[GRIM RENAISSANCE] ADAM CERO

Titles and Alternate Names:
- ‘The Dragon’.
- No other preferred name. Other Grim Artists usually call him by his title; it’s done out of respect, sometimes even out of fear, and he doesn’t seem to mind.


Age:
- 24.


Nationality:
- English.


Appearance:
- A young man that looks a couple of years younger than he actually is. He prefers dark-colored clothing (usually black) and a leather jacket. He always wears dark-tinted sunglasses, even at night, which hides his eyes and renders his eye color is unknown. His only piece of jewelry is a black cord around his neck, suspending a dragon-scale charm. Adam is brown-haired, and that hair is also present on his face as a ‘subtle’ mustache. Adam’s dominant hand is his right, and there is never a time when there isn’t a black glove on that hand. He is usually relaxed in posture and movements, even during the head of combat.


Background:
- Adam’s origins are a complete enigma. He suddenly appeared out nowhere less than two years ago, and no formal records of Adam seem to exist before then. His particular abilities are of themselves unusual among most Artists, and his Techniques are the subject of many rumors and stories to those who do know of him. The fact that no one seems to have even heard of him even in his origin Renaissance (he doesn’t hail from Forgewater) suggests that he does not hail from a normal setting. Adam is a rather elusive person, though, so that itself is another possible explanation for his mysteriousness.
- Adam currently continues a life of secrecy, albeit with reasonable limits. He does appear frequently in public, usually to observe the endeavors of his fellow Grim Artists, or to share a few works of his own. He has also been known to attend some social gatherings, and during those he has showcased both charisma and sense of humor. Fewer details are known about his private life.
- Curiously, he also displays an acute temporal displacement in his vocabulary; he refers to some current events as though they’ve already occurred. When confronted, he will only claim to know 'through premonition,' and not from 'experience' or 'prior knowledge' how they will transpire. It might simply be his stance on current events, or a mild psychological defect.
- It has been reported that Adam hails from a Grim Renaissance with a ‘hardened’ hardened Space-Time Continuum, making anomalous disruptions in Reality (like Time Travel and Wormhole Transit) somewhat of an impossibility.


Personality:
- Adam possesses a ‘dual’ nature. He not only believes that all of existence, including the all Realms of the Grim Renaissance is populated with ‘dark’ aspects (evils, sorrows, and so on) but he accepts them as necessary for existence to function. He also believes a population of ‘light’ aspects (goodness, fortunes, and so on) exist to balance out the darkness. As a result, he ultimately reacts to any sort of ‘bad news’ passively, for in his mind everything will even out eventually and inevitably.
- He also suffers from mood swings. However, his general attitude is overall one of realism that is tempered with optimism.
- Of all the Grim Aesthetics, he despises the Fusion Aesthetics, and maintains that it should not be a Grim Aesthetic at all. It’s no big surprise he fits into the Forgewater Grim Renaissance, with its take on Fusion being that it is a Subset of the Inspiration Aesthetics that provides a crutch for Artists who cannot naturally harmonize multiple Aesthetics, Techniques, and/or Items towards Collaborations, Concurrences, and/or Conjunctions, respectively.
- On the other hand, he greatly respects the Combat Aesthetics, and regularly practices certain moves for meditation.
- Being a shady character with a vague background, Adam’s intentions may very well be based on some hidden agenda. Vidan knows better than to pressure him for details.


Grim Artist Class:
- Savant; much more powerful than a Dilettante. Can exhibit highly advanced Grim Techniques and has refined the basic and intermediate ones to the point where they can be used for more complex and potent moves, some of them experimental. Is outclassed by a Virtuoso Class Grim Artist and definitely no match for a Connoisseur Class Grim Artist.


Grim Art Type:
- Soul Art. His mental existence will be jeopardized in exchange for his Art’s own.


