Cassian

Knight of Shadows

Sir Cassian Drystan Thane

The Knight of Shadows is an exceptional warrior and one of the more powerful servants of the Shadows. An unaging mortal, he has served the Queen of Shadows for decades, ever since his downfall upon encountering the Siren of Shadows. Bound to the Siren as her protector and guard for all eternity, he uses his divine-given abilities (from both the Shadows and the Light) as well as his extensive knowledge of the Realm of Cardimur and intimate knowledge of the Covenant of Light to support the continuous expansion of the Shadow Lands.

Overview

Appearance

TBD

Primary Role

The Knight's primary role is to protect, guard, and fight for the Siren — and assist her in her primary task — destroy the LightGuards and disable the Ring of Lights which keeps the Queen contained within the Shadow Lands.

Background

Long ago, as a Protector of the Light and dedicated to the Covenant of Light, Cassian commanded great respect and wielded his exceptional fighting skills in the service of Lumina, Lady of Light. But his arrogance and over-confidence contributed to his downfall, resulting in his acceptance of the Twilight Pact, devised by the Shadow Weaver to bind him to the Shadows, in service to both the Queen of Shadows and the Siren of Shadows.

Knowing that he has betrayed all that he held important, he lives with great remorse and devastating shame. And despite living with despair, his obsession with the Siren and his pride in his abilities drives him to continue on his current path. Indeed, his misdeeds in service to the Queen have so multiplied that he clings to life so that he can avoid and delay the punishment, in death, that he know he deserves.

The Knight’s story is tragic, demonstrating that even the most devoted followers of the Light should beware the powers of Umbra, Queen of Shadows and her two trusted deputies, Viana, Siren of Shadows, and Ravena, Shadow Weaver.

— Bell

Artifacts

The Knight is not interested in any artifacts, but the Siren wants him to acquire the legendary Ebon Shield. The shield is powerful and was hidden away after its last wielder became too dangerous. She thinks the shield is a perfect complement to the Knight’s existing abilities.

The Siren knew about the long-lost shield, but after she overheard the Queen and her rival, the Shadow Weaver, discussing it, she realized that the Queen knew of its location. Later, when the Shadow Weaver was not present, the Siren asked the Queen about it. The Queen refused to reveal its location, stating that retrieving it was much too difficult and that the Siren and the Knight should focus on their assigned tasks.

Knowing the Siren’s capricious nature, the Queen promised her that once their primary goal of destroying the Ring of Lights is completed, she will consider revealing its location. The Siren is irritated by the situation and is careful to hide her feelings around the Queen, but often grumbles to the Knight.

Special Powers

Twilight Pact

Normally, the binding of a person as loyal servant to the Queen of Shadows is handled with the Shadow Pact. In the Knight’s case, he had already pledged himself to the Covenant of Light. And since he was well established and highly favored by the Lady of Light, his previous commitment could not be undone. But it could be corrupted and redirected.

In order to change the old pledge and create a new binding, the Queen used a new and risky binding ritual devised by the Shadow Weaver — the Twilight Pact. During the ritual ,the Knight repudiated his former allegiance and swore a new oath to the Queen of Shadows. The process was painful for the Knight, unnerving for the Siren, and even jarring for the Queen. At the end, the Knight acquired a dual nature, receiving new shadow abilities from the Queen and retaining some remnants of his former light-based abilities, but corrupted and twisted (and sometimes unpredictable).

Siren’s Guard

In addition to the normal advantages (and disadvantages) given to him by the Divine Guard ability, the Knight’s unique bond with the Siren grants him significantly increased power when defending her and allows him to sense her presence, moods, and health status.

Umbral Healing

The Knight received Umbral Healing as part of his shadow abilities, but soon discovered his ability has a few unpleasant side effects. He can draw strength from shadows and darkness to recover fatigue, soothe overstressed muscles, and restore his stamina, but he must be completely covered by darkness or shadows rather than in close proximity. And his self-healing abilities are a bit twisted (even for shadow magic).

