Name: Malach Seraphinus (trans: Angel of the Fiery Ones)
Username: Shard
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Country: Solum
Job: Mage/Blacksmith
Rank: Journeyman
Element: Fire
Familiar:(I'm working on the name, okay?) is a huge Golden Eagle, noticeably larger than any other his comrades have seen, with interesting feather colorations, some of them unusually light for the species, especially along the backs of the wings, where they take on an almost auburn hue in some places, tipped with amber in flickering patterns. His golden eyes seem to pierce straight to one's soul, and many are almost more intimidated at first glance by the bird than by the man. His simple, but perceptive, thoughts seem to have a comforting affect on Malach, and his personality also seems to lend a somewhat more worldly air to things, not so naive as Malach's own might be. It's often said that getting Malach to trust you isn't the trick, that's easy. It's getting his Eagle to.
School:Oron
Description: Malach is a big man. A very big man. Height isn't everything, though topping six feet by a few inches certainly helps, but years of smithing and a generally active lifestyle have made him broad-shouldered, deep-chested, and generally very well-muscled. Hair an appropriate shade of red curls to rest on his shoulders, flow over them, and drape just a little past. Eyes a shade of hazel that is almost amber gaze out from a roughened face that nevertheless is usually wearing a gentle expression, sometimes broken by a brilliant, joyous smile, other times genuine concern and compassion. Seeing one of these is usually someone's first clue that, despite his rather intimidating appearance, Malach is a generally kind, gentle, and caring man. His heart is unusually pure, especially for one who has already spent several years on the battlefield, and he tends to ascribe the best traits and intentions to those he meets, something that has landed him in trouble more than once, and that harsh lessons have begun, slowly and painfully, to curb, whether he likes it or not. Those who know him understand that he would give anything to or for someone he cares about, even his own life, something they often fear may one day be used against him on the battlefield.
Of common birth, Malach doesn't have the refined manners of a person raised by nobility, though the school certainly instilled some in him anyway. He is nevertheless usually blunt, if gentle about it, and often ignores certain customary manners if he doesn't see the point, or deliberately if he doesn't feel the person merits the respect...the latter the grea-*test*-('") sign of displeasure people usually get from him, as he is not prone to screaming, heated arguments, or random altercations over this slight or that.
Though he doesn't particularly care for fighting, he has learned it's necessity, both in defense of one's self, and of those people, things, and ideals one cares about, and in pursuit of this, he fights with zeal and conviction. Regardless, he stalwartly refuses to use any of his more explosive fire effects within a town, or indeed, anywhere near innocents or their farms or buildings. It would be too easy for them to get hurt, or have their livelihoods destroyed. If forced to fight in such an area, for whatever reason, he uses either fist or blade, whichever is appropriate, and tries to keep it limited to those originally involved. He may sometimes use an effect or two of his magic, but they will be contained and tightly focused.
Having learned blacksmithing alongside his other, more magical classes, he continues to ply that trade whenever he can while serving in the army, even going so far as to use his own free time to do it more often. The steady beat of the hammer on metal, the ring of the steel as it is struck, the sparks flying out in a brief burst of life, these calm his mind and focus his thoughts, allowing him to release any stresses and think clearly. He values this greatly, and would not give it up willingly. It also holds another attraction for him....that being it is an act of creation, of making, a matter of no small significance to a Fire mage, whose tasks, especially in the army, so often involve destruction, and unmaking. The souls he is forced to blast from existence as enemies find rest in his thoughts as he watches the sparks rise towards the sky...even if there is a roof over his head, it matters little to the peace this symbolism grants him. The irony that he is usually forging weapons to release more such souls is not lost on him, however. For even when he uses his own free time, he knows the commanders won't be very pleased if he uses precious metal for 'useless trinkets', displays of skill, or anything, really, that doesn't involve battle. So weapons or armor it is, typically in about equal measure. Sometimes he even enchants them, if he feels there is a need, or has a particular friend in mind. His best work of enchantment to date, the blade (name), rests at his own side. (name), rather than being what most people would expect of a fire-mage's enchantment of a blade, does not blaze with fire when drawn. Rather, upon being unsheathed, it becomes so red-hot it borders on white, without losing any of it's tempered strength, and smokes when wielded. It's blazing light has dazed more than one opponent in it's time, and lit many a dark night.
