Application
Character Name: Xellos
Series: Slayers, the anime adaptation
Timeline: Right at the end of Slayers Try, the second season Xellos appears in.
Background: Please refer to Xellos’ entry on the Kanzaka Wiki for information on his background.
Spoken / written languages: Common, though he can read some really ancient runes and some of the ancient, ancient language of the Golden Dragons.
Abilities: Due to the nature of Xellos’ existence in the original series, he is ridiculously overpowered. There are only five monsters and a couple of demon gods stronger than he is in the original canon, so, one must ask, “How will he be cut back for the boat?” As I explain his abilities, I will mostly be focusing on how severely handicapped he will be on the boat, and I will explain how his limitations should work within his own canon.
Xellos’ first ability in Slayers is one very crucial to his nature. Xellos exists largely on the Astral Plane within the original canon, as the rest of his race also do. The short version of what that link has to say is that everything, including humans, have an Astral body. It could be argued that the Astral Body is the in-series equivalent to the soul, for humans. Furthermore, if a human’s Astral Body is destroyed, they will be left a lifeless shell on the physical plane. However, Monsters like Xellos exist on the Astral Plane first, and project a physical form to the physical plane. That human-shaped body everyone knows and loves is merely an illusion. In the original canon, to harm Xellos, you had to use a weapon that could affect him on the Astral Plane, not simply on the physical one. This will not be the case on the Elegante, as Xellos will be limited to that physical form. Because of this crucial limitation, Xellos’ magic will also be severely cut down.
Xellos’ original abilities were broken down as thus: the abilities he has because of his race (that of a Monster), skills in Black magic, the teleportation and Super Speed, and the ability to either negate magic effects or to not be affected by magic at all. Furthermore, because of his existence on the Astral Plane, he appears in the series to never get tired (except when grievously injured, and most of the time he will attempt to keep up appearances) and there are times when he can just retreat to the Astral Plane entirely to either avoid attack or avoid detection.
So. Fortunately for the people who he will inevitably piss off on the Elegante, most of those do not apply. Here is an itemized list of the effects of being tied to his human shape:
→ Xellos’ offensive magic will be drastically reduced. Not only is he incapable of the wanton destruction that gained him a terrible reputation, what few attack spells he can still perform will, after a few attacks, tire him out pretty quickly.
→ Xellos’ transformative ability (that ties to his abilities as a Monster) will also be limited, further reducing his power. While he will be able to change to his beast form for attacks (which would appear as a whirlwind or a cone of shadow), and while he will be able to summon one of the attacks that uses part of that Astral essence to hurt things, he will be forced to retreat soon thereafter, as the process will also exhaust him- a serious limitation, considering that he has never really experienced such an effect from such a simple attack before.
→ Xellos’ ability to Run The Hell Away- be it either his super speed (for lack of a better term) or his ability to teleport will still be intact, but it, like the use of his other magic, will weaken him to some extent. Unless it is necessary, he won’t use it as much. In addition to that, while he will still hover off the ground like he normally can, he won’t be using it as much, in an attempt to conserve energy.
→ Finally, Xellos’ skills with negating magic will also be nerfed. While he can still negate magic, he will be limited to a set number of blocks before he starts getting tired. Furthermore, he will not simply be immune to some magic as he is in his original canon- he will actually have to put forth the effort to block it.
While I wish I could say “that’s all, folks,” there are two more things I need to talk about: first, Xellos’ silver tongue. The bastard can talk, and he’s very, very manipulative. While he claims that he “makes it a point to never lie,” it is debatable, obviously, how true of a statement that is. He keeps lots of secrets. He puts on an amazing face- that of a happy “trickster priest”. He delights in the spread of madness and mayhem. Beyond his skill in manipulation, he is a gifted strategist, and always has a plan behind his actions. He’s pretty good at acting out the Xanatos Gambits of his superiors to remarkable effect. He sees worth in every relationship, he looks for every opportunity to manipulate everyone he knows.
Secondly, and this is more of a weakness than an ability, Monsters feed off misery. To quote the Kanzaka Wiki, “A [monster]'s source of energy (food) is shōki, the miasma produced by humans and other beings (even manifested lesser demons) when they experience negative emotions ." So, your suffering is a feast for Xellos. On the opposite end of the spectrum, positive feelings seem to cause effects on monsters that range anywhere from a mild nausea to pain and general incapacitation. This is generally played for comedy in the series.
Items: He'll have his normal outfit, including his bag, but not including his staff, which would be confiscated as a weapon.
