Animal

[Basic Information] Name: The Tome has always been, and always will be, addressed as such. Some theorize that The Tome had a mortal’s name in the past, but those who follow The Tome know better… Race/Gender/Marital Status/Orientation: The Tome is not bound by such trivial things. Age: As it is written, since the day men could bleed. Text Color: #cc0000 [Physical Characteristics] The Tome’s power is magnificent, but Its design is rather humble. Its cover is unassuming and leather-bound with a hint of red accents. The number of pages It has may seem finite to the average man, but those who follow The Tome know better... Only when it decides to enact Its will does It show Its striking features. A large human eye manifests on the front cover and the exterior is coated in Its scriptures. To most they may seem like random runes, but those who follow The Tome know better… Voice: Nobody hears The Tome’s voice in the same way, but all can agree that Its words pierce our fragile hearts and judge our chaotic souls. [Backstory] The Tome’s story is simple, though it is admittedly very vague. Its text states that it has existed “since the day men could bleed”. You may say that this conflicts with how others interpret creation, but those who follow The Tome know better... Its power has been passed on from generation to generation, enlightening those who’ve encountered It; leading them to Ascension. The Tome’s teachings had been passed down and retained by man, despite Its influence. Many a priest was enamored by Its words and excitedly persuaded others to follow. Even modern generations, with the advent of technology, are aware of The Tome’s message. However, the number of those who resonate with Its message are dwindling with time. There have even been those who have sought to relinquish The Tome’s presence, be it violence against, or abolishment of Its followers. The current location of The Tome cannot be disclosed at the moment; for it must be kept save from those with malignent intentions. People think that Its message is dead, but those who follow The Tome know better… [Ascension] The Tome only has one desire: Spread its message. Following The Tome grants you the knowledge and wisdom to reach Ascension, your final destination. Ascension is the realm where no blood is shed, no harm is committed, and worries are to be had. All you have to do is follow The Tome. To be welcomed into Its council, you will have to give The Tome a bit of your blood, the force that brings us all together. It will then enter your name in Its pages and bestow upon you the strength to advocate for It. It will be able to speak Its message of truth and Ascent to you. You’ll be confused at first, who wouldn’t be, but soon you’ll find them irresistible. These may seem like parasitic persuasion to most, but those who follow The Tome know better… Many have come in opposition of The Tome and Its teachings, but The Tome gives us the power to defend it. We are not easily moved by our enemies, however they will fall before our knees in humility and shame. We do not kill most of our foes, we just enter their name into The Tome and let It reform them into a proper person. Even if they resist Its words, their name can be removed from The Tome. The cost of removal is death, however, which is always terrible since the removed will not be able to reach Ascension. This may seem like an act of malice to most, but those who follow The To-……...Those who follow……Those who………..please……………Those who……………don’t……….follow The Tome……………………….you’ll…..never……………………………………………………………………………………………………… know better… (Author's Note: Due to The Tome's unique qualities, personification can be a little unusual to comprehend. If there is any confusion, please do not hesitate to ask for clarity.) [Current Character Canon] (Coming soon...)

"Prepared!? Don't you know who you're talking to!?" Zander said with confidence. He was being more cocky than anything as he used his mannequin to shift his position. He swung himself upward towards the horde of bats above their heads, attempting to strike one down mid-flight. Unfortunately, his attempt came up fruitless as the swarm flew beyond them. The Sanguine Edge looked back at Ash, mildly humbled. He had very few external emotional expressions, so his feeling of embarrassment was not visual. Naturally, Zander diverted the awkwardness away from himself, "Ahem, let's go in kid." The cave was just as dark as Zander expected, if not darker. Thankfully, Ash could use some type of magic to light the way...barely. It only lit up around a few feet in front of them. This cave felt very empty; not only due to the darkness. For a while, the only sounds The Sanguine Edge could register were the movements of his mannequin and his vessel's footsteps. It almost seemed like this was also a fruitless endeavor, that is until Zander could hear a new noise. It was faint, but he could make out the sounds of movement. It seemed like shuffling, but it was movement nonetheless. The scythe's eye beamed with excitement as he could probably guess what the two had found. Due to Zander's ability to 'choose' who he talks to at any given time, he never has to whisper. Ash was about to learn this the hard way as Zander was elated at this discovery, "You hear that?" Zander started, "I think we just hit the motherfuckin' jackpot, Ash! That sound, that shuffling over there, is the sound of prey in its natural habitat!"

