Bur

## **Basic Information**

**Full Name:** Vesstan Daxalim

**Nickname:** Bur

**Birthday:** March 3rd 15BDI

**Species:** Elf

**Purity:** 84%

**Gender:** Male He/him

**Height:** 4 foot 3

**Sexuality:** Asexual

**Languages Spoken:** Standard, Bellows, Demonic

## **Personality**

**Likes:** Limbs, swords, exploration

**Dislikes:** closed spaces, museums

**Fears/Phobias:** claustrophobia

Bur is very charismatic, but also very oblivious. He doesn’t understand how the real world works outside of a museum setting, and he's only recently gained the ability to communicate with people. He’ll go on and on once you strike up a conversation, not wanting the human interaction to end. He craves attention, and cannot be left alone for very long. He considers pretty much everyone his “friend”, although he rarely forms an emotional bond with people. When he does, though, he’ll go above and beyond for them. To the point he’d put the world at risk just to keep them safe.

Given he’s been locked away in a museum for a couple decades, Bur is extremely claustrophobic. he doesn’t like being in closed spaces, and if he’s ever put in that situation he’ll do whatever he can in order to escape. Hell, Bur doesn’t even like being indoors if he can help it, although there’s no fear of the indoors. If given the option to be inside or outside, he’ll choose outside 100% of the time.

Bur will often take on the persona of whoever his current host is. He has no real goals or aspirations of his own other than to see the world, so if he has the option he’ll get to know a new host and attempt to carry out the host's aspirations. It’s all in an attempt to see everything and do everything. That being said, Bur has no real emotional connection to anything he does. No matter how much time and energy has been devoted to something, he has no issue with dropping it and starting something new at the first available opportunity

## **Abilities**

**Strengths:** Mind Control

**Weaknesses:** Immobile

**Weapons/Tools:** Sword

Bur is a living sword with the ability to take complete control of whoever’s wielding it. A host must be physically touching Bur at all times, otherwise the connection is broken and the host will regain it’s free will. Of course, since Bur’s in control he takes great lengths to prevent this. While Bur is in control of a host, the host remains conscious, but it’s consciousness and memories are sealed away. Bur has no way to communicate with the host’s mind or access their memories.

Because Bur isn’t a living creature, he often doesn’t exhibit the normal behaviours one would. his host still needs to eat, sleep, breathe, etc, but Bur doesn’t feel any of it, nor does he gain any benefits of these things other than his host staying alive. He has no qualms hurting his host body, because he can’t feel any of the pain. He doesn’t care if the body becomes tired because he can force it to push through. He’s often reckless, but not reckless enough to risk losing the host.

When not tied to a host, Bur is nothing but a sword. He can’t move or talk, but he’s still able to see and hear what’s around him. There’s no way for him to interact with anything at all, so if he’s ever separated from a host it’s left up to chance if he’ll ever be picked up again.

## **Health**

**Addictions:** None

**Mental Illnesses:** None

**Physical Illnesses:** None

**Disabilities:** None

**Allergies:** None

## **Backstory**

Vesstan Daxalim was born in the year 15BDI to his mother Fey Bryna Daxalim and father Tristen Daxalim in the country of Trixot. Despite not being the firstborn in his family, Vesstan was first in line for the throne due to his older brother’s lack of royal blood. He was his parents' pride and joy, and growing up that became all too clear.

Since the beginning he was being groomed to one day take his father’s place. There was a lot the young prince had to learn. His schooling started as soon as he was able to talk, and it’d continue on for the rest of his mortal life. Every day he was swarmed by various castle workers. Teachers, mentours, nannies, etc. All people hired on by his parents to help show him the ropes and get him ready to one day be Trixot’s sole ruler. It was a lot of work, but Vesstan never minded it. It seemed important enough, so he may as well take it seriously. That being said, as important as his future role as king would be that wouldn’t stop him from being a kid.

Vesstan had always been enthralled by his older brother, Ariston. Unlike his teachers and mentors, Ariston seemed to have more “forbidden” knowledge on how the world worked. Things that perhaps weren’t as socially acceptable as his parents would have liked. Everyone around him always talked about how the world worked, but Ariston had actually experienced it himself. He made himself out to be quite the adventurer, and Vesstan always liked hearing his stories. Ariston was his idol, in an odd way. He never tried to come off as “perfect” like most other people in the castle. He was real, and Vesstan liked that.

Of course, Vesstan was the only one who seemed to appreciate his down to earth demeanour. His father never cared much for his older brother, and whenever Vesstan picked up one of his many quirks Ariston would be scolded for it. It seemed Ariston was always in trouble for something or other. He was never allowed in Vesstan’s classes, around any of the kingdom’s officials, or even the dining hall. He felt bad for his brother, so Vesstan would often sneak away to go hang out with him. Plus, he’d much prefer playing with his brother than sitting in some boring history lesson. History was boring! Ariston was fun!

Despite his constant efforts, Ariston never seemed to warm up to Vesstan. He’d continue trying to make friends for years but he always kept himself at a distance. Vesstan was far too young to understand why, however. He couldn’t understand the concept of a whipping boy so he had no idea his misdeeds were all taken out on Ariston. Whenever he snuck away from his royal duties, for example, Ariston would get in trouble for “coaxing him” away. As far as Vesstan was concerned his brother was stressed over whatever it was older kids like him had to deal with. The age gap between them was substantial, after all.

