{ APPLICATION: SCORCHED }
Out of Character Information
Player Name: Joey
Player LiveJournal: carcharodon
Playing Here: Itachi Uchiha, prodigal_liar | Yazoo, velvet_zealot
Where did you find us? You guys know this stuff by now. ♥
Are you 16 years of age or older? I'm ancient, darlings.
In Character Information
Character Name: Isley
Fandom: Claymore
Timeline: Chapter 89
Character's Age: He's first generation Claymore... he's one old S.O.B.
Powers, Skills, Pets and Equipment: The first generation of Claymores' #1, Isley possesses an outstanding amount of physical strength and poise, traits that developed with him as he evolved from a warrior of the Organization into an Awakened Being known as an Abyssal One. He is also blessed with excellent swordsmanship, intellectual and intuitive prowess, and a seemingly congenital sense of awareness, not to mention formidable leadership qualities...
In his Awakened form (that of a massive, 10 m tall, sleek, and black centaur) Isley's power is even more overwhelming. On top of possessing nearly unrivaled speed and an ability to regenerate lost limbs and heal quickly, Isley is also able to morph his arms into any form necessary to better help him defeat his adversaries; such forms thus far seen include a lance, bow, shield, claw, axe, and a massive broadsword similar to a claymore, the Organization's weapon of choice for its half-human, half-yoma soldiers. The use of his arms as a bow enables him to simultaneously fire off a series of organic arrows, each of which he is able to change the trajectory of to better home in on their targets.
Fluctuations in temperature, and toxins of any origin also have no effect upon him due to his regenrative abilities, which often lead people to believe he is a Defensive type warrior, but the opposite is, in fact, the reality: Isley is an Offensive type.
He will be arriving without any clothing or equipment because of his selection from canon being post-death.
Canon History: Information regarding Isley's life before Awakening and becoming an Abyssal One is sorely limited.
We do, however, know that Isley was born in Alfonse and became a Claymore more than 78 generations ago, but his motivation as a warrior of the Organization is never really touched upon. It is stated in Chapter 62, Page 21, that fellow Claymores (Rigaldo and Dauf) were known to have been particularly at odds with Isley (as well as each other), and that upon Awakening (or in at around the time of) Rigaldo and Isley agreed to finally settle things between each other and determine for once and for all who was the stronger of the two, the condition being that the one to lose would swear his loyalty to the victor. As referenced in ES, Chapter 3, Page 4 and in Chapter 62, Page 21, Isley managed to outmatch Rigaldo, and Rigaldo swore obedience to Isley, becoming one of his followers.
It was with the help of Rigaldo that Isley overtook the northern lands, earning himself the nickname "Silver King of the North".
A fairly large gap in time then occurs, and Isley does not make another appearance in the story until much later, when an Awakened Priscilla ventures to the northern lands and proceeds to rampage hungrily through four towns (as seen in the whole of ES, Chapter 3). The savagery, of course, does not go unnoticed by Isley and he and Rigaldo set out to put a stop to it, although not for humane or territorial purposes. It is under Isley's orders that Rigaldo heads in first to take on Priscilla, but due to Isley's miscalculation of Priscilla's powers, Rigaldo is defeated. Although it is believed by many that Isley stepped in and defeated Priscilla afterward, such is not the case. Despite initially holding the upper hand in the ensuing battle, Priscilla retaliated with enough force to blow half of Isley's torso away in one attack, in conjunction with having regenerated from all her previous injuries with preternatural speed.
For reasons unstated, Priscilla then reverted back to her human form. With her mind having regressed, Isley followed suit and returned to his human form as well, kneeling before a tearful Priscilla and swearing his allegiance to her as recognition of his defeat. At the time his motivation was to use Priscilla's strength to bring everything under his control, but whether or not time with her had a gentling effect upon his impulses... and whether or not he truly came to love her as suggested by Riful in Chapter 71, Page 21, is something that is up int he air for debate.
Another sizable gap in time occurs, and then, during the Northern Campaign, Isley encounters Raki, a close friend of Clare's. Due to Priscilla's immediate liking of the young man, Isley takes Raki under wing, later promising to teach him all that he remembers of sword fighting, as seen in Chapter 56, Page 9.
