Personality: He is a good guy at heart, but can come over as non-chalant, non-caring and arrogant at times. It takes a while before he opens up to people. He is willing to kill creatures or people when nessecary, but tries to avoid doing so.
Magical Capabilities: Arcane and Metaphysical. Flin can manipulate sound and has Mid-blue color arcane energy for defensive purposes.
History: Flin earned his money within Arcadia by playing songs for people, and easing the pain of those who were suffering. His attitude often got him into fights, but he always trusted on his magic to get him out of a yam. If he were to beat someone, he'd also take the luxury of stealing their money. This granted him great skill in pickpocketing. He wanted to do more than this, though. He knew that the tension between nations was high, and he wanted to help others. And frankly, his current way of life felt too boring for him.
As such, he began to join in caravan runs to experience the wildlife outside of Arcadia. It earned him more money than he did before. He could earn good money, and help his nation by doing so, so why not?
Name: Shane
Age: 20
Appearance:
Personality: Silly, cheerful, courageous. He's a fun guy to be around, despite the gloomy place he lives in. He's willing to kill if nessecary, but dislikes doing so. He'll usually try to find other alternatives if he can.
History: Shane was born and lived within Berganfont his entire life, in the Low Houses. He'd never been faithful to Shaidra, despite that his parents constantly encouraged him to do so. As such, he moved out to get his own place. He lives in the center of Berganfont, getting by due to his magical ability. Many thieves and dangerous people lurk about. But ironically, that's what keeps Shane alive. Basicly, he always uses his fighting ability and magic to capture wanted criminals for a good pay. Most of that money comes from the Higher Houses. And money is what brings food on the table. Despite wanting Berganfont's society to improve, it would also be bad for him as he has no other form of income. As such, he had nothing but trade, luck and quick wit to survive.
Name: Pyra Nume (Peer-uh New-may) When possible, goes by Ilruvae (Ill-rue-vay) Race: Eldi Magic: Arcane Age: 40 Height: 5’ 7” Home Nation: Kel Appearance: A tall, lithe Eldi (although I didn’t need to restate it), with blue eyes, fair hair, and slightly loose clothes for a mix of comfort and usefulness. Capabilities: Balanced on the fine line between power and control, Pyra’s magic is a pure blue. He focuses on a combination of specific effects of his magic, which have the amount of power to be useful (although he can sacrifice power for control, or vice versa, if necessary). Personality: (Just putting a little of his philosophy here) He believes that those of the dark blue are uncontrolled, unrestrained power, and disapproves of their lack of control, while those of the white are emotionless and useless due to the lack of power their magic has, preferring the balance between the two to accomplish the most History: Pyra grew up as the son of a rather average noble house in Kel, and, as was expected of him at the time, went to study for most of his matured life at one of the schools of magic, taking a fancy to the rather deceptively simple Arcane school of using mana. During a brief scandal involving his parents and some misuse of Soul Magic (which his mother specialized in), he took the time to slip out of the city when he was about 38, eventually making his way over to become a Knight, which was never a particular goal of his, but unless he'd like to return to Kel to see what's left of his family, he's decided that staying a Knight is likely his best choice.
Name: Lyullia Age: 19 Appearance: Lyullia stands at a glorious 5'6 with her long, white hair and clear blue eyes. She usually wears a black dress with a jacket that has many pockets. She also almost carries with her a bag containing her most important belongings. In other words whatever books she's currently reading, some money, food and whatever construction she's working on.
Personality: Shy but curious, Lyullia doesn't like interacting with people. Instead she prefers the company of either books or her own creations, since neither are likely to bug her or otherwise distract her from what she's doing. She's not one to start fights, as she can't really handle blood all that well.
Height: 5'6"
Race: Human Home Nation: Marrenfell
Magical Capabilities: Elemental, specifically Metal. She usually uses her ability to create the material she needs for her clockwork creations.
History: Born in Marrenfell as the daughter of a Librarian, Lyullia has spent most of her youth surrounded by books. It didn't take long for her to become fascinated by magic, and soon she decided she'd become a great and powerful mage. Though, like most children's dreams, those dreams didn't come to fruition. For the young Lyullia, the amount of studying that would require was just way too much. So, instead, she decided she would focus her efforts on one type of magic, and become the best mage of that sort. The latter part of that dream also didn't come true, but she did set her focus on one specific field of magic. Elemental Magic. Having grown up in Marrenfell, technology was all around her, and she soon became captivated by clockwork mechanisms. Deciding to combine her goal and her interests, Lyullia started to focus on using Elemental Magic to create the parts she would then put together to make simple clockwork creations.
Over time, Lyullia found herself getting bored of the books in her hometown, and decided it was time to leave home. By offering to help out on a Caravan she got a ride to Arcadia. However, once there she realised that things weren't going to be as easy for her as they were in Marrenfell. With no family to live with and no source of income, Lyullia eventually decided to become a knight. While not a huge fan of violence, the benefits that came with it (mainly a roof above her head) quickly won her over. She's been a knight for little over a year now, spending whatever free time she has searching for either books to read or opportunities to practice her magic.
Name: Daelin Calso Age: 27 Appearance: Daelin is a man with weathered features, always with five o'clock shadow and baggy eyes. His eye color is a light gray and he has dirty blond hair. He has a scar from the corner of his forehead leading into his messy hair. He is lithe and muscular. Personality: Daelin jokes about almost everything whether it's funny or not. It may be that he's trying to seek some kind of humor in a job where he's used to losing companions to the beasts. Height: 6'1" Race: Human Home Nation: Arcadia, born and raised. Magical Capabilities: Arcane. Daelin uses only minor tricks and has never dabbled in advanced magic. Telekinesis is his most prominent go to trick, used primarily in combat for retrieving weapons or tricking enemies. He has never been able to lift very much and his mana capacity is fairly low.
