Ryze Comécia
subversive lotus boy
Ryze Comécia
Ryze is a monotonous young man who appears to have been through a lifetime's worth of struggle in the 24 years he's been alive (and dead). Born to the turbulent mess of Old Thabes, he grew up fighting to survive from the start, losing any family he had to Madame Arquess' infamous slurry of executions.
In a tough world there was no time for him to mourn, to cry, to regret– only time to keep pushing on and find other motives to do so. He came to a great despair over the idea of death. Having lost so many to death, he became intensely against the very concept, chasing the idea of eliminating as much of it as possible and with that leading him to Thabes, where he strode towards becoming the new leader of the Forgotten Rogues, dethroning Morgan, the original leader for over 80 years. He rebuilt the organization to be completely nonlethal, still participating in crime and being against Thabes' royal law, but never killing a single soul.
Through the Rogues, he ended up meeting Fox Linnor, who took an immediate fascination with him, and through Fox he set his eyes on the group's Life Slate, one of the seven slates unlocking the Gaia Staff. Upon pursuing it, invading the royal vault when the group placed the Life Slate in the hands of the government, Ryze died by the bullet of "Mute" Noroa Valentine, his own second in command betraying him due to their contrasting philosophies and Noroa's allegiance to Morgan, the previous leader. Ryze had previously ingested a Gaiadan Lotus seed and very soon after he died, he returned to his body by means of the lotus' parasitic properties reanimating him and sewing injuries back together to keep his body alive, filling in the gaps so to speak. Ryze took this as a gift from the goddess Mytera at first, and was from then on slightly influenced by a mild telepathic force from the great fey Gaius, a being once blessed by Mytera. He became a Warlock of Gaius, and furthermore, follower of Mytera.
Ryze is an emotionally stunted young man, intensely introverted, with a tendency for tunnel vision– a stubborn, abstract, one track mind. He is extremely slow to trust, forgive, and love, however once he does he is loyal and opens up more than he would for anyone else otherwise. That loyalty, however, comes with terms and conditions, and upon seeing notable slip ups in an ally or, god forbid, a lover, he will automatically respond with shutting down and becoming stubborn again until the matter resolves somehow. He has his share of personality issues, traumas, and flaws, but overall tries to stick to his solid moral code. Those morals are not as extreme as they once were, and he attempts to accept more and more outside existential ideas and philosophies. He currently lives at the Manoir Forét in Thabes, with his boyfriend Fox and their incidental adoptive daughter, Noma.
In a tough world there was no time for him to mourn, to cry, to regret– only time to keep pushing on and find other motives to do so. He came to a great despair over the idea of death. Having lost so many to death, he became intensely against the very concept, chasing the idea of eliminating as much of it as possible and with that leading him to Thabes, where he strode towards becoming the new leader of the Forgotten Rogues, dethroning Morgan, the original leader for over 80 years. He rebuilt the organization to be completely nonlethal, still participating in crime and being against Thabes' royal law, but never killing a single soul.
Through the Rogues, he ended up meeting Fox Linnor, who took an immediate fascination with him, and through Fox he set his eyes on the group's Life Slate, one of the seven slates unlocking the Gaia Staff. Upon pursuing it, invading the royal vault when the group placed the Life Slate in the hands of the government, Ryze died by the bullet of "Mute" Noroa Valentine, his own second in command betraying him due to their contrasting philosophies and Noroa's allegiance to Morgan, the previous leader. Ryze had previously ingested a Gaiadan Lotus seed and very soon after he died, he returned to his body by means of the lotus' parasitic properties reanimating him and sewing injuries back together to keep his body alive, filling in the gaps so to speak. Ryze took this as a gift from the goddess Mytera at first, and was from then on slightly influenced by a mild telepathic force from the great fey Gaius, a being once blessed by Mytera. He became a Warlock of Gaius, and furthermore, follower of Mytera.
Ryze is an emotionally stunted young man, intensely introverted, with a tendency for tunnel vision– a stubborn, abstract, one track mind. He is extremely slow to trust, forgive, and love, however once he does he is loyal and opens up more than he would for anyone else otherwise. That loyalty, however, comes with terms and conditions, and upon seeing notable slip ups in an ally or, god forbid, a lover, he will automatically respond with shutting down and becoming stubborn again until the matter resolves somehow. He has his share of personality issues, traumas, and flaws, but overall tries to stick to his solid moral code. Those morals are not as extreme as they once were, and he attempts to accept more and more outside existential ideas and philosophies. He currently lives at the Manoir Forét in Thabes, with his boyfriend Fox and their incidental adoptive daughter, Noma.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Ryze is a lithe, thinner young man with abnormally white hair that is tinted pink at the tips on the left side of his face, and notable dark circles at any given time. He has one eye that is a bright magenta pink, clearly not his natural born eye color, and his other eye is missing and replaced with a pink lotus flower, frequently hidden by his hair and only showing just barely beneath his bangs as small vine-like stems trail down his cheek. Ryze tends to wear darker colors in a very limited wardrobe, commonly in a roguish black and green set with a teal green scarf/poncho. He has few rather effeminate features, yet is clearly a 20-something year old human man, at an average height and average build/proportions despite his weight being on the lower side.
