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ataraxion
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Qilby
Canon: Wakfu
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Just after leaving through the portal from the Sadida Kingdom (with Adamaï and Grougaloragran in tow); prior to S02E20.
Number: 087
Setting:
Reference materials are a toughie. Being a multi-media foreign canon, information about it is spread out among many sources. To start, here is the hub for English fan-translations of all Wakfu-related media. This is the woefully-outdated English Wikipedia page and if you can read French, this one is far more thorough and specifically about the TV series. TVTropes has a mostly up-to-date page on the show, and Qilby in particular has a short entry on the Characters page -- currently listed under "Allies," but this will probably change sometime. I couldn't tell you why it hasn't already. Finally there's really only one source for the game Islands of Wakfu (from which nearly all of my pre-TV series history is drawn) and that is the official site.
Wakfu takes place in a fantasy realm known as the World of Twelve, inhabited by twelve races who've adopted the visage, abilities, and blessings of their respective gods and goddesses. The world, the universe, is suffused with Wakfu (the energy of life and creation) and its opposite, Stasis (pure destructive force.) Think of it like the Force in Star Wars. Wakfu is contained in all living things and most of the races of the World of Twelve can manipulate Wakfu to perform magic-like feats: anything from controlling time, to healing wounds, to charging a sword with flame.
The few great nations of the World have on-off conflicts but as of yet, there is a tenuous peace following the cataclysmic flood called Ogrest's Chaos (named for the ogre who supposedly cried so much the ocean levels rose.)
There is one race not completely accounted for in the World of Twelve, however, and that is the Eliatropes. These people, with their portal-making powers and advanced technology, were closely tied to the ancient dragons but apparently vanished ten thousand years ago. The Eliatropes are gone, but very few dragons live today and remain yet a mystery.
The series begins as the last remaining Eliatrope, Yugo, embarks on a quest to find out more about his latent powers and learn the secrets of his true family.
History:
A very, very long indeterminate amount of time ago on a planet very, very far away, six human children were born out of six dragon eggs, each with bonded dragon siblings. These were the first of their kind, the first of the race that would come to be known as the Eliatropes. Though these six would not be the only Eliatropes to come, they were the most special: upon the death of both human and dragon siblings, their life force would return to their original egg (known as a Dofus) and a cycle of rebirth would begin. Thus, the first Eliatropes became the race's immortal leaders and guided their people since their inception.
The leaders, Eliatrope and dragon, ruled with wisdom and fairness and each to their own strengths. Yugo and Adamaï were the daring explorers, always going out on adventures and discovering new lands. Chibi and Grougaloragran brought forth many wondrous creations, including the Eliacube which all Eliatropes would carry. Glip and Baltazar took it upon themselves to endow the people with knowledge. Mina and Phaeris, gifted with wisdom, settled disputes and dealt justice. Nora and Efrim were the picture of freedom and innocence. And finally, Qilby and his sister Shinonome spearheaded scientific progress, not only joining Chibi in invention, but curing maladies and working tirelessly on ways to better their race.
These leaders, as the Council of Six -- or Twelve, depending on how you look at it -- were devoted to following the Way of Wakfu. Wakfu is the energy in all living things, an endless, immortal, ever-flowing life-force. It was not unlike the Council themselves, in many ways. It ensured that nothing ever truly perished. Over the course of many years, their beliefs would evolve and they would, at one unknown point, discover a Goddess to place their faith in. To live the Way of Wakfu was to live in harmony with the beasts and flowers the Goddess created, and to worship her, the ultimate reality. To them, Wakfu was her "ever-flowing mane," to which all things returned when their material form was consumed.
But it's Qilby's story we're interested in. It's important to note that, among his peers, he was particularly special in that he was the only one that could remember his previous lives. Through the millennia, he would accumulate a vast memory... A "gift" that he would eventually come to find a curse.
In his time as part of this Council of Six, Qilby gifted his people with many inventions. He helped Chibi create the Eliacube, a sort of personal Wakfu-powered device that all Eliatropes carried. He created the Wik-Fi Network, which allowed people to communicate over long distances by interfacing their Eliacubes with special flowers called Manolias. Over the course of many lives, he constantly worked on ways to cure any disease that plagued his people. Qilby was as curious as he was innovative, too: he spent many years collecting one of every species of animal on his planet for study or some unspecified eventuality. The habit would continue as the race would travel to other planets, but that's a later story.
When it comes to the early, early history of the Eliatrope people, not much is known. It's not clear when exactly Qilby decided to do what he did, but it's not unreasonable to think that it was motivated by the adoption of this Goddess the Eliatropes would come to revere so much... You have to remember that Qilby remembers everything since the beginning of his race's history, and so it's likely only he knows the truth behind their theology.
Before discussing what it was he did, however, there's one last major event that requires mention: the attack of the Mechasms led by Orgonax, a race of machine-like beings intent on destruction. It's implied that Orgonax has a storied past with the Eliatropes, and that they may not have always been enemies. In any case, the Eliatropes were unable to defend themselves and were forced to flee with their dragons in a spaceship-fortress known as the Zinit.
Many, many years would be spent in the Zinit, hopping from planet to planet and taking the Wakfu they needed to power their ship. Eventually, they would come across a planet called the World of Twelve, where Wakfu, the series, takes place. The World was but in its infancy at this point, and the gods and goddesses but children. It was, however, brimming with Wakfu and even bore a resemblance to their home planet, and so the Eliatropes decided to settle down and rebuild their civilisation. A new era of peace and prosperity began, and the Eliatropes fell into complacency.
It's not certain by any means, but I believe it's at this point that the Eliatropes found their Goddess. One day Chibi came down from the Zinit after an afternoon of meditation, and brought the Goddess and their new religion with him. From then on he was known as a Prophet and King, and Zinit became a sacred mountain. Again, details on this point of Eliatrope history are scarce, but one thing's for sure: Qilby's probably the one who best knew the truth of what was really going on.
That's probably why he would begin to cultivate a suspicion of the true nature of this deity. He was already a scientific mind, given to inquisition and hard facts. With this new Goddess came restrictions, secrets, and mystery. No one was allowed in Zinit where the Goddess supposedly resided. Qilby couldn't sit down and take things on blind faith... And so at some point he decided to break down the barriers and taboos. This included undergoing research into the yang to Wakfu's yin: the pure destructive energy known as Stasis, which the Eliatropes had strictly forbidden abuse of.
