Duncan MacArthur
NameDuncan MacArthur
Age25
GenderMale
Relationship StatusWidowed
JobHobo, former innkeeper, former sailor, former priest.
Element/AbilitiesDuncan's life since he turned 19 has been dictated by his ability to control air. Years of experience of applying it to actual battle have allowed him to figure out quite a number of uses to apply to personal combat. From forcing the air out of an opponents lungs, to gagging them by stopping the movement of it in their throat, to changing the flight of arrows, his use of air magic in combat is by far where most of his knowledge of his abilities lie. Still, the entire reason he began using his magic was to be able to control the weather, and years of making the attempt at sea, and devoted study at a temple to Olwyn have allowed him to make some breakthroughs there- creating enough wind to fill a ship's sail's comes easily to him, and Duncan can even create an "eye of the storm" around him with effort, making a small area where the clouds part and the weather calms. While he knows flight would be his favorite application of his magic, he considers it a luxury has has never had time to learn- his other abilities carrying far more weight in his day to day life over the past few years.
In-Depth AppearanceDuncan, at first glance, is not much to look at. He is garbed in a traveler's cloak that is so dirty that its former life as a priest's garb is lost on the casual observer, and the rest of him isn't in much better shape. Simple commoner's clothes lie underneath, clearly well worn and roughly patched in places where they've begun to tear. A sword- indicative of those preferred by sailors, rests at his side, although if the condition of the hilt is any indication the blade is likely rusted to uselessness. Finally, and perhaps most notably at first glance, a patch covers his right eye, hiding it from view.
- New sites, sounds, people, and places.
- A fresh wind on his face.
- The jingle of a coin purse after a hard day's work.
Dislikes- Overconfident youths.
- Violence in general, but especially pointless violence.
- Himself. Past, present, and what he expects of his future.
Biggest FearDuncan above all fears that he may never allow himself to find peace. Not in a mental sense, but rather that his wanderlust and inclination towards adventure will ultimately destroy any good situation that he ever manages to make for himself. Whether it be a well paying job, a home he loves, friends he makes, or lovers he takes. Ultimately he fears that he'll never be able to hold onto anything, and given the choice to stay or leave, he'll always choose to throw them away in favor of the road.
PersonalityAs someone in his home town would say, Duncan is "A Steady Breeze blowing over the Raging Sea". Generally calm and open, he has an inclination towards spreading advice even when it isn't wanted, and mingling with anyone he finds interesting at a glance. Still, while he has few buttons to press, he finds it increasingly difficulty to hold back once his anger is awakened- and whether violent or verbal he usually tends to cause lasting harm before being able to calm himself. It's a bad habit that grows increasingly more common as he starts to drink, and so he tries to stay away from alcohol in spite of his love for it.
As both a former priest and one of the Marked, Duncan has no doubts as to the validity of the Destined legend. Still, more than anything it fills him with unease. He sees it as a curse for anyone he is Destined to be bound with, and he also feels he's been robbed of the freedom to find his own partner. Though the Marked can supposedly settle down with people they are not Destined for, he has already been a widower, and is convinced that would be the fate of anybody else he tried to marry that he wasn't bound to.
BackgroundDuncan grew up in a small port town, the son of a barkeep selling food and drink to the sailors who pulled in to port. In spite of being one of the Marked, he grew up with few expectations for himself, and a good life already planned out. He would marry his childhood sweetheart, Jeane Cromwell, take over his father's inn, and experience life through the stories his patrons told over mugs of ale. Just as his father had before him. For the most part, this reality held true for almost twenty years.
However, there was always an... itch inside him. Whenever he felt the wind blow against his face Duncan felt the strongest urge to move, an urge that he fought constantly. His wife was both sickly and insecure, believing inevitably that the woman he was Destined for would walk into the inn one day and steal him away. So he stayed. Stayed with his wife. Tended his father's inn. And fought any urge to leave and see the world.
Until Captain James Cunningham walked into his inn and changed everything.