History: Daelin Calso, pathfinder and forward scout. At least that's what he is now. Used to be that he started as a woodsman's boy, chopping down wood with his father in the forest on the edges of Arcadia. A dangerous profession with the abhorrent dangers around. Hiring guards was a must but it also made gathering wood from outside lucrative. Of course that was until his father's luck ran out. A great big ol' beasty got a taste of daddy o's leg and the man never walked again. Daelin was forced to become the man of the house and what better way than to enlist in the military. Describing his past work experiences and ability to track animals made him an obvious pick as part of a scout party. He's been an Arcadian knight for eight years and despite being a respectable, hard working soldier shows little ambition for rising in the ranks.
Name: Rem Vano Age: 56 Appearance: Rem has long red hair, parted away from his face and tucked behind his ears. He has a big, pointed nose and a slightly wrinkled forehead. His eyes are green and he has a short, bright beard. The garb stories witness him in is a mantle made out of the bark from a tree that makes his shoulders look far broader than they actually are and a cloak of patched furs drapes around. Personality: Blunt but wise, Rem is a talkative individual. He seems to speak to everything, adding an air of mysetery and madness to him. Height: 5'9" Race: Human Home: A hidden cottage in the wilds. Magical Capabilities: Gaian Moving the landscape, commanding the plants and speaking to beasts is part of Rem's staple magic.
History: Rem Vano is a relatively young druid as far as druids go. He's been in the wilds for little over a decade now. He associates often with travelers, appearing as a kindly stranger to those that respect the forest. The time he spent before that was in exploration of magic and debating its practices and uses. From Arcadia to Marrenfell, to Kell he researched and pondered on the nature of things. Everything he found had a limit. People treated magic less as a respectable force of nature and more as something to be manipulated, abused and used against one another to get gain. Orders of priests and their healing magics seemed the most attractive but they had their own problems serving entities with ulterior motives, especially Berganfont. That drew Rem to the ancient rites of the druids, to the order that still existed even if it were reclusive.
Name: Kanna Astorian Age: 89 Appearance: Kanna is a lovely depiction of eldin charm. She has bright green eyes and long black hair. Her slender features are always accentuated by an extravagant dress. Personality: Kanna is most often bold and provacative. Her mood and personality seem to change just as easily as if she were to change a mask. Her ability to act and grandstand are exceptional. Underneath all the lies and the act she is incredibly insecure with an agenda always on her mind. Height: 5'9" Race: Eldin Home: Kell Magical Capabilities: Psychic Kanna is secretly one of the foremost experts in psychic magic. Her very presence can alter a person's mood if she applies the right pressure of power. Few of her tricks can be used to actually hurt someone, rather augmenting states of mind or making them see things that aren't there. Given enough time and effort she is able to brainwash people, even making them think they are other people themselves.
History: Kanna was born to a highly esteemed family of the eld. The Astorians were known for their moral uprightniess and they did their best to provide everything necessary for her, hoping she would make for a good healer or some other beneficial role to society. Their hopes did somewhat come to fruition. She learned from some of the greatest tutors money could afford. Politics, theater, magic, business. She was well-educated and had a great mind for trade and business but she saw issue with the morals of her family. Where they saw profit in doing good she saw loss. She anticipated events no one else had. There was an obsessive, almost psychotic need to know things, to explore between the lines in her mind. She never had chances to leave Kell, it was dangerous outside when you had few means to actually defend yourself. Death was not in her plans so she played idly by, gathering resources and contacts, learning more and hatching plans for her masterstroke. What exactly is her masterstroke? Her goal? To unite all nations under one banner, whether it was hers or a puppet nation it didn't matter. Unity was needed for the foreseeable future and any evil needed to get there was worth it. After all, what was evil other than a disagreeable act to the ignorant? Living in walls wasn't survival. A world where giant walls no longer needed to be built was a paradise to look for and could be achieved in no other way than through absolute unity.
Name: Vetch Age: 36 Appearance: Vetch is likely one of the ugliest of the eld alive. He is bald and pale with abnormally large ears. His blood shot, red eyes bulge out of his head. On top of that his jaw is crooked to the side and it looks like at one point his nose was broken and healed improperly. He favors longcoats with hoods to keep his head and face covered. An old injury forces him to hobble with one foot but it doesn't slow him down as much as you'd expect. Personality: Disturbingly calm and absolutely obedient to his master, Kanna. Vetch would do the extreme for her. He seems to always be dire and grave in his speech and mannerisms. Height: 6'3" Race: Eldin Home: Kell Magical Capabilities: Water Elementalist Vetch is a capable elementalist using water and ice, two sides of one facet. Many of his techniques mirror bladed weaponry. Mist is one his favored spells, allowing him to slip in and out of locales while people think it's simply a natural part of nature.
History: At a young age Vetch was adopted from an orphanage along with several other children to a noble family known as the Astorians. Of course no one actually knew the Astorians were involved in the adoption. The children just seemed to disappear. No one ever missed them. Vetch was infatuated with Kanna, the leader of the noble house. She was kind and benevolent to him as none other. While she spent personal time with many of them she never had to use her power to affect his mind. He was willing to be her tool, to learn from her, to be tutored and molded. The other children weren't as willing, but they came around eventually whether they wanted to or not. Vetch became a trusted right hand servant to Kanna, performing tasks that would normally put her at risk. He is in generally kept secret from the public and acts as a subtle agent.
Personality When Neale has a goal set, you will likely never see anybody work harder. He can power on for days on end off of the sheer force of his willpower, and once he's got a plan in mind it is near impossible to change his mind. However, when he's not interested in something, he can be incredibly lazy. He is known for falling asleep during low-level missions and getting drunk for big meetings. That is one of the reasons he doesn't get promoted further, and also why it took him a little while to climb the ranks in the first place. He can be very irresponsible and has a very "selective memory" where he only appears to remember things that are a benefit to himself.
