- Joined
- May 30, 2016
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 49
NAME: Nix Cepheus
FACTION: Sith Brotherhood
RANK: Sith Assassin
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 21
GENDER: Male
FORCE SENSITIVE: Yes, trained.
APPEARANCE:
Nix stands at 5'10" and weighs in at 165 lbs., with a rather balanced out body type of both muscle and lean compactness for agility and power. He's never seen without his tailored robes of a midnight black-blue colour with a toolbelt slung around the waist plus dark leather boots, but the most defining item in his uniform is the eerie metal mask that strikes fear into his enemies' hearts. Being modeled after a skull with assorted wires almost "sewn" across it, the mask defines how his targets view him: a harbinger of death or the reaper itself. The mouth almost seems to be strung with wires over its entirety, signifying his eternal silence from hacking his own tongue off as well as being an open challenge for anyone who feels they can pry secrets out of him. As for the man behind the mask--he's almost never been seen without it, and many rumors fly around as to what he could possibly look like--most of which are inaccurate. Two words best describe Nix: sleep-deprived, and tired. Dark circles shadow his sharp golden eyes and like most Sith, he's turned rather pale over time. His hair is a light brown hue, cut in a short economical way and just upswept. His mouth is almost always set in a line, and although his glare could murder children on the spot, his expression nine times out of ten remains quietly impassive.
ATTRIBUTES:
While most Sith are able to wile others with charm, wit, and manipulative cunning, Nix is unable to do anything remotely similar, as he cannot speak at all. This puts him at an extreme disadvantage in fragile diplomatic situations as well as emergencies where he can't alert anyone, and is often detrimental to his overall reputation. The slicing of his tongue may have shown how far his loyalty and intense devotion spread, but the handicap also leads his more ignorant comrades to assume he's submissive and weak from being unable to voice his opinions or give commands. Not to mention the stares and amused pity that results when others attempt to hold a conversation with him, only for them to discover that he is absolutely mute.
He's also unable to enjoy food or drink of any kind, leaving him rather sparse in terms of knowledge of other cultures. However, his inability to communicate also means that interrogation will be a lot more difficult for Jedi or other Sith-opposed factions, as truth serum will not work on him and his mental defenses are quite solid. His absence of sound also aids him in stealth missions, where silence is the key to success and remains unaffected by sneezing, coughing, etc.
The constant ableism has left a bitter taste in his mouth (literally), resulting in him distancing himself from almost everyone, as he sees no point in trying to gain allies without even being able to say so. A Sith doesn't require friends, after all. The unending solitude and estranged feeling from society in general has left him rather morose and vengeful, as he can't unleash the deep hatred and anger that the dark side is so fueled by through screams or shouts or curses and swears upon the blood of his enemies. Instead, he is forced to bottle up his emotions and Molotov cocktail it all when it comes time to let the Dark Side flow through him, and for this, he lets actions speak for him in place of words. Telepathy and sign language are things he views as humiliating and degrading, and he avoids using any of it until an important message must be passed on.
Nix is of good health, as he treats his body like a blade that must be honed to a fine point in order to be an effective weapon, and being that he has no sense of taste, he's committed himself to only the most efficient of diets. No alcohol, no junk food, only sustenance. On the flip side, his sleep pattern is erratic and he almost forgoes it completely in favour of churning out mission after mission, leaving him in an exhausted state more often than not.
His endurance has peaked because of this, and he's able to stay awake and active much longer than the average Sith, making him the perfect candidate for escapades in the butt-crack of dawn and long-term stakeouts. His patience is phenomenal; after all, he has to work alongside other individuals that he can't exactly snap at verbally, and although tempting, snapping their neck is usually not an option either. Unfortunately, Nix is also one to hold grudges once the line is crossed, and he has no qualms about breaking the rules in order to exact cold vengeance on the perpetrator.
In terms of physical ability, Nix retains the seamlessly dexterous and acrobatic skills held by most Assassins; his movements flow like water and he has far too much grace that can be expected of a male. Some could even compare him to a dancer, but when the rage is truly pumping through his veins, he's a whirlwind, a hurricane of violence and fury. He is quite the sprinter, and is definitely no stranger to covering long distances across urban territory. Nix's strength is not to be underestimated as he is stronger than he looks, and yet he doesn't compare to your typical Warrior or Juggernaut in terms of prowess in that area.
