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Description
*Notes
--Partner to 's character, Siene
--I realize that there's a lot of writing here. Reading Personality, Talan's path of the Arnen, and the Telazun Targa paragraphs will probably give you the important footnotes about the guy*

Name: Talan
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9
Weight: 160lbs

Station: Bricklayer’s son
Destiny: Arnen, holy guardian, mask wearer and the keeper of the Heartseed

World History:
Talan is from a world called Elian, his people are the Nilonde, and he is of the Zandrahe tribe, from the village of Zrahi (that’s a lot of made-up words/names in one sentence!). The world of Elian is peculiar in that the belief in spirits of nature is not myth, but fact, and that those shamans and other religious leaders of every culture did not only claim to communicate with these spirits, but were actually able to fairly consistently. As with many worlds, however, in time such people were not harkened to, and the people of Elian began to lose their fear of the natural world as their understanding of it increased. Science took the place of myth. Comfort replaced hardship. The Nilonde and other peoples of Elian learned to make the earth work for them, and improved their lives because of it. The spirits of nature kept their peace for as long as they could, but in time war on a scale never before conceived broke out, as the earth itself set upon the people it had nurtured, and sought to destroy them.

It was in this time of apocalyptic consequence that the virtues of one boy became the saving grace of humanity. Arnen was his name, and he was a seer himself, one who communicated with spirits. He struck a deal with them, on behalf of the human race which was on the verge of extinction, and very nearly destroying the natural forces which opposed it. Humans would revert to the old ways, and revere the natural order once again, embracing hardship and early death in exchange for the vitality of Elian itself. The spirits would in turn bless them with good harvests, mild seasons and a rarity of disease and famine.

There would be dissenters on both sides, entire tribes of humans too accustomed to their luxuries to surrender them, hordes of spirits too proud to stop their genocide. An enforcer of the peace would be necessary, one to defend the profound pact between Elian’s caretakers and her greatest children. An item of immense power was wrought by the spirits, fashioned in the shape of a mask which would indicate the highest rank of any mortal or spirit, whose authority surpassed that of any lord of any nation. He was called the holy guardian, which from those days onward became the meaning behind the name of Arnen.

The Path of the Arnen: When the spirits complete the great labor that is creating an Arnen mask, it ever precedes a time of great hardship. Many generations may pass before a new Arnen is needed, but when a villager finds one such mask, it is his or her responsibility to don it and observe the rites of the holy guardian, and accept the responsibility the spirits have bestowed. The mask will work only for the first person to see it, and it is rumored that the spirits only show it to one who is best suited to the task.

As generations of Arnen pass, the collection of past Arnen masks are kept in whatever village the last hero called home until a new one is found and then the old are bestowed upon the new owner. The mask first gained by the new Arnen is called his Telazun Targa, or heartseed mask, for it is endowed with the heartseed: a substantial power in its purest and untouched form, to be guided and shaped by the Arnen’s personality and desires. This much every Arnen, regardless of personal sacrifice, is entitled to. It is notable, however, that sometimes Arnen must call upon the powers of their predecessors to succeed in their tasks. Upon every wearing of a foreign mask, the personality of the original wearer invades and shared the current Arnen’s mind, and the memories of the old mingles with the new and the current Arnen is changed slightly by the encounter. The more power the Arnen calls upon from the mask, the stronger the original personality becomes and the more the Arnen loses himself.

In some cases, the current Arnen is not powerful enough to wield all the powers within a mask. Some heroes have walked further along the path of the Arnen than others, invoking the sacred power of the Arnen pact to exceed the limits of their heartseed. The memories of other lives become more prevalent every time this limit is pushed, and as a rule, the stronger an Arnen becomes, the more he loses himself. There are those Arnen who make the ultimate sacrifice and invoke the full power of the Arnen pact. In so doing, the hero permits his personality to be shared with dozens of past personas, and ultimately becomes not simply the Arnen, but Arnen himself, who through the course of his labors came to share his body with a hundred souls and so came to outweigh the personalities of all his descendants.