Qilby eventually came to believe that the way the Eliatropes were now living was a lie. He'd never got over the fact that they were forced to flee from the Mechasms in the first place, that they didn't avenge their fallen brothers and sisters. And even now, he hated that they lived a sedentary lifestyle. To him, Wakfu was endless motion. Eliatropes were "supposed to move, supposed to feed on other systems and progress, forever and ever." He also held a deep resentment over the fact that after King Chibi died it was not him -- the innovator and scientist who'd so improved the lives of his people over and over again -- that was picked to be King... But Yugo. It's implied that Qilby spent many lives trying to "convince" Yugo and Adamaï that they were keeping the Eliatropes in a simulacrum of paradise, and consistently failed each time. Yugo's latent possession of the throne was likely just another blow to his pride.
And so the day came when Qilby couldn't take living a lie any further. It's unclear how they found the Eliatropes once more, but it's possible/likely that Qilby was the one that led Orgonax and the Mechasms to his new home. As the invaders converged on the World of Twelve, Qilby paid a visit to King Yugo. No one knows exactly what transpired during this meeting, but word eventually got out to the other Eliatropes that Qilby had killed the King and revealed himself a traitor to his people. His motives and actions during and following this time are unknown. While the other Eliatropes tried to find a way to get to safety and Grougaloragran found Yugo and Adamaï's Dofus for safekeeping, Qilby attempted to climb Zinit to "expose the parody that is [the] Eliatrope Goddess." He stayed in Zinit long enough to leave behind a recording in which he contemplated his choices, attempted to rationalise them, and then asked for forgiveness and understanding from whomever viewed it. It's unknown what exactly happened next, but at the very least he managed to get in a tussle with Phaeris and have his left arm ripped off. Not long afterwards, he was somehow sealed in his own Eliacube.
Meanwhile, the Eliatrope children were herded into a portal and sealed away in a location between time and space until the day came when they could be released. It's not clear who exactly faced Orgonax alone at this point, but the final confrontation ended in his destruction and the total disappearance of the Eliatrope race. The World of Twelve, however ravaged from this short conflict, lived on.
Ten thousand years would pass before the events of Wakfu, the series. Yugo, finally reborn, would go on a quest to learn the secrets of his true family. He would find Grougaloragran and his young brother Adamaï. He would fight a time-manipulating madman known as Nox who'd come into possession of an Eliacube, and who'd been hunting dragons' Wakfu for years. Grougaloragran would die by Nox's hands, but Yugo and company would retrieve his Dofus for safe-keeping. After a long battle, Nox would be defeated and Yugo would reclaim the powerful Eliatrope artefact that'd driven the villain so insane...
And it would take some time for Yugo to gather up the courage to attempt it, but he and his brother would eventually experiment with the Eliacube. The result of this is the hatching of Chibi and Grougaloragran's Dofus (producing a baby Eliatrope and dragon) and Qilby's release from his Eliacube (producing an old one-armed man.) Qilby, on his part, is absolutely fucking terrified to see little thirteen-year-old Yugo and promptly passes out from exhaustion.
After a little recovery and finding out this is ten thousand years in the future and that Yugo and Adamaï remember precisely nothing of their previous, murderous meeting with him, Qilby sorts himself out and proceeds to tell an excellent piece of Eliatrope fanfiction in which he was the wise and benevolent King of everyone. He tells the story of Orgonax and how Yugo sacrificed himself to save Qilby and the rest of the Eliatropes by sealing them away. And he says that, if Yugo and co. can retrieve his Dofus (containing his sister Shinonome) hidden halfway across the world, then he'll have enough energy to reopen portal-space and free their people. Yugo is the happiest kid on the World of Twelve at this point.
Of note is the fact that baby Grougaloragran hates Qilby and takes any chance he can get to either try and bite his remaining arm off or set his hat on fire. Qilby takes it in good humour and chalks it up to black dragons, especially Grougal, being particularly possessive of their companions and no one seems to think twice about it...
Yugo and co. (minus Adamaï, who's on babydragonsitting duty) set off on their Dofus quest and of course it only takes them a day or two to get lost in another dimension: the world of Rushu, lord of the demon-like creatures known as Shushu. Luckily Adamaï senses Yugo's disappearance and he and Qilby, with much effort, manage to open a portal to this other dimension and free the gang.
The protagonists continue on their merry way. Meanwhile, back in the Sadida Kingdom where Qilby is staying as guest, a meeting of all the leaders of the world's races and nations convenes. They've all come to hear from the long-lost Eliatrope King, see the young dragon Adamaï, and discuss how to manage the sudden, imminent reappearance of a thirteenth race. Things seem to go well at first and Qilby tells the story of his people, but when questioned reveals that the Eliatropes will number in the several tens-of-thousands: a practical invasion, in the words of the now panic-stricken world leaders. It doesn't take long for the meeting to spiral into childish bickering, especially over the fact that the Sadida Kingdom was keeping Qilby and his Eliacube for themselves. All the nations want access to that power. Silent throughout the argument, Qilby is not happy, not happy at all.
And so afterwards, coming to a decision, he takes the Eliacube and convinces Adamaï to leave the Kingdom with him -- they've outstayed their welcome, as far as he's concerned. Plus, he's got something to show the young dragon. Although apprehensive at first about leaving in secret so suddenly, Adamaï agrees, takes Grougaloragran, and helps Qilby open a portal to locations unknown...
[This is point from where I'll be taking him from for the purposes of playing in Ataraxion, but it's worth elaborating on the very important canon following it.]
The portal opens far away, in the heart of the long-abandoned Zinit. Qilby shows Adamaï around, how the ship is powered by the Eliacube. They walk down a hallway decorated with frescoes depicting the history of the Council of Six. Throughout all this, Qilby acts strangely -- making odd, morbid jokes and laughing heartily at Adamaï's assumption that he's homesick (he'll "never set foot back there...") He relates to the dragon his powerful memory, how he's the only one out of the Council who can remember his past lives. And then they come to Qilby's private laboratory.