Regular Umbral Healing draws healing energy from the shadows and areas of darkness and may additionally draw life energy from other living beings. (Drawing life energy speeds up the healing process.)

The Knight’s Umbral Healing draws energy from both living beings and the shadows/darkness — and the process is painful and exhausting. The more life energy it drains for healing, the greater his resulting exhaustion and the more intense the burning pain. For the Knight, healing critical wounds with Umbral Healing can result in agony, followed by unconsciousness.

The Queen has assured both the Siren and the Knight that she granted him the regular ability. She assumes the modifications result from some boomerang effect due to his previous Light-based abilities. The Knight, however, believes that where he was once favored by the Lady of Light, he has now been cursed by the Lord of Flames.

Dark Resilience

The Knight has an unusual set of Divine Resilience abilities. Upon committing to the service of the Queen of Shadows, he obtained, as expected, Dark Resilience. But he found that his Light Resilience (from his previous service to the Covenant of Light) continued although in a corrupted form. Instead of protecting him from attacks and spells based on magic opposed to the Light, it now gives him resistance to light-based attacks and spells.

Shadow Armor

The Knight's armor is imbued with shadow magic, making it Shadow Armor. As with regular Shadow Armor, it provides him enhanced protection and the ability to blend in with the shadows and darkness, making him harder to detect and hit. But because he retains some of his divine-given abilities from his time as Protector of the Light, his armor does not have the weakness to weapons of the Light or related types of magic. Instead, it has an even stronger shadow aura than normal, allowing servants of the Light to easily detect his presence.

Major Abilities

Dark Blade

The Knight’s main weapon is a Dark Blade, forged from rare and powerful darkness-infused metal. This metal imbues the blade with the ability to absorb energy from nearby darkness, increasing its natural attack accuracy and damage. The blade shimmers with swirling patterns of greys and black that seem to move and shift, often distracting opponents.

A Dark Blade has no weakness to daylight or other light sources and can slice through any magical barriers and armor based on Light and related magics, nullifying their protective properties.

Black Shield

The Knight can conjure a shield of solid darkness from nearby shadows and darkness that absorbs and deflects attacks, both physical and magical. This shield hovers slightly in front of him, allowing him to use his Dark Blade as a two-handed weapon.

A direct and powerful attack from Light or related magics can dissipate or weaken the shield. But if only weakened and not destroyed, it can draw energy from darkness or shadows to strengthen itself.

Weaknesses

Light Sensitivity

Despite the remnants of his divine-given abilities from the Light, intense or bright light can weaken the Knight and disrupt his shadow abilities or even give him intense pain and mild injuries.

Siren’s Bond

The Knight’s obsession to the Siren combined with her wicked impishness and teasing can distract him and impair his judgement, especially during tense or critical missions.

Shadow Dependency

The Knight is disadvantaged in environments or situations where there are little or no shadows. He requires shadows for healing, energy recovery, and long-term endurance. Extended battles or severe injuries can wear him down, if he is unable to retreat to the shadows to recuperate.

Artifacts of Light

Powerful and rare magical artifacts or weapons designed to counteract shadow magic can be devastatingly effective against him, bypassing his defenses and causing significant harm. In particular, the Siren worries that one might be found that can break the bond between them.

History and Lore

Origin Story

TBD

Notable Relationships

TBD

Show Table of Contents

Divinity Profile

Pantheon

• Shadow Nexus
• Previously Covenant of Light
  Condemned as Miscreant and Banished

Power Level and Position

Divine Servant, Protector

Titles

• Knight of Shadows
• Siren's Protector
• Previously Protector of the Light
  Stripped of Title and Responsibilities

Conditions

• Unaging Mortal

Abilities

• Twilight Pact (Divine Pact)
• Siren's Guard (Divine Guard)
• Umbral Healing (Divine Healing)
• Dark Resilience (Divine Resilience)
• Shadow Armor (Divine Armor)
• Dark Blade
• Black Shield

Weaknesses

• Light Sensitivity
• Siren’s Bond
• Shadow Dependency
• Artifacts of Light