Talan's Path of the Arnen: Most Arnen do not make the ultimate sacrifice, and Talan is no exception. His labors have weighed heavily upon him, and though need has called upon him to wear many masks and see the memories of many of his predecessors, he fights the onset of a new and unified personality, and wears the other masks as little as possible. He is comfortable with the Soryne and Falori masks, whose wearers wore no masks other than their own, and so each unlocks only the memories of the original. The power of their masks do not exceed that of his own, and so he has had no need to call upon the Pact to increase his own capacity, and has thus managed to remain mostly as himself. He has on at least one occasion worn the Zaru, Hasbreen, and Izzuk masks, but usually cannot use most of the power provided there because each of those Arnen went much further down the path than he wants to. He has brought three other masks with him besides these six, but he has never worn them and knows that he wouldn’t be able to use them without invoking the Pact, or possibly making the entire transformation into Arnen.

History: Talan was the son of a mason, accustomed to making bricks of stone and mud, and building homes for surrounding villages. He found the Telazun mask in the mud at age eighteen, and knew that he would be the next hero of his people. The lifestyle of the Nilonde was simple, and he had no heroic aspirations to begin with. He had begun planning to wed a village girl, Sela, when he found the mask. Its appearance set their plans back greatly, and though both of them wished that it had not emerged at all, both knew also that its import could not be ignored. Many trials followed, and Talan was able to answer all of them, until one day the dark portal opened in the village of Zrahi, and a messenger from the other side spoke of the pestilence of their world. The Arnen has no obligations to any world but Elian, but it was decided by the spirits and the human elders that whatever pestilence afflicted the world behind the black portal could come through it as the messenger did, or that other portals could open. The Arnen must go through, and must either fix what is wrong on the other side, or seal off that plain from Elian forever. Talan was given one day to prepare, and after breakfast the next day, he said goodbye to Sela and crossed the threshold.

Personality: Talan is best described as resigned. He never wished for the destiny and responsibilities that were foisted upon him, but he knows that his own hopes and desires must come second to the duties of his new station. He goes about it with a stern sense of responsibility, but otherwise little enthusiasm. He hesitates to enter conflict unless the situation doubtlessly calls for it, but when it obviously does he will act with enhanced speed and strength (traits bestowed by all Arnen masks to varying degrees). When given time alone to relax, Talan is usually a contemplative individual with a very slightly melancholic aspect. His manner of speech changes greatly depending on his level of comfort with a person, and will sound stronger and more official when he meets new people or presents himself as the Arnen. To those whom he does not regard as his responsibility, or who know him outside of his rank, he is often less serious, and will let his guard down. He will often pine for Sela, and behave dejectedly when this is the case, though he will seldom tell anyone what he is thinking of.

Strengths: Fit of body and of mind. Possesses a wide variety of strengths in his collection of masks, and can wear whichever one best fits his needs. The masks cannot be removed without his assent, and are themselves indestructible. As the Arnen, Talan is able to communicate with and sense spirits, and has holy autonomy in that he cannot be possessed save perhaps by a god.

Weaknesses: While Talan’s offensive capabilities are varied and well above standard for a human being, the masks he has at his disposal leave him vulnerable to most modes of human death. Furthermore, he hesitates before battle if the situation isn’t clear cut, which means he usually won’t have the initiative against a determined enemy. Also, because he makes a sacrifice of personal identity, it usually takes him a while before he decides to invoke the higher power levels of which he is capable, and he will be at great risk during the interval before ‘powering up’ so to speak. He will rely on his Telazun as much as possible, and even when he resorts to the stronger masks that are within his reach, he will avoid using their true power until it is absolutely necessary. Last, because of his personal conflict between his duty and his desire, he is vulnerable to attacks against his psyche (he can’t be possessed via mind control or other devices, but a cunning speaker can give him pause, and any attack which forces him to face his feelings is liable to give him an inordinate amount of trouble).

Weapons
Telazun Targa (Heartseed Mask): This mask is wrought of red-oak and infused with the Generation Power of the heartseed, which is to say that it provides Talan the power of the seed as it is right now, in a relatively free and moldable form. This is the mask which Talan is expected to wear at all times, and in tribal terms it is his face. Talan’s powers when using this Targa are limited, but flexible, and he doesn’t rely on past lives in order to use them. Generally speaking, it makes him four or five times the strength of a normal man, and twice as fast. The Arnen who wears the Telazun Targa usually finds that the nature of the power it confers is shaped by his own heart. In Talan’s case, on account of his love for his father and childhood bricklaying, he has significant power over the element of earth and stone, and can break or strengthen any mineral at his touch (violently or otherwise) and may shape it to his will (though all of this requires his hands, he’s no Earthbender in the “Avatar” style...despite what the reference drawing implies).

