Abilities
- Agility: Re has spent nearly all his life improving the skills to keep himself out of harm's way. That means he is much more agile than one might at first suspect, with reflexes that trigger even if he isn't devoting his full attention. The subconscious picks up much more than the conscious, after all.
- Freedom from Emotion: Re long ago trained himself out of any and all emotional responses. If he seems to be portraying an emotion or reacting emotionally, it is because he has also trained himself to emulate emotions. He is at all times in full control of his cognitive functions, therefore, and cannot be goaded against his will or have his mind confused or clouded in the way a normal person might.
- Misdirection: The most basic form of illusion Re has mastered is simple misdirection and sleight of hand. He knows how to watch and manipulate the attentions of others so that they are focused exactly away from where they should be, in order to create simple illusions or enhance greater ones. This requires no great concentration on his part, as it isn't truly magic of any sort, just a showman's trick.
- True Illusion: Re has studied the art of weaving illusions that aren't merely sleight of hand, but actual distortions in perception. These often will take more than one turn to come to full effect, but simple ones need not take more than one.
- False Image: Re projects an independent image of himself, so that the Re observers see is not the real one, but just an image. He typically keeps his real body more or less in sync with the image for a turn or two, until the illusion is at full strength, whereupon he can and often is a distance away from the image, unseen. All the while, the sound of his voice will continue to come through the image.
- Shadow Cloak: Re gathers illusory shadows around himself, obscuring his form (most often in a dark location or at night) or making it impossible (or nearly so) to see him. He is comfortable in the shadows; they keep him safe from all eyes.
- Mirage: Re conjures an image of something that isn't there, or makes a scene that is entirely illusory. This will typically start in the first post with something small and unnoticeable, the seed of the mirage, until he has created the full image in his mind, whereupon it can either gradually come into being or, if he has been crafting it for several turns, immediately.
- Mind Wrestling: Also called the "duel of the minds," Re has practiced the art of perceiving others' minds. Not typically in the sense of thought reading, but in the sense of forcing open a lock and gaining entry, whereupon he can assert some measure of mental control. This is why he often seeks to look others in the eyes, so that he may gain some measure of perception. Anyone who actively engages him after he brings up the sport of "mind dueling" or the like, professing only to have seen it done once or twice and not quite gotten the hang of it, will have to deal with a master of the art. Then again, he has never been truly tested against one of incredibly strong will. Perhaps he will find one he cannot conquer.
All effects of Re's true illusions can be penetrated, but typically only by those who either:
- Have a strong reason to believe he is working an illusion (and then typically that they suspect the opposite of what he is projecting is true);
- Have a magical ability to pierce through any illusion (and are actively using it);
- Are looking at him in just the right way (with certain low-level illusions, such as the one he typically keeps around his sword to keep it hidden); or
- Are a supreme being invested with all power and knowledge.