Areion Dusk 'Xiphos' Shade [Ready]

[Zeig]

Name: Dusk 'Xiphos' Shade

Gender: Male

Age: Young stallion

Species: Areion

Eye colour: Pale green, given an almost piercing quality thanks to his slit-like pupils.

Character colour: A dark and very muted purple, often mistaken for dark grey.

Mane/Tail/Other: Both his mane and tail are pure white in color, kept long and messy. Xiphos usually pulls the bottom portion of his mane back into a ponytail that rests high on his head, and is also almost never seen without a green charm clasped around a thin portion of hair hanging in front of his left ear.

Physique: Lithe and slender, with a healthy athleticism of somepony that keeps himself in top shape.

Residence: Trottingham, though he travels quite a bit. He's become quite an expert crashing at the homes of unsuspecting ponies, if he needs shelter for a night.

Occupation: Experienced Specialist in the Acquisition of Exclusive Goods, Commodities, and Information. Xiphos' career choice as a high-end thief has become so fruitful that the Areion is quite wealthy, allowing him to throw bits around and sustain him through the dry spells his job brings. Xiphos offers his services, under the alias of "The White Fox", to well-paying clients for whatever they are looking for, whether it is a particular item or some information. He tends to ignore petty thievery for himself, though special items or intrigues may catch his eye from time to time.

Cutie Mark: A black crescent moon turned on its side, underneath three light grey marks that resemble scars. Xiphos' cutie mark represents the physical, sometimes mental, mark he leaves on others due to his procuring of their items.

Unique Traits:

Stealth - Thanks to years of perfecting his thieving abilities, Xiphos has become a master of stealth, able to swiftly and silently make his way through nearly any obstacle undetected. He knows the best places to break into buildings, how to avoid detection by lights and patrols, and how to keep the crime scene either immaculate or misleading. Unfortunately, his lack of attention to detail can sometimes leave him hanging, but as of the present, his luck has gotten him away scotch free.

Agility - With a build better suited to speed rather than power, Xiphos doesn't make much of a hoof-to-hoof combatant in a contest of pure strength. He instead relies on his agility and precision, aiming to keep himself away from a close fight. Xiphos is fast, flexible, and nimble, able to traverse rooftops and seemingly treacherous conditions with ease, even without the use of his wings. He also makes for a top-notch precision flyer, with great wing control that allows him to swoop in and out of dense forests without crashing headfirst into a tree or clipping off a wing.

"Xiphos" - Not so much a trait, though it has become a part of his alias. Xiphos gave himself a new name after he moved away from his parents and started subtly advertising himself as a contact for the White Fox. Named after an exotic two-sided sword that is useful to cut and slash, Xiphos decided the name was interesting enough for him to use. He has since left his birth name, Dusk Shade, far behind him. Only a hoof-ful of ponies know his real name, something he has worked to keep that way.

History:

Xiphos doesn't remember much of anything for the first few years of his life. Born to two Areion's in the wilds of Equestria, Xiphos grew up with a small colony of Bat Ponies, migrating here and there with the seasons. Life was simple, but full of its own adventures, and Xiphos led a rough but fulfilling life with his brothers and sisters within the colony.

While he was still in his foal years, the colony ran into some troubling and harsh times in the wild. Food began to wear thinner and thinner, and the colony began splintering off into smaller and smaller groups, until Xiphos was left with only his family. At first inclined to wait for the next Conclave and find a new colony to join, his parents eventually decided they could not wait that long, and so made their way to the grand city of Trottingham. At fist apprehensive to be back into civilization, the family soon grew accustomed to the city they were welcomed into, and slowly began settling into a new life there.

Unfortunately for Xiphos, that new life was incredibly boring. He was expected to start proper schooling with other foals his age, and the freedoms he had enjoyed with the colony were now stilted and watched with a careful eye from the law upholding citizens of Trottingham. No more could Xiphos jump and play in the nearest water source (such as fountains) or go crashing through the bush to play hide and seek (the immaculate gardens of the noble families were off limits).

All in all, it was a completely spur of the moment decision Xiphos made one evening, to sneak out of his home to simply wander around the town, flying from shadow to shadow. It was completely by chance that he happened to pass by a large window and doubled back for a second look, after spying something reflecting the moonlight. Inside the window was a pretty bauble, gaudy and over-the-top, but obviously worth a bit of bits. Without really thinking of what he was doing, Xiphos began carefully prying open the window, peering around inside the empty room, before snatching up bracelet and making a hasty retreat. Even at that young age, Xiphos knew instinctively that what he had just done was wrong, but he couldn't help the smile that stole over his face, nor the exhilaration he felt as he swept back through the air towards his home.