It's creepy as all hell, full of the hundreds of species of animals he's collected and preserved. He mentions that there's one world, dimension rather, that he's recently taken interest in: the Shushu realm. Adamaï's pretty overwhelmed/creeped out over all this and Qilby isn't even done yet: he finally reveals that he -- they -- plan to leave the planet soon. The World of Twelve is not theirs, and it barely holds enough energy to even get the Zinit off the ground. But, asks Adamaï, won't taking that energy destroy the planet? Response: of course not! It'll just be a little... Ravaged.
And then Qilby goes full villain mode. Showing his true colours, he laments that Yugo and Adamaï are just always so stubborn and that nothing ever changes with them from life to life. He reveals that the reason he didn't go retrieve his Dofus himself is because Phaeris -- who'd divested him of his arm ten thousand years ago -- guards it, and that he's nevertheless got another plan to get what he wants without using Yugo. A fight ensues in which Qilby demonstrates just what an adult Eliatrope is capable of. High as a fucking kite off Wakfu (and the fact that he doesn't have to pretend to be an old man anymore) Qilby is too much of a match for baby Grougal and Adamaï: he knocks the former out and puts the latter in a coma, draining him of his Wakfu. Afterwards, he acknowledges that if two young dragons gave him that much of a fight, he would be no match for Phaeris by himself.
And so, after tossing Grougal in a prison for later... use... he hops on over to the Shushu realm through a portal of his own, now effortless, creation. He offers a deal to Rushu: if the demon lord agrees to help him kill Phaeris, he'll open a portal to the World of Twelve for the Shushu to go through and destroy and ravage to their black hearts' content. Though Rushu knows that this is all a little fishy, he's got nothing to lose and the promise of imminent pillage is too good to pass up. The two strike a deal, and the invasion is set for a few days from then.
It's pretty darn likely that Qilby's only planning to use Rushu as a distraction for both Phaeris and Yugo so that he can grab his Dofus and drain the planet's Wakfu in peace. But only time, and the last four episodes of the series, will tell...
Personality:
Qilby is, first and foremost, a scientist. Described as "a brilliant but fragile mind," he is inquisitive, thorough, and sceptical. Gifted with great intelligence, he's used his talents to invent devices to better the lives of his people. His immortal status also grants him a unique foresight, knowing that he'll always have more time to improve his work during lives upon lives for all eternity. He plans for the future like, for example, how he collects one of every now-extinct species he encounters on any planet in the event he'll figure out how to clone. The sky would be the limit but, well, Eliatropes broke that barrier long ago, man.
There's one caveat to his immortality, however, and it's one unique to him: he's the only one out of the Council of Six who can remember his past lives. This means he's also got millennia upon millennia of experience under his belt (or giant hat, if you will.) While this may sound like a gift, it's truly a burden: although there are the good moments and memories, he also has the responsibility of carrying the knowledge of all his people's past mistakes while watching them repeat them or try to cover them up in the present. For a man who has deep pride and a strong sense of cultural identity, this is undoubtedly painful.
And so, it's after thousands of years of this that he seems to have taken it upon himself to learn the "true way of Wakfu." A dissident, he'd challenge conceived notions of Eliatrope life: both philosophical and religious. Lack of faith in the Goddess would eventually become a lack of faith in his own fellow rulers; he'd grow to detest "the secrets, the taboos," and quietly seethe about it. Knowing that outright confrontration rarely got the results he wanted, he'd resort to subtler methods of rebellion. He'd explore the various taboos and even conduct forbidden research on Stasis, pure destructive energy. These are all likely reasons he was never King -- which happens to be an extremely sore point for him. As mentioned before, he takes great pride in his capabilities, and craves recognition for it. Recognition he never felt he got, apparently. He grew very angry after being left out of Chibi's will -- all his worldly possessions went to Chibi's lover, Mina, and the throne went to Yugo. It was really no secret how buttmad he was over this.
In any case, imagine that happening century after century after century since the beginning of time with no end in sight: seeing what he considered weaknesses bringing down his people, attempting to call them out, quarreling with his family and destroying relationships, and ultimately failing to do anything of note. Over and over and over again. It's little wonder he went mad.
Qilby eventually came to the realisation that the way of Wakfu was to remain in motion, "feeding on other systems, and progressing forever and ever." This is a belief influenced not only by his status as immortal, but by the original teachings of prophet Chibi who he rather admired. He would come to loathe the sedentary lifestyle his people had adopted following their excommunication to the World of Twelve, and he hated the fact that they never went back to avenge their fallen brethren. He would hold a disdain for people who couldn't come to decisive action, who couldn't mobilise, for years to come.
Qilby's ultimate motivations and goals revolve around bringing his people back and convincing them to follow his "real way of the Wakfu": to hop from planet to planet, draining them dry of Wakfu and forever progressing ever further into the endless Krosmoz. His belief in this philosophy is so strong, that he'd even resort to murdering the other members of the Council of Six (even as children) and attempting to usurp the throne in order to see it realised. He doesn't enjoy feeling the "need" to kill his family: it's mostly just frustrating. But it's a necessary step towards Eliatrope (and personal) greatness, as far as he's concerned.
It's good for him that all his lives and experiences have given him plenty of practice lying. You kind of need to be a good actor when you've become a rather maniacal, egotistical, murderous mess; otherwise, how would his family ever trust him life after life? He's even taken to hiding his true appearance, using one far less sketchy: the brown-haired, spectacled, gentle old man on all the Eliatrope frescoes with his sister, depicting the pride of their people. As this Qilby, he's wise, charming, and well-spoken: the picture of the King he always wanted to be. Even telling bald-faced lies, he can orate with proper regality. Charismatic, he's quite a nice storyteller, and is curious about the world he's been newly reintroduced to. Not a few people have been impressed with what he's experienced and the stories he has to share. He's the kind of guy you couldn't ever imagine being angry or vindictive or at all manipulative.
Beneath, however, is a man who's seen too much and been let down far too often, and who has become needlessly cruel in his search for power. A once-great mind has been twisted into a cunning, nearly Machiavellian machinist, like he's got his fingers in everything. Entire civilisations, planets, and lives are merely footsteps towards greater Eliatrope power. Limits mean nothing to a guy who's lived for millennia and whose technology and magic has surpassed anything anyone else has done. A comfortable arrogance has hold of him; he doesn't have any trouble laughing at himself and his own mistakes in battle when he knows he's ultimately the one at-ease, the one in control. A nimble trickster, he relishes toying with his opponents and showing off what he can do.
