Eizos Cromwell

Physical Description: He's fairly muscular with reasonably pale skin. His hair is pitch black and just long enough to reach the top of his eyes. He swooshes it to the side, like a messy comb-over. He's not particularly unattractive, but not the prettiest guy in the world either. He rates about a 6.5 / 10 on the bishi-scale. His eyes are of a deep emerald green, and the back of his right hand sports a large splotch of a scar. The rest of his body is fairly average. He doesn't possess much body hair aside from the small amount on his chest, nor more scars. However, weird, spotty tan-lines coat his back, probably from all the holes in his only favorite vest. He thinks a guild mark on his right shoulder-blade would look bad ass, though.

Clothing: He wears a black, sleeveless vest with a hood. A bit of fur lines the inside and fans out a bit around the hood's rim. It's seen better days... Okay, years. He doesn't tend to wear a shirt under it, despite all the holes on the back, the largest of which centers over his right shoulder-blade.

It's kind of funny that he wears such crappy clothing, because he absolutely hates the cold, yet doesn't have a change of clothes.

Accessories: He loves shiny things, so naturally he tries to cover himself in them. He wears a choker with a silver jack-o-lantern face dangling from it, 5 shoddy iron rings (two on his left ring finger, one on each index finger, and one on his right ring finger.

Extra: Little Purple Book of Horrors: A thick purple book full of what seem to be blank pages.
Satchel: Carries the Little Purple Book of Horrors and can hold small items.

He's definitely an introvert. He doesn't like to talk much, not because he's afraid, but because he's generally not interested in the world around him. Despite that, he's loyal to a fault. If someone manages to become the receiving object of his friendship, he will not fail to support them, except in the case of perceived betrayal. If he feels he's been betrayed in any way, he will come down like the hammer of vengeance and absolutely destroy them. People have been known to have panic attacks due to the sheer aura he emits when enraged. As a result, he chooses not to get too involved with others. He loves animals, though.

He holds his philosophy of strength above all else, believing strength of mind and strength of character to be something everyone should strive to obtain, without exception. He harbors great hatred for anyone who would attempt to quit in their endeavors, believing them to be "weak" and thus, lesser than himself. He believes that one is responsible for one's own happiness, and so those that allow the actions and words of others to ruin their day are "weaklings" as well.

Through all this, he puts on a face of joviality. He does this to present and practice the idea that he is in charge of his own happiness, regardless of what others think. He also likes to tease others with snark or just outright offensive ways of being, fighting people so that they'll ignore him and take their happiness in their own hands. He's a bit of a con-artist, though he's never done anything all that evil.

He was an angry little kid. It wasn't anything anyone really did so much as he was always just predisposed to it. His parents were originally very rich, and he benefited from it. He learned many things, including how to read and write, how to do simple math, and, most importantly, how to lead a dignified life. He wasn't trained especially hard in the art of the gentleman, but he didn't really need to be pushed into it, either. It was something he was comfortable just going along with, unlike his younger sister, Nathia, who couldn't stand being forced to do anything.

Surprisingly, Eizos and Nathia managed to bond over this. He would listen to her venting, and she would provide him encouragement and praise for working so hard. They were provided a happy childhood family, though the both of them always had trouble keeping people of their own age groups around. Friends were rarer for them than being hungry, for sure. They spent most of their time reading. Eizos loved horror novels.

One day, a knock came at the door. Eizos heard it echo from the other end of the mansion. After waiting far too long for a servant to answer it, he took it upon himself to see what all the noise was about. It was strange - not a soul passed by him on his way to the foyer. He opened the front door to a thick cloud of fog. Then emerged a man in a dirty tuxedo, with a top-hat to match. This man introduced himself as a traveling salesman. Eizos attempted to retrieve his father, but the salesman would not have it. "No, no, no. I'm here for you, Eizos." said the man, "I have such sights to show you..." Hearing his name, Eizos instantly became nervous. He was quite sure he had never seen this man in his life. The man rummaged through his trunk until he emerged with a thick, purple book. "Place it under your bed and go to sleep. It will show you the greatest stories across all of time and space. The stories you love most. It will, however, eat your dreams... Though what it can give you is far greater than any dream." He held it out to Eizos, who took it after some hesitation. "There now..." The salesman turned to leave. "Wait!" cried Eizos, "Don't I need to pay you?" The salesman chuckled. "You don't need to pay me, I do my job because I love it..." He walked off, back into the fog with his trunk. "Don't feed it after midnight..." he whispered behind him.

