Flames of Hyperion
05-19-08, 09:18 AM
Name: Ingwe Helyanwe
Age: 23
Race: Human
Hair Color: Black/Brown
Eye Color: Black/Brown
Height: 178cm (5'10")
Weight: 60kg (140lb)
Occupation: Scholar, Kensai, Channeler, Adventurer
Personality: Ingwe is a quiet young man, forged by years of martial training and academic isolation. The single-mindedness in which he applied himself to his regime, as well as his shy and sentimental nature, meant that for much of his childhood he lived a relatively solitary existence, forgoing many of the perks of the early years of life in favour of rigorous self-improvement. Ingwe is often characterised as a moody person, with swings carrying him from happy one instant to morose the next, and also suffers from a certain lack of self-confidence bordering on self-hate. At heart, though, he is pure and honourable.
Maintaining a healthy desire to learn just for the sake of expanding his knowledge, he often tries to see an issue from all possible viewpoints and to see the positives in all of them, albeit tempered by a strong moral code. As such, he rarely ventures a strong personal opinion; if pressed, he will usually try to give a balanced middle view rather than taking a side. Ingwe often tries to avoid outright conflict whenever possible, encouraging discourse over arms, and retains a childish naivette and both perfectionist and romantic streaks.
Appearance: On first glance, Ingwe is not much to meet the eye. Slimly toned and sure of foot, his face (while not handsome) still boasts a youthful innocence that the world has not quite yet destroyed, and the dark eyes that peer out from above a pair of battered half-rim glasses are friendly and intelligent. Clear pale skin and cropped coal-black hair speak of his origins far from the northern continent, but somewhere within the contours of his face, traces of Coronian and Scarabrian ancestry can be seen. Soft fuzz - more whisker than actual beard - tends to gristle his chin when he hasn't bothered to shave for a few days, but other than that he tries to maintain a neat and tidy appearance.
Ingwe tends to favour a lightweight martial tunic that allows for great freedom of movement, white as snow save for when he's been on the road for a while and trimmed in a fiery red, worn under a heavy deepblue cloak that doubles as a warm blanket at night. He is also a proponent of traveling light, and is fond of the saying that any material thing needed in life can be carried in a travel pouch. His, in fact, contains little more than ink and tome, handy-knife, and perhaps just enough coin to see him until the next town, although this is supplemented by a small haversack that carries a spare change of clothes and a towel or two.
Skills:
Scholar: Jack of all trades, master of none. Perhaps a slightly derogatory description of his talents, but the truth is that Ingwe cannot help but want to learn. His insatiable appetite for knowledge means that he has an extensive education, varying from very basic to relatively in-depth, in a wide range of diversely varied subjects; his perennial favourites, however, have always been history, geography, magic, science, and the art of war. Amongst the most useful of his academic skills is his fluency in two languages (Nippon and Common) and command of two more (Elvish and Dwarven). He also has great knowledge about the history, geography, and customs of the continent of Althanas, gleaned from a heavy set of books that he purchased upon arrival at Scara Brae (the particulars of which have been recorded in his own tome, the originals have long since been given away).
Kensai: Ingwe has had some training in the variety of martial arts native to his homeland, but the one discipline that he favoured above all the rest was the use of the blade. Preferring the dual-wielding Hyoho Niten ryuha of swordsmanship, his experience in it at the moment is only such that, at a relatively average skill level, he can simultaneously wield two short swords. His daily martial training has also had some unexpected benefits... he is nearly ambidextrous in that his off-hand is less of a liability than before, and the intense meditation inherent to his regime has had a positive effect on his magic. His fighting style relies more on speed and agility, dodging and parrying rather than taking blows on armour, and as such Ingwe is of average skill in nimble footwork and acrobatics.
- Dance of the Evening Breeze: A highly defensive sword dance, useful as a desperate measure when Ingwe is engaged in melee with multiple or superior foes. By no means impregnable, the flurry of skilled parries and nimble dodges does tend to extend his lifespan just long enough to think out a different solution to the problem.
Channeler: Ingwe's natural talent as a spellcaster is as a channeler - one who draws upon the most primal magics of the world itself and shapes them unto release. His proficiencies seem to lie in the control of Fire and Wind elements, as well as in some subtler mental disciplines. Due to being a rather late bloomer in terms of magical ability, he is limited at the moment to basic manipulation of flame and air (for example, the creation and manipulation of elemental spheres) and a restricted ability to disrupt an enemy spellcaster by disturbing the winds of magic they draw upon. His relative inexperience in the field of arcana means that he is still prone to exhaustion even after drawing upon his powers only a few times, but he is beginning to learn how to control his powers and apply them effectively. An intriguing fact about the sacred flame that Ingwe manipulates is that it is marginally more powerful against undead and daemonic creatures; whether this is a conscious effect or an innate ability (or perhaps a combination of the two) is still unknown.