Soryne Targa (River Mask): The green-oak mask worn by Tarfi, rider of wakes and river lord. The wearer of this mask may breathe underwater, ride across it on wakes, and swim fish-like many times faster than other humans. The wearer may communicate with river spirits, and knows all the languages of all the things beneath the water. He can purify water, and thaw or freeze the river. To some degree, the water follows his command. He can enable others to stay beneath the water with him by freeing oxygen and swarming them with bubbles.

Falori Targa (Spirit Mask): The green-oak mask worn by Mela, speaker with spirits and wielder of the powers of nature. This mask enables the user to cure poisons of the water, of the plants, and of the body. It enables the quickening of other healings and the summoning of the seasons (over a brief period of time and only for a small area). The Falori Targa provides sway over ice and fire, earth and sky, bird and beast. Despite this, however, it is poor for combat, as none of these methods are as sure as physical strength or speed. Mela was not an Arnen known for her abilities in battle, but for her wisdom and guidance, and appeasement of the nature spirits to whom the villagers owe their survival. More than anything, this mask grants a range of abilities to the user not available in other masks.

Zaru Targa (War Mask): This mask is also red-oak, as Talan’s Telazun Targa, but it is from many generations past, and belonged to Marbu. Marbu was a master of combat and warfare, and never lost a battle while he wore his mask. The mask confers excellent skill with weapons, as well as the ability to read the motions of others before they are enacted. The speed of the user is increased threefold, and strength twofold. When worn, the mask enables the Arnen a single-minded focus, and to put aside all other fears or considerations. It can also materialize simple weapons when donned.

Hasbreen Targa (Feral Form Mask): This mask is older, and wrought of the black-oak which was available to the village at the time of its carving. The Mask of Feral Form was originally the heartseed mask of a female Arnen named Velas, whose nature was wild and cunning. She was a hunter of game and a lover of predators, and was known for her exquisite archery. More than anything, though, her heart desired to be like the parazu stalkers and other hunters of the wood. Her mask confers perfect balance and agility, as well as strength twice normal and speed four times normal. Spirit claws also stretch before the fingers of the wearer, growing with the fury of the Arnen until spirit fangs emerge from before the mask and escalate into a full feral form, which is very unusual. Taking this mask to the limits of its abilities is beyond Talan’s current abilities.

Izzuk Targa (Bloodcrow Mask): This mask is one of the older masks as well, wrought of pale-oak. The Bloodcrow Mask was originally the heartseed mask of the male Arnen, Haddo. Haddo’s mind ran toward science, towards study and death. Many sciences were forbidden of the Nilonde to learn, and so he turned in secret to the corpses of animals and of fallen warriors, where possible, learning anatomy and the workings of the body so that his medicine would become very strong. He walked further along the path than Talan, but did not accept the Arnen as his own identity. The Izzuk Targa does not much enhance physical abilities, only adding a slight increase to strength and speed. Mostly, it provides distinct abilities to the user: Bloodpall, Death Touch, Awaken, and Healing. The first of these is Bloodpall, a passive ability which the wearer can activate which fatigues all in a hundred meter radius and grants the Arnen a healing factor equivalent to all the energy he absorbs (one on one this is only useful in that it slows down the opponent significantly; one on five or more, and it begins to become harder to damage the wearer meaningfully). The second is Death Touch, which is the most feared of the mask’s abilities. Any place touched by the wearer’s hands (with intention) steals the life from the target: an arm or leg will go limp, the head will lose sight or consciousness, the heart will stop beating. Awaken is–perhaps–the most taboo ability any Arnen has possessed: it permits the wearer to reinvigorate a corpse and direct it with his will (Talan’s can move ten or so at his current level). Healing is an amazing talent which exceeds even that possessed by the Falori mask: it converts one part of the body into medicine itself, or a medicine producer, and can heal almost any injury, given time.