Despite all his apparent immaturity, when push comes to shove Neale always comes through. His ability to concentrate and stay calm in dangerous situations allows him to think on his feet. Neale is always the first and last one out of battle. On casual days he is somewhat of a loudmouth and likes to laugh and have fun, though his version of fun usually consists of teasing and belittling others. He is a man of vibrant emotions; especially when drunk. Keeping Neale in line is a chore, but once you gain his respect he will usually obey orders. However, his respect is hard to gain because he views himself as naturally above most others due to his strength and skills. He extremely overconfident in his abilities and will often end up in danger because he overestimates how much he can take, meaning that he can become a bit of a liability on a mission.
Height 5"8
Race Human
Home Nation Arcadia
Magical Capabilities Metaphysical - Neale is able to manipulate the gravity that directly surrounds his person. He uses it to move faster by lessening the weight of his feet, or to strengthen his blows by adding weight and heft to his blows. He can only manipulate the gravity of things he's directly touching, and can only do so in small areas such as a fist or his feet. Attempting to manipulate larger areas of gravity completely drains his mana and leaves him weakened.
History Born to the Geroldus family as the youngest of three sons, Neale was born into high expectations. His father was a renowned arcane mage and his mother was reputable in elemental magic. Both had taught at the National Arcadian Academy for Magic for over thirty years as professors before being promoted into administrative positions at the school. While his father was from a lowly noble family, their success as a couple started to build the reputation of the Geroldus Noble blood and they began to accumulate wealth as well as the connections they needed to become more powerful.
Militant-minded people, they strove to make their children take after them. Family discipline was strict, and one was expected to stand at attention and salute just to be served breakfast. It was when Neale turned 10 that his parents got promoted to administrative positions at the school and moved away from home to be closer to their work at the school. They took his two older brothers with them, but deemed him too young to join them in their move. They were wealthy enough to keep Neale in a second house with a full set of tutors ranging anything from magic to combat to normal school tuition.
Neale had always been a smart kid so he took to his studies well, and as long as his parents received good report cards from him they left him alone. What they didn't hear, however, was that Neale had rapidly developed from the well-behaved kid they had left into a troublemaker. He was well-loved by his tutors and staff alike, but without the strict command from his parents he began to disregard all orders and simply do what he wanted. He kept up with his studies and training for he strove to be powerful, but aside from that he went against the will of those around him as much as possible. His will to do well enabled him to advance the level of his magic and combat abilities at an incredible rate, but he hardly used his abilities to do anything but pick trouble.
Eventually his parents returned to visit him and found a disobedient, coarse and rude child. Outraged, they immediately took action to curb his privileges as well as his allowance and other comforts he had. Not wanting to seem like he had lost the battle against his parents, Neale promptly left home and enlisted in the Arcadian army in a display of independence. Parent-son negotiations broke down and nowadays Neale has very little contact with any of his family aside from the occasional letter to make sure he's still alive.
Personality: (Optional) Height: 8 feet 8 inches. Race: Lok’sha. Home Nation: Smor’Gen’Blok Magical Capabilities: Berserker. Za’kul’s preferred weapon of choice is a two handed warhammer with his tribe’s symbol on it. He also carries two smaller battleaxes when travelling light. History: Born to a smith and a mason, Za’kul and his parents lived the lower rungs of his tribe which itself was miniscule in comparison to the rest of the neighboring tribes. Secluded in darkness for much of his childhood, he had ample time and peace to adapt to it with only the light from his father’s forging as his sun. From boy into man Za’kul apprenticed under his father as his father turned his smithing of crude weapons into a business and began creating tools and selling them to the less intelligent members of the society.
The Low Kul tribe--as they became known under Za’kul’s father’s assuming of chieftain--rose in prominence not through pillage and raiding, but through goods and service. Za’kul’s father rose through the ranks of the tribe, earning the respect of its members for an approach taboo to the other members of Smor’Gen’Blok: ingenuity. It is for this reason the Kul tribe--having since shed the ‘low’ caste designation but not yet attaining respect enough to designate them ‘high’ and ultimately ‘great’ titles--finds themselves at odds with the much larger and more violent surrounding tribes of the inner and outer caves because of their endorsement of warlord Li’li’po’s desire for a nonviolent S’G’B.
With Za’kul’s father approaching 100 and his mother not too far behind, Za’kul,--the oldest of his siblings-- is set to take the reigns of the tribe and is inevitably tasked with defending his people and keeping the peace with the smaller tribes within the inner caves lest they band together and obliterate Za’kul and his tribe.
Name: Naalti Ezal, known as “Silver Rose” by reputation Age: 61 Race: Myti Appearance: The archetypal female Myti, Naalti is as lean, fur-covered, and cat-like as a bipedal organism can get. However, she is tall for a Myti, towering over many of her kin at 5’7. Her fur has a gray and black leopard pattern, and her feline face exudes a warm yet elegant glow. There’s something intimidating but friendly about it - a mix of attributes that can sometimes throw off those around her just a little bit to keep them on edge. Her yellowish eyes have often been described as “soul-piercing,” though what that means specifically can vary from person to person.
Personality: Naalti is what one might label a “chaotic good” type: not much adherence to rules, but a strong interest in the well-being of the people around her and the society she lives in. If breaking a few rules saves a few lives or makes people happier, then the rules were probably meant to be broken, right? This can come across as a very self-serving mindset, especially because Naalti has a tendency to act first, think later.
When it comes to interpersonal skills, Naalti is known to be warm and empathetic to most, though she is also known to have a hell of a cold shoulder when she decides she dislikes someone. She trusts her gut when assessing people, and often relies on first impressions and intuition in order to read those around her. She jokingly calls it her “cat sense.”
Home Nation: Leias
Magical Capabilities: Like many Myti, Naalti focuses her energy towards Psychic magic with a little Soul magic in her repertoire. She uses her ability primarily for restorative and medical purposes, and as such, Naalti is a renowned healer across Thoris despite her young age for her kind. Much of her reputation lies not in her skill as a healer, but the warmth with which she heals. She has some skill with physical healing, of course, and can speed up healing processes to rates faster than normal with Soul magic, but her specialization lies in her usage of Psychic magic to calm patients and ease their pain or anxiety. She is often summoned to not only heal injuries, but to oversee disputes and mediate disagreements. Her job is as political as it is medical.
