XzCrossfire

Crossfire is a skilled individual, having mastered skills of melee combat, archery, martial arts, diplomacy, engineering and alchemy. He comes from land very far away from Rathnir known as Jouquiwal, an industrial steampunk capital of a nation that Crossfire once lived in. How he arrived to Rathnir is unknown. He is the only left representative of Jouquiwae culture and as such holds great responsibility. Crossfire is primarily an Baron of Konushum, a city in Yimmu-Audal mainland. Even though he states that he is in no way attached to the Castellan culture, he is the Marshall Castellan, King's right hand and the only Castellan Henchman. He is currently doing mercenary jobs, assassinations and bounty hunts.

Personality
A very shelted person, usually somewhat taciturn. At moments very egoistical and self-centered, a very skilled deceiver, but is kind to people he can call friends. Known for both his short temper and extreme patience at times. An outsider would call him a monster, a cursed creature unbeknownst to any man, yet the light in his heart would sometimes prove otherwise. Crossfire feels many emotions, but shows close to none. Betrayal, anger, anxiety, disgust and fear. A whole nation of people now known among the dead lays on his shoulder, for he is the only remnant of a once legendary past. And while he's the one to wish for life and peace, the monster, the parasite that took over him, never lets him forget what happened that day in Jouquiwal. He tells lies and fallacies, whispers in his ears the stories of what he calls glory and honor, but are nothing more than simple ballads of destruction. Crossfire is often met at crossroads, and he fears that, when one day the lies truly get into his head, there won't be a single person, a single friend who could stop him. That is what he fears the most.

Life before Rathnir
Crossfire, also known as XZ, both being his codenames, was born in Jouquiwal from a land unknown. He was the 7th Commander of the National Army of Jouquiwal, and he led 9 undercover spy missions, out of which 8 were successful, the final one causing a devastating war. Crossfire was taught how to fight at a very young age, hence he is a very skilled individual. The Ninth mission provoked a war in his land, which ended horribly. In a sudden shock of panic, fear and helplessness, Crossfire came to a forgotten deity, Ixh'Xillah, God of Creation, Annihilation and Reawakening. Yet his God found the perfect opportunity for retribution and spreading his will, and as the war went, he took over Crossfire and destroyed his realm in the process. There is little information on how this event occurred, since Crossfire himself refuses to talk about it, stating that "it is too painful to even think about it". Crossfire soon found himself in the harsh and rigid deserts of Rathnir, very different from his old home. How he got there has not yet been explained. His arm was replaced with heavy tech machinery, and his skin turned dark and harsh, just like some sort of unrefined metal, as his eyes blazed in many shades of violet. He realized he was immortal, and his strength and endurance have increased massively. This was a turning point for Crossfire, and a beginning of reawakening his spirit.

Curse of Ixh'Xillah
The curse that was predicted millenia before the destruction of his homeworld, the curse that the prophecy foretold, the Curse of Ixh'Xillah is an ancient curse of the God that goes by the same name. The benefits of the curse are many, but they may be overshadowed by the cons. Horns, harsh skin, wings and far-seeing violet eyes, all enhanced Crossfire's likelyhood of survival in even the toughest of conditions. He is immune to all mortal diseases and viruses, and immortal, for his wounds and skin and muscle tissues heal extraordinarily fast and his slow heartbeat prevents bleeding out. I believe the cons are obvious. Other than looking like an aberration, Crossfire also lost all body hair, and gained something some would explain as another conscience. He can hear whispers and tales from the God inhabiting his body, and throughout his time in Rathnir, he is realizing he is merely a vessel.

"V When the host, a chosen individual, fitting to send His message, VI arrives at His doorstep, he will be taken, and His will shall be brought upon him."

