Icarus

Icarus is an Arculese mage and wielder of the Ice Curse, known widely as the de-facto Commander of the Arculese Army despite not holding an official title.

## History

### **The Apocalypse (219 A.R.)**

#### Battle at the Sky Island

Icarus, Raphael, and Ikaika were sent as reinforcements to the location at the sky island, after the initial groups were sent. The three entered on a platform of ice, bombarding the Horsemen Aris and Hayn with their attacks; Icarus created a massive, solid fist to smash down into them. The Horsemen escaped the deadly onslaught, battered, before once again launching a huge sphere of flame at the group. Talrand shouted to Icarus that the two together could block it, resulting in the former unleashing a large quantity of water which Icarus then froze with his cold breath, successfully stopping the fireball in its tracks.

The arrival of Rygon and Eveer turned the tides of the battle for all including Icarus. Rygon flooded the battlefield with sand, straining against them all and keeping them at bay even as Raphael was knocked unconscious by Hayn. The Four Horsemen made their escape, and Icarus along with the rest of the group were left behind. He leaped through the black hole wormhole formed by Rordan, tailing the Horsemen to Asakaya Island.

#### Resurrection of Prometheus

Icarus exclaimed that the Horsemen had to be stopped, before engaging in combat along with the others. Talrand and Icarus created a distraction for Ikaika to destroy one of the gems, forming a mist of water vapor together. When the ritual proceeded thanks to the sacrifice of Aris to atone for the lost gem of life, and the beginnings of the resurrection were unfolding, Icarus voiced his surprise; just before the God of Fire, Prometheus, emerged from the shrine.

He was among the first to stand after recovering from the pulses emitted from the shrine, and the first to attack, utilizing a jet of cold water vapor which was easily overpowered by Prometheus, whose retaliation engulfed Icarus in an explosion to send him flying into the nearby hills.

#### Fight against the Horsemen

Icarus later got up and joined in the final battle against the Horsemen after Prometheus departed. When Rygon subdued Cobalt and Tristan, and Ikaika faced down the Embodiment of Pestilence, Icarus froze the sand-crafted serpent which was sent at the fire mage, then launching spikes of ice at Rygon. Icarus and Ikaika both dodged Rygon's next attack as the former rushed forward, but was restrained by the force of a sandstorm before failing to tear the carpet beneath the Sand Curse user to pieces with ice.

He proceeded to create a freezing whirlwind of ice and snow which froze many of Rygon's sand weapons and constructs before cartwheeling and using his ice to rip apart Rygon's carpet - the Horseman partially immobilized. Rygon retaliated by impacting Icarus with a wave of sand, sending him flying before engaging with Ikaika. Fists of ice, however, were sent by icarus to restrain Rygon against the ground in order to force him to release the fire mage from his grip after some time.

The two were temporarily subdued by sand from Rygon's staff - the Horseman of Pestilence proceeded to surround them with a dome of sand which threatened to crush them, as the surrounding desert area began to engulf it in a rapidly sinking hole. When Ikaika blasted a hole through the dome, he used his magic to cause Rygon to spontaneously catch fire (*Ancient Art: Incineration*), causing the Horseman to writhe in pain. Icarus topped this off by plunging a massive blade of magical ice into Rygon, the two working in tandem to finally bring the Horseman to his death.

### **The Wedding (221 A.R.)**

The Arculese High Command received invitations to the upcoming wedding of Decimus and Princess Elena of Istral. Icarus was present, initially surprised about the sudden celebration. Upon hearing of the two engaged, he laughed (with Talrand questioning why he was doing so) and quipped that Elena, having accumulated quite the reputation, may not be pleased. Lord Commander Axtel instead met this remark with his own doubt as he believed that anyone would fall in love with Decimus himself.

Icarus proceeded to say that due to the marriage, their own alliance would grow stronger, before mentioning that Pearce should find a new outfit as no one at the venue would stand to look at his current - a fact which caused Pearce to blush in embarrassment. It was decided that Talrand and Pearce would stay behind, while Khando, Icarus, and Axtel would attend.

