Ezra

"I am but a messenger of the inevitable. You people are blind! Blind, I tell you!" - Ezra, The fallen wizard
Ezra is the name of a villainous human OC created by Funnysterk, as a "One-shot" project written for the community. He is a former human wizard who was cursed with the illusions of forbidden knowledge, believing for it to be a prophecy that would spell the end of the world.
Ezra was a delusional magician that was born during the years when humans and monsters lived together. He is the son of a cleric and a witch whom had conflicting beliefs, which would in turn affect him as a person. Later on, he would be plagued with visions of a series of events regarding the end of peace, and a war that will possibly spell doom for mankind, however the signs he saw in his mind were but hallucinations, caused via unknown means. He would've ultimately been a catalyst that would create tension between humans & Monsters, as he had used his magic to provoke multiple fights between him and various monsters. 
== Biography ==
A long time ago, in a land distant yet familiar, there lived two great races who walked the world; humans and monsters. They once lived in harmony, as they would band together to gather food and build each other's homes. However, not everything was perfect; Not every human was civil or reasonable, neither did every monster have the same idea of "life" as others... Humans feared the fact that if a monster came close to a dying man, they could consume their SOUL and become an abominable God. However, there was no one that held evermore fear than that of Ezra, a local sage at the village.
By birth, Ezra was a man who was always inquisitive, superstitious, and driven by whatever beliefs he and his relatives held. As the only child, he was never allowed to speak to other monster children, for the fear that they'd bite off his fingers. His father was a humble cleric at the village missionary that preached and taught morals to the village folk, while his strict, worried mother worked at home to keep everyone sustained. He was taught the ways of human attunement in hopes he'd use the magic to grant miracles to the sick and the poor. he would get him to learn what made monsters special and different from humans, and why morality is an important lesson that must be grasped by everyone. However, his mother was obligated to do whatever she could to shun him from any contact with monsters, under the assumption that most of them were untamed and animalistic, even when under the rule of a noble ruler. One unusual aspect about his family was that his mother performed witchery, which unlike the work of magicians was unorthodox and seemingly mundane, but was believed to hold greater spiritual power. Every day he would catch the scent of the singed herbs and flecks of wood, and his mother would enact old rituals with candles at the moonlight, praying to whatever deities she could for their benefits.
On one particular night, His mother had dragged him outside in his own sleep, and had prepared a ritual to once again call out to her Deities, with 8 white candles lit around him, and a bottle of ointment ready for use, as she dabbled it onto his head. He could barely hear her words, but they were reassuring and calm. However, his father had caught onto the act, and immediately stopped her from whatever she was trying to do. The neighboring folk were awakened by the clamoring, and his parents were to be divorced after the incident. His mother insisted this was an act of purification, that the magic the clerics were being taught were impure and possibly hiding a dark secret, while his father believed his mother's witchcraft was possibly harming his child, and her practices were inviting malevolent spirits into the village, with the boy ultimately having to stay with his father.
Flash forward to a few decades later, Ezra would work near the monastery, as his father would have him take the mantle of the village cleric, as his father was becoming old and brittle, barely being capable of walking at this point. It was difficult to manage; he tried to heed his mother's warnings, but he'd inevitably have to pray over monsters and their children. However, he began to have an epiphany; perhaps those warnings meant nothing, perhaps the witchery had crossed the mind of his mother, driving her into madness. Maybe his father was in the right, and they truly meant no harm. With this in mind, the scribe would go on to change his ways... for awhile, at least, for a good while.
On one fateful night, the man was busy cleansing the charterhouse, when he had noticed something off into the distance, a feint glow from within one of the rooms for prayer. He was certain that this could've been an angel, or a figure from above, though when he had went to check it out, the light had snuffed out. Confused, he went to search for the source, but to no avail could he find it. The night was passing by, as was his time to rest, and so the scribe rested, in hopes he'd find his answer tomorrow... this was a grave mistake.