They say there are only two things Malach fears. People he cares about getting hurt or being in danger is one, and one he has to face more often than he'd like. But there is another, and that one he has to face every day...the fear of his own strength. It is a well-known fact, and one that often infuriates his superiors, that Malach never uses the fullness of his power, even in the heat of battle. Not all know or understand why...some say he had an accident during his training that made him so reluctant to use his power....others say he fears a loss of control, though they wonder why, with the tight focus and control he maintains over all his magic. Still others think he doesn't like killing so many, even enemies in battle. They are all.....part right.
Though very, very few people have ever seen Malach angry, resulting in most thinking him almost superhumanly patient with even the most deliberately irritating or insulting individuals, those few who have seen it know that there is one certain way, and one way only, to make him truly angry, rather than simply irritated, as he sometimes gets with those who push him hard enough. That way is to directly threaten someone he cares about, or otherwise considers under his protection. Such a sight, they say, is terrible to behold, for he becomes an implacable foe who fights with incredible strength and fury.
Past:Malach was born a commoner, in a small farming village some distance south of Oron School, to (father's name) and (mother's name). Born with the strength and vitality of Fire, his power was evident very young, not only in his magical potential, but in his vivacity, his early strength, the passion with which he lived life, and his sheer energy. His magic made itself fully known, beyond the mark at birth, at the tender age of three, during a slow-building tantrum that had him wandering off to scream elsewhere. As a result, no one died. Instead, his first display of power merely detonated their barn. He felt terrible about it, running crying and screaming to his parents, apologizing all the while, terrified of what he had done. His parents immediately knew what must be done...after gathering other villagers to help put out the fires that scattered like chaff from the barn, and doing all they could to console their son and reassure him of their love of him, they sent a message to the nearest mage to come -*test*-('") the boy and bring him to Oron. He didn't want to go, of course, and wept fit to break their hearts....right up until they told him what they'd teach him there....control. His childish resolve hardened at this, and internally he vowed nothing like his destruction of the barn would happen ever again. He would learn control, he would make his parents proud, and he would return to them one day. And so it was that he bid his parents, siblings, and small friends farewell, and left for Oron, trying not to let them see the tears that streaked his face in spite of everything.
At Oron, he picked up basic control with an almost fanatical zeal and speed, and was only a novice for nine months. His apprenticeship saw something of a decline in this unusual speed, but focus and control remained things he excelled at, not because of any innate talent, but because of the fervor with which he applied himself to their learning. At nine, one of the teachers overestimated his abilities to focus due to his seeming talent for it, though talent had little to do with it in reality. His real talent lay in evocations....battle magics, and this the teacher had seen aright. They tried to teach him a spell that was beyond his current abilities to control, and he was reluctant to attempt it. However, he had little choice when they ordered him to attempt it anyway, saying how was he to realize his true potential if he didn't push his limits? So he attempted the spell, and initially, all seemed to go well. All up until the release...his irritation at his teacher for forcing him do this when he didn't want to, his fear, and his lack of confidence in himself conspired evilly against him, the emotions causing a surge of power from within him, sending the spell spiraling out of his control with far too much energy behind it. Though the teacher had displayed at least some wisdom in their choice of -*test*-('")ing ground, nevertheless the fires raged beyond anyone nearby's ability to control. Several of his fellow students were badly burned, and a large swath of the grounds was turned into a blackened, charred wasteland before the School's Master of Water appeared and swiftly got it under control. The Healer tended to those burned, and they survived without much permanent damage, though scars still shone clearly, if not nearly as ugly as they might have been had they healed naturally. Once the truth of what happened was known, Malach was freed of any official guilt, and the teacher severely reprimanded. Malach himself, however, was not so forgiving as far as his own guilt was concerned.
He took up blacksmithing, initially in part to avoid contact with his fellow students, as he used some of his free time to practice as well as going to a class for it. However, as time wore on, he found it calmed his memories, his fears, his thoughts. The steady chime of the hammer on metal allowed him clarity, and peace, and even helped him better absorb the lessons of the day. His nightmares became less frequent, then less horrible, then stopped altogether, the terrible smell of burning flesh temporarily excised from his memory, replaced by the smell of the forge. It became his release, his meditation, his art. After a time he began to experiment a little with his magic while smithing...initially simple things like making the fire hotter, then the metal....eventually moving on to minor enchantments on the simple things he made. As he grew in skill, both as mage and blacksmith, he became more confident, though never truly bold. As always, focus and control were his paramount concerns, and he never attempted anything without absolute certainty he could maintain control. His experiments began to truly bear fruit in his Enchantment class, as it was seen he had an already-burgeoning talent for it, though his primary talent remained, much to his chagrin, the evocations of battle magery.