Qilby is a contradiction. He may be his people's greatest ally, or their worst enemy. He's worthy of pity or fright, of admiration or disgust. There are still many questions about him left unanswered, but one thing's for certain: while once he had noble intentions, he's gone awry and is now willing to do anything to restore his people to their former glory. Because as far as he can tell, he's the only one that can.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
Abilities
One Eliacube. Among other things, it's a personal record device, the interface to connect to the Wik-Fi Network (when it existed) and a sort of battery that can store Wakfu for later use -- all in a little box that fits in the palm of your hand! Qilby's been around the block with these things for a few ten thousand years so he knows little tricks like turning it into a flying owl automaton. It's unknown what the use of this is besides looking cool perching on your shoulder and making it so you don't have to carry it around in your pocket, but I'd say that's reason enough.
Eliacubes run off of Wakfu. Qilby's had a lot of Wakfu stored in his for a really long time, but upon arrival on the Tranquility, it'll be completely drained and inoperative until its supply is somehow replenished.
In addition, considering the potential difficulty in operating a communicator while having only one arm, I'd like to request that he eventually be able to tinker with the Eliacube once he's got it running again and bake in some of the comm's functions in an interface that better suits him. Until then, he'll flub his way through it with good humour.
His only other possession shall be his hippie space Jesus outfit, including that magnificent hat. I understand a hat of this size and class may be classified as a dangerous weapon, but I'm humbly requesting that you make an exception so its majesty is not diminished in any way. It'd be a real shame.
The clothing is mostly because, even though he's in pretty good shape for being over ten thousand years old, I don't think anyone wants to see an old man in a jumpsuit.
Appearance: Le photo reference.
Rather tall, he matches heights with even the larger characters in the series -- at least six feet, I'd say. Thin, gaunt, "well-preserved" is how one character put it. Has a constant lazy, tired look about him though it doesn't extend past his expression: he otherwise carries himself regally, straight and tall. Looks like a guy you couldn't ever imagine getting really angry; has a face made for gentle smiles and warm looks. Missing his left hand, possibly the whole arm. It's not really certain. Eliatrope clothing is full of secrets, after all... And no secret is as big as the one concerning what's under that giant hat so characteristic of the race's fashion.
As far as Eliatrope hats go, Qilby's is especially impressive and it could probably eat a smaller person alive if they weren't careful.
However, it appears as if the kindly old man look is a cover for his "true" appearance.
Le second photo reference.
... In which he's pale-skinned, covered in skeleton-like tattoos, and is terrifying and shirtless. Also, using energy stored in his Eliacube, has replaced his left arm with a construct made of Wakfu and some armour plating. And he's barefoot, since evil doesn't wear shoes.
Age: Très très très très old. His current body's got at least 10,000 years on it, and his mind and memory have lasted millennia upon millennia of rebirth cycles.
Name: Qilby
Canon: Wakfu
Original or Alternate Universe: Original
Canon Point: Just after leaving through the portal from the Sadida Kingdom (with Adamaï and Grougaloragran in tow); prior to S02E20.
Number: 087
Setting:
Reference materials are a toughie. Being a multi-media foreign canon, information about it is spread out among many sources. To start, here is the hub for English fan-translations of all Wakfu-related media. This is the woefully-outdated English Wikipedia page and if you can read French, this one is far more thorough and specifically about the TV series. TVTropes has a mostly up-to-date page on the show, and Qilby in particular has a short entry on the Characters page -- currently listed under "Allies," but this will probably change sometime. I couldn't tell you why it hasn't already. Finally there's really only one source for the game Islands of Wakfu (from which nearly all of my pre-TV series history is drawn) and that is the official site.
Wakfu takes place in a fantasy realm known as the World of Twelve, inhabited by twelve races who've adopted the visage, abilities, and blessings of their respective gods and goddesses. The world, the universe, is suffused with Wakfu (the energy of life and creation) and its opposite, Stasis (pure destructive force.) Think of it like the Force in Star Wars. Wakfu is contained in all living things and most of the races of the World of Twelve can manipulate Wakfu to perform magic-like feats: anything from controlling time, to healing wounds, to charging a sword with flame.
The few great nations of the World have on-off conflicts but as of yet, there is a tenuous peace following the cataclysmic flood called Ogrest's Chaos (named for the ogre who supposedly cried so much the ocean levels rose.)
There is one race not completely accounted for in the World of Twelve, however, and that is the Eliatropes. These people, with their portal-making powers and advanced technology, were closely tied to the ancient dragons but apparently vanished ten thousand years ago. The Eliatropes are gone, but very few dragons live today and remain yet a mystery.
The series begins as the last remaining Eliatrope, Yugo, embarks on a quest to find out more about his latent powers and learn the secrets of his true family.
History:
A very, very long indeterminate amount of time ago on a planet very, very far away, six human children were born out of six dragon eggs, each with bonded dragon siblings. These were the first of their kind, the first of the race that would come to be known as the Eliatropes. Though these six would not be the only Eliatropes to come, they were the most special: upon the death of both human and dragon siblings, their life force would return to their original egg (known as a Dofus) and a cycle of rebirth would begin. Thus, the first Eliatropes became the race's immortal leaders and guided their people since their inception.
The leaders, Eliatrope and dragon, ruled with wisdom and fairness and each to their own strengths. Yugo and Adamaï were the daring explorers, always going out on adventures and discovering new lands. Chibi and Grougaloragran brought forth many wondrous creations, including the Eliacube which all Eliatropes would carry. Glip and Baltazar took it upon themselves to endow the people with knowledge. Mina and Phaeris, gifted with wisdom, settled disputes and dealt justice. Nora and Efrim were the picture of freedom and innocence. And finally, Qilby and his sister Shinonome spearheaded scientific progress, not only joining Chibi in invention, but curing maladies and working tirelessly on ways to better their race.
These leaders, as the Council of Six -- or Twelve, depending on how you look at it -- were devoted to following the Way of Wakfu. Wakfu is the energy in all living things, an endless, immortal, ever-flowing life-force. It was not unlike the Council themselves, in many ways. It ensured that nothing ever truly perished. Over the course of many years, their beliefs would evolve and they would, at one unknown point, discover a Goddess to place their faith in. To live the Way of Wakfu was to live in harmony with the beasts and flowers the Goddess created, and to worship her, the ultimate reality. To them, Wakfu was her "ever-flowing mane," to which all things returned when their material form was consumed.
