the box; application.

[dying]

Player Information
Player name: KJ
Contact: AIM | harkness said ; plurk | agalio
Are you over 18: Considerably.
Characters in The Box Already: None.

Character Information
Character Name: Thane Krios
Canon: Mass Effect
Canon Point: Just prior to Omega-4 Relay.
Is your character Dead, Undead or Alive: Currently alive.
History: Bam!

Personality: The barest description of Thane would call him the perfect killer. He has all the makings of the ideal assassin, as he was essentially honed to behave that way. He was trained since he was six years old to be an assassin, so his ability to be such a great killer is attributed to experience and training...and perhaps some natural skill.

The things that make him so ideal as an assassin are the fact that he is calm, cool, and collected. He often appears to be not bothered by the actions he has to take, or the things that need to be done in order to achieve what is needed. Throughout it, he takes a very level headed approach, and he appears to be very content with the life that he is leading (even if it not necessarily what is going on, he does not let exterior things interfere with his life at the time).

He seems rather at peace for a man who has killed so many. He considers the killer to be the person who hired him to kill, he considers himself a "weapon". That way, his actions don't truly tarnish his soul, but he is still able to do what he is most skilled at. He is able to separate his soul and his body. His believes that the training he had caused his body to act separately from his soul (making it a weapon, again). He refers to this state - where he acts on instinct and kills - as "Battle Sleep". As his body is the one acting, and his employers killed them by his standards - his soul bears no guilt.

Additionally, he considers it an honor (and states it as such) to be trained by the Hanar. After all, the Drell owed their lives to them.

Another thing that makes him a great assassin is that he is not afraid of death, should it come upon him (in fact, he much would prefer to die fighting the good fight instead of in a hospital bed). This is likely due to his Kepral's syndrome, which is slowly suffocating him. Thane accepts death as a natural thing and a part of his life that is approaching him quickly. This is seen when one of the first things that Thane tells Shepard is that he is dying. He says this in the way that any other person would talk about what they had for dinner. It's so natural and normal for him that he's comfortable claiming it as a part of himself. This is probably where you get the impression that he's incredibly honest, and for the most part - he is.

Thane is pretty open about his life and his past with Shepard, but in part it is due to them fighting side by side with her. He understands that sharing some honesty with her is important. He also explains that he doesn't want her to think that anything he has going on will slow him down in the fight.

Even though he talks a lot with Shepard, he does not seem to really interact with the others on the ship. He is quiet, and spends a lot of time to himself in the driest room on the ship. He seems to be in thought, reliving his past with his Eidetic Memory, or praying. It seems to be what he prefers, too.

Thane brings the same cool and calm he has in battle to his personal life and conversations. When (if) Shepard chooses to criticize him, he accepts the criticism calmly and doesn't fight back or try to make his point. He just brings the information he has to the table and lets her make the decision about it. In a way, it is because he respects her opinion, and values what she thinks of him, even if she doesn't necessarily agree with him.

Thane is a very passionate person in his personal life, though. He views the woman he ended marrying as being what "woke him up" out of his "Battle Sleep". When she was murdered by enemies he had made, he blamed himself for it. Thane hunted her murders and let them linger without death for time before finishing them off, despite his training to execute quickly. After her death, he returned to his state of "Battle Sleep" where his actions returned to the automatic. He left his son behind to go back to work, and in a sense he buried himself in it. He isn't proud of his actions of essentially abandoning his son and getting his wife killed, though. The way he behaved shows how passionate he was, and he was willing to deal with the guilt in order to obtain that revenge. (Otherwise, though, Thane is never known to act out of vengeance.)

Although not specifically stated, it is easy to conclude that he returned to the "battle sleep" as a way of coping with what he knew he had to do and the sins he had committed. It was why he was still acting as an assassin when he was found by Shepard. He is treating the fact that he is joining the group as a way of atoning for what he has done. As such, he never asks for favors as a requirement to join by their side, too. Thane is fighting because he can, and because he feels like it would help to redeem him. He says "I tried to leave the galaxy better than I found it" - meaning he wants to make up for the things he did and make things better.

This likely stems from his religious beliefs. You get the impression, based on Shepard's reactions and the way he speaks that his beliefs are a bit traditional...or even antiquated. She is surprised that he's a polytheist, since many subscribe to the beliefs of other species, and not polytheism. He has faith in an afterlife ("Across the Sea"), and this is also why he does not fear death. He knows that even if he will die, he will meet his loved ones across the sea (pending atonement).

Also, an interesting note is that he likes to read things written by philosophers, and quotes Thomas Hobbes at one point.

Aside from his deceased wife, Irikah, who had formed his life in the past - there are two others that shape his life in the present. His son, Kolyat (who he reunites with in game thanks to Shepard), and Shepard.

As previously stated, he does value Shepard's opinion, and accepts her praises and criticism with heart. He never once seems offended by her expressing herself, and simply reacts in a calm and even manner. Even without a romantic relationship, hers is one of the two that he has in the present, and therefore is extremely important. Her behavior around him can cause him to fall in love with her throughout the games. Loving her will cause him to open up to her more and more.

Reuniting with Kolyat was an important time for Thane. He feared that his son would lead the life that he did, and after trying so hard to keep him away from it. After all, what parent doesn't wish for their child to have a better life than they did? Thane wishes exactly that. Although he is distanced from his son at the start of the game, by the end, he has built up a strong relationship with him. Kolyat brings him peace, and Thane knows that there is another good reason for him to fight with Shepard - for his son. Their relationship gets progressively better, although it's work (he states that it wouldn't be worth it if it wasn't work).

