Arwyr o Afalon; AWOL Captain

Archangel, Arty, Tracy.

848

Early Twenties

Ex-Squad 3

Ex-Captain; AWOL.

FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 -- NINE

6'0”

172

Arwyr stands at a lofty six feet with broad shoulders and an average waist. He is tall and skinny with a slender build that makes him look more like an athlete than a warrior. His musculature is tight, though, and his abs are clearly visible. His pectorals are large, square, and firm. When wearing clothing, he seems less daunting than he really is. He’s far stronger than people make him out to be. He has a cut jawline and narrow cheeks with ears that are proportionate to his head, which fits nicely on his shoulders. His arms are long, allowing for increased reach with his weapon, and his forearms are toned from years of combat. His legs are tight as well, long and slender. His skin is light, but he isn’t pale, merely caucasian in origin. He’s even darker than most, having spent most of his time outside. Arwyr’s lips are a shade of pale red and his eyes are a faint grey-blue. His blonde hair is messy but kept, as his his rather casual-dress fashion style. The eyebrows on his face are darker than his blonde hair, but not by much, and they are also rather thin.

In terms of clothing when in his gigai, Arwyr can usually just be seen in jeans of varying shades and and a button up shirt. He always wears the same black leather jacket though, unless the mother nature says he needs something warmer or something less so. When these periods of time arise, he wears a series of warm, men’s surcoats. His shoes are usually just a pair of black boots that rise to just beneath his calves with his jeans tucked into them. He has leather gloves that he wears in the winter as well, but he carries them with him everywhere he goes, usually hanging out of his left-rear pocket while the right pocket holds an Iphone. Sometimes in the summer, he can be seen wearing black shades, but only on the brighter and hotter days.

When he is released from his Gigai, however, Arwyr’s attire changes. In his soul form he is often wearing a short, sleeveless, knee-length, hooded riding tunic over a loose fitting, thigh-length blouse. Over this, a sleeveless knight’s tabard hangs loosely; all of this is affixed to his waist by a white leather belt over a golden sash. His pants are looser and made of a flexible, black, cotton-like, material. His boots increase in height and have a browner hue. His Zanpakuto hangs at his left waist from his belt and two pouches cling to the opposite hip and his tailbone. These pouches contain various medicinal remedies and antidotes. The Tabard is stamped with a 4-section pattern of white and navy blue. The blouse is white and tied with string at the wrists. The tunic itself is a shade of navy blue with celtic knotwork stitched in white thread along each hole.

-Liturature
- Bathing
-Rain and Fog
-Coffee and Vodka (together)
-Knights
-Balian of Ibilin
-Richard the Lionheart
-Technology
-Gothic Architecture
- Myth

-Seafood
-Tyranny
-Organized Religion
-Monotony
-Corruption
-Chaos
-Modern Architecture
-The Bronte Sisters
-Most Classical Music
-Shitty "Art"

-Inconsiderate
-Impatient
-Unorganized
-Unpredictable
-Blunt
-Rebellious
-Stubborn
-Reckless

-Wise
-Observant
-Chivalrous
-Honest
-Protective
-Determined
-Willful
-Confident

He’s right handed, and hearing is his most adept sense. He avoids combat whenever he can but he considers it an inevitability and isn't afraid to charge in at a moment's notice.

He has a thing for blonde chicks, particularly humans. This might explain why his Zanpakuto is a blonde female, yet he has no sexual attraction towards his partner. She is his closest friend, though. And they talk on a regular basis.

Arwyr has few friends and tends to work alone, but he makes a point to go out of his way to fight alongside the Quincy and Fullbringers nearby. They trust him, but they aren't friends. He's currently fighting alongside the Consecro against the Sins while trying to negotiate some kind of peace between the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo using the Sins as a common enemy.

He admires humans and tries his best to remember his own human life, but long years as a Shinigami have taken their toll on his memory and he remembers little to nothing about his life. That doesn't stop him from relating to humans better than anyone else, though.

Sexualy, Arwyr isn’t very active, but he doesn’t shy away from women by any means. He will always speak to a pretty girl and introduce himself. Whether anything comes out of it or not, that just depends. He’s very fatherly to those he cares about, and practices caution and careful planning over emotional reaction and instinct. He’s also managed to perfect the art of cursing, able to string together a paragraph of cusses without repeating himself even once. He mostly does it for fun, but he’s also a casual foul-mouth. He’ll throw cusses around like they were normal words. People have noted this behavior as stupid or immature, but in all honesty, it’s just the way he talks. He also has a rather sick and twisted sense of humor.

