Name:
Curulan Angelicos
Etymology:
In the Naming Language of Arda, Curulan's name is derived from the Old Standard words "curulan" (gift, or reward) and "angeli" (messenger, or harbinger).
Rank and Titles:
Mediators: Clerann Curulan Angelicos
Arda: King-General Curulan Angelicos of the Holy Army; High King of Arda; King of Dorias; Avatar to Bahamut; Red Wings, First Class: White Wing.
Dragon Court: Seneschal Curulan Angelicos, General of the Titan Army, Clan Lieutenant (Titan)
Race:
Dragon (Angel)/Polymorph. Before his death, he was a Symbiont Shell, a unique humanoid race.
Magical Alignment:
Light
Military Division:
Titan Warriors (General of the Titan Army)
Character Overview:
Curulan considers himself primarily a soldier, therefore preferring to take direct action. He leaves planning and strategy to his subordinates, chiefly Commanding General Glofinje of the Holy Army. However, he does have a mind for tactics, as he served under Glofinje both as a soldier and an officer during the Second Darkness War. He prefers to deal problems quickly and efficiently, abandoning flair for whatever it takes to simply get the job done and move on. Curulan favors efficiency above overkill and sees the latter as a waste.
Ability:
Curulan is both a master swordsman and mage, having trained in both as a soldier in the Army of the Ninth Star in his "youth". The wells of Curulan's power and skill run deep, but he swore an oath long ago not to use his full power in other people's battles, unless he or his people (Titan or Dorias) were personally threatened.
As a swordsman, he specializes in all bladed, sword-like weapons, including exotic weapons such as the naginata. Basically, if it looks or works like a sword, knife, or dagger, he knows how to use it and use it well.
As a mage, he is extremely powerful -- at least as powerful as Twist Rolarian and Azrael Nightstar of Clan Titan, if not more (this has yet to be determined). He deals in both offensive and defensive magic and is a fairly powerful healer. He cannot (or rather, does not) resurrect, because any form of necromancy is forbidden on Arda. The Ardan approach to magic is different from most other mages in that Ardan mages deal directly with mana and do not require spells for most of what they do, instead weaving the magic directly from raw mana. Curulan specializes in Temporal Magic -- magic that deals with the flow of time. This allows him to do things as trivial as teleportation (by altering the time variables of the space-time equation, actually reducing the distance), as well as more complex complex tasks such as removing a spell weave before it existed so that it is undetectable. With enough concentration and mana, he can travel across time into the past or future; this sort of action would be very exhausting on him, however. For all other types of magic, especially elemental, he is considered highly skilled and powerful. He can also create small objects, such as hand-held weapons, from ether.
Physiology:
Although he is technically dead, it may be more accurate to call him a reincarnation. Ardan Dragons are souls that have spiritual bodies composed of both mana and ether, which for all intents and purposes makes them physical. Curulan has three forms as a Dragon: Human, Hybrid (or Angel), and Dragon (Angel Dragon). In any of his forms, it is impossible to kill him without either cutting off his head or removing his heart. Because of his unique physiology, he also does not need to breathe. For this reason, his Dragon form has no larynx; he communicates telepathically or non-verbally.
Since he was a Symbiont Shell in life, he chooses to keep most of that physiology in his Human (weakest) form. His appearance is however he wishes it, since he is a Dragon, but almost always appears a little less than two meters high, strong and toned build, with free-flowing shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. His preferred clothing are an enchanted shirt with an Ardan runic character, blue denim jeans, and black steel-toed boots. In this form, he is roughly as powerful as he was during his lifetime. His magical abilities are still above par, however, and his reflexes rival those of many revered warriors. He is able to withstand a more than moderate amount of pain before losing consciousness, and will slip into a coma when a normally-fatal wound is inflicted upon him, provided his body can repair the damage.
In his Angel, or Hybrid, form, he appears the same as Human form, with the exception of having wings capable of flight. His overall abilities and reflexes are increased. His threshold for pain is obviously superhuman and will often still be able to fight for hours before his wounds have any affect on him. As with Human form, he will slip into a coma if his system takes a large enough shock. This form is his most common battle form.
In Dragon (Full or Complete) form, he appears as a fifteen-meter long light-silver lizard-like dragon with wings resembling those of an eagle or Pegasus. In this form, being his strongest and true form, his ability for magic rivals most, if not all, mortal mages, as well as some minor Gods. His jaws and foreclaws can exert approximately one metric ton of pressure and his breath weapon is composed of photonic energy that could reduce half a large palace to rubble. His scales are a very fine feather-covered mesh that can deflect mundane arrows and crossbow bolts of any size with ease. As a Dragon, all communications are done either non-verbally or via telepathy. Curulan prefers not to use this form for battle unless absolutely necessary. He mostly uses this form to relax or weave very complex or powerful magic.