Occasionally, she’s asked to use her skill with Psychic magic - as well as her body - for more erotic purposes. Naalti often demands great recompense for her services, but is not as against the concept as one might think, should the right offer come her way.
That said, while Naalti’s control over magic is largely beneficial to those around her, she has some skill with darker forms of Psychic magic and Soul magic for self-defense purposes. If under attack, Naalti can rearrange her attacker’s thought processes as her primary magical defense. On the surface, it appears that she can erase memories, but she describes it more as “moving memories and thoughts so they can’t be found for a while.” A similar effect, but an entirely different, and significantly less exhausing, process. Naalti also can use her Soul magic to re-open old wounds or scars of opponents or redirect energy between different muscle groups if she comes into contact with them. In other words, if she can touch you with her mana focused, she can send your muscles into uncontrolled spasms for a short period of time.
She’s known to dip her feet into other areas of magic where she can, but her skill in any other area can be described as amateur, at best.
History: Naalti was born, like many of her kin, amongst the trees of Leias, one of many in a litter. She knew who her birth parents were, but ultimately, it didn’t mean much; as with many in Myti culture, Naalti was raised by a group of adult Myti with many siblings, both of blood and not. From an early age, it was clear that she had an affinity for magic even greater than that of the average Myti. Naalti was taken under the wing of some of the more practiced casters in Leias, honing her skill and refining her abilities for much of her early life.
She took to Psychic and Soul magic, putting her mind to learning the intricacies of such complex magics. While she preferred to use her magical power to heal others, she also learned of the darker sides of magic. Wary of their effects, but also too curious for her own good, Naalti also spent time studying how Psychic and Soul magic could be used for more sinister ends in an effort to simply understand what kind of power she, and any other caster, could be capable of.
After over two decades of training in Leias, Naalti grew disillusioned with Leias and its endless expanse of woodlands. After long hours of debate with her mentors and her family, Naalti decided to leave Leias and explore Thoris on her own, around the age of 45.
She made her living as a healer and as a counselor, using her magical skills to her advantage. Word quickly spread of the Myti in Arcadia whose healing skills were certainly above average, but was mostly recommended for the ease and warmth with which she healed. Her business grew, and it was only a few years before Naalti found herself travelling across Thoris to attend to clientele of great wealth and esteem.
As she approached 60, knights and paladins of Arcadia began to seek out the renowned “Silver Rose of Arcadia” to help them recover from injury and move past their traumas. While her work has shifted largely towards helping soldiers and former soldiers, Naalti has made it a point to still leave room to help those outside of the military, keeping her doors open for any who might need her assistance.
Appearance: Paric is an average sized Eldi male, standing at 6' and weighing in at 168 pounds. He has a medium complexion and, if not for his natural Eldi physique, would not be slim. Finally, he has, short, roughly cut dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
Personality: Paric is not a completely solemn man even though his history makes it seem so. He enjoys company and, if given the chance, he will stick with anyone who would have him. He's a listener and will often allow a person to talk their head off without interruption. He is also a master at appearing sober while in public.
Height: 6'
Race: Eldi
Home Nation: Kel
Magical Capabilities: Elemental, fire. He has a chaotic grip over his mana.
History: One may conclude that a drunk such as Paric lost his parents as a child. Afterall, it is known that an overly excited Eldi will eventually die from birthing too many little monstrosities. Paric's problem is much simpler than that. He's an Eldi, an unfortuante occurance. There is some more to it, though. Being an Eldi, he curses himself for the arcanal direction he decided to go down as a misled youngster. Stuck as a fire mage for the rest of existence. He could have done something interesting such as metaphysics or something felxible such as the arcane art. Instead, he decided to be an overglorified camp fire.
His reasons for hating the Eldi? Well, firstly, they eat Humans, whose appearance is very much like the Eld. Secondly, the Eldi are so damned self entitled that they couldn't help save their world from a Lok'Sha take over. Thirdly, he had to be an Eldi for a couple hundred years. Lastly, he did not have the wallet for that much alcohol.
Name: Ellorei the Gentle Age: 25 Appearance: Personality: Ellorei could be described in one word, gentle. It had been that way since she was a child. Her heart was always passionate about justice for the weak and wanted nothing more than to give voice to those who had none. Her deep kindness for all creatures is often portrayed as naivete, an assumption that would be most unwise. Height: 5'5 Race: Human Home Nation: Nomadic Tribe Magical Capabilities: Gaia Magic History: Upon her 10th birthday she was witness to a terrible murder while traveling with her nomadic tribe, the Cha'mir. Crying to her parents, she vowed from that moment on to be an advocate for the weak. So, began her journey. As was the case for many Cha'mirans, she dedicated her life to Gaia. However, this is where her adherence to tradition ends; she left her tribe to wander the lands as a self-proclaimed guardian of the journey. With her heart sure of the decision she left the Cha'mir with her parents and Chiefton's blessings. Ellorei began her trial to prove her worth to Gaia in the wilds keeping to dense forests wherein she felt the powers of Gaia manifest through her the strongest. This was the first she had been away from her tribe for any length of time, and the solitude was at times trying. The Cha'mir, those that were lucky to meet them, are known for the deep familial ties as much as they are for their deep respect for nature. Nights were full of campfire tales and on the occasion and holiday, dancing. However, the moment she thought of returning to them, her memory flashed to the wrongful murder thus steeling her resolve. When the time for her solitude was coming to it's close, the whispers of Gaia grew into a voice that Ellorei came to cherish like her own mother's. Upon her ritual dedication, Ellorei waded into a spring in the deep forests not far from Leias. Her spirit calm despite the sacrifices she would soon be forced to make, it was then she heard that same ethereal voice, "Your trial is done, my child. Go flourish my gentle soul."
Name: Ayer Lecomte Age: 27 Appearance: Just linework. Too lazy to color.