Most importantly, Arwyr has developed such an intimate control over his Zanpakuto and his own reiatsu, that he can convey emotion with his spirit energy. By increasing and decreasing the release of energy and even altering the wavelengths at which the energy travels, he can depict many different emotions, allowing him to silently communicate his mood or feelings to those around him. He’s able to comfort others, tell them that he’s mad or upset or even laugh without saying a word. He can even simply make people feel uneasy, like an itching feeling in the back of their head.

No.

name:Arian Gwynadain (Silver White Wing)
Alias:Aria

sealed form: Gwynadain takes on the form of a tempered western longsword. The sword’s six-inch hilt is wrapped in thin, navy-dyed leather. The small silver pommel isn’t pretty, per say, and is just large enough to balance the weapon perfectly. The guard is a simple rectangular cross-guard, and on either side of the rectangle, the phrase “Yr wyf yn tarian y bobl.” (I am the people’s shield) is carved in gaelic script. On the long tapered blade, at the balance point, a celtic knotwork tree is indented. Beside that, running along the length of the blade for the first six inches, is the phrase “Yr wyf yn cyrraedd y angel yn” (I am the angel’s reach.)

spirit: Gwynadain is female in gender, which is rare among male shinigami. She has long blonde hair, often left hanging to her waist, and blue eyes. She has an athletic build, but her chest is far from lacking. Her personality resembles that of an angel, very calm and collected. She is quiet and, much like Arwyr, prefers to listen than to speak. She isn’t almighty in her opinion of herself, though, and has a humble way about her, often being found in the streets of Arwyr’s inner world. Yet, despite her angelic demeanor, she can also be utterly human, teasing Arwyr, cracking jokes, and other normal social behaviors. Her appearance changes with each release.

When her form is sealed, she appears as a she-warrior wielding a lance. Her clothing is loose and her armor is very light while her cloths are mostly shades of gold and brown. When she enters shikai state, very little changes about her appearance, save that her armor becomes slightly heavier, with light metal pauldrons, plate-boots, and metal bracers. Her Lance is exchanged for her Shikai sword and a shield, but she also gains these fluctuating threads of light that sprout from her back like wings. When she enters Bankai form, she is covered in a full suit of armor and great wings of hard-light grow from her back.

inner world: His inner world alters depending on circumstance, release, and mood. Mood changes the weather to reflect it, while release changes the environment and circumstance changes the state of said environment. Without release, his inner world is a great village full of renaissance architecture surrounded by massive walls and bustling with animals and people. Upon Shikai, the world changes to a mountainous plain full of grass and high peaks and populated with horses and small villages scattered about. When in Bankai, his inner world becomes a medieval fortress with a surrounding city all on an island in the middle of the sky; the world is upside down and the clouds float beneath the castle.

release command: Amddiffyn y Diniwed (Defend the innocent), Arian Gwynadain.

description: Upon activation, Gwynadain shimmers in a blinding light which is used as a blanket to shield the transformation. The Zanpakuto twists and curls about itself until the light fades, revealing an altered form. The pommel opens and wraps itself around a polished topaz while the guard extends slightly and warps up into two silver and gold winglike arches with runes etched into them. In the center of the guard, a round topaz stone forms, embellishing the weapon. The blade splits down the center, remaining the same length but leaving a large gap in the blade’s center. This gap fills with shimmering golden hard-light reishi which extends to create the tip of the sword. The entirety of the blade glows with a sliver light. On his other arm, a large, silver, single-crown-tipped heater shield forms. The coat-of-arms is detailed in a four-square pattern with alternating colors of navy-blue and white.

type: Angelic, Light

techniques:
For: Shikai
Name: Glaw o Golau (Rain of Light)
Type: Offensive/Kido
Cooldown: 3 posts
Duration: 5 post maximum.
Cost: Low to Medium
Range: Long
Description: By drawing a circle in the air with Gwynadain, Arwyr creates a series of 12 six-foot, hard-light spears. The spears disperse, hovering around his body in the circle formation, pointed in whatever direction he’s looking. These spears can then be fired off at any rate: all at once, one at a time, in groups of three/two/four etc. The damage dealt by these spears varies dependent on the enemy’s HAN. However, the strength of the hard-light and the shear velocity of the projectiles grants them the ability to pierce thick solid objects like concrete and marble. The spears can also be used to pin a target to a surface, if the power is reduced. The spears can be shattered or deflected by a HAK equal to(deflected) or higher than(shattered) Arwyr’s SEI. The cooldown does not begin until all spears have been fired.

For: Shikai
Name: Llosgi Golau (Burning Light)
Type: Passive
Cooldown: 3 posts
Duration: 2 posts
Cost: Very Low
Range: Short
Description: Arwyr’s sword glows with a celestial light that sets anything they touch ablaze with a golden white mist-like light. The effects and behaviors of this strange light are similar to those of a slow-burning fire. This light can’t be extinguished by normal means, unless the person doing so has a SEI higher than or equal to Arwyr’s. When metal objects like Zanpakuto are struck by this, they will begin to melt very slowly and the points of contact will glow bright white; this effect only lasts for the duration of the contact.


