Skullgrand

Skullgrand was a Demon-Blooded individual who was biologically immortal. He proved to be a minor annoyance for anyone with above average fighting prowess, but was a plague amongst general populations. His crimes included trespass, murder, destruction of property, thievery, cannibalism, and general mayhem.

## Biography

Skullgrand, born Godric Hache, was born in the Yonder. He offered his body, blood, and soul to an unnamed Demon for immortality. The specific wording, "So long as I don my armor, I wish to never die, nor be able to be removed from it." This was taken literally, and he was permanently sealed in his armor. After years of fighting in various conflicts, he was sentenced to "death" by combat, where he participated in a gladiator-esque arena for twenty-two years. Afterwards, he was bound in magical chains and drowned in a deep lake. He sat there in a perpetual state of drowning for thirty-one years, before the lake was drained due to natural disasters. His chained body was found and dragged ashore by a group of unnamed looters, who were killed immediately after undoing the seals.

From there, Skullgrand, his mind degraded, wandered the lands as a lone fighter. He allied with anyone he pleased, left whenever he was displeased, and in general made problems for anywhere he was at. His appearance in the Bastian Civil War was minor, and had no effect on the end results. He could commonly be seen at battlefields days after the fighting stopped, greedily devouring remains to fuel his magical energy.

He was last seen over two years ago, wading into the western seas. His last words remarked at how boring things had gotten, so he'd find somewhere else to make trouble.

## Personality

As an immortal man who had sat underwater for decades, resulting in insanity, he feared no consequence and did as he pleased. He would wander into strangers' homes and make demands of them, and depending on how they reacted, he could have left without a word, or killed them all and burned down their home. When something piqued his interest, there wasn't much that could stop him from investigating it, or in the case of a person, stalking them. He aligned with anyone or no one, which depended on his appetite and how people had treated him that day. He held those who feared him in high regards, and those who hid their fear as fools.

## Powers and Abilities

**Immortality**: Unable to die through any means, at least that Skullgrand had tested, by himself or others. Not even stopping the flow of magic throughout his being could kill him. There were a multitude of ways to incapacitate him, but he simply would not die.

**Regeneration**: Skullgrand could instantly regenerate, armor and all, in a matter of seconds. No matter how massive or insignificant the damage was, he could completely reform from a single drop of his sludge that separated from the main body. At longest, regeneration took four seconds, while less than half a second at the shortest. He could choose when to regenerate as well; but he had to wait at minimum three seconds before he could. The regeneration could be postponed indefinitely, which allowed him to travel great distances via drops of his sludge spread across a battlefield.

**Engulfing Maw**: Skullgrand could split his armor open at will, making a 'mouth,' or it could encase unlucky adversaries in an alarmingly quick motion. When the armor split, sludge oozed out and caused permanent damage to biological surfaces. When the armor snapped shut, it does so with immense force and speed, which could crush even solid stone.

As for a fighting style, Skullgrand's usual method was a battle of attrition. Skullgrand observed his surroundings through magic. All of his senses, aside from a weak sense of touch, were entirely obtained through magic. While his mental reactions were instantaneous, such as seeing an incoming attack, his physical reactions were delayed up to three seconds. Any physical movement he made was slow and awkward; any skilled fighter could see his strikes coming. His sword swings were normally about a second late, aside from his overhead slams, which were generally fast. He mostly attacked with thrusts to impale his enemies, but his overhead slams were strong enough to completely crush people caught beneath it. Realistically, he was an awful swordsman. He hardly even used his shield. His regeneration could help land surprise attacks, however, and his 'Engulfing Maw' ability could help him completely immobilize or outright kill someone. 'Engulfing Maw' could also be activated without delay, which was perfect for catching people off-guard.

## Weapons

The magically bound bastard sword he carried with him was covered in the blood of thousands of enemies, and countless innocents. While it never shattered, rusted, or dulled, it had otherwise no enhanced properties, such as being able to cleanly cut boulders. He was surprisingly strong, which allowed him to pick up people and rip them in half, with effort. Alternatively, Skullgrand could use his own sludge as a weapon, by splashing it across someone's face, making them slip in it, or having it suddenly burst out of the palms of his hands. It would cause an enhanced magical necrosis that would rot away biological materials in moments.