Hades

Constantin von Hades, more often known simply as Hades, is a Valkihari halfbreed and former member of the Valkihari Magistrate. During the War of the Mages, Hades would steadily fall into madness thanks to his research into the Void, eventually defecting from the Valkihari Magistrate some time after the war ended. From then on, he made himself a frequent rival of Rhyser Pentaghast, seeking revenge against the the grandmaster of the Magistrate for banishing him, and intent on proving that he is the greatest Mage to ever live. 
== Appearance ==
Hades is a slim man of average height, with fair-white skin and sharp facial features. Despite his age, Hades retains the appearance of a roughly 25-year old male. He has deep brown eyes, and long brown hair that comes down either side of his face and is parted in the middle. He typically is seen wearing a smug grin on his face, a sign of confidence in his abilities.
Hades' apparel when outside of battle consists of a dark brown cloak with numerous gold patterns, most prominently a diamond-shaped pattern at the bottom of the cloak. Around his neck, he wears a ceremonial necklace shaped like a kite, the amulet filled with ancient magic that prevents Hades from physically aging. Hades wears black gloves on his hands that conceal the magic runes etched onto his palm.
When in battle, Hades will take off his gloves and toss off his cloak, revealing sleek, black armor that provides heavy protection. The runes on his palms will begin to glow a faint purple, his eyes turn a blood-red, and his skin becomes noticeably more pale, all due to his use of raw Void energies.
== Personality ==
Hades is slick and sly, using underhanded and "dirty" tactics to gain the upper hand in battle. The nature of his abilities make it so that he can hit his target from almost any angle, and he expresses great pride in his abilities. 
Hades' pride can be taken advantage of, as anyone who deals sufficient damage to him or manages to avoid his attacks for long enough can cause him to become infuriated, thus disrupting his concentration. However, this is no easy task, due to the aforementioned nature of Hades' abilities. 
The only time Hades has become enraged to the point of insanity is in his battle against Rhyser, where the Supreme Mage used his superior skill in magic and trickery to overcome Hades' sheer destructive power. 
== Backstory ==
Drawn to the appeal of magical manipulation, as well as being naturally gifted in manipulating the arcane thanks to his Valkihari blood, Constantin was welcomed to the Magistrate with open arms. Learning from the brilliant minds of master sorcerers and sorceresses, alchemists, rune masters, etc., he received the best in arcane education in the world, growing and flourishing in his new environment.
By the time the War of the Mages came around, the Valkihari magistrate, who had sided with the human mages, became desperate as the Void Walkers bolstered their forces and began overwhelming the Council of Mages. Many methods to improve their magic were tested on the battlefield, and while some were successful, most were not. The tides needed to turn, and soon. 
Hades had always been drawn to the appeal of the virtually unknown realm often times called the Great Abyss by fellow Valkihari scholars, frequently referred to as the Void. Constantin was deeply fascinated by the untapped, raw and unstable energies of the Void, harboring a deep desire to harvest and control such power. He witnessed firsthand during combat how the Void Walkers managed to bolster their magic with the power of the Void, and wanted to replicate such a feat without becoming one himself. Eventually, after some study, he developed an entirely new tree of magic that replicated the Void-touched magics of the Void Walkers, which he dubbed 'Abyssal Magic'. While studies of the Void were allowed, Constantin’s interest turned to obsession. A dark and dangerous anchor had been latched into his soul, placed by unknown powers beyond mortal comprehension. 
However, the results of Hades' research were undeniable. Becoming a force of sheer destruction on the battlefield, Hades would work alongside his greatest friend, fellow Valkihari Rhyser Pentaghast, to wipe up entire forces of Void Walkers during the latter part of the conflict. When the War of the Mages ended after the battle in Mont'Namor, Hades and Rhyser became decorated heroes of the Magistrate, becoming their two greatest members. Years passed, and Rhyser eventually became the Grand Magister of the Magistrate. Hades, however, continued his research into the Void, though to no avail. The repeated failures to tap into the true potential of the Void's energy, alongside constant exposure to it, began eating away at Constantin's psyche over time, eroding his sanity more and more as the years passed. 