With an army of 31 Awakened soldiers, including the former #2 Rigaldo, Isley organized the invasion of Pieta and the defeat of 24 of the Organization's Claymores. Splitting his troops afterward, Isley sent half against the Organization's headquarters, and the remainder against Riful, the Abyssal One of the West. This tactic enabled Isley to move against Luciela, the Abyssal One of the southern lands, and without interference, Isley was able to defeat her, thereby securing the south for himself, as well as fulfilling his promise to Priscilla, to take her to her homeland and help her find her parents. Of course, the battle itself took longer than anticipated, and Riful and Dauf had found their way to Isley, intending to take advantage of the situation and kill him in his weakened state. Were it not for Priscilla's appearance by his side they might have succeeded, but as it were... Riful ordered Dauf to retreat with her before a fight could even ensue, terrified by Priscilla's immense power.
Some seven years later Isley is forced to separate from Priscilla and Raki due to the Organization's new weapon, Abyssal Feeders. These creatures, created specifically for the purpose of hunting Abyssal Ones, and born from the flesh remains of the 11 soldiers Isley himself sent to the Organization's headquarters seven years prior, manage to track him down several times, and at last, following a confrontation with Helen and Deneve, Isley is defeated by the "demons", eaten alive.
His final moments are spent reminiscing about his time with Priscilla and Raki, thinking to himself about how he had become contented with the barest minimum of meals, and that he does not want to die, that he wishes, even if it were a "makeshift family doomed to someday fall apart", that it could have lasted just a tiniest bit longer.
Personality: There is really only one way to describe Isley, the Silver King of the North, former Claymore #1 of the first generation, strongest of the Abyssal Ones, and mentor to Raki; he is ice. A cold and sharp-witted man, he is lethal if given even the smallest chance to overcome you, but that is not to say that he is invincible, or even incapable of shattering (as evidenced by Riful's opinion of him in Chapter 71, Page 21, as well as in the moments leading up to his death in Chapter 89, Page 25).
During the earlier periods of his life, Isley was a man governed more by his desire for power than anything else; a competitive individual that refused to be outranked by anyone, he saw himself in many conflicts with fellow Claymores, and later, Awakened Beings, as well. While his desire to remain at the top never vanished, toward the later period of his life it did seem to take a backseat to personal comfort and a more mundane lifestyle.
Whereas the majority of Awakened Beings teeter precariously upon the brink of madness, Isley appears to be very in touch with the part of himself that was once human. For example, not only does Isley remember how to wield a sword properly despite many generations of never having had to use one, he agrees to teach Raki how to handle one because Raki reminds him of how he was in his own youth. This, of course, may mean that there is a part of Isley that is cheery and excitable, but it certainly isn't a part that is ever shown (except in the way that he is smiling more often than not). That aside, however, the portion of Isley's personality most like Raki (and human, if not entirely humane) is that which is keen on protecting his loved ones: Priscilla, and of course Raki himself, as mentioned in Chapter 89, Page 24.
On that note, it is important to discuss the views Isley has of others. His notable relationships include Raki and Priscilla, but also Luciela and Riful, Rigaldo, Dauf, and Helen and Deneve. The latter play a substantially weaker role in terms of notable relationships, but they were present in the moments leading up to his death, and Isley himself had attacked them. It seems, judging from his reaction toward Deneve and Helen in Chapter 86, Page 29, he has a very low opinion of Claymores (and it is also a clear demonstration of how he is able to still detect a suppressed youki). Dauf is someone that is said to have never gotten along well with Isley, as is Rigaldo, but due to having fought one another after Awakening, upon his defeat Rigaldo swore allegiance to Isley (and the two appear to get along rather well afterward, with subtle jabs thrown into conversation here or there). Riful (the Abyssal of the West) is a match in terms of intelligence and was, perhaps, the greatest threat to Isley. Luciela (the Abyssal of the South) rather than being an ally due to their common nature, was an enemy, and one that he defeated, using the victory to claim the lands of the South for Priscilla. Having already brushed over Raki's influence and Isley's opinion of the young man, we move on to Priscilla, whose relationship with Isley is decidedly more complicated. Initially Isley's only interest in her was to tip the scales of power amongst the Abyssal Ones, but over time (as Riful notes, and Isley himself states on his deathbed) he grew fond of the life he was living with her and Raki. It is believed that Isley fell in love with Priscilla, but because he never says so himself, it's logical to assume it's also probably something he wasn't entirely aware of himself... until the very end.
