![Saphalom the Dusclops [Faraway Island || Hoenn] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
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| Saphalom, The Maddened Soul. | |
|---|---|
| Text Color | #9E0508 |
| Item | None. |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 65 (Mature Adult) |
| Species | #356 -- Dusclops -- The Beckon Pokémon |
| Height | 5 feet 4 inches |
| Weight | 68.9 pounds |
| Pokédex Entry | ~ Sapphire Entry ~ Dusclops absorb anything, however large the object may be. This Pokémon hypnotizes its foe by waving its hands in a macabre manner and by bringing its single eye to bear. The hypnotized foe is made to do Dusclops’s bidding. |
| Level | 45 |
| Ability | ~ Pressure ~ When an opponent uses a move that affects this Pokémon, an additional PP is required for the opponent to use that move. |
| Nature | Calm |
| Characteristic | Often lost in thought |
| Moves | - Shadow Sneak (Learned) - Curse (Learned) - Psychic (TM) - Night Shade (Learned as Duskull) |
| History | A being scathes from the unearthly darkness of whatever void had retained him; it was a Duskull, grasping for the light that he struggled to reach. Saphalom’s first days as a ghost were odd and dark, filled with utter perplexion. He was a reluctant and troubled little Duskull, having come from the void of death as a simple, skulled ghost. Having been reborn from the womb of death itself, he did not understand anything that was happening. Was this Death, was this Life? Is this the realm where one burns forever, or where one enjoys paradise eternal? He could not help but notice that he was filled with weakness, sensitive to even the air itself as it felt odd and numb against his ethereal hide. It scared him, although his emotions felt unnaturally calm about it. Just a few days after his initial emergence, questions began to torment him--memories that seemed impossible to recover. What was it that happened in his previous life? Where was he during that time--this land, which he recognizes as Unova, is completely alien compared to the region he believes he once lived at. Being a spirit gave him a certain clarity of mind, but yet he was still unable to fathom something that felt like it happened only minutes ago. Most of what he could recover was vague and auditory, with visual remembrances either nonexistent or faded. The downward slam of some solid, brutal object. The sound of something cracking. A bellowing laugh distorted beyond belief, filled with insanity which rattles the bare soul of the Duskull. Someone weeping, as a pair of soft hands holds one of his own. What happened? Why has he become a ghost? He cannot remember anything precious, anything important! During his long and miserable first days as a ghost, the Duskull wanders across another being. It was a mighty ethereal spirit, with a golden grin on its belly and a glaring eye similar to his own. It was a Dusknoir, a ghost that carried souls from one land to the next. The Dusknoir introduced himself as a wise and kind old being, and the Duskull reluctantly introduced himself. He spoke of his troubles to the ancient ghost, who sympathized with him and offered to give him his company. For over fifty years, the two spirits traveled together, becoming close companions in the process. They learned much from each other as they wandered the world at a patient and contemplative pace. The mighty ghost taught him how to harness his ghostly abilities both as a fighter and strategist, and as a former trainer’s Pokémon he also able to find his old trainer (he was quite young, but released him out of respect when he asked to be released.) and obtain the TMs Psychic for him. Along the way, the Duskull was even able to evolve into a Dusclops. His companion told him that staying in that form would be good, and should wait a long time before considering evolving into a Dusknoir like him. There was one thing the Duskull was given, though, that surpassed all other gifts: The Dusknoir helped him to find a name. He was given the name of Saphalom, and he held that name proudly. Eventually, after 50 years of travel with the Dusknoir, the Dusclops named Saphalom decided to part ways. Although the parting was somewhat of a letdown, the duo decided that they had things to do alone. The Dusknoir felt the need to return his full focus to his job of bringing souls to the afterlife, and the Dusclops was deeply inspired to go out and understand the world better. And so he did. For the next 15 years, he wandered the region of Unova, speaking with other ghosts and even those Living who did not fear him. He fought against strong trainers, and would defeat them in battle with his wits and training learned at the hands of his old Dusknoir friend. It was a strangely difficult life, as he constantly found himself speaking with many different people--robbers, couples, illegal fighting ring workers, close friends, the departed; so many, it would take an hour just to recite them all! They all gave him insight into the behavior of Humans and Pokémon alike, directly and indirectly, and he strived to use this information to someday help others. He would be a great philosopher, taking the many experiences of life and extracting from them the truth of life itself. What was good, and what was evil? Was Arceus real, or simply born from primitive imagination? Why do some Humans and some Pokémon show compassion, and yet others complete hostility? So many questions, and yet he would always have as much time as he wanted in his infinite, ghostly existence, until the sun burned out and the world ceased to end. How ironic it was that a earth-wrecking, if not apocalyptic, event was going to happen soon: That was the time when he first found the sign of the Epidemic Virus within Unova. As he was wandering by Celestial Tower, a beast lunged from the darkness of the sunless side. It was a half-rotten Linoone, with a mindless fury in its behavior. It took very little effort for the Dusclops to subdue it, and when he did he ended up questioning the state of the beast. What happened to it? Were the other ghosts he has happened upon speaking the truth about some horrible disease running rampant in the world? As he contemplates these things, he kills the Furret off and then hides