Of course, his time with his brother wouldn’t last much longer. Around the time Vesstan was 6 or 7 his father hired a new royal mage. A kodin by the name of Rasterahz. He didn’t understand much of what a “mage” was or why Ras had been hired. What he did know, however, was Ras being hired on meant one more thing for him to add to his studies. With a new mage at the ready Vesstan was forced to learn the basics of magic as well as everything else he’d been learning up until this point.

While Vesstan was never a fan of the magical arts, Ariston was obsessed with it. He was obsessed with Ras, who he was, what he was doing. Whenever Ras was around he knew Ariston would be close by. This was an opportunity to get close to his brother. Their parents may not have let Ariston around Ras, but Vesstan was. Vesstan was around him quite often because of his studies. He thought that if he could help his brother learn whatever it was he wanted to know about the new Royal Mage he’d start to like him more. So, Vesstan began trying to figure things out.

The three of them were seemingly caught in a never ending game of cat and mouse. Ariston would spy on Ras, Vesstan would spy on Ariston, and, unbeknownst to him, Ras would spy on Vesstan. It was irritating to say the least. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t wrap his head around why Ariston found Ras so interesting. He was just a weird looking Kodin who was good at magic. Far from the only one in the castle.

Eventually Vesstan got fed up with it all. This game didn’t have an end in sight and he was beginning to get impatient. If Ariston wanted to know all of this so badly he might as well just ask him. That seemed to be the simplest option, at least for him. Ariston was more or less forced to spy because he wasn’t allowed to talk to the mage, but Vesstan could do whatever he wanted, and what he wanted was answers. So, during a lull in his royal duties, Vesstan sought out Ras to get all of this straightened out.

Rasterahz seemed to have a great interest in Vesstan. Not only did he answer whatever random question popped into his head but he engaged him. Most of the adults in the castle merely talked at him. Told him what to do, how to do it, how the world worked, etc. Ras was talking to him. The way a friend would. If he could be friends with Ras maybe he could introduce Ras to Ariston! It was the perfect plan!

Of course, Ras' friendship brought with it many secrets. Ras would teach him “secret” spells and incantations he wasn’t allowed to show to anyone else. Things like how to put people to sleep or how to disguise ones appearance. In order to show Vesstan these spells he’d often cast them on the young elf, with his permission of course. It was exciting to finally be “allowed” to break the rules like this. Ras didn’t want Vesstan to be “perfect”. Ras wanted Vesstan to be real. Like Ariston!

The two often had secret meetings to exchange this knowledge. Usually late at night or during Vesstan’s normally scheduled magic lessons. He learned quite a lot during this time. How to manipulate someone’s actions, how to disguise his appearance, even how to break the language barrier and understand just about anybody. But there was one special lesson Ras had yet to teach him. He constantly talked up this mysterious spell, saying Vesstan could only learn it after he’d mastered the basics. This only got him more invested in his studies.

Eventually he’d done it. He’d met the requirements to learn this coveted secret spell and he had plans to meet up with Ras that night and finally get it started. Vesstan was extremely excited. For once in his life he had someone else besides his brother he looked up to. Sure, he was only 7, but it was exciting nonetheless. His first lesson would be cut short, however. What was about to happen was something that Vesstan would remember for the rest of his life.

As per usual Ras wanted to teach Vestan by demonstration. This spell was a very special one. From what he was able to understand this spell had something to do with souls. Ras explained it as a safety measure. Lots of people wanted the king dead, but if you could remove your soul from your body and put it somewhere protected they wouldn’t be able to hurt you. He even had a cool cat’s eye gemstone to put it in! No one would ever think to look for a soul in a gemstone! It was going to be awesome!

Rasterahz removed his horn to reveal it as a very ornate looking dagger. This spell was too powerful to be cast through your hands. It had to be cast through an object in order to keep Ras safe. Then he began chanting the spells incantation. Vesstan listened intently as the dagger began to glow with a bright red aura. It was amazing! He’d never heard a spell this long before, but he was sure after a few tries he’d be able to memorize it.

Before the spell could be finished, however, everything went wrong. Ariston burst into the room and attempted to cast a spell of his own. Vesstan didn’t know what Ariston was doing, but the spell he cast hit Ras! The burning red light from Ras’ dagger shot out in a deadly beam and struck Ariston right in the chest, immediately causing him to fall unconscious. Vesstan ran to his brothers side and began to scream for help. Ras followed, and after much tearful questioning he finally explained what Ariston had tried to do.

Ras explained that Ariston was jealous of their private lessons. While Ras wanted to include his older brother as well, his brother just didn’t meet the right requirements. He thought it’d be cruel to involve him when he simply wouldn’t be able to do any of the magic he and Vesstan could. It sounded mean, but Vesstan kind of understood. He understood it as well as a kid his age was able to, anyway.

It only got worse from there. As the days went on everyone around him began acting differently. His mother was stricken with grief and his father was far more protective than he usually was. Ras had also stopped their lessons entirely, as he didn’t want a repeat of what had just happened. He didn’t know why until at least four days after it all went down. His mother explained that the misfire of magic had killed Ariston. He died almost instantly upon getting hit with the blast. She kept repeating over and over it hadn’t hurt him and he hadn't suffered, but Vesstan didn’t care about that. He didn’t care about anything anymore. It was almost as if he shut down completely.

Life went on for Vesstan and oddly enough there wasn’t much change with his brother gone. He still had his lessons. History, magic, self defense, foreign language. All meaningless jargon he was forced to sit and listen to. He hated how normal it all was. He hated that no one talked about what happened! It was as if his brother never existed, and it made him angry! More than just angry. Vesstan felt rage, and that rage had to be taken out on something.