Grim Aesthetics:
- Writing Aesthetics. Subset Disciplines include Poetry. Genres include Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Realistic Fiction. He is also proficient at Nonfiction Writing, also known as Technical Writing.
- A very capable Craftsman, dedicated to the creation of Pens and other Grim Devices, all boasting excellent quality. He will sometimes sell these for all kinds of profit, which can either be monetary or deductibles from his Grim Art Expenses.
- As mentioned earlier, he also practices certain Combat Aesthetic Techniques for personal relaxation and meditation. However, Josh knows that when one immerses self that much into the Combat Aesthetics, it’s only a matter of time before other beneficial effects are reaped.


Grim Devices:
- A fountain pen that Adam simply refers to as ‘The Pen’. An odd Device in and of itself. It never runs out of ink, and Adam can use it to write on any surface, even on thin air, without the use of additional Techniques or Prerogatives. The process of writing can also be accelerated by channeling the words telepathically, through the pen and onto the medium. However, both processes add to the overall Cost of his powers. Even weirder, the Pen can be used to Create, Manipulate or Run simple logic systems, provided Adam has enough rudimentary knowledge on how they work. He can assert dominion over a more complex system if he created it. The Pen also lowers the overall cost of his abilities, but this is more likely to balance the Pen’s own operational expenses. Most unusual of all is its appearance, which seems to suggest that Adam himself created it. About seven inches in length, the whole color scheme of the Pen (except for the tip) is divided into a curved pattern reminiscent of the traditional Yin-Yang symbol. It even shares the colors: black and white. The tip is silver in color, however, and is made of stainless steel. Together, Adam and The Pen are capable of unleashing a rather terrifying ability, which will be mentioned in the Favored Moves section.
- Also owns a portable Crafting Studio where he can Craft and store his wares.


As an Artist:
- As with his personality, his reason for being an Artist is dual in nature. On one hand, he feels that not enough Artists know of what he feels is the 'Truth of Duality', and so he freely writes to express that message, all with selfless reasons motivating him. On the other hand, he craves attention and seeks to impress masses of people; these reasons are selfish in terms of motivation, which he is very well aware of, and it’s a fact he isn’t wholly pleased with either.


As a Grim Artist:
- Adam is thrifty Semi-Specialist. He will take any method, any shortcut required to reduce the Cost of using his Grim Art as much as possible. As such, he writes only what he feels is necessary, for anything longer could very well jeopardize his sanity or leave him comatose. As always, Adam has a second posture on being a Grim Artist: if his situation becomes dire, he will do whatever it takes to get him out of it, even if it means making him lose consciousness for awhile. All in all, he seems not to know his limits, and appears to prefer it that way. In his eyes, even one doesn’t know his or her own limits, it’s no big dal, for is there anyone that ever truly can? If he fights, he only fights for whoever he deems in on his side, lending aid only to those who he feels will benefit him the most.
- To summarize, Adam normally uses as little writing as possible – usually no more than a sentence or two – unless the situation is desperate enough to require more.
- Even if Adam has many distinct advantages as a Grim Artist, they are offset by some additional costs that balance his fighting style. He is still outclassed by Virtuosos, but if he put his mind to it he could give Lower-Ranked ones a damn good run for their money.
- As mentioned earlier, due to his thrifty disposition, Adam can sell his devices for Renaissance Tokens and other goods that he can employ to avoid unleashing his Art until he absolutely has to.


Art Costs:
- Lesser Techniques will cause a minor mood swing in the subject, for example, from happy to depressed. In some cases, it will simply amplify whatever emotional state he’s currently in, though this rarely happens when he’s feeling positive. Some of his more potent abilities can have the added Art Expense of temporary memory loss and/or depression that could last for days. Adam has once claimed to have fallen into a 48-hour coma due to the Cost of one of his higher-tier Techniques. It’s likely that his most devastating Techniques have effects that are permanent.



