Husk
Basic Info
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Name: Husk
Player: Dan H.
Caste: Zenith
Concept: Wandering savior
Political Affiliation: None
Anima: At its lower levels, Husk's anima banner merely resembles a dust storm in the South, with Essence-charged particles of sand and firedust spiraling around him as his hair whips back and forth in the gust. As the intensity of the banner grows, the illusory dust and wind settle, painting the Southern desert horizon behind him. Slowly, clay huts and lean-to shelters rise from the sand, and a spectral town builds itself behind him. Gradually, ghostly figures, scant likenesses of the people Husk has defended, emerge from the huts and shelters, gathering behind him in support, quietly chanting praise to no god, but to humanity as a whole. At its totemic level, a veritable legion of farmers, bakers, soldiers, mothers, elders, children, paupers and aristocrats alike has emerged from a luminescent metropolis, every individual standing behind Husk and pushing forward, lending him their strength and seeing to it that when Husk stands his ground, his foes cannot move him.
Motivation: Harness the good inherent in humanity to set Creation right again.
Weapon of Choice: Orichalum Dire Lance ('Rhongomiant')
Armor of Choice: None
Fighting Style: Husk's fighting style differs drastically based on his opponent. When fighting individuals he believes have the capacity to do good, such as guards, soldiers, and other mortals in the employ of a greater power, Husk will reverse Rhongomiant and wield it as a quarterstaff (he has even taped extra weight to the bottom of the spear's pole to evenly balance the weapon), preferring merely to incapacitate them. If his life is threatened, or if he is in battle with a creature he believes to be wholly evil (such a fair folk, demon, or undead), Husk wields Rhongomiant as a true spear and fights with brutal efficiency. He gives no quarter to true evil, stabbing, slashing, and flaring his anima banner in every direction, giving the appearance of a staccato, disconnected style, though in fact, it is merely Husk's effort to make each blow as devastating as it can individually be.
Mood/Theme
Music
I'm reminded of Husk's anima banner gradually growing in strength as the song plays, and the chanting in the song being somewhat reminiscent of what I've described.
Background
Early Life
Husk was born to an agricultural family descended from Delzahn nomads. The family settled outside of Chiaroscuro, farming firedust for a living. The profession was a dangerous one, and Husk was indoctrinated into a tough lifestyle from the time he was a boy. By the time he was an adolescent, he had begun helping the family business - already of a powerful stature, Husk found himself well suited to the dangerous forays into desert caves and sandstorms that firedust farming required. As the years passed and his parents, aunts, and uncles grew too old to continue the physical firedust gathering, Husk gained more and more responsibilities as the family business's primary source of physical labor.
Eventually Husk became betrothed to a woman named Ixlana, a marriage arranged after a series of political negotiations via which Husk's family was able to acquire another, larger firedust farming operation. With more capable firedust famers, Husk's workload was reduced, allowing him time to become familiar with Ixlana. Somewhat to their dismay, Husk and Ixlana found they had little chemistry. They got along fairly well, but had little in common when it came to their every day lives. Husk was put off by Ixlana's intense interest in the mercantile affairs of the firedust farming outfit, while Ixlana could not relate to Husk's preference for simple, albeit dangerous physical labor. This didn't trouble them terribly, as marriage was largely a political affair in the South, so long as outside trysts were kept fairly discreet.
Twenty-four days before the start of his wedding, Husk began having the same dream, over and over. In the dreamscape, he'd set out for his usual firedust collection routine, only to stumble upon a pair of red, sandblasted cones of rock protruding out of the sand. The rocks were each over fifty feet high, and their shadows, in defiance of natural law, both bent inwards to form a V-like apex. It didn't take Husk long to intuit the symbolism at hand. Each of the first three days he had the dream, the angle of the apex had moved slightly each time -- it was acting as a sundial, shifting through the hours of the sun's cycle. As the dreams became more vivid, Husk became solidly convinced that these peaks could actually found out in the Southern desert, and grew inexplicably obsessed with finding them, to his own, and Ixlana's confusion. Starting nineteen days before his wedding, Husk left for the desert and each morning, and didn't return until nightfall. Each day he searched, to no avail, for the twin peaks that haunted his dreams.
The Exaltation
Husk was getting married the next morning, and he'd scarcely seen his wife-to-be in the preceding twenty-three days. He'd returned late from the desert, and had fallen into a restless sleep next to her.
Husk climbed over the last of the sandy dunes, peering down at the spires with which he'd become so familiar. This was the twenty-fourth dream he'd had, and in keeping with his sundial theory, the shadows had returned to their starting position - the day's zenith. There was no apex at all; the shadows bent directly inward, forming a baleful black circle around the base of the cones, staining black the sand through which they protruded. Unexpectedly, a thought entered his mind; it was startlingly simple. Husk, roughly 100 yards from the spires, stopped in his tracks. After a fleeting, awed gaze at the rocks, he turned straight around, smiling to himself. The footprints led neatly northeast, in enough of a straight line that they were visible to Husk far in the horizon, when it once again rose above the hill he'd traversed. When he turned around once again to take another look at the rocks, he was taken aback by a burst of blinding light. Glancing skyward, Husk was surprised to find that the sun no longer shone in the sky. Instead, it had positioned itself just behind the peaks. Despite the intense heat and flare, Husk took note that the peaks served as a crude diffraction slit, allowing through only a column of light no wider than Husk himself at its origin. Husk, squinting, followed the path of the beam to its conclusion. It illuminated the entrance to a cave in the distance, roughly 500 yards from the spires.