Body Features
Ryze is a decently well proportioned person; his limbs, torso, chest, and shoulders are all well balanced, not leaning towards too long or too short. He appears to be naturally thin, with no excess weight on his body, nor a lot of outstanding muscle, and with a notably thin waistline. Though he is somewhat effeminately lithe and gracefully lean in what muscle he does have, he has significant masculine traits that solidify him as a generally objectively attractive young man when neatened up.
Facial Features
Ryze has naturally ivory pale skin with a peachy tint, his skin has cooler undertones however, which can shift into being warmer in sunnier weather and cooler than normal in cloudy, winter weather due to influence from the Gaiadan Lotus. Though he doesn't have many blemishes, due to his skin being quite pale the dark circles beneath his eyes that are nearly ever-present are notable, and though he's quite attractive, he looks consistently sleep deprived. His features are sharper than they are bold or broad, relatively effeminate in the softness of tones and lack of excess weight.
His left eye is completely missing, having been shot through upon his death. Instead, in it's place is a lotus imbedded in the socket that spreads down the left side of his face in small creeping vines that will be more or less evident depending on the time of year and other external factors such as health, sunlight, and even mood. The lotus itself is open most of the time, but frequently closes due to similar factors– weather, health, mood, and time of day. The lotus is a fuchsia pink that grows darker and more saturated along the tips and lighter towards the center. It effects his hair color in that area, as the pure white of his hair is easily influenced, making it tinted a similar pink color. The lotus overrides his natural eye color as well, as his remaining eye is also the same fuchsia color when it'd naturally be blue. Ryze's hair is abnormally white; easily mistaken for some odd form of premature whitening, he was born with the color hair he does and no one knows why. It tends to stand out considering he looks to be the age that he is; in his early twenties.
Identifying Characteristics
Physical quirks
Special abilities
Ryze was technically confirmed dead when shot through the head by Noroa, however the Gaiadan Lotus revived him and keeps him functioning like a normal living person. As a parasite, it needs him to live and grow, and while doing so makes up for the parts of him that had been destroyed or ceased to function upon his death– the side of his head that had been ripped through by way of a bullet stitched and knitted back together with plant fiber and healed over by the magic properties of the flower, and his motor functions and organ functions were kickstarted as well by the power and manipulation of the plant matter in and on him.
For the time being what this means to him is that he has certain abilities, quirks and setbacks from the lotus' presence. For example, destruction of the entirety of the lotus and it's appendages would kill Ryze, and in cold weather unsuited to the lotus the flower will wilt slightly and slow it's functions, making Ryze less dexterous, more isolated, and more susceptible to alterations such as illness– making his immune system far more compromised and body temperature far lower than normal. On the other side of things, the flower gives some innate healing and reconstructive abilities, and it allows for certain inhuman activity, such as needing less sleep, and less sustenance so long as he has significant sunlight during the day.
Beyond the lotus, Ryze's abilities mainly lie in him being a warlock of the archfey– specifically of Gaius, the country's founder and first emperor turned great fey by way of blessing by Mytera. With this, he is very elusive, dexterous, and tends to warp from place to place and disappear at will.
Before his ressurrection Ryze was a known face in the crime scene of Ybele, specifically in Thabes, and in that was known to be a legend for having impeccable skill in marksmanship. Since that time he has forfeited most of his use of physical weaponry, however he still possesses skill in the area of marksmanship and other gun related feats.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Origins
Ryze was born and raised in Old Thabes, where, as any who have been to the place would know, things historically have been turbulent. The literal divide between the classes and the constant unceasing fighting between groups just trying to scrape by underneath an oppressive regime, and the corrupt, calculated actions of Madame Arquess, the Archduchess of Old Thabes until mid 1800. Arquess was known for her cruel and unusual punishments, as well as executions of any who posed a threat to her- sometimes simply executing any person who opposed her and their family for safe measure. This was the fate of the Comécia family. Though Ryze doesn't typically talk about his past nor his family, it is known that he found himself the only one left- the only one who made it out. Watching one's family be executed at such a young age is bound to have long-lasting effects, deep enough to drive a person to extremes. Thus, his vow against death was made and his morals strongly amplified to avoid the unnecessary, painful, wretched sensation of death. Ryze quickly grew cold to the world and those around him and he fought for himself, as that was the only thing he could do.
In his teenage years, at some point, he made his way to Thabes. Bouncing from place to place and living in various slums and alleyways and anywhere else he could manage, he ended up within the smaller rings of criminal activity in the unfamiliar city. Other than simply survival, he gave himself an intention after some time; that he'd climb his way through these criminal circles and acquire himself a position of power that way so that he could use that power to make the streets less lethal. Not caring for the law or the government, he didn't mind the idea of being high up in this kind of organization– crime was something trivial and inevitable, and the government was to him corrupt, unjust, and apathetic. However, the idea of simply living in harsher urban communities being something of potential fatality made him sick. After his upbringing in a city of constant killings from executions to violence in the lower ring to assassinations and more, he made his purpose in his career to eliminate premature death completely.
