SOLLA SOLLEW

Name: Solla Sollew

Gender: Male

Age: 221 Years

Year in school: High School Senior

Dorm: Cobalt

Height: 5'11" Inches

Appearance:



Personality: The driving factor in Solla’s life is none other than a nearly crazed fear of death. With a tragic history backing his drives, this canine skillfully separates himself from reality. He never openly acknowledges his fears and what appears disconcerting, instead preferring to live in the present. Solla tends to be flirtatious and energetic in public, enjoying dramatic displays when in the company of others, and applying pressure and more energy whenever one tries to shut him down. However, he strongly dislikes it when things get too serious and practical, often refusing to communicate or open up in those situations while attempting to change the subject. Solla is rarely honest with his feelings, instead shirking off most of what bothers with him and bottling it inside. One of the exceptions to this, however, is his label as a species. Despite being a church grim, Solla passionately despises the term, preferring to simply be known as an average dog or canine by others.

Additionally, Solla is not afraid to use violence or even go as far as injuring or killing if a situation calls for it. Being a cursed being, he sees that he has nothing to lose except his life. As such, when he feels threatened, he does not hesitate to lash out. While he generally prefers flight over fight, should he feel cornered or like his pride has been insulted and there is no verbal way out, this grim will retaliate physically with all his strength. Generally, Solla performs below average in academics but does well in both melee and talent-based combat. His goal for joining the academy was to learn how to better defend himself, to avoid death at all costs.


History:
Like all Church Grim, Solla was once an average canine-- an odd mutt of wolfdog and Irish wolfhound among others. Though unlike others of his kind, Solla was sentient for the most part. While he had no ability to speak at the time, he was self aware and knew who and what he was. Unbeknownst to the other intelligent species that ran the church, however, Solla was selected by the clergy to be the ‘grim’ of the new cemetery to be opened. As per their tradition and culture in that day and age, the people of the church were to bury a dumb animal, usually a dog, alive for it to become the designated soul to protect and guard the graveyard. The rule was simple; the first being buried after the opening of the cemetery was fated to protect it for eternity. Their soul would remain alive and bound to the yard as they upheld the duty of protecting the cemetery from demons, gravediggers, trespassers with ill intent, and the like. The task was said to be from an ancient agreement with a god or devil, and was a sacred duty for an animal to uphold.

The process was cruel, the young dog feeling as if he was drowning in a dry and heavy ocean of soil. The suffocation was slow and painful, traumatizing as his body was crushed and the oxygen pushed out of his lungs and brain, starved for more. Eventually death came to the dog and as per the deal with the gods and devils, the soul was transformed into that of a Church Grim, a shadowy canine with powers meant for doing its eternal job. Being originally sentient, however, Solla painfully remembered the traumatizing manner of his death and could only see those who he was supposed to serve as the villains and the enemy. He bided his time, thoughtfully planning his revenge over the decades as the cemetery was slowly populated while time ran its course. The more who rested in the graveyard, the better the impact of his revenge.

He waited, but not too long as to let the ones who had buried him alive die a peaceful death. As age crept upon them, so did Solla on a night of dark and stormy weather. The Church Grim handled the graveyard first. He wanted to see the despair of those who had opened the cemetery. Using the full might of his power as a grim, Solla uprooted the yard, upturning soil, shattering coffins, scattering bones, and stringing about rotting flesh along the place that he had been forced to call his home. The perpetrators who had locked him into the cruel fate quickly came upon the scene and one by one were viciously attacked and added to the tally of deceased and destroyed bodies.

The graveyard destroyed and the ones responsible for his painful death brutally killed, Solla found himself experiencing anything but the peace he had anticipated. Instead, the voices of gods and devils rang in the neutral mythical being’s ears-- he had turned against the gods’ sacred task and had thus broken the agreement between the church and the devils. The voices raged in his head-- he was free, but at what cost? He would now never rest or retire like Church Grim who had waited until time took their cemetery, but would be banished to the pits of hell to join those whose contract he had broken. There would be no paradise or salvation for his already unresting soul. Many more decades passed, the wandering soul moving about the world of Skiagis as technology improved and ages changed. He became familiar with the workings of many societies along with the Talents his curse had given him. Fearing death and the open gates of hell, Solla sought out Eldritch Academy, where he could learn to utilize his talents to ensure his survival and not play into the hands of cruel fate.




Name of Species: Church Grim

Baseline Dimension: Minimum two feet tall at shoulder, maximum eight feet tall. Average is generally 4-6 feet tall at the shoulder. Length varies.

Baseline Appearance: Church Grim are animals, typically dogs, and have black fur, almost any eye color, abnormally long and flowing tails, and white fangs. Their fur is shadow-like in nature and flows unnaturally with a black aura.

Culture/Origin of Species: As per tradition in some Skiagis cultures, the people of the church were to bury a dumb animal, usually a dog, alive for it to become the designated soul to protect and guard the graveyard. The rule was simple; the first being buried after the opening of the cemetery was fated to protect it for eternity. Their soul would remain alive and bound to the yard as they upheld the duty of protecting the cemetery from demons, gravediggers, trespassers with ill intent, and the like. The task was said to be from an ancient agreement with a god and was a sacred duty for an animal to uphold.

Traits:
• T'was a dark and stormy night - - Church Grim can attract dark, dreary, or stormy weather at will or sometimes against their will. They cannot directly control the weather, but attract such events to them.
• Faire Chlaidh, the graveyard watch - - Church Grim can walk invisible- unseen, unheard, untouched, and unscented at will.
• Under the cornerstone - - With a new form greatly changed and enhanced from their former, Church Grim have +1 to their Strength Aspect.
• Buried alive - - Having faced a mortal death once before, Church Grim do not age or die by natural causes, but simply fade away or eventually pass on. They have +2 to their Resilience Aspect.

Flaws:
• Omen of death - - Being representative and guard to cemeteries, Church Grim are rare to be seen in public and often are only known to be associated with death. As a result, they are often ostracized and cast out of communities, known as ones who bring an early demise to those they are around.
• Kilgrim Bridge - - Due to having been once tied strongly to land and duty, Church Grim hold an innate sense of loyalty that is more of a curse than a blessing. They become easily attached to people, places, and things, and if they are away from their cemetery or it has been destroyed, they will feel a constant void and depression within. If they become too loyal to one individual, they can be easily taken advantage of and used.