That night, Eizos placed the book under his bed and went to sleep. Within moments, he awoke screaming at the top of his lungs. His mother ran in, asking what was wrong. He explained his nightmare to her. She sighed, stating she knew. And that she was never going to let him live another day if it meant living in fear. His mother twisted his neck 180 degrees. As Eizos died, he awoke again, to a similar situation. He awoke and died time after time, his nightmare seemingly unending... Horror movie monsters continuously tormenting him. Finally, at the edge of insanity, his final nightmare began.

This time, however, he was resolved to be finished. Upon "waking" he called out to the salesman, lamenting his acceptance of the book. But who should appear? The salesman looked down to Eizos with a sigh. "I will help you just this once. However, these creatures have been preying on your soul. You've let them eat too much after midnight. Your irresponsibility has caused your pain, not me. Remember that." He raised his hand, about to snap his fingers. "Oh, and I'll be taking payment for this." A snap of his fingers rang out. Eizos awoke one last time to his normal room, the salesman was nowhere to be seen. Eizos dug the book from under his bed. From then on, it sat on a bookshelf, at the top, looming over his bed. This was not a true end to his nightmares, though. He had not needed to deal with the loop again, but the monsters would still visit at night. He could feel their presence whenever he slept.

So, he decided he had had enough. Instead of fighting his nightmare, he would enslave them. He informed his parents of a desire to learn magic. They would not allow it. Hearing of his pleas, one particular servant, Higsby agreed to help Eizos learn. This servant, however, was of less than pure intentions. He planned to use Eizos from the beginning to steal the family fortune. He brought Eizos magic manuscripts, most specifically the manuscripts for Take-Over magic. He thought if he could make him go crazy he'd have a shot at tons upon tons of jewels.

Eizos learned... And got cocky, as Higsby planned. He attempted a full-body take-over before he was ready. Long story short, he ended up transforming an inane number of times in one night and decimated his family's mansion, culminating in his calming when Nathia approached him cowering in the form of Frankenstein. Despite the emotional scene, the damage to the mansion was absurd, they could no longer live there. Just as well, about 2/3 of the family fortune was stolen by Higsby. With his father and mother spoiled by their cushy lifestyles, they really had no idea what to do for work. Instead, they coasted on what they had left.

Years passed. Slowly but surely, his family's money had been piddled away. He set off on his own in hopes to one day complete a job so big that he'd be able to bring his family back to the top of the financial world. He set off alone.

Now that he isn't around anymore, he's become rather estranged from his family. His mother and father resent him some, because they question the sincerity of his journey. His younger sister is the only family member who doesn't doubt him. He doesn't write home, so they have no idea if he's dead or alive. He doesn't really get along with anyone easily, so he learned to act in an outwardly friendly manner. He learned to observe people and identify the meanings in their actions. Now, he manipulates others when he feels it's necessary, though he generally prefers to fight his own battles.

Name: The Holy Hoodie (Armor)
Class: D
Description: A black hooded vest with too many holes. Can barely be considered clothing.
Effect/Function: Non magical, D-Rank item. Warm, aside from the holes. Provides cloth armor. Tends to expand easily.

Name: Pen (Weapon)
Class: D
Description: A disposable ink pen. Has been used to shank others in the past.
Effect/Function: Writing. Also shanking.

Name: Bear Trap (Weapon)
Class: D
Description: An old metal bear trap.
Effect/Function: Stein's dentures. Or super deadly castanets.

(Not necessarily magic related).

- Dancing: Because he came from an affluent family, he was taught from a young age how to dance about a ballroom with poise and dignity.
- Etiquette: He knows which fork to use for what part of the meal. And how to present himself as a perfect gentleman.
- Brain-teasers: He'd made a hobby of making these as a kid, and gave them to his younger sister to figure out. He left one in particular to tell her where he was planning on going.
- Lying: After leaving home, he needed to protect himself from the wrath of others, as well as weasel his way out of bad situations.

Magic
Magic Name: Nightmare Shift
Magic Type: Take-Over
Tier of Magic: 2
Rank: 2
Magic Description: User can take on the form of various monsters, including: Frankenstein's Monster, Mummy, Werewolf, Vampire, and Jack O' Lantern, The Butcher, The Reaper, and the Mad God (which kinda looks like Cthulhu). It was a magic he was able to use after the events with the purple book. Stein is the only monster he feels safe channeling, due to its kindly nature... And, y'know, his skill level.

Here's a breakdown of each creature:

-Stein (Abominable Horror): A large brute of a monster with purple-ish skin. Focuses on physical strength. Has a weakness to Fire element. When full takeover goes wrong, Stein won't attack Light-aligned characters. He will actually try to run away out of fear. He starts out just giving his face, then giving limb after limb, eventually getting to a point where he can't give more limbs. Later on, he's absolutely massive and can change the constitution of his spit to go between slippery and sticky (and maybe even acidic). Adaption skills take him back to the monster he was in life: The Butcher. The Butcher was a notorious cannibal who replaced his own teeth with a metal bear-trap. As such, he uses bear-traps as dentures and likes to lay them about the field, allowing his enemies to screw up for him.

