“In the darkest hour, when common swords falter and wizards run short of words, the knight commanders stand firm. Their runes burn with Solarin’s grace, and their hearts beat with a courage that even the gods envy.” — Inspired commoner
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• Leia played by shylarah • Kalowick played by BurningCold
Appearance: Leia has sharp features and thin lips. Her skin is pale, like she doesn't get enough sun -- although this is far from the truth. She has an athletic build from her years of training. She tends toward modest and hard-wearing clothing, when she's out of her armor, favoring blues, grays, browns, and black. She does like an excuse to dress up a little, but rarely wears actual dresses, preferring clothing that can be fought in if necessary. She is at home in her standard armor, which is a combination of leather and plate, easy to move in with practice but still providing protection to the important areas. She carries her sword nearly everywhere, a longsword with a blue-green stone in the crossguard and a tooled leather sheath.
ceremonial armor standard armor
Height: 5'7" Eye Color: blue Hair Color: tawny brown
Personality:
Leia is a determined and hard-working woman. She strives for excellence in whatever she does. She is competitive, and is constantly measuring herself against the bar set by her parents' achievements. She's friendly enough, but tends to be blunt in her words, which can be off-putting to others. With friends she relaxes a little, letting her guard down. She is immensely loyal to those who have her trust, and does what she can to support them. She has a strong moral compass, but she is also pragmatic, willing to do the dirty work when she believes it is required. She is level-headed, keeping her cool even in stressful situations. Failure and helplessness scare her, but her greatest fear is being forced somehow to harm those she cares about.
Background:
Leia is originally from a town east and a little north of the capital. Her mother Raia is a renowned sorceress and expert on the lost ruins, her father James a knight commander that served the crown. Leia discovered her magic powers at a very young age, and immediately her mother started training her. Leia is not her mother's equal in talent, but through extensive study she's learned a great deal. When she was seven, she and her mother relocated to the capital of Olenta, so that young Leia could start on her goal of becoming a knight commander. Under her father, she studied swordplay, as well as tactics, strategy, and logistics. Here also she had to devote herself to training, which she did with a will. After a few years under her father, she became squire to a knight commander named Agimund, who also had some wizardry background. At fifteen she took the test to become a knight, and passed with flying colors. Such was her skill that at sixteen she was granted a rune by the previous king.
When the king died less than a year later, Leia was devastated. She'd meant to pledge her life to the rightful king, and now there was none! Still, she continued her training in the hopes that one day the rightful heir would be found and take the throne. She devoted herself to her trade, so much so that she never really had time for a significant other. She's had a few flings, but that's pretty much it. Even after achieving her goal of knight commander at twenty-four, she's never really looked for love.
Leia was thirty when there came an attack on the Lord Steward Geraint. She was there for the attack, and even defeated one of the conspirator knight commanders. She was the first to suggest Kalowick become a knight commander himself, recognizing his loyalty and prowess in battle.
Rune Affinity: force Leia is able to move herself and others, as well as objects, with bursts of force. She uses this to fling herself forward, and to drag enemies towards her. Finer applications include jumping farther, slowing her landing on a long fall, and deflecting arrows or other blows. She can create shields and barriers if she is concentrating.
Skills & Abilities: Leia knows how to use most martial weapons, but she is most skilled with longsword. Leia is ambidextrous, able to fight equally well with her right hand or her left. This allows her to sketch magic spells with one hand while using her other hand to wield her sword. She is a sorceress, and has a signature spell that drains the target's energy to replenish her own. She knows a great number of standard wizard spells, and has designed a few of her own to buff herself and damage her enemies. She has a good grasp on tactics, strategy, and logistics, though with no recent wars she's only played wargames to exercise these skills. She knows basic first aid. She knows how to survive in the field. From building fires to hunting and foraging, she's learned how to get by on her own.
Additional Details: Leia has a lovely contralto singing voice, though it's not easy to persuade her to sing.
Relationships: Kalowick: Leia was the first to suggest he become a knight commander in the wake of his mentor's betrayal, recognizing his loyalty and skill.
Nickname/Titles: "Snake-Eye", "The Watchful", "The Green Walker"
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Appearance: Kalowick is built like an acrobat: his body trained to move quickly and to navigate rough terrains with ease. His pale skin contrasts sharply against the wild shock of dark hair atop his head, while his wry expressions and serious gaze suggest a man that is not tamed, merely temporarily restrained. The small, pale scar beneath his left eye is easily passed over in recognition of the sturdy leather patch that covers a large portion of his face. The serpentine color of his solitary eye matches the flairs of green that decorate the furs and leathers that he dresses in. Dyed feathers, claws and teeth are all affixed to his ensemble, as well as various pouches and vials containing a variety of herbs, oils, and what the trained eye would recognize as poisons and potions.