The Standoff | Rise to Power
By 1799 Ryze was used to the scenery of Thabes and the motions of the crime organizations there as well as the royal guard. He did his research on both– studying up on the laws of the place, the protocol of the royal guard, and most importantly the Forgotten Rogues– the biggest crime syndicate in the capital city. Looking for the most powerful crime boss in town of whom he could take the place of, he found Morgan. With the last bit of studying and planning, he took the massive risk of arranging a quickdraw with Morgan himself, calling upon the royal guard anonymously and having them on standby for the standoff. Both wielded dual pistols, but Morgan, with 227 years on Ryze and far more experience, as well as Alastair Yumael's one of a kind arcane pistols, had a tremendous advantage. Nonetheless, Ryze was determined and prepared, and with that he drew as fast as he could, both sides, in a feat of dexterity fast enough to disarm Morgan upon impact before he could draw. Morgan fell to his knees, shot through both hands, dropping his weapons and leaving no choice but to surrender– he was taken by the guards called by Ryze earlier, and Ryze went on to take over in his place, as the Forgotten Rogues' new leader, as goes their rules of succession. He also inherited Alastair Yumael 's twin pistols, which he quickly began training with and getting used to.
Beginning of an Era | Oh, Cruel Inamorato
In 1800 Ryze continued training with these weapons, and continued in his bold regime as the new leader of the Forgotten Rogues – for a year the Rogues, previously primarily known for assassinations, did not kill a single soul within Thabes under his rule. During this time, in testing his abilities, he targeted a young Shadar Kai man, proposing a duel on the side of a street in Thabes one evening as the man had twin pistols strapped as well. He agreed, and showed surprising skill in his marksmanship. Getting the jump on Ryze, and upon complimenting his ability, the man began to get cocky, and as such Ryze took this as a signal to do what he really came to do– shooting three times in the span of less than a second with Devil Trigger's key ability to slow down time. The man was
The Coup of Noroa Valentine
House and Home
Ryze didn't live in self-inflicted-exile for very long, and after a short amount of time Fox Yumael Linnor, with the help of Maddie, found and restrained him despite his new abilities as an Archfey Warlock. Fox, to his surprise, had legitimate reason to tracking him down, as Ryze had left the Rogues leaderless upon his death/disappearance and Noroa's imprisonment. Swearing a lack of interest in going back t
– Maddie repremands Ryze for his ungrateful behavior
The Sacrifice
Over time he grew a tolerance, then a neutrality, and eventually a hopeful, yet hidden interest in Fox.
Fox's personal mirage was that of Ryze's death, ripped apart by Gaius as Gaius stepped out as if showing Ryze as but a puppet for him to get to this point. Gaius offered a reward for helping him get to this point, and Fox immediately stated, "I want him back," with absolutely no hesitation. Gaius' test then began; he offered to make that wish come true in exchange for the souls of just under 10% of the country's populous. Fox pondered it, obviously distraught, and came to the question of how these people would die, and if anyone would know it was him who did it– simple, painless heart attacks, and no one would be aware of his actions. And he pondered again before, to Ryze's combined shock and disappointment at the same time struck with affection, shaking the premonition of Gaius' hand and sacrificing it all for Ryze's sake, failing the test. He chose to instantaneously eliminate the lives of 10% of the population for Ryze. He didn't realize the illusion until after the staff was claimed by Maddie and Thorin, who had passed the test, and upon the illusion breaking immediately went to Ryze and collapsed in thankfulness that he was still alive. Not knowing Ryze saw the entire thing, he said nothing of his sacrifice– but he knew, as he administered it all. He didn't reciprocate at that moment, still processing how great those feelings were and how great the sacrifice he was ready to make was in comparison to his one, singular life. It took him time and deep thought to come to terms with those feelings and accept them as mutual, only doing so after Fox confronted him with a confession later, when the group returned from the Feywild. Calling him out for his self centeredness and stubbornness, and at the same time calling himself out for his overzealousness and for not previously acknowledging his instability, Fox confessed formally.
Fox: "...Yeah I was stupid as hell, but look– you were a mob boss out fighting random people on the street, eventually getting yourself killed 'cause of your own hubris. You can't honestly put yourself on a much higher platform there– sure, I've done more morally repulsive shit but... I guess what I'm saying is you can't take me for granted. I've been trying to get you to think outside of your little box for a long time and you never seem to come to terms with the fact that you're not infallible. And neither am I." Fox: "I get your distrust. I knew it before, but now I really get it. I was willing to meet you half way... I've always been willing to. That's why I uh... Kinda... Fell for you in the first place. You're... Gods, this is corny– but you're... You're endlessly fascinating to me. I know you have so much behind those eyes that I want to learn about– that I want to know. But now I think I understand that I was willing to be open and to learn about and from you, but I wasn't actually capable yet. I don't know if I am now, if I said I did I'd be ignorant, but I think the fact that I recognize this... That I can comprehend it means something significant. But you know what? I'm alright. Considering my life? Considering what I've been through and where I've ended up? I'm alright." Fox: "And after all this? If we make it out of there alive– you know what the first thing I've wanted to do is? I want to take you out. Anywhere you want, anything you want to do. It's... Fucking deja vu, I know. But when's the last time you had a good time? Genuinely. The last time you enjoyed yourself– not just being content, not just satisfied. Actually smiled and laughed and talked to someone without holding back?"
