Clarice

**Clarice** is the name assumed by the recombination of two divine personae—the husk of the hermaphroditic Dragon Emperor (*Kyurem*) and the feminine half of its soul (*Reshiram*). As such, Clarice is the heritor of the latter's mantle as Spirit of Truth. Deeming it her life's purpose to atone for the mistakes of her constituent parts, Clarice spurns her divine authority in favor of humble missionary work and a seat in the Crusade. As a Sister of the Iron Plate, she is a powerful ally on the side of righteousness, even if she is loath to use her great abilities on any considerable scale.

## History

In the beginning, the Original One created a trinity to govern space and time: Sage, Aether, and Morrigan. In doing this, He favored the Dragon type. Likewise, when Pokémon first evolved and diversified, the Dragon type was again given special care and a right to govern. The Original One supposedly begot a fourth draconic deity to descend to the earth and lead His Creation into prosperity. So the Dragon Emperor came to rule.

The enlightened Dragon Emperor was graceful and just in Its reign. No one description of the Emperor could ever satisfy Its disciples, so striking was Its mystery and celestial wisdom. A philosopher by nature and perhaps truly a god on earth, the Dragon Emperor invited not only its dragon subjects but *all* Pokémon to learn and meditate alongside the paragon of Creation. It was a time of effulgent peace and intellect.

However, the Dragon Emperor's serenity was not unshakable. Ignorant people rejected Its wisdom, violent people threatened Its peace, and unfortunate people passed away before they could share in Its righteousness. No amount of grace could keep these woes from resurfacing, time and again. The Emperor envisioned an *ideal* world of infinite light, love, and life—yet the *truth* of reality insisted the world beyond the Emperor could never live up to Its perfect example. The ideal could not be reconciled with the truth, and together they made the Dragon Emperor miserable.

Thus, the Emperor invented the Dragon Splicer—an instrument whereby It could cast these things out of itself and find peace of mind again. From this deed, two dragons were born. The feminine one, called Reshiram or Tiamat, proved a being of harsh truths and grim realities. The masculine one, called Zekrom or Bahamut, proved an unworldly idealist. The Spirits of Truth and Ideals warred for a time, but the remains of the Dragon Emperor—a soulless wretch called *Kyurem*—destroyed them and turned them to stone so that It might finally attain repose.

Centuries passed, in which time a reborn Reshiram once established a wicked empire and instigated more warfare. However, Reshiram was defeated when Tower persuaded the ascetic Kyurem to emerge from its solitude and reclaim the tyrannous soul. Absorbing Reshiram into itself again, Kyurem became a jumbled and novel being.

Tower soon found a new disciple in the confused "White Kyurem," who remembered nothing of her previous lives—philosopher, tyrant, or wretch. Naming herself for *clarity*, she has since pledged herself to inspiring hope and goodwill in the modern world.

## Personality

"*Even if I am a goddess, I want other people to have fun too. I'd like to share my fun with everyone and at the expense of no one. It's a tall order, but I do my best.*"
— Clarice rejecting Aether's invitations to make havoc
"*I don't kill. I don't even fight if I can possibly avoid it. Too much hardship ensues when people like me decide lives are something to be counted and traded.*"
— Clarice to Laury the Hunter
Clarice is a mild and mellow individual, a gentle giant whose patience and kindness are uncommon even among the Congregation of the Iron Plate. She helps others however she can, and she is quick to regret any hurt she may inflict by accident. Knowing she has ample power to set the world ablaze or cage it in ice, Clarice uses only a fraction of her divine energies at any time. Even when lives are on the line, including her own, she is more liable to assume a nonviolent defensive role than enter combat. Clarice's passivity makes her easy to push around (as far as Legendary super-dragons are concerned), but she remains cognizant that she can bear more pushing than most.

Clarice's behavior derives from her penitent mindset. Although she does not remember the wickedness of Reshiram or the indifference of Kyurem, the new titan feels obliged to make amends for their wrongdoing. Toward this end, she happily roams the land and gives aid to those in distress as a sort of penance. Also owing to her deeds as Reshiram, Clarice is unsettled by careless use of fire. She has renounced her flare moves and studied Water-type techniques in order to douse flames without and within. These techniques serve a meditative purpose and help cool her emotions. Clarice fears few things more than losing control of her temper.

Despite all of her saintly qualities, Clarice is not without some vanity. Her lopsided appearance belies her friendly character, so she is always conscious of her looks. Hurtful comments about appearances tend to leave a lasting impression on her, as does undue use of the word "monster." In her keep at the Iron Abbey, the one place where she relaxes her grip on her freezing aura, Clarice surrounds herself with mirrors to make sure her "good side" is always up to snuff.

## Legendary powers

Clarice possesses the combined powers of Kyurem and Reshiram, including the following at minimum.

* Masterful generation and manipulation of ice and cold
* Masterful generation and manipulation of fire
* Extraordinary resistance to heat and cold
* Passive psychic lie-detection
* Telepathic attunement and communication
	+ Clarice requires familiarity with the target mind before she can initiate dialogue from afar. Otherwise, she must have eye contact (or at least a clear line of sight).
* Comprehension of script in any language
* Passive freezing aura
* Supersonic flight
* Agelessness