Husk awoke with a gasp, sitting upright as quickly as a mongoose strikes.
(More coming, wanted to get the character stuff up.)
Motivation
Husk believes that the human spirit holds the key to righting Creation's wrongs and preventing the evils encroaching from all directions from swallowing Creation as it stands. He feels that the capacity of man to do evil is ultimately what allows truly evil beings, willing to prey upon this fact, to thrive. As such, Husk does his best to draw in the good in those he meets, leading by encouragement and example. Husk knows that if all men who are able to do good act thusly, the forces that threaten Creation will lose most of their influence, and become but nuisances easily vanquished by the might of the Exalted.
As a corollary to this belief, Husk also knows that some evil has become deeply rooted within fabric of Creation, and is beyond the power of men to destroy. This is where Penance comes in -- In his mind, Penance holds the key to releasing Creation from the grasp of deeper evils, that it may once again be free to answer for its own sins and deeds of greatness, rather than be judged by forces beyond its influence.
Personality
Despite his idealistic viewpoint, Husk's demeanor is anything but. He's a staunch optimist, of course, but not to a fault - he isn't blind to the darker side of the world, nor does he believe every situation can be solved peacefully and to the benefit of all parties involved. Despite his crusading nature, he's a fairly laid back guy, and even manages to have a sense of humor about most of the situations he finds himself getting into. He's driven by Penance and prophecy to travel the world and genuinely hopes he can change the people he meets for the better, but doesn't think it'll do anyone any good for him to preach sermons atop every temple under the sun -- he'd much rather inspire influential people by example and have that example carry down to everyone that person influences.
Generally, Husk loves getting to know people and friendly competition. He always makes sure to wine and dine with the locals wherever he travels, and is fascinated by local customs and traditions. He sees no use for piety - Life is worth celebrating, and Husk has no qualms about indulging in a night of drinking, gambling, and other such rambunctiousness every now and again.
Physical Description
Husk is a giant of a man - Over seven feet tall and nearly as wide, his physique makes him tower above most others, Exalted or not. He typically dresses simply and sparsely, in keeping with his history of work in the hottest part of Creation. Traditionally, Husk wears a sleeveless shirt tucked into simple, brown pants, which are in turn tucked into black working boots. He can often be found with his mining goggles (worn by firedust farmers to protect their eyes during the violent sandstorms of the South), as he's found them to come in handy in a number of unexpected situations throughout his travels. He's heavily tanned, again a consequence of his profession, and bears the tossled, fire-red hair customary to the region. The skin of his face has been toughened by years of harsh exposure, and though a bit leathery, often wears an easygoing expression.
Husk isn't necessarily opposed to armor, but chooses not to wear it for reasons of practicality - He has yet to find a suit of well-made armor large enough to fit him.
In short, he fits in well with most of the other inexplicably large Zenith caste Exalted.
Penance
Though Husk knows little about Penance, he has studied enough to deduce that he's gotten his hands on an orichalum warstrider, and is knowledgeable enough in these matters to know how rare such a thing is. On numerous occasions, Penance will briefly crackle to life and deliver some message or prophecy to Husk, usually related to the location of more of its parts. Though Husk is taken aback by a machine with intelligence, he has slowly begun to view Penance as a mentor and a friend.
During his Exaltation, it was imparted to Husk that Penance held some key to ensuring the safety of Creation. Husk is still left guessing as to the specifics of this role, but presently believes that Penance may be the key or part of a key to sealing Creation's borders from the Wyld, extinguishing Shadowlands, or returning control of the Realm's Defenses back to the Lawgivers.
Understanding the gravity of the situation and the potential for tragedy were Penance to fall into the wrong hands, Husk is fairly tight-lipped about it, and carries the hulking machinery in a covered ox-cart that he drags behind him. He usually claims the ox-cart contains crates of firedust or, if somebody is quick enough to sneak a peak, machinery for refining it.
Marriage
Husk has not yet married Ixlana, nor does he feel any true love for her (he does not dislike her, however, and finds her company pleasant, just in a platonic sense). He does, however, feel an obligation towards his family's well being, and knows that the continued success of the family business hinges on their union. As such, Husk (perhaps idealistically) fully intends to return to his village when he's completed his tasks and fulfill his commitment to Ixlana. In the meantime, he has few qualms about infidelity should he encounter romance elsewhere, and certainly would not fault Ixlana for similar behavior.
The Great Curse
Husk's primary virtue is Compassion, and he truly believes that the First Age was a cooperative effort. He is blind to the possibility that the Lawgivers ever had to rule with an iron fist, and is certain that the inherent righteousness of the Exalted was more than enough to unify Creation as a largely peaceful place. He tends to rationalize wars as necessary but transient squabbles over differences in viewpoint, but not a result of malice between individuals or nations.
Husk grows distressed when he is confronted with proof that some people will never contribute positively to the world around them unless they are destroyed or utterly controlled. (Limit break trigger)
During Limit Break, Husk's belief in the good of humanity confines him to inaction. He will selflessly leap to the aid of anyone he feels is being judged, friend or foe, claiming that their viewpoints have not been well-considered, and may yet hold merit. It generally difficult, if not impossible, for Husk to permit any action that will negatively impact the well-being of another individual.
Defining Quote
"Half-full or half-empty, we could all use a refill."