But it's Qilby's story we're interested in. It's important to note that, among his peers, he was particularly special in that he was the only one that could remember his previous lives. Through the millennia, he would accumulate a vast memory... A "gift" that he would eventually come to find a curse.
In his time as part of this Council of Six, Qilby gifted his people with many inventions. He helped Chibi create the Eliacube, a sort of personal Wakfu-powered device that all Eliatropes carried. He created the Wik-Fi Network, which allowed people to communicate over long distances by interfacing their Eliacubes with special flowers called Manolias. Over the course of many lives, he constantly worked on ways to cure any disease that plagued his people. Qilby was as curious as he was innovative, too: he spent many years collecting one of every species of animal on his planet for study or some unspecified eventuality. The habit would continue as the race would travel to other planets, but that's a later story.
When it comes to the early, early history of the Eliatrope people, not much is known. It's not clear when exactly Qilby decided to do what he did, but it's not unreasonable to think that it was motivated by the adoption of this Goddess the Eliatropes would come to revere so much... You have to remember that Qilby remembers everything since the beginning of his race's history, and so it's likely only he knows the truth behind their theology.
Before discussing what it was he did, however, there's one last major event that requires mention: the attack of the Mechasms led by Orgonax, a race of machine-like beings intent on destruction. It's implied that Orgonax has a storied past with the Eliatropes, and that they may not have always been enemies. In any case, the Eliatropes were unable to defend themselves and were forced to flee with their dragons in a spaceship-fortress known as the Zinit.
Many, many years would be spent in the Zinit, hopping from planet to planet and taking the Wakfu they needed to power their ship. Eventually, they would come across a planet called the World of Twelve, where Wakfu, the series, takes place. The World was but in its infancy at this point, and the gods and goddesses but children. It was, however, brimming with Wakfu and even bore a resemblance to their home planet, and so the Eliatropes decided to settle down and rebuild their civilisation. A new era of peace and prosperity began, and the Eliatropes fell into complacency.
It's not certain by any means, but I believe it's at this point that the Eliatropes found their Goddess. One day Chibi came down from the Zinit after an afternoon of meditation, and brought the Goddess and their new religion with him. From then on he was known as a Prophet and King, and Zinit became a sacred mountain. Again, details on this point of Eliatrope history are scarce, but one thing's for sure: Qilby's probably the one who best knew the truth of what was really going on.
That's probably why he would begin to cultivate a suspicion of the true nature of this deity. He was already a scientific mind, given to inquisition and hard facts. With this new Goddess came restrictions, secrets, and mystery. No one was allowed in Zinit where the Goddess supposedly resided. Qilby couldn't sit down and take things on blind faith... And so at some point he decided to break down the barriers and taboos. This included undergoing research into the yang to Wakfu's yin: the pure destructive energy known as Stasis, which the Eliatropes had strictly forbidden abuse of.
Qilby eventually came to believe that the way the Eliatropes were now living was a lie. He'd never got over the fact that they were forced to flee from the Mechasms in the first place, that they didn't avenge their fallen brothers and sisters. And even now, he hated that they lived a sedentary lifestyle. To him, Wakfu was endless motion. Eliatropes were "supposed to move, supposed to feed on other systems and progress, forever and ever." He also held a deep resentment over the fact that after King Chibi died it was not him -- the innovator and scientist who'd so improved the lives of his people over and over again -- that was picked to be King... But Yugo. It's implied that Qilby spent many lives trying to "convince" Yugo and Adamaï that they were keeping the Eliatropes in a simulacrum of paradise, and consistently failed each time. Yugo's latent possession of the throne was likely just another blow to his pride.
And so the day came when Qilby couldn't take living a lie any further. It's unclear how they found the Eliatropes once more, but it's possible/likely that Qilby was the one that led Orgonax and the Mechasms to his new home. As the invaders converged on the World of Twelve, Qilby paid a visit to King Yugo. No one knows exactly what transpired during this meeting, but word eventually got out to the other Eliatropes that Qilby had killed the King and revealed himself a traitor to his people. His motives and actions during and following this time are unknown. While the other Eliatropes tried to find a way to get to safety and Grougaloragran found Yugo and Adamaï's Dofus for safekeeping, Qilby attempted to climb Zinit to "expose the parody that is [the] Eliatrope Goddess." He stayed in Zinit long enough to leave behind a recording in which he contemplated his choices, attempted to rationalise them, and then asked for forgiveness and understanding from whomever viewed it. It's unknown what exactly happened next, but at the very least he managed to get in a tussle with Phaeris and have his left arm ripped off. Not long afterwards, he was somehow sealed in his own Eliacube.
Meanwhile, the Eliatrope children were herded into a portal and sealed away in a location between time and space until the day came when they could be released. It's not clear who exactly faced Orgonax alone at this point, but the final confrontation ended in his destruction and the total disappearance of the Eliatrope race. The World of Twelve, however ravaged from this short conflict, lived on.
Ten thousand years would pass before the events of Wakfu, the series. Yugo, finally reborn, would go on a quest to learn the secrets of his true family. He would find Grougaloragran and his young brother Adamaï. He would fight a time-manipulating madman known as Nox who'd come into possession of an Eliacube, and who'd been hunting dragons' Wakfu for years. Grougaloragran would die by Nox's hands, but Yugo and company would retrieve his Dofus for safe-keeping. After a long battle, Nox would be defeated and Yugo would reclaim the powerful Eliatrope artefact that'd driven the villain so insane...
And it would take some time for Yugo to gather up the courage to attempt it, but he and his brother would eventually experiment with the Eliacube. The result of this is the hatching of Chibi and Grougaloragran's Dofus (producing a baby Eliatrope and dragon) and Qilby's release from his Eliacube (producing an old one-armed man.) Qilby, on his part, is absolutely fucking terrified to see little thirteen-year-old Yugo and promptly passes out from exhaustion.