Grim Dictation
- [Writing, plus possible Prerogative and/or Inspiration Multi-Aesthetic Collaboration]
- A Technique that is mandatory for Grim Writers. It allows whatever a Grim Artist writes out to occur as recorded, with actual results depending/varying on the extent of one’s overall Skill and Prerogative.
- This Grim Aesthetic is most effective when used against non-Grim Combatants. It can be defined as above the epitome of beyond-omnipotence; such a term might seem like a logical fallacy, but it being nonsensical doesn’t hinder its transcendence. Many have tried or dismiss Grim Dictation as something that does not work on them, and each one has had their arrogance crushed by Grim Artist they had challenged. Conflicts have even been ended before they began, since some Grim Authors prefer writing in past tense. Against other Grim Artists, however, Dictation is a little more difficult to pull off as they are under the protection of their own Prerogative. There are also tons of Counter-Techniques that can defend against Writing Aesthetics. Instances exist where Legendary Class Artists have manipulated their colleagues with a single word, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
- Adam is a particularly hellish Writer to deal with. Josh and Adam have dueled with nothing but Writing Aesthetics many times now, and the Dsiorpov has not won once.

Grim Wordplay
- [Writing, plus possible Prerogative Multi-Aesthetic Collaboration]
- A very common ability. Grim Writers use Wordplay to tamper with the Written Techniques of other Writers in a myriad of ways. The effectiveness of this Technique depends one Artist Class, and the amount of Power and Prerogative being invested into said Technique, and the quality of Writing involved.
- Wordplay in regular societies is a literary technique wherein the words used can be exploited for extra meanings and purposes. In the Grim Renaissance, Grim Writers can cause the sentences of other Writers to glitch, morph, or cause different effects.
- Adam displays a Rare Variant of this Grim Technique. By exerting enough Prerogative, he can apply it not only to words, but to the very abilities of other Artists. Note that when clashing Prerogative with Prerogative, the general rules still apply. Landscape Artists have more priority over everyone else when it comes to manipulating the environment, Dancers over their maneuvers, Animators over their Animations, Drawing Artists over their Sketches, and so on.
- Weaker abilities can be negated altogether. For more powerful abilities, Wordplay will only weaken, lessen, or slightly muddle up their effects.
- Proficient users of Grim Wordplay can also use this ability to strengthen an ally’s abilities, or they can activate multiple effects via ‘Double Entendres’ and the like.
- Cost is dependent on the Wordplay’s designated target, the effect it aims to achieve, and the Class of the Grim Artist using it. Expenses will be much higher against, say, a Master Class Artist than it would against a Dilettante or a Savant.
- In Adam case, what he pays is proportional to (but seldom the same as) the Cost that the targeted Grim Artist paid for their own written Technique. Costs versus non-Technique targets vary.

Written Genesis
- [Grim Dictation, plus Writing-Prerogative-Inspiration Technique-Aesthetics Concurrence]
- This Technique is also called Dictator over Form and Conditori ex Libri, among many other names. This Grim Technique allows a Grim Writer to create virtually any object, entity, construct, and so on, by writing a description of said object or objects.
- From there, that Artist can wield or use such objects however they see fit. Writers in particular can assume control of their Written Summons via a narrative of what happens to it.
- Written Genesis is uncommon amongst Writers, but not significantly so. Using words to weave form and function ex nihilo is understandable tedious, and as the saying goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, but it’s not an oddity by any stretch of the imagination. Writers describe peoples, environments, and items all the time in their works, often in rich detail.
- Adam simply refers to this Technique as ‘Creation’.
- In Adam’s case, can engulf his ‘Creations’ and Writing that births them with many layers of his Prerogative, rendering them nigh-indestructible. However, a large, continuous cost is incurred if he resorts to such a control, and a good deal of focus and time is required for him to achieve it. This is a very Rare strain of Written Genesis, since most Written or Sketched Creations aren’t normally ‘covered’ by multiple layers of Prerogative for increased durability.
- Adam can use Written Genesis in conjunction with his Crafting Techniques. The exact processes involved with this Aesthetics Collaboration are kept secret for now, as per request from the Guild who taught Adam this special way of forging corporeal items out of abstract notions.
- Note: This seems to be his signature move. Adam is highly skilled and experienced with the Written Genesis Technique, and he can both churn out and manage multiple ‘Creations’ simultaneously. Examples of his proficiency have ranged from creating a wall to block a path, creating a skeleton key to open doors, and creating weapons to use in a fight.
- Costs depends upon the complexity and quality of the Written Summons, as well as its mass and size. As mentioned earlier, Grim Dictation can be then deployed to direct that Written Summons do afterward, or the Writer can opt to give his or her creations free rein.
- Furthermore, Adam’s version of this Technique has another feature that is Rare in the Forgewater Grim Renaissance, and Unique to him within the Renaissance he originated from. It stems from his stance on Duality. He can create a duplicate of a Written Creation for free if the one is in direct opposition to the other. That is, Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Negative and Positive, Push and Pull, Wet and Dry, Harmful and Helpful, Hot and Cold. As long as both Written Creations mirror Adam’s ‘Truth of Duality’, his Grim Art will not charge extra Art Costs.

