Damien Artweir

"'I sensed trouble brewing, what trouble I know not. But my name you know well. Yes, you know my name, my friend.' - Damien, to Magnus" Damien Artweir is a Cambion and a scholar of the dark arts. After suffering at the hands of anti-magic terrorists, he made a pact with the Devil, going on to eventually slaughter the terrorists mostly by his own hand. Despite being blinded for his efforts, Damien continues to study magic, soon being drawn to a new world when he began to hear whispers of a coming catastrophe.

Early Life
Damien was born in a rural Minnesota town, though was forced to move to Ireland due to unforeseen circumstances. His parents, grandparents and great grandparents were all powerful mages, and he aspired to continue the family line. He would grow up learning all the tools of the trade, studying whenever he could just to live up to his family name. However, things wouldn't stay well forever and Damien's family and way of life would come crashing down.

At the time, Ireland was occupied by a long-distant descendant of the Knights Templar, called the Disciples of the One Truth. Known as anti-magic terrorists, they took to Damien's village in the night and slaughtered the whole population, leaving Damien as the only survivor. When he was found and captured, he was imprisoned in a lonely cell, forced to watch the decaying corpses of his parents. The grisly sight left him mentally unwell, ultimately ending him to make a desperate final bid at salvation.

His last option was a definitive one; he made a deal with the Devil, in hopes that he would be granted the power to destroy his enemies. The Devil complied, binding Damien's soul with that of a heretical demon, known as Manus. In exchange, Damien promised that one day, he would serve as Lucifer's faithful servant in the apocalypse to come. Damien easily broke free from his captors, killing anyone in sight before fleeing the country.

Wandering Mage
Due to the atrocities inflicted upon him by the Disciples, Damien was left as a very bitter and reclusive man. He wandered the world in search of more knowledge, hoping to grow powerful enough to completely eradicate the terrorists who ruined his life. Meanwhile, Manus bore no love for the boy and saw this deal with the Devil as a chance to return to flesh. The two constantly remained at odds. Damien eventually wandered into Haven City, where he met with the two establishing factions of said city, and their leaders, Anaithnid and Magnus Rathe. Seeing an opportunity to broaden his horizons, Damien demanded to join them.

Consorting with humans seemed to be the tipping point that Manus needed, as he was finally able to take control of Damien's body. Using the boy as a puppet, he caused havoc in the immediate vicinity with his deadly magic. With Anai and Magnus in the area, they were able to quickly subdue the rampaging puppet, but the possession had left some irreversible effects upon Damien's body. With help from a holy cross, it was enough to keep Manus at bay for the time being, until a more permanent fix could be found to prevent the demon from breaking free again.

The Disciples
Several months after Damien's appearance, he struck out on his own and began a one-man mission of eliminating the Disciples located in Haven City. Corpses were left in the streets, with the body count rising from day to day. This caught the ire of Magnus, noting that it wasn't how someone under his employ should operate. When Damien appeared once again, the reunion was short lived as Manus managed to break free once again, only this time for good. With an evil laugh and a promise, he scarred Damien before fleeing to parts unknown. A short visit to an infirmary saw Damien make a swift recovery, but he did not stick around for long.

Relocating to an abandoned parking structure, Damien contemplated on the events that led to his current situation. While he mused, he was visited again by the Devil, who knew of his plight and how Manus had escaped. With their deal still on, Lucifer ordered Damien to kill his former possessor, citing that loose ends needed to be tied up. The Devil disappeared as he had appeared, being nothing more than dust. Magnus arrived afterwards, telling the boy about why he formed his company and what their purpose was. He invited Damien to return, stating that final preparations were being made to rid Haven of the Disciples, for good.

Along with Magnus and Anaithnid, Damien would go on to strike out at the heart of the Disciples' operations in Haven. It was a small bunker just on the outskirts of the city, where the three forces met and rained hell upon the terrorists within. Caught by the surprise attack, the Disciples were easily defeated, with Magnus restraining Damien from killing one of them. With the Disciple presence removed from Haven, Damien was that much closer towards eradicating them completely. He vowed that Magnus, and Anaithnid, and any others who helped him, would always remain his friend.

The Hunt
Shortly after eliminating the Disciples in Haven City, Damien once again struck out on his own and set off to destroy the rest of the terrorist cult. It took him many days and many nights to finally track down their main headquarters, but it was discovered that they had hidden themselves deep below the holy city of Jerusalem. Their beliefs mirrored Christianity in some aspects, with a deep loathing towards magic of any kind. Seen as a heresy towards their god, the Disciples had been hell bent on eliminating magic wherever it surfaced. Damien uncovered their ultimate designs as he worked inward, turning them inside out with his own hands. His ultimate discovery came at a bit of a shock. Their god, was Malathiel; Manus' true identity.

The heretical demon manipulated the Disciples into destroying any magic users, thus allowing him to easily become the most dominant warlock in existence. Malathiel hadn't counted on Damien's arrival, and how handily he slaughtered the Disciples before him. While Malathiel had congratulated Damien for getting so far, he lamented that in order to shape his world order, the boy had to die. What ensued was a climactic final battle between the boy and his former servant. Their arena was nearly destroyed by the time the fight had ended, with the headquarters ablaze and scorched beyond recognition. Damien had managed to win the fight, but it cost him his eyesight. In his dying breath, Malathiel cursed Damien's name and told him that despite his efforts, he would never be satisfied and his lust for knowledge would one day consume him. Upon Malathiel's death, Damien alone stood as the sole victor, having finally avenged his parents.