Although Isley is domineering and remorseless, he also possesses a classic warrior type personality; he maintains a sense of loyalty, pride, and moreover than not, excellent etiquette, although he is not above exchanging insults and jeering once in awhile. Shows of determination, merit, and sincerity stand out the most in terms of his approval, but it remains a difficult task to earn his recognition, regardless.
Why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting? Isley's adaptability is, moreover, the key reason why I feel that he would be suitable to the setting of scorched, but it also isn't the only reason. Possessing a certain aptitude for blending in amongst humanity (as demonstrated by his bond with Raki, and later on by the way that he hides himself amongst the citizens of various towns before being attacked by the Abyssal Feeders) it is clear that Isley is more understanding of human behavior and motivation than his Abyssal counterparts, or any other Awakened Being for that matter. I wholeheartedly believe that due to his understanding he can be expected to rapidly adjust to his new surroundings, and do so rather easily (excluding interference caused by those that dislike him and would oppose him). Also, Isley states himself (in Claymore ES, Chapter 3, Page 5) that "turf" isn't really something he is overly concerned with, so it's logical to assume that, even with Luciela and Riful having taken up residence in Anatole, he'd manage to settle in without too much difficulty (all providing the town isn't unnecessarily wiped out and his food source exhausted).
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample: [ Gentle is the click that sounds as the Forge begins recording, and soft as snow is the voice that comes through the speakers. ]
So... they call this place Anatole, do they? It has a Northern ring to it, though I'm sorry to admit it seems rather backwater for such a populated city.
The Natives are without manners, as well. I really don't appreciate being called Scorched, particularly with such disdain. It's not as though I've done anything deserving of such discrimination. I've only just arrived, after all.
[ The background is quiet but for the infrequent sound of birds trilling warily, footsteps in the grass, and the soft scuffing of bare feet on hard earth. Occasionally the brush of fingers near the microphone can be heard, but they traverse carefully across the surface of the mechanical device, searching perhaps... as the individual himself appears to be searching the waking world, familiarizing himself with it. ]
And this? They call it a Forge? What a handy piece of equipment. Such a shame it was the only thing that I found upon my person when I awoke.
[ A sliver of cold amusement floating underneath the surface. ]
How terribly disobliging, to be stranded here in such an unseemly way... [ Pause. ] ...but really, I would take great pleasure in happening upon the bore that is responsible for this.
...Though, perhaps I ought to acquire some clothing, first.
Third Person Sample: Although it had been a scant meal, it was enough to satisfy the abominable hunger that had racked his body upon first awaking in Anatole. The flesh of the young man he had devoured had been supple, and the blood that had poured from his severed limbs had been rich and sweet; not a single scrap of the youth's meat had been wasted, and every morsel had been savored. Of course, it had been a timely happenstance for someone so healthy to have stumbled upon him a way out in the Mist, but Isley was not one to take for granted good fortune when it looked him in the eye...
...particularly not with so many Claymores in the area, and especially with Luciela and Riful not far off, either.
Upon assuming his human form once more, Isley submerged himself in the icy waters of a stream located out in the hunting grounds. The frigid water helped to cleanse the ribbons of red that had decorated his pale flesh; the ebb and flow of the water helped to sooth his mind, as well as his anxiety.
One of but many of his problems had been taken care of, now... but it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. The threat of the other Abyssal Ones was imminent, and if their youki was any indication, Luciela and Riful had formed an alliance. Back home it was one of the things that he had feared happening, and he had destroyed Luciela to prevent its occurrence. Here, however? The wily women had beaten him to the punch.
A wry smile formed upon his lips, lightly tugging upward the corners of his mouth. The location had changed, but it seemed that the hurdles had not... and with that, it appeared as though his own goals would remain the same.
Divide and conquer...
Opening his eyes, observing the crimson tendrils of blood drift away from him downstream, Isley searched through the many Claymores that he could sense, picking them apart by the feel of their youki. It didn't take him long to recognize her. Though not as strong as he recalled, she stood out from all the rest.
All the monstrous power of the center of the sun...
Priscilla.
It was time to get reacquainted.
Anything else? Oh, for the love of... Be gentle? Please...?