After a little recovery and finding out this is ten thousand years in the future and that Yugo and Adamaï remember precisely nothing of their previous, murderous meeting with him, Qilby sorts himself out and proceeds to tell an excellent piece of Eliatrope fanfiction in which he was the wise and benevolent King of everyone. He tells the story of Orgonax and how Yugo sacrificed himself to save Qilby and the rest of the Eliatropes by sealing them away. And he says that, if Yugo and co. can retrieve his Dofus (containing his sister Shinonome) hidden halfway across the world, then he'll have enough energy to reopen portal-space and free their people. Yugo is the happiest kid on the World of Twelve at this point.
Of note is the fact that baby Grougaloragran hates Qilby and takes any chance he can get to either try and bite his remaining arm off or set his hat on fire. Qilby takes it in good humour and chalks it up to black dragons, especially Grougal, being particularly possessive of their companions and no one seems to think twice about it...
Yugo and co. (minus Adamaï, who's on babydragonsitting duty) set off on their Dofus quest and of course it only takes them a day or two to get lost in another dimension: the world of Rushu, lord of the demon-like creatures known as Shushu. Luckily Adamaï senses Yugo's disappearance and he and Qilby, with much effort, manage to open a portal to this other dimension and free the gang.
The protagonists continue on their merry way. Meanwhile, back in the Sadida Kingdom where Qilby is staying as guest, a meeting of all the leaders of the world's races and nations convenes. They've all come to hear from the long-lost Eliatrope King, see the young dragon Adamaï, and discuss how to manage the sudden, imminent reappearance of a thirteenth race. Things seem to go well at first and Qilby tells the story of his people, but when questioned reveals that the Eliatropes will number in the several tens-of-thousands: a practical invasion, in the words of the now panic-stricken world leaders. It doesn't take long for the meeting to spiral into childish bickering, especially over the fact that the Sadida Kingdom was keeping Qilby and his Eliacube for themselves. All the nations want access to that power. Silent throughout the argument, Qilby is not happy, not happy at all.
And so afterwards, coming to a decision, he takes the Eliacube and convinces Adamaï to leave the Kingdom with him -- they've outstayed their welcome, as far as he's concerned. Plus, he's got something to show the young dragon. Although apprehensive at first about leaving in secret so suddenly, Adamaï agrees, takes Grougaloragran, and helps Qilby open a portal to locations unknown...
[This is point from where I'll be taking him from for the purposes of playing in Ataraxion, but it's worth elaborating on the very important canon following it.]
The portal opens far away, in the heart of the long-abandoned Zinit. Qilby shows Adamaï around, how the ship is powered by the Eliacube. They walk down a hallway decorated with frescoes depicting the history of the Council of Six. Throughout all this, Qilby acts strangely -- making odd, morbid jokes and laughing heartily at Adamaï's assumption that he's homesick (he'll "never set foot back there...") He relates to the dragon his powerful memory, how he's the only one out of the Council who can remember his past lives. And then they come to Qilby's private laboratory.
It's creepy as all hell, full of the hundreds of species of animals he's collected and preserved. He mentions that there's one world, dimension rather, that he's recently taken interest in: the Shushu realm. Adamaï's pretty overwhelmed/creeped out over all this and Qilby isn't even done yet: he finally reveals that he -- they -- plan to leave the planet soon. The World of Twelve is not theirs, and it barely holds enough energy to even get the Zinit off the ground. But, asks Adamaï, won't taking that energy destroy the planet? Response: of course not! It'll just be a little... Ravaged.
And then Qilby goes full villain mode. Showing his true colours, he laments that Yugo and Adamaï are just always so stubborn and that nothing ever changes with them from life to life. He reveals that the reason he didn't go retrieve his Dofus himself is because Phaeris -- who'd divested him of his arm ten thousand years ago -- guards it, and that he's nevertheless got another plan to get what he wants without using Yugo. A fight ensues in which Qilby demonstrates just what an adult Eliatrope is capable of. High as a fucking kite off Wakfu (and the fact that he doesn't have to pretend to be an old man anymore) Qilby is too much of a match for baby Grougal and Adamaï: he knocks the former out and puts the latter in a coma, draining him of his Wakfu. Afterwards, he acknowledges that if two young dragons gave him that much of a fight, he would be no match for Phaeris by himself.
And so, after tossing Grougal in a prison for later... use... he hops on over to the Shushu realm through a portal of his own, now effortless, creation. He offers a deal to Rushu: if the demon lord agrees to help him kill Phaeris, he'll open a portal to the World of Twelve for the Shushu to go through and destroy and ravage to their black hearts' content. Though Rushu knows that this is all a little fishy, he's got nothing to lose and the promise of imminent pillage is too good to pass up. The two strike a deal, and the invasion is set for a few days from then.
It's pretty darn likely that Qilby's only planning to use Rushu as a distraction for both Phaeris and Yugo so that he can grab his Dofus and drain the planet's Wakfu in peace. But only time, and the last four episodes of the series, will tell...
Personality:
Qilby is, first and foremost, a scientist. Described as "a brilliant but fragile mind," he is inquisitive, thorough, and sceptical. Gifted with great intelligence, he's used his talents to invent devices to better the lives of his people. His immortal status also grants him a unique foresight, knowing that he'll always have more time to improve his work during lives upon lives for all eternity. He plans for the future like, for example, how he collects one of every now-extinct species he encounters on any planet in the event he'll figure out how to clone. The sky would be the limit but, well, Eliatropes broke that barrier long ago, man.
There's one caveat to his immortality, however, and it's one unique to him: he's the only one out of the Council of Six who can remember his past lives. This means he's also got millennia upon millennia of experience under his belt (or giant hat, if you will.) While this may sound like a gift, it's truly a burden: although there are the good moments and memories, he also has the responsibility of carrying the knowledge of all his people's past mistakes while watching them repeat them or try to cover them up in the present. For a man who has deep pride and a strong sense of cultural identity, this is undoubtedly painful.
And so, it's after thousands of years of this that he seems to have taken it upon himself to learn the "true way of Wakfu." A dissident, he'd challenge conceived notions of Eliatrope life: both philosophical and religious. Lack of faith in the Goddess would eventually become a lack of faith in his own fellow rulers; he'd grow to detest "the secrets, the taboos," and quietly seethe about it. Knowing that outright confrontration rarely got the results he wanted, he'd resort to subtler methods of rebellion. He'd explore the various taboos and even conduct forbidden research on Stasis, pure destructive energy. These are all likely reasons he was never King -- which happens to be an extremely sore point for him. As mentioned before, he takes great pride in his capabilities, and craves recognition for it. Recognition he never felt he got, apparently. He grew very angry after being left out of Chibi's will -- all his worldly possessions went to Chibi's lover, Mina, and the throne went to Yugo. It was really no secret how buttmad he was over this.