For: Shikai
Name: Dimolau Ddall (Lightless blind)
Type: Utility
Cooldown: 2 posts
Duration: 2.5 seconds IC (one post)
Cost: Low
Range: Single Target
Description: By actively influencing the flow of light into his target’s eyes, Arwyr can blind his foe by keeping the light from passing through their pupils. The target’s vision becomes completely black. A SEI higher than Arwyr’s can be used to negate his influence over the light, rendering the technique useless.

For: Shikai
Name: Tarian Gryf (Mighty Shield)
Type: Passive/Defensive
Cooldown: once per post
Cost: Very Low
Range: Self
Description: Arwyr’s shield maintains the ability to block any incoming Kido or Kido-based abilities, including Cero, if the enemy’s SEI is less than or equal to Arwyr’s.When an attack is blocked, the shield glows with a faint golden aura that actively nullifies the incoming energy, dispersing it in a white mist-like light.The shield can also block combat based abilities, but a HAK higher than his SEI can nullify the defensive aspect, rendering the guard like a block from his Zanpakuto.

.

name: Sanctaidd Arian Gwynadain (Celestial Silver White Wing)

description: In order to initiate the Bankai transformation, Arwyr holds his sword parallel to his body, bringing the blade within an inch of his nose. After the words are uttered, a massive explosion of light and white reiatsu flare out from his position, throwing dust up in great gusts of wind. The energy fades as quickly as it arrived, but when the dust settles, the changes became more apparent. His hair grows out and becomes white, while his eyes shift to a lighter grey. Two shining white wings, whose feathers are actually razor-sharp blades of hard-light, sprout from his back and extend far to either side. His body has been cloaked in a suit of plate armor over his standard clothing. The plate armor is not all covering and offers a full range of mobility and a good amount of protection. The hue of his clothing becomes red and white, and a hood forms on his tabard, hanging off the back of his breast-plate. Gwynadain maintains the form of her Shikai state, but the shield has become the wings and the armor, so he now only carries a single weapon.

type: Angelic, Light

stat upgrades: REI +3, SEI +2, HOH +3,

techniques:
For: Bankai
Name: Tarianadain Anfeidrol (Winged Infinity Shield)
Type: Passive/Defensive
Cooldown: 3 posts
Cost: Medium
Range: 100m.
Description: The passive aspect of this ability remains similar to the Shikai counterpart, using his wings instead of the shield. The wings of light can be used to block any Kido/Kido-based abilities, including Cero, if the attacker’s SEI is less than or equal to Arwyr’s, When an ability is blocked, the wings emit a golden aura that dissolves the energy as it impacts, turning attacks into a mist-like light. The active portion of this ability simply allows Arwyr to detach the wings and defend someone else from an incoming attack. The wings can also block combat based abilities, but a HAK higher than his SEI can nullify the defensive aspect, rendering the guard like a block from his Zanpakuto.

For: Bankai
Name: Garthu'r Tân (Purging Flame)
Type: Passive
Cooldown: 2 posts
Duration: 3 posts
Cost: low
Range: N/A
Description: Arwyr’s sword glows with a celestial light that sets anything they touch ablaze with a golden white mist-like light. The effects and behaviors of this strange light are similar to those of rapidly burning fire. This light can’t be extinguished by normal means, unless the person doing so has a SEI higher than or equal to Arwyr’s. When metal objects like Zanpakuto are struck by this, they will begin to melt and the points of contact will glow bright white.

For: Bankai
Name: Tŵr (Tower)
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 10 posts
Cost: high
Range: Single Target/ Full range
Description: Similar to Byakuya’s Senkei technique, the wings on the user’s back dissipate and the hard-light feathers form a cylindrical battleground that cannot be penetrated from the outside. From the outside, the technique appears as a massive gleaming pillar of light. On the inside, it grows dark, with the only light source being the billions of dancing feathers that circle the combatants. The feathers will then take turns, one by one, slicing away at Arwyr’s foe. Some of the feathers remain as his wings. Only a Sei of 5 greater or more can break through to either escape or enter the tower. However, one thing to be known is that if the tower is broken, it will explode, sending the feathers out in every direction, with a higher focus on the direction of the break. 5 post duration.