Grim Metaphor
- [Writing, plus possible Prerogative Multi-Aesthetic Collaboration]
- Also called Dictator over Identity and Written Transmutation.
- This Technique is usable by pretty much any Grim Writer, since it is a more specialized and focused form of Grim Dictation, one that places emphasis on applying or associating a detail or identity to something such things aren’t normally applicable to or associated with.
- Basically, this is a Technique that can turn anything into something else, provided there is a descriptive connection, no matter how vague or far-fetched, between the starting and ending products.
- Usually, it’s easier to pull off ‘the skies were a tumultuous ocean’ on a stormy day than a clear one, playing off the current situation to call down an actual ocean from the heavens. Likewise, the ease, effectiveness, and efficiency of stating ‘that pet of yours is a ravening beast from hell’ is usually better than ‘that dog is a ticking time bomb’ due to better descriptive connections, albeit with dependencies on the temperament of the hypothetical animal this Technique is used on.
- Theoretically, given a bottomless well of Prerogative (or given a removal of all Prerogative constraints) there is no limit to what Writers can’t affect with this Technique, nor is there a limit to what they can turn them into. Their imaginativeness and their Costs are the only other barriers to consider, and the latter is only a factor within the Grim Renaissance. The clout of the Writer is most evident outside the Renaissance, where statements like ‘beyond omnipotence is nothing but child’s play’ are brought into full effect, unhindered by ‘no limits fallacies’, and possessing unfathomable transcendence over anything that might resist it. Some might consider that statement to be illogical, but as usual, logic without the Prerogative to enforce it has no hold over what a Grim Artist can or cannot do, or on how they do it.
- Of course, once Anti-Writing Counter-Techniques are brought to bear, this ability becomes much harder to successfully employ. All the other Aesthetics have their own form of defense against Writers, and many of them can even bypass, ignore, defy, and outright negate or manipulate this Technique. If a Writer doesn’t have the right amount or kind of Prerogative to back up Metaphor Techniques, they will have a severely-diluted impact, or they might fail altogether.
- The Costs of Grim Metaphors vary from Artist to Artist. Adam has only been observed using it once, in an instance where he seemed to be in dire peril. To limit the Art Expenses as much as possible, he had to physically write on a surface. Still, he lost consciousness for hours, woke up with a headache, and suffered violent mood swings for days.
- In Adam’s case, it requires a specific format: ‘The (target/s of Metaphor) is/are (what the target/s will become)’. For example: ‘The rooster is the frailest twig’.
- Also in Adam’s case, once transformed, the resulting entity/object/etcetera will have a life, mind (if applicable), and existence of its own.
- Yet again, Adam wields a Technique Variant that is not a Common one. Like his Written Genesis, his Grim Metaphors are Unique to him within the Renaissance Realm he comes from, and Rare within Renaissance Forgewater. His variant stems from his stance on Duality: he can create a duplicate of a Grim Metaphor for free if the one is in direct opposition to the other. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Negative and Positive, Push and Pull, Wet and Dry, Harmful and Helpful, Hot and Cold. As long as both Grim Metaphors mirror the ‘Truth of Duality’, his Grim Art will not charge extra.