One particularly bad day while in the midst of self defence class Vesstan snapped. He was just shy of nine years old by this point but he was so full of anger and confusion he just couldn’t take it any more. He lashed out on his mentor; hitting him with his sword harder and faster than he ever had before. While his intention was never to kill him, it was difficult to tell just by looking at him. In a stroke of pure luck he managed to not only best his mentor, but overpower him entirely. That was the moment his family realised his knack for swordfighting.

He was given a more skilled teacher, and because this was one of the few ways Vesstan could get his anger out he put in a tremendous amount of effort into learning and understanding the finer details of swordsmanship. As time went on the anger did as well. Not only that, but his feelings shifted from anger to passion. He was good at this! Whenever he had his sword in his hand he could ignore the stress and hardships of the outside world and become one with the blade. It was amazing. Years went by. Life went on and Vesstan continued with his studies. But in his early teens yet another disaster would strike. This time one with much more dire consequences.

The Great Infestation hit the world when Vesstan was only 15 years old and immediately the kingdom was sent into a frenzy. Trixot was so close to the Sanquet mountain range. They were just about bordering demon occupied territory. Cities and towns were being destroyed by the army of demons swarming them in a never ending wave of destruction. The kingdom was at war, and Vesstan was one of the first to step up and take charge.

Not only had he learned the ins and outs of sword fighting, but he’d also learned a fair bit about warfare along with it. Many of the techniques he used were developed through wars of the past, after all. Vesstan was directly involved with the fight against demon kind from the very beginning. He was in the front lines, slaying demon after demon as Trixot’s armies slowly pushed their way into the mountains.

Of course, being so close to the generals in the war also meant Vesstan was a prime target. One particular demon became obsessed with Vesstan. Their armies had intruded on his home territory and completely destroyed the place. Vesstan fought this demon head on, but it was too smart for him. The small demon known as Jolvoran became one of Vesstan’s mortal enemies, and the two would continue to fude as the war continued. This rivalry was well known among the rest of the troops. Everyone knew what Jolvoran looked like, and everyone knew if he happened to show his face Vesstan would be right on his tail hellbent on lobbing his head off. Many of them found this rivalry amusing, as most people and demons involved in the war didn’t have such personal ties to it all.

Eventually the battle led them to a place known as Rowset Overhang. An area flushed with red magic that in the past had been a proverbial elephant graveyard. A place where people blighted with red magic would go to die when the infection became too much. The demons were using this excess red magic to summon bigger and badder demons in mass, and Trixot’s army was trying to put a stop to it. They had a camp set up several miles out with the intention of ambushing the demons first chance they got.

It was late at night. Vesstan was alone in his tent when he heard someone walking over. He was used to having miscellaneous generals and soldiers stop by to update him on everything going on so he had no issue letting this person inside. Of course, he never would have expected this particular individual to show up. It was Ariston! Although at first he didn’t believe that. Ariston had been killed. He was there when it happened! There was no way this could be him, but the longer the man talked the more obvious it became. He knew things Vesstan had never told anybody. Little bits of information on their lives only the real Ariston would know.

Vesstan was overjoyed to see his brother alive, although he couldn’t help but question why he’d decided to show up now. He had so many questions for him! How did he survive? Where did he go? Why couldn’t he have come back sooner? The two spent hours catching up. It was the first time in his life Vesstan felt as if Ariston actually wanted to talk to him. Before all of their conversations were oddly forced, but now they flowed naturally. Ariston had so many new stories about his life. Apparently he’d ended up in Cassinex of all places and he’d been going to school there to study magic.

Things started to get weird, though. Ariston kept mentioning he had something important to tell him, but whenever he brought it up he started acting erratic and unstable. It was like he was just about ready to jump out of his own skin at a moment's notice. Whatever this thing was, it terrified him to his very core. Vesstan wanted to help wherever he could, so when Ariston asked to cast a spell on him he didn’t contest. Anything to help his brother. He placed his hand upon his forehead, and in an instant the world around him faded to black.

Vesstan wasn’t entirely unconscious, however. As a precaution against demon magic there’d been several safeguards put in place to help him resist any undesirable spells that may be cast on him. He couldn’t see anything, and his body was completely paralyzed, but he could still hear. His consciousness was fuzzy at best. Everything was confused and sounded very far away, but he could still hear Ariston talking. He’d slung his body over his shoulder and the two had been walking for quite some time.

Eventually Vesstan felt himself being laid down on the ground. His eyes opened slightly, but everything was dark and blurry. He couldn’t even move his eyes to look around, they were locked in place. A dark figure loomed over him. One that clearly wasn’t Ariston. It was completely black with vague red glowing highlights. No doubt a demon of some sort. Suddenly he felt a stabbing pain in his chest as the figure stabbed right through it with a large dagger. He wanted to scream out in pain but he just couldn’t find the strength to move. There was a bright flash of brilliant blue and red light coming out of his freshly opened wound. The creature pulled out the dagger, and everything abruptly cut to black.

It’s not clear when, but one day Bur just… Woke up. The day before it was nothing more than an exhibit on display, and the next he was a conscious being able to perceive the world around him. Bur was originally known as “The Sword of the Fallen”. A sword forged with the bones of fallen mortals during the Great Infestation. It saw its fair share of battles in its time, but eventually the demon wielding it was slain in battle and his sword was taken as a trophy by mortals in the country of Trixot where it was not on display at the Trixot National Museum.

