Appearance
Upon viewing Fade ElBrunen, one would first notice his strikingly blue eyes, which seem to cut swaths through darkness or light, piercing to the full extent of the word. Though generally kept shadowed by his wide-brimmed hat, his face is etched with experience, his mouth often twisted into a frown or a look of worry and concern. Long locks of jet-black hair lay beneath the hat, and beneath that, lie two ruby-studded earrings, glinting like his eyes, with or without light. Of above average height, Fade stands at around 6'2", his body lean but not necessarily muscular. Often wearing a crimson tunic to cover his shadowsteel armor, the suit, which covers his torso and legs, is still visible from the waist down. His arms are covered by the tunic, but nothing more, though one may be able to catch a glint of shadowsteel from his right arm, along with a shining birthmark. An arsenal of weapons seems to line his body, ranging from a quartet of whips to a single, charred spear.
Innate Abilities
Fade generally does not have 'abilities' persay, but instead relies upon his heavy assortment of weaponry. The short list which follows are all that he claims.
Heightened Hearing - A skill bred by a lifetime on the run, Fade has tuned his ears to always keep track of those he knows are about him. This does not apply to someone he does not know has arrived in a room, unless he catches sight of them.
Heightened Sight - Also bred by a lifetime on the run, Fade can catch the slightest movement out of the corner of his eye, be it a feather drifting lightly upon the wind or an assassin creeping to strike at his side.
Shadowsteel Affliction - In an effort to cast down the Shadowlord in a beloved city of his, he wrenched a pair of artifacts, known as the Chains of Fallibility, from the ground, taking one with him and leaving one in the square. The chain he took with him fused to his hand due to the backlash of magic, and quickly spread to consume his entire arm. Though this affords him a fair amount of protection, Fade can no longer feel anything within that arm, and searches for a way to reverse the magic.
Weaponry
Fade's true power resides within the weapons that he carries, which are as follows:
Halyx - A holy dagger which Fade wears upon his left hip, this would appear as an ordinary crystalline dagger until Fade chants the incantation to activate Halyx's powers. Upon the incantation, the dagger would begin to glow and emanate holy power. When applied to a wound in this state, it will slowly heal the flesh about the wound, but cannot assist with anything internal. If another incantation is chanted, the dagger will send a shockwave of holy power in a ring from its base, which will extend for about three feet before dissipating. This should be assumed to have the power of a strike from the dagger itself. The dagger once belonged to his mother's father, a priest in the service of the corrupted Leonardo Cyril Motosuwa, but was given to Fade upon birth.
Nina Darkblade - A jet-black shortsword which Fade wears upon his right hip, this blade contains the soul of a woman named Nina, Fade's mother. She remains silent due to Fade's hope that none should divine the connection between the two and attempt to steal her. The blade, upon contact with flesh, will begin to emanate shadows, which act as a strong acid to eat through the skin to the vulnerable muscle and bone below. It should be marked that should any but Fade touch this blade, Nina will lash out, for though retaining no memory of her past life, Fade insists upon calling her mother, and she has grown fond of him.
Legacy - A gleaming broadsword, with the same rune adorning Fade's right arm upon it, which Fade has tied along his belt in the back. The blade functions as a Spirit Syphon, effectively drawing the spirit from the body and into Fade's. Once there the spirit will be able to vie for control, however they are generally prisoners until Fade should reverse the process. He has done this only once, and is hesitant to do so due to the disastrous consequences of his first attempt. Found in an ancient tomb with the words 'Remember the rune' atop it, Fade treasures this weapon more as a symbol than a tool of war.
Tavis - A knife kept within his right boot, this weapon is relatively plain, but Fade reserves its use for emergencies. The knife will sap magic from someone upon entrance to the body, and it is his main weapon against mages and the like. A gift from his father before he disappeared, Fade knows not the origin of the blade.
Chains of Fallibility - Upon contracting his shadowsteel affliction, Fade went back to retrieve the other Chain of Fallibility, to prevent the fate pressed upon him from being placed upon anyone else. When he arrived in Siloportem, the chain had already been split in two by Dragon, one of the Four that he knew quite well. He took the two halves of the chain and strapped them to his waist, prepared to make use of the chains despite the tragedy which had followed their removal. One of the chains is about six feet long, the other is four, due to the way they were cut.
Styx - A barbed whip which Fade wears upon his right thigh, Styx is one of four whips which Fade possesses and uses. The soul of a young woman named Kittsun resides within this particular whip, superheating the barbs to rend into flesh easily, whereupon it will hook into the muscle tissue and when jerked back, bring along whatever it should find. The soul was placed within the whip through the use of Fade's Soulspear.
Acheron - A thorned whip which Fade wears upon the front of his right thigh, Acheron is the second of Fade's four whips. Equipped with shadowsteel thorns and a leather base, within this whip is the soul of a man named Geranium, providing it with a shockwave effect whenever it is cracked, projecting outwards from the tip. This soul was also placed within the whip through the use of the Soulspear.