At the end of the game, there's a pivotal moment in the game for him. If he is in a romantic relationship with Shepard, Thane reveals that he is at unease because of the upcoming mission, which is the Omega-4 Relay (stated to be a "suicide mission" in game). He no longer finds death as welcome as he once had at this time. Although he doesn't reveal why exactly, and he states that he doesn't know why he's uneasy. Even though opening up requires a romantic relationship with Shepard, it is very likely that he experienced similar feelings anyway.

Thane reveals that he finds his fear and worry shameful, as well.

This shows that even though Thane on the surface appears as fearless and calm and cool collected, he still has the capability to have the same fears and worries as any other person.

All in all, Thane is a calm, cool, and collected assassin on the surface. But beneath that all, he is a passionate individual with a great capacity for love. And through it all, he is not incapable of feeling amusement or humor, although he may rarely express it, as well.

**Note: Thane comes from an unromanced timeline with a female Shepard. This is important simply because there are some things he never reveals to Shepard (such as fears prior to the Omega-4 Relay), although his personal thoughts and opinions (regarding his own faith and fears) are still present.

Items on your character at canon point: His clothing.

Abilities, Strengths and Weaknesses:
At his core, Thane is essentially the perfect killer. He was trained by the Hanar since he was very young (six years old, in fact), and he made his first kill at the age of 12. He is arguably the best at what he does. He is fast, strong, stealthy, and a quick thinker. He has Biotics (aka: Space Magic), and is good with a gun. All of this would make him essentially the perfect soldier and an ideal companion to have in a fight.

Except for he has Kepral's Syndrome. This means that his lungs are essentially struggling to take in oxygen and get worse by the day. It's proven by things past his canon point that getting stabbed is going to be a sure death for him. As Kepral's progresses, it slows him down a bit and makes him progressively weaker. He has stated, even upon meeting, that he is dying. Early conversations give him 8-12 months to live. Also, humid and rainy climates are SUPER bad for him.

Emotionally, he's more complicated. He has few weaknesses there. He's pretty fearless - to the point where he doesn't fear death. In fact, he seems to be incredibly stoic. Although, his family is a major weakness. In fact, even though he was trained to kill quickly, when his wife was murdered, he tortured her killers, and he made sure they died painfully. It's safe to say when he truly loves someone, he will lose it over them to protect them or get revenge for them.

An additional skill to note, is that Thane has an Eidetic memory. Meaning, the things that he sees, he remembers. His memories are distinct and vivid. They're clear and exactly as if he was reliving it. This can be as good as it is bad, as things can easily trigger them. Although he seems to have a level of control over this, he often relives things he may not want to (his assassinations, wife and her death, etc). This is an evolved skill and part of his species.

Samples
Network/Action Spam Sample: [ The video comes on and on screen is a clearly non-human man. He has elbows propped up on a solid surface, his hands on his chins. He looks in thought. He blinks, quiet.

He lifts his chin up, stares at the camera. He's reminiscing. ]

I have long since accepted my own death. Many people behave and think differently here. I understand. It isn't always easy to find peace in what will come.

[ He moves one hand, laying it flat on the surface, and he blinks again. His focus seems intense as he talks. Almost in a trance. ]

"Father," he says. The first time in ten years. We're going to fight. He sounds unsure. I might die. He has not gotten accustomed to that. Speaking with him should bring me peace. It doesn't.

[ He says nothing more, as he returns. Simply reaches forward and turns off the camera. ]

Prose Log Sample:
Thane moves gracefully. He takes to the shadows. His steps are silent, the target never aware of his movements. Each step is an instinct. He moves up behind his target, slipping his fingers to either side of the man's jaw. He twists, snapping his neck and feeling his body go limp in his hands. He didn't anticipate than. He didn't hear, see, or feel him there before it was too late.

He removes himself from the memory, and moves his body up against a wooden shed (once again, taking to the shadows). His forced relocation to this place had sparked memories in him that he didn't necessarily want to relive. This place is cold, uncomfortable, and breathing was far more of a fight here than it was when it was warm. The people here were, as far as he knew, innocents like himself. They did not bring him here and so he had no problem specifically with them.

He needs to get inside, but he heard a branch snap near the shed that he was about to take shelter in. He only needs it for a short time - to get out of the cold, and to check for some resources. He wanted to remain unseen until he knew what it was.

He focuses on the sound of the footsteps following the snap of the branch. There are two footfalls. It is a person, human or otherwise humanoid, likely.

Humanoid here didn't necessarily mean that they were a part of those taken there. He's not at his strongest, the cold air (although dry, snowfall in the past months has left the ground damp) has slowed him down. It could be one of the many threats in this place and he wasn't prepared to deal with it.

He continues moving along the side of the shed, until he is able to catch a glimpse of who it was. It is a young man, he didn't know them, and he knows that he had never seen him before.

Thane never forgets.

He slips in through a window and the footsteps continue on past the shed. It is clear that this shelter was not their goal. All the better for him. Although he would not shove someone seeking heat back out into the cold, he would prefer this trip be as uninterrupted as possible.

He gathers the few supplies there were - some cans of food in particular - and he moves out of the window, making his way back.