Years later, and that very sword found itself locked in a Trixot museum exhibit wondering how in the world it gained consciousness. Bur has no memory of his past. The only reason he knows this is because of the museum’s staff. Every Wednesday, like clockwork, the museum would host a tour, and every Wednesday they’d show off the Sword of the Fallen and go over its history. He’d been forced to listen to the same spiel over and over again, so many times to the point he had it memorized word per word.

   From the very beginning Bur tried getting out of the display, but to no avail. No matter how loud he yelled, how much he pleaded, or how strong he tried to will himself to move, nothing ever happened. Nobody could hear his plea. He was a sword, locked in a glass display, with no means of communicating with the outside world. It was maddening, but Bur eventually came to accept it. As years went on, he found ways to entertain himself. Picking up on common questions people had about his exhibit, and predicting the exact answers the curator would reply with was a favourite. Sometimes he’d sit and guess what questions people would ask in the first place. Bur got really good at reading people, seeing as he had nothing else to do but watch.

   This game is how he even got his name in the first place. Apparently he resembled a fellow sword known by the name “Excalibur”, and young children who had yet to learn how to read would often ask if that sword was him. He heard a great deal about this Excalibur. It was another sword who’d achieved greatness through means outside of its control. But had never been fond of his given name. The Sword of the Fallen was not a name to begin with. It was more of a title. So, taking inspiration from his commonly mistaken counterpart, Bur dubbed himself “Bur, the Sword of the Fallen”. Or just Bur for short. Although he had no way of conveying this to anyone. It was more a name just for him. One thing he could call his own in this prison of his.

   As the years went on old staff eventually retired, only to get replaced with someone new. Bur never really cared about the staff of the museum. To him, they were nothing more than cogs in the machine. A part of daily life that quickly faded into background noise. The staff was just a part of daily life. That is, until he met Magnus.

   Magnus was a particularly odd fellow. He often muttered to himself, talked to seemingly no one, and was always on edge. He was on the night shift, and more often than not his daily tasks involved cleaning and maintenance. Almost every day Magnus would come to polish the glass of Bur’s display, and when he did he’d talk to Bur. At least, that’s how Bur interpreted it. In reality, Magnus was talking to the air. Venting his daily annoyances to nobody in order to make himself feel better. But Bur enjoyed listening. It was the first time in his long and repetitive life where he got any sort of genuine interaction with somebody, even if that somebody had a few screws loose.

   Bur began looking forward to Magnus’ visits. He began considering him a friend. His only friend. The only one who’d ever taken the time to talk to him rather than about him. The days Magnus didn’t stop by dragged on for eternity, but the second he caught a glimpse of him his whole day lit up. Bur wanted more than anything to be able to respond; to be able to say anything to Magnus that’d allow him to leave this glass hell he’d been trapped in, but it just couldn’t. There wasn’t any way for him to communicate. One night, however, Bur got his wish.

   It was late. The museum had closed for the day, the sun had set, and once again it was just Bur and Magnus alone in the exhibit. He was cleaning the glass as he always did, but today Magnus was silent. He seemed to be far more on edge than usual, but Bur didn’t know why. It was hard to tell with him sometimes. Magnus was always a bit jumpy, but today it seemed he was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Bur could do nothing but sit and watch as one of the night security guards slowly began to creep up behind his friend, stalking him like some sort of animal.

   The security guard got close, and when he was only inches away from Magnus he put both hands on his shoulders and screamed “BOO!” right in his ears. As expected, Magnus screamed and jolted away from the security guard. but, unexpectedly, Magnus shotgunned himself forwards and slammed right into the glass display. The force of the crash was enough to knock Bur off of his stand, and for the first time in his entire life Bur was able to move, even if it was only briefly as he fell to the bottom of the glass and knocked up against the side.

   Magnus looked terrified at first, but that terror quickly turned to anger as the security guard laughed. He started berating him, yelling about how he was fed up with these stupid pranks and how he was going to have to write him up for this. He also went off about how his stupid prank could have damaged the exhibit. The security guard showed little remorse as he continued to chuckle and walk away, brushing off all of Magnus’ comments.

   Then, something happened that’d never happened before. Magnus began to open the glass case! He muttered to himself about inspecting the sword for damage as the door swung open and he grabbed Bur in his hands. One moment he was in the glass display, and the next he was being held for the first time in his life. The world spun around and around as Magnus turned Bur over in his hands to inspect him for any damage from the fall. It was exciting. The most exciting thing that’d ever happened to him. But then Magnus began to put him away.

   Bur hadn’t been damaged by the fall, and seeing as he was part of the museum exhibit he had to be put back on display. But Bur didn’t want to go back in the box. Despite the fact he was still in the same room as always, Bur was experiencing life from a whole new angle. He didn’t want to go back. He couldn’t go back. So, despite knowing that Magnus wouldn’t be able to hear him, Bur pleaded not to be put back. Begged, cried, screamed, saying anything he could think of just to not be forced back into that hell.

   Surprisingly, Magnus stopped. As he began to lower Bur back onto the stand, he froze in place. Not only that, but suddenly Bur found himself holding a sword in hands he’d never had prior. At the same time, though, he was still seeing Magnus holding onto him. Almost like he was experiencing existence from two places at once. Confused, Bur tried to ask Magnus what was wrong. If he’d managed to make him stop putting him away, perhaps they had some kind of deeper connection. But, as Bur asked Magnus this, Magnus began speaking Bur’s words. In shock, Bur stuttered, then once again called out to Magnus. Magnus spoke all of Bur’s words clearly, as if he were talking through him. Then it occurred to Bur. What if he was?