#### The Wedding Ceremony

On the day of the wedding, Icarus sat on the right-hand table along with Khando, Quinn, Haevar, and others. Upon the entrance of Castiel and Ryoshi, cloaked by shadow magic, into the hall, Khando expressed worry - prompting Icarus to ask what was troubling him, to which the Grand Admiral responded that he could have sworn he had heard or felt something. Haevar, however, dismissed this notion as Khando having already become drunk, and the festivities continued on without hiccup.

As the ceremony was about to begin, Shogun Kaito gathered the attention of the attendees. Icarus mused to himself about Kaito, having never met. Shortly after Kaito announced the beginning of the official ceremony, the bride and groom made their way down the hall and to the altar to say their vows. As they were proclaimed husband and wife, Castiel enacted his assassination attempt, stopped in his tracks by Raphael when the latter redirected the bolt meant to strike Elena through the heart, causing it to blow the platform which the two stood on to pieces and fling them into the middle of the hall.

Icarus was among those shocked upon seeing the two culprits, as well as when Rordan revealed himself to be a part of their conspiracy, and when Merax broke in through the massive glass window. He was knocked back by a pulse emitted by Castiel, along with many others. Icarus exclaimed in surprise as he was forced to shield his eyes when Quinn, too, unveiled his part in the plan and unleashed a blinding light to incapacitate all in the room (*Illumination*).

When the group of conspirators made a move to flee the room, thanks to Quinn's diversion, they were stopped by Akehito and Flavian, who were joined soon by Raphael, Icarus, Ikaika, and Axtel. Raphael and Castiel began an intense altercation, causing Castiel to go on at a length about Raphael's treason before being interrupted by Icarus (a glob of water which froze over Castiel's mouth), who commented, "I got kinda tired of hearing him talk". The de-facto Commander of the Arculese Army then used the piece of ice to send Castiel flying upward, and then out of the palace, telling the rest that he would take care of Castiel while wishing them good luck with the others - he was quickly followed by Raphael.

Castiel struggled against Icarus and Raphael, the two proving much of a challenge as they sent attacks flying at him. When Castiel was busied in defending Raphael's lightning with a shield, Icarus formed spears of ice which were then targeted at Castiel's back - until Rordan, having recently escaped the wedding hall, created a blackhole which caused the spears to impact Raphael.

Raphael turned to battle with Rordan, the two teleporting away shortly after to continue their duel elsewhere and leaving Icarus and Castiel alone. Icarus gave a sigh after Castiel acknowledged this fact, awkwardly asking if Castiel liked the ocean. Before Castiel could answer, a very quickly formed hammer of ice slammed into the former Tempest, knocking him into the sea as Icarus replied, "Good".

This victory was short lived, however, as Castiel caught himself and flew back at Icarus, sending lightning and fire-infused meteors at him. Before Icarus was able to adequately react, he was sent flying off of the mountain and out of the city. The Dome of Rasellan was then raised, Castiel making it out and atop the Dome just in time. He and Icarus stared each other down for some time until Icarus sent an array of ice-weapons flying at Castiel, and made his way toward the top of the metallic dome.

#### Icarus vs Castiel

Above the city of Rasellan, Icarus initiated by saying that he did not know of any grievances Castiel had against Elena or Decimus, but adding that he did not care regardless before forming a spear of ice. A block of ice launched Icarus forward, until he was promptly forced back by Castiel's wind magic, much to his surprise. When he came back at Castiel, Icarus' weapon clashed with Castiel's flaming metal sword, the spear cracking. The Ice Curse user attempted to kick Castiel, met by the master mage's elementally-charged fist; this caused a massive collision and shockwave of energy.

Icarus' next attempt to maim his adversary with a dozen formed spears was overpowered by Castiel, but Icarus remained resolute. A spiked fist of ice came down toward Castiel as Icarus unleashed a roar of frost and wind, landing the first hit after Castiel destroyed the fist with a beam of light. Castiel evaded the two spikes sent at him as he was blown back, then restraining Icarus' body with two cuffs of metal as he was lifted into the sky and smashed downward. Icarus, just in time, froze and shattered the cuffs. As he fell toward the Dome, Castiel bombarded him with crystal which Icarus narrowly blocked with his own shield. The Ice Curse user created several dragons of ice, sending them at Castiel as he at the same time coated the Dome in a thick layer of ice. His opponent, however, formed a hammer of the elements (*Heaven's Hammer*) which he flung at the dragons to destroy them in their entirety.

Castiel also managed to elude damage from the wave of ice then sent by Icarus, swallowing it with a pit of darkness. However, Icarus proceeded to bombard the mage with cannonballs of ice, impacting him several times as the rest were destroyed. In response to this, Castiel punched the air, sending hundreds of rippling shockwaves at Icarus - to his surprise, Icarus was able to freeze the energy itself (*Ice Age*), commenting that it was "shocking". Interrupting Castiel mid-retort, Icarus slammed an icy hammer into the former Tempest from behind, launching him toward the ice mage.

As Castiel was flung in his direction, Icarus prepared with an Everice gauntlet, smashing it into Castiel and sending him sprawling. To his amazement, Castiel recovered quickly, then quipping that he did not enjoy being interrupted. When Icarus was in the midst of replying that it was something he would need to get used to, Castiel blasted the Curse wielder backward into a blackhole which reformed in front of the former Tempest, who unleashed a tremendous whirlwind of stormy energy which heavily battered Icarus. With a remark that it tasted like rain, Icarus used his own technique to form an armor called *Everwinter Armor*; made of Everice.

Icarus glided across the frozen surface of the dome, coming toward Castiel. Castiel launched several bombs of soul energy into Icarus - shockingly, they were reflected off of his armor and onto Castiel, who was knocked back while Icarus skated toward him at impressive speeds, reforming his gauntlet and smashing it into Castiel; the multi-magic user braced himself, and then clamped his own fist around Icarus', unleashing tremendous amounts of lightning into his body.

Though the attack damaged Icarus immensely, the ice mage continued on, forming an orb of frosty energy and wind. He brought it forward to release it point-blank, yelling to Castiel that he would not get away this time. Castiel attempted to impede Icarus by firing two expanding fists of lava, one clipping Icarus' armor and burning it away, but Icarus, now within range, released the orb - causing it to explode in a roar of energy (*Arctic Bomb*).

When the explosion cleared, Castiel having taken the hit, Icarus pinned Castiel's arms to prevent him from attacking, saying he was not done with him - further calling him an Avatar wannabe, breaking the fourth wall. He then used *Frostbite*, causing his opponent's body to begin to freeze over, and restraining him meanwhile with icy chains. Icarus finished his plot by ensnaring Castiel within a prison of ice (*Seal of Ice*).

Icarus cursed as he felt Castiel's energy pooling, suddenly causing the prison to shatter into thousands of pieces as Icarus formed an Everice sword in hand, just barely escaping the spirit hands which Castiel sent at him to restrain him. Icarus, now thoroughly irritated - telling Castiel to shut up after he made yet another comment - sent hundreds of blades of ice flying down toward Castiel, who speared through each of them with an arrow made of soul energy (*Phantom Arrows*). Icarus, remarking that his opponent was becoming quite troublesome, unleashed a tremendous storm of ice and snow (*Blizzard*) which engulfed the area, prompting Castiel to respond with his own storm of electricity and wind (*Everstorm*) as the Dome began to tear apart.