Instead, he focuses on pinpointing weak spots and packing as much punch as he can into disabling the enemy through ducking-and-weaving tactics, rather than going Leeroy Jenkins and taking the enemy to pound town. He does possess the capability to fight dirty and punch someone's lights out, but he's rarely stuck in such a situation where he's required to go the bare minimum with nothing but his knuckles. He is vulnerable to being overpowered by larger and stronger opponents, or not having any high ground or shadows to take flight to, but he is good at reading body movement and assessing them to predict moves and counter accordingly. Feints usually get past his defenses, which he's lacking in, as he sacrificed protection for agility and stealth.
Assassins are stronger in packs rather than by themselves, but he's usually too stubborn to get off his loner high horse and ask for assistance. He assumes the worst of everyone.
In terms of intelligence, Nix is rather clever and thinks unconventionally, always improvising, but he's not a genius and lacks the worldly knowledge of a diplomat or frequent traveler from his lack of communication with others. His ability to easily adapt to most situations makes up for this, but even so, if someone were to inform him about politics or the landscape of Agamar, he'd be rather lost on the subject.
As a result, he's more inclined to leave the more delicate planning and pleasantries to the higher-ups while he simply accepts the mission and does the dirty work. Sadly enough, his autonomy is often jeopardized from his almost droid-like dedication to instruction, and he's manipulated into acting as an attack dog for those with the wit to do so. His affinity for revenge and deep mistrust has risen from such scenarios, bolstering the simmering rage lying underneath his calm exterior. So far, he's viciously murdered half of his so-called partners and left the rest with lasting scars for even thinking of using him for their own ends. But as speech is not an option for him, he can't call them out for it or do much if blackmail is used against him.
As for Force Powers, Nix does have a select few, but chooses only to use the ones that aren't too flashy and can actually be useful on his missions. He is in tune with the Force, but he fluctuates and burns out quickly, leaving nothing but emptiness and depression instead of a bright fire of passion or hate to fuel his power.
PERSONALITY:
"You don't talk much, do you?" Is the first thing that pops out of observers' mouths as soon as they spend a minute or two with Nix. This, he resents. From the way he positions himself, the bare flickers of emotion, the snarl of his teeth and his predatory gaze, he speaks volumes without even uttering a word. It's just that he's the only one that understands his own language, but he is free to scrutinize what the twitch of a lady's eyebrow means, the swish of lekku, the sway of a Toydarian's trunk.
In a way, he's wistful and reflective, fully aware that he's alone in a galaxy with more denizens than there are stars. His silence guarantees solitude, but it also has made him perceptive and keen to listen to what others have to say. He possesses an undying loyalty for his order, and for those who earn his trust.
Although seemingly quiet and standoffish, Nix does have a surprising amount of sarcasm and sass within him, but being that he can't put it into words it usually doesn't show. He does take some solace from the fact that he can roll his eyes as much at his superiors as much as he wants from behind the mask, and he fully exploits this fact with great relish. He takes every chance for personal freedom he can get, no matter how small it is.
Nix's dismay at his lack of identity stems from his inability to be heard, and despite garnering a ruthless and intimidating reputation among his ranks, he often fades into obscurity and is even forgotten for being as silent as the dead themselves. He's quick to defend himself, and yet treats himself as if he's just a cog in a wheel, another stepping stone for the Sith to reach the path of greatness.
Obedient he may be, but submissive he is not. He'll sacrifice almost everything for the mission, the goal--even cut out his own tongue for it, but as soon as someone plants their figurative boot on his neck thinking he's the type to follow anything, he'll strike with all the wild ferocity of a nexu and shatter their leg into a fine dust without hesitation. And maybe even offer a polite smile while doing so, as he's seen that the best incentive to make arrogant pricks piss off is to apply excessive amounts of pain.
Like the strange drifters that wander through wild space, Nix remains mostly a mystery. He doesn't care for much besides preserving himself (he rarely has to look out for anyone else) and furthering the legacy of the Sith, as he knows deep within that the only place where he could cling onto what little power he has and gain the eventual freedom to exist was with the Dark Side. He's fighting for everything he needs that the universe couldn't give, and he has a mutual empathetic understanding for others in similar situations. Sometimes, the mission is his personality, the guts and the glory his only form of pathetic payment, and that's...all there is to his life. Nothing more, nothing less.
Cold and calculating and steeled with the single-mindedness of a lurking bloodhound--this is his mentality. Sometimes the coin is flipped and he doesn't hold back, instead becoming the visage of a silent reaper soaked in blood, all metal and sharp teeth and bright but dead eyes devoid of anything save for the hunt and the thrill of the kill and the urge to exact what he feels onto his marks. Vengeance and anger and depression mix together like acid in his mind, and though he tries so hard to fight it on the rare occasion that he can feel the light--it's extinguished, and he's swallowed up by a tidal wave of agony and violence.