   Wanting to get out of the box yet again Bur tried to will Magnus to remove him from the stand and, surprisingly, it worked. Whatever Bur wanted Magnus would just do, no hesitation. Almost as if Bur was now in control of his body. Bur had absolutely no idea how he was doing this, but he didn’t question it. He now had a means of leaving the museum. Seeing the outside world and, most importantly, being able to interact and communicate with people. Bur was overjoyed!

   In his excitement Bur dropped the sword body, and the second Magnus lost his grip Bur was no longer connected. He couldn’t feel any connection to Magnus, and he couldn’t talk. Magnus seemed startled and confused, as if he’d been conscious the entire time Bur was in control but unable to do anything. He seemed hesitant to pick Bur back up, but he couldn’t just leave Bur on the floor. The Sword was part of the exhibit! It had to be on display! So, he hesitantly grasped the sword by the handle, and the second he did Bur found himself in control once again.

   Over the next few hours Bur began getting used to his new body. He very quickly discovered that he had to be touching Magnus in order to keep control, but that didn’t seem to be much of an issue. Magnus, being a Drexel, had a long whip-like tail he could wrap around the hilt of the sword, allowing Bur to use both of his hands. After getting the hang of walking and familiarizing himself with how this new body moved, Bur began to walk outside of the museum for the very first time, determined to explore the world with his new friend.

   Bur found himself in a city known as Muria in the country of Trixot. Specifically, the capital. The city was very large and immaculate, far larger than Bur ever could have imagined. From what he could gather, it seemed as if this entire city was built around its achievements in not only the Great Infestation, but several other wars over the years. Many barracks and military bases littered the landscape, as well as a whole whack of different guilds. There were even several outposts set up for a dragon that watched over the city!

   Very quickly Bur found himself getting involved with Muria’s demon hunting guilds. For over six hundred years he’d heard the tales of how he was used in the great demon infestation, and now he wanted to experience the hunting of demons in person. That, and Bur honestly didn’t know what else to do. What else was there to do? The world was a complete mystery to him. Anything outside the museum walls was as good as alien to him, so finding a place to start exploring was a difficult decision. Might as well start with something at least somewhat familiar.

   Bur was a natural when it came to slaying demons. Not only that, but the feeling of its blade slicing through the warm flesh of a living creature was exhilarating. It felt wonderful, and Bur wanted more. But there was a problem with his newfound bloodlust.

   Being in control of Magnus’ body was not without its issues. The not-so-friendly security guard Magnus worked with almost immediately knew something was up the second Bur took over. Not only that, but he was not happy with the situation. He started throwing out wild accusations, like how Bur was “cursed” and how he was “taking advantage” of Magnus. Bur had no clue what any of this meant, but he caught on very quickly that word getting out of him being the sword rather than the Drexel would be a bad thing. A very bad thing. Something that could get him locked back in the glass hell he’d spent 600 years in. Because of this, Bur took great care in following local laws as best as he could. If slaying demons was the only way to sate his taste for blood, then that’s just what he’d have to do.

   For the next year and a half Bur worked with Muria’s demon hunting guilds, working his way up the ranks until he was one of the most highly renowned demon hunters in the area. An up and coming champion, in a way. So, when Trixot’s royal mage Tasi was kidnapped by a band of demons, Bur was one of the first people in line to step in and check things out.

Bur arrived at the underground city of Blackstone in Malcet with the task of looking into a series of finding the mage. She was last spotted deep within its mines. It was speculated that the demons of the underground had taken her down there in order to access an even deeper underground demon outpost and use her magic against the mortals there. There had been several odd magic related happenings since she’d been spotted, and several of their tunnels had collapsed as a result of it.

The trip down into the mines was long and arduous, but Bur had the advantage of not being able to feel anything. Magnus, on the other hand, started to get more and more worn down as the descent into the underground continued. His body was mortal, and Bur had no idea how to care for a mortal body. Sure, he’d had Magnus for over a year at this point, but many of the finer details of being alive had escaped Bur. Pain was alien, so he’d only take care of injuries if they were hampering his ability to move. Proper diet was also an issue. Bur knew people had to eat to survive, but he had no idea what kinds of things were needed. The neglect to Magnus' body was rapidly catching up to them, and it was about to culminate in something massive.

After a week or so of trekking deeper and deeper into the cave, well past the boundaries of Blackstone, Bur and Magnus encountered the demon responsible for all these disturbances. A tall, lanky, dragonoid creature which appeared to have what looked like purple crystals embedded inside of him. Around his wrists were a set of braces with red gemstones set inside of them.

This demon was extremely odd. The moment it laid eyes on Bur it attacked, but he spoke to him as if they were chatting over morning tea. His words were calm, and he seemed quite apologetic about his actions. It was almost as if there was some sort of major disconnect between his body and his mind.

The demon introduced himself as Cairo, and he began to calmly explain what had been going on. In recent days his settlement had been under attack by an absurdly powerful mortal. One who’s magic was stronger than even the demon lords he worked under. This mage had slain most everyone down there and Cairo was one of the only survivors.