In any case, imagine that happening century after century after century since the beginning of time with no end in sight: seeing what he considered weaknesses bringing down his people, attempting to call them out, quarreling with his family and destroying relationships, and ultimately failing to do anything of note. Over and over and over again. It's little wonder he went mad.
Qilby eventually came to the realisation that the way of Wakfu was to remain in motion, "feeding on other systems, and progressing forever and ever." This is a belief influenced not only by his status as immortal, but by the original teachings of prophet Chibi who he rather admired. He would come to loathe the sedentary lifestyle his people had adopted following their excommunication to the World of Twelve, and he hated the fact that they never went back to avenge their fallen brethren. He would hold a disdain for people who couldn't come to decisive action, who couldn't mobilise, for years to come.
Qilby's ultimate motivations and goals revolve around bringing his people back and convincing them to follow his "real way of the Wakfu": to hop from planet to planet, draining them dry of Wakfu and forever progressing ever further into the endless Krosmoz. His belief in this philosophy is so strong, that he'd even resort to murdering the other members of the Council of Six (even as children) and attempting to usurp the throne in order to see it realised. He doesn't enjoy feeling the "need" to kill his family: it's mostly just frustrating. But it's a necessary step towards Eliatrope (and personal) greatness, as far as he's concerned.
It's good for him that all his lives and experiences have given him plenty of practice lying. You kind of need to be a good actor when you've become a rather maniacal, egotistical, murderous mess; otherwise, how would his family ever trust him life after life? He's even taken to hiding his true appearance, using one far less sketchy: the brown-haired, spectacled, gentle old man on all the Eliatrope frescoes with his sister, depicting the pride of their people. As this Qilby, he's wise, charming, and well-spoken: the picture of the King he always wanted to be. Even telling bald-faced lies, he can orate with proper regality. Charismatic, he's quite a nice storyteller, and is curious about the world he's been newly reintroduced to. Not a few people have been impressed with what he's experienced and the stories he has to share. He's the kind of guy you couldn't ever imagine being angry or vindictive or at all manipulative.
Beneath, however, is a man who's seen too much and been let down far too often, and who has become needlessly cruel in his search for power. A once-great mind has been twisted into a cunning, nearly Machiavellian machinist, like he's got his fingers in everything. Entire civilisations, planets, and lives are merely footsteps towards greater Eliatrope power. Limits mean nothing to a guy who's lived for millennia and whose technology and magic has surpassed anything anyone else has done. A comfortable arrogance has hold of him; he doesn't have any trouble laughing at himself and his own mistakes in battle when he knows he's ultimately the one at-ease, the one in control. A nimble trickster, he relishes toying with his opponents and showing off what he can do.
Qilby is a contradiction. He may be his people's greatest ally, or their worst enemy. He's worthy of pity or fright, of admiration or disgust. There are still many questions about him left unanswered, but one thing's for certain: while once he had noble intentions, he's gone awry and is now willing to do anything to restore his people to their former glory. Because as far as he can tell, he's the only one that can.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations:
Abilities
- Portals! All Eliatropes can make portals. They can be big! They can be small! They can transport you, your friends, or even redirect your enemies' attacks! There really are too many imaginative uses of portal magic to describe. But in general: portals require free hands and Wakfu. More Wakfu is required for portals over especially long distances. Unlike the portals of the eponymous Portal game series, Eliatrope portals can be conjured in mid-air. One specific trick that sees a lot of use is by conjuring a portal inside a portal, you make a
portalceptionconcussive laser beam. It's pretty rad. - Wakfu manipulation! Wakfu is the energy of life and creation -- kind of like the Force in Star Wars. Most races in the World of Twelve have the ability to manipulate their own intrinsic Wakfu and turn it into powerful attacks, but thousands of years prior to that Eliatropes took the control of Wakfu and turned it into an art form. They can leech energy from external sources -- plants, animals, even other people -- and use it for their own ends. With training, they can even see it, using a kind of Wakfu vision. Qilby, being an adult Eliatrope and master in his own right, can accomplish particularly difficult feats of Wakfu manipulation: drawing on multiple power sources to make a portal to another dimension, for example. Apart from energy or combat, Eliatropes use Wakfu for many mundane applications: including writing and visual storytelling.
- Stasis manipulation! Not much is known about Stasis -- it was forbidden for Eliatropes to study it past necessity. Qilby, however, said fuck that and researched this "anti-Wakfu" behind everyone's back... Basically the act of destroying something living generates Stasis, it's purple where Wakfu is blue, it's pure destructive energy where Wakfu is life force, and it's considered some bad, bad shit. Using Wakfu to augment attacks is powerful enough, but using Stasis is deadly.
- Wakfung! The portal-aided martial arts style unique to the Eliatrope people. Basically just your standard kicky-punchy, but with the ability to portal your punches and kicks every which way. Attacks can also be augmented with Stasis: creating knockback energy fields, frickin' lasers, and more. Although you wouldn't know it by looking at him, Qilby was allegedly a Grand Master of Wakfung, contributing maneuvers (with awful names) that were taught to initiates when there were still initiates to teach.
- Smarts! Qilby was the scientist of his people and he and Eliatrope inventor/prophet/king Chibi performed the bulk of innovation that the race is known for. He created the Wik-Fi network which allowed Eliatropes to communicate through special plants. He had some hand in the creation of the Eliacube which all Eliatropes carry. Again, he performed plenty of dangerous, forbidden research on Stasis. He's cured dozens of diseases. And he devoted a crapton of time to collecting things: he's been keeping samples of extinct animals locked away in his lab for... Reasons.
- There's also the matter of his "real form..." Turns out Qilby's only been pretending to be a old one-armed man. With an infusion of Wakfu, he takes on a sinister, vaguely clownish appearance, stops wearing a shirt, grows a new arm made of Wakfu, and has his capabilities multiply exponentially. He can create many portals at once and shoot beams of Wakfu out of his scary arm. He can make a Wakfu scythe capable of doing damage to the physical form or to an enemy's Wakfu itself. He's very acrobatic. Also gains the power of awful laughter. And he's one of the weaker Eliatrope leaders.