The spells defined below are by no means the full extent of Ingwe's powers, but are representative of his general level of skill with magic and the way in which he can (and prefers to) manipulate it. At the same time as working to strengthen his skills as a mage, Ingwe is also experimenting with channeling his magics into other objects... elementally charging his swords, for example, or storing his spells within uniformly-shaped pieces of cardpaper that serve as analogues of scrolls. The latter in particular he is beginning to get the hang of, and at any time carries up to ten such pre-written scrolls that allow him to instantly cast spells without need for drawing upon his magic. Finally, he has recently discovered that the potency of his spells can be enhanced by particular incantations and preparations, and though he hasn't really made much progress as of yet, it is an area of his power that holds much future promise.
- Fireball: Creates a fist-sized fireball on Ingwe's palm, which can then be thrown or manipulated as he wishes, and explodes / burns upon contact. Ingwe's as-yet below-average skill with the spell, however, means that without enhancement, at the moment it is only effective on weaker creatures such as goblins or zombies; anything stronger can shrug it off with ease.
- Phoenix Petals: Similar to the fireball spell, only generates five wispy balls of flame rather than one whole, which can then be guided and manipulated as wished. Used against multiple opponents or to attack a blind spot, but it suffers from a near-fatal lack of stopping power... anything stronger than an zombie is not going to be very bothered.
- Windball: Creates a fist-sized ball of compressed air on Ingwe's palm, similar to a fireball with the exception of the element and the nature of the damage it causes. The Windball is more useful for scything through metal than scorching the skin, albeit it suffers from the same problems as its cousin... namely, the inexperience of its wielder.
- Zephyr Blades: Conjures with a sweep of his arms sharp blades of wind that can be launched towards a target. At his current level, the blades can just about cause minor injuries to exposed skin, cut through leather, or deflect arrows and other thrown weapons; they cannot penetrate metal, lop off limbs (with the exception of poorly attached ones like those of zombies), or parry real swords.
- Disrupt: By projecting his mind into the vicinity of an enemy spellcaster, Ingwe seeks to disrupt the flow of mana and magic in order to disturb the formation of a spell. Obviously not the most reliable of abilities, higher-level mages are able to shrug it off with ease, but it remains effective against an unprepared or overtly concentrating foe.
- Summon Creature: Summons a pact-bound creature to Ingwe's aid by calling a name upon the winds of magic. These creatures have manifold use, from aiding Ingwe's magic to fighting for him; at the moment, since he has just discovered that he possesses the ability and is using it to maintain Hayate, he cannot do anything else with it yet.
Soul of the Phoenix: Many Nippon mages are associated with a guardian spirit to match their personality and their talents. Not all are so lucky, and some will spend their entire lives fruitlessly searching for such an entity. Ingwe, on the other hand, has been exceptionally fortunate in that he has known his spirit all his life - the phoenix. At this current point in time, the bond barely manifests itself, perhaps most obviously as a never-say-die attitude meaning that if there's one thing that Ingwe doesn't like doing, it's giving up.
Equipment:
Weapons: Two guardless short swords of a distinctly Oriental style, inscribed with the characters "Yamato" and "Musashi" respectively at the base of the blades. Made of finely folded and fire-hardened steel, the swords are sharpened on both sides and approximately fifty centimetres (twenty inches) long. The pair are tethered together at the hilt by a fine silken rope and are usually worn in a specialised saya over Ingwe's shoulders. Aside from these, Ingwe carries no weapons of a physical nature; neither does he wear any armour, believing in the benefits of agility, flexibility, and adaptability in times of strife.
Tomes: By far the most useful of Ingwe's possessions is a plain leather-bound tome, with a simple enchantment cast upon it that means that it never runs out of blank pages. Part journal, part notebook, part encyclopedia, and part spellbook, the tome is a repository for everything that Ingwe has learnt and seen for the past ten years. Given the young man's natural curiosity and aptitude for study, this is quite the amount of knowledge, yet the book has always remained constant in size and even seems to be able to turn to a specific page when required. Finding enough ink to keep up with the speed at which he writes into it, though, has always been a problem. In addition to this tome, Ingwe can often be seen toting up to two other books for light reading, which he will often pass on at the next town after summarising their main points within his own tome.