Cairo was instructed by his higher ups to find the strongest mage he could and bring them back down into Blackstone’s depths to lend air. They wanted a mortal mage, as mortals had a better understanding over mortal magic than demons did. Tasi was just the kind of person he was looking for.

The two continued to talk, and as they did more and more information came to light. Apparently the demon lords Cairo worked under had placed the braces around his arms as a means of controlling him. He was extremely physically powerful, and they wanted to use his raw strength to help in their efforts against the mage. Now that the higher ups were dead, Cairo was left attacking anything and everything at random in a feeble attempt to follow nonexistent orders. His last order was to attack, so that’s exactly what he was forced to do.

Bur’s abilities intrigued Cairo. As of right now his body moved on its own, doing whatever it pleased with no input. Bur, on the other hand, could be communicated with. If Cairo was going to be stuck with outside forces in control of his actions, he'd much rather have someone he could communicate with take over. So, the two struck up a deal.

So long as Bur would play nice and take care of him Cairo would give him a much more versatile body to explore Mirror Domain with. Cairo had powerful psychic abilities, so he'd be able to remain in contact with Bur even while under his control, unlike Magnus. Not only would Cairo allow him to explore far more of the world than ever before, but he'd also be able to give Bur a window into his past. While he didn’t know it yet, the mage responsible for the destruction of Cairo’s home was none other than Rasterahz himself. This journey would give Bur glimpses into his past that he’d never have gotten otherwise. It was extremely alluring. Bur couldn't help but agree.

   There was only one problem. Magnus was still here, and he was still conscious. If they did the body swap now he’d most likely bail, at least from what Cairo said based on his thoughts, and then they’d be down one person for the fight. Given how powerful this mage was it really wasn’t the wisest idea to let him go now. Plus, Bur did consider Magnus a close friend. He didn’t want to just leave him down in the depths of Blackstone all alone.

   The three of them continued down into the depths until they reached Cairo’s home. A massive underground island-like area surrounded with miles of pitch black oil. Getting there was easy enough. Cairo may have been forced to attack, but he was able to pick his own target. So long as he put his focus on anything else living he wouldn’t attack Bur, and continuing on to the island there were tons of things to target. It got irritating at times, but they made it work. His overwhelming strength would be a valuable asset in the inevitable fight.

   Eventually they made it to the very center of the island to what appeared to be an old temple of sorts. It’d been partially buried in the ground, but over the years the demons of the area had dug it up in order to uncover the strange magical aura that radiated off of it. The top of the temple had been completely removed and inside they could see what appeared to be an urn giving off a brilliant green glow to the surrounding area. Tasi was there holding concentration on a spell, as the person Cairo identified as the rogue mage. Now was the time for action!

   The battle was difficult, but eventually they managed to grab Tasi and get out of there. In the process they managed to smash the urn Tasi had been casting her spell on. She seemed absolutely horrified, but definitely glad to get out of there. Eventually the group made their way back to the city of Blackstone where they discussed everything that'd happened with Tasi over the past few weeks.

   According to her, this mage went by the title of “The Fallen”, and he’d come down here in search of that urn in order to re-activate it and restore a massive amount of his power. No one other than Bur and Magnus had ever heard of “The Fallen” up until this point, so it was anyone’s guess as to what was going on. All Bur knew was that title was his, and whoever this person was was an imposter. Trying to take credit for all the battles he’d fought in in the past before he’d awoken. Of course, nothing could be done about the situation until the group returned to Trixot. Tasi had her royal duties to attend to and all of their resources were back in Muria. So the group began searching for a quick way back home.

   During this time Bur encountered a small Lesser Dragon by the name of Moxie. Moxie was an oddball, to say the least. Constantly going on about how his god had led him to Bur’s group and how it was his duty to tag along and oversee everything. Bur wasn’t sure about any of this, but without Magnus he and Cairo would be left all alone. Bur didn’t want to be alone. He hated being alone. So not only did Bur let Moxie join the group, but he even let him in on his little secret. The Lesser Dragon was entertaining at least. It could be fun letting him tag along.

   After a few days in the city the group managed to secure a trip home on a passing airship. Bur decided it’d be best to give up Magnus after they got on the ship. That way he’d have a ride home and there’d be no risk of him getting left behind. As far as he was concerned it was the perfect plan. Besides, Cairo would be left to attack the ship’s crew if Bur didn’t take over.

   Once on the ship Bur made his way down to his room with Magnus and Cairo. There, he handed the sword over to the Demon and let Magnus go. Taking over Cairo’s body was quite simple. While his body didn’t want to, his mind was open to letting Bur take over. He didn’t contest, so the swap happened seamlessly.

Of course, Magnus was not happy. He immediately staggered back and demanded Bur not come any closer. Magnus went off, yelling about all the abuse and torture Bur had put him through over the course of the year and a half he’d been stuck with him. But tore him away from his home! His family! His museum! How dare he!? Bur pleaded for Magnus not to tell anybody, but Magnus wasn’t having it. After he’d calmed down a bit he stormed off and hid himself away on a different part of the ship

   The rest of the trip was awkward, to say the least. Magnus ended up telling Tasi about what was going on and Tasi wasn’t too pleased with any of it. She would have had Bur kicked off the ship, but despite his unusual and cruel ability he was still a valuable asset to Muria’s demon and bounty hunter’s guild. He’d even started up a guild of his own which had been bringing in quite a bit of revenue for the city. Tasi ultimately decided to let him remain in charge of his keep, but only under strict supervision. Bur didn’t care, though. So long as he remained in charge of his keep he was fine.