For: Bankai
Name: Angel o Dynged (Angel of Fate)
Type: Offensive
Cooldown: 16 posts
Cost: Massive
Range: N/A
Description: Arwyr’s wings disperse in a vibrant display of gold and silver hues. The hard-light feathers shoot outward into the air, hovering for a moment and creating a sort of cloud. After about a second, the thousands of feathers converge on a single location beside Arwyr. They swirl about chaotically until they begin to evaporate into a mist that forms the materialization of Sanctaidd Arian Gwynadain, his Zanpakuto. She will then fight at Arwyr’s side wielding all of her own abilities, excluding Angel o Dynged. Arwyr sacrifices his wings here, and therefore loses two of his four Bankai techniques. However, Gwynadain can herself use those techniques that Thurstan sacrifices. Sanctaidd Arian Gwynadain can remain present for 4 posts. Her stats are equal to his in every way. During hollowfication, this technique draws out an altered form of Gwynadain, same abilities, different appearance. This appearance is far more akin to Duonadain, with crimson wings and darker colors.

name: Duonadain (Black Wing)
Alias: Alice

appearance: Duonadain is a female, the only known female hollow spirit to inhabit a male visored. This in itself is strange, but even stranger is that her appearance is almost a feminine mix between Arwyr and Gwynadain. She has a beautiful complexion about her and carries herself like nobility, like a knight. Her hair is ebony and her eyes are a golden yellow. She wears no armor, like Gwynadain, instead she is often seen wearing a black blouse, a black miniskirt, and a thigh-high pair of leather boots. Her left arm is sleeved, while her right arm is not, but her right arm does bear a bicep-length glove. On her left middle finger, she wears a gold ring and around her waist a loose white belt from which her own Gwynadain swings.

personality:Duonadain is calm and collected in her manner, but she believes every living being to be inferior to herself. She has a pride complex, and holds herself in high regard even though she’d never express this out loud. To her, everything else is a worthless waste of life that should be extinguished. She is bloodthirsty, but often feels as though most beings aren’t even worth her time. She only enjoys fighting the strongest forms of life, those that pose a real threat to her own existence and the existence of her host. Strangely enough, she cares for Arwyr and Gwynadain, but this would be something that she’d never admit. She may want control over the body form and control over his mind, but she has come to realize that his death means her death; they must fight together to survive. She rarely fights against his will in battle, except in situations where the opponent he faces is far more powerful than himself. In these cases, she voraciously attempts to gain control because her thirst for a worthy adversary overwhelms her. She is an amusing girl, but her sense of humor is as sick and twisted as Arwyr’s so they are often able to joke around more than he and Gwynadain. However, Duonadain is insensitive, judgemental, and not a good listener by any means, making her not good for long conversations.

hollow mask: The mask conceals most of Arwyr’s face, however, rather than cover his chin, it splits into two downward-facing, tusk-like protrusions. His chin and lower lip are exposed through the mask. Running the length of his jaw, following the line of his teeth, is a row of large white teeth on either side. These teeth separate when he speaks, moving with his jaw and giving the wicked illusion of a speaking hollow. The teeth on the upper jaw travel across his face entirely, concealing most of his upper lip. Beneath and around the eyes is black celtic knotwork, as well as on either side of his lower jaw.

stat upgrades: HAK +2, HOH +1, SEI+1

Human Life

Arwyr o Afalon was born to Welsh nobility rumored to be descended from the line of King Arthur on November 11th, 1165. The first and only surviving son of Sir Taren o Afalon and Lady Adara Aurgadwyn, Arwyr was allowed to experience a much more intelligent way of life than most other children of the era. His natural wisdom and physical aptitude made him a prime candidate for knighthood and was sent off to live with his uncle, as was tradition, at the age of seven. Before this, however, Arwyr was educated in the arts and the mediocre forms of science that were available at the time, mostly mechanical science and the development of technology and architecture. He was also tutored in the languages of welsh, latin, and english. His mathematical skills were always sub-par but his astounding memory of historical events and technological theory tended to throw a shadow over his failures.

He and his only surviving sister, Aledwen o Afalon, became very close during this period, watching as their five other siblings perished one by one from disease, infected wounds, and animal attacks. It was a rough time for them both, but Arwyr took the brunt of it. His sister was two years younger than he, who, as the first born, shouldered the responsibility of defending all his siblings. He could do nothing to save his siblings as they perished and when Aledwen was all that remained, he vowed to keep her safe. He spent all of his time with her, assisting her with daily chores, helping her with her lessons. Their connection grew until the day Arwyr was to leave.

On December 7th, 1172, Arwyr was taken away by his uncle to Castle Dover where he would be raised as a young lord. His uncle, Sir Bran Ab Arthwr, was a harsh man. His methods were sensible, but sometimes cruel. Arwyr lived through his role as a page for quite some time. For seven whole years he was a servant to the nobility of Castle Dover, assisting the ladies of the house with daily duties and receiving weekly lessons to further educate the boy. On October 23, 1179, Arwyr was approved for the title of Esquire, and was hence squired to his uncle.