"II Host's teeth shall grow, he'll grow horns as long as limbs, III his body will rise and stand strong; undestructible, unmovable; IV he shall never die, and shall learn of the great secrets of the cosmos V ready to expand His will further into chaos"

Rathnir
He showed his talent many times throughout his stay on Rathnir. A swordsman, martial artist, strategist, bounty hunter and an ambidextrous fighter, Crossfire was found and wanted by many in the land of Rathnir. Though he found most trust in Skavier, for he felt they shared a few similarities. The rumours of his skills were widely spread throughout the Castellan lands, and he soon became the Castellan Marshall of Konushum, one who would lead all of Castell into a battle. Many have found trust and friendship among him, and those who haven't now lay 2 blocks under the ground. For he is the Castellan Henchman, and a very skilled and notorious fighter among Castellans, it comes to no surprise his reputation has grown in the months of being in Rathnir, for he also has his own private affairs and an undisclosed reason to fight.

Konushum / Castellan Culture
Crossfire, soon after spending three weeks in deserts of Theios, found himself in front of the walls of Konushum, along with his companion and good friend Syntax, Skavier's great grandson. Both of them applied to become Castellan knights, though Crossfire's plans were a little bit different. He was planning to earn some money and begin being a mercenary, but soon he found that perhaps Konushum is not a bad temporary shelter. In the city he grew, built, met many people. He helped build the wall twice, helped desertify the city, built houses and the port. As Skavier had visions and had to leave Konushum, Crossfire was put in his place as a Sahrad (mayor), a position he still holds. After a Tortugan attack on Fairavon, Toby was taken down as a Minister of Defense and Crossfire was put in his place as Marshall Castellan, a position he still holds and shares with Sonicspark5.

Crossfire is not a Castellan, he does not consider himself one and does not believe in the Light of the Incarnate. As such, he holds no attachment for the culture. He is a Henchman, but the reasons for the work and help he does for the Castellans is not known. It's unknown if he is paid, though he definitely does not have any familiar connections within their culture. Castellans do not complain though, because with Crossfire came security and stability, something that is essential for their collective survival in the provinces.

Rise of Fairavon
On his first days in Konushum, Crossfire came to meet Byzon Hardin. Together they were tasked to begin constructing a quarry out of an old pit, known as The Pit (not to be confused with The Pit or The Pit). While on the job, Byzon and Crossfire got to know each other very well and as such became very great friends. Soon after, Fairavon became independent from the Castellan culture, cut ties with them and adopted Idan beliefs. With that, Crossfire and Byzon stopped being in contact, though the friendship remained. After hearing news of Byzon's assassination, Crossfire took it upon himself to find the assassin claiming to be a Castellan. He found out a mercenary was sent by a Fairavon citizen wishing to damage the already frail relationship between Idan-Ridu and Castellans. That citizen appears to be missing from Fairavon to this day.

Crossfire was the one to revive Ekur Hardin (Byzon), and that was the first recorded instance of Crossfire using alchemy. Soon after, Ekur began travelling the world of Rathnir, and that was the last Crossfire has seen of him.

Death of Skavier
The following is a story of a depiction of Skavier's death gathered by the fighters at an abandoned outpost, at the time of King's demise.

"War. Endless bloodshed in the first battle at the city of Alerre, Capital of Ecclesia. Brave forces came together to fight for freedom and stand against the genocidal horrors of the Kartek hordes. Among them, Castellans are proving to be remarkable and unrelenting warriors, never giving up the fight for their allies.

At the time, Anoshphey gained independence from now-shattered Astyllea and was facing an even bigger threat, Yestanbul. At such circumstances, Castellan forces were somewhat divided. The majority of Castellans were fighting for the cause in the Crownlands, with their King Skavier, Prince Marcus, Marshall Sonic and other brave soldiers. Crossfire stayed in Anoshphey with a few unnamed volounteers needing to fend off raiders.

It was such a raid that this story takes place in. It was a few hours before the noon in the always rigid deserts of Yimmu Audal. While the Castellan King was fighting at Alerre, Crossfire is at a fort with his men.

"Pushh!!"

Bandits rush into an abandoned outpost a few hundred blocks north of the Sanctuary. Crossfire and his men have, up to this point, managed to keep them outside of it but they've managed to break through the gate. The fight kept going on, and both forces were getting desperate, mustering any strength and resources they can into at least wounding the enemy.

