Caden Law
03-30-08, 01:26 PM
Updates listed in blue. I moved around some of the things in Skills, but only to make it easier to read (specifically, Magic and Runic Spellwork are now listed near the bottom, since that puts them right above the Specific Spells section, which is entirely new).
Also, if anyone's wondering, Caden essentially skipped Level One due to all the EXP reaped during the FQ. Hazzahs are in order, yes. Level zero can be found here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=84959).
EDIT: And I'm going off of the current variant of the General Character FAQ for levels. Which lists 5,000+ as being 2. Sorry for any confusion if that's been changed recently.
Name: Caden "Blueraven" Law
Age: 24
Race: Human
Hair Color: Light blond
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Occupation: Wizard, freelance navigator, alchemist, archivist, and translator
Personality: Caden generally comes across as a rather reserved intellectual -- awkwardly pleasant and genuinely unsympathetic when you can actually corner him into a conversation that doesn't rely on magic or one of his other occupations. He has a passion for travel by ship, whether conventional or otherwise. Besides that, Caden is a quiet cynic with sarcasm to spare; growing up in the frosty north left him with little more than a laundry list of complaints and a world of unsympathetic ears. Give him a situation, he'll give you a complaint. Give him an excuse, he'll give you a corpse. Even at age 24, he's had enough time and enough bad experiences to develop a keen mind when it comes to battle and life-or-death situations; his actions can seem downright impulsive, but he's always got some kind of goal, and he'll stick to it no matter what. Incidentally, Caden is never above fighting dirty -- even when he doesn't have to. Owing to certain experiences in Raiaera, Caden has also acquired a half-hearted racism towards Elves. High Elves, Drow, Half-Elves, whatever; if the ears are pointed, he automatically assumes something along the lines of You snobby little bastard. He's still able to make friends with individual Elves, just not very easily.
Appearance: Caden isn't terribly impressive. He barely tops out at 6'1", and most of his body mass consists of lean, skinny muscle. He's pale to the point of looking pasty, has freckles in a thin band from cheek to nose to cheek, and his eyes are defined as the plainest shade of blue that's ever existed. None of his facial features stand out, and you'd be hard-pressed to spot peach fuzz on his face, let alone an actual Wizardly beard. The rest of his hair is cut short and not at all neat; he has a near-permanent case of hat-head that looks like it could eat a comb when he wakes up in the mornings. Insofar as clothing is concerned, Caden's signature look consists of a blue longcoat -- about shin-length -- worn over black pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. Topping this off is a wide-brimmed, pointy-tipped hat -- a Wizard's Hat, thankyouverymuch. It's blue like his coat, bears a thick and heavy looking leather belt around it, and the top half just barely sags forward. More often than not, Caden can be found wearing glasses, and he always carries a pair of what, in modern senses, could be described as biker's goggles. The glasses and goggles are to make up for a small bit of nearsightedness. He also wears a pair of heavy-duty boots, but never any gloves. Among other things he acquired from his time in Raiaera, Caden now bears two scars near the base of his neck. Originally they bore the initials of Viola Darkstalker, but Caden cut or burned the letters off at some point after his teleportation mishaps; they're now just ugly squares of thin, slightly darkened skin.
Skills:
Alchemy: Another consequence of his Wizarding background. Caden is an adept alchemist -- not the best, not even above average, but he can brew up a potion and perform low-level transmutations as necessary. Unsurprisingly, his alchemic skills are useful for preserving food and medicine-making, though he's also been known to patch up clothing using alchemy. Not a combat skill; he can't even transmute most 'useful' solids.
Languages: Caden's time spent traveling the world has left him with the unique ability to pick up almost any language in a matter of hours, and he becomes literate almost as quickly. At present, he's got perfect fluency in Tradespeak, various dialects of Salvic, and Elven. He knows the rudiments of several Berevan tongues. His Wizarding background has also left him with a good grasp of Old Diamonic, particularly its written aspects. Incidentally, Caden has the irritating habit of forgetting spoken languages almost as quickly as he learns them, though he never forgets how to read or write in them. Like any properly trained Wizard, Caden is able to read things written arcanely, such as Sideways lettering. For reference, Sideways letters appear like a crude barcode to most people. He can also speak with proper punctuation, for whatever that's worth.
Knowledge: Timetelling: Owing to mishaps in teleportation during his time in Raiaera, Caden has developed the ability to tell time and date perfectly down to the second, regardless of references or lack thereof.
Knowledge: Cosmic Positioning Sense: Again, owing to his mishaps in teleportion while in Raiaera, Caden has developed the ability to tell where he is even while blindfolded and without being told the name of the place. He can only pinpoint his location down to the city level. Unlike his ability to tell time, this may fade out at some point.
Navigation: The last of Caden's noteworthy skills, and arguably the most useful in the long run: Caden is a master navigator. Whether by starlight, direction or landmarks, Caden is rarely, if ever hopelessly lost.
Swordsmanship: Is just plain piss poor. Caden generally knows how to wield a sword with all the skill of a rookie footsoldier being sent off as cannon fodder. Whenever he carries a sword, it's usually for the factors of intimidation and deception, though he can actually (almost) handle himself after his time in Raiaera. Almost. Ish.
