dmitri would be able to expect more things in his life instead of this shitshow of a job as part of a mercenary organization.

Dmitri pondered. Turning into a witch? He wasn't particularly fond of other people, being treated as sub par to others. He had faced witches before, and knew how difficult it was to stop one.

He accepted. He was interested in how this situation was going to turn out.

When he opened his eyes, light was shining from the tree tops.

Protection of the Vessel

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When Dmitri accepted the proposal, the voice told him that his duty was to find and protect an object. To what it was, the voice did not explain, but it was especially important to the forest. The voice told him that he would know right away when he'd see it. It was part of the familiar, after all. Protecting the familiar was just as important.

The voice belonged to the forest.

The forest was the familiar.

And the familiar was always, always hungry for flesh.

Trivia

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Witches can either be born as one or be turned into one. Witches that exist in this world are also defined by mainly two traits. Firstly, when a contract is sealed with a familiar, the witch is marked. This is usually represented in the form of tattoos, though there are other, more rare, cases. The larger the tattoo covered and the more complex it was, the more powerful the witch. Witches with tattoos that covered a large portion of their bodies were always feared, because majority of witches do not like humans.

Secondly, witches derive most of their power and magics from the familiar. As they are able to channel and harness their inner core, they are able to act on behalf of the familiar, depending on the contract terms. All familiars are derived from the same origin, so the magics used are fairly similar to one another. The part that makes it difficult to defeat or kill a witch is the witch's own personal magic. The added complexity of the magic used by witches increases the difficulty to combat against. Counteracting one type of magic is one issue, dealing with two magics intermingled in "sequence" and magic formation was another.

Dmitri is also known as the Whispering Witch as the magic he utilizes requires him to speak. Whispering allows him to concentrate on the opponents, and the added benefit of whispering also makes it difficult for others to know what he's going to do next. With tattoos adorned all over his arms, shoulders, and shoulder blades, his tattoo complexity is on par to the other more powerful witches. Being a witch in addition adds to his life expectancy.

The forest eats sinners whenever they enter its "body". As Dmitri is not tasked with feeding the familiar, he doesn't get in the way of its feeding. Those that are mostly innocent are left unscathed. An offering is indeed required before entering the forest.

Eventually, from travellers coming in, Dmitri is able to retrieve the object that had somehow left the forest. With that part of his contract completed, he was finally able to move freely across the world.

Style: As an ambushing type of witch, Dmitri will use all means to surprise his opponents, swallowing them up into the forest before they have enough time to react. His "halo of eyes" is constantly on the lookout, inspecting the surrounding area and winking out of existence when Dmitri is ready to charge. When confronted with no opportunity for surprise, Dmitri will opt to use his magics to string together and strangle his opponents. Other times he will use his magic to "possess" and use other individuals against their own.

With background experience as a mercenary, Dmitri is also able to do hand to hand combat in addition to maneuvering around opponents to steal their weapons and using it against them. If magic isn't an option, his physical capabilities might be enough to do the job.

Familiar Magics: Familiar magics are based off of runes that form around the user or familiar itself. The Cardinal Forest utilizes earth magics, so manipulation of the earth and things that grow from it can be utilized. As all familiar magics require the witch to speak out the words as they are not the magic source, the Cardinal Forest is one of the few exceptions, allowing Dmitri to whisper instead. Vines and other forms of "restraints" are its specialty, and one of these forms of "restraints" allows Dmitri to more effectively transfer and "possess" others. The Cardinal Forest magics can also be provided in close-combat range and long range, though close range is the more preferred option.

Personal Magics: Dark magics is what Dmitri originally had before the addition of his familiar's. His ability to "possess" others as well as utilize the souls of the dead eaten by the forest as messengers or for other purposes were strengthed after he became a witch. He is able to leave his own "mark" on individuals that he "possesses" and is able to gather intel from their movements and when they use his power. Dmitri will often use his magics to enhance his own bodily functions, strengthing his limbs and sharpening his kicks and claws. Other times Dmitri will use his magic in combination with the familiar's to capture or attack, often destroying things in the process due to the intensity and impact of the magic.