Height: 5'11 Race: Human Home Nation: Arcadia
Magical Capabilities:
Ayer possesses a few 'devices', which emulate different node circuits that copy something of a mage's abilities. Simply put, with these tools, Ayer has a wide arsenal of spells, rudimentary as they are, that he would otherwise not have access to normally or are out of his expertise. These 'Ars' devices have a few uses before they need to be cooled off for a while and recharged through arcane sensitive conductors. Multiple uses from them in a short burst is highly dangerous and will probably destroy them entirely, causing indeterminable levels of extreme arcane meltdown.
Ars Core 'Alpha' - Mark 4.3 // “Wax Jury” - His most simple device, though bulky, complex, and crude as it may seem. A series of make-shift mana-lines, essence condensers, and coolants are connected and packaged with the main power unit to ensure full safety and functionality. Though not the most proud looking piece of equipment, Ayer had to work with what he had. Depending on the ‘core’ used, housing different selections and alignments of mana sensitive gems and jewels, the device will expel raw arcane power through a specialized barrel. The complexity of spell is rather simple, with elemental effects, such as water, wind, fire, and electricity being the most stable type of magic being emulated. Increased intensity will cause the arcane essence to be unstable, resulting in dangerous elemental explosions.
Ars Core Prototype 'Beta' - Mark 0.8 // "Callous John" - Recently lost. Ars Tool 'Gamma' - Mark 2.2 // "Jupiter Dawn" - Recently lost.
Aside from this, his talent as a mage is quite lacking. Despite possessing a library worth of technique and understanding across all manner of schools, though namely the Elemental, his actual ability is Novice at best. His arcane nodes had always been weak, no matter what he did.
History:
Magic brought the onset of wonder and imagination of the sentient races to an overgrowing peak, a force of miracles, a display of the soul and will all at once. But Ayer knew the limitations of his own frail body. Still, he never stopped trying to disprove the impossible.
He was the type of boy to risk his life to prove a point, to satiate his wild curiosity. Ayer was always a troublemaker and odd-ball, often arguing with everyone in his village, even his parents, who thought his wild clockwork inventions and doo-dads were a waste of time. Once he was old enough, Ayer would take his savings, accumulated over his young life, and depart the dusky old hamlet he was born in. He would set off for the ivory capital of Arcadia, the center for intellectual and magical significance in the entire world.
As an 'arcane theorist', though purely self-claimed, his intention was to get rich quick by partitioning off his 'grand, revolutionary ideas'. But it was not so easy as the naively optimistic boy imagined. Naturally, because of his lack of social awareness and over-inflated ego, Ayer was the laughing stalk of every place he went. He may have been well-versed in his small village, but the mages and alchemists, who've spent their entire life studying and brooding over tombs, articles, and papers, there did not see the charm in his passion. It didn't help he always started off introductions by proclaiming himself a prodigy and genius of this generation, the 'next Frugel', followed by hair-brained theories that any rightful mage or alchemist would find ludicrous. Quickly, he earned himself a reputation. The 'Theoretical Arcanist' as those of the magic world would come to title him, openly mocking him for his original self-proclaimed title. It was not easy for the eccentric boy, who often slept in the cold of the streets as he would foolishly spend his money on futile, fruitless experiments, acquiring research materials, and collecting intellectual readings of 'rivals', purely to spiteful debate them in his loneliness. Luckily for Ayer, he was pretty talented when it came to fixing things and turning junk to working contraptions. And the fact that he actually shut up when he was focused on work, made him rather tolerable for a while. Otherwise he truly would've starved.
Although he would owe his survival to his job at a small workshop in the city, thanks to a misguided admirer, he always criticized the musk and pollution that steam technology would bring about.
As a year passed with no progress, for many this would be the end. But Ayer never gave up, despite all the remarks and comments and labels instilled upon him by his colleagues. He took their cruel beatings and continued to attend every conference, meeting, and talk, to expand his knowledge. One day, eventually, things changed for the wild dreamer. While attending a lecture by an acclaimed mage in the Arcadian Academy of the Arcane Sciences, of which he furiously debated with the professor mid-lecture, his greatest idea dawned upon Ayer while he was being dragged out of the building. Though, it could be argued that perhaps it was delirium from his head hitting the concrete. That being said, drawing mana was impossible from environment to body. That much was an agreed and establish arcane law, an irrefutable fact. But that was because of fear of self-destruction. However, what if we used a medium to circumvent the influx of energy, eliminating the chaotic imbalance and instability that rendered our blood and flesh to ash and muck... If one was able to circumvent the frailty of sentient form, perhaps then, Mana can be used for other purposes? It was far-fetched, indeed, but he has seen it work on a smaller scale. This idea was the same with heat and steam, generating kinetic force, was it not? The most difficult part of this theory was how to siphon and control mana from the environment, as mana was a volatile form of matter, and mages are only able to do so with the arcane nodes located in their body. But if these nodes can be artificialized and replicated, then that would lead to a revolution in science and magic.
With his new theory brimming in his mind, Ayer bade farewell to the ivory city of Arcadia. And for once, he received cheer as he walked out the academy after proclaiming his great venture. Though it was probably not for the reason he would like to think. The young arcanist would spend the remainder of his teen years dedicated to honing this theory, one he was convinced could work, seeking to understand the nature of these arcane nodes and the relation that mana had on the physical world. Mana existed in all things, and he believed sentience only aided us, while the ability to manipulate mana is a product of the restructuring of nodes that already exist. And nodes, though small, tiny, and insignificant surely must exist elsewhere. In fact, they already exist.‘Psy-Stones’ were physical objects that were able to transfer mana, similar to that of an arcane node. The main problem that many before him faced was how to hone that chaotic energy while removing the ‘mage’ from the equation entirely. And the fact that acquiring such things were beyond conceivable for his measly budget, meant getting any sort of proper data was very difficult. Ayer scoured the entire world, traveling to this dangerous spot to that, volcanic crags, icy tundras, and blistering deserts, hoping to find something others overlooked. This went on until he found himself nearly drowning in the eastern seas trying to observe the nature of massive spark-eels.