Instant-Message
- [Writing, plus possible Electronic Device Aesthetic-Item Collaboration]
- A Common ability. The performing Grim Artist simply writes a message and the name of its recipient, and it will be transmitted to the destination without any timing delays or the need for a courier. The only other requirement is an address or addressee that’s willing, open, and available to receive such a message, otherwise it will fail to even seek them out. Electronic Grim Devices are option, but do help.
- In a sense, it’s almost like writing a letter. In fact, most iterations of this Technique use the same format as a letter, even to the point of manifesting themselves physically as parchment.
- Instant-Messages are also cheap. Any additional cost is negligibly dependent on the length of the message and the distance to its recipient.
- While Instant-Message primarily serves little use in combat, a few Grim Writers have demonstrated the use of this ability to ‘spam’ the opponent, distracting them long enough to escape.
- More advanced variants of this Technique can be used for direct offense. If one knows the real name of their opponent, and one is able to avoid or circumvent their Anti-Writing Defenses, one can actually send them sheets with pre-paid, trigger-type, or timed effects that will activate when they receive it. Granted, such opponents are usually unwilling to receive such mail, so one must invest either Influencing Techniques or a jolt of Prerogative in an attempt to make them acquiesce.
- While efficient enough, one must take care to send Instant-Messages securely. Criminals have been known to snatch letters in transit, stealing whatever valuable data they can. It is for this reason that Post Offices within the Renaissance have not gone out of business; their near-impregnable transports can deliver messages with greater safety, despite a noticeable delay from Point A to Point B.

‘Aura Borealis’
- [Writing-Combat Multi-Aesthetics Collaboration, plus allied Grim Artist or allied Grim Artists Item or Multi-Item Conjunction]
- Why Adams calls it this is unknown. Most Artists have different names for their own versions and variants of this Technique, like Scribe’s Breaker, Dance of Pen and Sword, or its more standard name of Wrathword. This is an Uncommon Technique that requires the presence and cooperation of a Grim Combatant to pull off. The Writer describes a form of attack (possibly an energy wave, strike, maneuver, or combination of such) and the Combatant actualizes it.
- As both Grim Artists partake in the ability, both will share the Art Cost, both will contribute towards the overall effectiveness of the Technique, and each will pay for such power in their respective manner. In other words, Soul Artists only receive a psyche cost, Blood Artists only receive flesh costs, and Fate Artists only receive cosmic costs. Good friends might decide to share in all the Art Costs directly, allowing them to cover each other’s bases.
- The toll is exacted on both the Grim Combatant and the Grim Writer based off their role. On the Writer’s end, the Art Cost comes from how complex and how well-described the attack is; trying to get the Combatant to perform moves that are normally beyond his or her repertoire could result in much higher expenses, or a total shutdown of the Technique. On the Combatant’s end, the Art Costs hinge upon how much power he or she is willing to put into whatever the Writer has scrawled out, and while deviations from that manuscript are possible, but incur extra fees.
- Some Grim Writer’s must abide by an additional requirement of them having to be familiar with the Combat Moves they will be Writing out. Even though this Technique is born out of Writer-Combatant Conjunction, it is technically the Writer who initiates it. Not all Writers are bogged down with such a requirement, but for those who are, it makes pulling off this Technique somewhat trickier. 
- This Technique is another reason that Adam respects the Combatant Aesthetics; of all the abilities he could use in a brawl, this is the one he’d be most likely to call upon.
- Note: what sets this Technique apart from its many alternate Variants is that it requires direct and on-the-spot cooperation between the Writer and the Martial Artist. Some of Variants aren’t even for battlefield usage, being more oriented for educational purposes.