Magic: Caden is a Wizard, first and foremost. He practices a sort of freeform casting style that allows the user to maneuver while casting spells, but his magic is mostly generic (a fireball here, a magic missile there, the occasional lightning bolt and so on). While he often uses a wand for magic, he can do so barehanded with a little more effort. He has specific affinities for Arcane, Earth, Thermal and Gravity magicks, defined below.
Geomancy: Caden is an adept Geomancer, though most of his skills in that area rely in tapping into leylines for emergency boosts in power. This is a time consuming process and given his current level, Caden is constantly in danger of hurting himself in the process. His ability to move and shape earth is dependent on how much magic is rooted in the area around him; generally unblemished, magic-saturated land such as that of Raiaera is much easier to move than something like the industrialized land of Alerar. His only named Geomancy spells are the Stone Maiden Mausoleum and the Circle of Power, explained in the Spells Section.
Thermal Magic: Caden is an adept Thermal Mage, able to manipulate temperatures for himself and others; both for survival and offensive purposes, with intensity varying by focus. This brand of magic ignores specific elemental immunities. He has no specifically named spells at this time, but acquired the bases for a Thermal Lancer spell during his time in Raiaera, and may be working on a Thermal Strike attack as well.
Gravity Magic: Caden is currently less than adept at Gravity Magic and requires a boost from leylines to make any real use of it. At present, he has no named gravity spells available to him but is able to generate small increases or decreases in his own personal gravity at this time; enough to slow or quicken his falling speed or someone else's by 15%. He has one spell in the rough concept stage, namely Blueraven's Siege Arcana.
Arcane: Caden developed an affinity for traditional Arcane Magic during his time in Raiaera. Owing to previous experience, he's barely an adept at it. His only named spells are the generic Magic Missile, Lightning Strike and Arcane Blast. He may or may not have a basic concept for trying to learn how to Polymorph things, but he can't actually do it. Yet. Probably.
Runic Spellwork: As a consequence of his Wizarding background, Caden is well-versed in how to write spells out in advance. Provided he's been given a good enough description, he can even write out spells he doesn't personally know. The catch is that, at this point, he needs to write them out using ink, lead, chalk, paint, blood, or some other medium. Provided enough time, Caden is able to use Runic Spellwork as a means of performing spells he only has in the conceptual stage. This is extremely time-consuming and dangerous, as displayed during Raiaera when he created the initial concept of Siege Arcana from scratch and was unable to use it without hurting himself for several hours.
Specific Spells: While Caden's magic affinities and powers all have generic components that allow him to function without specifics, his named spells are generally a bit more powerful. Put into Real Game Terms: Unnamed spells are equivelent to Level 0 or 1, while named spells are (usually) equivelent to Level 1 or 2. Several spells have certain overlapping elements, but all are organized according to the dominant aspect (Earth, Thermal, Gravity, Arcane, Runic).
Stone Maiden Mausoleum: Created on the spot during Caden's time in Raiaera, named in deference to the Iron Maiden and Mausoleums that inspired it. Essentially a rectangular, outhouse-sized iron maiden formed from earthen spires. Requires at least two turns to set up, but actual deployment is relatively quick and can be performed with the hands or a focal object of some sort.
Circle of Power: Performed using Geomancy, but Caden can also create one using components from Runic Spellwork. The level of power increase this grants is directly proportionate to the size and durability of the array, which in turn depends on how much time Caden has to set it up. Incidentally, Caden simply cannot set up a Circle of Power while fighting unless he has someone else covering for him, and even then it takes a minimum of one turn to do so. The power granted may also be effected by its placement; a Circle put in place over a leyline will grant more of a bonus than one that isn't.
Thermal Lancer: A thin beam of concentrated heat or cold, intense enough to scorch or freeze a pencil-sized hole through an unarmored target. Depending on the heat or cold of it, the Thermal Lance is barely visible as more than a wave through the air. Launched using a wand or at least one fingertip. Currently in the conceptual stage, Caden is unable to perform this spell without at least some recent or current contact with a Circle of Power.
Thermal Strike: Presumably a last ditch melee attack reliant on a bladed weapon. Once a good hit has been made, the point of impact either grows painfully cold or hot. Repeated hits to the same area cause increasing levels of hot or cold, probably culminating in either localized hypo- or hyperthermia. At higher levels or with prolonged contact, the target may literally freeze or combust at the point of contact. Requires the use of a bladed weapon. Currently stuck in the concept phase, and obviously not practical since Caden would need a Circle of Power for it.
Blueraven's Siege Arcana: Primarily a long range gravity spell conceptualized during Caden's time in Raiaera, and the only one of his spells to date that bears his own name. Highly unpredictable, but the end result of the design process will probably be a cannonball-sized projectile that implodes something at the point of impact, then detonates with a huge burst of heat, cold and arcane energies. Currently an unpredictable, highly damaging gamble that requires a heavy-duty Circle of Power, a prohibitively long charge-up time (at least 8 to 10 turns) to assemble the spell, and more time still spent just aiming the damn thing. Its incomplete debut is noted for being the only attack to even phase the Necromancer, Xem'zund, during the fall of Eluriand.