   Before parting ways with Tasi upon returning to Muria she did ask for help with one other thing. The Fallen had told her about his plans to visit a location in Volven where he allegedly had another one of those urns hidden. She wasn’t sure what he was planning to do, but she did want it to be looked into in case anything suspicious was happening. This job was Bur’s way of proving himself, more or less. Show Tasi he wasn’t just a cursed sword with no regard to mortal life. Show he was worth keeping around, more or less. Bur had never been to Volven so he eagerly accepted.

   He, Cairo, and Moxie made their way back to Bur’s keep in order to prepare for this new trip. Getting there, though, Bur was met with a surprise. Apparently he’d had a squatter living at the keep over the week’s he’d been gone. A younger Drexel boy by the name of Curtana. Apparently this wasn’t the first time Curtana had tried getting into the keep, but because he was only fifteen he’d been turned away due to the keep’s strict policies on age. Curtana had heard that the wielder of the Sword of the Fallen worked here, and he’d been wanting to meet him for quite some time now. From what he said, Curtana was a big fan.

   Bur had never had a “fan” before. Sure, there were people who’d taken great interest in his exhibit before, but he’d never had an actual fan. He was curious, so he decided to go out and meet this Curtana and see what he was all about.

   Curtana was completely and utterly awestruck. Apparently he’d heard tales of the Sword of the Fallen over the years, so when it came out its wielder had returned he was eager to meet him. Bur was his hero! His idol! He’d dreamed of being a master swordsman like him since he was just a little kid! All of this fed into Bur’s ego. He liked this kid. Curtana was hoping he could get a job at the keep. He knew he wasn’t old enough, but both his parents had left him and he desperately needed money.

   Despite the building manager’s protests, Bur decided to take Curtana under his wing. A master swordsman in training, so to speak. Adding one more person to his party would mean the chances of him being alone would be that much less. Curtana had tons of questions, so Bur began telling stories of all he’d done over the past year and a half. He referred to Magnus as his “dear friend” several times, and that’s when it came out Curtana was Magnus’ son. As far as he was aware his father was dead. That’s what everyone had been saying, anyway. His father being “friends” with Bur only made Curtana that much more excited to work with him. It was going to be great!

   So, with his newfound party established, the group began preparing to head off to Volven in search of this rogue mage known as “The Fallen”. None of them had any idea the pandora’s box they were about to suck themselves into, but they all knew it’d be quite the adventure.

   As it turned out, “The Fallen” was none other than Rasterahz. During their first meeting Ras explained he was on the hunt for these Urns he’d created in the distant past in order to restore his power. Once he’d fully recovered he’d be ready to tear open something known as “the rift” and repair his broken soul. If he could do that he’d be virtually unstoppable. He’d use his power to shape the world in his image, and his image did not include the likes of Bur or any of his friends.

   It’d take another two years to finally take down Rasterahz once and for all. During this time the entire group learned things they never could have dreamed of. For one, Bur himself was the key to the rift. Apparently something about his soul made it far more powerful than the average persons, and that power was enough to break the barrier between planes. It was how Ras was planning to repair his soul, as he knew of a plane made entirely of blue magic that’d be able to aid him.

   It was a race against Ras to find the urns and destroy them. Only problem was, none of them actually knew how to do that. Magnus had delved into the history of the gods in the past so finding the Urns was simple, but these things were relics. Relics could not so easily be destroyed. So instead of destroying them the group opted to collect them and hide them away instead. That way Ras wouldn’t have access and they’d be able to buy themselves some time.

   They traveled all across Mirror Domain in search of these urns, all the while being tormented by Rasterahz and his magic. He played into their weaknesses, watching them from afar and learning what they held dearest and then ripping it away from them. He tried to put Bur against the rest of his party. Telling him how Moxie’s god was the one who’d killed him and sealed him inside the sword, and how so long as he continued helping him he’d never get his real body back.

   That was all a lie, of course. Moxie’s god, Ariston, had helped in the capturing of Bur, but he hadn’t been the one to kill him or put him into the sword. As the group helped Ariston in his own quest to dethrone Ras he also learned about his past relationship with Ariston. He was granted a vision into his past during one of his adventures, and that vision just so happened to be the one of his older brother saving him from Ras’ attempted murder. Now that he was older and able to understand what had really happened that day he was all the more motivated to put an end to the rogue god once and for all.

   Eventually, after two years of running in circles and being subject to Ras mind games, they found a way to put an end to things. By this point due to Ras’ manipulation of it all he’d managed to get all of the urns, but with Ariston’s help the group had found a way to seal the rift shut once and for all. All they had to do was get Bur’s soul back in his original body. Vesstan’s body. They’d rescued his body in the past in an attempt to hamper Ras’ progress. Bur had been using it as his host for several months by that point.

   The plan was to stall Ras by killing him. His urns ensured that if he ever died he’d simply reform and come back, but killing him would buy them much needed time to open the rift, free Ariston, and have him pur Bur’s soul back in its rightful spot. It was simple on paper, but killing Ras would be no easy feat.

   Luckily for them, Ras offered up the perfect opportunity. Over the past two years Trixot’s current king had become old. Far too old to handle all the hardships Ras brough on. He didn’t have an heir, so the royal mage Tasi was going to be appointed Queen of Trixot. Perhaps it was fate, or maybe it was just dumb luck, bur Ariston caught wind of Ras plan to kill the both of them at the coronation ceremony. Bur knew this was their chance. For once they had the upper hand. They were going to fake out Ras and ambush him. They decided to create a fake version of Tasi in order to accomplish this. Let Ras kill the fake, and just when he thought he’d won attack him while his guard was down.