After that night, Xiphos received his cutie mark, much to his parent's confusion the next morning. They did congratulate him however, and accepted his half-baked answer when they asked the meaning of it. Xiphos continued his petty thefts - at first only rarely, then growing more brazen and more frequent as he got older. Sometimes he took only what happened to snatch his fancy - other times, he left items and bits in the pony's house, simply because he could. As he grew from a colt to a stallion, the Areion soon become known under the alias of "The White Fox", a thief in Trottingham that some ponies had seen white flashes of before he disappeared from view.

It wasn't until Xiphos accidentally overheard some wealthy ponies talking about the White Fox on the streets - in not exactly a negative manner - that he finally realized some ponies would pay to have things, information, stolen for them. Or, to have things put into place for them. After moving out from his parents, Xiphos began the process of establishing himself as a black alley contact, a pony that could get in touch with the White Fox for only a small percentage of the payment. Though some became suspicious, Xiphos was careful to cover his tracks, and was never proven to be the White Fox himself. Xiphos continued his activities, thriving off a business that was run solely from word of mouth. He is currently attempting to expand his business outside of Trottingham, though the wealthy city full of nobility remains as his home base.

Character Personality:

Mischievous, sporadic, and impish to the nth degree, Xiphos represents a rogue almost to the letter. With no real ties to anywhere or anypony, the Areion flits from place to place, and his personality reflects that somewhat. Taking joy out of simply existing in life, Xiphos has a very mercurial personality, seemingly shifting off without rhyme nor reason. For the most part he is gleeful and playful, excitable due to his inherent curiosity and easily seduced from one interesting aspect to the next, much like a foal might take an immediate and intense interest in one toy, then completely disregard it for another. His volatile personality, however, can result in him suddenly blowing up over a small detail, raging at another pony for no reason, before abruptly shrugging off the entire incident. These moods swings are erratic and fairly rare, but their unpredictability is what make Xiphos dangerous.

Teasing and playful, the Areion takes a certain amount of pleasure from seeing others uncomfortable or disconcerted, delighting in their uncertainty and confusion. He has no qualms stalking after a pony that has caught his interest, haunting their hoof steps until he feels satisfied. Xiphos is never put off by a negative response to his strange ways - in fact, sometimes a scoff or a turned head simply makes him pursue the target harder, eager to get under their skin. To call him sadistic might be a bit of a stretch, but it is plainly obvious that Xiphos likes to have the mental upper hoof on other ponies, and seems to genuinely enjoy the discomfort and dissatisfaction of others. Cruel by Equestrian standards, Xiphos has no problem hurting others just to see them hurt, a classic bully.

While he may be an overall jerk that silently makes fun of others underneath his wicked smile, Xiphos is a generally friendly pony, even if said friendliness usually stems from boredom and a want to gather information. He is completely at ease introducing himself to somepony or making another feel at home around him, should he wish to keep a particular pony close to his side. Despite his like of seeing others hurt or upset, Xiphos holds a genuine interest in others, seeing how they react or respond to certain situations. The Areion is an inherently curious pony, which is often the spark in a new relationship, one that flares or putters out depending on how interesting Xiphos finds them.

Very rarely does the Areion form any true feelings of affection or fondness for others - not because of an attempt from Xiphos to distance himself, but because of an inherent disinterest for anypony that doesn't interest him past a superficial first impression. With these rare few however, Xiphos has shown himself loyal to a fault, willing to put himself on the line for them rather than see them face harm. A quiet possessiveness surrounds those Xiphos has chosen as his closest friends, one that manifests itself subtly but surely in his actions and protectiveness towards them.

To say that Xiphos is a shining example of pony nature would be a gross misstatement, obvious to anypony that knows the Areion underneath the surface. With a mischievous and roughish nature, Xiphos is inherently more wicked than the average pony wandering the streets, bordering on sadistic and cruel in his genuine pleasure over other's misfortune. Though his flaws are glaringly obvious, even to himself, the Areion fully embraces them, having no shame in his lifestyle or outlook. It takes a special kind of pony to not only see the other side of Xiphos' coin, but accept both sides of it, good and bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mojo]

Hi Zeig!

My apologies that I didn't evaluate this app earlier.

This CC app looks VERY good! All of the required fields are filled, and it is very well written.

I believe this character safely conforms to the standards of CC, so I will immediately recommend it for further Senior RPH evaluation!

[Bellosh]

[SteelEagle]

Moved back per request.

[Zeig]

Finished editing, ready for re-review. Basically just changed up a bit of his personality - instead of sly and cunning, Xiphos is more excitable and haphazard, less in control of himself and his surroundings.

[RainbowFoxxy]