Third Person Sample: You could not keep an eye on Lina Inverse and be bored. Those were Xellos’ orders, once again, as they so often were. “Look for manuscripts of the Claire Bible, and keep an eye on Lina Inverse.” There was simply no way to be bored. It was entirely impossible. From his vantage spot on a rooftop, he was watching Lina and her companions attempt- and, hilariously, they seemed to be failing- to catch what looked like a rather small ostrich.
And they were very nearly blowing up half the city to do it.
Really, they didn’t even need the ostrich, Xellos just told them it would be in their interest if they caught it. Whether they caught it or not, it would be interesting. Without it, he could create all sorts of phony consequences to their inability to catch the bird- with it, they could get across the bridge into a nearby city that could waste hours, if not a few days of their time. Which was precisely what he needed, so he might go destroy the manuscript. It really would be in their best interest to catch the bird.
Xellos needed them alive, after all, and the ruins where the present (falsified) copy was were a little more dangerous than usual- the curse on the tombs inside was really delightful, and fatal to the touch for humans. Zelgadis could probably get past it with minimal damage, but… well, a corruption spell that strong? Who knew if the ruins would get to him, as well.
Besides, this was far more entertaining.
There was a frustrated scream from the square below. ”XELLOS!”
“That’s my cue.” Chuckling to himself, he teleported to a few feet above the cobblestones below. Appearing with a soft vnnn sound, he smiled broadly, staff held behind him. “How might I be of assistance, Miss Lina Inverse?”
He had not been expecting the chaos at his feet. This was ridiculous-in the most chaotic, delightful way possible. Gourry and his fall of blond hair was sprawled over a drinking well, suspended by the bucket-Amelia and Zelgadis were draped over the ostrich as though it were some tasteless, feathered throw-pillow. Lina was standing amidst the rubble of an old inn, fists clenched and teeth grinding.
This was incredible. He’d left them alone for twenty minutes, tops! That inn had a good dozen people inside, at the very least. Where could they have gotten to…? Lina speaking, however, suddenly monopolized his attention.
“We… finally, finally. Caught. The damn bird.” Lina spat out the words, exhausted, and downright furious. There appeared to be egg on her face.
It gives a squawk from underneath Zel and Amelia. Amelia appears to be unconscious. Xellos smiles a little wider in an effort not to giggle. “Wonderful, wonderful. Very good job.” He clapped in delight for effect.
“So, what do we do with it?!”
“Keep it with you, of course.” Xellos said, tilting his head to one side. “You’ll need it for the toll.”
Suddenly incredulous, Lina raises a single eyebrow. “The toll.”
“Why, yes! I’m surprised you haven’t made your way to that city already. Technan is the name, if I’m not mistaken.” Settling to the ground, he shrugged. “Technan is world-renowned in academic circles for it’s massive library.” His emphasis on the word library was for Lina’s benefit, of course. “They have lots of texts and manuscripts from, well, all over the world.” He was happy to see Zelgadis lift his head back up at the word ‘manuscript’- it’s always nice to see them listening! “While there is an infinitesimal chance the Claire Bible Manuscript is actually present, there is a high chance there is a book there that could lead you to it!”
He can see the cogs in Zel’s head turning. Lina is considering it, but obviously a little less eager.
“Xellos?”
“Yes, Miss Lina?”
“Why is the toll an ostrich?”
He laughed. Leave it to Lina to ask questions he didn’t quite expect. “I couldn’t tell you! I have no idea. Tradition, maybe?”
She scowls at him, the yolk from the egg finally falling from her forehead onto her cloak.
“In any case, whatever you decide to do, have fun!” With another giggle, he vanished, leaving Lina scratching her head, and Zelgadis attempting to get out of his dogpile. There was no doubt in Xellos’ mind that they’d go to see the city, it was just a matter of how long they would stay. They were rather predictable, after all.
But, it was time for more serious matters- time to make his way to the ruins.
First Person Sample:[Xellos is not used to losing awareness of his surroundings, much less being transported against his will or knowledge.
Something else is immediately obvious-something is wrong with his body. While that is incredibly concerning, he needs to figure out where he is, first.
After some poking around the room, peering into the hallway, he glances back-and sees the communicator. The feed clicks on after a few seconds of his poking.]
--teresting. Ah! Ah, there we go.
[He sounds remarkably cheery for having just been kidnapped.]
Hello! I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I am? I can’t say I’m particularly used to being lost, but, well. Here I am!
Could anyone be of assistance?
Preferred Quarters: Deck 12, please? If possible.