within the shadows of the surrounding forest. Overhead, a swarm of Murkrow flies, their collective mass so great that it blots out the sun.... He can only watch, as over the continuing months he could sense the very souls of all the diverse people of the world become annihilated, consumed, and even corrupted. He did not save anyone, for they were beyond help. It made even his calm mind break with sorrow and confusion. Civilization itself was collapsing, both for Pokémon and Humanity. It was terrible, absolutely terrible. He could do nothing but hide, and hope to wait it out. It has been a long time since the initial rampage of the Undead, and everything has become as calm as death itself. He has become hurt emotionally, if not physically, by the Epidemic. The virus may not have taken him, but the effects it had on others had an obvious effect upon the Dusclops. It affected his judgment of the world, his understanding of life. It somehow made him numb, hateful of the world. What fool would unleash this malady upon the world? Pokémon, Man, Legend, God? To make things much worse, somewhere along the way when he was going again by the Celestial Tower, he was attacked by an extremely powerful uninfected Spiritomb. The sadistic, ghostly ensemble decided by its wicked whim that it would please itself in torturing the Dusclops, to wreak havoc upon his weak mind. After subduing the Dusclops in an intense battle, it proceeded to tear apart the beckoner’s mind; memories were revised and twisted, emotions were warped horrifically, and the forbidden ghost even summoned over half of its 108 souls to tear into his mind personally. When the torture was done, the Dusclops was thrown aside, a twitching and weak mass of ethereal cloth and scrambled memories. The Spiritomb floated off, apparently satisfied by the energies of fear and pain that came from the Dusclops’s torture. After Saphalom’s awakening, he could not remember anything. Everything felt radically different, yet he did not know how or why. He felt....malevolent, as if everything was replaced yet was always the same. He felt compulsions of violence and sadism--they, in turn, felt inflated, overpowering. Everything felt so clear, yet so odd--just like his first days as a Duskull, yet somehow more....fitting. As he thought about these things, he noticed a Linoone couple slip by, on their way to scavenge from the nearby city of Mistralton. Those next few days were filled with an exotic joy, as the maddened poltergeist slowly tore their loving bondage apart and left them hating each other. They parted ways, leaving each other to suffer the Epidemic alone. To the Dusclops, it felt like a sort of study; a test of his own power and an analysis of the psychology of others. It left a pleasurable sensation in the ghost, and left him contemplating life in an entirely different way than before his crucible by the Spiritomb. If that relationship was so fragile, and this Epidemic was so fatal to life itself but yet created by life in turn, what was the purpose of life itself? But at the same time, what could keep him from understanding more about people? This Epidemic influences people; it either drives them insane or closer together. But why does he feel so scrambled? What did that Spiritomb do to him? He knows that many things were torn apart during the ordeal, but he could not understand just how much was damaged. Was this ghost actually blessing him with something? Should he enjoy what this ghost has wrought, this newfound madness? How was he to live? More importantly, what wonderful things can he learn about life, with this new and enlightening power, this freedom of the mind? |
| Appearance | Saphalom is just below the average size of a normal Dusclops. His eye is usually closed, but it is easily one of his most prominent characteristics when it is revealed--its eye is much smaller, and glows much stronger than a normal Dusclops’s. It does not have the usual white sclera, instead being a hollow and dark void not unlike a Duskull’s. The head appears more skull-like, but this is intentional--it is merely to give the Dusclops a more realistic appearance. His hands are rather large, and his body is somewhat less round than the average Dusclops’s. |
| Personality | Saphalom used to be a kind and thoughtful individual, who cared about others through contemplation and consideration. He used to repay the cruel with kindness and the kind with love. He always found comfort in the wondrous ways of the world, in its behavior and in its sheer beauty. But now that the Epidemic has come along, his emotions and courage have been crushed if not outright destroyed. This wounded his resolve badly, especially because he could find almost no hope in the world. Even though he was strong and could handle his own emotions, seeing Humans and Pokémon alike collapse under this horrifying Epidemic virus tormented him to no end. When the Spiritomb tore apart his mind, it left many parts of his memory either scattered or damaged permanently; while he is still capable and intelligent, he is on some occasions halted by a breach in his thoughts due to him having lost that particular memory or experience. He is also quite hostile, and always plots against others for any number of reasons--the most common one is that he is taking precautions in case they betray him, especially in this fell world. He has a strong habit of becoming allies with dangerous or aggressive forces, or at least forming a small pact with them, in order to help grant himself more safety and a potential asset. Saphalom is mentally unstable at times, with violent situations triggering an extremely morbid and violent personality within him. This innately reflects in his normal behavior, where he uses this extremely morbid course of thoughts to create disturbing scenes or horrify his victims/opponents. His philosophical and moral thoughts usually come down to two things--what was his original life, and why do people react like they do? Somewhere inside, though, he does still have his original personality. It is so damaged and caught within the chaos of his Spiritomb-infiltrated mind, though, that it is nigh impossible to recover it. He may often think rationally, trying to control his behavior, but it is as if it is