Advanced Gear Narrator
- [Writing-Crafts-Prerogative Aesthetics Collaboration, plus Unknown Technique and Gear Narrator Multi-Technique Concurrence, plus target Grim Device or Grim Devices Item Conjunction or Multi-Item Conjunction]
- A Technique that grants a Writer dominion over Grim Devices, regardless of whether they belong to him or her. The level and strength of command established is leagues higher than a regular Gear Narrator Technique, while also being loads more precise than the ordinary Device-Oriented Techniques that Crafting Artists bring to bear. This Technique does, after all, combine the efficiency and versatility of Writing with the prowess of Crafts over all objects. Mixing Prerogative Aesthetics adds an extra layer of potency that Writers, Crafters, or Prerogative users would find hard to surmount by their lonesome.
- The dominion conveyed by this Technique extends over many aspects of the targeted Device. Basic subjects like ‘Position’, ‘Mass’, and ‘Shape’ are a given, but it also covers more complicated topics like ‘Function’, ‘Origin’, and ‘Destiny’.
- An overwhelmingly-scant few Grim Artists can attain this ability, at least in the Grim Renaissance Adam hails from, and even in the Forgewater Grim Renaissance, Adam’s Variant is Rare. 
- Unlike Gear Creator Techniques, Gear Narrator Techniques only manipulate Devices. This isn’t too big of a deal for Adam, who is as proficient with the former as he is with the latter.
- To reiterate, this Technique goes above and beyond the Crafting Aesthetics’ basic Device-Control Techniques. While similar, the Advanced Gear Narrator relies more on Writing to do the manipulation, Crafts to implement manipulation effects, and Prerogative to bolster everything. Item Control is to Advanced Gear Narration as a Chicken Nugget is to a Thanksgiving Turkey.
- Artists who are bonded to their Grim Device are largely immune to this ability. There comes a point where a Grim Artist and his/her Device are so in-tune with each other that both become as one. Separate yet the same, divided yet united.
- In Adam’s case, The Pen appears to exhibit a mind and will of its own, as well as pitch in an Artist’s Prerogative of its own, which is why his Variant is considered Rare. This caveat allows him to exert double-control over Devices, and those without a special bond with their gear will have to fight twice as hard to regain control of their tools of the trade.
- Adam has yet to show a range limit with this ability. He’s has shown control over Devices from miles away, without any visible strain.
- The Art Expenses inflicted by this Technique hinge of many variables, ranging from how many Devices one intends to control at a time, to the Prerogative levels of the Artist one intends to wrest a Device away from. The specific Costs inflicted by Adam’s Technique Variant are known only to him.
- Note that there is a fine line between Grim Devices and Grim Products. While both can be manufactured, only the latter is used to unleash or channel an Art. Grim Products are capable of augmenting, supporting, or modifying a Grim Arts or Grim Techniques, and they can bond with the Artist as well, but their role and position is different; they’re more like a consumable or a commodity, albeit no less important or significant. This Technique does not apply to the latter.


Trivia:
- His favorite dish is a bowl of chili. He carries around a jar containing a unique, confidential spice so that he can always get the flavor 'perfect' whenever he has some.
- According to rumor, his title as 'The Dragon' signifies his overall skill.
- Although what he has learned in the Combat Aesthetics is only for meditation purposes, it is rumored that being hit by Adam hurts far more than one would have expected.
- His favorite color is green; hates yellow.
- His astrological sign, ironically enough, is Libra.
- Quote: “Living for life’s sake isn’t living, but merely existing. To live, you must follow your heart, wherever it may wander.”





GRIM RENAISSANCE ARCHIVE:

(List of links to be rebuilt)

THE DEVIANT FEATURED IN THIS ROSTER IS:
- Edits have been made to the original draft in order to fit it into the setting, and/or for reading quality purposes.