Series: Slayers, the anime adaptation
Timeline: Right at the end of Slayers Try, the second season Xellos appears in.
Background: Please refer to Xellos’ entry on the Kanzaka Wiki for information on his background.
Spoken / written languages: Common, though he can read some really ancient runes and some of the ancient, ancient language of the Golden Dragons.
Abilities: Due to the nature of Xellos’ existence in the original series, he is ridiculously overpowered. There are only five monsters and a couple of demon gods stronger than he is in the original canon, so, one must ask, “How will he be cut back for the boat?” As I explain his abilities, I will mostly be focusing on how severely handicapped he will be on the boat, and I will explain how his limitations should work within his own canon.
Xellos’ first ability in Slayers is one very crucial to his nature. Xellos exists largely on the Astral Plane within the original canon, as the rest of his race also do. The short version of what that link has to say is that everything, including humans, have an Astral body. It could be argued that the Astral Body is the in-series equivalent to the soul, for humans. Furthermore, if a human’s Astral Body is destroyed, they will be left a lifeless shell on the physical plane. However, Monsters like Xellos exist on the Astral Plane first, and project a physical form to the physical plane. That human-shaped body everyone knows and loves is merely an illusion. In the original canon, to harm Xellos, you had to use a weapon that could affect him on the Astral Plane, not simply on the physical one. This will not be the case on the Elegante, as Xellos will be limited to that physical form. Because of this crucial limitation, Xellos’ magic will also be severely cut down.
Xellos’ original abilities were broken down as thus: the abilities he has because of his race (that of a Monster), skills in Black magic, the teleportation and Super Speed, and the ability to either negate magic effects or to not be affected by magic at all. Furthermore, because of his existence on the Astral Plane, he appears in the series to never get tired (except when grievously injured, and most of the time he will attempt to keep up appearances) and there are times when he can just retreat to the Astral Plane entirely to either avoid attack or avoid detection.
So. Fortunately for the people who he will inevitably piss off on the Elegante, most of those do not apply. Here is an itemized list of the effects of being tied to his human shape:
→ Xellos’ offensive magic will be drastically reduced. Not only is he incapable of the wanton destruction that gained him a terrible reputation, what few attack spells he can still perform will, after a few attacks, tire him out pretty quickly.
→ Xellos’ transformative ability (that ties to his abilities as a Monster) will also be limited, further reducing his power. While he will be able to change to his beast form for attacks (which would appear as a whirlwind or a cone of shadow), and while he will be able to summon one of the attacks that uses part of that Astral essence to hurt things, he will be forced to retreat soon thereafter, as the process will also exhaust him- a serious limitation, considering that he has never really experienced such an effect from such a simple attack before.
→ Xellos’ ability to Run The Hell Away- be it either his super speed (for lack of a better term) or his ability to teleport will still be intact, but it, like the use of his other magic, will weaken him to some extent. Unless it is necessary, he won’t use it as much. In addition to that, while he will still hover off the ground like he normally can, he won’t be using it as much, in an attempt to conserve energy.
→ Finally, Xellos’ skills with negating magic will also be nerfed. While he can still negate magic, he will be limited to a set number of blocks before he starts getting tired. Furthermore, he will not simply be immune to some magic as he is in his original canon- he will actually have to put forth the effort to block it.
While I wish I could say “that’s all, folks,” there are two more things I need to talk about: first, Xellos’ silver tongue. The bastard can talk, and he’s very, very manipulative. While he claims that he “makes it a point to never lie,” it is debatable, obviously, how true of a statement that is. He keeps lots of secrets. He puts on an amazing face- that of a happy “trickster priest”. He delights in the spread of madness and mayhem. Beyond his skill in manipulation, he is a gifted strategist, and always has a plan behind his actions. He’s pretty good at acting out the Xanatos Gambits of his superiors to remarkable effect. He sees worth in every relationship, he looks for every opportunity to manipulate everyone he knows.
Secondly, and this is more of a weakness than an ability, Monsters feed off misery. To quote the Kanzaka Wiki, “A [monster]'s source of energy (food) is shōki, the miasma produced by humans and other beings (even manifested lesser demons) when they experience negative emotions ." So, your suffering is a feast for Xellos. On the opposite end of the spectrum, positive feelings seem to cause effects on monsters that range anywhere from a mild nausea to pain and general incapacitation. This is generally played for comedy in the series.
Items: He'll have his normal outfit, including his bag, but not including his staff, which would be confiscated as a weapon.