Description
*Notes
--Partner to 's character, Siene
--I realize that there's a lot of writing here. Reading Personality, Talan's path of the Arnen, and the Telazun Targa paragraphs will probably give you the important footnotes about the guy*

Name: Talan
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 5'9
Weight: 160lbs

Station: Bricklayer’s son
Destiny: Arnen, holy guardian, mask wearer and the keeper of the Heartseed

World History:
Talan is from a world called Elian, his people are the Nilonde, and he is of the Zandrahe tribe, from the village of Zrahi (that’s a lot of made-up words/names in one sentence!). The world of Elian is peculiar in that the belief in spirits of nature is not myth, but fact, and that those shamans and other religious leaders of every culture did not only claim to communicate with these spirits, but were actually able to fairly consistently. As with many worlds, however, in time such people were not harkened to, and the people of Elian began to lose their fear of the natural world as their understanding of it increased. Science took the place of myth. Comfort replaced hardship. The Nilonde and other peoples of Elian learned to make the earth work for them, and improved their lives because of it. The spirits of nature kept their peace for as long as they could, but in time war on a scale never before conceived broke out, as the earth itself set upon the people it had nurtured, and sought to destroy them.

It was in this time of apocalyptic consequence that the virtues of one boy became the saving grace of humanity. Arnen was his name, and he was a seer himself, one who communicated with spirits. He struck a deal with them, on behalf of the human race which was on the verge of extinction, and very nearly destroying the natural forces which opposed it. Humans would revert to the old ways, and revere the natural order once again, embracing hardship and early death in exchange for the vitality of Elian itself. The spirits would in turn bless them with good harvests, mild seasons and a rarity of disease and famine.

There would be dissenters on both sides, entire tribes of humans too accustomed to their luxuries to surrender them, hordes of spirits too proud to stop their genocide. An enforcer of the peace would be necessary, one to defend the profound pact between Elian’s caretakers and her greatest children. An item of immense power was wrought by the spirits, fashioned in the shape of a mask which would indicate the highest rank of any mortal or spirit, whose authority surpassed that of any lord of any nation. He was called the holy guardian, which from those days onward became the meaning behind the name of Arnen.

The Path of the Arnen: When the spirits complete the great labor that is creating an Arnen mask, it ever precedes a time of great hardship. Many generations may pass before a new Arnen is needed, but when a villager finds one such mask, it is his or her responsibility to don it and observe the rites of the holy guardian, and accept the responsibility the spirits have bestowed. The mask will work only for the first person to see it, and it is rumored that the spirits only show it to one who is best suited to the task.

As generations of Arnen pass, the collection of past Arnen masks are kept in whatever village the last hero called home until a new one is found and then the old are bestowed upon the new owner. The mask first gained by the new Arnen is called his Telazun Targa, or heartseed mask, for it is endowed with the heartseed: a substantial power in its purest and untouched form, to be guided and shaped by the Arnen’s personality and desires. This much every Arnen, regardless of personal sacrifice, is entitled to. It is notable, however, that sometimes Arnen must call upon the powers of their predecessors to succeed in their tasks. Upon every wearing of a foreign mask, the personality of the original wearer invades and shared the current Arnen’s mind, and the memories of the old mingles with the new and the current Arnen is changed slightly by the encounter. The more power the Arnen calls upon from the mask, the stronger the original personality becomes and the more the Arnen loses himself.

In some cases, the current Arnen is not powerful enough to wield all the powers within a mask. Some heroes have walked further along the path of the Arnen than others, invoking the sacred power of the Arnen pact to exceed the limits of their heartseed. The memories of other lives become more prevalent every time this limit is pushed, and as a rule, the stronger an Arnen becomes, the more he loses himself. There are those Arnen who make the ultimate sacrifice and invoke the full power of the Arnen pact. In so doing, the hero permits his personality to be shared with dozens of past personas, and ultimately becomes not simply the Arnen, but Arnen himself, who through the course of his labors came to share his body with a hundred souls and so came to outweigh the personalities of all his descendants.