Bran squired the boy for seven more years slowly training him in every form of combat, particularly the sword and for to-be-disclosed reasons, the bow. Arwyr was an astounding equestrian and quickly learned how to break and ride a horse with relative ease compared to most men of the land. His skill with the sword was remarked to be one of the best of his age as was his ability to dismount a man with a polearm. Among all the skills he gained, however, there was one in particular that he was trained in more often than the rest: the use of his Quincy powers.

He was finally informed why he could see ghosts, hollows, and other spiritual beings. He learned the ancient ways of the Quincy and the use of the Sanrei Glove. As a replacement for the everyday battles that most squires were forced to take part in as a portion of their training, Arwyr was trained to fight hollows and sometime, in rare cases, shinigami. The servants of the house and those without a powerful reiatsu were simply told that he Arwyr and Bran were hunting bandits on a day to day basis.

At the age of 21, on December 19th, 1186 Arwyr was knighted and dubbed Sir Arwyr o Afalon, Knight of Wales. It was during this time that Saladin had begun to muster his forces against the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Sir Arwyr, having recently been appointed as a Knight of Afalon, traveled to the port city of Acre, arriving on April 11th, 1187. He and the soldiers of Avalon stayed in Acre for three weeks, where they met the Baron of Ibelin, Balian, and his men. After another fortnight in the city, they traveled to Jerusalem which they used as a base for scouting missions across the desert. The summers in the desert were a merciless thing that Arwyr had never encountered, and it was here that he discovered his hatred for the long sands of the middle east. Deserts sicken him now.

On July 4th of that year, Arwyr’s father refused to follow Guy De Lusignan and the army of Jerusalem into combat against Saladin. On that day, the army of Jerusalem was completely destroyed and not a single man was left alive save King Guy himself. the king was allowed to live, but was embarrassed to the fullest extent of Saladin’s power. The defense of Jerusalem was left to the Knight’s of Ibelin and Afalon. Many people were evacuated from the city before the siege began on September 20th, but not all the civilians could escape. Many simply refused to leave.

On October 2nd 1187, Jerusalem was surrendered to Saladin who agreed to escort the people of out of the city and offer them safe passage to Acre where they could return to their homelands. Taren o Afalon would not return, as his body was buried outside the walls of the holy city and his sword and shield with him. Arwyr, however, returned home and continued his duties as both a Quincy and a Lord. For the first time since he left for Castle Dover, he saw his sister Aledwen. She had grown into a beautiful, talented, and adventurous young woman. Sadly, she’d fallen into illness shortly before his return and died in 1188.

In 1189, he was called upon again to fight for the crown and served under King Richard the Lionheart during the third Crusade. After the reclaiming of the Acre by Richard III, Arwyr perished in battle at Arsuf when an axe cleaved his shield in two, shattering his wrist and proceeding to bury itself in his stomach.

Rukongai

Arwyr awoke in Rukongai after his death in 1191 along with an influx of other deceased souls, most of them Muslim in origin. His appearance in North Rukongai’s district 3 獅子心 “Shishikokoro” “Lionheart”. It was here that Arwyr was adopted immediately into a wealthy family on the countryside, for it was in their guest chambers that he incarnated. They were all European born, but the home they lived in was of the Eastern Architecture that he’d been informed of in his books. The arching tiled roofs and the sliding paper doors were all relatively fascinating to him. It took him quite some time to truly understand where he was. He was not in heaven, but a place called Soul Society. He needn’t convince himself that this wasn’t purgatory, or some form of hell. Arwyr knew full well where he was and what he was doing. However, having been a Quincy in life, he was far from urgent to join the ranks of the Shinigami. They and his people hadn’t exactly been the closest of friends and Arwyr distinctly remembered being forced to kill at least four shinigami during his life.

“The worst part,” he recalls in his journal, “about being a quincy and a knight is battle. Whenever you cut someone down, you can still see their ghost and the ghosts of others who’ve died.”

Sir Arwyr remained a Knight to his new family. He provided for them with both food and money. He defended them from the occasional thief and was in almost constant contact with the closest doctor. He vowed to defend these people with his life, just as he had done so many times before. Peace and sanctuary overtook his life for almost 100 years before the recruiters finally came knocking on his door. During this 100 years, Arwyr made a good number of acquaintances and close friends. His new family was small and kind, but the property they owned was rather large. Over 100 acres of land belonged to them alone which provided a perfect amount of land for horseback riding and even private hunting in the nearby woodland.