Magic Missile: The classic standby of any Wizard worth his salt. Magic Missile is a comet-like burst of stark white-and-blue light, traveling roughly the same speed as a major league pitcher's average fastball. It deals damage to a target through impact, though nocturnal foes might be a little disoriented by the brightness of it. Strictly line-of-sight, but Caden has limited guidance over the spell, provided he's willing to stand still and aim it all the way to the target. Can be performed with the entire hand, a finger, or a wand. Its maximum range is around fifty yards, though it grows progressively weaker after twenty-five and only has a 5th of its original power at maximum range.
Lightning Strike: A thin, relatively weak lightning bolt. Lightning Strike primarily does damage through heat, shocking and a little bit of impact. Despite the Arcane mechanics of it, this counts as an elemental attack and won't phase anyone with immunities or resistances to lightning magic. Performed using a wand or one to two fingers. Its maximum range is also fifty yards. Accuracy depends on whether or not Caden is moving at the time; it's decently accurate when he's standing still or moving slowly, but wildly (and dangerously) inaccurate when he's moving at speed.
Arcane Blast: Similar in concept to Magic Missile, but different everywhere else. Arcane Blast manifests as a tightly-bound collection of blue and purple wisps, striking the target a little faster than Magic Missile and dealing zero impact damage. The key difference is that it explodes with force and heat comparable to a small hand grenade. Arcane Blast is an unguided spell, requiring the use of a wand or the entire hand to cast. Its maximum range is about twenty yards, give or take a few feet.
Concept Bypass: Relates directly to Runic Spellwork and requires the use of a medium to write with, though not necessarily something to write on. Displayed during Caden's time in Raiaera, it allows him to bypass the concept phase and fire off powerful (but unpredictable and increasingly self-destructive) variants of spells that he may or may not know. Time consuming either way, especially when Caden has to create a spell from scratch.
Wizard's Voice: Not actually a spell so much as a side effect to his Wizarding powers. Caden sometimes speaks with an unnaturally deep, echoing voice that can be heard in the mind as much in the ears, regardless of distance or background interference. While it functions passively similar to telepathy, it can be heard by anyone between he and the one he's speaking to, and it requires actual speech. It can only be used at long ranges when Caden knows a specific name for his target, be it a Sorcerous, True or Birthname; it just has to be something that the target closely identifies themselves with at some level. Useful for intimidation and communication, but very little else.
Equipment:
Blueraven's Grimoire: The most prized of Caden's possessions, such that he never actually shows it to anyone. Caden's Grimoire is a leatherbound book with a blue raven painted on the front cover, with the binding kept shut at all times by a heavy-duty padlock. One part journal, one part spellbook, one part alchemic record and one part world map, Caden would sooner kick a small puppy than lose his Grimoire. While physically boasting only 600 pages or so, the actual interior is much, much larger. Caden has been known to use it as a focal object for spellwork in desperate situations. Otherwise, he keeps it secreted somewhere in his hat.
Greyspine's Grimoire: Acquired during his jaunt through the alternate future of N'Thayn'sal, where pretty much everything went to Hell in a very shoddily built, unclean wicker basket and the world itself was dying a rather slow, unpleasant sort of death. Greyspine's Grimoire shares the same overall dimensions as Caden's own, though its colors are predominantly grey and black, with human backbones painted along its spine. While Greyspine's Grimoire is unique among the world for technically existing in two places at the same time, the one Caden carries has lost any and all of the magical knowledge that his future had written in it; either erased through the happenings of timetravel or re-absorbed by the modern version of the book. It only contains a twenty year history of the things that lead to the creation of N'Thayn'sal, written from the point of view of an alternate future self of Caden's mentor.
Wizard's Hat: The second most prized of Caden's possessions. His Hat is mainly noteworthy for never falling off, even when heavily damaged. Besides that, it's big enough inside to safely store his Grimoire in, as well as Greyspine's own, and its magic is sturdy enough to keep the Grimoires intact even when the Hat itself isn't. Whenever significantly damaged, it simply needs to be repared for Caden to retrieve his books.
Bazaar Wand: Acquired as part of Caden's jaunt through time and space. Roughly 14" of unstained oak with a thin core of damascus. Effectively a generic wand, unremarkable in every way. Primarily used to ease and quicken Caden's spellcasting. Generally tucked away in one of his sleeves, though it's anyone's guess as to how he makes it fit in there.
Wand of Nevermorrow: So-named for Caden's goal of aborting the world where he acquired it. Roughly 18" of highly intricate, dedicated workmanship in the arcane. This wand resembles an Akashiman sword hilt in most respects; it's capped at both ends with rectangular pommels of damascus, wrapped in blue-dyed leather around a rywan casing. The core is made from liviol. Primarily used to ease and quicken Caden's spellcasting, though its weight and durability make it useful for smacking the crap out of someone as well. Often worn at his side or tucked away in his coat or hat.
Raiaeran Conscript Sword: Cruciform steel sword of average quality. Covered in Raiaeran glyphs and songnotes, but otherwise unextroardinary. Caden wears it in a wooden scabbard strapped across his back. Styled after a two-handed Coronian sword, meant for stereotypical human conscripts.
Raiaeran Conscript Breastplate: A piece of Raiaeran armor covering the chest and back, worn over Caden's normal clothes and curved along the shoulders and stomach to allow for maximum flexibility. Unextraordinary in all regards, not to mention in rather poor shape after all the abuse Caden's put it through.
Burlap Sack: Bought during a jaunt through the Bazaar. Your bog standard burlap travel bag, able to handle all the necessities of travel.