Affixed to the leather belt round his waist, a number of sharp implements hang in their sheaths. Some of these are for skinning fur or carving meat, but there is no mistaking the purpose of the black-metal short sword or its twin dagger. Despite these tools, Kalowick's favored weapon of battle is the wooden staff he wields. Coaxed from the depths of a generous tree, the dark oak staff is covered in faintly glowing green symbols, and tiny wild flowers perpetually bloom along its length before withering away to make room for more. Affixed to the top of the staff by leather straps are various charms made from precious stones, animal teeth, feathers and claws.
Height: 5'9'' or 1.75m Eye Color: Murky Green Hair Color: Raven Black
Personality:
Kalowick is a true believer. To commit to an oath is to stake your entire being upon the truth of your words, so when it comes to both his faith in the Alveria royal line, and his dedication to the Old Ways, there is no room for doubt. He is a man characterized by loyalty and conviction, and struggles to imagine what he would not do for the Bloodline.
He is thoughtful and witty, happy to trade banter but also open to reach others on a deeper level. Everyone is different, and so to a degree he does treat everybody differently, but respect is a constant he tries to adhere to. He truly does not believe that his station makes him any more valuable than the average commoner. After all, the dirt takes us all in the end.
Kalowick, thankfully, has not yet been put into a situation where his dedication to the Bloodline has come into contradiction with his egalitarian nature. Though it is true that he prefers to spend his time out in the field, rather than within Olenta itself. He makes the necessary appearances and occasional patrol, but if anything awakens Kalowick's wild side, its the presence of the power-hungry. Cities are full of people like that. More than once Kalowick has eyed the steward with suspicion from afar, even if their record is clean and their intents seemingly honest. You can never be too careful.
He carries himself with grace and poise, moving with fluidity as his solitary eye surveys the spaces around him. In his solitary moments, he will quietly sing the Old Songs in the druidic tongue as he perches atop a rock, rests beneath a tree, or strolls open fields and quiet city streets. The Old Way is not just a path to power, or a mantra to dictate harmony with nature. It is Kalowick's culture, and its practices live on in him even as the tides of time erode it. When he is old, and withered, and given all he can to the kingdom, the last thing he will have to offer is the wisdom and tradition of the ancient druids. It is a duty he takes upon himself with pride.
Those that respect Kalowick's Way and see the value in its continuance will find themselves in good company. Kalowick is a firm friend and a cunning ally, full of wit and wisdom. He's not beneath working with those he finds distasteful either, so long as their goals are aligned. His oath to the Bloodline supersedes any personal animosity he might feel.
Background:
Kalowick is descended from a community of druids that were welcomed into the kingdom of Alveria some two centuries past. Since this time much of the culture has faded from relevance and awareness, mostly kept alive only by small communities within the Greenwood. Kalowick grew up in one of these small settlements, which provided a large number of its able-bodied men and women to the Everbranch Border Post to become rangers of the forest. Kalowick himself was an eager student of the Old Ways.
He learned the Songs of Bark and Leaf from the Tree-Shapers, and how to use these songs to become one with the forest and bend its purpose to his own. He learned the Arts of Flower that use the bounties of the natural world to create healing remedies and balms, and he learned the Arts of Thorn that draw on nature's dangerous potential to brew poisons and paralytics. From the Hunters he was shown how to track, trap, and kill the creatures of the forest, as well as how to harvest each component of an animal so that its death holds purpose.
The Beast-Shamans taught him the dangerous Songs of Wing and Claw: communion with the animals of the world. How to summon a raven to your side and see through its eyes, how to compel a snake to sink its fangs into your chosen target, how to pacify a raging bear into compliance.
There are also the Rites of Rot and Decay, said to be capable of urging corpses to rise when bonded with the appropriate fungus, or to inflict a man with disease or sickness with words that corrupt the very air they travel through, or to command swarms of insects and baser creatures to harass and harm. These Rites Kalowick would only learn much later, and many are time consuming, dangerous processes.
Kalowick was only a boy when news of the king's death reached his settlement, and the course he would plot in life was set. He was an idealistic child, but also wise beyond his years, and as he grew from a child into adolescence he came to understand that without a strong ruler on the throne, the forest he called home would not be safe forever. And if war did come to the Greenwood, it would need someone capable of protecting it. The free time that he spent roaming the forest and playing with other children instead was dedicated to training with the rangers of Everbranch. Many of his own people were among their number, and taught him what they knew happily. By the time he was sixteen, he was a ranger in his own right.
A Knight Commander by the name of Varn Skyir took a liking to Kalowick after they fought side by side against a coven of rogue sorcerers that attacked their ranger unit while out on patrol. Kalowick unleashed the teachings bestowed upon him with ferocity to aid his brethren in quickly dispatching the spellcasters. His talent relative to his age and the conviction with which he fought and wielded his own power caught Varn's attention. Later, when he asked Kalowick if he'd ever killed before, Kalowick said no, but that it was easier than he thought it would be. Varn asked him why that was, and his answer was simple.
"I've discovered that traitors enrage me."