Now blinded for his efforts, his magical acuity allowed him to develop a sort of extra sense, able to visualize life auras. With this, he took what he could from the headquarters, be it confiscated material or otherwise, and left. With no goal left driving him, Damien turned towards honing his craft yet again. In the time that passed since his revenge being achieved, Damien managed to learn a limited form of planeswalking, shifting between mortal worlds and his own, personal pocket dimension. It was here in his own realm that he felt something brewing; trouble, somewhere in the vast expanse of space. He had no idea that following this instinct would lead him to the company of old friends.

Normal
Since the loss of Manus, Damien's appearance has drastically changed. Forever marked as a Cambion, his skin has turned a pale color and his eyes have dulled, becoming grey. When angered, the mystic energy inside of him flares, turning his eyes a bright purple. His black hair has become unkempt, and longer. A tattoo sits etched between his pectoral muscles, depicting the first six circles of Hell. Various runes and words are carved across his flesh, from unintelligible gibberish to incantations and personal notes. Concerning his clothing, he wears a dark blue jacket affixed by a thick, feather collar. Beneath this, he wears a custom flak jacket for added protection. Over top of everything, Damien wears bone armor forged from his own body, inscribed with Infernal runes and stained black by the dark rituals he undertook to create it.

Manaburst
After the demise of Malathiel and the Disciples, Damien once again changed himself when he came to embrace his demon side. While dressed in the same black attire, Damien typically wears his jacket open, exposing his pale, rune-inscribed chest. His hair has grown several inches in length, normally resting at his shoulders. Due to his blindness, his eyes are glazed over and grey. Whenever he overdraws on magic, his hair floats and his eyes glow purple, complete with horns protruding from his forehead. Damien also now sports a pair of black angel wings; when not in use, Damien disguises the wings as a large fur coat, which conceals most of his body. He can only maintain this form for a short while, before reverting to normal. Since his arrival in Avashesh, Damien now sports these wings in his normal form, too.

Personality
Due to past experiences, Damien has become a bit of a loner and typically works alone. His demeanor is cold and spiteful, with a twisted sense of humor that put many off. He prefers intelligence over brute force, and can be quite sadistic when it pertains to dealing with his enemies; however, it's common for him to get carried away. Most of his attitude is nothing more than a facade; he feels tremendous guilt for having been unable to save his family. Lacking any significant memories from his childhood, he has trouble identifying with other humans, so much to the point that he mostly avoids contact. Despite his aversion to contact and lack of social skills, Damien has proven himself loyal towards those who put faith in him. He strongly values the concept of family, and is willing to protect whatever and whoever he sees worthy of that title.

Abilities
Damien is a powerful warlock, having dedicated many years of his life to honing his craft and perfecting it. His magical talents fall into three broad categories; black magic, infernal magic and time/space distortion. Damien effectively has command over all four of the primal elements, and uses them with a great deal of proficiency, though he typically leans towards fire magic for maximum destruction. His knowledge of demons allows him to summon and bind them, to serve temporarily under his service. The strength and size of the demon he can bring forth directly relates to his current state of being. Attempting to conjure demons beyond his ability runs the risk of them breaking free from his control. Lastly, Damien has developed the ability to pass between other worlds and his own inner plane. This pocket dimension is only accessible by him, and those he decides to bring with him. He can only transport himself there once a day, or more if he meditates beforehand. He can also only bring up to 3 people with him; more than that would put an immense strain on his body.

Aside from his magic, Damien wields the spear Spellweaver, with frightening skill. While he is at his weakest in physical combat, Damien is able to defend himself at close range while also using his spear to sling spells. Also due to his blindness, Damien has developed a sort of "aura-sense", allowing him to visualize the vague outlines of beings depending on their power and the quality of their souls. This helps him none with navigating actual environments, however.

Lucifer
During his time of need, Damien turned towards Lucifer in order to gain the power he needed. With that power, Damien slaughtered his captors and turned his wrath towards the Disciples. Damien had devoted himself as a willing servant of Lucifer, knowingly entering his employ as a means to obtain more power. Part of him had been aware that Lucifer only sought to manipulate him, but his strong desire for revenge made him not care. After Manus' escape, Damien has become more wise in dealing with Lucifer; knowing that the devil enjoys deals, Damien has made himself wary with making further offers. He sees Lucifer more as a business partner, and not the unholy master he had once worshiped him as.

Manus
Having seen Manus as a source of power, Damien was so blinded by rage that he accepted possession in order to get his revenge. The two had a strained relationship all through the few years they were together. Manus constantly attempted to vie for control, occasionally taking over Damien's body to cause mass damage. Though Damien shared no feelings for Manus, he saw him as a necessary evil to further his goals. Since their separation, Damien seems Manus as nothing more than a target. He feels nothing but pure loathing for the demon, and has personally vowed to hunt him down and kill him.shortly after having destroyed the Disciples of the One Truth, Damien located Manus in all of his spitefulness. With magic and claw the two fought fiercely, Damien earning a large gash across his throat. But ultimately, Damien won and absorbed the power of the arch-heretic Manus, along with his memories, thus Damien will never forget the man who fought against the crusades, and lost.

Magnus Rathe
Damien's relationship with Magnus is complicated; while he respects him and sort of views him as the only real mentor figure he's ever had, Damien feels frustrated by the constant rules and restrictions placed upon him. He feels too held back, though he knows that Magnus does have his best interests in mind. Despite said feelings, Damien trusts him and would do anything to protect him.