Crossfire is fighting two bandits that manage to wound him well before one of them retreated and other one collapsed. Suddenly, for Crossfire, everything goes blank. He recognizes this feeling, and knows the timing couldn't be worse. A vision. He looks up into the sky, seeing four crows and an hawk. The largest crow seemed to be leading the lesser three. They circle each other, in a peaceful, elegant manner, almost as if dancing on the open sky. Suddenly, the hawk made a flashing dive through the sky, attacking the largest crow. The crow collapses and the hawk flees, with the three crows following right behind him in an aggravated manner. Crossfire is abruptly woken up from his trance.

"S-Skavi-"

His words are cut short by a pearcing arrow hitting his chest, a scene replicating the one he just envisioned. But unlike the large crow in his vision, he breaks the arrow in half and rushes in with uncontrolled outrage filling his veins. At this moment, his demonic appearance is more evident than ever, and his fierce roar stops the battle and makes the bandits strategically and temporarily retreat.

"Run. Fly away. All the same. You're all the same scum anyway..."

The remaining soldiers catch up with the Marshall and go back to the Sanctuary. Once in the city, an expected transmission comes from the Rad-Ion prototype. The King Skavier Castellan III is dead."

The Discovery
''Pages were taken from a torn notebook. Event takes place in Yimmu-Audal.''

Entry 58
...

-In addition, ever since I've arrived here, I've struggled debating with myself in what possible way I could industrialize this damn place. Rathnir as a whole is lacking a few centuries behind good old Jouquiwal, let alone Grand Ion. Only a fragment of the power the city of Ion possesses would completely change up the way of life around here. I've tried many things but I can't get the damn generator to start working. Perhaps it's not damn grand enough. I'm no engineer but I believe that even with my basic knowledge on how our machines operated, I can do many great things for the provinces. And many, many bad things for anybody threatening them. I guess his voice isn't the only thing keeping me up at night.

...

Entry 62
...

I believe I've figured out the missing puzzle. Every machine back at home had one essential material incorporated into it, copper. I'm.. I'm not entirely sure how that would work, but my calculations have proven that the response for the Lifter prototype should be at least 3 times more effective. Of course, zero times three is still zero, and in practice the fucker doesn't work. But that won't stop me. I'll get this damn shit running. -XZ

Entry 67
...

On a lighter note, today I've gotten an invitation from some Anoshphite nobles to accompany them on a trip to the Kingdom of Talor. I do not know why they want me there and I would not trust them, but I feel as if this is the best way to find out what else is going on around the place. I would send someone from Konushum... only if it wasn't so lonely in the desert. At least we had occasional outlaws and hordes back at home. This place is no fun. I'll let them have it, I'll go.

....

Entry 71
...

Not much to say about the trip by itself. But what I've seen there really left an impression on me. There was a beached whale on one of the shores. Couldn't have been there for more than a day. I was about to go near but I was warned not to approach them. And why? Because of some stupid folk tale? If those tribesmen were at least a bit more intelligent than those desert rabbits we hunt regularly, they'd be miles ahead every other nation in Rathnir. But here we are, believing folk tales. We spent the night at a nearby village where I could find out what it really was about. I've heard them tell a story about the soul of the dead whale compressing into a liquid form. The fury of the dead whale makes it burn for seemingly eternity. They warn not to come near because the whale is a vengeful spirit and there would be horrible consequences. If only these people knew what consequences will really mean for them. -XZ

Entry 72
Just before dawn, everybody was dead asleep. Everybody except one. I hate sleeping, it brings the worst dreams. Those screams never change. I'll go and look at that whale. Those horrible events they speak of.. they cannot compare. My attempt at dissecting the whale was woeful, but those things are nothing alike the Harga back in Jouquiwal. I did find where the liquid reserve was. It had a faint blue glow in the dark. I see why they call it a soul. Shame these beasts don't have one. So the only logical was to put it into a barrel and light it. And I did. As I was striking the fire above the barrel, I heard muffled voices yelling on the other side of the shore. But it was too late now, I couldn't hear them anymore. Only that whisper. And in a second, even if I wanted to, the blinding flash wouldn't let me see them either.

And as the massive scorching flame erupted from the vessel, in a single moment I've realized that the hundreds of hours I've put into researching copper was a waste; ...and that brought a smile to my face. -XZ