But there is a calm in the middle of the storm. In the small moments when there are no Jedi to kill, no politicians to strangle, no governments to be toppled in a coup, he's laid bare as the intense, yet laid-back and thoughtful person he should've grown up to be. Inherently kind to pathetic life forms and attuned to the emotions of people around him, he sometimes offers himself up as a shoulder to lean on, an armrest, or the weird quiet guy who curls up on the nearest carpeted surface to nap for as long as he can. Nix is surprisingly mellow when his guard is down, and though that sense of not caring is still in effect, he wouldn't have minded if someone breached his personal space and joined him on the floor.
On his off-days, he seems rather domestic and almost peaceful to the point where others question if he's a Jedi in disguise for being so...chill. Nobody knows what it's like inside his mind, but they imagine nonstop elevator music playing in his brain when he's not out to destroy people. Heavy depression does still linger around him, but he deals with it by resting. That being said, he may look harmless at such a time, but at the slightest provocation he's inclined to punch anyone encroaching on his peace in the throat.
BIOGRAPHY:
In a rather anti-climatic way, his life didn't actually deviate much from the norm. His father, Arawan Cepheus, was still there for one, perfectly alive and healthy and still teaching Acolytes the proper way to strangle a man among other tools of the trade in Korriban's reputed halls. His mother--well, she'd been a no-show right after his conception, choosing to simply leave her newborn at his father's doorstep, ring the bell, and disappear like smoke. It was possible to uncover her identity through various scientific methods, but that night had been a one-night stand that his father didn't particularly care to remember, being hopelessly inebriated at the time.
It was clear whoever she was didn't want anything to do with the baby, so that subject was left well alone.
While his mother rejected him, his father saw an opportunity, sensed the Force in him. As soon as he was old enough to walk, Nix was sent off to Korriban's temple to learn the ways of the newly-revived Sith. Like his old man, he chose to follow the path of an assassin--tradition was a core value after all--but even though Arawan would've been glad to personally take him as a student, he needed to understand true hardship without the bias of blood underneath a different Master as he had done himself, once.
Training was more like torture, but once he'd settled into its rhythm, Nix began to evolve into a very, very fine Sith. Natural competitiveness was driven into his head, as ambition was the key to power just as much as knowledge, anger, hatred, passion. And if he couldn't get a handle on one of these concepts, it was beaten into him, no questions asked. He was taught 87 and more ways to kill a man, whether it was with a fork or a feather and a grape; the art of becoming one with the dark both figuratively and physically was ingrained into his very being as shadows became hiding places and his blinding rage was fine-tuned into a weapon of clarity. Acrobatics he took to with ease, spending every night testing his limits high above the ground. He learned to fly, to let go of gravity and turn movement into freedom. Of all his studies, his escapades spent leaping off of Korriban's heights under moonlight were the most memorable in his novice mind at the time, alongside light saber dueling and surprisingly, the craft of interrogation.
Mental manipulation and resistance to it was a skill he could never quite get a hold of, his amount of failures eclipsing his few and rare successes. In disgust, his master refused to impart anymore knowledge and cast him aside, temporarily disowning him as his understudy until Nix could truly prove his worth and perfect it. Only then would he take him back. In a show of raw determination and faith, Nix returned to face his mentor after two weeks of non-stop practice. In an effort to show proper respect and otherwise extend an apology to convince his master of his mental strength and absolute determination to succeed, he kneeled down in front of the man and lopped his own tongue off with a knife. The act was enough to appease and even slightly impress his master for showing no fear or pain as well as the willingness to go to extremes, and he was forgiven after an intense reprimanding (or as most acolytes knew it as, force lightning) before being accepted back into the fold.
He might've imagined it, but he thought he'd even seen a hint of pride in his mentor's eyes that day.
Such a critical moment would define him for the rest of his life, but Nix's newfound silence served as a symbol of his loyalty to the Sith and an example for those following in his footsteps. Lacking the ability to talk back strengthened his patience and humility, and although it was disconcerting and annoying as his peers reacted in juvenile ways to his muteness, the situation as a whole only strengthened his resolve to surpass all expectations. He soldiered on, never ceasing in his studies before he was finally deemed ready to receive the rank of Sith, his initiation a trophy for all the blood and sweat he'd shed to attain it.