Years passed, and Malach grew into his full height, towering over most others, and able to look even the tallest people he met in the eye without moving his head. His body filled out with considerable muscle born from hard labor at the forge and an active lifestyle, for he enjoyed simple athletics, the exertion and the clarity they brought. He also enjoyed spending some of his free time not smithing by practicing with some of the blades he made, for similar reasons as well as to -*test*-('") his work and find how to make it better. Though his kindness, his gentle demeanor, and his passionate love of life had made him many friends which he sought to spend time with, they often found themselves wishing he had just....a little....more time for them. The end of their apprenticeship was just over the horizon...but when the time came, Malach chose to remain behind for another year, to work on further fine-tuning his focus and strengthening his control still more....he was already the most....either one...in their class, and indeed that many of the teachers had seen in a long time...regardless of his talents, or lack therof, in some cases, in other areas. Nevertheless, he was not to be swayed from his position, and most of his friends were being scattered to the winds anyway. Malach remained, and studied, and practiced, and smithed.
The year went by without event or comment, really. He threw himself into his studies with renewed fervor, seeking to ensure that there was no way he would ever lose control of a spell again, forging his focus into a blade diamond-hard and needle-sharp. When the time came again for graduation, he finally felt himself to be ready. And he wasn't sure the Masters of the School would let him remain another year anyway, Fire mages being so in demand on the battlefield. He knew they'd already received his orders, so there was no point trying to deny them. It was time to find a familiar.
After the initial instruction, as his classmates parted on their seperate ways to find familiars, he found himself somewhat at a loss. For one, the familiar spell was, for obvious reasons, not one he had been able to practice fully. It bothered him, though only a little. If he had felt himself unready, he wouldn't be here, orders or no. Still, he wandered in thought for some time, considering the changes his life had gone through, the freedom he craved, and his own desires to be able to help people, to do some good. He found himself in a field, and lay back to watch the sky for a time, and think. Eventually, he knew he could delay no longer, or he would get in trouble for holding up the class. Closing his eyes, partly to relax and focus, partly to avoid seeing what might happen if things weren't right somehow, he raised his hands in front of his prone form, up towards the sky. And he cast. After releasing the spell, for a moment, one, terrifying moment, he thought he had done something wrong, for other than feeling a little strange, like a wind was blowing all around him, he didn't notice a thing. He didn't want to move, didn't want to open his eyes, and so it took him completely by surprise when an immense golden eagle landed on his arm, talons digging into his forearm, drawing blood and a cry of pain. His eyes flew open, and in that moment when his amber eyes met the eagle's golden ones, all pain was forgotten. Here was a friend who would always understand, always know exactly what he felt, how he felt, what he thought, and would always be by his side, no matter what. Part of him. And giving a taste of that ultimate freedom he so craved, by allowing him to feel what it was to fly, to look down from above and see the greater picture, and not worry.
Upon his successful return with a familiar, the first thing the teacher did was scream and send for the healer. It figured.
Malach was, unsurprisingly, rushed to his new assignment as soon as they could peel the healer off of him and get him to admit to his patient being as well as he might be. Gathering his meager belongings, he set off for the front to begin his life as a soldier, like it or not. He never did gain a taste for battle, but they let him smith often enough when things were calm, and he discovered many new comforts to be found in the trade to counteract the many new terrors he had to face. Wandering around after battle, he found himself wishing that at least one of his trades, mage or blacksmith, had taught him something of healing...his initial attempts at using his magic to help taught him very quickly that the only use fire had in healing was cauterizing wounds and stopping bleeding. He couldn't actually make them heal. So he took to assisting the healers in any way he could, after each battle, no matter how exausted he was, and learning what little he could from them in those brief moments in time. Often, a ranking officer or even the healer themselves would order him off to bed before he fell over. He thought this might be because of those few times he actually DID fall over comatose, but those were extenuating circumstances....
And so now, Malach continues as he has for the past three years.....practicing his magic, practicing his trade, practicing both at once...making a few friends, irritating his officers by not being willing to go into nuke-mode, trying to protect everyone, all the time...and learning what he can of healing, and himself.
