#*peacefully ignores that lizard tails regenerate*

[stormvanari]

Name: Darian Vernworth

Occupation: Head Witch of the Illusion Coven (NBI Era), engineer, daredevil; thief (pre-DoU)

Age: Early 40s

Pronouns: He/Ze/Zir

Relatives: Adrian Graye Vernworth (twin)

Alma Mater: Unknown

Coven: Illusion

Likes: Steampunk, stunt performances, engineering, hoodies, joyrides, fruit-infused water, pranks

Dislikes: Those titandamn Basilisk experiments, Adrian being an asshole, getting spoiled (in terms of media like crystal balls), his tail “betraying him,” being outsmarted by Loopy

A former thief, Darian Vernworth is one of the New Boiling Isles’ Coven Heads, specifically as the new leader of the Illusion Coven. He is also a basilisk, who once relied on heavy evasion to avoid the Emperor’s Coven for ~30 years, after their raid at his former home. Most of his knowledge is solely based on human books bought from a market, especially the engineering ones. It helped him develop his signature tail prosthetic.

While Adrian threw his identity as a basilisk out the window, Darian did not.

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Backstory: There was once a place near the center of the Boiling Isles that Basilisks used to thrive in. Among them were twins Darian and Adrian (the former is a month older than the latter): the two used to sneak to the nearest town and steal items to liven their home more. Part of this activity was suggested by Adrian, because he was tired of eating the same food.

When the Emperor’s Coven invaded their territory, both Darian and Adrian accidentally separated each other during a fight. The older basilisk hid inside a cave and casted an illusion over it to hide his spot from the Emperor’s Coven.

However, Darian was more concerned about where Adrian fled: when the coast was clear, he looked everywhere for the younger twin, but couldn’t find him in the end.

Until he heard the sound of airships flying over head.

•••••

It was then that Darian planned to follow them to facilities operated by the Emperor’s Coven under the illusory disguise of a coven scout.

For several times, he tried to free all of the captured basilisks (some were successful, such as letting III, IV, and Vee escape), but kept getting caught by coven forces. One day, when he came back for a soon-to-be-last attempt, Darian was shocked to see the rest of the basilisks(even Adrian) missing from every facility. Instead of fleeing, Darian got into a fight with coven forces out of fury, believing they have eliminated the basilisks for good. During the fight, one of the coven members managed to cut his tell via firing a spell at Darian.

Expecting to be on a wanted poster, he fled back to the same empty cave he hid in during his first escape from the coven. It would eventually become the basilisk’s secluded hideout for the next ~30 years.

•••••

During those ~30 years, Darian became an elusive cryptid who raided markets and stores at night for his survival supply (and hid the mess under an illusion). Moreover, Darian was searching for a tail replacement, as the original was lost to the raid years ago.

But there was a market that stood out to Darian’s interest: one that sells “human treasures.” He will eventually buy a book on human engineering that will help him make a prosthetic for his missing tail. This goal led to an improvement of his evasion (and illusion) skills, as he did this on a daily basis. He also created handmade weapons back at his cave for additional support (plus casting illusion magic over his projectiles to speed up the damage).

Did I also mention that the earring Darian wears is part of a concealment stone he stole from a market? The earring amplified his magic, while the concealment stone transformed the basilisk into a witch that bears a striking resemblance to Adrian (he had to get a cloak to avoid raising suspicion).

From here, Darian frequently used this disguise for his next heists, which will eventually catch Adrian Graye’s (the Head of the Illusion Coven during this time) interest. This will become a test for Darian’s evasion skills honed over time.

It was a perfectly normal reunion that did not end in a wanted poster after an argument of conflicting ideas between the twins.

•••••

After the Day of Unity, Abomination magic has been looked down upon due to the Blight Industries’ contribution to the horrific event. As a result, many demanded an alternative to abomination prosthetics (Belos loyalists preferred to stick to this option, though). As a result, Darian became the last member to be appointed to the Titan’s Council: he wanted to take a chair because, being the arrogant engineer he is, wishes to show off his mechanical knowledge to the rest of the New Boiling Isles. With that, he brought up the idea of illusion prosthetics, by left space for abomination-engineered ones for witches who preferred to gain accessibility with the latter.

In addition, Darian’s position allowed him to make friends, especially a young prankster who took the Abomination chair, and have a better lab to move his work into afterwards. Moreover, Darian began to oversee a rising industrial age of his home.

During breaks, the basilisk makes visiting arrangements for his twin when they both have the chance together. They try to piece back their relationship slowly, even though Adrian is hesitant due to their argument in the past. Darian also took on a new activity that involves performing stunts.

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During Duels: Although he is an engineer, Darian has shown front-line competency with illusions. As previously implied, he is very evasive and athletic. In other words, he is more active in battle than Adrian.

His prosthetic tail is his signature weapon: it can shapeshift into various weapons, such as a mace, and his most notable is the head of a basilisk. The tail can also grab (onto) objects, either for protection or leaping across a platform.

However, Darian’s tail also serves as a weakness: it is easily vulnerable when extended at great lengths, as an opponent can grab a part of the tail. A common consequence is Darian being tangled by his own tail.

He uses his earring that functions similarly to Adrian’s, only that the former acts as a monocle and the lens has a larger shape. But, Darian upgraded it to cast miniature illusions of various blueprints and figures.

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Personality: Clever, Resourceful, Detailed, Inventive, Observant, Snarky, Melodramatic, Secretive

Darian is best described as a streetwise quick-thinker. He relies on observation in order to make his next move to overcome difficulties. Moreover, the basilisk has good photographic memory.

Although the size of his ego is smaller than Adrian’s, Darian does have a tendency to show off his inventions in an arrogant and dramatic manner. That’s why he took the Illusion chair of the Titan’s Council.

Darian likes to be detailed with his notes, but it can get confusing.

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Relationships with Titan’s Council members:

• Sonore Skual: The captain of the Demon Realm Expedition drags Darian to provide better defense for his ships. Additionally, Sonore is often tasked to keep an eye on Darian, who would wander off and come back with stolen items packed away in bags attached to his belt. This is a case during their travels to the Human Realm.

• Loopy Crulle: Darian is an honorary “Crulle” to her, otherwise they share one sibling-like brain cell. These Coven Heads love pulling pranks at each other, but Darian hates being outsmarted by the clown (he is the Head Illusionist, and “should be the one that outsmarts her!”).