"That's all I want to do– that's... All I want. To see you smile. And after the fucking apocalypse don't you think we've been through enough together to warrant that chance?"
The address was given consideration and, though not showing it very clearly as is typical of Ryze, accepted as something actually heartfelt and out of love rather than lust. Though this doesn't seem like much, for Ryze and his stubbornness and his standoffishness, it essentially broke the final barrier between the two. After the battle with Oroborous, Fox withheld a promise and showed himself to be uncorrupted and unadulteratedly himself with no ulterior motives, as Ryze had asked of him in response to his confession. As such, after long months of pining, a relationship was brought to fruition in a strange, inconsistently progressing way. By that meaning; the two lived together already, and as such never had the milestone of moving in together– the only thing close being Ryze moving upstairs one floor into what was originally Fox's penthouse within a month or two, and Noma becoming the child of which they subconsciously began guardianship over. At the same time, proving the unconventional skewed timeline of their relationship's progression, Ryze didn't ever mention his legitimate last name until a few months in, decently far in after moving into the penthouse.
Manoir Trio | Found Family
Currently, Ryze, Fox Yumael Linnor, and Noma, live in the Manoir Forét estate as a strange, yet mostly functional and very close little family.
Gender Identity
Male ; He/Him
Sexuality
Who the hell knows. I don't even think he knows. Has a boyfriend.
Employment
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Left Old Thabes and migrated to Thabes, Ybele, the capitol of the Ybeli Empire.
- Worked his way up smaller crime syndicates until reaching the point in which he could challenge Morgan.
- Shot Morgan in both hands, disarming him, humiliating him, taking Alastair Yumael's guns and Morgan's position of power in the Forgotten Rogues.
- Revived after his death successfully by way of Gaiadan Lotus.
- Became a warlock of the archfey for the fey Gaius.
- Successfully completed his work as guide and vehicle of sorts for Gaius within the Feywild, creating the mirages to evaluate the group for eligibility to wield the Gaia Staff.
- Helped and lived through the fight of the Oroborous.
- Lives a generally content life with Fox Yumael Linnor and Noma at one of the most luxury estates he's ever been in, the Manoir Forét in Thabes, Ybele.
Failures & Embarrassments
- Orphaned at a young age, alone on the streets of Old Thabes long before adulthood.
- Killed by the bullet of Noroa Valentine who was, at the time, his second in command of the Forgotten Rogues.
- Upon revivification by the Gaiadan Lotus, was eventually tracked down after his disappearance by Fox Yumael Linnor and Madeline Linnor; held and questioned before eventually complying with their questions and realizing his complete abandonment of the Rogues.
- Yelled at by Madeline Linnor.
- Upon his death lost sight in one eye.
Mental Trauma
Ryze grew up in Old Thabes in the time of executions, cruel and unusual punishments, disappearances and overall terrifying corruption from the regime in power. Victim to this was his family, executed in front of him, leaving him as the last spared. What came of this was his extremely closed-off demeanor and his strong disgust in death. From his childhood and it's many tragedies and losses, he developed a cold, hard outer shell and a deep seeded defense system around others; making sure to not let anyone get too close or for him to feel anything for others out of the mentality that they will most certainly perish or abandon him in time. As such, he shows many of the classic symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder: being unable to sleep and becoming sleep deprived, having consistently recurring unwanted memories and thoughts of his losses and the pain of his past that dictate his actions in the present, being antisocial and agitated easily especially with those different from himself who he believes will not understand, strange hyperfixations that have to do with his trauma in the reasoning for them, but are used as an obsessive way of attempting to correct them, and claiming a loss of interest in commonly enjoyable activities and closeness with others offering comfort and relations. Ryze continues, even though he's improved in his coping and accepted help from at least a few people in his life, to be standoffish around those he does not know, very cautious to the point of a slight paranoia, and without intervention he will tend to isolate himself in his estate, partaking in only the same few activities. He tries to sleep as consistently as possible in the present, but still finds himself sleeping at strange times inconsistently quite often in bouts of insomnia that worsen and improve with his mood and mental state.
The other primary effected aspects of Ryze's mental state are attributed to his death, and subsequent revivification. When Ryze was betrayed and murdered by Noroa, he saw and remembers a good portion of the process of dying– falling into the void, seeing the blinding, incomprehensible infinity of souls being funneled into the unknown and his own soul plummeting towards it until being pulled back towards the light, and the remarkable excruciating pain of being shot through the head and having it knit back together by way of the lotus patching it, regenerating it and healing it. All of this is not lost on him, though sometimes, as is typical with this level of trauma, he can not place details of it as his mind blocks them out. This memory is one that is truly one of flashbacks and nightmares, Ryze's predisposed fear of death combined with this making every time he closes his eye(s) something difficult and fearful as at any time he feels as if he could fall back into that darkness, back into that foreboding pit. As such, it contributes to his insomnia and his paranoia over death and dying. Such memories cause topics of death and life to be, in all seriousness, triggering of great aggravation and stubborn coldness, as well as complete shut-downs.