Hmmmmm......interesting points, not all of which I'd considered....primarily the human realism part....I'd been attempting to be as realistic as possible while remaining true to the char, but you're right in that he needs something else besides his main traits. I'll think on it. I've plenty of time before this guy even comes up for genuine consideration. Recommendations, alterations, advice, yeah, but consideration for approval? Gonna be a while...they've already got a fire mage, and not enough other mages to justify allowing a second.
The not full strength thing was more the massive, widespread effects....though I see where you're coming from. I wasn't shooting for the Deus ex Machina, but you didn't accuse me of same either...regardless....it was more along the lines of his personality, and not wanting it to go out of control and kill EVERYONE, even people on his side. But you're right, it's war....have to figure a way to work that then, either to somehow justify it in a way that would make sense, or find a way around it without screwing too much with other aspects. I figure with the archers and other mages, he'd probably target them first and swiftly for removal...out of simple self-preservation. The "soldier you don't kill might end up killing your best friend" argument, however, is indeed a tricky one...and an excellent logical point. The bottom line is that he flat out doesn't like killing, but accepts the necessity, both due to war, and in order to protect things.
As for why he doesn't just leave the army if he hates it so much....well...several reasons....one being I'm not sure how the whole conscription of mages works in this world, so don't know if he'd've had the option yet, it only having been three years. Another being, well...hate it or not, somebody's got to do it, and if not you, then who? Not sure about much else, though....you've raised some very good questions, and to be honest, I'm not really sure how to answer them yet. I'll work on it.
As for the big, bigger, biggest thing with the one-upmanship....heh. The big man aspect just sorta came with the character concept.....both the blacksmith and the gentle bear type. As for strong personality traits....I'm not sure I understand that issue....I know that having weak ones isn't good. The familiar....well. I could tone it down a bit, but I agonized over an appropriate familiar for his personality for some time....the first idea, lion, was, understandably, refused....for obvious reasons. I kinda figured on that before I asked, but thought I'd try anyway. Other fire-aspected creatures just didn't really sit with his personality...fox is too much a swift, clever trickster....which he isn't. Serpents are too.....duplicitous and calculating...symbols of deception and manipulation, as well as transformation, depending on who you talk to....also not really him. Birds of prey, now that's something. Almost went for a Red-tailed Hawk, but something just didn't sit right with that either. Finally found some pictures of the Golden Eagle....and it hit. Perfect. As for general justification....well...like calls to like, especially with familiars, right? Big fiery guy, big fiery bird of prey. I dunno. the logic might not follow. Anyway....I'll let Lara and ADK figure out the guy before me, and then start working on this guy. As I said earlier....plenty of time.....regardless of whether I'm patient or not. :P
Edit: P.S. Fyi...I had every intention of setting a very specific power level with ADK and Lara before even starting play, and just have his general usage be a certain degree below that.
I appreciate your ability to see where I'm coming from, so thanks for that.
In regards to his attitudes to war, they're quite understandable to me, and they seem to fit him pretty well. All I was saying is that in the heat of battle, ethics often take a back seat to survivalist practicality, much to the chagrin of ethical types such as Malach.
One more point on war, if one journeyman fire mage could just wipe out all the enemy's archers and opposing mages for peace of mind, infantry probably would be obsolete these days. At any rate it would be quite certain that it's only a matter of time before some Sei mage who's a little older, a little faster, and a little less scrupulous just decides to wipe out Malach and all the other artillery for just the same reason. Game over.
This sort of power escalation makes it necessary that, particularly for glass cannons like a fire mage, the firepower on the field directly affects the amount of strategy each commander has to use in how, when, and for how long to deploy their big weapons, like you. The result is that who, where, and how you kill has nothing to do with what you want.
In regards to your size and all that, like I said I'm not saying any of it pushes credibility, it is all possible, just that the overall combination is something I don't feel comfortable with for OOC diplomatic reasons. According to ADK, tall people typically got that way because of some Sei blood in their lineage, so that might be something to consider getting rid of, especially since blacksmithing can make you strong, but not tall. The strong personality traits I spoke of mainly had to do with your polarized levels of control, being extremely self-constrained unless provoked by threats to family and all that. That's kind of an old trick, to be honest.
About your familiar, a bird is fine if that's what you want, but I would suggest, just by way of putting out some ideas, some creatures besides the ones you mentioned. In my opinion, the bond between mage and familiar has a lot more to do with personality than elemental aspect. Of course as usual nothing I speculate in regards to magic is canon, but on the working assumption that I'm right, you might consider something along the lines of...