Phlegethon - A seemingly ordinary whip, made of a substance known as onyxilk, Phlegethon is the third of Fade's four soul-enhanced whips. It is strapped to the side of his left thigh. Functioning as an ordinary whip, the weapon's true power lies within its effect if Fade murmurs an incantation, whereupon it will adhere to the skin with the consistency of a spider-web, but the relative strength of steel. The soul within this whip belongs to a girl named Mitsuki, whose soul was placed within it via the use of the Soulspear.
Cocytus - This whip also carries the appearance of a normal whip, made of leather, but coated with a strangely volatile substance, ignited by fire to create an explosion. It is the last of Fade's whips, and arguably the most volatile. It is strapped to the front of his left thigh. The soul of a man named Ignus resides within the whip, and it is his fire which Fade calls upon with his incantation to rend the flesh of his enemies upon connection. Ignus's soul was placed within the whip via the Soulspear.
Lion - A throwing dagger which Fade keeps within the sleeve of his right arm. The blade of this dagger is reddish, as though it is eternally stained with blood, and is the carrier of a plague known as Shad's Folly. The plague is not contagious, and in fact, not fatal, but the effects of the plague are many and varied. Recipients would experience a multitude of voices speaking within their head all at once, and contract an immediate fear of the dark. They would begin to hallucinate all around them as angelic beings and feel as though they are always watched. It is perfectly plausible for one to live with the plague.
Lamb - A throwing dagger which Fade keeps within the sleeve of his left arm. The blade of this dagger is a pristine white, kept clean from all sort of disrepair. It is this carrier of a plague known as Fade's Requiem. The plague, like Shad's Folly, is not contagious, and not fatal, but the effects of the plague are many and varied. Recipients would experience a need for silence, as sound will slowly begin to drive them to unbearable agony, and they would lose vision in their eyes, immediately casting them into darkness. They would develop intense hatred for angels and lash out if they felt they were being observed from a distance by any. It is, by itself, perfectly plausible for one to live with the plague.
The Soulspear - The Soulspear is Fade's most powerful and most immoral weapon, transcending mere injury to the body and ascending into the realm of the soul. Enchanted by the Shadowlord while inhabiting Fade's body, this weapon creates an ethereal bond between the soul of the victim and the Soulspear itself, wrenching the soul from the body once the spear is removed. From there, it can be placed into a new body, another object, or released to ascend or descend to wherever the soul would have gone through the process of normal death. The spear is strapped onto his back with easy access should he come across a foe who seemingly can not die.
----It should be noted that Fade has also applied other souls to his satchel, armor, and weapons to make them lighter, at the realization that the load was becoming too heavy to move effectively. Also, the Soulspear, Halyx, and Legacy have been enchanted by a man called Saint to activate only to Fade's touch. All of his weapons can be used against him as weapons, but not with the enchantments they have placed upon them, with the exception of Nina. She is concious of her wielder, and does not take well to strangers.
Artifacts
Stormlyre - A lyre, ebony with gold strings, is kept within Fade's satchel. Given to him by his surrogate father, a man named Atrius, Fade cherishes the instrument. When played properly, the Stormlyre can bring a light rain, or a whirling typhoon, though it is only when the power of the lyre is called upon that it will do so, and may also function as an ordinary instrument would.
Delusion - A piccolo, bright green in color, is also kept within Fade's satchel. A piece of salvage from the Tower of Tsersepoh, it has the power to create illusions for the eye, though not for any of the other senses. The consistency of the illusion depends upon the consistency of the playing, so this item is merely for entertainment, and almost never for subterfuge.
Armor
Wide-brimmed Hat - The wide-brimmed hat Fade wears lacks any magical properties, though does serve to keep his face hidden from the sun and from those he does not wish to seem him.
Crimson Tunic - The crimson tunic Fade wears runs from his waist, up and down to the ends of his arms, stopping at the wrist. It easily disguises the armor beneath, as well as Lion and Lamb, which he keeps in the sleeves.
Shadowsteel Armor - Armor of a pitch-black hue, Fade wears a suit to cover his torso, and legs, extending to his shins. The suit is tied from the back by onyxilk, a light, yet strong fabric, though this fact is concealed by his crimson tunic. Shadowsteel has the advantages of not conducting heat nor electricity, though when exposed to great amounts of concentrated light, it will decay steadily to ash. The markings which cover his suit are Marks of Judgement from a man named Saint, and exist to delay such an inevitability, allowing Fade to traverse during the day without fear.
Ruby-Studded Earrings - The main reason Fade has earned his name as a reputation more than an actual name, these earrings were a gift to him from a man known as Shad, his one-time friend. They allow Fade to literally fade out of his current existence and into his own. A slight blur will surround his form before this does occur, and due to the drain upon his concentration, he rarely uses the earrings in combat.