Bowie Knife: Bought during the same Bazaar trip. Roughly 13" of average-quality steel and a handle of rubber, leather and some cheap wood at both the pommel and handguard. Weighted towards the upper-middle and often worn in a leather sheath on Caden's belt.
Surgical Scalpel: Just what the name says. Roughly the size of a short pencil, with a blade that measures half an inch at the most. Average steel. Caden usually keeps it tucked in the sleeve opposite his wand, and uses it mainly for writing with blood and for situations where somebody else's slit jugular is preferable to his own.
Familiar: A blue-feathered raven named Kaerul. While blue and capable of mimicking human speech a little better than a parrot, Kaerul has never demonstrated any other unique attributes. It comes and goes at random, never staying with Caden for more than a week and never being away from him for more than three months. It's more like a really eccentric pet than an actual Familiar. Besides moving in generically mysterious ways, Kaerul occasionally points Caden in the direction he should (or, perhaps more appropriately, shouldn't) go.
History: Caden Law originates from any one of the hundred or more evershifting feifdoms in the League of Salvic States; specifically the small village of Evernorth. Evernorth was one of the furthest proper villages anywhere to the north of Knife's Edge, and was barely large enough to qualify for a genuine Church. Its existence largely revolved around icefishing and alchemy, and besides having a proportionately large number of local magic users originate from Evernorth, the place is really not even worthy of being a comma on the pages of history, let alone a footnote.
Caden himself was born as the eighth of ten children -- nearly all of them boys. He was the only son to show any magical talent whatsoever, something that ran strong in his sisters. Like most children with such talents, he was given an education that his parents, a fisher and a market-owner, could've never afforded without the local Church's patronage. Where his sisters took to the teachings of the Church like fish to water, Caden took it more like a bird to flight; clumsy, sometimes disastrous, and often painful. By his early teens, he'd acquired a well-deserved reputation with his teachers for disobedience. Rather than simple expulsion, due to his talents at magic and a gift with language, Caden was instead 'rewarded' for his learning by being apprenticed to one of the Church's roughest 'field agents' -- a Wizard and Priest acting on its behalf by negotiating peaces with the local tribes and warding off the various walking natural disasters that inhabited the area around Evernorth.
His name was Jolstice Aramson, better known locally as Greyspine. On his last day in Evernorth, Caden met Aramson and was given his own sorcerous name, Blueraven, because a blue raven landed on his shoulder mere moments after Aramson presented Caden with a wand, Hat, and Grimmoire. Caden spent roughly three years working with Aramson, learning the ins and outs of basic Wizardy. He showed a natural lean towards manipulating Gravity, Earth, and Temperature, all while trying to keep up with his other studies. Unfortunately, he and Aramson continued the troublesome relationship Caden had always had with the Church's teachings. They eventually had a full-fledged falling out, and Caden barely escaped their confrontation with his life and health.
For what little it's worth, Greyspine must've pulled a few strings. Despite the fact that they came to blows and basically tried to murder each other, Caden has never been pursued by the Church or any others for his desertion. He left Evernorth without so much as a good-bye to his family, and hasn't looked back since. Whether the village is still there, or has become a part of one of or more of the ever-shifting feifdoms that pockmark the League, Caden still doesn't know and still doesn't care. He made his way to Knife's Edge, working for a time as an archivist in a local library. Eventually, Caden saved enough money to fund himself as a member of an adventuring company.
He set sail with the crew, and spent the next few years simply wandering the world from one hectic situation to the next. He's survived his fair share of dirty deeds, both by and against him. Every so often, the old raven returns, babbles a few things at him in one tongue or another, and then vanishes again. He's established a few genuine friendships, gotten a working knowledge of the world at large, and he's done well enough to keep his head down and avoid making any sort of reputation for himself. Now, at age 24, Caden has decided to take a little break from the life of adventuring. He's stopped off at Scara Brae, and that...
...that is probably where his story really begins.
Incidentally, the prologue phase of his story was relatively uneventful. Caden waltzed through the first day or so like any tourist would, had an encounter with a witch and then a run-in with That Fucking Bird, Kaerul. The next day he was on a boat and the next week (ish) he was in Raiaera and the rest of it reads as one long, bloody, painful, scar-inducing nightmare. His time there has recently hit a crescendo in that his time in general got scrambled with a rather unpleasant teleportation mishap. For a short while (relatively speaking), Caden actually existed in two or three places simultaneously. When he finally finished teleporting, his various selves merged back together, leaving him about twenty pounds heavier, an inch taller and with all their newly acquired experiences and equipment. Needless to say, the experience has left him a little jittery with regards to teleportation.
RP Records
Tourism for Wizards (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85425) - -15 gold; gained 670 EXP and 180 gold.
Unto the broke, unto the cynical (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85241) - Acquired Bowie Knife, Scalpel, and Burlap Sack, -115 gold. +100 EXP.
FQ: Slings and Arrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=8699) +706 EXP.
FQ: Beyond the Bridge of Souls (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=88175) +1193 EXP.
FQ: The Field of Sighs and Sorrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=92739) +1446 EXP. Gained Conscript equipment and Arcane affinity.
Cosmic Bump in the Road (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12219) - Acquired Oak/Damascus Wand, -350 gold. +100 EXP.
