Xulius the Befallen God

We will liberate this land and end your horrid rule of this world.
— Xulu to Numen reflecting on the state of the world.

Xulu

(To be made.)

Basic Info

Name

Xulu

Full Name

Xulius Durain

Nicknames

Xulu

The macabre bird of solidarity

The befallen god

The bad guy (self-proclaimed)

Age

Infinite, though in cycle terms of Azima and physical appearance, Xulu is close to the age of twenty-five.

Gender

Male

Species

Fallen Phoenix/Avian

Alignment

Ambiguous

Relationship Status

Single

Voiced By

Steve Blum

Appearance

Color

Previous Life: Ashy white, black, and emerald green. Events of Island of Doom: Ashy black, deep purple, dark green

Height

4'0"

Weight

86 lbs/39.089 kg

Description

A haunting bird that is a sign of death itself.

Biographical Info

Birthplace

Aeopha XII

Current Residence

Bakisian Isles/Kardon, Azima

Affiliations

The Skaadi (formerly)

Numen

Personal Info

Friends

Vaylor the Axolotl

Faras the Lone Fox (formerly)

Moya the Gila Monster (formerly)

Foes

Moya the Gila Monster

Hiero the Hawk

The Ineekah

Numen the Monk

Occupation

Was once the god of judgement whom would judge if the dead could walk another day in a different life on Aeopha XII.

Leader of the Skaadi

Skills and Abilities

Skills

Kung-Fu

Jeet kune do

Krav Maga (Slightly)

Abilities

Can fade into Gas

Powers

Previously Pyrokinesis, left his body when he died to Malwrath.

Miasmakinesis (The power to control gasses/toxic mists)

Aerokinesis (new found power gained from corruption)

Xulius (Xulu) the Befallen God is one of the central antagonists of Island of Kardon. He is the former leader of the Skaadi, but lost his title after his group broke apart due to conflicting ideals within the group and the eventual weakening of the Monk. Xulu is often blamed for the downfall of the Skaadi and is remembered as a failure toward his peers. Once a god, now befallen to the likes of a mortal, struggling with the meaning of his existence.

Appearance

Physical Appearance

Xulu appears as a decently tall mobian standing at a height of four feet. He has a black beak and previously had white feathers that would have emerald green accents to them. He has glowing white irises and green pupils. What differentiates him between himself and standard mobians/Azimians is the fact that he has three fingers instead of the posable five. Xulu also has wings and a lengthy undertail in the form of a rose's petals. Xulu has a black comb-over hairstyle that is mid-length with green highlights at the ends of his hair.

This all changed once Xulu became corrupted. Much of his precious white feathers were all gone the second he was corrupted. His feathers and flesh all turned into a dark almost black grey ash that envelops the entirety of his complexion permanently. Whatever green is feathers had all became the same black ash as the other feathers. Green was no longer a color Xulu had, even his pupils reverted to a black color.

Clothing & Attire

Xulu's attire is something of elegance. He wears a black fish-tailed pea coat that has the top collar popped outward slightly and is usually buttoned half way, what covers his buttons would be his black bandana that he would occasionally wear over his beak. Xulu also wears a white henley shirt underneath his peacoat with only the bottom two buttons closed. For legwear, Xulu wears either dark jeans or black slacks. The macabre bird would don knee high black combat boots with emerald green accents to them.

After his corruption, most of his clothing became tattered. His prized slacks were torn at the knee along with his boots, leaving his long tibia and tarsus visible as well as his talons. Xulu covered his lower legs with masking tape in order to avoid injury in combat. He did the same with his arms and wrists

Personality

Xulu is a hard character to describe due to how often he changes his mind on things.

When he formerly was the god of judgement/rejuvination, he would always be incredibly fair. Xulu's main characteristic is his fairness, he likes to see through that everything is on an even field in life.

He never judged a man by his character, but by their actions. He felt that even the most corrupted of individuals have a side of good in them and would often task his victims of death to do good and if they continue a path of good, they reach rejuvination and thus reincarnate.