Colleagues began to take notice of the gradual decay of their peer, and expressed concern to the head scholars of the Magistrate. The newly appointed Sorcerer Supreme of the Valkihari, Rhyser Pentaghast, saw the extent of his friend Constantin’ condition and deemed him unsafe for the health and welfare of the Magistrate and it’s practices. The Magistrate proceeded to banish the Abyssal mage from their grounds, ostracizing him for his taboo research. 
The feeling of betrayal sank and burrowed deep within his heart, biting and tearing at his psyche even more. Once a decorated hero of the Magistrate, Hades had been reduced to a mere husk of what he used to be. Letting go of all inhibitions, Hades sunk further into the depths of depravity, swearing to destroy Rhyser and the Magistrate. 
Centuries later, Hades would catch wind of Rhyser being at odds with the Alliance. Desperate for even the slightest chance to face and kill his former ally, Hades struck a deal with the Alliance, and showcased his power to the higher-ups of the Alliance, Lance Mygerion and Ray Mygerion. The two men were impressed by Hades' masterful knowledge of Dark magic, and would later place him in Paragon Crown, the most elite unit within the Alliance. Not long afterwards, Hades would finally face Rhyser during the Roethsburg Siege, and commenced a final, harrowing battle with his former comrade. Throughout the fight, Rhyser consistently has the upper-hand, his spatial magic and trickery being too much for Hades, who relied heavily on the raw destructive capabilities of his own magic, to handle. However, after redirecting his own attack at Hades, the dark sorcerer managed to absorb the immense amount of dark energy emanating from the attack, allowing him to overpower Rhyser quicker than he could react and pin him down. However, as a desperate final effort, Rhyser casted his most powerful spell, Yagdo Rigora, at a point blank range, turning both he and Hades to dust. As he died, Hades remarked that Rhyser was always one step ahead of him.
However, this was not the end of the Abyssal sorcerer. Somehow, Hades had managed to reincarnate through one of his followers, appearing as a life-sucking parasite on their shoulder and using them as a puppet to perform his bidding. His current whereabouts, however, are completely unknown.
== Equipment ==
Devil's Platemail: A set of sleek, black, incredibly durable armor that causes even high-caliber rifle rounds to glance off Hades’ body. This armor helps prevent him from being damaged by the raw destructive energy of his own attacks.
Cloak of Power Concealment: A brown cloak draped over Hades' armor, this helps him conceal the nearly uncontrollable amount of magic energies Hades constantly absorbs.
Amulet of the Aether: A silver amulet of a kite that hangs around Hades’ neck. When this amulet is worn, it grants the wearer eternal, unaging life. However, they can still be killed, but not by natural causes. 
== Powers and Abilities ==
Hades was an incredibly powerful mage, among the deadliest seen in the series. In his youth, he was regarded on par with his best friend and eventual Sorcerer Supreme of the Valkihari, Rhyser Pentaghast. His knowledge and mastery of magic allowed him to become a member of Paragon Crown within months, ranking him among the most powerful Supers in the Alliance.
=== Abyssal Magic ===
An extremely destructive tree of magic, which Hades has developed himself in his quest to gain access to the Void. This magic allows the user to drain life energy from the world around them, tainting said life energy with trace amounts of Voidic energy. This process creates what is known as 'abyssal' energy, which can be released upon their foes in a damaging manner. Most typically, this is done in the form of energy emissions, explosions, or rays of power that utterly vaporize whatever they touch. Abyssal magic, while destructively powerful, comes at the cost of the user's mind, the dark methods through which one achieves such power slowly eroding the psyche overtime. Spells for this magic tree are titled 'Formulas'.