The Cosmic Detour (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12597) - FQ-earned Gold (1438) spent here. Acquired Rywan/Damascus Wand, internal GPS/Clock abilities.
Also, if anyone's wondering, Caden essentially skipped Level One due to all the EXP reaped during the FQ. Hazzahs are in order, yes. Level zero can be found here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=84959).
EDIT: And I'm going off of the current variant of the General Character FAQ for levels. Which lists 5,000+ as being 2. Sorry for any confusion if that's been changed recently.
Name: Caden "Blueraven" Law
Age: 24
Race: Human
Hair Color: Light blond
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Occupation: Wizard, freelance navigator, alchemist, archivist, and translator
Personality: Caden generally comes across as a rather reserved intellectual -- awkwardly pleasant and genuinely unsympathetic when you can actually corner him into a conversation that doesn't rely on magic or one of his other occupations. He has a passion for travel by ship, whether conventional or otherwise. Besides that, Caden is a quiet cynic with sarcasm to spare; growing up in the frosty north left him with little more than a laundry list of complaints and a world of unsympathetic ears. Give him a situation, he'll give you a complaint. Give him an excuse, he'll give you a corpse. Even at age 24, he's had enough time and enough bad experiences to develop a keen mind when it comes to battle and life-or-death situations; his actions can seem downright impulsive, but he's always got some kind of goal, and he'll stick to it no matter what. Incidentally, Caden is never above fighting dirty -- even when he doesn't have to. Owing to certain experiences in Raiaera, Caden has also acquired a half-hearted racism towards Elves. High Elves, Drow, Half-Elves, whatever; if the ears are pointed, he automatically assumes something along the lines of You snobby little bastard. He's still able to make friends with individual Elves, just not very easily.
Appearance: Caden isn't terribly impressive. He barely tops out at 6'1", and most of his body mass consists of lean, skinny muscle. He's pale to the point of looking pasty, has freckles in a thin band from cheek to nose to cheek, and his eyes are defined as the plainest shade of blue that's ever existed. None of his facial features stand out, and you'd be hard-pressed to spot peach fuzz on his face, let alone an actual Wizardly beard. The rest of his hair is cut short and not at all neat; he has a near-permanent case of hat-head that looks like it could eat a comb when he wakes up in the mornings. Insofar as clothing is concerned, Caden's signature look consists of a blue longcoat -- about shin-length -- worn over black pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. Topping this off is a wide-brimmed, pointy-tipped hat -- a Wizard's Hat, thankyouverymuch. It's blue like his coat, bears a thick and heavy looking leather belt around it, and the top half just barely sags forward. More often than not, Caden can be found wearing glasses, and he always carries a pair of what, in modern senses, could be described as biker's goggles. The glasses and goggles are to make up for a small bit of nearsightedness. He also wears a pair of heavy-duty boots, but never any gloves. Among other things he acquired from his time in Raiaera, Caden now bears two scars near the base of his neck. Originally they bore the initials of Viola Darkstalker, but Caden cut or burned the letters off at some point after his teleportation mishaps; they're now just ugly squares of thin, slightly darkened skin.
Skills:
Alchemy: Another consequence of his Wizarding background. Caden is an adept alchemist -- not the best, not even above average, but he can brew up a potion and perform low-level transmutations as necessary. Unsurprisingly, his alchemic skills are useful for preserving food and medicine-making, though he's also been known to patch up clothing using alchemy. Not a combat skill; he can't even transmute most 'useful' solids.
Languages: Caden's time spent traveling the world has left him with the unique ability to pick up almost any language in a matter of hours, and he becomes literate almost as quickly. At present, he's got perfect fluency in Tradespeak, various dialects of Salvic, and Elven. He knows the rudiments of several Berevan tongues. His Wizarding background has also left him with a good grasp of Old Diamonic, particularly its written aspects. Incidentally, Caden has the irritating habit of forgetting spoken languages almost as quickly as he learns them, though he never forgets how to read or write in them. Like any properly trained Wizard, Caden is able to read things written arcanely, such as Sideways lettering. For reference, Sideways letters appear like a crude barcode to most people. He can also speak with proper punctuation, for whatever that's worth.
Knowledge: Timetelling: Owing to mishaps in teleportation during his time in Raiaera, Caden has developed the ability to tell time and date perfectly down to the second, regardless of references or lack thereof.
Knowledge: Cosmic Positioning Sense: Again, owing to his mishaps in teleportion while in Raiaera, Caden has developed the ability to tell where he is even while blindfolded and without being told the name of the place. He can only pinpoint his location down to the city level. Unlike his ability to tell time, this may fade out at some point.
Navigation: The last of Caden's noteworthy skills, and arguably the most useful in the long run: Caden is a master navigator. Whether by starlight, direction or landmarks, Caden is rarely, if ever hopelessly lost.
Swordsmanship: Is just plain piss poor. Caden generally knows how to wield a sword with all the skill of a rookie footsoldier being sent off as cannon fodder. Whenever he carries a sword, it's usually for the factors of intimidation and deception, though he can actually (almost) handle himself after his time in Raiaera. Almost. Ish.
Magic: Caden is a Wizard, first and foremost. He practices a sort of freeform casting style that allows the user to maneuver while casting spells, but his magic is mostly generic (a fireball here, a magic missile there, the occasional lightning bolt and so on). While he often uses a wand for magic, he can do so barehanded with a little more effort. He has specific affinities for Arcane, Earth, Thermal and Gravity magicks, defined below.
