Keras Selyrian

Keras Selyrian is a powerful swordsman with a number of interesting titles: Amulet-less Alliterator, Slayer of Sacred Stones, Supporter of Sapient Spirits, Buster of Balls, Deity’s Demise, and Sword of Shattered Stars. Velas and some others refer to him as Sal on Mythralis. Keras appears to not have a recognizable aura and utilizes dominion sorcery, mainly metal, stone and fire, though he has an “unknown” dominion which is referred to as the annihilation dominion. His sword is often discussed and in the teaser for Six Sacred Swords, it mentions that his sword is "-damaged and leaking world-annihilating mana-" which provides some added insight to the fact that he seems to fear his own aura. Keras was able to take a direct hit from Katashi and proceeded to fight him to an unknown end. He was also seen in the memory crystal stolen by Jin, where he fights several people including Corin's mother, Laura.

Keras is not from the continent of Kaldwyn and is here on a mission to speak with the goddess Selys. He was originally sent with a team, with whom he lost all contact. The next book in the series, Six Sacred Swords, will be a short story from Keras's POV. His original name was Taelien Salaris.

 Physical Description

Corin describes him as pale, clean-shaven and more athletic, and shorter than his brother Tristan. He is known to hide his face under a silver mask. Few people can match the raw strength of Keras, especially in his body of stone or body of iron forms.

## Personality

Keras is a generally kind and polite person unless you give him a reason to behave otherwise. He is extremely passionate when it comes to protecting others, especially his friends and loved ones. Many would describe him as powerful, courageous, and sincere.

One of Keras’s most defining traits is his deep enjoyment of battle. Whether it be against friend or foe, Keras loves the thrill of a good fight. There have been many occasions where he has challenged, or been challenged by powerful opponents, sometimes even in inappropriate settings.

But above all else, Keras is fiercely against the unnecessary taking of life, even going so far as completely object to participate in fights that he would normally be extremely excited for.

## History

### Early Life

He was raised by Rethri, who took him in after Erik Tarren asked them to keep Taelien safe for him. Thought to have been created/born by Karasalia and Aendaryn, gods of the Mythralis continent as an elemental/sword spirit wielder of the Sae’kes Taelien (Dominion Breaker).

An additional theory is that when Aendaryn lost his right arm in the battle with Valien and he could no longer be the wielder for the Dominion Breaker, that the sword creates its own wielder in the form of Keras who is essentially part of the Dominion Breaker and is akin to a sword elemental.

### Six Sacred Swords

When he was teleported to Kaldwin to get the help of the local Goddess, Keras found himself near the Shrine containing Dawnbringer. After finding his way through a patch of forest enchanted with confusion and misdirection magic, fighting the guardian of the shrine (Reika), encountering his worst nightmare at the time (Jonathan Sterling) and crossing a divide by using an invisible bridge - he acquired the first of the Six Sacred Swords.

Leaving the shrine with Dawn and Reika, he planned to get three Amulets associated with Dawnbringer but had to fight off the Tails of Orochi, who want to have Dawn for themselves. Arriving at the location of the first of Dawn's Amulets and going through challenges of acquiring it, the custodian of the shrine, the Spirit Gateway Crystal, informs Keras and Reika that all the Amulets have already been acquired by someone else. The Crystal also gives Keras a gift from Wrynn Jaden: a Shadeweaved Tunic specifically made for Keras.

After leaving this shrine, the Tails found Keras again. Keras and Reika again managed to fight them off. As the next step, they decided to travel to Edria to participate in the Tournament of the sacred swords in the city of Kassel, next to the Hydra Spire.

### Sufficiently Advanced Magic

Keras appears during Corin Cadence's judgement in an apparent prison, and accompanies him briefly.

### On the Shoulders of Titans

Keras takes on a role of protection for Corin and his friends, living with them and Derek Hartigan.

### The Torch that Ignites the Stars

Keras accompanies Corin, Sera, Marissa and Patrick on their trip to Caelford.

He helps Marissa and Patrick climb in the Tiger Spire.