Xulu is a very serious character, never quite grasping humor or emotion as easily as others would. It is because the ethics of his homeland are different from those of another's, he feels anger, grief, remorse, guilt, malevolence (etc). Xulu doesn't grasp happiness or joy however, those characteristics just never seem to be present in his character. He feels that reaching "joy" in life would require him to see his job/work done in his life that just so happens to be eternal.

A good characteristic of Xulu is how good he can read people. Xulu can tell behaviorisms by a person's scent, body language, expression, and tone at an incredibly high rate. He is described as a mind reader as he can locate people's pasts, general qualities, moral compas, objectives from simple conversation. Xulu's accurate detection skills of behavior also make him a much more cynical avian when dealing with those that want to get over him.

Xulu's strength of upholding justice can only be described as extremely passionate. When dealing with people of opposing moral stands and alignments, he'd often detest their presence. However, Xulu is sensible and rational never leading him to fight people with out reason unless they oppose him or his beliefs.

What plagues Xulu's character is his desperate fear of betrayal, death, and being normal. Xulu lives his life to the highest standard, for himself to become a "mortal" or lose purpose in his life is soul crushing. Even though he used to be the god of judgement and rejuvination, Xulu would hate sending anyone unfortunate to permanent death.

The oppressive idea that everything would end for him and he'd no longer see a tomorrow only sets his life image as a failure. Most of all he fears being forgotten and with death, that eventually takes over.

Xulu only fears death because it's a symbol of failure to him, a sign of weakness, a sign of standard living. He works himself to only accept success, to have everything fade away into failure is a curse to him.

Xulu can be very vindictive and sometimes even brutal if angered. As he was raised as a god, his entire life reflects his serious state of living. One can not cross his path with disrespect and contemptous tone as he is eager to snap back and make you pay for ever going against his way of life or thought process. Xulu does not forget any whom cross him.

History

There Was Never A Beginning

Xulu was created a divine avian phoenix in Aeopha XII, a small gas planet in the Borast Galaxy. He was born of nothing with no parental guidance or lineage, his life had one simple purpose and that was to judge the dead.

Xulu was praised by his people and was considered an even more important god in the central religion of Aeopha than the ever powerful creator. Many alligned themselves to having a high moral compas and praying before the dead as a sign of respect to Xulu.

Xulu was also depicted as the god of the underworld should anyone fail his judgement, he sends them into a life of eternal darkness, isolation, and oblivion. It was this life he lived since birth and has carried it for much of his existence.

His life took a change when his home planet of Aeopha XII began having a mass extinction where there was literally no more life aside from the base gods that took over the now barren planet. Since he no longer was the god of judgement and now just a standard god, Xulu lost purpose in his life and often missed the days of being praised.

Enter Island of Kardon

You are needed in a different land, Xulius. Take charge and bring forth victory to your homeland and godhood.
— The creator to Xulu when sent to Azima.

The creator was given information of a catastrophic universe ending prophecy being performed in Azima, a distant planet from another galaxy. The prophecy foretells of a wise god-like peasant losing his powers to uphold life in the universe to a malevolent god bent on destruction over a device known as the guidance of spiritual nature which holds the key to life.

The creator tasked Xulu with saving the universe as he was well versed for tense situations of death and agony, while he himself stayed to look over Aeopha XII. Xulu accepted the quest and teleported to a land known as the Bakisian Isles. There a desperate monk by the name of Numen pleads to Xulu about his quest to bring back the voice of spirits.

I need you Xulius, you are this world's only hope. I task you with leading a group of expert heroes to travel this land and rebuild the universe. Bring me back the voice of spirits and we can thwart Malwrath, a beast of untold power.
— The Monk's plead to Xulu

Xulu accepts and he begins leading a group of heroes from distant lands. He allied himself with Vaylor the Angel of Cordaqo, Greigor the Peasant Bastion of Iguroka, Moya the Rebel of Torugos, Haru the Brave Warrior of unknown origin, and Faras the Gifted Genius of Faerah. Together the group put aside their differences at one point and referred to themselves as the Skaadi, a word in Xulu's mainland for protectors.