A badger. Similar in that it is a generally quiet and passive creature, which can quickly become a frenzied terror if cornered. Exceptionally strong.
A spider. As unlikely as it seems, it is another creature that divides it's time between creation and destruction, making beautiful, lethal art for it's own survival.
Animal personalities, just like people, are a composite of a million smaller aspects. Don't discount something just because it's classically associated with one quality that you don't feel represents your character.
Regarding your mage's power level, I wasn't too worried about that. What people say in their profiles rarely has anything to do with what they play, so I judge that based of one's actual play style. If I get upset, I'll just ask you to scale it back in your posting.
Hmmm....good point on the glass cannon/non-massive powerscale thing. Being able to wipe out all the enemy mages early on would imply he was stronger than all the enemy mages...which isn't the idea. Think I'll have to wait until I can discuss particulars of magic, how it works, and how it's used in this world, a little more in-depth before I'll be able to get a clearer idea of what he WOULD do in battle, tactics-wise. I know about the spell circles, some basic ideas, the elemental theme, counterspells, and the element-specific vs. universally available spells, but not much else.
As for the height probably being Sei blood....that's a thought. I'll have to discuss it with ADK and Lara, to see if there are any other reasons he would be that tall, but either way, it's likely to add a new dimension to him. He needs those other character aspects, remember? :P Besides, from what I hear, Fire mages are more common in Sei. Might explain a few things. Doesn't have to be a LOT of the lineage, but enough. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The polarized levels of control thing, save for family/friends in danger thing, and his ethics...most all came just as part of his character, it's just who he is....this guy damn near wrote himself once I had his name. Strange how names'll do that...anyway. As for it being an old trick, well...don't fix what's not broken, right?
As for the familiar....I'm seeing some of the themes I didn't before that you guys are having a little issue with, particularly the large and powerful bit....I'm not sure about finding another that suits him, but I'm definitely thinking I'm going to take out the 'unusual size' aspect from the eagle. Choosing a different one...well, I dunno. You've given some good points, and the badger sounds interesting, but the eagle is kind of part of the 'angel' shtick...came from his first name, and for some odd reason, it's had a massive impact on who he turned out to be....like I said, I got the name, and he wrote himself. I'm sure you've noticed he's not exactly my typical character style. So yeah....it's subtle, and underlying, but it's pervasive throughout the character.
Besides. If I really wanted to go for biggest and baddest, I could always make ADK and Lara's day and go for a Harpy Eagle. :P
Name: Lance Knight
Nickname: Jack (short for 'Jack of all traits')
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Race: Humans
Country: Solum
Job: currently working with the military
Rank: Journeyman
Element: Fire
Familiar: Falcon
Familiar Name: Falco
Familiar Sex: Male
School: Rusticus Academy
Description:
6' 3" tall, average build, light brown short and straight hair, light skin tone. He's normally described as lazy and not motivated but that is only on things he's not interested in at the moment. He prefers to wear dark colors, he's normally wearing a black cloak and his left shoulder and arm always have on extra padding because he almost always has Falco on his left arm or shoulder. He's normally quiet, barely talks to anyone and does not like being bothered at all. He always look sleepy, is generally angry over something but that doesn't show most of the time because he puts on the appearance of being happy. He has a strong sense of honor and respect, he does not like fighting but he can handle himself if the situation requires it. He's rude and cold to everyone that doesn't know him personally therefore he has very few friends, if any.
History:
He was first sent to Dimicatio Academy due to parental pressure due to the fact that he showed great fire mage potential but after failing half of his classes he managed to get a transfer from that Dimicatio Academy to Rusticus Academy. It is said that Lance knows a little something on everything due to his numerous hobbies and interests. Which made some wonder why he barely passed his academic classes. Some find it strange that he shows great potential in some fields some days then average the next. Concerning manipulating flames he sometimes displays exceptional talent, concerning many other magical fields he displays average talent.
The day Lance was born his parents soon discovered out that he had fire mage potential because as he cried, the fire in the fireplace erupted, nearly setting the house on fire. As he calmed down, the flames calmed down and soon faded away, it was realized that Lance's fire magic was more tied to his emotions. Lance's parents are farmers and live near a small town.
Lance's first name came from one of his father's friends who was there at Lance's birth, the man also was a soldier in the army. When the fireplace nearly erupted in flames and it was discovered that Lance was controlling the flames he said, "the kid's a little fire-lance." From then on the name Lance stuck.
