Tanner Age: 23 11/29 (Sagittarius)
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Tanner is definitely the most paternal of the bunch, being the most tender-hearted and gregarious of them all. He loves spending time with Orthrus, whom he considers to be his best friend. Being more domestic in nature, Tanner takes care of his brothers by making sure “all of the little things” get done.
Being the second child, his parents took a slightly more “hands-off” approach when raising Tanner. Perhaps they were more concerned about Luke and micro-managing his life, but as a result of this skewed balance of attention, Tanner grew up with a less scrutinous eye. Naturally, this double-standard upset Luke, which put a strain on their childhood relationship. Though not exactly aware of the blessing-in-disguise that was him not being the target of his mother’s beratements, he still longed for attention and became determined to obtain it, one way or another.
There was something off about his way of thinking. If he got hurt doing something, he wouldn’t stop from the pain, in fact, he embraced it and often went on to do something more dangerous than the last simply for the attention it gave him. Some days, he would wander off on his own into the woods and come back in the dead of night covered in blood, with cuts and bruises covering his body. Once he got older, these self-destructive tendencies became not only a threat to him, but other innocent people as well. However, when questioned, he simply would not (or could not) remember if anything drastic had occurred.
Fresh on the high of adrenaline, he encountered what seemed to be an enraged and ravenous looking dog. As he approached it, the dog snarled and gave Tanner a warning swipe. Undeterred, he approached it, waiting for the bloody exchange to commence. As soon as the sharp claw of the dog pierced his battered flesh, his eyes lit up, and his masochistic and bloodthirsty alter-ego took center stage. The two of them traded blows, and even though the creature put up a good fight, it was no match for pure, unbridled insanity.
Soon after, Tanner passed out from exhaustion and awoke about an hour later to the sight of a freshly-beaten corpse and a clutch of eggs, only one of which was still intact after the altercation. It wasn’t until then that he was able to see the reality of his actions. Horrified by the sight and filled with remorse and guilt, he gently took the egg and returned home, devoting himself to the well-being of the creature inside that egg.
His curiosity about the animal that soon emerged from the egg is what piqued his interest in the Mythical arts. The creature bore two heads, identical in appearance but with very different personalities. Tanner decided to call him “Orthrus” since he closely resembled the two-headed dog of ancient Greek mythology. Over time, his bond with Orthrus grew from guilt-ridden obligation to unconditional love, however, he still lives with the haunting memory of that fateful night. “A creature cannot forgive me,” he laments.
Spending many evenings watching the Food Network Channel and a young Tanner’s admiration of his mother’s culinary skills, he soon took a liking to cooking. Some of the few precious moments Tanner had with his mother were spent in the kitchen observing and perfecting the craft. Those memories were few and far between, as the older he got, the more he began to see the disparities in the way she treated his older brother versus himself. This discomfort led to Tanner bonding with Luke over their shared discomfort, while their parental relationships slowly deteriorated. Tanner still enjoys cooking for his brothers; “I do it for me, and them too,” he says.
Tanner does his best to maintain a kind and gentle temperament, however he struggles to keep his more masochistic whims in check. Even the slightest pain beyond a simple discomfort can leave him giggling for more, so Luke tries his best to keep an eye on him.
Tanner practices Conjury, which is based on summoning creatures of the mind. As he developed his abilities, he noticed that he would sometimes hear or see things that he didn’t experience himself. After focusing more and more on these strange experiences, he finally found the cause. Earth itself has a collective “memory,” consisting of all of the memories and experiences of its inhabitants. Upon this discovery, Tanner realized the true potential of his abilities, and can now draw upon this collective memory to summon an avatar of nearly any entity. Since they are essentially memories and machinations of the mind, these summons are called, “remembrances.” It’s easier to call upon beings that are well-known by many, such as mythic deities, but if someone shares a personal idea or memory of something, he can focus on it and manifest a remembrance of it. However, these remembrances are not living beings; they are based on past ideas or memories, so they act more like “recordings” rather than real entities actually being present. It takes a significant amount of neural power to manifest them in this world, so if Tanner keeps them out for too long, he can become mentally exhausted.
Tanner fights using the Capel Style - a style that emphasizes intentional use of powerful strikes. Though lacking in agility, this style allows for the use of devastating attacks when used creatively (especially with Orthrus or other summons).
With his resolve and subsequent experience, Tanner furthered his study of Conjury, learning the truth about the planet’s memory where the experiences of all existent beings are immortalized. Attuning his psyche to access these frequencies, he is able to summon the remembrance of even the most powerful deities to his side.
Theme of the Conjurer
Theme of the Berserker
Theme of the Two-Headed Canine
A great axe that is said to house memories lost to time. Presea is a two-handed axe that can crush nearly any defense. Normally, this kind of power would come at the cost of speed, but Tanner’s strength allows him to wield this weapon with little hindrance, even one-handed. Tanner can also charge up a formidable strike with this great axe, with the impact causing earthquakes and even landslides.
Because of his more “liberated” upbringing, or perhaps just part of his general quirkiness, Tanner has a more feral and sadistic alter-ego that likes to show itself during times of physical struggle. Though it stems from the basic “fight or flight” instinct most humans are born with, his own instinct has warped itself into an animalistic and blood-thirsty desire for havoc and madness. The more damage Tanner takes, the higher the chances of him going berserk. In this state, he becomes much more agile and powerful, much more capable of maiming or even killing others. But a lack of such inhibitions comes at the cost of a deteriorating psychological state. He cannot summon any remembrances in this state, Orthrus being the only exception. The only known ways to revert him to his normal state are to either deal a blow that knocks him unconscious, or wait for him to exhaust himself (which might take hours). Otherwise, most damage he takes will only serve to fuel his insanity. Once finished, he usually cannot remember much, if anything at all, of his escapades, akin to blacking out.
This is the two-headed canine beast from Tanner’s youth. Though they share a body, each of them have quite unique dispositions, with Joseph (right-hand side) being relatively laid-back, and Spencer (left-hand side) being more vigilant and disciplined. Together, they are referred to as “Orthrus.” However, it is not uncommon for Tanner to refer to either of them individually, specifying their name while he does so. Both are very loyal to Tanner, frolicking and playing with him in their ample spare time. Although not much is known about their origins, together they seem to lead a rich, inner life.
Orthrus is not afraid to roughhouse and tumble, both while at play and in battle. They tend to attack in tandem and in unison, however they can briefly separate and act independently of each other when needed. Though they can’t stay separate for long, it is a useful and tricky strategy for catching their opponents off guard, or just making games of hide and seek take twice as long.
