Radiel
Morning. Sunrise brings life back to the hushed world, its first rays of sunlight sketching bizarre shapes out of the shadows.
For some reason, the sense of smell always returns first. Over time, this became a game — it was interesting to try and guess which scents would be the first you'd perceive in a new day after your nose fell off the previous one. They could be anything, depending on where you met the dawn. After all, every night was sleepless, and who knows where the nocturnal roamings would lead. This time, the surrounding smells were of wild nature, so pleasantly overwhelming after a prolonged lack of smell. The forest rustled with its branches, sounds so familiar and dear, as if from a past life. This was definitely better than coming to somewhere in a musty storage room or a dirty alley.
— Didn't guess right...
A barely audible rasp. The vocal cords work strangely right after the reverse transformation, feeling as if they hadn't been used for years, though hardly even twelve hours had passed. Touch was gradually returning as well. Lying on the roots was becoming uncomfortable.
Blink, once more. Eyes were watering, his back was starting to ache, and the heavy hammer of his heartbeat echoed in his head. Feeling the weight of mortal flesh again after a night of inhumanity — despite several years having passed in service to the Nightmare, this feeling was still indescribable every time.
Birds were singing, a light breeze swayed the tree branches. Leaves rustled softly, tinted in golden tones by the dawn's sun rays breaking through the lush crowns. Under their shade, an elf stretched lazily, inhaling the fresh air with pleasure. Idyllic. Was this a common sight in the elven homeland?
Quite possibly, but that's not the point now. Where are all the belongings?
Nearby was only the trusty lute, lying forlornly among the roots. It looked funny now — so ordinary, unremarkable. Not like at night. It was great that he brought it along, but he should retrieve the rest of his luggage.
Last night was especially wild. His sparkling performance really tore the audience apart. And it seemed he even tore some of them almost literally. Got a bit carried away, what can you do. He was still learning to control his abilities. He'd probably better not roam the city after sunset now, so he shouldn't linger. Radiel got up, walked back and forth a bit, readjusting to his breathing rhythm and living limbs, then slung the lute over his back and set off.
***
Noon. The scorching sun beat down mercilessly.
Radiel wiped the sweat from his brow and, dragging his feet wearily, moved further along the city outskirts, wincing at the stench of gutters. At moments like this, his own living flesh began to annoy him. Not enough to decide to shed it right now, though. Besides, he should first retrieve his things without drawing unnecessary attention. It's one thing if an elf walks into a tavern, and quite another if a walking corpse does, especially since the townsfolk had surely gathered to discuss the night's events over a mug of brew.
And indeed.
— Did you hear? Last night in the square, a dragon appeared out of nowhere! A bone dragon, terrifying as death itself. And it blasted the air with devilish green flame! Then it flew away.
— Go sleep it off, buddy, you've had too much of that green fire.
— No, it's true! I saw it myself!
Radiel, passing by, smirked. But something bothered him. Out of nowhere? What about his brilliant performance before that? Everyone was talking about the dragon, as if they'd forgotten the musical wonders he had shown.
— Right, a dragon, of course. What else will you tell me?
— Well, I've told you everything. Oh, though... Before that, some crazy skeleton in a top hat put on a concert in the middle of the night, woke up everyone in the neighborhood. Really bad music, some people literally had a seizure. They tried to nab him, but he got away.
— Dragons, skeletons with concerts... That's it, you've drunk yourself into sleepwalking.
Burning with indignation but not showing it, the elf moved away from the chatterers. Ignorant little humans! What do they know about music anyway? Fortunately, on the plus side, retrieving his belongings turned out to be a simple task. After the night's pandemonium, no one cared about an elf — as if, he's almost like a human. Unlike the incredible bone monster.
***
Evening. The blood-red sun hid behind the horizon. Soon, darkness would descend upon the land.
This time he was lucky — it's not often he gets to be in front of a mirror at the moment of the Nightmare's gift descending. Radiel found some peculiar grim pleasure in witnessing the transformation process firsthand, though many would find it repulsive and terrifying. Just a little while left, a minute or two. His reflection looked back with anticipation, its gaze slowly tracing the fine features of his face as if memorizing them — when would he see such a sight again.
There it is, it's beginning. He felt it earlier, and now it was finally time for it to manifest. The gleam in his eyes faded, they seemed to dim. Skin rapidly wrinkled, hair falling over his face overtaken by gray. The elf in the mirror turned into an old man in an instant, but that was only the beginning. The face became deathly pale, dried lips turned blue and cracked as Radiel twisted them into a grin, greeting death as he had done many times before — for him, it was just routine. Something like a daily parody, but still so spectacular. Flaking skin hung in tatters from what had moments ago been a handsome elven visage and fell away, turning to dust and baring the skull, eyes clouded over with whiteness.
Darkness. Stupid living eyesight, always giving out at the most interesting moment. He could only imagine his nose falling off, and his rotting eyes sinking into their sockets. It wasn't painful at all; at the same moment came a strange feeling of freedom and lightness — as if after a long day on the road, you finally shed your heavy gear.