Maybe it was a stroke from the divine? Or the fortune of a luck-starved bastard. Though most likely, even the carnivorous eels didn't want any of the sour egg. Waking up in an underground cavern, was when Ayer discovered the breakthrough of his theory. There, in the cavern was a host of crystals that glimmered and sparked. Taking a shard back to his mobile laboratory for analysis, he discovered something. There was nothing special about these gems at all, aside from a striking harmonious mana reading. Analyzing various other types of gems and crystals, he discovered a common trait. That, due to their internal prismatic geometry, this allowed gems to contain an astonishing network of arcane nodes within them. At least, potentially. However, ordinarily, a large majority are dormant and inactive. With this new data of the glimmering sea-crystals, he realized that this innate potential can be unlocked through stimulation by a harmonious frequency and stable current of mana. This whole coastline was famous for one thing, the 'Festival of Glimmering Storm'. What made it unique was that this implied 'storm' was actually triggered by the mating rituals conducted by the looming, great spark-eels in seasons of heat. This was known to be quite the sight, as though the ocean before the coast would bloom like lights in the sky, stirred by the stormy electricity released by the eels. During this day-long ritual, the tides to rise and fall at regular intervals until the impassioned creatures tired out. The shores and seabed would be washed with enriched mana. Luckily, crystals contained the charge for a long time, as it would seem the nature of jewels physical construct appeared to easily trap mana.
Ayer had intended to make it on time too, but he was delayed a few days and thus, missed the event. However, that blunder proved to be the key to all of this. Truly, it was a stroke of mad coincidence.
Perhaps ‘frequency’ was the key? After acquiring a large number of varying gems, he would begin the heavy experimentation period of any proper theory. He soon discovered a few things, actually. Carving them into select-shaped jewels allowed further personalization and specialty, intensifying or waning the concentration of mana contained within. Similar to how a mage would practice and hone their own nodes for specific spells. Using both his knowledge of science, machines, and the arcane, he would develop a interconnected two-point charge that used multiple gems to mimic a network of nodes. Very similar to how Psy-Stones operated, except on a grander, more condensed scale. However, he would instead reverse the whole process. One would be dormant, while the other contained a charge, which when stimulated by a reverse charge, would begin to trigger an influx and absorb mana from a nearby source. Of course, that lead to a series of failures, until he was able to perfect the frequency to allow for steady influx flow. Ayer would create basic devices or 'Ars' that would be able to absorb and trigger a stored mana charge. Like a compact, activate-able 'spell' that required little to no mana usage from the user. Finally, after years of labor and frustration and ridicule, of eating the scraps of the wild and begging for left-overs, Ayer had something to show for it all. He would be able to return to those pompous, cowardly intellectuals and prove them he was worth something.
All that was left was to test and see the results. What he found, was troubling. This process was maybe a little too efficient.
In the end, while there was nothing really 'revolutionary' about these devices, more like glorified elemental payloads, they proved that the newly named 'Arcane Energy Conversion' theory was possible. Maybe it didn't break or contradict any arcane law, but perhaps it was the next big step in technological advancement. Just like the steam engines before him. Ayer knew he had something, but he refused to go back with a half-baked invention and data. Not until he can come back with a theory so great and so undeniable. One that will completely wipe the cheeky smirks off the stupid faces of his detractors. Bolstered by his spectacular failure, he set his eyes on the next step of improving his theory. First step? Probably to get funding to appropriate a new laboratory. Perhaps one that was more flame-proof this time.
And so, the inventor, the self-proven Arcane Theorist, would continue his journey to revolutionize the entire world.
Name: Gybol Age: 24 Appearance: imgur.com/18q6MdU He is slightly glowing blue, rather lean for someone like himself, but pretty damn strong. He's got a shortbow, a warpick, and a few things to help poison the both of them should he need to. Personality: Inquisitive, Optimistic, Shitty humor but that doesn't stop him. Height: 5'11" Race: Human...? Home Nation: Marrenfell Magical Capabilities: Physically? Gybol is just your typical average guy. Born with not much to be special about, he often reads up on things in order to get the edge in life. He is by far no scholar though, his interests varied enough to where not a singular thing could really hold a candle to others. Cooking, on the other hand. Get his hands on a campfire and a pan and he'll whip up something that only few can really make sense of, but crave none of the less.
The thing that does make Gybol special is not necessarily his inability to tap into mana, but his ability to cancel out the use of mana altogether. Born as a null, Gybol has taken deep precautions to hide who he is, claiming that his ability to cook and thus somehow make use of goods and material that wouldn't otherwise work as his cover. Being too close to him causes non-divine magic to flat out fail, while being at risk of that closeness causes magic to perform oddly and unexpectedly.
History: For the most part, Gybol has been no one special. Mainly from the efforts of himself and his father to keep him out of attention’s sight. This was difficult, as for whatever reason despite being entirely human in every other way, he was born a slightly glowing blue. If someone or something were to touch his skin or hair, it would turn yellow, or red if there was pressure to the touch. He never understood why he was like that, and often he would think it was because of his mother. Yet Gybol for the most part grew up never knowing his mother, often his questions about the missing parent toward his only one being deflected with jokes or “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Otherwise, he learned how to be a stay at home sort of man. He can clean, he can cook, he can even go out and hunt. Reading and writing was no problem for him, and he even learned a few things about how to use plant-based poisons to better help with his hunting.
Yet when he came of age, his father disappeared. No letter, no warning. Just gone. No traces that he could find either and he assumed that it was likely that the faith found him and called him away. He wanted to look, but the moment he did, it drew attention to him. Having relocated, he chose to make himself a cook in Marrenfell, opening up a small time cafe so that people could dine in the same peace he had. Every now and then he’d go out and snag his own material for his recipes. During one of these trips, he stumbled upon the half buried skeleton of someone who had clearly died a long time ago. Uncovering it, he discovered a necklace. Some sort of crystal. He has no idea if it’s magical or not, the thing wouldn’t work when he had it either way, so he donned it, a small little trinket that life has more treasures than just experiences with other people.