Geomancy: Caden is an adept Geomancer, though most of his skills in that area rely in tapping into leylines for emergency boosts in power. This is a time consuming process and given his current level, Caden is constantly in danger of hurting himself in the process. His ability to move and shape earth is dependent on how much magic is rooted in the area around him; generally unblemished, magic-saturated land such as that of Raiaera is much easier to move than something like the industrialized land of Alerar. His only named Geomancy spells are the Stone Maiden Mausoleum and the Circle of Power, explained in the Spells Section.
Thermal Magic: Caden is an adept Thermal Mage, able to manipulate temperatures for himself and others; both for survival and offensive purposes, with intensity varying by focus. This brand of magic ignores specific elemental immunities. He has no specifically named spells at this time, but acquired the bases for a Thermal Lancer spell during his time in Raiaera, and may be working on a Thermal Strike attack as well.
Gravity Magic: Caden is currently less than adept at Gravity Magic and requires a boost from leylines to make any real use of it. At present, he has no named gravity spells available to him but is able to generate small increases or decreases in his own personal gravity at this time; enough to slow or quicken his falling speed or someone else's by 15%. He has one spell in the rough concept stage, namely Blueraven's Siege Arcana.
Arcane: Caden developed an affinity for traditional Arcane Magic during his time in Raiaera. Owing to previous experience, he's barely an adept at it. His only named spells are the generic Magic Missile, Lightning Strike and Arcane Blast. He may or may not have a basic concept for trying to learn how to Polymorph things, but he can't actually do it. Yet. Probably.
Runic Spellwork: As a consequence of his Wizarding background, Caden is well-versed in how to write spells out in advance. Provided he's been given a good enough description, he can even write out spells he doesn't personally know. The catch is that, at this point, he needs to write them out using ink, lead, chalk, paint, blood, or some other medium. Provided enough time, Caden is able to use Runic Spellwork as a means of performing spells he only has in the conceptual stage. This is extremely time-consuming and dangerous, as displayed during Raiaera when he created the initial concept of Siege Arcana from scratch and was unable to use it without hurting himself for several hours.
Specific Spells: While Caden's magic affinities and powers all have generic components that allow him to function without specifics, his named spells are generally a bit more powerful. Put into Real Game Terms: Unnamed spells are equivelent to Level 0 or 1, while named spells are (usually) equivelent to Level 1 or 2. Several spells have certain overlapping elements, but all are organized according to the dominant aspect (Earth, Thermal, Gravity, Arcane, Runic).
Stone Maiden Mausoleum: Created on the spot during Caden's time in Raiaera, named in deference to the Iron Maiden and Mausoleums that inspired it. Essentially a rectangular, outhouse-sized iron maiden formed from earthen spires. Requires at least two turns to set up, but actual deployment is relatively quick and can be performed with the hands or a focal object of some sort.
Circle of Power: Performed using Geomancy, but Caden can also create one using components from Runic Spellwork. The level of power increase this grants is directly proportionate to the size and durability of the array, which in turn depends on how much time Caden has to set it up. Incidentally, Caden simply cannot set up a Circle of Power while fighting unless he has someone else covering for him, and even then it takes a minimum of one turn to do so. The power granted may also be effected by its placement; a Circle put in place over a leyline will grant more of a bonus than one that isn't.
Thermal Lancer: A thin beam of concentrated heat or cold, intense enough to scorch or freeze a pencil-sized hole through an unarmored target. Depending on the heat or cold of it, the Thermal Lance is barely visible as more than a wave through the air. Launched using a wand or at least one fingertip. Currently in the conceptual stage, Caden is unable to perform this spell without at least some recent or current contact with a Circle of Power.
Thermal Strike: Presumably a last ditch melee attack reliant on a bladed weapon. Once a good hit has been made, the point of impact either grows painfully cold or hot. Repeated hits to the same area cause increasing levels of hot or cold, probably culminating in either localized hypo- or hyperthermia. At higher levels or with prolonged contact, the target may literally freeze or combust at the point of contact. Requires the use of a bladed weapon. Currently stuck in the concept phase, and obviously not practical since Caden would need a Circle of Power for it.
Blueraven's Siege Arcana: Primarily a long range gravity spell conceptualized during Caden's time in Raiaera, and the only one of his spells to date that bears his own name. Highly unpredictable, but the end result of the design process will probably be a cannonball-sized projectile that implodes something at the point of impact, then detonates with a huge burst of heat, cold and arcane energies. Currently an unpredictable, highly damaging gamble that requires a heavy-duty Circle of Power, a prohibitively long charge-up time (at least 8 to 10 turns) to assemble the spell, and more time still spent just aiming the damn thing. Its incomplete debut is noted for being the only attack to even phase the Necromancer, Xem'zund, during the fall of Eluriand.
Magic Missile: The classic standby of any Wizard worth his salt. Magic Missile is a comet-like burst of stark white-and-blue light, traveling roughly the same speed as a major league pitcher's average fastball. It deals damage to a target through impact, though nocturnal foes might be a little disoriented by the brightness of it. Strictly line-of-sight, but Caden has limited guidance over the spell, provided he's willing to stand still and aim it all the way to the target. Can be performed with the entire hand, a finger, or a wand. Its maximum range is around fifty yards, though it grows progressively weaker after twenty-five and only has a 5th of its original power at maximum range.
