“I can see it, Uriel. It's like a cancer; a tumor growing and festering deep inside of you, its black core enveloping your heart.”
- - Hachiman
Bellorkathvus (From the High Dracid The Shadow of Blood, Instinct as it preferred to be seen) is a supernatural entity of Descension energy that occupied Uriel Ultanos as a host. Thought to be a normal product of Descension, as all inner demons are, Bellorkathvus proved something much more dangerous having thought to have festered on the century-old repressed feelings of aggression Uriel had developed in his life as a soldier. Discovered some time around 2806 AD, the entity (or It as some addressed it) attempted to dominate its host. Thought to be gone after the efforts of Hachiman Hin-Sha to contain it, Bellorkathus' few moments of control demonstrated the extreme danger it posed should it ever take control and envelop Uriel's psyche.
History[]
It is difficult to determine when Bellorkathvus was "born." While all inner demons are a manifestation of a host's instinctual drives, and while it was understood that the long periods of time Uriel spent with Tyraz may have been the primary contributing factor, in 2805 it was discovered that one of the components within the Imperial throne was the heart of a Draconis transformed by the Descension energies of a Zazane thought to be only a few generations a descendant of Zagdala Breek. The implication of this being that not only could Uriel have been exposed since his ascension as paragon of the Imperium, but may have inherited a connection to Descesnion energy from his father and his ancestors.
Since 2781 however Uriel has been in close proximity to numerous beings that radiate these energies, from the corpse of his brother Korr (reanimated as a Carrion Lord by Zagdala) to the demigod-like hybrid Kordan Virios. Bellorkathvus became prominent a few years after the birth of Tyrus Ultanos in 2804, as Uriel's attempts to repress the demon were reaching an eruption point. Bellorkathvus emerged in the opening stages of the Third House War, initially contained by a prolonged spar with Hachiman that expended much of the entity's built up energy, Bellorkathvus did not take kindly to this containment and after recovering would continue to harass Uriel mentally.
It was thought that Bellorkathvus was destroyed in 2014 when Uriel, much of his family and millions of Draconis took part in the final stage of an ascension program that converted them into beings of Hyperspace. This procedure purified Uriel's body, assailing the dark essences that made up the supernatural. Since Uriel and his family left for unknown points in reality, Bellorkathvus' fate is unknown. But it is unlikely he was able to survive inside Uriel's ascended body.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
As a sentient aspect of Uriel's psyche, Bellorkathvus has no single form to take. Perhaps as if to reflect Uriel's charming visage or manners, when not taking on a more demonic image of his host Bellorkathvus takes on forms that are often relevant to the discussion at hand. In moments where he takes control of Uriel's body, Uriel develops darker scales, a greater stature or bloody-red eyes that depending on the level of dominance may or may not glow.
Personality[]
Although a distinct personality and although resentful of certain aspects of his host, Bellorkathvus believes he is Uriel, and lashes out whenever Uriel tries to dismiss or ignore him. Instead, he prefers to be seen as Uriel's instinctual side and constantly pushes for Uriel to accept him as a part of the paragon's identity. Bellorkathvus comes across as a much more aggressive, judgmental and bloodthirsty version of Uriel on account of his primary feelings coming from the battlefield instincts and shocks Uriel developed in his years of direct military service and in the Mecha-Wasp War.
Ultimately however, Bellorkathvus is an entity of violence. As a product of maturing on the battlefield aggression Uriel constantly attempted to repress, Bellorkathvus enjoys few things more than the heat of conflict or the moment a life is taken. Craving death as he does, he can get aggressive when a diplomatic solution is pursued. That is not to say however, that he is nothing but violent. Thought to have inherited it from his host, Bellorkathvus is easily capable of being defiant and manipulative, and shares a deep hatred of Tyraz and Iovera. This resentment is thought to stem from Uriel's humility and numerous attempts to contain the beast, along with numerous conflicting considerations that secretly dance inside Uriel's head. When he wants to, Bellorkathvus is easily content to twist the truth to serve his own agenda.
Abilities[]
Having matured on the emotions Uriel kept bottled up for over a century, combined with exposure to the psyche-enhancing Imperial Throne and a number of supernaturals, Bellorkathvus is best described as a monster. When manifesting, he has shown himself capable of holding against the likes of Hachiman Hin-Sha or Tyraz Breek at least for a time. Like all inner demons, Bellorkathvus is capable of taking control of Uriel's body in times of high stress or when a lot of Descension energy is being expended. These moments of control are coupled with the host taking on a more demonic appearance as Bellorkethvus takes more and more control of the body.
Outside of combat, Bellorkathvus has developed the ability to collect Descension energy from other Descended individuals through close-contact. Although absorbing Descensiob energy from the air is something most mortals are capable of, Instinct is able to better collect the radiated energy and store it. The few moments he has taken control however make it uncertain if he holds on to this energy or if this ability simply slows down the body's expunging of the energy.
Quotes[]
“I feel it. A sickness, A poison, Clawing for violence, All this time I was in denial.”
- - Uriel Ultanos
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Trivia[]
- In multiple stories the entity was simply known as "Instinct," to mirror it with Tyraz's demon form which as called "Demon"
- His name is made up of two words Bellor, a Latin term meaning "of war" and Katha, the High Dracid word for blood.
- Bellorkathvus' first appearance as Instinct was in the speculative story Paragon's Descent. Since then he has appeared whenever a story involves a corrupted Uriel.
- Instinct is less of a split personality than Demon, largely due to the circumstances of its birth. Born from a repression of dark feelings than a sense of outright self-denial.