Tristain Invictus

Tristain Invictus also known as the Black Star is an infamous Desperado and the current mouth-piece of the group known as Void. He is a former member of the S-Two group, the Sunraisers.

History and Backstory
Tristain was always destined for great things. Trained by his father Hume Invictus from birth, he was profoundly talented in many ways. His wit, skill, and power were all top notch, and he was considered a certain choice to become the Celestial Dawn at the young age of 18, when the previous fell in battle. That was until Daylen Valiant married Steris Invictus. Mere days after swearing the Solar Pact, Daylen became not only the Celestial Dawn but also the Unconquered Sun. Despite these events, Tristain never harbored any ill will toward Daylen, and served happily as his second in command for several years. Things began to sour around the time the Seventh Class of the Continental Academy graduated, with new members of that graduating class joining the Sunraisers.

Tristain got along famously with the new young Legionnaires, but something extremely unsettling began happening to him. He started to go insane. Whenever he saw a person, no matter who, he would here a voice in his head that was not his own. It usually spoke in simple terms, telling Tristain to kill everyone he happened to see. For others it was more verbose. Whenever Daylen had his back turned to Tristain, it would speak at length about how Daylen stole the fame and recognition that should belong to Tristain. It spoke vaguely, rambling. It told Tristain that Daylen wasn't who he claimed he was, that his honor was a sham. At first he suspected that a Psychic had breached his mental defenses and was intent on getting him to turn on his comrades. He spoke privately about his concerns, telling psychics who analyzed him that was convinced some powerful Psychic was either out to get him, or playing a very dangerous prank.

Tristain tried often to communicate with the voice, and only got a response a single time. Shortly after first hearing it, Tristain questioned it's identity. It responded "I am your god. The one who will free you." It never responded to any further questions. Eventually Tristain began to see oily shadows in the corners of his vision whenever he heard the voice, but was never able to look at them directly. As months passed, Tristain noticed a pattern. When he was far away from Daylen, the voice was barely a whisper, only able to make simple demands to kill in the back of his mind. Specific groups of people made the voice louder, more intelligent, and more angry. When near a Valiant, Invictus, and especially Daylen himself, the voice would launch into it's furious diatribes. Despite all of this, the voice had no ability to control Tristain's actions, so he continued his service with the Legion and the Sunraisers, determined to be of use despite his malady. It was this that eventually lead to his fall from grace.

Over the months, Tristain slowly became less approachable, more twitchy and hostile, but only to the Invictus. He was able to mostly suppress this but eventually it became very deeply ingrained. One day after a battle, having halting a tide of monsters from a microgate suddenly opening in a crowded town, Tristain snapped. He saw Daylen being showered in praise by the masses for the thousandth time, and he realized that the voice was right. Daylen had what Tristain deserved. Without warning, he attacked Daylen, killing several people around the two of them and causing his Caste Mark to immediately burn a black jagged brand into his forehead. He didn't care. He fought with Daylen for hours, the battle largely going nowhere due to Tristain's inability to seriously harm Daylen, and Daylen's refusal to harm someone he considered one of his closest friends. Eventually, Tristain realized his victory would have to wait for a later day and escaped.

He almost came to his senses after some time alone before his mind was suddenly smothered by his god's voice. It told him things about Daylen, about the other Celestials, and about the Daystar himself. After so long with the voice subliminally guiding his thoughts, Tristain finally felt as if he knew the truth. The Invictus, with all their pomp and circumstance, all their claims of charity and heroism, were a sham. And Daylen, a once in a lifetime hero pulled straight from a mythological epic, was the greatest lie of them all. He, the family that Tristain no longer belonged to, and the entire system that supported them needed to be destroyed. Tristain crafted for himself a very nice facsimile of a Caste Mark to hide the black mark seared into his forehead. It did not take long for him to find like minded allies in Void, and Tristain's status as a public figure made him the perfect spokesman.

Tristain spent weeks subtly spreading rumors, directed by God to the perfect places to disperse his lies. He proudly displayed his Caste Mark when he spoke to dissidents and any who might be willing to back his cause. He spoke boldly of his betrayal of Daylen, and used the "fact" that he had retained his Caste Mark as evidence that attacking and overthrowing Daylen had not broken the Solar Pact. He crafted several fake caste marks and dispersed them across the Valiant Sphere, setting up preachers of a sort that told the masses that Daylen was a false hero, and that he was not to be trusted. "The Cult of the Illuminated" considered Tristain the true Unconquered Sun, and violently opposed Invictus wherever they turned up. Prior to his appearance on the day of the graduation of the "Taboo Eleventh" generation, Tristain's work had payed off marvelously. By the time he announced Void to the world he himself had already garnered a massive reputation, with some in the legion even beginning to doubt Daylen. Thus, when Tristain opened the floodgates and led monsters against the Legion, Daylen's untimely absence made the panic all the greater, as it seemed to give credibility to Tristain's words...