On first impression, Etelia usually lines up with what one would assume a princess would act like--polite in speech and confident in movement. When she acts more naturally, however, the girl comes off as more tomboyish and lighthearted, in an off-beat kind of way. While a very intense individual by nature, that intensity is beneath a layer of a girl who likes being happy and seeing others be happy. Because of this, it's rare to see her without at least the faintest smile on her lips. It gives her a degree of charisma, bolstered by the lessons she's been given in regards to being a leader, making it no task for her to make another at ease when conversing with her.
On the other side of that token, though, her upbringing has made it just as easy for her to 'flick the switch.' When necessary, that layer of the lighthearted tomboy can be shed, leaving only the dangerous presence of someone who has the capabilities and the nigh-unbreakable will to get just about anything she wants. Without being able to do this, she would have never survived her past. It's enough to say that if she has a goal, one should do all they can to ensure they are not an obstacle in her way. Failure scares her--not in a way that makes her freeze up, though, the thought of which instead lights a fire beneath her and propels her forward. There's a darkness in her due to her past, but her nature fights against it, whether or not that is healthy. Being 'perfect' is nearly an obsession for her. While this can be a great trait, it has significant downsides that can rear its heads at times.
Either way, she's an impressive presence for someone so young. Capable of great understanding and compassion, as well as a degree of ruthlessness when needed, those who underestimate her due to age--or any other reason--will not for long.
[HISTORY]
Born to one of Lord Millesol's mistresses, life for Etelia was destined to be anything but ordinary from the very beginning. Of hundreds of siblings fathered by Lord Millesol, she was one of the most exceptional, and that brought her to the Lord's towering castle in the capital of the nation, where she would spend much of her life.
Along with a few dozen siblings of varying ages, she was 'trained' from birth to be a mage of terrifying power. An inescapable fate, day in and day out, everything she and her siblings did was meant to mold them into super soldiers and nation leaders. Forced beyond their limits every day, any mild failure was met with severe punishment. Weakness was stamped out with the most extreme prejudice. Siblings treated each other terribly for the most part, not helped by the fact that Lord Millesol purposefully pit them against each other to further bring out their abilities. Deaths due to the lifestyle were not uncommon--"they were not strong enough," the Lord would simply say, before forgetting his deceased offspring had ever existed.
Complete exhaustion, both physical and mental, was just a state of being for Etelia and her siblings. Despite all the physical torture, despite the fear of being stabbed in the back by her siblings at any moment, despite the knowledge that she was expendable to the one person who controlled her life, Etelia excelled. The torture worked. Her magical abilites advanced far beyond what most could ever achieve in a lifetime, and continued to develop without end in sight. Though she was one of the few females, and a target due to jealousy, she rarely had trouble protecting herself. Attempts at undermining her by her more psychotic siblings were violently stuffed, and she managed to establish herself as someone to not cross if one wanted to escape with their body intact.
This life ended when the Lord finally passed away due to old age, leaving one final order for his remaining children: fight for the now vacant throne. Only the strongest would be allowed to take it. The Lord's legacy would not be ruined by his successor.
A violent civil war broke out, siblings heading factions against each other for control of the land. Etelia fought as well at the start, wishing to take the throne and dismantle the tyrannical reputation her father had built up for her nation--both out of spite for her family, and for the genuine care of the nation's people. Things did not go to plan however, as Etelia unexpectedly found herself with a large target on her back, as she had before. A few of her siblings, headed by Rollo--perhaps the most dangerous of them all, a proper psychopath who found all his happiness in the suffering of others--worked together to slaughter all those fighting for Etelia.
With the nation fragmented into several factions, Rollo occupying the castle, and no army left to her name, Etelia ran. Despite the clear fact that she would surely die quickly if she stayed, it was still the most difficult decision she had ever made--though her father was gone, the teachings he had had beaten into her remained. Accepting not being strong enough to overcome her current situation head on was hard. Knowing it was for the best though, she made her escape and became a wandering princess of a hated nation fallen into chaos.
She intends to return one day, to fulfill her initial desire to reform her home, but first she needs to find her way back into some position of power. It's difficult to overthrow a tyrant on your own, after all.
[MAGICAL CAPABILITIES]
With knowledge of her past, her capabilities are unsurprisingly monstrous. Her node network is incredibly intricate, and her Mana pool is vast beyond logical reason, giving her longevity that could make the uneducated question if she's using divine magics.
Arcane magic is at a competent level, due to the classification's simplistic nature.
Metaphysical magic is at a high level, focused on light manipulation, and competent in gravity manipulation. Her most notable use of light manipulation involves bending light to deceive and manipulate perception, making something appear where it is not. Her gravity manipulation is used in a far more brutish way, relying on expending large amounts of Mana for powerful, momentary effects to force an upper-hand in combat.
Soul magic is her major specialty. It's what she's spent the most time training. Many siblings were lost to the use of the magic, but she is one of the few that hasn't seemed to be negatively affected by it--likely due to luck of the node draw. All in all, it boosts her normally impressive combat capabilities to a terrifying level, making her exceedingly difficult to put down.
Quite literally bred to be a killing machine capable of abusing magic to its fullest, Etelia lives up to the Millesol name, at least in terms of her prowess as a caster. Though she is significantly less skilled at any applications of her magic that aren't useful in a fight, she can manage to an extent due simply to the handle she has on magic in general.
Personality: Vizz is a sarcastic little fellow who has no qualms in making snide remarks while slicing the throats of those in his way. While he's no Robin Hood, Vizz isn't cruel enough to steal from the already destitute. However, his gains are his alone, whether it's selling what he steals or completing a contract to "recover" something valuable. After a life of being hated for what he is, Vizz isn't too fond of keeping company, unless it's necessary or he's among his guild. Vizz prefers to fight when he has to, and usually from the shadows. Vizz is by no means physically strong or skilled in swordfights, but he knows he's good at sneaking and stabbing, usually together.