-Mummy: An obese corpse covered in bandages. When channeled, Eizos usually goes for the bandages, which qualify as 51% of the monster and give him a jolly jiggling bandage-belly. They can bind enemies and squeeze the life from them. The bandages also soften hits. There's also the Sarcophagus to worry about... Focuses on defense. Weak to Earth element. When full takeover goes wrong, bandages try to constrict everything until the Mummy's back in his Sarcophagus. Which is not a place anyone wants to be. In the beginning, Eizos gets bandages which act as hands. They have a weak constitution (as D-rank NE) and eventually become as strong as an iron chain (around rank 10). The Mummy can absorb hits in his fat form, but moves very slowly. Eventually, around Rank 7, he gets a skill to open up his bandages around his fat, revealing that his Sarcophagus was inside all along. He also gets a skinnier form, more accustomed to speed and strength and more Pharaoh-ish looking. He can beat people over the head with the sarcophagus, and develop a skill that opens it, allowing it to trap others within. It makes them experience a special plague that can be released eventually from the sarc as well.

-Werewolf: Turns into a werewolf, literally. His Strength, Stamina, and Speed get a boost in this form. His sense of smell, hearing, and night vision are empowered as well. He has a tendency to take on dog-like behavior in this form, and is even susceptible to fleas. Weakest to Metal magic, as well as metal weapons. Fire also is a problem. When take-over goes wrong, he basically goes full werewolf and tries to bite everyone. Lucky for them, the bite isn't contagious... I think? He can howl to make himself faster, an eventually give his claws and teeth the constitution of metal. His bites carry a strange venom that can screw with enemies pretty hard. It's not lethal, but can give the enemy severe hallucinations, make them sick, or possibly even change their size. Tends to resonate with the Vampire.

-Vampire: When Eizos uses this take-over at 100%, he gains fangs and a nifty cape... Along with a small army of bats. This form has augmented Magic, Speed and Accuracy, and can charm others rather easily. He can leech the opponent as well as mitigate damage by exploding into a swarm of bats, as well as rush across the battlefield. His bats can be used as projectiles, and he can even fly, with the right adaption skill. Easily one of the stronger forms in his arsenal. Weak to Plant/Wood, Light, Ice and Fire elements. When takeover goes wrong, he becomes cocky and sees both friend and foe alike as food for his insatiable appetite. Tends to resonate with the Werewolf.

From here onward, Eizos must earn forms. As in, he needs to sleep over the book and hunt down the Traveling Salesman before he'll even know the following forms exist. These should be earned one after the other, through Arcs:

- Jack O'Lantern: This take-over turns Eizos into a flaming pumpkin-head in a trenchcoat. This one's an all-rounder, and the strongest in Eizos's arsenal. It can throw out pumpkin bombs, fire-punch, momentarily create a horse of darkness and use it to get around, and be generally tricky to deal with. Jack's personality is extremely petulant and mischievous, which shows through in the transformation. Weak to Water element. When takeover goes wrong, all he wants to do is watch everything burn and laugh at it. Not because it's causing people trouble / pain, but because he thinks it's just a silly prank. Fire plays a big part in his style, as well as darkness, so expect to see a lot of that. Also, he likes candy, and candy accessories... So candy-based skills might just be involved as an adaption, giving him a more child-like form and a candy-bag full of tricky treats.

- The Reaper: This TO gives Eizos a bad ass scythe and cloak, as well as some skull-style face paint. As such, the skills rely mainly on changing the scythe and the cloak. The scythe has been known to cut more than just flesh. It can even open up holes of pure darkness, oozing dark energy into our plane. Elemental Slashes would be a pretty cool deal too. This one is, weirdly, the most straight-forward of all the TO's here.

- The Mad God: This turns Eizos into a squid-headed demon of madness. This is the apex of Nightmare Shift, and the final obtainable form. However, this must be wrestled from the Salesman himself. This form has eye-skills that can create horrifying hallucinations. It can attack with immense strength of its own as well as fly, but the fun part is when it makes physical contact. Every touch it makes - the pain it causes is multiplied twofold... At Rank 6. About five-fold at Rank 10. That kind of pain is enough to make someone go, well, insane. This form doesn't kill, as its victims tend to take care of that themselves. Its skin releases spores that can cause a variety of ailments as well.

2/2

Abominable Horror - (2):

Natural Equipment:

Abilities: