Aerel Virtanen

## Backstory

The Formless Folk don't have any definite structure. They are born in the shape of a transparent human child, and as they grow up, they begin to look like their parents. In most cases, after the death of their parents the child may assume the exact look of one of the parents. On other occasions, they take the form of someone who raised them or who is very emotionally attached to them. In both cases, they take the exact form only at the death of that significant person. After reaching adulthood the formless folk stop aging, but as they grow old, their life force decays and eventually they succumb to death. The knowledge of this race was lost, but many believed at a time that they were created by Gzemnid, the first beholder, in an attempt to copy the work of other gods. Some say that they were the product of a failed attempt at recreating the first beholder himself. Along with the knowledge of their race, went the knowledge of a City. The City was said to have been full of the Formless, though none knew of the validity of the story, and the whereabouts of the City were shrouded in mystery. They were like a Fairytale race, many stories were born of them, like stories of manipulation.. though none as strange as one. It told of Formless Folk who had seen something terrible, and tragic, taking the forms of inanimate objects and beginning to slumber, unconscious of all things. Along with the Fairytale beings, came the tale of their natural enemies, the Doomstalker. These fairytale monsters take away the most precious thing of the formless folks, their memories, causing them to turn back into their transparent childlike shape. Although, feeding on the core of the enemy reverts them back to their usual form, this proves difficult as the enemies are constantly improving depending on its target and changing its form and pattern of attack. The race was mostly interpreted as a race cursed to forever be manipulated, or hunted down by Doomstalkers. The Formless Folk’s memories were special to the Doomstalkers, as they gave them strength. As such, the Doomstalkers adapted to track down the Formless Folk, recognizing their scent upon seeing them. For such a Fairytale to be true would be odd, however like all Fairytales, they’re based off of a true story. But in this case, the Fairytale was real.

Hidden somewhere in the great forest was a small village of mostly Elven kind. However, there were two people who didn't quite fit in. Violet Roarsh and her husband, Caelan Virtanen, both had the ears of a Human. The thing that made them welcome to this small town was their Child, Aerel Roarsh Virtanen. The child was born shortly after their arrival to the town. When this child was born he had a transparent body, with no defining features. Over time the features began to develop, his skin turned like his mothers, fair and smooth. His hair became a mix, the black of his mother and the green of his father. His eyes mixed and became a bright yellow. Eventually, he looked like any normal person. For the first 25 years of his life, which is still childlike for a Formless, Aerel and his family lived peacefully with the Elves. They had no enemies, and there were no issues within the village. It was what was happening on the outside of the village that posed a threat. Just as the tale of the Formless Folk was real, so was the tale of their natural enemies. Though never thought to be real, the Doomstalkers had tracked down and followed Aerel’s family to the town. They had previously been being repelled by a magic barrier that was around the Elven town, however on one certain day of the year, Aerel’s birthday, the village released Lanterns into the sky. It was a belief that the lanterns would carry their prayers and dreams up to the God of the Sky, and in order for their prayers to leave the village they had to take down the barrier. December 23rd, the barrier went down. The snow fell into the village covering the ground and creating a thick layer of ice across the ground and rooftops. The children, including Aerel, were running and sliding all over the ground while the parents watched and made the lanterns. It was a peaceful day, one that should have stayed that way. It was like a flash, one scream, then another and another. The sound of the buildings falling, and the snarls of the monsters filled the crisp air. Aerel found his parents, and they did their best to help as many people as they could escape.. they ended up saving a few of the children and their parents. By doing so they ended up being left behind, with only the option to hide. Aerel was put into a blanket and under some floorboards, being left only a sword and the blanket. His parents did their best to hide in a wardrobe. But you can’t trick a nose made to hunt you, Aerel’s parents were found first, where he watched them be slaughtered and turned into transparents beings. Aerel’s first reaction was to scream, but he quickly covered his mouth in time, but his quick reaction made the sword fall and hit him in the head. In pure instinct he transformed into the sword, removing any scent that was there previously. Aerel sat in that form for much longer than normal, his mind kept flashing back to how his parents were killed, and turned transparent. Eventually, the stress was too much for his child-like mind to handle, and he shut his consciousness down, and from the stress he ended up developing Dissociative Amnesia.

## Appearance

Majority of Aerel's appearance is the mixture of mother and father. His true natural hair color is black with green blue accents, the combination of his mothers black hair and his fathers green. His natural eye color is a bright yellow, created from his mothers green eyes and his fathers blue eyes. However, there are portions of Aerel unique to one parent.. such as his fair and smooth skin from his mother. He received his sharp eye shape from his father, and the innocent eyebrows from his mother.

Aerel has a skinny and lanky build, although only being 5'8" at this time.

## Personality

* Base

> "This is a mistake, I shouldn't do this, I know that. But it's also the best chance she has at finally having a life again."
>
> Aerel to Albatroz about Nalei

> "I'll take full responsibility of the Army, and none will be lost.. at least none from your side."
>
> Aerel to Albatroz