The man had caught rumor that Duncan was one of the Marked, and was dead set on hiring him to serve on the Marauder's Forlorn, a renowned pirate hunting vessel. Men and women skilled in Air were always valued at sea, and for days the captain tried to convince Duncan to join him. First regaling him with tales of his journeys, victories (never defeats), and wondrous cities he had taken port in. Next he tried to entice the young man with promises of fame and glory as a member of the sea's greatest pirate hunting ship.
Finally, he spoke of riches- and more importantly, a chance to find a cure for Duncan's wife on a far off shore.
Jeane, of course, was completely against it, afraid her husband was just using it as an excuse to leave and find the woman he was Destined to be with. To her credit, she was right about the first point- it was an excuse. He had been looking for a reason to leave his home for years, and this was finally one he didn't have to feel guilty over. He knew it, she knew it, and Captain Cunningham knew it.
At the cusp of 20 years old Duncan set sail aboard the Marauder's Forlorn, and spent the next three years of his life as a member of Captain Cunningham's crew. His captain pushed him constantly to improve in his studies of magic, coveting the day that Duncan would be able to bend the weather to his will like the most powerful of air mages. Any engagements that the ship participated in were just more practice, and over time he found a myriad of ways to surprise or disable his opponents for an easy kill. In the course of three years luck and skill resulted in him barely receiving a scratch, and Duncan felt himself invincible until he lost his eye and nearly his life during an everyday engagement to a no-name group of brigands. Magic did not make up for the overconfidence of youth, as it turned out.
Recovering in a hospital bed on a foreign shore, he felt like returning home for the first time since he set out. So he took his leave of his Captain, with his sword and loot he had obtained over the course of his service and set out to be reunited with his wife. What he found instead was a grave, and was horrified that mixed in with his grief was the slightest feeling of relief.
Disgusted with himself, and having no desire to take on his aging father's business, he left his old man with the money he had earned at sea and set off once more. This time he traveled by land, completely without a purpose, trying to lose himself in the vastness of the continent. When he reached a new town or village he would offer his hand working until he saved up enough money for the next stretch of his journey before setting off once more. For months he traveled like this, perpetually penniless and drunk nearly as often, before stumbling on a small temple to Olwyn, god of the air, atop a small cliff on the side of a rarely traveled road. Tired in more ways than one, he stopped there for the night. When the old priestess that tended to the building welcomed him inside, Duncan broke down and opened his heart to the woman, telling her his life story.
When he finished, they sat in silence for some time, when finally she offered him a place at the temple. Maybe, she suggested, serving the god would serve to calm his soul and give him purpose. She had intended it of course as a way to help heal him, but Duncan embraced it as a penance to pay for the mistakes he had made.
So he stayed there, first learning the teachings of his god, and later greeting travelers as a priest. For over a year he tended to the temple and old woman, embracing his new home as he had embraced the sea years before. Indeed, he was happy, in spite of the spectre of Jeane haunting his mind. However, the temple was not the sea. He was not moving, instead Duncan was stagnant, confined to one place once more. The itch returned more strongly than ever, each time a breeze blew over that small cliff. He fought it as strongly as he could, busying himself with the study of his magic when possible, but both he and the priestess knew he would one day leave with the wind.
Four months ago that day came.
Fashioning his robes into a traveler's cloak, he slipped away at night without so much as a goodbye, heading towards the Royal City. He knew of course of the festival that was going to take place there, and the old priestess had urged him for months to take part. Now was his opportunity, perhaps to find his Destined. Find happiness. Find himself.
Though he was terrified of what the last one might mean.
ExtraFC: Tom Hiddleston
Color:
FF7222PS: Duncan speaks in an accent that clearly marks his origin on the coast, although years of living away has taken the edge off of it.
PPS: Jeane's wedding band is always on a chain around his neck, even when he's sleeping. A penance for leaving her in her final years.
PPPS: Aside from his eyepatch, there is a long deep scar running along the side of his head, running above and stopping just behind his ear.
Damycles
BayRat
Member