Life's Failures

Xulu, you follow the path of Numen like a slave. He will do nothing but weaken you, Malwrath knows your true strength and resolve. End the world, it isn't worth saving.
— Moya to Xulu on her state of separation from the Skaadi.

Xulu had begun having problems with his party when the rest of the Skaadi began having conflicting views on life itself and issues with the Monk. Xulu and Vaylor both alligned themselves heavily toward aiding the Monk as he has done nothing to taint or guide the heroes off of their path in saving the world.

Strong on his belief that the Monk was in the right and an ally to the heroes, Xulu declared that any who argue against Numen's will was a traitor. Moya took great offense to these claims and instantly left the group. Faras noting that Xulu couldn't keep the group intact left as well to assist Moya in her endeavors. Soon Greigor left to the desert to manage materials and was never found again. Haru himself led a path of isolation, diverging from the group to seek the truth by finding the voice of spirits.

Out of the original Skaadi, only two were left; Vaylor and Xulu. Moya ended up becoming a devout believer in the powers of Malwrath as she no longer sees the world in being a place of saving. Her talks with the powerful deity caused her to gain the powers of chemical flames, once she gained said power she had begun to diverge in a path of self destruction. Faras whom was her partner left her once he had spoken to Malwrath for himself. Malwrath granted him the ability to have infinite and vast knowledge of everything in the world, that quickly drove Faras into insanity and eventually ruined his mind making him unfit for creating technologies that will make life immortal. Soon every other member of the Skaadi met a fate with Malwrath.

Xulu and Vaylor managed to get the Voice of Spirits in this time of chaos and climbed to Kardon's highest mountain in hopes of killing Malwrath with Numen. Numen climbed with them and watched as Xulu and Vaylor challenged the archaic god of malice.

Malwrath destroyed Xulu and Vaylor, effectively corrupting the both of them in the process. He strips Xulu's rejuvination abilities, stopping him from reincarnating after death and removing his phoenix characteristics. This turned Xulu into a dying body of ash. The Monk eventually stood up and picked up the voice of spirits and sent Malwrath back into the depths of the world. The job was not done though.

Tainted Resurrection

You failed to destroy Malwrath, Xulu. Your godhood was stripped.. The dark lord resides in your heart, he too has corrupted you, hasn't he?
— Numen to Xulu after reviving the befallen god.

Numen tells Xulu he has lost his godhood and in turn much of his power he possessed. Fire now being replaced with gaseous toxin clouds and aerokinesis. Xulu disgusted at what Numen was telling him denies his claim of corruption and says that Numen is the cause of everything happening in Kardon. He blames Numen for everything that happened.

Realizing that Numen had the voice of spirits, Xulu takes it away from Numen feeling that the monk was unfit of holding the relic. He then rescues Vaylor who was having an existential crisis. Xulu and Vaylor began forming plans to save the island by healing the sick and wounded civilians of Kardon, but due to both of them having corrupted powers, they ended up making slaves instead. Disgusted by what they are becoming, Vaylor secludes into insolation as their psyche is being ripped away. Moya took advantage of this destruction and took some mindless sick civilians and turned them into slave workers for the construction of her lava tower.

Defenseless, Vaylor does nothing to fight back Moya and submits. Now alone, Xulu had to find the voice of spirits before everything goes to hell. Albeit, he himself is now starting to doubt if he wants to truly save the world.

Powers

Aerokinesis & Miasmakinesis

Xulu, now thanks to his corruption, controls the powers of Aerokinesis and Miasmakinesis. Unlike most aerokinetics, his air isn't natural. Xulu can not lift objects with his aerokinesis, nor can he supply himself with oxygen or create invisible air barriers/tornados. What he can do is punch out the oxygen of his prey and evidently leave them dying. Xulu can also take away the oxygen in a flame. His air powers are more likened to cause damage rather than defend.