Coping has gotten easier in the past two years for him as his life has slowed down and he has far more control over it. More importantly, he finds comfort and affirmation in Fox, who will do just about anything for him and draw him out of his antisocial slumps, as well as provide comfort and soothing of his more paranoid, unstable moments. As Fox has his own major issues, he does what he can, however between them is a balancing effect, Fox leaning towards mania/narcissism, and Ryze leaning more towards the depressive/isolated side of things. Typically one draws the other out, while one talks the other down. Fox also, due to his own problems, some of which being of the traumatic, tends to understand the mindsets Ryze can get into and knows well at this point how to connect them to certain problems, memories, tendencies, and traumas Ryze has. As kinds of coping mechanisms for the harsher moments, Fox will take him out to places, often enjoyable, pretty places Ryze has never been in order to get him out of his comfort zone, other times he'll go out of his way to do something for him unrelated but distracting and showing of affection, whether that be making a home-cooked dinner and setting it all up by candlelight on the terrace or walking through the shallow waves of the beach at sunset, with Noma picking up shells here and there as they go. Other times, more often than anything he'll simply sit close and talk him down, not expecting Ryze to talk very much if at all. This can be consoling him with logic, or pointing out the wonderful things in his life in the current moment, or even simply telling stories from his life or their shared life, especially his own mistakes and embarrassments to make Ryze laugh if he can. Overall it's a well maintained system, and unless something triggering or very stressful comes up he's usually kept at a neutral state.
Author's Note: You know, I went back and looked at this and was like hey. What the fuck. Why. Why did I do such an extreme psychoanalysis of Ryze specifically. Why do I do this. I don't know either.
The other primary effected aspects of Ryze's mental state are attributed to his death, and subsequent revivification. When Ryze was betrayed and murdered by Noroa, he saw and remembers a good portion of the process of dying– falling into the void, seeing the blinding, incomprehensible infinity of souls being funneled into the unknown and his own soul plummeting towards it until being pulled back towards the light, and the remarkable excruciating pain of being shot through the head and having it knit back together by way of the lotus patching it, regenerating it and healing it. All of this is not lost on him, though sometimes, as is typical with this level of trauma, he can not place details of it as his mind blocks them out. This memory is one that is truly one of flashbacks and nightmares, Ryze's predisposed fear of death combined with this making every time he closes his eye(s) something difficult and fearful as at any time he feels as if he could fall back into that darkness, back into that foreboding pit. As such, it contributes to his insomnia and his paranoia over death and dying. Such memories cause topics of death and life to be, in all seriousness, triggering of great aggravation and stubborn coldness, as well as complete shut-downs.
Coping has gotten easier in the past two years for him as his life has slowed down and he has far more control over it. More importantly, he finds comfort and affirmation in Fox, who will do just about anything for him and draw him out of his antisocial slumps, as well as provide comfort and soothing of his more paranoid, unstable moments. As Fox has his own major issues, he does what he can, however between them is a balancing effect, Fox leaning towards mania/narcissism, and Ryze leaning more towards the depressive/isolated side of things. Typically one draws the other out, while one talks the other down. Fox also, due to his own problems, some of which being of the traumatic, tends to understand the mindsets Ryze can get into and knows well at this point how to connect them to certain problems, memories, tendencies, and traumas Ryze has. As kinds of coping mechanisms for the harsher moments, Fox will take him out to places, often enjoyable, pretty places Ryze has never been in order to get him out of his comfort zone, other times he'll go out of his way to do something for him unrelated but distracting and showing of affection, whether that be making a home-cooked dinner and setting it all up by candlelight on the terrace or walking through the shallow waves of the beach at sunset, with Noma picking up shells here and there as they go. Other times, more often than anything he'll simply sit close and talk him down, not expecting Ryze to talk very much if at all. This can be consoling him with logic, or pointing out the wonderful things in his life in the current moment, or even simply telling stories from his life or their shared life, especially his own mistakes and embarrassments to make Ryze laugh if he can. Overall it's a well maintained system, and unless something triggering or very stressful comes up he's usually kept at a neutral state.
Author's Note: You know, I went back and looked at this and was like hey. What the fuck. Why. Why did I do such an extreme psychoanalysis of Ryze specifically. Why do I do this. I don't know either.
Intellectual Characteristics
Ryze, though not raised in a place with a great formal education, is very well read and trained himself as such to read long, complex books and to understand tough concepts on his own for the most part. As such, he's very independently astute and considerably intelligent, though without any formal training and an emphasis on survival and his own personal extreme hyperfixations, he redacted portions of what would be a normal curriculum for a student– for example, his handwriting being tiny, oddly scrawled, and pretty much unreadable to most other people than himself. Which possibly comes in handy to keep things secret– but, mostly it just makes Fox and Noma confused whenever he leaves notes around the house from time to time.