Some call Lance a pacifist, in fact he has a case of hemophobia (fear of blood) therefore his does not like to fight but that does not mean he will. He is skilled in hand to hand combat and a skilled swordsman, his skills with a sword are above average for his age, he prefers single edge swords (for instance Katana). Lance seems to have a strong control over his emotions, some say it's rare for anyone to see him angry yet when he is angry it's best not to be in the area, it is common for Lance to appear happy. Lance's skills with a bow and arrow leave much room for improvement, he compensates this by being able to cast a basic fireball with ease and good accuracy yet he has never needed to use this ability in a real combat situation (yet). Lance will more than often shy away from a fight.
In his classes Lance was very quiet, he rarely talked to anyone. The few times he did speak was when his professors called upon him.
At a young age Lance showed a great interest in many things mechanical. He knows how to repair, build and operate a variety of machinery. This talent caught the eye of a few of his professors in Dimicatio Academy at the time he was working on a hang glider. When the professors found out about his talent and interest he suddenly stopped working on his glider and destroyed it.
Personality and the truth behind Lance/Falco:
Lance is a loner and sometimes called a drifter, he hates big crowds and dislikes people in general. He knows how to handle a sword and handle himself in hand to hand combat but he does not like fighting. Lance would rather live his life doing the things he love and that's playing with Falco, building, dismantling machines and/or Traveling. Lance has many hobbies which sometimes revolve around machines and their workings, though he rarely keeps a specific hobby for longer than a month due to loosing interest in it (ADHD).
Lance has a strong bond with Falco, stronger than some others and their familiars. This can sometimes lead to confusion between the two because they feel each other's sensations as their own including many slight sensations, for instance soft breezes. Lance can even sense Falco's falcon instincts, this has led to a few awkward moments, yet that does not bother Lance. Though their abnormally strong bond is sometimes a disadvantage Lance and Falco managed to make it their advantage. Lance is a pacifist who doesn't like to fight but that is contrary to Falco's behavior which is more aggressive. Why this is so is probably due to Lance's own subconscious emotions finding an outlet through Falco, also most likely a side effect due to their strong bond.
To many people Lance is very difficult to get along with because he pushes them away, gets on their nerves and is considered cold hearted. He does that intentionally because he does not like people bothering him. Yet those that get to know him soon find out that he is fiercely loyal, a kind and caring person. Lance also does not care what other people think of himself and therefore does not care what they think of him being a fire mage.
Lance is normally a quiet person who keeps to himself. He rarely speaks to others, when he does speak up he only says what he needs to say and most likely what he is saying is very important. Lance is smarter than he lets on, he prefers to hide his intelligence as well as his skills in the magical arts. He intentionally puts on an appearance of an average skilled (or below average) journeyman who is also very anti-social. Lance does his best to appear happy for others yet in actuality he is a sad individual. He has few friends and others tend to shun him after finding out he's a fire-mage, that left deep scars in his heart but he hides them as best as he can. Lance prefers to not talk about his past.
Though Lance may not seem like it he and Falco know more about others than they let on. Falco being a falcon is easily able to spy on others from a distance, Lance is also able to read lips.
Lance has a strong respect for nature and nature's creatures. He doesn't like humans much (and knows the irony in that) but he does his best to respects everyone. Lance treats Falco as if he is a trusted and respected friend.
Lance has a talent for all things mechanical. He has a talent for being able to build and repair various machines and mechanisms.
Lance would prefer to simply roam the lands with Falco by his side. He is currently working with the military repairing their front line machines, in addition he is there as magical support. Lance was drafted for this task and he dislikes it.
Past:
At the age of five Lance's parents managed to get him enrolled into Dimicatio Academy. As a five year old child Lance was excited about school and being around other mages. For the first few years he studied and worked hard at his school work, passing all his classes with high marks. Lance enjoyed learning about magic and studying all the various sorts of magic, he still does but he keeps what he knows to himself.
At the age of nine Lance discovered what he was being schooled for. The thought of being a weapon at first excited him but the thought of hurting other people senselessly made him ill and he started to intentionally fail his classes, except a few classes that he barely passed. Those classes were weapons sword combat and hand to hand combat. Lance at that early age started searching for a school that was not training it's students for combat and he managed to get a transfer from Dimicatio Academy to Rusticus Academy.