Bump...?

Not sure...

"Hey! Don't assume that I'm lying, or my blood preferences! I happen to be well-versed in the art of fine dining." Zanthder has tasted a lot of blood in his over time, to the point where he does rank his blood types. Human blood was always basic, but reliable, a palette cleanser before a real meal; almost like bread. It was the unnatural and supernatural that caught his interest the most. Even so, the organism has to be alive; the undead are the absolutely disgusting. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anything deceased was on the menu today. As the two approached the cave, The Sanguine Edge leaned out towards its entrance. There was no visible light within it, nor was there any audible sounds. It seemed to swallow the sunlight around it and coat it in darkness. The entrance seemed large enough for a large group of anything to fit in, not just goblins. Hopefully, something larger was in there too; something actually worth fighting over. Zander could shift his eye through the blade to other side of the scythe facing Ash. "I mean, it is a cave." he said sarcastically as he looked at his vessel, "I assume this is the place."

Zander nearly messed up his reply to Ash's question. He's thought about how he could harness as much blood as he wanted; "wielding himself" as the kid put it. Still, what's the point of having the ability to make a pact and not use it? What's the point of being able to corrupt a person's mind and not do so? Not to mention, his ability to move around independently was limited without a consistent supply of blood to allow him to control his mannequin. In the end, it's just the smarter idea to let someone else use the power of liquid gold. He still gets the blood he needs regardless of who's using him. Plus, variety is the spice of life; the more vessels used him, the larger the diversity of foolish mortals to kill. Every victim is a new flavor and every death is a joyous occasion. The Sanguine Edge relished in these thoughts, but decided to wrap it up in one sentence, "Because sharing is caring, kid."

Erich struggled to process the wave of information that the group's contact, she said her name was Sariaa, just dumped upon them. Before she left, he held out his hand towards her saying, "Wait! I still have some-!" But she was out of the bar before he could even finish his sentence, "-questions..." Unfortunately, he had to work with what little he could get. It was understandable to Erich, though. That hospital needed all the help it could get as soon as possible, so it made sense that she would be in a rush. Even so, he still didn't fully understand what The Golden Jackal was, what "the Gentry" was, or what that merchant guy with the weird name looked like. From what he could comprehend, there was a place that was safe for humans, a guy they needed to contact, and a forest that makes you forget things. Erich thought hard about their options, probably too hard as sparks began to bounce around in his hair. He weighed their options carefully. If there was a place where humans couldn't be harmed, then that would be a cakewalk. The merchant guy seemed a bit more risky, but since Sariaa was familiar with him then he could be cooperative. That Forgetful Forest, or whatever it was called, seemed the most dangerous. Erich's long-term memory was already mediocre at best, so having that degrade more didn't seem ideal. Erich decided to speak up at this. His own water arrived as he spoke, "I think we should swap the Forgetful Forest with the Peaceful Woods," he started, "The Woods should be super easy since we're all human...we are all human, right?" He looked at his party members hoping he was right, "Anyway, the merchant in Ashville, whose name I'm not even going to try to pronounce, should be easy too since he's worked with our contact before. That forest though, that scares me." he paused for a moment to take a swig of his water, "Apparently we lose our memories if we're there long enough, and there's a thing in there that'll try to do something to us. I'd rather have two of our things first than forget about all of them." Erich was proud of himself; he sounded like he actually knew what he was talking about even though he was still severely confused.