Talan's Path of the Arnen: Most Arnen do not make the ultimate sacrifice, and Talan is no exception. His labors have weighed heavily upon him, and though need has called upon him to wear many masks and see the memories of many of his predecessors, he fights the onset of a new and unified personality, and wears the other masks as little as possible. He is comfortable with the Soryne and Falori masks, whose wearers wore no masks other than their own, and so each unlocks only the memories of the original. The power of their masks do not exceed that of his own, and so he has had no need to call upon the Pact to increase his own capacity, and has thus managed to remain mostly as himself. He has on at least one occasion worn the Zaru, Hasbreen, and Izzuk masks, but usually cannot use most of the power provided there because each of those Arnen went much further down the path than he wants to. He has brought three other masks with him besides these six, but he has never worn them and knows that he wouldn’t be able to use them without invoking the Pact, or possibly making the entire transformation into Arnen.

History: Talan was the son of a mason, accustomed to making bricks of stone and mud, and building homes for surrounding villages. He found the Telazun mask in the mud at age eighteen, and knew that he would be the next hero of his people. The lifestyle of the Nilonde was simple, and he had no heroic aspirations to begin with. He had begun planning to wed a village girl, Sela, when he found the mask. Its appearance set their plans back greatly, and though both of them wished that it had not emerged at all, both knew also that its import could not be ignored. Many trials followed, and Talan was able to answer all of them, until one day the dark portal opened in the village of Zrahi, and a messenger from the other side spoke of the pestilence of their world. The Arnen has no obligations to any world but Elian, but it was decided by the spirits and the human elders that whatever pestilence afflicted the world behind the black portal could come through it as the messenger did, or that other portals could open. The Arnen must go through, and must either fix what is wrong on the other side, or seal off that plain from Elian forever. Talan was given one day to prepare, and after breakfast the next day, he said goodbye to Sela and crossed the threshold.

Personality: Talan is best described as resigned. He never wished for the destiny and responsibilities that were foisted upon him, but he knows that his own hopes and desires must come second to the duties of his new station. He goes about it with a stern sense of responsibility, but otherwise little enthusiasm. He hesitates to enter conflict unless the situation doubtlessly calls for it, but when it obviously does he will act with enhanced speed and strength (traits bestowed by all Arnen masks to varying degrees). When given time alone to relax, Talan is usually a contemplative individual with a very slightly melancholic aspect. His manner of speech changes greatly depending on his level of comfort with a person, and will sound stronger and more official when he meets new people or presents himself as the Arnen. To those whom he does not regard as his responsibility, or who know him outside of his rank, he is often less serious, and will let his guard down. He will often pine for Sela, and behave dejectedly when this is the case, though he will seldom tell anyone what he is thinking of.

Strengths: Fit of body and of mind. Possesses a wide variety of strengths in his collection of masks, and can wear whichever one best fits his needs. The masks cannot be removed without his assent, and are themselves indestructible. As the Arnen, Talan is able to communicate with and sense spirits, and has holy autonomy in that he cannot be possessed save perhaps by a god.

Weaknesses: While Talan’s offensive capabilities are varied and well above standard for a human being, the masks he has at his disposal leave him vulnerable to most modes of human death. Furthermore, he hesitates before battle if the situation isn’t clear cut, which means he usually won’t have the initiative against a determined enemy. Also, because he makes a sacrifice of personal identity, it usually takes him a while before he decides to invoke the higher power levels of which he is capable, and he will be at great risk during the interval before ‘powering up’ so to speak. He will rely on his Telazun as much as possible, and even when he resorts to the stronger masks that are within his reach, he will avoid using their true power until it is absolutely necessary. Last, because of his personal conflict between his duty and his desire, he is vulnerable to attacks against his psyche (he can’t be possessed via mind control or other devices, but a cunning speaker can give him pause, and any attack which forces him to face his feelings is liable to give him an inordinate amount of trouble).

Weapons
Telazun Targa (Heartseed Mask): This mask is wrought of red-oak and infused with the Generation Power of the heartseed, which is to say that it provides Talan the power of the seed as it is right now, in a relatively free and moldable form. This is the mask which Talan is expected to wear at all times, and in tribal terms it is his face. Talan’s powers when using this Targa are limited, but flexible, and he doesn’t rely on past lives in order to use them. Generally speaking, it makes him four or five times the strength of a normal man, and twice as fast. The Arnen who wears the Telazun Targa usually finds that the nature of the power it confers is shaped by his own heart. In Talan’s case, on account of his love for his father and childhood bricklaying, he has significant power over the element of earth and stone, and can break or strengthen any mineral at his touch (violently or otherwise) and may shape it to his will (though all of this requires his hands, he’s no Earthbender in the “Avatar” style...despite what the reference drawing implies).