* Formula 6 - Todeswirbel: Hades projects a swirling cone of red-purple flames several meters wide and long from his palm. This flame does not burn and melt things like regular flame; rather, the corrupting energies of the flame will rapidly corrode and rot whatever it comes into contact with, whether it is organic or inorganic. Metal will rust, rock will erode, and flesh will rot away into nothingness with prolong exposure. 
* Formula 5 - Schwarzlicht: Hades emits a stream of black lightning from his palm, wreathing his target and causing incredible, paralyzing pain to them. While they are wreathed in this black lightning, Hades can lift and toss his targets with great force.
* Formula 4 - Rote Hitze: Hades emits a searing beam of red energy from his palm, powerful enough to blast a hole clean through a man's chest.
** Formula 4.5 - Rote Flamme: An empowered variant of Formula 4 in which Hades emits multiple beams from his palm, numbering up to a dozen at a time. The trajectory of these beams can be controlled freely and at will by Hades, able to make impossibly sharp turns while pursuing a target.
* Formula 3 - Stehlen: The focus rune Hades’ palms will glow bright purple. During this time, Hades can absorb the energy of any organic life form he touches, simultaneously regenerating his own stamina and healing minor wounds.
* Formula 2 - Verfolgung: Hades conjures a basketball sized orb of Abyssal magic above his palm, and subsequently launches it, creating a massive explosion on impact that can destroy large swaths of land. This attack can home in on targets so long as they are within Hades' field of vision.
* Formula 1 - Zerstören: The runes on Hades’ palms glow red and begin crackling with Abyssal energy. Upon placing both palms flat on the ground, a giant explosion occurs around him that destroys anything in the vicinity.
* Formula 0 - Abgrund: The most powerful variant of the Abyssal Formulas. Hades raises his hands into the air, the focus runes on his palms pulsating with Abyssal energy as a runic circle is created high in the air above a location of his choosing. A gleaming light appears at the center to the runic circle, quickly glowing in brightness and intensity before exploding into an enormous pillar of Abyssal energy. Bolts of magic power lance from the attack from the sheer concentration of power, and anything caught within the attack is completely vaporized.
Dark Magic: Hades initially researched the Darkness tree of magic, and only developed the Abyssal tree as a result of channeling and refining the dark arcane harnessed in the Darkness tree into a more destructive form. Hence, he is also highly versed in Dark magic.
* Shadow Portal: An advanced application of the Shadowstep, in which Hades can open a maximum of two shadow portals anywhere within a vicinity of around 100 meters (~330 feet), and use these to get from one location to another. He can also use this in battle, using his portals for surprise attacks against his enemies, as well as to open up more angles for Hades to attack from.
Immense Magic Power: Throughout decades of absorbing dark energy and developing his own magic, Hades had achieved a vast amount of magic power, and was one of the deadliest magic users of his time. His power and knowledge with magic allowed him to become a member of Paragon Crown, the most elite unit within the Alliance, in just mere months, when many Supers spend a lifetime attempting to entire the prestigious group without luck.
=== Natural Skills, Abilities and Traits ===
Enhanced Physiology: As a Mage who specializes in combat, Hades' physical form was trained and refined just as much as his magic. Thus, he was a highly physically capable fighter, his sheer strength and speed in close combat prompting Rhyser Pentaghast to stay at a distance during their battle and allowing him to physically contend with and even injure Zira Gale, who herself is an incredibly strong Valkyrie warrior. He has a very high level of endurance, as he was in a prolonged fight with Rhyser and showed no signs of fatigue despite the constant barrage of ranged attacks from his fellow Valkihari. 
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Making use of his strength and speed, Hades combines his destructive magic with a ferocious fighting style. He was able to contend with a somewhat worn down Mugetsu Shinsei 
Enhanced Perception: Through years of perfecting his fighting skill, Hades is able to become aware of attacks and avoid them well before they have landed.
== Trivia ==
* The Abyssal tree seems to only be specific to Hades, as it is a tree he developed personally. This may also make it the most recently developed tree of magic.
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