   Not only did their plan work, but it’d worked better than they ever could have hoped. Ras was out of the way for the next few days and the group would have a chance to rescue Ariston and seal the rift once and for all. All they had to do now was get there.

   Of course, nothing was ever that easy. They may have killed Ras, but they vastly overestimated the amount of time it’d take for him to return. He lied in wait as the group opened the rift, and once they had he did an ambush of his own. Bur was left frantically trying to close the rift as Ariston, Cairo, Curtana, and Moxie kept Rasterahz at bay. Once it was closed Ariston cast a quick spell on the gemstone Bur’s soul was trapped in. The spell was designed to release his soul from the gem, but only if it had access to his body to do so.

   There was only one problem. The soul resided in the chest, right near ones heart. In order for it to “have access” they’d have to more or less open Vesstan’s body up and hope for the best. The situation was far from ideal. Now that Ras knew what their group was capable of he’d come prepared. Defeating him this time would be far more difficult, especially without Bur’s help.

   Bur and Curtana ran off while the rest of the group kept Ras at bay. The only way they’d be able to restore Bur’s soul was to cut him open, and Bur couldn’t do that on his own. He trusted Curtana enough to put his life in his hands. Curtana was going to put Bur’s soul back then, hopefully, get the magic to heal him before he bled out. Neither of them wanted it to end like this, but they both knew if Ras made it through the rift they’d just be killed anyway.

   And so it ended the same way it began. With Vesstan laying on his back on the cold ground getting his chest carved open by a sharp object. The second the gemstone made contact with his open chest Bur felt a shock wave of pain he’d never felt before in his entire life. As far as he could remember he’d never felt pain before in general. It was too much. Far too much for Bur to handle. Curtana pleaded for him to stay awake, but Bur found himself slipping unconscious.

   He awoke several hours later in a blindingly bright room hacking and coughing. Bur could feel everything, and all these new senses hitting him at once were insanely overwhelming. The bright light made him feel queasy. That, paired with all the other new senses clouding his mind, caused him to promptly throw up on the floor. He was dizzy, everything hurt, and he had no clue where he was. All he knew in that moment was he wasn’t holding his sword. He couldn’t move without his sword. He was paralyzed without his sword. Where was his sword?!

   His panic was brief, however. Soon enough Curtana came to his aid and explained everything that’d happened. Moxie and Cairo were able to use Ariston’s god-like abilities to not only kill Ras, but contain his broken soul inside one of his own urns. As far as any of them were concerned that was the end of Ras. At least until they could find a way to kill him permanently.

   After stabbing Bur’s soul back into his body Curtana had rushed him back to his home where Magnus had helped close his wounds. He was back in his body. His soul had been returned, and now Bur was left to finally face the repercussions of his own neglect. He was in anguish, but he was glad things had finally come to a close.

   And that’s where Bur is now. His adventuring party is still trying to clean up after Ras, but for the time being they’ve all taken a break to recover and allow Bur to get used to having a living body once again. Curtana is helping him learn the ins and outs of being mortal, of course. It’ll be a difficult process, but Bur has accomplished far more difficult tasks. They had taken down a god, after all. Learning to live should be a piece of cake!

## **Relationships**

**Curtana Brimstone:** Bur’s best friend and current relationship. While the circumstances they met in were unorthodox, Bur and Curtana very quickly became close due to their shared interests. Both of them had a love for the art of sword fighting and they both were natural born adventurers. It was a match made in heaven from the very start. Bur taught Curtana the art of the blade, and Curtana taught Bur the art of being alive. The two are inseparable, for better or worse. If it weren’t for Curtana Bur would have never had a reason not to join Rasterahz in his efforts to take over Mirror Domain, after all.

**Magnus Brimstone:** An odd relationship to say the least. Even after everything that happened between them Bur still views Magnus as a dear friend. Without him he never would have escaped the museum. That being said, he does tread lightly around him. Magnus has made it clear he dislikes Bur, and the fact he’s dating his son isn’t helping. Bur tries to avoid Magnus as much as he can, but given how family oriented Curtana is the two inevitably end up in the same room together. He at least tries to stay in line and not anger Magnus as much as he can with the hopes of one day forming an actual friendship with him.

**Cairo Milvok:** One of Bur’s closest friends. Perhaps his second closest after Curtana. At this point the two consider each other family. With everything they’d done to help each other in the downfall of Rasterahz they’ve formed a deep respect for each other. Cairo gave Bur his freedom, and until the group found his original body he’d also given his an immense amount of power to aid him in his quest. In return, Bur helped free Cairo from the shackles keeping him under control of the Demon Lords who’d captured him. They both gave each other freedom, and they’re both thankful for it.

**Ariston Daxalim:** Bur’s older brother and dear friend. While he can’t remember too much of his past, he did regain the memory of Ariston saving his life from Rasterahz. Sure, Ariston also wound up helping Ras kill him and steal his soul, but Bur was able to forgive him for it. With everything Ras had done to manipulate the both of him Bur knew for a fact he never would have dreamed of doing such a horrid thing on his own. After learning of their blood relation and Bur helping free Ariston from the Afterlife the two have been making an effort to stay in contact, although it can be a bit awkward at times. They’re still figuring out the whole siblings thing.