Life went on, a new resurgence in the Force was felt, and an old desire to conquer and rule the galaxy swept through the minds of the Sith. With this fervor came an unexpected twist: Jedi. Though Nix was only keen on tracking down his assigned targets and was never contracted to hunt down any (that was more a frontline fighter's job), he did run into one by accident while making his way through the icy caverns of Smuggler's Run. Intrigued and almost disbelieving, he watched from afar as the Jedi conducted their business while thinking, 'oh, they're not a bedtime story for acolytes after all. Weird.' Curious but reluctant to rush into immediate confrontation, Nix ultimately decided to pickpocket the shoto hanging on their hip as proof of his strange sighting and left, as combating the Jedi would've felt like destroying an endangered species. It wasn't every day he would be able to see one in person and they weren't his mission, so he avoided skewering them on his lighsaber for the moment.
The shota would serve as an almost iconic weapon for him, and others assumed incorrectly that he'd killed a Jedi (gasp, they exist?!) but his father knew he hadn't done a thing to that Lightsider. ...After all, it apparently ran in their family to think Jedi were mystical creatures formed by conspiracy theorists with nothing better to do, so both father and son had stared for quite a while at the few Jedi they'd witnessed entirely by mistake. They ended up trading stories about it, and even formed a little competition between them for whoever had the most encounters.
His father was winning by having squinted at a lost Padawan for 10 minutes.
As a result, his wartime history so far was rather incomplete and unexciting, but on the flip side, he was able to garner a sort of casual camaraderie between him and his father now that they were considered equals. Though he had been mainly absent in his life as training took up all of Nix's time, Arawan had no qualms about partnering in his older years now that the risk of attachment had passed.
SKILLS: (novice-apprentice-adept-expert-master)
CQC-adept-He knows some good moves and pressure points to hit if he's ever without weapons, but still has some ways to go.
Sniping-apprentice-He rarely chooses to use this skill, but he does have a deadeye. Even so, he usually doesn't plan to snipe and has to borrow a proper rifle half of the time when he does need it.
Knife-throwing-expert-His aim is beautiful, man. His hand-eye coordination's always been sharp, so this wasn't so hard to develop over the years.
Explosives-novice-He's crafty and can cook up something from just about anything, but this is also something he considers too flashy.
Tracking-expert-Not that hard once he learns a target's patterns.
Telekinesis-adept-He's about as proficient as any other Force user with this ability, though moving things like starships is a little out of the question.
Force Cloaking (is this allowed??)-expert-Slipping under the radar and melding with the shadows is something that comes naturally to him, as it's also extremely useful on missions and a must-learn for all stealthy individuals.
Barrier-novice-Sure, basic sharp objects he can block, but forget about stopping a whole hovercraft because that shield is going to shatter at that point. He's supposed to not be seen, so a barrier more commonly used by Warrior types doesn't seem to do much for him.
Force Speed-novice-He's actually used this a lot and finds it very useful, but he can only go in short bursts.
Mental Manipulation-adept-This took numerous tries and endless practice to do correctly, and was a major source of irritation and stress for him before he pushed it to his limits.
Force-sense-apprentice-He's fine tuned it to enhance hearing and sight, but not so much as any extremely advanced Assassin would.
Ataru-Expert
Shien-novice
Juyo-adept
GEAR:
Lightsabers-He has one average-length red light saber with a backhand grip, as well as a blue shoto he took off a Jedi somewhere along the line.
Belt-His tool belt carries an array of smoke bombs or sleeping gas vials if needed, plus some poison and thin vibroblades tucked in the sides. There's also things like razor wire for garroting, etc. However, supply is finite as he usually depends on simple physical tactics instead, the tool belt there as a last resort.
Mask-It contains lenses if he needs to zoom in on something, and also has an air filter for strange atmospheres.
x1000 credits-Make it rain, haha, just kidding that's not gonna buy you anything except for bare necessities.
ROLE-PLAYS:
Sneak and Peek
Relationships:
Arawan Cepheus (father)--Very casual, now that they share the same rank, their initially non-existent relationship fostered into mutual nonchalance from both parties as if neither of them had ever been apart.
Sith may be evil and brooding, but that didn't mean they had to keep it up 24/7 as long as they had respect for each other. They do attempt to kill each other occasionally, but it doesn't go too far.
Former Master-Towards the man's old age, Nix put him out of his misery to spare him the pains of dying slowly, as he put it. ...Most likely an excuse to murder him as he hated his guts for traumatizing him more times than he could count as a child, but it didn't make a difference in the end.
Anything else:
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