In year 27 of his time in Rukongai, Arwyr met a lady by the name of Adalicia von Brandtberg. She was sweet and kindhearted but wild and adventurous. She was the kind of girl that could keep a man’s heart alive for all eternity. She could dance, sing, and play the violin. She could ride like no other and was even able to match Arwyr in swordsmanship. They were the perfect match. In year 34, Arwyr proposed to Adalicia who graciously accepted. Within a year, they’d been married. The two fell deeply in love and each held the other’s heart in their hands. For 60 years they loved each other, living in harmony and bliss. It wasn’t until his 93rd year in the Soul Society that they were finally separated. She was called to be a Shinigami, and, despite his pleas, Adalicia joined them.


Arwyr was conflicted and fearful. He never hated the ones who trained behind the great walls of Seireitei, but his uneasiness towards them seemed too restless. He couldn’t shake this uncomfortable feeling in his mind. It wasn’t until five years after Adalicia joined them, they offered him a place in the Soul Reaper Academy which he promptly declined. His family was disappointed, however, and after three years of persuasion they and the recruiters finally convinced him to attend the academy with his darling wife.

Seireitei

Arwyr took the academy’s test and passed with flying colors. His ability to manipulate reishi and effectively control his own reiatsu far surpassed those that took the test with him and blew the previous record out of the water. Still, his score wasn’t high enough to allow him entry anywhere passed year four. He spent most of his time with Adalicia, but they had few classes together. Even though he’d managed to skip two years of schooling, she was still a year ahead of him. Arwyr continued to astound his teachers and peers as he soared through the lessons with skill in every subject. His Zanjutsu surpassed his other skills by a milestone, as his previous experience with the sword made everything reactive to his muscle memory. His Hakuda scores were less than spectacular, but he managed to keep up with the rest of the class, even if his hand-to-hand abilities were dwarfed in comparison to his skill with a blade. His Hohō grades were above average, and they were certainly impressive for a student. He placed at the top of his class in this subject, while even surpassing many of the students in the two classes above his own.
His Kido grades were average at best. He was by no means bad, but he simply couldn’t keep up with the students that held a proficiency in the Demon Arts.

After three years at school, his wife, Adalicia, graduated from the academy and went on to place as the third seat of Squad 4. She was never much of a fighter, but her Kido grades were the best in her class, and her Hoho was Lieutenant level. Her assignment made perfect sense, and she was happy with it, as was Arwyr. He knew that she would be kept safe in Squad 4, which rarely entered into any actual combat. Arwyr didn’t see his wife for another year as he completed his time in the academy. He graduated as valedictorian of his class, with the highest overall score. His Zanjutsu marks were some of the highest the academy had ever seen, as were his Hoho scores. His Kido scores had improved vastly since his arrival and he graduated with top marks in this field as well. The only educational area where he seemed to be lacking was his Hakuda score. His hand-to-hand combat skills, while still above par, were shameful for a valedictorian. This alone said quite a bit about the rest of those who graduated with him, none of which were befitting seated positions in any of the Gotei 13.

Arwyr, however, was almost immediately given the rank of Lieutenant -- after a series of debates between the captains and the heads of school. He was placed as lieutenant of Squad 10 for quite some time. He and his darling wife Adalicia spent much of their time together when not on duty, but their jobs did keep them apart more often than they’d have liked. The Captain of Squad 10 at the time Isshin Kurosaki, was a flimsy man who often avoided work to drink, sleep, and enjoy women. So, Arwyr was left to do most of the paperwork. Nonetheless, Isshin was a good captain and taught Arwyr much.

A lot can happen in the Soul Society, especially when age doesn’t factor in as well as the world of the living. 160 years went by and nothing of importance happened. A captain stepped down in squad 3 and another was appointed. Shinigami were slain by hollows and the reports came back almost daily. “Another one dead,” they would say, as if their brethren were just lambs to be sacrificed in the name of their heathen gods. Still, every soldier that died had at least one person to grieve for him. Arwyr could do so little in his position. He was a lieutenant, and was so very rarely sent to the human world. It seemed to be his duty to do papers and prevent barfights from breaking out more than it was to slay hollows.

Still, he began to understand the Shinigami, who they were, and what they believed. It turned out that they weren’t very different from the humans they were born from. Many of these people were probably Quincies once, or fullbringers. They had emotions, hearts, souls and everything that humans had. They simply lived on another plain of reality that humans were never offered with ability to gaze upon. Slowly, Arwyr began to forget his mortal life. At the age of 285, he had spent more time here than he would ever spend in the world of the living. He became a Shinigami through and through, and when he started to consciously realize this, he decided it was time for him to truly engage with his Zanpakuto.

He’d known her name, yes, but spoke to her rarely. He’d never admitted to himself that he had been afraid of her until then. It was that admission of his weakness that allowed him to accept her for what she was: part of him. He began to study her and train with her more vigorously than he ever had before. Arwyr asked his captain for assistance and so the two men trained voraciously. Arwyr showed improvement at an astounding pace. He trained in Rukongai, far from the Seireitei, so that the upper echelon would not so easily noticed his increase in power. It was during a training exercise with the Captain of squad 10 that Arwyr’s wife left to the world of the living to heal a defeated team in Italy. She never returned.