He is quick on his feet and quite perceptive, choosing to observe and analyze before acting a good portion of the time. He is a strangely creative analytical type, having a tendency to hyperfocus on certain things he becomes obsessive and extreme over and not being easily pulled from his interests. Nonetheless he is pragmatic and calculated from a general standpoint. He is a good example of an INTJ (the Architect).
He is quick on his feet and quite perceptive, choosing to observe and analyze before acting a good portion of the time. He is a strangely creative analytical type, having a tendency to hyperfocus on certain things he becomes obsessive and extreme over and not being easily pulled from his interests. Nonetheless he is pragmatic and calculated from a general standpoint. He is a good example of an INTJ (the Architect).
Morality & Philosophy
- Life is sacred.
- Someone taken from this world before their due time has been a victim of injustice.
- Those who are well planned and determined and put in their time and effort are those who survive in this world.
- The world is beautiful and life in it's pure form is something holy. People, generally, are corrupt.
- It's safe to assume that any human being's true intent is greedy and biased.
- Trusting people isn't worth it most of the time– people leave your life, they betray, they take, and they die.
- If you maintain and give to nature, nature will maintain and give to you. It's an equal exchange.
- If you can't be self-sustaining when necessary you're inevitably a slave to a system you can't control.
- Death is abhorrent and should be avoided unless completely necessary or justified.
- I've come to learn that "family" isn't just one blood related group you're born into– you can find a new one with time and with a lot of built trust from those who show they love you. And you can find them in the strangest ways sometimes.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
- I don't want anyone to experience the terror of premature death.
- I want to learn more about the world, as terrible and emotionally exhausting as it is. I have to in order to humble myself and find a direction that isn't made out of blind grandiose selfishness.
- The government is corrupt and historically ineffective and I could care less if it fails– however I think the people in the slums, the people who have to live in squalor or are slaves to the system and deal with their mistakes and corruption, deserve their just desserts.
- Life is beautiful and I'd like mine to mean something.
Likes & Dislikes
| Likes | Dislikes |
|---|---|
| Gardening | Death, in general |
| Traveling/Hiking/Camping | Sleeping when he can be productive instead |
| Studying with the extreme hyperfixation of a conspiracy theorist | The Feywild |
| Myteran history, culture, and mythos; for example, weddings | How hypocritical it seems that he doesn't like the Feywild |
| Wearing multiple layers of clothing | Social situations |
| Being generally vague and elusive | Failure/not getting what he wants |
| Living in an actual estate instead of
a shitty inn room or the street
or a literal hole in the ground (yes, this happened)
|
Society™ |
Vices & Personality flaws
- Can tend to have rather radical beliefs and is stubborn with them in a way that only makes them stronger when questioned. His view on life and things as such is extremely effected by his upbringing and the major traumas within his life, so in doubting them or challenging them he can get very defensive, as if challenging his experiences and the validity of them.
- Closed-off to the world; he makes himself numb and isolated from people and emotions in order to think as clearly as possible to achieve his goals, and because of the idea that people are fleeting due to their mortality and proneness to being cruel and traitorous. He is a lone wolf because of this mentality, generally speaking– lone in that he is out for himself and trusts in himself more than anyone else, not particularly that he is completely alone. In that regard, he is actually surprisingly keen in a leadership role, being determined and commanding when put in a place of power. Before gaining that power however, he will be behind the scenes, preferring to scheme and plan his way to the top rather than trusting or networking with others.
- The last point leads into this– he is prone to being very self centered in his thinking and his actions. His stubbornness as well ties into this because he can be closed minded to others' ideas and feelings and instead sees his way as best and unalterable when not put in his place. Though he is getting better at this after having a considerable amount of power and being struck down at his highest, cockiest point, and then later after being confronted by the Linnor siblings and Gaius himself, he still retains a natural stubbornness that comes out sometimes in his point of view on certain things, passive aggression, and ability to hold grudges.
- Ryze is a true pessimist at heart. Though this isn't naturally a bad thing by itself, the extent of his pessimism is far enough to make him apathetic to certain things and it can fuel his radical thinking from time to time. For example, though the royal government of Ybele at the time was in fact undoubtably corrupt and inefficient, Ryze took this into consideration as the leader of the Forgotten Rogues and was so extremely pessimistic and untrusting of their intent that he felt that the Life Slate should instead rest in his hands, thus resulting in his death amongst the chaos when he attempted to break into the royal vault and get it back. All in all his pessimism can be warranted, but combined with being a slight conspiracist, blowing some things out of proportion before looking closer at them and weighing out his options, he can take it to a point of ignorance.
- Ryze, as a human, can feel emotion as any human can. However, he had absolutely no real upbringing to train him in how to deal with emotions, to know what is proper to feel at any given time, and how to express them. Combined with his childhood trauma– abandonment issues, trust issues, numbing effect and so on– this makes him act unfeeling, cold, and slightly off when it comes to emotional expression and social interaction. He seems apathetic about most things, and when he isn't apathetic the emotions that are displayed most often tend to be those of frustration, cruelty, or resentment. He has gotten better with this, especially now that he has accepted a bit of a safety net in his close found family, but nonetheless it is very defining of him to not really understand his own emotions or show them in a socially normal way.