The picture gradually returned. The new reflection had nothing in common with the previous one; a deathly grin flashed its teeth.
The Child of the Nightmare had once again appeared in the world.
Child of the Nightmare
Donning his extravagant top hat with sewn-in long curly hair, the skeleton picked up the lute. The unremarkable instrument burst into green flame, and when it subsided, a different one appeared in Radiel's hands, shimmering and scattering sparks in the dim light. The body adorned with stylized ribs, the headstock shaped like a grinning beast's muzzle — the Child of the Nightmare summoned his weapon once more to ignite this dreary world with the music of the Abyss!
In those moments, an ecstatic cry always welled up in his chest. But dead lips had no voice. No matter; with this wonder-guitar, he could express himself in ways no living minstrel could ever imagine. A light touch to the strings — and a low, guttural rumble sounded, like an unknown beast stirring in its lair, waking from hibernation. Along with this sound, memories of his last performance flooded back... Maybe not everything went as he wanted, but the ending was definitely a success. He'd have to repeat it someday.
***
Night. Not a single cloud in the sky. People gathered in the square bathed in cold moonlight.
Echoes of the soul-rending cacophony still rang in the air. The crowd buzzed with discontent. Some onlookers lay on the ground with bleeding ears, others bent over them. Armed men drew closer. It seemed there would be no encore.
Oh well. Today's program was complete. Maybe, as a finishing touch, he could polish it with something more spectacular than a simple escape?
Of course! Such a wonderful celebration of art simply must have an epic ending.
The Child of the Nightmare spread its arms in a theatrical gesture. The next moment, it was engulfed by a green pillar of fire that burst open in its place, blazing brightly in the night's gloom, causing the guards to freeze in confusion. But soon, its width was no longer enough to fully conceal the monstrous outlines emerging within it.
Avatar of the Nightmare
A terrifying, unearthly roar pierced the ensuing silence. A torrent of otherworldly flame shot upward, cutting through the dark sky and illuminating the rooftops with its poisonous light. Spreading its wings to their full impressive span, like giant claws held together by shreds of skin, the bone dragon soared up and hovered over the city. The stunned faces of the little people remained far below, and they themselves became like ants, frozen in place, gazing in awe at the most beautiful of the wonders of darkness. A feeling of great power and superiority washed over Radiel so intensely that he almost forgot who he was. At that moment, there was no longer an elven minstrel, nor a reckless skeleton with a guitar. Only him, the Avatar, the incarnation of the Bone Nightmare, bestowing its dark blessing upon this world.
Making a small circle over the city, the monstrous silhouette in the night sky sped towards the moon. For a long time afterward, this vision remained before the eyes of the witnesses.
Religion: local cult
+1 to faith
Cult of the Bone NightmareA follower of the cult finds harmony with the forces of undeath and gains the ability to take on a bestial form devoid of flesh. After sunset or at the brink of death, the character transforms into the Child of the Nightmare (undead immunity to negative effects, can only speak through sign language or a medium). The effect lasts until sunrise, after which the reverse transformation occurs.
Attributes:Physical Development - 10
Dexterity - 8
Perception - 5
Cognitive Abilities - 5
Faith - 15
Beauty - 0
Skills (Radiel):
Inspiring Melody - empowers allies
Accompaniment - enhances the effect of a singer's song
Beginning of the Nightmare - transforms into the Child of the Nightmare (Usable in daylight, possibly with a debuff). Activates automatically if health drops to zero.
Skills (Child of the Nightmare):
Tuning - transforms the musical instrument in hand into a necroguitar, enabling the use of the following abilities:
- Otherworldly Chord - unearthly sounds sow confusion in enemy ranks, slowing them
- Light Show - streams of necroenergy flare up, blinding enemies
- Dissonance - a powerful sonic necroimpulse knocks enemies off their feet and makes their ears bleed
Necrofauna - transforms into a bone hound, a bone triceratops, or a bone eagle (the hound can emit a frightening graveyard howl and has great speed; the triceratops can be used as a mount or to tank in battle; the eagle flies and scouts the area)
Ascension - transforms into the Avatar of the Nightmare (shares the same undead properties plus the ability to fly)
Skills (Avatar of the Nightmare):
Dive - deals heavy physical damage, knocks enemies down
Poison Breath - deals poison damage in an area
Necroenergy Explosion - if there are corpses within range, raises them as allied skeletons, restores health to undead
Infernal Roar - stuns or frightens
Inventory:
Lute - a very ordinary lute that has been through much with Radiel.
Whistle - a small whistle carved from the bone of an unknown creature, good for playing to relax.
Necroguitar - a devilish instrument that can produce sounds on otherworldly frequencies, bringing confusion to the minds of enemies. This item does not belong to the world of the living, so it's not actually among the equipment; only the Child of the Nightmare can summon it.
Performer's Outfit - a flamboyant performer's costume
Performer's Top Hat - image matters even for a skeleton, and this hat even has a wig with elegant hair built in
Savings - a small sum earned from performances
Got a bit tangled up with the abilities, maybe something needs simplifying or even cutting, but the main thing is to preserve the essence of the champ with his transformations...
Небо