The residue from their respective storms impacted the city of Rasellan below, Icarus realizing that the battle had to be ended soon to prevent deaths at the hands of "this son of a...". Acknowledging he had only one choice, Icarus released his Enchantment, blocking the subsequent beam of sunlight sent at him by Castiel and dispelling it with ease. He then slid forward and punched Castiel with enough force to draw blood and launch him back, closer to the Dome's edge.

Questioning if Castiel had had enough yet as Icarus made his way over with an enchanted shield and fist, Icarus was promptly blasted off of the Dome by a mixture of fire, light, darkness, and other elements. However, the Arculese came flying back toward the Valyrian, enraged. A dozen large fists of enhanced ice bombarded Castiel (*Enchanted Frost Barrage*), sending him flying off the Dome; however, they continued to pursue him even after hitting once, impacting him multiple times each. When Icarus attempted to slam Castiel back into the Dome of Rasellan with a chain, the Tempest entered his Inner Tempo state, shattering all of the ice before coming back at Icarus - who swore loudly upon his "transformation".

Icarus prepared, with a shield bolstered by his Enchantment, successfully blocking Castiel's first barrage but breaking as his second attack of magma, darkness, and light made it through. Regaining his bearings quickly, Icarus lobbed spears of ice at Castiel, who eluded most of them until one impaled him through the stomach.

Reveling in his success, Icarus renewed his barrage, which Castiel attempted to block using a spiritual projection; to his disbelief, each hit landed on the projection caused harm to Castiel as well. When Castiel jetted himself up into the air, Icarus formed a tremendously gargantuan fist - the size of a small mountain - in the air, spiked, radiating cold, and enchanted (*Enchanted Ice Titan's Fist*). Castiel took it head-on, the fist impacting so hard that it itself shattered from the force afterward.

Both opponents brutalized and exhausted, the two fell to the floor, Castiel bringing up the pain which Icarus had inflicted - Icarus responded by saying it was the plan from the beginning, between tired gasps. Icarus acknowledged Castiel's statement that he was a powerful opponent. Castiel snidely asked how long he had left, before putting up his free hand and readying an attack as Icarus blabbered on - stating that he had never had to exert himself this way before, and going on at a length about the sweets and drinks at the wedding. Castiel silenced Icarus, blotting out the sky with hundreds of magma fists charged with various other magic. Though Icarus' conjured shield managed to block some, it was eventually bypassed.

The attack having devastated Icarus, the two prepared for the final exchange; Icarus shouted that he would not go down without using all he had. Pooling all of his energy into a single attack, Icarus formed a massive sphere of frosty, icy energy, so pressurized that it had a weight (causing the metal and ice below to bend and crack). As Icarus did so, his eye glowed blue as a shadowy blue figure emerged behind him, smiling.

Icarus' final move (*Climaclysm*) was sent to meet Castiel's huge sphere of magical energy (*Continental Annihilation*), causing the two to clash - tearing apart the Dome of Rasellan, Castiel's move setting the city ablaze as the energy went wild. Both combatants fell to the ground, standing up one final time. Icarus finally gave in with a grin, falling to the floor in defeat.

### **The Cerulean Infiltration (221 A.R.)**

On one of his travels to the Karsan territories, Icarus encountered Castelon on Axwood Island. Icarus questioned Castelon on where he intended to go, and after learning that he wanted to quell tensions with Cerulea, decided to stay on the island with the garrison. It was later revealed that he chose otherwise.

WIP.

## Personality

> *"One of Arculum’s best land commanders, despite not having an official army rank. He is de-facto the leader and grand commander of the Arculese Army. He has a penchant for being very flashy and extravagant, especially in battle. However, his heart is in the right place and he looks out for the wellbeing of his friends and allies. He is the wielder of the Ice Curse and makes very bad puns.*
>
>

WIP.

## Appearance

### Accessories

* Hat
* Cape

## Trivia

* In early development, when Icarus was simply known as the Ice Curse user, he was intended to be an unaffiliated character before this was decided against.
* Icarus' favorite foods are cotton candy, ice cream, and vodka.