At Rusticus Academy Lance did his best to hide his fire-mage abilities but that quickly failed within the first week when he accidentally burned a tree he was taking care of after getting frustrated. He managed to quickly put the fire out but the damage was done. A few weeks later while Lance was in town on a school holiday he came across a blacksmith's shop and started watching the blacksmith work on metal. This was when Lance was first truly interested in metalwork. Lance watched for a few minutes and noticed that the smith's fire was starting to go out. Lance took it upon himself to take control of the fire, which the blacksmith didn't notice at first but when the fuel was expended and the fire continued to burn he noticed and Lance was the only other one there. At first the Smith didn't know what to make of Lance but when Lance asked if he could help out the smith agreed. After that Lance commuted from school to the smith shop almost every day for a few months until he came across the local mechanic/inventor. Lance soon gained interest in machines, which he stopped working at the Smith's shop and started working with the mechanic, learning about machines and mechanical workings. Lance spent a few years commuting from school to the mechanic/inventor's workshop, learning about many things that were not primarily magic based.
Lance learned much while working with the mechanic/inventor over the years. Lance also knew a little more about the school and politics than he would openly admit. He did his best in order to keep out of the armed forces. He intentionally barely passed his classes as an attempt to stay out, unfortunately it didn't work. Few of the school's faculty suspected lance's plan in how he handled his grades but the school's seer knew.
The month before Lance was to work on getting his familiar, Lance became interested in flying. The inventor dabbled in the field but Lance went further and built a glider. Unfortunately when he was going to -*test*-('") it the seer and a few others interrupted him, overreacting Lance used his magic to set fire to the glider, destroying it.
Shortly after he destroyed his glider on accident Lance worked hard on controlling his emotions so another accident like that would not happen again. With most of the students shunning him because of his fire-mage abilities Lance soon became anti-social and started to enjoy being in the woods more. From that he gained a great respect for nature, when he's in the woods it's not uncommon for him to climb a tree and rest there out of sight and reach of others.
Falco and Lance have no fear of fire.
Currently:
Lance is lying down in the grass, looking up at the sky watching Falco fly and hoping he could join his friend in the sky.
I wanted a fire mage mostly because I like fire over the other elements, unless there is a lightning mage (I know there is not a lightning mage).
If there is anything I'm missing let me know, I'm still working on him but this is what I have so far. I tried to make him a complex individual. I am still working on his specific past.
It's fine, I can wait. Please take your time. Thank you for letting me know about it though.
*wince* Betcha didn't know it would be THIS long, huh? Anyway, years later, we have FINALLY gone over, and congratulations! You are now approved for RPing! *wild applause* Good on you!
One thing to be noted: On the hair thing, we LOVE the creativity there. And, what's more, we love how you explained and worked it into the context of the setting and the character. Very nicely done.
However, please bear in mind that as he was only an Apprentice at the time of casting the spell (which would likely be an enchantment of sorts; something Rusticus does pretty well), he wouldn't be able to manage any sort of spell complex or powerful enough to biologically alter a human to be able to use the chlorophyll as a means of gathering energy.
We've decided that it's okay for him to have the stuff in his hair, therefore turning it to that lovely shade of green ( :wink: ), but any benefit he'd recieve from such would be purely pyschological. Kind of a placebo effect, if you will. He thinks it helps him, so he helps himself.
Oh, question though: does the chlorophyll ever go through stages of fading? Like, does it change with the seasons? The month? The temperature? In terms of a tree, would he be deciduous or an evergreen? Heh. Just something that came to mind. (I don't mean to open up a whole far-fetched thing here, and would caution you against getting to carried away with this theme, but I'm just thinking in terms of what I remember from biology and talking about the chlorophyll and I thought I'd bring it up.)
A note to others. BE CAREFUL about making choices like this in your character. Qman did an excellent job of explaining and adjusting this concept to our satisfaction, hence our approval of it, but just a heads up. The more unlikely the attribute, the more convincing we need. :wink:
Next, I want to compliment you on the reasoning behind the "best offense is a good defense" philosphy. I like the choice, and also how you specifically didn't make him overpowered! Good on you! There's beauty to be found in the "normal." :P
And, last but not least, if you're wondering why it took us so FREAKIN' long to make this post, it's because ADK (who is the one who saw this during my long absence) had some reservations/concerns about the hair thing, and thus, didn't want to approve it without my input. Now that we've discussed, however, we came to the conclusion you saw above.
So, once again, sorry for the wait, and welcome to the RP! ADK'll go move your character sheet now.