I’ll probably wind up doing my post on Monday; I’ve had a busy weekend

"You lost both your sword and shield to some goblins of all things; with a backpack as large as yours?" Zander began walking, rather he was walking via his mannequin, as he spoke, not really taking Ash's primary concern into consideration, "Sounds like you still have things to learn." The Sanguine Edge has been in the possession of many an individual. Their range of expertise varied, but not by a lot. His new companion did say he was training under someone, so he probably wasn't too bad with weapons. This little predicament he got himself in judge lessened Zander's hope, though. He didn't think too deep into it, however. The pact would increase Ash's strength in due, by extension increasing his overall skill. In due time, Excalibur would be sitting somewhere collecting dust, with The Sanguine Edge being its primary replacement. Zander turned back to look at the young man/fae/demon/imaginary thing he'd bonded with. It was approaching a time to kill and he didn't want to delay it any longer. His response was simple, "Gladly."

Sorry my response took so long. Long work days plus a bad case of writer’s block does not make a good combination :/

Erich had been essentially walking aimlessly for a couple of weeks at this point. His journey had been leading him towards Hyperion, a beautiful little city that was a far departure from his steps off the beaten path. His plan was to find a little place to stop and rest up. His feet were sore, his throat was dry and he was getting mildly bored. The young pugilist hadn’t had an opportunity to flaunt his talents in a while; he felt he was growing stagnant. He would have started to complain had it not been for a minor accident not far from him. The streets weren’t busy with people, but there was enough activity for it to be noticeable to Erich. However, as he walked, the activity started to slow to a crawl. The young man saw the cause of the issue not to far ahead of his path. A few people were loading large crates onto a carriage. They were large, and Erich could tell that they were struggling with the loads. Without thinking too much, he jogged over and offered his assistance. “Need another hand?” He started. The answer was rather obvious as he immediately picked up one of the larger boxes. It was no sweat to Erich, but he could tell that it was packed to it’s limits. One of the citizens, a young woman, eagerly began to thank Erich for his help. About five minutes passed as they finished loading the carriage. The other Good Samaritans left while Erich stayed to talk with the young woman. Curious, Erich asked her, “What’s in all these crates?” “I’m taking these supplies to a local hospital.” She replied, “They’re in desperate need of help and are asking for volunteers.” She boarded her carriage before looking back at the young pugilist, “Hey, if you want to come with me, I have room.” Erich shook his head, feeling awkward as it felt like bad to deny that request, “Uh, sorry, but I can’t.” He said, “I’m not a doctor or anything.” The young woman still pressed him, “Well, if you aren’t the healing type of person, how would you feel about putting those muscles to good work?” Erich raised an eyebrow at this, “I’m listening...” She told Erich that the hospital was struggling due to, “outside forces” as he called it. They had called out to anyone willing to get very specific supplies that the hospital needed. Due to the danger that was implied when they knew what ingredients they needed, there was going to be an impromptu meeting before an expedition was held. She told Erich to go to the Cut and Jib Adventurer’s Tavern and Inn, which was not far from their location, and wait by the fireplace. The two went their separate ways as the young pugilist continued walking. It didn’t take him long to find and enter the tavern. It was relieving to finally find a place to sit down. As he entered, a waitress approached him to take an order. Erich asked for water and told her that he’d be over by the fireplace. Compared to the rest of the establishment, the fireplace seemed like its own environment. As he walked over, he noticed two people already there. Cautiously, so as to not seem rude, he spoke up, “Um, excuse me. I was told this was the place to be to help the hospital. Are you guys waiting for that too?”

"Now that's just underwhelming." Zander rolled his eye as he spoke, "I thought that there would be something deeper at play, like a parasitic interaction or a symbiotic relationship." It seemed like The Sanguine Edge still had some homework to do. No organism is that simple, nor is any organism that benevolent. There was still a lack of belief for Ash's story, but Zander would just drop it there until he found some resource on it or something. Discussing the physiology of an imaginary friend delayed the scythe's need for blood. Thankfully, Ash had a destination, and a goal, in mind. The scythe's eye lit up at this, "I'd like to help you kill some goddamn goblins!" His mannequin moved to grab the scythe as he talked. Goblins weren't the tastiest creatures, nor was a shield, of all the things, the most desirable item for Zander. However, he hoped that Ash would give him some good swings at fleshy necks. The Sanguine Edge was going back on the hunt, "I can carry myself until we get there. It helps you store your strength and I get to practice walking again."