As both a Symbiont Shell and a Dragon, Curulan requires no sleep, and recharges his magical abilities by meditating for a few hours.
A major weakness of his physiology is his dependency on mana to survive. If one were to trap Curulan in an area where all the mana has either been destroyed or sealed away (manadead zones or anti-magic fields), he would only last thirty-six hours before undergoing massive cellular degeneration. Within forty-eight hours of being cut off from mana, his body (in any form) would turn completely into dust and his soul would return to the Halls of Bahamut. The benefit from a Symbiont Shells's mana symbiosis is their immunity from any naturally occurring disease, toxin, or virus; besides this, Symbiont Shells have rapid physical regeneration, capable of repairing damage such as internal and external bleeding or damaged organs (except for the heart or brain). If a Symbiont Shell slips into a coma-like state, he can also regenerate entire limbs within a matter of hours. Also, Symbiont Shells have no liver or immune system because the mana flowing through their bodies breaks down such toxins.
History:
Curulan was born on a farm near the outer borders of Dorias under the Ardan Zodiac of the Ninth Star (the last month of the Ardan calendar and the end of the North Ardan winter) approximately 45,000 years ago (according to the common timeflow). As such, he was drafted into the Army of Ninth Star -- Dorias's elite military -- as a young child. He spent his entire life in the military, working his way from a runner, to supplies-master, to full soldier within the course of fifty solar years. Compared to a human's lifespan, he was fully accepted as a fighting member of the army at the relative age of sixteen. By the time of the Second Darkness War, he was a Lieutenant, keeping this rank officially until his ascension as King-General of the Holy Army. Glofinje, then only a Drill Sergeant, noticed Curulan's talent early on and requested Curulan be transferred to his regiment after he became a Commanding General in the Army of the Ninth Star. Glofinje tutored Curulan, adopting him as a younger brother, and taught Curulan everything he knew. Glofinje gave Curulan a field commission to Lieutenant-Commander temporarily during the War, essentially making him second-in-command of Glofinje's regiment. This regiment was present at the turning point of the War and assisted Queen-General Cardia Derest's Holy Army in pushing through the final wave of demons to allow Cardia, the Carisar of the Second Cycle, to face the Zeramos and seal him away from his body.
Ironically, or perhaps by fate, it was Curulan's and Glofinje's prowess that caused them to be chosen for the team to investigate the Dragon Court when the Zeramos escaped his bonds and fled Arda. Glofinje passed through the dimensional barrier first, followed by Curulan when the former did not report back. At the time, the barrier was strong enough to cause the pair to each come into the Dragon Court naked and weaponless, with their natural strengths and abilities weakened temporarily. This was also party due to the fact that the Dragon Court's mana saturation is far lower than Arda's. This prompted Glofinje (always the strategist) to seek out allies that would help him, leading him and later Curulan to Titan. Later, Glofinje has returned to Arda, leaving Curulan in charge of the hunt for the Zeramos. Glofinje is now the Chief Commanding General of the Holy Army, Curulan's primary advisor and second-in-command in all matters military.
Curulan, however, stayed in the Dragon Court and Titan, after discovering that the sword Luminar had indeed passed through the portal with Glofinje. Curulan remained as a loyal Titan, even getting himself elected (and later re-elected) to the High Council as Clan Quartermaster (something he had a lot of experience with in the military). His magical and swordsmanship skills proved useful, gaining the rank of Colonel of Palace Defenses in Titan's army. After the retirement of the then Clan Leader Doggy Style, Curulan was promoted to General of the Army. During his tenure as a High Councillor, he achieved a task no mortal could have dreamed possible: he asked for (and received willingly) Ebon-Ashe's hand in marriage. He also took a small vacation for a year or so, filling a more advisory role in the Council, but later took up his old job.
Curulan also lead an assault against the Zeramos when it was discovered he (the Greater God of Darkness) had possessed the Courtesan Lemac Samporna and tried to use her to destroy Titan, thereby destroying Curulan. In this event, Curulan was revealed by fate to be the Carisar of the Third Cycle, but died in a fight against the Zeramos. He later returned in time to save Lemac from death as the Angel Dragon, his current form.