- Extreme Introversion. Without being kept in check, Ryze can become a true hermit, not speaking to anyone, trying to isolate himself from society and interaction, and overall being avoidant and elusive. He doesn't tend to like people, and when it comes to social events he will likely stay far from them unless given a good reason to go or having some sort of interest in the event. Ryze could stay for weeks, or months even without talking to another person. It would effect his psyche in a negative way, of course, as he's a human and as such is a social creature biologically speaking, but he could do it without much complaint. At this point in time he finds much more comfort, want, and even a sense of need in having at least Fox Yumael Linnor and Noma around to keep him in a better state of mind.
Social
Speech
He speaks in a very monotonous voice in a medium depth, his tone tends to be lower and of moderate to lower volumes. He tends to be apathetic in the way he sounds and somewhat tired, not showing much interest unless the topic is one of interest to him. When he is frustrated or angry his voice will get louder, but maintains a cold, hard, commanding tone until finally going silent as he proceeds to block the world out and ignore it. He tends to speak with a lot of passive aggression and sarcasm, serious or not, and has a notable tinge of an accent that marks him from Old Thabes, though it's only noticeable when monitoring his voice closely due to his self-taught vocabulary being impressively astute when speaking with people he considers worthy.
Relationships
History
Ryze and Fox first met in early 1800 when Ryze, at the time the most prevalent crime boss in Thabes as leader of the Forgotten Rogues, challenged Fox on the street to a quickdraw, and Fox agreed more than happily. Fox was shot down after a few close calls on both ends, putting up a good fight despite the fact that Ryze was using a powerful magic weapon (which later is revealed to have been taken from Morgan Aestra and originally belonged to Fox's father, Alastair Yumael). Quickly stabilizing him, Ryze was soon drawn to a different point of interest– the fact that Madeline Linnor, who had been watching to the side during the duel, was in possession of the Life Slate, one of the seven needed to acquire the Gaia Staff. All the while, Fox was infatuated with Ryze the moment he was stabilized due to his strange masochistic mind and in a state of pure intrigue over the young man's odd and interesting nature and how different it seemed from his own. Fox, seduced, tried to "reason" with him by way of offering up the slate in exchange for "getting to know him," not really caring at all to begin with about giving the slate to the government, as Fox is a criminal and does not like nor trust the Ybeli Empire. After a small skirmish, Ryze attempted to run, slate-less and wanting to keep his identity and organization under wraps from the group– only to be followed closely by Fox, who he couldn't lose and who he ended up allowing due to his persuasion, the skills he demonstrated in the duel, and the possibility of information and a "man on the inside" in regards to the government. Ryze introduced him to the Forgotten Rogues, and signed him as a member of the organization upon his agreement to particular rules and regulations.
After Ryze's death occured in the Ybeli Palace, being shot by Noroa Valentine in a coup d'etat, and Ryze came back to life with the power of a Gaiadan Lotus, Fox generally lost contact with him for a time as Ryze tried to hide out and stay elusive from everyone– especially the government and the newly released members of the Forgotten Rogues who, to say the least, didn't like him very much. Fox was quickly frustrated over this, as Ryze had been the one he signed his service to in the syndicate and Ryze had left the group without a leader, and soon after leaving Fox with his loyalty pledged to Morgan in a situation fueled by threats. Eventually catching up with Ryze despite his extremely warpy and illusory disposition, he asked why he'd abandon the group only to be told that he had "other priorities". Ryze was living at the time in an alleyway and as such Fox ended up offering for him to live in the Manoir Forét, which had many spare rooms and acted as a strong safehaven for criminals and others of the sort like Ryze. Against what was probably his better judgement, Fox offered this without much of anything in return, and as such Ryze began living most of the time in the mansion, secluded in his room and constantly doing work of a mysterious nature.
Over the next few months Ryze became more and more volatile to the idea of Fox's race, philosophy on life, and his line of work. With an extremely life-is-sacred worldview, only amplified to the umpteenth degree by the effects of the lotus, Ryze started openly hating Fox for everything he was, did, and represented, and often got hostile at Fox's advances whether platonic, ambiguous, or otherwise. Fox, on the other hand, was extremely interested in how different he was from himself, taking this separate mindset as a sort-of challenge and finding strong intrigue in learning about something and someone so truly opposite from himself. He attempted consistently to prove himself through trying to spark conversation, then when that failed attempted to prove himself by bringing down enemies of Ryze, and actively trying to avoid killing despite it being in his nature as a Shadar Kai and a hitman. Eventually Madeline Linnor stepped in, seeing Ryze's rude outbursts towards Fox as ungrateful and unwarranted, especially as a guest in their house and due to all the things Fox had done for him for no other reason than because he wanted to do something for him. Maddie ended up lecturing, then yelling at Ryze for his behavior, and from that moment on, not having a valid comeback to her points, he began refraining from judgement up front on Fox for things such as his race, which was unchangeable, and opened himself up slowly by surely to the possibility of getting closer and learning more about the Shadar Kai.