Lightning Strike: A thin, relatively weak lightning bolt. Lightning Strike primarily does damage through heat, shocking and a little bit of impact. Despite the Arcane mechanics of it, this counts as an elemental attack and won't phase anyone with immunities or resistances to lightning magic. Performed using a wand or one to two fingers. Its maximum range is also fifty yards. Accuracy depends on whether or not Caden is moving at the time; it's decently accurate when he's standing still or moving slowly, but wildly (and dangerously) inaccurate when he's moving at speed.
Arcane Blast: Similar in concept to Magic Missile, but different everywhere else. Arcane Blast manifests as a tightly-bound collection of blue and purple wisps, striking the target a little faster than Magic Missile and dealing zero impact damage. The key difference is that it explodes with force and heat comparable to a small hand grenade. Arcane Blast is an unguided spell, requiring the use of a wand or the entire hand to cast. Its maximum range is about twenty yards, give or take a few feet.
Concept Bypass: Relates directly to Runic Spellwork and requires the use of a medium to write with, though not necessarily something to write on. Displayed during Caden's time in Raiaera, it allows him to bypass the concept phase and fire off powerful (but unpredictable and increasingly self-destructive) variants of spells that he may or may not know. Time consuming either way, especially when Caden has to create a spell from scratch.
Wizard's Voice: Not actually a spell so much as a side effect to his Wizarding powers. Caden sometimes speaks with an unnaturally deep, echoing voice that can be heard in the mind as much in the ears, regardless of distance or background interference. While it functions passively similar to telepathy, it can be heard by anyone between he and the one he's speaking to, and it requires actual speech. It can only be used at long ranges when Caden knows a specific name for his target, be it a Sorcerous, True or Birthname; it just has to be something that the target closely identifies themselves with at some level. Useful for intimidation and communication, but very little else.
Equipment:
Blueraven's Grimoire: The most prized of Caden's possessions, such that he never actually shows it to anyone. Caden's Grimoire is a leatherbound book with a blue raven painted on the front cover, with the binding kept shut at all times by a heavy-duty padlock. One part journal, one part spellbook, one part alchemic record and one part world map, Caden would sooner kick a small puppy than lose his Grimoire. While physically boasting only 600 pages or so, the actual interior is much, much larger. Caden has been known to use it as a focal object for spellwork in desperate situations. Otherwise, he keeps it secreted somewhere in his hat.
Greyspine's Grimoire: Acquired during his jaunt through the alternate future of N'Thayn'sal, where pretty much everything went to Hell in a very shoddily built, unclean wicker basket and the world itself was dying a rather slow, unpleasant sort of death. Greyspine's Grimoire shares the same overall dimensions as Caden's own, though its colors are predominantly grey and black, with human backbones painted along its spine. While Greyspine's Grimoire is unique among the world for technically existing in two places at the same time, the one Caden carries has lost any and all of the magical knowledge that his future had written in it; either erased through the happenings of timetravel or re-absorbed by the modern version of the book. It only contains a twenty year history of the things that lead to the creation of N'Thayn'sal, written from the point of view of an alternate future self of Caden's mentor.
Wizard's Hat: The second most prized of Caden's possessions. His Hat is mainly noteworthy for never falling off, even when heavily damaged. Besides that, it's big enough inside to safely store his Grimoire in, as well as Greyspine's own, and its magic is sturdy enough to keep the Grimoires intact even when the Hat itself isn't. Whenever significantly damaged, it simply needs to be repared for Caden to retrieve his books.
Bazaar Wand: Acquired as part of Caden's jaunt through time and space. Roughly 14" of unstained oak with a thin core of damascus. Effectively a generic wand, unremarkable in every way. Primarily used to ease and quicken Caden's spellcasting. Generally tucked away in one of his sleeves, though it's anyone's guess as to how he makes it fit in there.
Wand of Nevermorrow: So-named for Caden's goal of aborting the world where he acquired it. Roughly 18" of highly intricate, dedicated workmanship in the arcane. This wand resembles an Akashiman sword hilt in most respects; it's capped at both ends with rectangular pommels of damascus, wrapped in blue-dyed leather around a rywan casing. The core is made from liviol. Primarily used to ease and quicken Caden's spellcasting, though its weight and durability make it useful for smacking the crap out of someone as well. Often worn at his side or tucked away in his coat or hat.
Raiaeran Conscript Sword: Cruciform steel sword of average quality. Covered in Raiaeran glyphs and songnotes, but otherwise unextroardinary. Caden wears it in a wooden scabbard strapped across his back. Styled after a two-handed Coronian sword, meant for stereotypical human conscripts.
Raiaeran Conscript Breastplate: A piece of Raiaeran armor covering the chest and back, worn over Caden's normal clothes and curved along the shoulders and stomach to allow for maximum flexibility. Unextraordinary in all regards, not to mention in rather poor shape after all the abuse Caden's put it through.
Burlap Sack: Bought during a jaunt through the Bazaar. Your bog standard burlap travel bag, able to handle all the necessities of travel.