Tristain knew the moment that Daylen Invictus died. He hadn't needed to hear it said when he awoke to God's joyous laughter one night. He had never heard Him as happy as that day. Even with Daylen gone, God did not leave him. His voice became clearer, his instructions always more detailed and concrete. God now told him more than simply to kill. It pointed out who to kill, and where, and how. Tristain became a very, very, effective terrorist. He maneuvered desperados, monsters, and Legionnaires masterfully. He crafted situations where Legionnaires, particularly those included Invictus, always arrived just too late. They would "save the day" in such a way that always left survivors bitter, questioning why they hadn't arrived sooner. And yet, God's greatest gift to Tristain was not mere knowledge, but grand and terrible power. His own created Caste Marks had been purely aesthetic, but one day, a barely physical being of pure shadow, clearly one of God's servants, granted him a new Caste Mark. It could look identical to the one he'd had as a Dawn Caste, but the power it granted could not be compared. Men had named him The Black Star. But god had deemed him something grand indeed. The first and forever, Abyssal Dusk Caste.

Powers and Abilities

 * High Monster Level
 * Magical Energy Manipulation
 * Highly Gifted Illusionist

Abyssal Dusk Caste
Whatever forces created Tristain's new Caste Mark were powerful indeed. It is able to mimic a Dawn Caste Mark perfectly, but has several additional functions. Traditional Caste Marks forge a deep connection to the Invictus they are bonded to, this makes separating them from the Invictus extremely difficult. Tristain is able to do just that. Tristain is capable of turning this bond against them. If Tristain touches an Invictus, he is able to infect their Caste Mark with his mana. Doing so causes the Caste Mark to turn against the person it is bonded to, destroying them from the inside out by cannibalizing the source of their Awakening. This causes the remnants of their power to billow from their bodies as a thick black smoke, that Tristain is able to absorb.


 * Fool's Gold: Having killed and absorbed the Caste Marks of several Invictus, Tristain is able to use the abilities traditionally associated with each of the various caste marks. The aesthetics associated with these abilities have changed from whites and golds to greys and blacks. He is able to put up a façade to make them look the same as the Invictus powers, but this requires a constant effort.

Pantheon of Yu-Shan
Tristain's magic is largely based around the Pantheon of Yu-Shan, a group of Gods worshipped by his mother's ancestors. Though the Pantheon is no longer actively worshipped, the magical techniques the religion inspired have survived to this day.

Isidoros
Isidoros: The Black Boar That Twists the Skies was the largest and physically strongest of the gods of Yu-Shan. His mere passing shaped continents and he inhaled stars like gnats, adding to his forever growing mass. Isidoros inspired Tristain's physical enhancement. Tristain is able to use his own mana to enhance his physical capabilities, becoming heavier and thus denser as he does so. Like The Black Boar, Tristain is able to inhale with great force, absorbing energy from others or even pulling in inanimate matter to increase his strength beyond it's usual limits. This process can be dangerous as inhaled energy can still damage Tristain before being converted into his mass.

The Ebon Dragon
The Ebon Dragon: The Shadow of All Things is considered the most cunning and devious of the Yu-Shan pantheon. He created trust solely so that he could exploit it. His innumerable acts of subterfuge inspired a highly advanced class of illusory magic. Tristain's consumption of Invictus Caste Marks across the spectrum of Awakening have expanded Tristain's ability to craft illusions substantially. Tristain is able to craft illusions that not only effect mundane senses, but can also fool all but the most advanced supernatural sensory abilities.

Adorjan and Kimbery
Adorjan: The Storm of Passion and Kimbery: The Smothering Sea were siblings and perpetually opposing forces. Adorjan was responsible for violently passionate surges of emotion. Kimbery calmed tempers and smothered outbursts. The constant push and pull between the two created the turbulent ebb and flow of human emotion. Tristain's magic embodies this interaction on a smaller scale, and has served to majorly enhance Tristain's ability to preach. He is able to read the emotions of those around him with a very high degree of detail. Doing so allows him to plan exactly how to manipulate them. Tristain is able to enhance or suppress any emotions he chooses to target. He has incited riots, pacified dissenters, and sent opposition fleeing in fear with simple combinations of the right pushes and pulls on their emotions. Tristain's touch on someone's emotions can be so subtle that it is difficult to pin down even when one knows to expect it. This allows him to use this ability in combat, mostly by exploiting the finely honed instincts of his opponents to react to false flags.

Oramus
Oramus: The Dragon Beyond the World was the oldest and youngest of the Gods of Yu-Shan. Within his mind existed infinite impossibility, all things that could never exist. In the great beyond of Oramus' dreams, it is said the other Gods were forged. While the true nature of Oramus was beyond the comprehension of mortals, his chaotic acts of creation did inspire a unique form of transmutation. Tristain is able to conjure weapons, familiars, and more from within his mind. His killing of Invictus has left a wealth of knowledge to draw his creations from, including the forms of his many victims.

'Malfeas
Malfeas: The Holy Tyrant of All Things was the God Queen of the Yu-Shan pantheon. Her power was so great that she could destroy any of her siblings with a single thought. The knowledge of this was enough to ensure she never needed to. Malfeas' physical form was that of a star, glowing in a brilliant emerald. Her will was absolute, and none could oppose even her most trifling of desires. Tristain embodies Malfeas' unassailable will. Tristain's magic can create massive blazes of flames that burn a brilliant emerald color. These flames do not simply burn that which they come into contact with. Anything they touch will become subject to Tristain and will act according to his will. Malfean flames can turn attacks, familiars, and even bonds against their owners should Tristain's will be sufficient to overpower their own.