Varn, who was not a regular at the Everbranch Border Post, departed later that week. And Kalowick, after saying his goodbyes to his village and his fellow rangers, went with him. The pair traveled across Alveria together, ending disputes, hunting criminals, and slaying monsters. From the choppy waters of the Azure Expanse to the frigid heights of the Ironspine Mountains, Varn exposed Kalowick to the wonders and dangers beyond the boundaries of his forest home. Varn the Far-Traveled was already known through the lands, but as years went by, stories of his druidic apprentice, Kalowick of Green Paths, also began to circulate. The pair had a strong friendship founded on respect and trust, and Varn, a battle-mage that drew upon the power of the gods themselves to do battle, was able to offer unique perspective and guidance to Kalowick on his own spiritual journey.
During a visit to Olenta, Kalowick, now twenty, uncovered a dangerous plot. He had been immersed in the senses of a crow as it flew across the city, and chanced to spy a strange thing indeed. In a secluded corner within the gardens surrounding the Radiant Citadel, Varn stood among a mixed group of individuals. Several wore the finery and signet rings of nobles, while two others were armed and armored, each bearing, just like Varn, a lesser rune. Flying closer, he overheard talk of the kingdom's weakness and the need to restore it. The line was dead, their oaths were meaningless, and the steward did not have the strength to protect Alveria from its rivals.
Kalowick cut connection with the crow, and raced to warn the steward. His face was familiar enough that he was allowed entry, but as he sped into the throne room, what he found was a blood bath. Knights dead at the feet of Varn and his co-conspirators, and the steward guarded on either flank by loyal knight commanders. Kalowick saw Varn turn to him, and he saw him speak, saw him beckon for Kalowick to join him. But he could not hear him. His ears ringing, his face splitting into a snarl even as tears stung his eyes, Kalowick charged. This broke the tension for the others, and soon the throne room was erupted into battle.
Varn should have defeated Kalowick that day. He was more experienced. He was stronger, quite possibly smarter, and nearly as fast. Kalowick once witnessed him burn a hole through a wyvern's skull with a prayer and a single ray of sunlight.
Yet, Varn died that day, his fellow conspirators along with him, and in the coming weeks Kalowick's testimony sent no less than six nobles and a plethora of criminals serving them to the gallows. But how? It's simple.
Kalowick's will was stronger. He had faith in himself, in Alveria, and in the Old Ways. Varn had lost his way. Lost his faith. The moment he committed down the path to treachery, Kalowick would later muse, he sealed his own fate. Their clash, however, was not without cost. His right eye and the surrounding flesh is ruined, not burnt, but withered. Varn struck out at him with cold, necrotic fire that left the wound cracked and gray, almost petrified. Even now, if he were to remove the patch, one could see dark energy pulsing from the spiderwebbing cracks that run across the stone-like skin.
Kalowick accepts this toll. His dagger found its way to Varn's heart all the same.
Not long after, the Knight Commanders of Olenta discovered Kalowick's ability to bear a lesser rune, a fact they uncovered through correspondence that Varn also knew and was concealing. In light of his heroism and sacrifice, they instated the one-eyed druid into their ranks.
Since then, Kalowick has garnered something of a reputation for rooting out corruption in the towns and cities of the kingdom. That is, when he isn't continuing the work set before him by Varn. He was Kalowick's mentor still, even if he lost his way. There will always be more monsters to kill. Now, Kalowick understands both forms that they come in. A final lesson for the apprentice that surpassed his master.
Rune Affinity He is eligible to receive one. Perhaps it will unlock the ability for him to shapeshift, or command a greater degree of creatures outside the normal spectrum of nature. Maybe he will be able to use trees as a gateway from one forest to another. Who can say until he receives the rune?
Skills & Abilities: Arts of Flower and Thorn: The brewing of potions, oils and the like both to help and harm.
Songs of Tree and Leaf: With the right words in the Old Tongue, one can become one with nature and command it as an extension of their own will.
Songs of Wing and Claw: The ability to summon, pacify, or command natural creatures of the world.
Rites of Rot and Decay: Dangerous, distasteful methods to control corpses or inflict sickness. Only the Rites of controlling bugs and insects has ever been deployed or considered by Kalowick.
The Green-Walker: Kalowick has survival training in all manner of wilderness, with specific preference for woods and forests.
Snake-Eye: Kalowick fights with focus and precision, his fighting style guarded and evasive while biding time and energy to wear out his opponents before striking at weak spots.
The Watchful: He is comfortable leading in areas where his expertise is at the forefront, and is also happy to act in support and advisory roles to help guide the group and the current decision-maker towards the wisest decisions.
Additional Details: -Kalowick has a wide vocal range from bass to tenor when singing.
-His powers do work on aquatic creatures, but its harder for him to control.
Definitely down to fleshing this out with how he engages with other characters and if there is any shared history once more people post up their sheets! Let me know if you have an idea for something and I'll do the same!
Relationships: Leilani Suldevi: Leia was there the day that Kalowick intervened on Varn's plot. She watched him kill his master even as she slew one of her own former allies. Her voice was the first to suggest that Kalowick join the ranks of the knight commanders.