Soryne Targa (River Mask): The green-oak mask worn by Tarfi, rider of wakes and river lord. The wearer of this mask may breathe underwater, ride across it on wakes, and swim fish-like many times faster than other humans. The wearer may communicate with river spirits, and knows all the languages of all the things beneath the water. He can purify water, and thaw or freeze the river. To some degree, the water follows his command. He can enable others to stay beneath the water with him by freeing oxygen and swarming them with bubbles.

Falori Targa (Spirit Mask): The green-oak mask worn by Mela, speaker with spirits and wielder of the powers of nature. This mask enables the user to cure poisons of the water, of the plants, and of the body. It enables the quickening of other healings and the summoning of the seasons (over a brief period of time and only for a small area). The Falori Targa provides sway over ice and fire, earth and sky, bird and beast. Despite this, however, it is poor for combat, as none of these methods are as sure as physical strength or speed. Mela was not an Arnen known for her abilities in battle, but for her wisdom and guidance, and appeasement of the nature spirits to whom the villagers owe their survival. More than anything, this mask grants a range of abilities to the user not available in other masks.

Zaru Targa (War Mask): This mask is also red-oak, as Talan’s Telazun Targa, but it is from many generations past, and belonged to Marbu. Marbu was a master of combat and warfare, and never lost a battle while he wore his mask. The mask confers excellent skill with weapons, as well as the ability to read the motions of others before they are enacted. The speed of the user is increased threefold, and strength twofold. When worn, the mask enables the Arnen a single-minded focus, and to put aside all other fears or considerations. It can also materialize simple weapons when donned.

Hasbreen Targa (Feral Form Mask): This mask is older, and wrought of the black-oak which was available to the village at the time of its carving. The Mask of Feral Form was originally the heartseed mask of a female Arnen named Velas, whose nature was wild and cunning. She was a hunter of game and a lover of predators, and was known for her exquisite archery. More than anything, though, her heart desired to be like the parazu stalkers and other hunters of the wood. Her mask confers perfect balance and agility, as well as strength twice normal and speed four times normal. Spirit claws also stretch before the fingers of the wearer, growing with the fury of the Arnen until spirit fangs emerge from before the mask and escalate into a full feral form, which is very unusual. Taking this mask to the limits of its abilities is beyond Talan’s current abilities.

Izzuk Targa (Bloodcrow Mask): This mask is one of the older masks as well, wrought of pale-oak. The Bloodcrow Mask was originally the heartseed mask of the male Arnen, Haddo. Haddo’s mind ran toward science, towards study and death. Many sciences were forbidden of the Nilonde to learn, and so he turned in secret to the corpses of animals and of fallen warriors, where possible, learning anatomy and the workings of the body so that his medicine would become very strong. He walked further along the path than Talan, but did not accept the Arnen as his own identity. The Izzuk Targa does not much enhance physical abilities, only adding a slight increase to strength and speed. Mostly, it provides distinct abilities to the user: Bloodpall, Death Touch, Awaken, and Healing. The first of these is Bloodpall, a passive ability which the wearer can activate which fatigues all in a hundred meter radius and grants the Arnen a healing factor equivalent to all the energy he absorbs (one on one this is only useful in that it slows down the opponent significantly; one on five or more, and it begins to become harder to damage the wearer meaningfully). The second is Death Touch, which is the most feared of the mask’s abilities. Any place touched by the wearer’s hands (with intention) steals the life from the target: an arm or leg will go limp, the head will lose sight or consciousness, the heart will stop beating. Awaken is–perhaps–the most taboo ability any Arnen has possessed: it permits the wearer to reinvigorate a corpse and direct it with his will (Talan’s can move ten or so at his current level). Healing is an amazing talent which exceeds even that possessed by the Falori mask: it converts one part of the body into medicine itself, or a medicine producer, and can heal almost any injury, given time.