On the night he would rest, his epiphany would be shattered by visions like no other; from the corner of his eye, angels weeped, as he dreamt of horrid nightmares that would torment his sorry soul, visions of a bleeding red moon, and an unfathomable beast taking the souls of innocent people, it was like history unfolding before his eyes. Mania and panic was instilled onto the masses, as murders became rampant, and war was waged. From the bleeding moon, one could see the pale, faces descending from the sky, looking down on the pastor in utter disgust. The pastor attempted to wake himself, but it was in vain, as he couldn't put an end to the horrid things he witnessed. Briefly, the scene of a monster child approaching that of a human came to his mind, he dreamt of a horrendous scene, the monster child biting off a human head, just as his mother would've dreaded. He could only bare witness to the aftermath, as the beast formed itself in front of Ezra's eyes, and so it became clear what these visions were; a prophecy, a prophecy entailing the end. When the sun finally arose, Pastor Ezra's visions would've seemingly ended. However, as time would pass on and he would continue his works, healing the sick and giving advice to the poor, his delusions began to return to him, as he would see visions of the people around him, their heads or fingers seemingly bitten off, monsters appearing to be tainted with a feint red. Desperate, Ezra would attempt to pray to the angels, hoping he'd be purified for if an evil spirit had taken him, assuming the witchcraft of his passed on mother would've actually brought spirits onto the surface. He would continue to try to fend off whatever spirit had entered his body, but in the end it was all in vain. 
Time would pass as he would continue to have these visions, each one dwindling his mind as the horrendous images would progress to become more warped, his grip on reality becoming weaker with every vision, with them beginning to cloud his perception on the world. Monsters becoming diminishingly distinguishable from the demons that he saw in that first dream, warped, distorted, yet corrupted. He couldn't muster the strength to put an end to his own life, instead going on insane ramblings about the angels, preaching of lies about monsters he would've never said otherwise.
This was when his fate was sealed, he had become a Husk of his former self, seeing Armageddon in every alleyway, seeing a putrid colossus over his head every night... Every dream, he would hear the voices from faces of maidens whom dwelled above the night sky, speaking to him sermons of the angels and comforting his soul, convincing his sorry soul to become a beacon of hope, and wage war against the beasts who would bring the end of times. On the 5th day of this cycle, Ezra had become a shell of his former self, a worrisome scribe whom believed in the voices. He wouldn't eat the traditional meal the other priests would've taken unless it was accompanied by typical witch's brew, a concoction of boiled water and herbs, and he would paint the walls in what he believed to be the colors of the wind, a fine grey and bright azure. 
On the 14th day of the cycle, he would begin to do a sermon like no other, bringing only the humans of the village to hear his word. However, when he spoke, it was of fear and lunacy, he spoke about the monsters and his visions, on how beasts from the brimstone depths would come to devour them should they not pay attention to the signs. He remarked that the boss monsters, the nobles of monster kind, were akin to the lambs that heretics would sacrifice, and how they wielded flames as hot as hellfire. He spoke on how if a monster consumed the soul of a man, they would become a beast capable of bringing the end of times, a "False God" who would lead the shepherds to oblivion. His words brought fear into the hearts of man, and so as the weeks went by, tension between man and monster would begin to rise, as Ezra's words were believed to be true. The dogmatism of the humans and their fear sprung from the ramblings of the priest brought panic amongst the village. When the council, who served as mankind's rulers, heard of the teachings and what was said, they at first dismissed it as lunacy, but in the following days, they would begin to experience the visions of the apostle, which brought fear to them and their families... in their fear, humanity struck at monsterkind, fooled by a man who lost his faith, people who didn't believe the teachings of the Wizard and tried to falsify the prophecies were to be considered heretics, and burnt at the stake. In an attempt to gain an advantage over the monsters, Ezra and most of the human council sought to use the magic taught amongst the wizards against the accused "foul beasts of mankind". The humans had their weapons enchanted at their local forge, and monsters were forced to leave human settlement in fear of being subjugated. 
As war was waged, humanity's main leader was beginning to suspect that Ezra's words were false. He questioned if the visions were true, or if there truly was a malevolent spirit on the loose. Nevertheless, the fear for his loved ones still got the better of him, and after the war, he would question the teachings of the scribe. After a long battle, the humans were victorious, and so they sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell... the last spell to be casted. After the war had been settled, The human leaders began to bicker amongst themselves, wondering if this war was truly worth it, or if they were tricked by a deranged fool. The leader of man wished to do a check on Ezra himself, and so he was brought to the Monastery for them to speak. As the leader looked through the Monastery, he noticed signs of witchcraft strewn across the floor; seared sage and candleholders near the podium, and a small glass container that held a fresh-scented. Normally this would've been used by the nobles to freshen their homes, but it was clear that wasn't the case. The other rulers were called in and a priest from the neighboring village would come to purify the Kirk, removing all signs of witchery in the process. Ezra was checked up on by the other pastor, and as suspected, he was possessed. Taking out a hidden blade, he impulsively tried to assassinate the man, having next to no control over him. All he spouted now were words of Moon Deities and Faes, who deemed to be protecting mankind from dreaded demons. On the day after, the rulers had him taken to town-square, as his actions had brought nothing but panic and terrible truths that shattered the peace. He would be brought to a podium where he'd be raised to a stake, and torches were lit so he'd be scorched to death. And in his final moments, he tried to plead, but all that came from him was a voice garbled and filled with malice; "I am but a messenger of the inevitable. You people are blind! Blind, I tell you!"