Height: 3' 8"
Race: Gibu
Home Nation: Unknown
Magical Capabilities: Gibu have an innate affinity to Metaphysical magic and Vizz enjoys using it, even if he can't use it often. Vizz has practiced magic to get him out of sticky situations, usually deploying his magic in escape trick tactics. Summoning a tennis-sized ball of light to explode as a flashbang, creating a noise as a distraction from the opposite way a guard is looking or changing his own gravity to help him jump incredible distances that his Gibu agility cannot cover are all techniques Vizz can employ. He has no directly offensive capabilities in terms of spells but, of course, that's why you bring a knife.
History: Vizz doesn't usually have much to say about where he came from. And honestly, it doesn't really matter to him. The Gibu Thief grew up in the streets of a small town in Marrenfell after his parents moved in from the Gibu Home Nation. They lived their life in secret, and lived off of lying and stealing. His father was a great teacher in the art of sneaking and stabbing, while his mother taught Vizz the ways of creeping and pickpocketing. However, they also taught Vizz a mantra to live by. "Let the poor be poor, but it's the rich who deserve it."
Of course, a thief's upbringing meant that he didn't grow up in luxury. Many, if not all, Gibu rarely did enjoy the finer life. However, Vizz wasn't content. Once he was old enough, he said farewell to his home and parents before moving on to another city, then the next one, and so on and so forth. It wasn't until a few years until Vizz met more of his kind. Just outside Berganfont is a Thieve's Guild, comprised entirely of Gibu. Vizz immediately set out to join, and was welcomed with open arms. It is now here in the neighbouring jungle that Vizz resides, eating and drinking with his brotherhood.
The Emerald Cutthroats usually accept contracts through secret drop-boxes scattered throughout the town. The contracts are posted onto the board and the Gibu pick which ones they wanna do to collect the promised reward, while picking up any extra gold or valuables during the mission. These contracts range from stealing valuable artefacts, sabotage or even assassination. The Gibu have no problem in using their natural talents for coin and Vizz certainly has no qualms.
Name: Ryio Age: 25 Appearance: (Artwork done by the lovely @RyuShura) Ryio has a peculiar look about her; the longer you look at her, the more that seems to appear and pop up from nothing. The most noticeable things about her are those caught in a single glance- her large, tan cloak that covers her whole figure, as well as her baggy shirt and pants that have been worn rough from travel. Upon doing a double take, more features appear: her lack of a left arm, usually hidden by the cloak, as well as the neatly stowed weapons she carries on her back and at her side. On closer inspection, her dark tan skin and her pulled-back, light-brown hair become distinguishable from her cloak, as does the small rucksack at her right side. In the midst of her seemingly shapeless form is her blank expression, framed by her dark eyebrows and round eyes. Height: 5'4" Race: Human Home Nation: The small, insignifcant town of Hanno in the Kokoria Desert. Magical Capabilities: Arcane, Elemental, and Summoning. Arcane: Ryio knows she is physically incapable compared to most assailants, so she uses Arcane magic primarily for defense, throwing out quick bursts of force to knock opponents off balance or to parry blades to the side. She also uses the Arcane in her daily life to do tasks she struggles with due to having only one arm. Elemental: Ryio is fairly capable with elemental magic, and can start small fires as well as make small gusts of wind. However, she specializes in nature-like magic, such as creating small boulders to crush her foes, or roots to trip them up. Summoning: Ryio can summon a parasitic demon that calls himself Kae'nen. He is an amorphous blob of dark-purple muscle covered in extremely hard, rock-like plating, with rocky spikes jutting out here-and-there. When summoned, he attaches himself to Ryio's shoulder and takes the form of her left arm. Since he is amorphous, he has the ability to change into many different forms, as well as detach from Ryio- though, he's significantly less agile when he does. Kae'nen himself has strength greater than that of an arm from a Lok'Sha warrior, and is a prideful demon that lusts for blood. However, when his bloodlust goes too far, he's known to spontaneously fire off a powerful beam of energy from either of the gems imbedded in his rock plating.
In the desert, all things learn quickly what it means to survive. In the village of Hanno, this same message was drilled into Ryio every day until the day she left. She was born to a family of six- one older brother, her parents, and her younger sister. When she was six, she started studying under her mentor; each child in the village got one, an upstanding adult in the tribe that would raise the new generation to practice the important trades and skills needed to survive. Hers was both the village weaver and a practicing mage, and Ryio studied dutifully under her every day that she could. Ryio quickly became a tiny light in the hopeless village. She would run around with innocent joy, entertaining the sick or wounded with small magic tricks; other times she might weave together a new box or basket for a family, free of charge. Anything she did, she did to help out those around her, because in turn, she knew in her heart that without each other they would all fall apart. Ryio carried on in the same way until she was thirteen, the age when all surviving young people in the village receive their basic combat training. As she got her basic combat training, she realized her passion for defending others, as well as her innate ability to fight. As she grew up, she withdrew from weaving, instead opting to try and become a village guard. Several years of hard-fought spars and long nights of training later, she was finally able to realize that dream and become an official guard of Hanno. In her time as a guard, she made herself out to be the most determined and fierce, despite size.
But even the most determined of guards can fail. While Hanno was a remote village on the Kokoria sea, it was not immune to the travesties all civilizations go through. After only two years as a guard, Ryio woke up to the sound of hundreds of hoofs pounding the earth. From both the east and west came raiders on horseback, attacking in the middle of the day under the scorching desert sun. They slaughtered everyone in their path- and while the town guard stood valiantly, they were no match for the raiders' numbers and experience. Within hours, everything Ryio knew had turned to ash or rubble. Everyone she fought as comrades with had fallen by her side, until she, too, fell. The village of Hanno was no more.
So when Ryio, in an unconscious delirium, was met by a demon offering to give her power and strength to fight on her own two feet, she accepted immediately. The contract was simple- Kae'nen asked for his bloodlust to be satiated, and in return, he would offer her his strength.
After two days of sifting through rubble and gathering supplies, Ryio turned and left for good, destined to travel until she dropped.
(Artwork done by the lovely @RyuShura)