- He's really really old. Old as balls. Like any other old man, he wears out easily, isn't especially mobile without using his portals, and Qilby in particular was never much of a fighter compared to his brothers and sisters. His strength had always lain in his intellect and cunning.
- Lost an arm, presumably during the second Mechasm invasion before he was sealed away (an angry dragon bit it off...) Obviously he's an easy target on his left side, and it leaves him only one hand for making portals. And I imagine that this'll be an issue when trying to do most complicated tasks... Like operating a communicator, to use a completely irrelevant example.
- Hubris. Arrogance. You know how intelligent people who know they're intelligent always make the biggest mistakes? His fall hasn't been shown in-canon yet, but when it is, it's going to be big and it's going to be awful. There has not been a single major villain in this series that hasn't seen a horribly tragic defeat. It seems he can't tell a story without throwing a lie in there somewhere and it looks like he's making a habit of double-crossing powerful people. The season won't end well for anyone involved...
- Not to mention the fact that he remembers every one of his innumerable previous lives -- he himself admits that this is more of a burden than a gift. This little quirk of his has undoubtedly contributed to his latent madness and ongoing obsession with reclaiming his people.
- NOTE: In Ataraxion, Wakfu and Stasis shall simply be Generic Life/Destructive Forces (and from here on out, any mention of Wakfu/Stasis should be read as these Generic Forces.) Life force can be found in small amounts in plants, in larger amounts in critters, and in the largest amounts in humans (especially particularly-powerful ones.) He'll be able to draw from these sources, but not without IC/OOC permission in the latter's case, of course.
- Portals shall simply have their energy requirements bumped up a few notches, so that portal-spamming is discouraged. The number of portals he'll be able to comfortably have up at once is four, and it'll be exponentially harder to maintain four portals than two, for example. Consistent use of his powers for more than ten minutes will start to become taxing. Normal portal-creation range is up to 40 yards, but with a significant amount of help/energy (takes his Eliacube and a dragon in-canon) he can open a portal to an area he's been before, however far away. Attempting to get into a restricted area with them will earn him a good, long blacking out.
- He'll retain the harmless "fluff" abilities (writing, little projections, etc.) as well as his Wakfu-vision letting him find potential sources of energy to leech off of. This latter point may be important considering I'm going to nerf Qilby's natural Wakfu regeneration and require him to occasionally recharge -- especially after a lot of work. Going from exhausted to full on his own would take an hour. Overdoing himself can result in burnout, requiring a cooldown period of, say, six hours.
- The act of destroying living things will generate Stasis that Qilby can use to augment his attacks at the price of a greater energy cost. The capabilities of Stasis aren't well-defined, but as far as Eliatropes go it's seen most use by using it to add an extra (purple) punch to punches.
- He will retain his Wakfung skills, however hampered by the fact that he's old and has one arm.
- Qilby's intelligence will thankfully not diminish. If he can use and manipulate Wakfu, he can continue to create and invent. It'll be a matter of materials available to him and how much Wakfu he can spare. Also, hello Xenobiology Division: you've potentially nabbed yourself a guy who collects species for fun and profit.
- Hoo boy. Making the transition from nice old man to awful mad clown scientist required a healthy supply of Wakfu in the series and I'm going to raise that amount quite nicely in Ataraxion. Should the day come where he ever turns villain for all to see, he's going to need a lot of energy, having to squirrel it away in his Eliacube over time like he's saving for evil retirement. Even after that, his ability boosts will be limited to getting his Wakfu-arm-scythe, being able to use his powers for more than 10 minutes at a time, and a healthier body that won't wear out after a little physical exertion. No making portals to other dimensions with the greatest of ease, for example. Obviously going full-villain would be crossing the Rubicon in terms of how the game sees and reacts to him and I'd only ever consider doing this for Major Plot Reasons -- and thus not without consulting the mods first.
One Eliacube. Among other things, it's a personal record device, the interface to connect to the Wik-Fi Network (when it existed) and a sort of battery that can store Wakfu for later use -- all in a little box that fits in the palm of your hand! Qilby's been around the block with these things for a few ten thousand years so he knows little tricks like turning it into a flying owl automaton. It's unknown what the use of this is besides looking cool perching on your shoulder and making it so you don't have to carry it around in your pocket, but I'd say that's reason enough.
Eliacubes run off of Wakfu. Qilby's had a lot of Wakfu stored in his for a really long time, but upon arrival on the Tranquility, it'll be completely drained and inoperative until its supply is somehow replenished.
In addition, considering the potential difficulty in operating a communicator while having only one arm, I'd like to request that he eventually be able to tinker with the Eliacube once he's got it running again and bake in some of the comm's functions in an interface that better suits him. Until then, he'll flub his way through it with good humour.
His only other possession shall be his hippie space Jesus outfit, including that magnificent hat. I understand a hat of this size and class may be classified as a dangerous weapon, but I'm humbly requesting that you make an exception so its majesty is not diminished in any way. It'd be a real shame.
The clothing is mostly because, even though he's in pretty good shape for being over ten thousand years old, I don't think anyone wants to see an old man in a jumpsuit.
Appearance: Le photo reference.
Rather tall, he matches heights with even the larger characters in the series -- at least six feet, I'd say. Thin, gaunt, "well-preserved" is how one character put it. Has a constant lazy, tired look about him though it doesn't extend past his expression: he otherwise carries himself regally, straight and tall. Looks like a guy you couldn't ever imagine getting really angry; has a face made for gentle smiles and warm looks. Missing his left hand, possibly the whole arm. It's not really certain. Eliatrope clothing is full of secrets, after all... And no secret is as big as the one concerning what's under that giant hat so characteristic of the race's fashion.
As far as Eliatrope hats go, Qilby's is especially impressive and it could probably eat a smaller person alive if they weren't careful.
However, it appears as if the kindly old man look is a cover for his "true" appearance.
Le second photo reference.
... In which he's pale-skinned, covered in skeleton-like tattoos, and is terrifying and shirtless. Also, using energy stored in his Eliacube, has replaced his left arm with a construct made of Wakfu and some armour plating. And he's barefoot, since evil doesn't wear shoes.
Age: Très très très très old. His current body's got at least 10,000 years on it, and his mind and memory have lasted millennia upon millennia of rebirth cycles.