Despite having a rather offensively strong but weak Aerokinesis, Xulu makes up for it by having the ability to control toxic gasses. His constructs of gas can either cloak his body, manipulate opponents, cause opponents to hallucinate, and finally die from paralysis. His toxic mist causes lungs to burst slowly while giving enemies the illusion of a hallucinogenic "trip". Xulu is immune to the fumes as his home planet's toxic environment granted him an immunity to most poisons (That and he doesn't have the same organs as normal Azimians/Mobians do).

Abilities

Mind-Reading

Because of his previous life as a god, Xulu has retained a keen ability of sensing one's emotions and inner thoughts via body language, expression, and tone. This ability is so strong in Xulu, it is said that he can read neural patterns via touch and can thus get a glimpse of a person's general personality/backstory. His ability to read people isn't as perfect as it once was, since his godhood was removed Xulu has struggled with pin pointing key moments of past lives and has lost accuracy in his claims of knowing people.

Skills

Experienced Combatant

Xulu is so skilled with his hands and feet he never took it upon himself to use any form of weaponry to aid his combat proficiency. His kicks are lightning fast and his jabs even faster. Xulu tactically overwhelms his opponents with attacks, breaking their guards (but effectively leaving his open). He is also keen on bodily weak points and if he wants to subdue his opponents or even kill them by hand-to-hand combat, he can with quite ease.

Despite himself being a mostly offensive fighter, Xulu has great guard as well. He can counter most attacks of varying weaponry, disarm even the strongest of foes, and kill armored targets with their own forms of combat. Xulu develops as he fights enemies, not one fight with him is the same as the previous battle. Combined with his ability to judge character, he can read enemy patterns fluently making him a scary opponent against even trained enemies.

Weaknesses

Lack of Concentration

Xulu is plagued with the fact that he is too offensive which can translate to him being a very unbalanced fighter. If flanked with multiple opponents and barrages of attacks, Xulu's guard will fall and he can't account for every fighter in his viscinity. He is also prone to tiring himself out as he tries to break into an enemy's guard, albeit this is rare as his stamina is higher than Azimians.

Emotional Challenge

Xulu suffers with having problems with controlling his emotions. Rather than making him a spiratic fighter, messing with Xulu's emotions will often make him stop fighting leaving him susceptible to off guard attacks. His fear of death will prompt him to do drastic things, comparing him to a mortal will heighten that barrier. Although cracking into Xulu is not as easy as it sounds, it takes great wit to break Xulu's mind.

He's Just As Mortal As You (Post-Corruption)

Xulu is susceptible to injury and death, much like every other being. Gone are his everlasting abilities of life and his unbreakable bones, he can be ripped and torn apart much like everyone else. Breaking his limbs in combat, Xulu can not possibly recover leaving him paralized for combat. Constricting his hands and feet will even the odds a great deal.

Trivia

• Xulu's name is based off of the southern african tribe of the same name, the Zulu tribe. The name is purely aesthetic, as his character nor his powers or native style is based off of the Zulu people/culture.
• Xulu has had a number of designs and species changes before I finally concluded to him being a avian bird of phoenix origin.
  • He was originally a beetle in concept
    • Later he became an eagle but this was changed due to how cliché the whole species is. (yes, I know phoenixes aren't that much more unique but it's something!)
      • He finally became a befallen phoenix to reflect his nature of a god becoming a mortal.
• Xulu is a spiritual successor to old and jagged villain Edmund the Vulture. I found Edmund to be a vulgur and generally unrealistic character so I removed him and developed Xulu with his characteristics and a larger emphasis on foreboding personality traits.
• Xulu was created to be the antagonist and negative half of Hiero the Hawk as both characters are birds of prey, represent their key elements, have explosive tempers, are from tribal settings with odd cultures (Hiero is an islander with backwards culture, Xulu is a god with backwards culture from a different planet), they're prideful in their work, and they have both been given leading positions of their respective teams.
• Despite himself having a concrete story in Island of Kardon: The Great Desire, it will not be his final appearance. Plans of his existence and development are everlasting.