### The Silence of Unworthy Gods

Upon their arrival back in Valia, Corin's father, Magnus Cadence, challenges him to a duel. Keras is angry at this and offers to fight on Corin's behalf, which the latter refuses.

For weeks after their arrival Keras is noticeably distant. Upon Corin seeking him out to speak, Keras reveals that he will soon be leaving and that he needs Corin to keep his promise of charging the Jaden Box.

## Skills and Abilities

Keras uses a form of non-attunement magic, which is called dominion sorcery. He fights with a sword and is extremely powerful, capable of holding his ground with the Visage Katashi and Emerald-level fighters such as Laura Lyran.

### Dominion Sorcery

 Stone
 Metal

### Spirit Bonds

**Dominion Breaker:** The Dominion Breaker is the first of Taelien's many swords, as well as his strongest. He is bonded to it through yet unknown means, which provides him with an unusual and rare ability that lets him "annihilate" anything. This Annihilation essence is described as "cutting" things and can let him absorb abilities from magical items.

**Dawnbringer**: The first of the Six Sacred Swords that Taelien ever bonded with, Dawnbringer provides him with access to three different essence types: light, enhancement and spirit. This bond also increases Keras' speed, physical abilities, mental processing speed and gives him a limited magic resistance.

 Spirit
 Stability

**Diamantine**: The second of the Six Sacred Swords that Taelien bonded with. So far, we have not seen him show many abilities related to the essences granted by it.

### Copied Powers

Keras has the strange power to learn from and pick up the abilities of items he uses.

 Sculptor
 Mask of Kishor
 Ring of Spell Deflection

### Aura

Keras has developed an aura from the essence of the Sae'kes. The aura is silvery when viewed under magical effects. His aura glows more when he is actively using it. His aura cuts everything around him apart slowly. It destroys his clothes, enchanted items he has, the ground he walks on, the air nearby and it wears away at the shrouds that attuned have.

### Sakki

Keras has a form of sakki, killing intent, which is so strong that other people can feel it. It is from his annihilation essence and it can be felt when Keras is angry. Corin describes it as feeling like "the air was alive with blades, that a drawn sword was ready to obliterate everything in a single unstoppable strike" and "a thousand swords were pressed against every weak spot on my body."

### Spells

Keras casts his spells silently with mental commands relating to the effect he wants. He can also cast spells through his swords to extend his reach.

#### Dominion of Flame

As a dominion sorcerer, Taelien must expend some of his own flame essence, which helps regulate his body heat, to draw on more power from the Dominion of Flame, which makes him colder. His own flame essence will restore over time and in a slightly greater amount than before.

**Disperse**

With the mental command "disperse", Keras can cause fire to break down.

**Ignite**

With the mental command "ignite" Keras can create flickers of flame or a sphere of flame.

**Flame Punching**

Keras can call fire from the Dominion of Flame around his hands.

**Burst**

Keras can create a blast of flame with the mental command "blast".

**Aura Ignition**

Keras can reach out to the aura of the Sae'kes and use the mental command "burn" which caused white flames to ignite from the sword. This caused the Sae'kes' runes to glow white instead of the usual blue when he powers them directly. Keras did not feel the warmth of the flames.

**Flame Deflection**

Keras can try to deflect flames with his flaming shaping.

**Fade**

With the mental command "fade" Keras can cause flames to fade away.

**Fireball**

Keras can throw fireballs.

**Heat**

With the mental command "heat" Keras can cause a warm red glow to envelop his hands, producing light and heat. He can use this to burn what he touches and even burn his own wounds shut, although this is extremely painful. This is a relatively simple spell.

**Flame Arc**

Flame Arc is one of the simplest flame calling spells that Keras knows. It conjures a fan shaped wave of flame in front of him that burns everything within a few feet.

**Aura of Fire**

Keras can fill his entire aura with flames. He calls this Aura of Fire.

**Shift**

With the mental command "shift", Keras can command flames to move aside.

**Body of Fire**

Body of Fire is a technique that floods Keras' body with flame essence. Keras used this to remove the cold created by Xiaofan.

**Heat Ripping**

Keras can rip heat from materials.

