"You call me a witch, an abomination, a freak of nature... but isn't it society's fault I'm the way that I am?"
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Aelphis Vres-Lii
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Faye
Origin: Edren
COMBAT INFORMATION
Class: Black Mage
Weapon: Circe, a simple stave fondly named after a witch from a bygone era. Dotted with motifs of piglets and even adorned with a boar's skull at the head of the staff, this stave is attuned to spells that incur afflictions or curses upon the mage's foes. Has a single slot that allows for the embedding of materia.
Inventory:
- Robes
- A multitude of books that center around the theory and practice of magic, alongside a few other books that relate to alchemy and herbalism.
- Collapsible portable chemistry lab for rudimentary alchemy
- Herbalist's satchel
- Potions in syringes (x3)
- Ether Distiller, a device hooked up to Aelphis's arm. Allows for the intravenous consumption of Ether as needed to compensate for diminished mana reserves. (x5 doses)
- A shiny pebble
Materia:
- MP Turbo (embedded within stave)
- Frog (frog)
Limit Breaks: Penultima
An offshoot of what is said to be the strongest form of Black Magic in all of Artimis. An all-out offensive spell, Aelphis conjures a blast of raw black magic that can shatter through all defenses... However, this spell only bears a fraction of the original's power output, incapable of piercing through certain powerful defenses. Proof of Aelphis's magical talent... or perhaps the expectation to master such a spell alludes more to the high expectations his "mother" had for him.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Appearance Details: Short for a Faye, Aelphis stands at a measly 5'4", bearing a slim and almost malnourished build. His jet-black hair is kept at a short length, and his skin is rather pale, outlining his sunken crimson eyes. Aelphis's body is marked with small cuts and bruises, all scars of experimentation, some self-inflicted. Aelphis appears rather timid and unassuming, his hands trembling especially as he casts his incantations. Between his general demeanor and his boyish looks, many would underestimate the young Black Mage at first glance.
Personality: The child prodigy who grew up into a burnout. Aelphis carries a multitude of burdens, many of which he hides under a mask of cynicism and desire for solitude. Acquiescing to the rumors of his kind, the Black Mage is more than content to live the rest of his days as the dreaded "Witch of the Chocobo Forest" if it means he will be left alone. Much of his motivations in life have been squashed, replaced with a simple desire to fulfill his own bodily needs. This includes his addiction to Ether, something he has grown an unhealthy dependency on to numb the pains that come from his upbringing. Even his research has been dedicated towards this physical need, studying ways to extend and increase the effects of Ether for a longer-lasting high.
Despite these issues, Aelphis still carries a burning curiosity to learn more about the world around him, a fragment of his former love of learning. This curiosity burns especially bright when it comes to uncovering the true mystery surrounding the darkness that plagues the world. Not for any altruistic reasons, of course. It would be just a bit easier to score some Ether if all of Ibros didn't blame him for the light fading away. Now that he started thinking about it, it'd be nice to be a "hero," too, if it means everyone would get off his case...
Biography: There are many stories surrounding the "Witch of Chocobo Forest." Some say she is a terrible hag who drinks the blood of children who stray too far into the woods, drinking their blood to stay eternally young. Others say that anyone who wanders too far into her domain would be turned into a toad. There are even a few sinister rumors that this witch even had a hand in bringing about the vanishing of the Light! Of course, these rumors are, in the end, mere rumors meant to scare children from going into the Chocobo Forest alone... well, except for the toad part. That part has some truth to it.
The true identity of this "witch" is none other than a young Faye Black Mage named Aelphis, who merely wishes to be left alone. To the lost traveler who would find themselves near his humble abode, Aelphis would simply give them directions, in exchange for ether or coin for more ether... and to those eager witch-hunters who read too deply into the rumors, they would enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be green and slimy for just long enough to be punted to the other side of the forest.
Aelphis was not always a "witch." There was a time when he was just simply a boy who had also gotten himself lost in the woods one day, lured by a whisper in the wind as his latent magical talent awakened. There, he met someone who would more correctly be called a witch; a strange woman with a big hat. This woman had realized Aelphis's potential not long after their chance encounter, and quickly took him under her fold, informing the boy of his aptitudes and enticing the young Faye her own magic. With promises to teach him such mystical wonders, Aelphis was more than happy to learn from this witch.
This was but one of many mistakes Aelphis would make in his life.
The witch's lessons were harsh and heavy-handed, with lessons of both black magic and alchemy hammered into Aelphis's mind. When he wasn't learning magic or otherwise running errands, the strange woman had performed many peculiar experiments on the boy ranging from testing the limits of his mana to seeing how different toxins and drugs would affect his ability to manipulate his aether. It was this ordeal that had caused Aelphis's addition to ether in the first place, the witch using it as both a way to quickly restore his magical reserves for more experimentation as well as a way to control the boy to further her aims.
This went on for almost a decade until suddenly, the witch had vanished on the eve of the War. It was a struggle for Aelphis to cope alone and without the woman for a time. Despite the abuse he had suffered under her tutelage, she was also something of a parent to the boy. It didn't help that he had been slowly weaned off of the witch's supply of ether. After another half decade of monotony and a gradually declining store of ether, Aelphis realized that staying around in his surrogate mother's abode would be, as she put it, "a waste of his talents." Not wanting to be nagged by her during her eventual return, Aelphis would set off, following any call of adventure he would come across...
Traits:
- Tends to ramble and complain when it comes to heavy physical exertion such as hiking long distances.
- Hates small talk. Prefers to speak only when it concerns important things, like how walking sucks.
- Enjoys spicy foods. Dislikes sour foods.
- Sports a surprising green thumb.
- Allergic to chocobo feathers. Aelphis is very happy he is away from home.
- Polyglot, despite being sheltered for so long.
- Does not have a Oedipal complex, please stop asking.
Relationships:
- Witch (?) - Surrogate Mother. Teacher. Has a nice, big hat. Studious, stern, probably sadistic. Status unknown. Aelphis isn't even sure she was a true mage from the amount of materia she had.
- Viper (27) - Magical Reagents dealer. Roves around Edren. Has ether... for money. A bit of a drama queen.