"The wrath of the angels is coming." 
Ebott City, 19XX, one could still hear the incohesive ramblings of a worrisome man in the crypts, as it was where his ashes were spread in the aftermath, Crimson wizard Ezra would never be mentioned of outside of textbooks and history, seen as nothing more than a example of false-gospel. In the days following the death of the apostle, witchcraft was hereby banned from the village and thus the city, and clerics were heavily restricted in what magic they were allowed to practice, in fear they'd be taken by a demon themselves.
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Ezra is a human priest of the average height and weight, he has tan skin, messy black hair, and had hazel eyes according to historical texts. Due to his possession, his eyes would glow red when in the presence of a monster. As for his clothes, historical texts and evidence from recovered remains shows that he wore a brown tunic and leather pants with a pair of sandals. He shrouded himself in a dark, pale crimson cloak that helped shroud his face. In addition to this, it was revealed that he had fashioned himself a silver amulet that holds a Spinel gem.
=== Personality ===
As a priest, Ezra was accustomed to be formal and rational with others, accepting the different circumstances that awaited him. He was the type of man to have a deep love for his handiwork and the angels he praised, always making sure to abide by the practices of cleric wizardry. However, as his mother would've taught him, he had shown to be quite worried and superstitious about monsters, not for the fact that they were made of magic, but for the fact that they possessed the ability to take one's soul, as his mother would've told him. he was always superstitious, never taking much time off work unless he needed to practice any self-care or to address any general issues in the community. In addition, Ezra was always a bit of a nervous-wreck, worried for the safety of himself or others and not try anything new unless he's reassured it will be safe for him physically and spiritually. 
After his possession, Ezra's superstition and fear would be exploited by whatever spirit would've got to him, he would go from being a humble priest to an incoherent practitioner of witchcraft, using clergywork as a veil to his communication with the voices, presumed to be the angels. The spirit that possessed him transmuted his whole life, turning it into his own personal hell. As time progressed, he lost his sense of compassion and rationality, becoming deranged and disobedient to the will of the angels, even participating in the art of witchcraft and reveling in it. Deep down, Ezra became a cowardly fool, a man who cannot tell what is true and what isn't, instead letting the demon in his body take control and letting it spread its influence. 
As with any other person in the village of Ebott, he's fond of Tea, formally a Vanilla-flower enjoyer before switching to lavender for relaxation, being one of the few things that can stave away the visions, but makes them worse when they come back. He also seems to be a fond collector of Wax candles, having at least a dozen stored in a wooden box.
=== Abilities ===
* Weak Determination: Ezra himself holds a small amount of Determination, which has been diminishing ever since possession. However, through this weakened determination and his attunement, he can still cast magic, utilize the ability to SAVE & Load (given no other human is near by), and survive fatal blows.
* Advanced Clergy: As a priest, Ezra is more than capable of casting miracles onto people, using his soul as a conduit to heal the sick and bless the poor. He has a small amount of spells that derive from this holy handiwork. He mainly uses indirect spells, however during the war, he was shown to use some clergy Spells that are both quick and efficient for combat.
** Soothing Psalm: A cleric's signature ability, the Soothing Psalm is a miracle that takes awhile to be finished, but after awhile (translated into 3 turns game-wise), it will heal fatal wounds (25% of the maximum HP) and remove ailments from someone who's be inflicted with any (Be it KR or any other Status effects). 
** Roost: Casts a spell on himself that creates a construct resembling the wings of a dove. This magic manifestation acts as a shield that reflects magical attacks, and is twice as effective against magic deriving from dark influences.
*** Note: both these spells are corrupted after his possession, Soothing Psalm became Inspiring Psalm, and Roost kept its name, but the wings constructed are tinted the color of darkness. These didn't change how effective these miracles were, but it was a clear sign that something wasn't right.