Bowie Knife: Bought during the same Bazaar trip. Roughly 13" of average-quality steel and a handle of rubber, leather and some cheap wood at both the pommel and handguard. Weighted towards the upper-middle and often worn in a leather sheath on Caden's belt.
Surgical Scalpel: Just what the name says. Roughly the size of a short pencil, with a blade that measures half an inch at the most. Average steel. Caden usually keeps it tucked in the sleeve opposite his wand, and uses it mainly for writing with blood and for situations where somebody else's slit jugular is preferable to his own.
Familiar: A blue-feathered raven named Kaerul. While blue and capable of mimicking human speech a little better than a parrot, Kaerul has never demonstrated any other unique attributes. It comes and goes at random, never staying with Caden for more than a week and never being away from him for more than three months. It's more like a really eccentric pet than an actual Familiar. Besides moving in generically mysterious ways, Kaerul occasionally points Caden in the direction he should (or, perhaps more appropriately, shouldn't) go.
History: Caden Law originates from any one of the hundred or more evershifting feifdoms in the League of Salvic States; specifically the small village of Evernorth. Evernorth was one of the furthest proper villages anywhere to the north of Knife's Edge, and was barely large enough to qualify for a genuine Church. Its existence largely revolved around icefishing and alchemy, and besides having a proportionately large number of local magic users originate from Evernorth, the place is really not even worthy of being a comma on the pages of history, let alone a footnote.
Caden himself was born as the eighth of ten children -- nearly all of them boys. He was the only son to show any magical talent whatsoever, something that ran strong in his sisters. Like most children with such talents, he was given an education that his parents, a fisher and a market-owner, could've never afforded without the local Church's patronage. Where his sisters took to the teachings of the Church like fish to water, Caden took it more like a bird to flight; clumsy, sometimes disastrous, and often painful. By his early teens, he'd acquired a well-deserved reputation with his teachers for disobedience. Rather than simple expulsion, due to his talents at magic and a gift with language, Caden was instead 'rewarded' for his learning by being apprenticed to one of the Church's roughest 'field agents' -- a Wizard and Priest acting on its behalf by negotiating peaces with the local tribes and warding off the various walking natural disasters that inhabited the area around Evernorth.
His name was Jolstice Aramson, better known locally as Greyspine. On his last day in Evernorth, Caden met Aramson and was given his own sorcerous name, Blueraven, because a blue raven landed on his shoulder mere moments after Aramson presented Caden with a wand, Hat, and Grimmoire. Caden spent roughly three years working with Aramson, learning the ins and outs of basic Wizardy. He showed a natural lean towards manipulating Gravity, Earth, and Temperature, all while trying to keep up with his other studies. Unfortunately, he and Aramson continued the troublesome relationship Caden had always had with the Church's teachings. They eventually had a full-fledged falling out, and Caden barely escaped their confrontation with his life and health.
For what little it's worth, Greyspine must've pulled a few strings. Despite the fact that they came to blows and basically tried to murder each other, Caden has never been pursued by the Church or any others for his desertion. He left Evernorth without so much as a good-bye to his family, and hasn't looked back since. Whether the village is still there, or has become a part of one of or more of the ever-shifting feifdoms that pockmark the League, Caden still doesn't know and still doesn't care. He made his way to Knife's Edge, working for a time as an archivist in a local library. Eventually, Caden saved enough money to fund himself as a member of an adventuring company.
He set sail with the crew, and spent the next few years simply wandering the world from one hectic situation to the next. He's survived his fair share of dirty deeds, both by and against him. Every so often, the old raven returns, babbles a few things at him in one tongue or another, and then vanishes again. He's established a few genuine friendships, gotten a working knowledge of the world at large, and he's done well enough to keep his head down and avoid making any sort of reputation for himself. Now, at age 24, Caden has decided to take a little break from the life of adventuring. He's stopped off at Scara Brae, and that...
...that is probably where his story really begins.
Incidentally, the prologue phase of his story was relatively uneventful. Caden waltzed through the first day or so like any tourist would, had an encounter with a witch and then a run-in with That Fucking Bird, Kaerul. The next day he was on a boat and the next week (ish) he was in Raiaera and the rest of it reads as one long, bloody, painful, scar-inducing nightmare. His time there has recently hit a crescendo in that his time in general got scrambled with a rather unpleasant teleportation mishap. For a short while (relatively speaking), Caden actually existed in two or three places simultaneously. When he finally finished teleporting, his various selves merged back together, leaving him about twenty pounds heavier, an inch taller and with all their newly acquired experiences and equipment. Needless to say, the experience has left him a little jittery with regards to teleportation.
RP Records
Tourism for Wizards (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85425) - -15 gold; gained 670 EXP and 180 gold.
Unto the broke, unto the cynical (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85241) - Acquired Bowie Knife, Scalpel, and Burlap Sack, -115 gold. +100 EXP.
FQ: Slings and Arrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=8699) +706 EXP.
FQ: Beyond the Bridge of Souls (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=88175) +1193 EXP.
FQ: The Field of Sighs and Sorrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=92739) +1446 EXP. Gained Conscript equipment and Arcane affinity.
Cosmic Bump in the Road (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12219) - Acquired Oak/Damascus Wand, -350 gold. +100 EXP.
The Cosmic Detour (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12597) - FQ-earned Gold (1438) spent here. Acquired Rywan/Damascus Wand, internal GPS/Clock abilities.