Melin Argyros - The Animancer

• Name: Melin Argyros
• Alias: The Animancer
• Gender: Male
• Age: 25
• Birthday: January 7th
• Race: Human
• Alignment: Lawful Neutral
• Affiliation: Animancer Association
• Height: 175 cm/5'8
• Weight: 68 kg/149 lbs

Melin is a studious sort. He carries within him a passion for history and archaeology befitting an Animancer. His interests even spread over into his daily life where he is the co-owner of a museum, a perfect excuse to browse and import ancient artifacts and, more importantly, ancient weapons. And when he's not studying or working, he can be found "hunting, as he calls it, in locations where powerful weapons and powerful souls can be found to fuel his abilities. He is rather careful and patient during such explorations, and he takes a similar attitude when interacting with others. Carefully choosing words is necessary if he desires connections that could bring new objects into his possession.


Melin is a man haling from the greek coast, although slightly paler than one would imagine a person from that area. Melin has neatly combed light purple hair and dull amber eyes. He is not physically imposing, being only average in height. His lifestyle has no left him with an imposing figure, but his scrawny body is usually obfuscated by thick robes anyway, usually in darker colors. He wears a male shoulder bag with him at all times and wears a belt even if his pants don't require one. 

Animancy:

Some believe that the name Animancy comes from the word anima, making it the magic of souls. Others believe it refers to animation, thus calling it the magic of giving movement. Only the progenitors of animancy knows which group is right, but both names hit at the core of animancy. As a very specific subcategory of necromancy, Animancy allows the Animancer to push the aetherial soul into the physical object, usually a weapon, and draw out a physical antropomorphised embodiment bound to the user's will. This ability has made animacers frequently sought after mercenaries in times of war by leaders aware of the hidden world. Creating soldiers out of the dead makes them an invaluable war asset and is the reason most animancers study military tactics alongside their magical training. Animancy has three forms, like techniques in a martial art. All animancers, including Melin, learn all three forms, yet due to the rarity of the materials required for them, only the richest or luckiest animancers can practice anything more than the first on a regular basis.

Manifest - The first form of animancy. By combining an average soul with an average weapon, Melin can bring out a soldier to serve him in a fight. It's said that the most skilled animancers can control armies of hundred or even thousands of soldiers. Melin however only brings out up to 5 soldiers. The form, abilities, and even the personality of a soldier change depending on the combination of sword and soul used. The Animancer has a mental link with all the warriors he manifests. Melin has a few combinations he prefers using.

Incarnate - The second form on animancy. Some objects have been used either for a long enough time or in ways that caused them to develop a soul of their own. Objects like these are fairly rare, but they allow an animancer to manifest a soldier without using a soul of their own. An incarnation gets a physical body capable of everything a normal human can do including wielding itself, however, it can only stay that way for a certain amount of time, usually 30-60 minutes. Living weapons that naturally possess special abilities tend to have those abilities amplified, however, using them shortens the amount of time an incarnation can stick around. Melin currently doesn't possess any living weapons.

Reincarnate - The third form of animancy. This form can be described as a combination of the first two forms yet its results can be far more potent. Some people have achieved great feats in life and those achievements have been written upon their souls. These souls appear golden to an animancer and they carry with them the ability to be manifested as they were in life regardless of what weapon they are combined with. For example, if the animancer possessed the soul of Odysseus and combined it with a primitive bow they made on their own, the soldier that would appear would look, act, and have the abilities of Odysseus. However, a low-quality weapon can be worn out by a great soul which would not only prematurely end the Reincarnation, but also destroy the weapon.

This isn't the only way to perform Reincarnation. If someone possesses a weapon used by a great soul in life, the animancer can draw upon the weapon's history to overwrite a soul and reincarnate the weapon's original wielder. Albeit this an imperfect copy that couldn't stand up to a proper Reincarnation. For example, the bow of odysseus could be used in combination with a random soul found at a local graveyard to manifest Odysseus. Some speculate that a weapon used by multiple great souls could combine those histories to create a warrior with all of their skills and lowers. That hypothesis was never tested due to no-one ever finding such a weapon. And finally, if one were to combine the great soul with the weapon they possessed in life, the Reincarnation they summon might even be stronger than they were in life. Unfortunately, Melin currently possess neither a great soul, nor a legendary weapon.

The Warriors:

Due to not having any personal combat skills, Melin relies on his summoned warriors to do the fighting. The ones he prefers using are the following:

A bloodthirsty gloryhound of swordswoman gained by combining a katana with the soul of a policewoman. Her rough nature means she might ignore Melin's commands in battle. Drawing on the experience the soul provides to the warrior, Melin can consult with her on tactics during an engagement.

Her special ability lets her shift the length of her sword just a bit, giving her more range or making it easier to swing in enclosed spaces. 



Spears
A flirty swordswoman gained by combining a spear with the soul of a WW2 nurse. She's careful in combat and prefers defensive tactics. After a fight, she will gladly help patch up other combatants. Drawing on experience of the soul used, Spears tends to assist in patching up after an encounter.

Her special ability lets her open up the tip of her spear and replace it with an umbrella-like shield, removing her direct damage dealing capability but giving her a shield.



Bowie
A serious archer gained by combining a bow with the soul of a businessman. He has a fear of heights which makes positioning him as an archer difficult, but his precision is superb making him an excellent choice for ranged combat. Drawing on the experience of the soul, Melin tends to consult with Bowie when it comes to pricing of his services or when buying necessary equipment.

His special ability lets him switch places with an arrow. The used arrow always how to be "fresh", so even if he fired 4 arrows and teleported to the second one fired, he'd have to fire a new arrow to be able to teleport to it.