Third Person Sample: You could not keep an eye on Lina Inverse and be bored. Those were Xellos’ orders, once again, as they so often were. “Look for manuscripts of the Claire Bible, and keep an eye on Lina Inverse.” There was simply no way to be bored. It was entirely impossible. From his vantage spot on a rooftop, he was watching Lina and her companions attempt- and, hilariously, they seemed to be failing- to catch what looked like a rather small ostrich.
And they were very nearly blowing up half the city to do it.
Really, they didn’t even need the ostrich, Xellos just told them it would be in their interest if they caught it. Whether they caught it or not, it would be interesting. Without it, he could create all sorts of phony consequences to their inability to catch the bird- with it, they could get across the bridge into a nearby city that could waste hours, if not a few days of their time. Which was precisely what he needed, so he might go destroy the manuscript. It really would be in their best interest to catch the bird.
Xellos needed them alive, after all, and the ruins where the present (falsified) copy was were a little more dangerous than usual- the curse on the tombs inside was really delightful, and fatal to the touch for humans. Zelgadis could probably get past it with minimal damage, but… well, a corruption spell that strong? Who knew if the ruins would get to him, as well.
Besides, this was far more entertaining.
There was a frustrated scream from the square below. ”XELLOS!”
“That’s my cue.” Chuckling to himself, he teleported to a few feet above the cobblestones below. Appearing with a soft vnnn sound, he smiled broadly, staff held behind him. “How might I be of assistance, Miss Lina Inverse?”
He had not been expecting the chaos at his feet. This was ridiculous-in the most chaotic, delightful way possible. Gourry and his fall of blond hair was sprawled over a drinking well, suspended by the bucket-Amelia and Zelgadis were draped over the ostrich as though it were some tasteless, feathered throw-pillow. Lina was standing amidst the rubble of an old inn, fists clenched and teeth grinding.
This was incredible. He’d left them alone for twenty minutes, tops! That inn had a good dozen people inside, at the very least. Where could they have gotten to…? Lina speaking, however, suddenly monopolized his attention.
“We… finally, finally. Caught. The damn bird.” Lina spat out the words, exhausted, and downright furious. There appeared to be egg on her face.
It gives a squawk from underneath Zel and Amelia. Amelia appears to be unconscious. Xellos smiles a little wider in an effort not to giggle. “Wonderful, wonderful. Very good job.” He clapped in delight for effect.
“So, what do we do with it?!”
“Keep it with you, of course.” Xellos said, tilting his head to one side. “You’ll need it for the toll.”
Suddenly incredulous, Lina raises a single eyebrow. “The toll.”
“Why, yes! I’m surprised you haven’t made your way to that city already. Technan is the name, if I’m not mistaken.” Settling to the ground, he shrugged. “Technan is world-renowned in academic circles for it’s massive library.” His emphasis on the word library was for Lina’s benefit, of course. “They have lots of texts and manuscripts from, well, all over the world.” He was happy to see Zelgadis lift his head back up at the word ‘manuscript’- it’s always nice to see them listening! “While there is an infinitesimal chance the Claire Bible Manuscript is actually present, there is a high chance there is a book there that could lead you to it!”
He can see the cogs in Zel’s head turning. Lina is considering it, but obviously a little less eager.
“Xellos?”
“Yes, Miss Lina?”
“Why is the toll an ostrich?”
He laughed. Leave it to Lina to ask questions he didn’t quite expect. “I couldn’t tell you! I have no idea. Tradition, maybe?”
She scowls at him, the yolk from the egg finally falling from her forehead onto her cloak.
“In any case, whatever you decide to do, have fun!” With another giggle, he vanished, leaving Lina scratching her head, and Zelgadis attempting to get out of his dogpile. There was no doubt in Xellos’ mind that they’d go to see the city, it was just a matter of how long they would stay. They were rather predictable, after all.
But, it was time for more serious matters- time to make his way to the ruins.
First Person Sample:[Xellos is not used to losing awareness of his surroundings, much less being transported against his will or knowledge.
Something else is immediately obvious-something is wrong with his body. While that is incredibly concerning, he needs to figure out where he is, first.
After some poking around the room, peering into the hallway, he glances back-and sees the communicator. The feed clicks on after a few seconds of his poking.]
--teresting. Ah! Ah, there we go.
[He sounds remarkably cheery for having just been kidnapped.]
Hello! I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I am? I can’t say I’m particularly used to being lost, but, well. Here I am!
Could anyone be of assistance?
Preferred Quarters: Deck 12, please? If possible.