Arwyr was wracked with grief and a broken heart. He’d spent almost 200 years with Adalicia and her death left with him with a hole in his hope. He became a broken man and gave up on his Bankai training for almost 20 years. He watched the Captain of Squad 11 get cut down and as swiftly replaced with his killer. He noted the demotion of a lieutenant in another squad and the deaths of more and more shinigami to hollows.

It was at the end of this 20 year period that he had an epiphany. His Zanpakuto materialized herself for the first time. She was gorgeous and strong and held herself like a knight, like a Joan of Arc. Her posture alone was enough to remind him of who he was. Not just a Shinigami, not just a deceased Quincy, but a Knight. He was Sir Arwyr o Afalon and he was a defender of the weak and follower of Chivalry. He’d be damned if he let Chivalry die with Adalicia. His decision was swift and his determination, indeniable. He would achieve Bankai and become a Captain to honor his wife’s name. She was Lady Adalicia o Afalon and he would bear her heart on with him.

It took him almost 60 years of training to perfect it. He stopped doing papers, leaving all the work to the third seat while the Captain continued to break protocol, leaving for the living world on a whim month after month. Arwyr did nothing but meditate and train himself for years. He broke his body again and again but he never stopped standing back up. His Zanpakuto helped him survive. She gave him everything he needed to continue. He spoke to her for days at a time without sleep or food. The massive fluxes in reiatsu could be felt a dozen kilometers away in the Seireitei. These fluxes became daily routine for most of them for those 60 long years.

He went on only two missions during this period, both of which involved the destruction of Menos. He completed these in record time, as did he complete his Bankai training. Finally, when he returned to the Seireitei after achieving Bankai, he was greeted by several Captains. They had obviously noticed that he had been training and it was easy to make an assumption as to his accomplishment. It turned out that the Captain of Squad 3 had been killed by a Vasto Lorde and they needed a replacement. Arwyr graciously accepted the offer and was soon dubbed the Captain of Squad 3.

Captain Arwyr o Afalon. He liked the ring of it. Many called him the Knight-Captain since he never wore the traditional shihakusho but instead wore a medieval western style of clothing. No one except the the other Captains and his lieutenant had seen his Bankai, but rumors quickly spread of the Guardian Angel among the Gotei 13, a great winged warrior who fought in battle with both shield and sword. Not only this, but he was also recognized as being an astounding tactician fully qualified to be the Captain of the 3rd Squad.

He continued to serve as Captain peacefully for several hundred more years, until almost 120 years ago…

Hollowfication

Approximately 120 years ago, Arwyr left the Seireitei to investigate a disturbance in one of Rukongai’s many forests. He had actually taken the day to journey to the mountain at which he performed his bankai training. He liked the place and visited it almost monthly, when his schedule permitted. While he was out, a familiar reiatsu began to fluctuate nearby, and rather chaotically at that. He recognized the reiatsu as belonging to Aurel, the captain of Squad 9. Arwyr noticed something wrong almost immediately. The reiatsu was distorted and had an almost hollow-like consistency. The most practical thing for Arwyr to do was investigate the the source of the disturbance.

The closer Arwyr got to Aurel’s location, the greater the sheer weight of the reiatsu grew. It began to feel as though Arwyr was traveling through a heavy sheet of rain. Finally, he approached the scene and to his horror found his fellow captain in a twisted state of partial hollowfication. The man was writhing on the ground as the white mask had begun to consume his face. The trees in the general vicinity were destroyed and the ground had been torn up. With nothing else on his mind, Arwyr drew his Zanpakuto and prepared to fight as Aurel launched himself at him.

The battle was long and painful for them both. Even Arwyr’s Bankai was hardly enough to contain the sheer volume of power that Aurel was exerting. Finally though, after almost 90 minutes of bloody combat, Aurel returned to his original form. However, both Gwynadain and Arwyr were left in a terrible state. Both bloody and battered, covered in cuts and bite marks, Gwynadain returned to Arwyr’s inner world and the two men involved slept for several days.

Several weeks passed, before Arwyr began to notice slight changes to his inner world. Occasionally, he’d be unable to find Gwynadain and nothing but a sickened laughter would follow him. When he tried to speak to her on occasion, a different voice would answer, a darker voice, twisted and evil. He felt something coming to claim him, as though a creature within was trying to devour his heart pulse by pulse. Knowing nowhere else to turn, Arwyr turned to Aurel who was able to quickly determine his situation.