As times got more pivotal and strenuous, Fox found himself considering the idea that the apocalypse may be upon them and as such, being completely up-front about having legitimate feelings and clearing the air on a few things that Ryze, as a very untrusting and stubborn person by nature, still either didn't understand or didn't have fully figured out. He confessed his feelings in their entirety along with admitting to previously having been driven by mostly horniness and recklessness in his advances despite trying to prove himself. He also called Ryze out for being, in general, a prick to him for many things that were unwarranted, ignorant, or that Ryze himself was guilty of. Ryze took it well and admitted to his ignorant and elitist attitude over the past months, mentioning that he'd been pretty humbled by failing quite terribly the trial for the Gaiadan Staff, as Gaius had given him a trial to see if he'd be worthy and Ryze had been far too prideful and flawed overall to deserve or best handle the power. Ryze offered that if the two made it out of the apocalyptic situation at hand, and if Fox stayed loyal to the cause and simply didn't give in to the evils at hand, that after many months of asking he'd finally get his date and a potential deeper relationship. Fox took this easily, and went on to do just as was hoped of him after looking him in the eye and saying not to take him for granted.
Fox and Ryze currently (c. 1802) live in the Manoir Forét as partners and guardians of Noma. After the events of 1800 quieted, the three were eventually the only ones left in the large mansion and as such they grew a small, strange, yet close family dynamic. Ryze knows of Fox's career with the Raven Queen, but in a feat of development doesn't interfere, having come to terms with their individuality, Fox's race as something indisputable, as well as growing into a view of the world where life is only made way for by death as an inevitable cyclical endeavor. The two live very casually most of the time, but travel here and there relatively often for Fox's assignments, for the sake of following certain lore, or for other various reasons.
Nicknames & Petnames
– Fox calls him 'flower boy' quite a bit.
– Fox is a connoisseur of petnames in general, naturally– its just part of his personality. He calls him "babe" more than anything, probably more than his actual name. He'll also use more sweet, genuine ones but mostly within their own home; mostly love, which he is very, very reserved in using and mainly will only use behind closed doors. Only Ryze, Noma, and God are his witnesses.
– Commonly, especially when Fox does something questionable, Ryze will call him simply "Linnor." Other than that, knowing Fox legitimately hates his birth name and it's use, he will not call him Kaedriel hardly ever despite being aware of it.
Shared Acquaintances
Noma, Morgan Aestra, Noroa Valentine, Madeline Linnor , Alastair Yumael, Lanzal, Gallo, Yorheim, Gallahaut, Persephone Linnor, Inoor Velenin, Thorin Redbeard, Julietta "Jazz" Linnor, "Bass", etc.
Legal Status
Partners
Shared Acquaintances
Fox Yumael Linnor, Noma Yumael-Comécia, Alastair Yumael, Norowa ("Mute"), Madeline Linnor, Lanzal, Gallo, Marvin, Inoor Velenin, Thorin Redbeard
Legal Status
N/A
Legal Status
Immediate Family
History
Noroa was Ryze's right hand for the time that he was in control of the Forgotten Rogues. She more or less tolerated him for a year before patiently waiting for him to get into a vulnerable enough position to assassinate him. Essentially, Noroa wasn't particularly fond of Ryze's "no killing allowed" regime, her having been an assassin for a hundred years give or take, and she favored far more Morgan, the previous leader of the Rogues and the founder along with Noroa herself. Her intentions were to eliminate Ryze so that the remaining Rogues could begin working on a plan to free Morgan from his imprisonment and re-establish him as leader.
She succeeded. Well, partially. She did kill Ryze, and Morgan was freed soon after, however Ryze didn't stay dead. He did not attempt to come back to the Rogues, and between his own ordeals he avoided them– mostly instigated by Fox insisting on doing in the hopes he wouldn't die a second time. Ryze still has a disconnect with the Rogues (with the exception of Fox, who is an outlier and should not be counted) and the Rogues, though sharing animosity with him, don't have reason to go after him or concern themselves with him. Especially due to the Rogues having much, much bigger fish to fry.
Shared Acquaintances
- Morgan Aestra
- Fox Yumael Linnor
- Gallo
- Marvin
- Balmung
- Alastair Yumael
- Madeline Linnor
- Noma
- etc.
Alignment
True/Chaotic Neutral
Current Location
Species
Conditions
Ethnicity
Age
24 (c.1802)
Circumstances of Birth
Born in Old Thabes, unfortunately
Circumstances of Death
Shot dead in a coup against him by Noroa Valentine
Birthplace
Old Thabes, Ybele
Spouses
Fox Yumael Linnor
(Boyfriend)
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Male
Eyes
Cerulean Blue (natural), Magenta Pink (lotus), Lacking One Eye
Hair
White, Medium Short, Bangs Always in his Face
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Ivory
Height
5'10"
Weight
≈130lb
Quotes & Catchphrases
"I don't sleep."
"Fox, I am literally right here."
"I mean, if I were you I'd turn myself in. Buuuuut you're... You."
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
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