being subdued by some powerful, dark force. This dark force is the fixation that has happened ever since his Spiritomb attack, where his mind was so violently disfigured that it gave it some strange and unnerving attraction to wicked behavior. Possibly someday, this mental disfigurement can be averted, but the chances are slim. :: Extension :: Saphalom, as of the events in Team Nuvema, has developed a much more benign personality towards living Pokemon. But he is brutal and hostile towards Undead (He has never had to take sympathy upon an Undead or Infected before, but such a relationship is possible). He no longer feels as strong an urge to plot against the living as he did before he met the Pokemon in Nuvema Town. He's still paranoid, but the paranoia is definitely not as severe as it was back at Nuvema. Some of his old, more respectful personality has re-emerged -- such as his formality, his empathy, and his calm flow of thought. He is still somewhat mentally addled, but the Spiritomb's effects upon him have diminished very well since he left Nuvema. He has also remembered his more gentle personality, and does not like to harm or manipulate others unless he has perfectly moral and/or ethical reasons for doing so. |
| User Notes | -- His main usage of Night Shade is as a joint move with Psychic to boost his psychic powers. This move allows him to do many things, the most prominent feature being the ability to fabricate realistic illusions or eerie noises to disorient his targets, of which can be used to hurt or simply frighten opponents. These shadows, though, become weaker under direct, natural sunlight. He uses Shadow Sneak to help him avoid Undead and Living Pokémon’s attentions--he will slip away and hide, or blend within the darkness. Most of these powers are not designed for actual aggressive combat, but as said earlier, are used to make his Psychic powers more diverse and thus flexible. -- Despite being violent and brutal, he actually has a few standards and methods. He will often hunt down those whom he finds the strongest or most unstable, and try various mental tactics on them (appearing suddenly, telepathic whispers, Undead attacking them, etc). He also does not like to use his full power upon his opponents, and will even avoid direct battle in preference for mental and attrition-based battling. He will use his full power on Undead and other enemies he deems as true threats, though. He also shows a strange respect for other people, and will often, if not always, respect them in some manner of the word. -- The Dusknoir that Saphalom was with taught him a small bit of the English language in both written and spoken forms, but he does not know a whole lot about it. It is limited to a few phrases and words. :: EDIT :: Because of the help he had recieved from his Dusknoir mentor as well as his constant interaction with Humans later in life (in the events before The Epidemic), Sapahlom did become fluent in English. However, he isn't a good writer. -- Being a ghost, Saphalom can blend in with the darkness, and fade through just about anything. This is a major benefit, especially because he has no scent and can escape Undead quite easily. -- Most of the time, he will speak with another person telepathically. He does not like to speak out loud, and when he does it is for a serious or exclusive reason. -- He will eat the souls of the Undead and the Living, but prefers not to eat his Living victim’s souls. -- His moves are oriented towards crippling, disorienting, and surprising an opponent. He does not rely upon brute force to fight, but rather his wits and distanced strikes. -- As a Dusclops, he has the ability to seize the minds of feeble and weak Undead (those of which are not strong enough to resist his manipulative powers i.e. level 40 or lower, not dark, psychic, steel, or ghost type, and only Non-Player Characters), and even use them as puppets for his plans. -- So as to not godmod with him, Saphalom has a major weakness--he is not a totally willing fighter. Most of his tactics are centered around breaking an opponent’s mind, and even then he prefers to sit back and watch how they react. He also cannot control more than two Undead at a time, and even then he may have to invest his powers in just one if they are particularly strong Undead. He may be very hard to detect for some Pokémon, but to others like Ghosts and Psychics he may be very easy to notice. Also, Dusclops are among some of the slowest Pokémon in the entire Pokémon game, so it would be no surprise that if a Dark or Ghost-type were to catch him off guard they would be able to seriously injure him. He may also, at times, conflict with his own mind over a particularly immoral action, leaving him confused and open for attack. -- He has a strong willpower, and this reflects in almost all of his decisions. But at the same time, he is careful and will detach from a situation if it gets too ugly. At the same time, he is a very flighty individual. He will always disappear if someone tries to approach him, by melding into a dark area. -- He has a strong obsession with finding the answers to questions, especially those of others. He uses these answers to further his own confused understanding, as he tries to discern the why and how of the world. -- The Dusknoir mentioned in the history was over 850 years old, so the elder ghost had learned a lot about both the world and about the way people worked. This is one of the things that inspired Saphalom to become a studier of minds, and even develop a hobby and appreciation for philosophy. -- He is an impressive battler, but he has a preference for indirect battle. He does have a certain natural strength. This natural strength is fortified by his psychic abilities. -- Saph's most likely going to be a space filler for Team Faraway, until I can finish my Human character and get the badges I need for her. |
| Theme Songs | ~ Madness Theme -- ~Link~ ~ The Inner Struggle -- U.N. Owen was her? Remix (Akai Tsuki) ~Link~ ~ Hidden Sorrow -- PRIERE by SOUND HOLIC ~Link~ |
Last edited by Nival on Fri Feb 22, 2013 7:32 am; edited 10 times in total (Reason for editing : Updated Personality, Patched up a few plot holes in the User Notes.)
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