Knil

"I've been waiting for you. For so long."

To most, across the fields and streams and caverns of Hyrule, he is known as Dark Link. Just as there is a Hero of Time, there is the Shadow of the Hero. His true name is fairly obvious, yet few actually know it. Knil...pronounced as "nile."

"I am your hate and fear made flesh. I am your every nasty urge, your every buried emotion. I am your corruption and your death."

Summoned out of the darkness of the hero's own heart by the sorcerer Ganondorf, Knil was meant to kill Link. Yet the hero prevailed, and left his shadow-double for dead. However, Knil is far from easy to kill, no mere dungeon monster to be slain and forgotten. His purpose unfulfilled, he knitted his wounds and made his way free from the Sunken Temple.

"I think of you with every breath. You intoxicate me. My entire existence is tied to yours. I want you, need you! When I dream, I see you dead upon my blade. Is this what love is?"

He hunted Link, for a time. It was all he knew. Even when his creator fell and the kingdom was saved, he stalked his twin from the shadows. A second clash finally occured, but something was wrong. Despite the advantage of surprise and Link's lack of a good weapon in hand, Knil was defeated. He had grown weak, and barely escaped alive.

As it turned out, without Ganon's power to fuel him, Knil had been losing strength constantly. He needed life force to sustain his unusual existence. Without it, he would eventually fade back into nothingness, no more than a bad dream. So he paused in his quest, seeking a new way to provide for himself.

This distraction led to others. Artifacts he desired for his own ends, people he met who intrigued him. He never forgot Link, but Link was no longer the sole reason for Knil's being. He had, against the odds, gained a personality. Yet his spirit is crippled by the simple fact that he is not fully alive. He is a thing of sorcery and shadow. As such, he is constantly searching for a way to fit into the living world.

He is still seeking that. But at least he has found a solution to his "fading." He has become somewhat vampiric. Not the fanged, bloodsucking variety, but more like an incubus. Through physical contact with his mouth, he can draw off a living thing's essence, stealing and draining its life to preserve and strengthen his own. If he swallows enough, the person or creature will be reduced to a lifeless corpse...

Just like the Hero of Time, Zelda's consort, he bears the mark of the Triforce. Just like Link, it is the mark of Courage. But Knil's is not the courage of a selfless hero. His is the courage to do the wrong thing, fearless of consequence. He does as he pleases these days, serving others only when it's of benefit to himself. He might do an act of good, but only if he thought it might help him in some way. Thus, he is not entirely evil....rather, he's somewhat mercenary.

He has many of Link's own abilities and much the same equipment, though in his case a good deal of it is twisted or corrupt in some way. His Master Sword is a bane of good rather than evil, capable of severing blessings and positive enchantments. His steed is named Anope, its hide a dusky black. He carries a barbed hookshot, and a bow with darkened arrows that are poisoned to hurt like all blazes. His greatest powers come from what he is, though. He is difficult to injure permanently without suitably magical weapons, and can use physical shadows to his advantage. When covered by darkness, he can vanish from most forms of detection, or move to another shadow. Doing too much of this is draining, however, and so he uses it sparingly.

In the Shadow Realm of Midna's origins? He's...somewhat attuned to shadows. There, he doesn't require feeding to maintain his existence! He also doesn't change in form. However, being of a more solid existence has a cost; he cannot use his teleportation or stealth abilities there.

It's worth note that Knil could fit other fantasy settings than Hyrule. I could even give a shot at putting him into some sort of Smash Brothers RP. Another hook is that he's mildly jealous of Link's relation with Zelda, and covets having a Lady of his own to serve. Given that he doesn't understand the emotion of love well, this may be problematic.

....but everyone's entitled to have their dreams.

"I will always fight you."

"I will never give up."

"I am Knil."

Now in Gerudo disguise.

(( Also, the player has some interest in Nintendo-related crossover rp's. Smash Brothers style arena stuff or simply crossing settings with the likes of Samus, Pit and so forth. Just an idea. ))


Alt of Enigma. Click name for prefs and AltList.