They traveled to Arwyr’s training mountain together, where Aurel first showed his mask to Arwyr. The altered energy had an immediate effect on Arwyr’s awakening inner hollow, spurring it into a rampage. Aurel’s words began to fade as Arwyr was forced into his inner world. There, he met his inner hollow for the first time and for what felt like an eternity they fought, destroying the world around them. In the end, Arwyr prevailed, maintaining control of his body and gaining command over his hollow.

Today

After gaining control of his Hollow, Arwyr soon realized that there was more in this universe for him to do than the Soul Society could give him access. He waited for many years before abandoning the Seireitei in the night. He’s been hiding with the Quincy in the world of the living, and also spending a good amount of time in Hueco Mundo, both killing hollows and trying to make peace with the Espada. The recent death of the Espada Queen has put a damper on his plans, however, since the only other espada strong enough to take control didn’t exactly get along with Arwyr. He has many connections in the consecro, but one in particular, the Obelisk of Temperance, was like a daughter to him. He raised her from a very young age.

His relationship with the Soul Society is shaky at best. He still has friends among their ranks, three of them being captains, but he is technically considered an AWOL deserter. Protocol dictates that he be reprimanded and either formally resigned, jailed, or executed but his friend Jin has told him the Soul Society has more to worry about than an AWOL Captain that’s being more of a help than a nuisance.

What I wouldn’t give for a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. Derek just wanted to go home, back to the way things were before the lockdown, before the Cataclysm, before...this. Mentally, he swung his arm out across his field of vision, passing it over the harsh landscape before him. Broken remnants of the Old World spanned as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains drew a border on the horizon. It was the most western point to which Derek had ever been, having spent most of his time at the salt-water treatment plant at the edge of New Boston. He had a job to do though, and quickly shook the memories of the past from his mind.

His right hand reached up, wrapping itself around the back of his neck. He rolled his head to the side and around, enjoying the faint pop in his upper spine.

“Aw, that’s nice.” He expressed aloud to the two people here that could here him: he and God. Well, he thought, might as well get this over with. The descent down the hill was more like tumbling down a children’s slide made of rocks and broken glass. If he hadn’t been wearing his thick jeans, his legs would’ve been torn from ankle to hip. Even so, they were still burning from the skin that was peeled away beneath the denim. As Derek came to a hard stop, he fell into an instinctive tuck-and-roll routine before bringing himself to his feet. While his legs were better off, his uncovered forearms were scraped by the pile of rubble. It wasn’t a grave wound, more of an annoyance. However, it still warranted some kind of light treatment at another time.

“Shit, whatever.” He raised his rifle, pressing the butt into his shoulder, and doing a quick sweep of the area. This place was what remained of small town whose name had been long forgotten. The sign’s state of decay left them too far gone to read. It was just another piece of history left to the wastes; nothing worth investigating. Derek nibbled lightly on his lower lip as the barrel of his gun fell towards the ground and his feet began to carry him to the first building. It was interesting to him that after all this time, life could still flourish here. There were rodents racing across the broken street, and a lone dove resting on what was left of a Starbucks sign. He eyed the animals just as he paused at the entrance to a liquor store.

There was an air of uneasiness about the building. Even the animals seemed nervous. Derek’s lip chewing hasted as his teeth viciously violated the pink flesh. There was no sound coming from within, unlike the chirping and pitter-patter of the outside. Perhaps this was why his gut was churning with anxiety. A deep inhale helped to ease the tension before he raised his rifle again, using his forward thumb to flick on the mounted flashlight.

The interior was covered in animal feces and waste, along with shattered bottles of the dream-killing drink of men. His thick toed boot kicked past an empty absinthe as he hustled into a firing stance before snapping from aisle to aisle with his eyes set on anything that might be. Finally, something. A small, frail human form curled in the corner, hiding behind a pile of shredded boxes. Her eyes were large and her complexion, young. Her age could not have exceeded 16. In her arms, a small, filthy, stuffed rabbit with off-white fur and a missing ear was squeezed tightly.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” This was the escapee they sent me to kill? He couldn’t fathom it. She was too innocent, too young. But the description had said:

Female
Minor
Pink Hair
Pale Skin
Shoot On Sight.

I specialize in killing men, not kids.

“Hey,” he spoke, roughly, his deep voice carrying an edge of coldness or sorrow. She shrank away, tightening her grip on the little stuffed animal. “Relax, I’m not here to hurt you.” His rifle hung from the strap on his vest dangling against his chest. “C’mon. Let’s see if we can’t find you some clothes.”

Finally, a reason not to go back…

AV-0

HAN: 12
REI: 17 (+3)
HAK: 15 (+2)
SEI: 16 (+3)
BUK: 16
HOH: 15 (+4)
Points Earned: 1
Total points: 91

Tas

Suraelia Mora - Obelisk of Temperance
Accalia Swanguard - Captain of Squad 8