Marked
The Marked is a Chaos-infused alteration originally inflicted upon the people of the city of Nefol. This came about in an act of vengeance by Zerom against his brother, Zemi. However, Zerom didn’t intend to warp and corrupt the form of the Earthians he controlled, but rather it was his attempt to imitate the Awakened form linked to Zemi. Due to his lack of connection and understanding of Earthian life, forcing the transformation only led to a horrific living-dead status for those touched by his power.
Those turned Marked usually have no recollection of their past life, becoming nothing more than a feral vessel for Zerom’s use. Animalistic and warlike, they made up the bulk of Zerom’s ground army, as he eventually sought to pit the once-Nefolians against Zemi’s own Awakened troops in a battle of control for the Nefolian planet.
Marked as described in Dreigiau, Book 1 Chapter 39:
Just as SoYa turned to follow, the weight of the first Marked bore down on him, slamming him on his back. A hoarse cry ripped from his lungs as one oily claw seized his neck. The other claw began tearing at his robe, ripping long shreds of cloth away. Fangs hissed warm, putrid breath into his face. The dead, black eyes reflected an image of SoYa’s horrified expression. The creature’s skin was so brittle and dry that grey patches stripped away as he wrestled to get out from under its weight.
Common traits of Marked:
- Feral behavior – animalistic and do not have a sense of their past life
- Grey, mottled skin - from internal rot
- Fangs and claws – less often, black spiked mutations on the limbs
- Blood is black, oily and acidic in nature
- Fear aura – it takes a highly trained or desensitized individual to not react to the manifestation of fear forced by this
- High-pitched screech – causes paralysis and is especially effective against mind mages
There are some exceptions, specifically the two Nefolians that served under Zerom as his dark Champions. These Marked could still act in feral ways, but sometimes retained their senses and knowledge of themselves. These include:
TsuYa Tai was also known to have the power to command the army of Zerom’s Marked. This created a horrific and dangerous organized force of the creatures, that worked under Tai’s keen ability to strategize and command the battlefield.
Wayrift
In the times of Wayrift, both Tai and KoGuRai still retain the ability to take on their Marked forms, though Zerom is long defeated. Even when not transformed, this provides some benefits such as:
- Extraordinary strength
- Extraordinary speed and reaction times
- Heightened senses, especially hearing
- Ability to manifest wings
When transformed, Tai in particular also:
- Grows in stature (Estimated Marked form height is 6’)
- Emits the Marked fear aura
- Coloration of hair changes and includes a white streak on the right side of his bangs
- Does have acidic blood
- Can screech to heighten the fear aura and disrupt magic casters
- Can sometimes command lesser feral Marked
When transformed, whether they retain their senses or act as a feral Marked depends on the situation that led up to the transformation. If the transformation is forced or instigated through pain or mind magery, the result is much more likely to be a feral one.
KoGuRai has a much stronger grasp on his self-awareness as a Marked than Tai does, especially in the earlier days of Wayrift. This may be due to the fact that KoGuRai embraces his Chaotic powers, while Tai is disgusted by it and fears his transformations. KoGuRai also retains his Marked height even when not transformed.
Tai is also much more likely to be influenced to transform when near to other feral Marked. These feral Marked do still exist in the northern reaches of the Nefolian world, though little is known about how they have survived throughout the many ages.
While it’s not proven whether Marked can be inherited genetically, specific children show possible Marked tendencies, including:
- Zento Ya the Second
- Kasumi Rai
- Azami Rai (to a much lesser extent)
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