**Halting**

Keras can try and halt the movement of flame with the mental command "halt".

#### Dominion of Stone

As a dominion sorcerer, Taelien must expend some of his own stone essence, which makes his physical strength and muscles work, to draw on more power from the Dominion of Stone, which makes him physically weaker. His own stone essence will restore over time and in a slightly greater amount than before.

**Body of Stone**

Body of Stone is one of Keras' most used techniques. It is a dominion calling spell which pulls stone essence from the Dominion of Stone into his body, making him temporarily stronger and tougher but it decreases his speed. Body of Stone can resist petrification effects and can use petrification spells as fuel to make Keras even stronger.

**Petrification Resistance**

Keras can use his stone sorcery to resist stone-based petrification spells.

**Game Pieces**

Keras can shape stone into game pieces.

**Cover**

Keras can shape stone to cause it to cover gaps.

**Wall**

With a stomp and the mental command "wall", Keras can shape stone into forming a wall.

**Blades**

With a stomp and the mental command "blades" or "spikes", Keras can shape stone into forming blades from the ground under his opponents.

**Armor**

With the mental command "armor", Keras can form a crude armor of stone. He does not use this on himself.

**Handholds**

Keras can shape stone into handholds.

**Capturing**

Keras can reshape stone to grab his enemies and trap them in place.

**Opening**

Keras can shape stone to make an opening in it with the mental command "open".

**Collapse**

With the mental command "collapse", Keras can cause stone to collapse.

**Solidify**

Keras can solidify stone.

**Pillar**

Keras can create stone pillars with his stone essence.

**Halt**

Keras can half stone from moving with the mental command "stop".

#### Dominion of Metal

As a dominion sorcerer, Taelien must expend some of his own metal essence, which makes his physical strength and muscles work, to draw on more power from the Dominion of Metal, which makes him physically weaker. His own metal essence will restore over time and in a slightly greater amount than before.

**Body of Iron**

Body of Iron is a similar spell to Body of Stone, but relying on metal essence instead of stone. This technique is stronger than Body of Stone, making him even stronger and tougher, but puts a greater strain on his body. Keras improved this technique to be able to direct where the essence goes in his body to lower the cost, but this means only the directed part of his body is reinforced.

**Breaking**

Taelien can break metal apart with the mental command "degrade" which causes the weakness in metal to expand. He can also use the mental command "shatter".

**Flatten**

With the mental command "flatten", Keras can cause metal to flatten down.

**Merge**

With the mental command "merge", Keras can cause pieces of metal to merge together.

**Sharpen**

With the mental command "sharpen", Keras can cause a piece of metal to become sharp.

**Disguise Sword**

Keras can change the Sae'kes to make it look like a regular sword with the mental command "ordinary". He can easily reverse this process with the mental command "revert".

**Open**

Keras can make an opening in metal with the mental command "open".

**Seal**

Keras can seal things in place with metal, which he often does to the Sae'kes and the scabbard to prevent it being drawn. The mental command "release" undoes the change.

**Magnetism**

Keras can apply magnetism to metal.

**Lightning Attraction**

Keras can shape metal to act as a lightning rod.

**Separate**

With the mental command "separate" Keras can separate metal apart.

**Magnetic Repulse**

With the mental command "magnetic repulse" Keras can push metal away.

**Condense**

Keras can condense metal with the mental command "condense". This is undone with the mental command "return".

**Property Adjustment**

Keras can alter metal to give it properties that other metals have.

**Chain**

Keras can change metal into lengths of chain. He has done this with the Sae'kes' blade and reverses it later.

**Tighten**

Keras can cause metal to tighten with the mental command "tighten".

#### Dominion of Light

Keras gained access to light essence through his contract with Dawnbringer. He began to develop light essence in his own body, in usable amounts, after using Dawnbringer for long enough. Drawing heavily on light essence has subtler costs: slowing movements, reducing mental clarity and decreasing resistance to poison, disease, and hostile magic.

**Body of Dawn**

Body of Dawn is one of Keras' strongest techniques. It is a combination of light, spirit and stability essence. This technique is very exhausting. The technique increases strength, speed, and magic resistance immensely while active but all of those are decreased until his body had a chance to recover. When using this technique, Keras seems to be a blur as he moves so fast.