Mannerisms:
Curulan is kindhearted, and willing to help those in need. His position as a Guardian requires him to respect and maintain the balance of powers, and he will do nothing to upset it. He disregards those who are no threat to him -- dealing with them only if they present threat to his allies -- and will quickly and immediately deal with those that are. He does not fear anything, since he knows how difficult it is to kill him, and doesn't really care much if he does die.
Properties of Choice:
Luminar: A magical steel katana that is imbued with Light magic. Luminar is enchanted to resist damage and breaking by use; the blade is treated with a magical compound that resists staining. When mana is channeled into the weapon, it produces natural light. This weapon is bound to Curulan and will resist use by any other wielder if Curulan does not put it down willingly. This weapon can be summoned at will. This weapon can be used against ethereal beings.
Culbar: A magical long sword that can absorb spells that are cast within line of sight of the wielder. Culbar is forged of adamantite, a strong alloy formed by combining iron and adamant ores. Culbar can hold a single spell at a time and Curulan must infuse himself with the stored mana or release the spell from the weapon (by either using the spell or allowing it to dissipate) before it can absorb another spell. The complexity or strength of a spell that can be absorbed depends on the magical acuity of the wielder. When mana is channeled into the weapon when not holding a spell, the blade takes on the elemental properties of the mana. Culbar is unbreakable by non-magical means and can cut through any physical matter that is not magically augmented. This weapon is bound to Curulan and will resist use by any other wielder if Curulan does not put it down willingly. This weapon can be summoned at will. This weapon cannot be used against ethereal beings unless it is holding a spell or other mana charge.
Luminar and Culbar were forged to be a set and have been owned and wielded by all three carisarn: Clerann Goldenarsen, Cardia Derest, and Curulan Angelicos. According to legend, the two swords can be merged to form a weapon called the Trueblade. The Trueblade is not a sword per se, but a magical weapon that can be shaped into whatever form the wielder wishes. The properties and strength of the Trueblade are unknown, but many magical researchers on Arda believe that it magnifies the wielder's magical ability by an exponential amount. According to the creation mythos of Arda, the Trueblade was wielded by Timos, who split its power between Luminar and Culbar after Zemos broke away from the Great Circle; this was done to prevent Zemos from using the Trueblade against the other gods or to destroy the multiverse.
(Addendum concerning adamant and adamantite: Adamant ore, which is carbon-based, is very rare in its natural form, but weaker forms can be produced magically. The magical properties of the ore are immense, stronger than even those of silver, which has the strongest magical properties of the major natural metals. Due to adamant's rarity, it is most often used to make talismans or potion vials when combined with glass; such a vial will prolong the potency of a potion long beyond its normal shelf-life. Adamant is found in small amounts on inhabited planets, but is found in relative abundance deep within the crusts of planetary satellites and asteroids without atmospheres. Stain-resistance is a natural property of adamant, as most liquids will slide off its surface instead of sticking to it. When combined with iron ore, it produces an alloy -- adamantite -- that is impossible to break by any physical means. Due to its rarity and properties, it is sometimes used to make daggers for high-ranking assassins or mages. The cost of production and value of a single weapon the size and caliber of Culbar would be equivalent to the net worth of several small kingdoms. Culbar is without a doubt the most valuable artifact owned by a member of Titan.)
Sociology:
As a High King and former soldier, Curulan values his allies, and tries to make alliances with those he feels would benefit him. He works patiently and non-combatively with the rest of the High Council, and will readily assist his allies within the clan when he feels it necessary.
He has what he considers a nonaggression pact with Twist Rolarian, but stops just short of calling him "friend". Curulan recognizes their closeness in skill, and treats him with the respect and equal value becoming that similarity. Also, because of the importance for Curulan to maintain the balance of powers within the multiverse, Curulan would readily defend Twist, for his death would cause a major disturbance in the balance, making it lean more towards the Light. The relationship could perhaps be most accurately described as a friendly rivalry.
Curulan is married to, and loves, Ebon-Ashe. He will show this, but in ways that only she can understand. Due to his relation with her, he often tries to keep her actions, as well as those of her subordinate, Tordek, away from the scrutiny of the Palace Guard. Curulan is also a widower, as his Ardan wife and two sons were killed by an accident during Curulan's training. Curulan's present heir is his daughter-cousin, Lieutenant Drenia of the Third Star.
Curulan is also friends with many of the Frost Knights and some of the former Titans. While has few personal friends outside of the Council, he does look upon all the members of Titan with a brotherly (and sometimes fatherly) eye, and will assist them in battle if they request it.
The text-only version of this document may be found here.