* Demonic Influence: After his possession, The spirit that got a hold of him was able to use him as a conduit of spreading his influence. It did this by a form of "spiritual lobotomy", which inflicted brain damage and visions of Armageddon upon others. During the war, it progressed to a point where it could effect weapons, the spirit being able to enchant them if it wished. [Note: For any spell that is stated to have "ARMED" in their name, this means he is required to have a bladed or blunt weapon on him to work]
** Psychosis: A demonic SPELL that reflects the spiritual taint of the SOUL onto another target, being able to inflict VISIONS [VS], obstructing the sight of the target and subjecting them to the psychological horrors of a presumed Armageddon or any similar event. 
** Eclipse Claw [ARMED]: An offensive spell in the form of a crescent magic projectile that is shaped by the weapon of choice, which deals magical damage and has a low chance at inflicting BLEED [BLD], inflicting harm onto a target for every move they make. 
** Eclipse Dance {ARMED]: A more stamina-costly spell and sub-technique using Eclipse claw, Eclipse dance is as the name implies, a series of Eclipse claw attacks with an ever-rising chance of inflicting BLEED, possibly onto multiple targets.
** Crucible [ARMED]: A spell that was only used once in the war, and the destructive spell that got the human leaders suspicious of Ezra's true nature. Crucible is a dangerous explosive magic technique which uses determination to create a fountain of darkness, only to destroy it with the same determination used to create it, as the weapon strikes a second time, causing a magical explosion capable of leveling a building if it was ever used in one. This spell was used in a siege during the war between humans and monsters, and was feared for when it broke down the walls of monsterkind's capital. On use, Crucible will create a destructive blast of magic and determination, dealing major physical damage due to the strength of the blast, as well as minor magic damage, giving it the ability to damage incorporeal monsters. 
== Gallery ==
right|thumb|336x336px|"Te absolvo maledictis tuis, creatura cineris." / "I absolve you of your curses, creature of ash." - Ezra [Made by Comedylad in BetterSAM]
right|thumb|335x335px|"Trust the Process, Majesty" - Ezra [Made by Comedylad in BetterSAM]
right|thumb|335x335px|"I am but a messenger of the inevitable. You people are blind! Blind, I tell you!" - Ezra's last words, possessed [Made by Comedylad in BetterSAM]
File:Ezra portrait.webp|Shovel Knight inspired Ezra Portrait, , Funnysterk on the wiki.
File:Overworld ezra.webp|Ezra Overworld sprite, (Heavy Edit of Kris' sprite, which was made by Toby Fox)
File:Ezra Knife.png|Second sprite depicting Ezra with a knife, preparing to cast magic
File:Knife steam achievement.png|"Downfall" Steam achievement, depicting Ezra's "shining dagger" weapon
File:Ezra laugh.gif|Ezra 'Jumpscare' gif inspired by the original UT No mercy ending - 
== Trivia ==
* Ezra was supposed to be based on "Calamitas", a fan-character created for the Terraria Calamity mod™. However, he would go on to be more akin to other biblical figures, as well as fictional occult characters such as Garry Miller, a central antagonist in FAITH: The Unholy Trinity.
** If Ezra had any actual music tied to him, his motif would actually be something that'd be complimented by the trouble dingle and be inspired by the FAITH Official soundtrack, created by Airdorf.
**The attire of Ezra seems to hold a similar design to Supreme Calamitas' and Garry's sprite, having a red robe with a Pink Jewel that is worn, However, unlike Calamitas and moreso closer to Garry, he doesn't seem to have any golden finishes on his attire, and his robe seems to extend beyond his legs.
* Ezra's full name is actually ambiguous, as it has been erased from history after his crimes.
* Ezra's name is one of Hebrew Origin, which is supposed to mean "Helper" or "helper of God". This name was inherited by a Scribe whom helped restore Jewish faith in Jerusalem.
** However, this biblical allusion is meant to be an illusion in itself, as Ezra's storyline leads to an event that is akin to that of the Apostle Judas, who ratted out the son of God, Jesus, for 30 Silver coins. In a similar manner, Ezra taught the magical nature of the monsters to the people in order to prevent an apocalyptic event, betraying monsterkind, his father's vision, and installing delusion into the rest of mankind.
Category:OCs
Category:Recurring
Category:Human
Category:Monster
Category:Neutral Evil