**Resplendent Raiment**

Resplendent Raiment is a technique that Keras developed. It increases his speed and can help remove supressing techniques. This is not as fast as Body of Dawn.

**Poison Neutralisation**

Keras can use light to neutralise poison in his body.

**Compulsion Neutralisation**

Keras can use light essence to try and destroy compulsion effects placed on him.

**Light Blade**

Keras can launch cutting blasts of light. He can also split the light into three separate blades.

**Aura**

Keras can wrap his weapons in an aura of light.

**Golden Dawn**

Keras can use Dawnbringer's Golden Dawn technique with his own light essence. This creates a flare of bright light.

#### Dominion of Spirit

Keras gained access to spirit essence through his contract with Dawnbringer. He began to develop spirit essence in his own body, in usable amounts, after using Dawnbringer for long enough.

**Body of Dawn**

Body of Dawn is one of Keras' strongest techniques. It is a combination of light, spirit and stability essence. This technique is very exhausting. The technique increases strength, speed, and magic resistance immensely while active but all of those are decreased until his body had a chance to recover. When using this technique, Keras seems to be a blur as he moves so fast.

**Spirit Sight**

Keras could flare spirit essence into his eyes to help see hidden people.

#### Dominion of Stability

Keras gained access to stability (often known as enhancement) essence through his contract with Dawnbringer. He began to develop enhancement essence in his own body, in usable amounts, after using Dawnbringer for long enough.

**Body of Dawn**

Body of Dawn is one of Keras' strongest techniques. It is a combination of light, spirit and stability essence. This technique is very exhausting. The technique increases strength, speed, and magic resistance immensely while active but all of those are decreased until his body had a chance to recover. When using this technique, Keras seems to be a blur as he moves so fast.

**Enhancement Burst**

Keras can launch bursts of enhancement essence from his hands which blasts things that are hit.

**Physical Empowerment**

Keras can send enhancement mana through his body to generally empower himself.

#### Annihilation Essence

Keras gained his strange annihilating essence from the use of the Sae'kes. The essence from the sword bled into his body and he began to utilise the essence and the essence began to form an aura around Keras that wears away at things nearby.

## Possessions

* Sae’kes Taelien
* Mask of Kishor (mask of long dead god)
* Purestone
* Dawnbringer
* Ring of spell deflection
* The Pales Kings Regalia
* Arcane armor sigil
* Rings of flame twisting
* ~~Sharp shift scabbard~~ (black, given to Derek)
* Bladebreaker Bracers
* Burden band
* ~~Adventures security bag~~ (destroyed)
* Planelock boots
* ~~Escape Bell~~ (destroyed)
* Green guardian's pendant

## Relationships

### Kaldwyn Relationships:

#### Corin Cadence

Keras had been requested to watch over and protect Corin Cadence by the Visage Katashi. Keras likes Corin, answering many of his questions and helping him train and develop his magic. He helps Corin make a few items, most notably Bright Reflection, a replica of Dawnbringer, for Patrick.

#### Patrick

He helped create a replica of Dawnbringer for Patrick called Bright Reflection, even putting a bit of his spirit in it.

## Appearances

* War of Broken Mirrors
	+ WoBM1: Forging Divinity
	+ WoBM2: Stealing Sorcery
	+ WoBM3: Defying Destiny
* Arcane Ascension
	+ AA1: Sufficiently Advanced Magic
	+ AA2: On the Shoulders of Titans
	+ AA3: The Torch that Ignites the Stars
	+ AA4: The Silence of Unworthy Gods
* Weapons and Wielders
	+ WW1: Six Sacred Swords
	+ WW2: Diamantine
	+ WW3: Soulbrand

## Trivia

Keras’s Sword goes by many different names including the Dominion breaker and The Sae’kes Taelion,

An imitation of Keras’s sword was once made called the world cutter. Unable to replicate the unique Annihilation aura of the Dominion Breaker, the world cutter instead used as many dominions as possible to create a destructive overwhelming power of its own.