Pendant Chain: A silver locket that Ingwe wears on a light golden chain around his neck. The locket itself is in the shape of a pair of outstretched wings, while a small fiery red stone is set in the middle. The locket itself, said to be imbued with some small amount of magical essence (the claim remains as yet unfounded), is one of only two like it in the entire world; a portrait of the owner of the other locket, somebody dear to Ingwe's heart, is held within. Of all the items that the somewhat possessive Ingwe owns, this is the one that he is most likely to fight to the death to protect.
Familiar: A snow white male gyrfalcon named Hayate. Originally bred by Ingwe's mentor and arcane tutor, Hayate has shown signs of intelligence and an ability to understand Ingwe's words, at the very least on an instinctive level. A free spirit, the bird is more of travelling companion than pet or familiar, often working in concert with Ingwe by scouting out the lay of the land and keeping a careful sentinel during the night in turn for safety and security during the day. Ingwe's travels to the Mountain-Tear Falls revealed that Hayate is a summoned creature who has been using Ingwe's innate magic to persist in the real world as if real, courtesy of his old tutor. At the same time, he is helping to focus and bolster Ingwe's arcane skills.
History:
"Ingwe Helyanwe" is not the real name for the eldest child of a Scarabrian explorer and the Nippon miko priest-girl that he maried at the end of his journeys; rather, it was the name that the local Elves gave the young lad when they found him, at two years of age, intently staring at the magical grimoires in the nearby academy. Ingwe has since adopted this pseudonym, loosely translated as "The One who Bridges the Skies", as his identity during his travels. His reasons are manifold, but are mostly centred around three - a desire to maintain a facade of anonymity, the difficulty of accurately pronouncing his mixed-heritage name, and the deep-held belief that a wizard's true name should not be given lightly.
From his early days he showed a natural aptitude for study, devouring books of knowledge like the other children his age devoured food. The Elves long suspected his innate magical talent, but they remained silent about it for reasons known only to them; on the other hand, when his human teachers first discovered the traces of magic that flowed through his veins, they were overjoyed, for such affinity was rarer in his homeland than elsewhere in Althanas. Some surmised that it was his father's blood that gave him his ability; in any case, they were careful to nurture them slowly and cautiously rather than attempt to bring them out in full at too early a stage.
A fundamental belief in his homeland was that mages must strive to be great in body as well as in mind, just as the warrior should not neglect strengthening his will in favour of strengthening his swordarm. Thus it was that Ingwe was inducted into a small class of children gifted with magical talents, who were given training both in the arcane and in the martial. Though not necessarily gifted with any greater talent than his contemporaries, his application and his discipline saw him rise to the forefront of his class, albeit at a heavy price in terms of social development. It was also about this time that he first became acquainted with the one the Elves called Elerrina, "Crowned with Stars", and fell deeply in love with the young woman.
By the age of twenty, Ingwe and a close clique of friends - amongst them his closest friend Elerrina, the dragon-blooded Yoshi, half-elven sisters Hitomi and Kendal, knight's son Hector, and the enigmatic mindmage Thomas - had progressed together through a series of institutions until they studied at the very pinnacle of learning in the Orient... the famed Toho Institute of Higher Learning. There, under the tutelage of some of the finest and greatest that Nippon had to offer, they refined their skills and nurtured their talents. For the first time in his life, Ingwe began to realise what true happiness meant.
But things were not destined to last.
No one knows for sure what happened on that fateful night a year ago. Suffice it to say that when dawn broke, the Institute lay a smouldering battleground with many dead or injured. Thomas had disappeared without a trace, along with Elerrina and a half-dozen of the most gifted students. Many of the other pupils at the academy, including all of Ingwe's close friends, had been scattered far and wide across the known world by a dimension-warping spell of deific power, the very fact itself only ascertained by the few who had the skills necessary to find their own way back. And the only person who had any idea where the perpetrators of the incident might have fled was Ingwe, found unconscious and near death in the devastated central courtyard, incoherently mumbling one word over and over again.
Haidia...
In his intense grief and pain, Ingwe blamed himself for being unable to prevent the deaths of his tutors and contemporaries and the breakup between his friends. Stricken, he vowed to take it upon himself to find out the truth, and, if at all possible, bring everybody back together again. At first, the young man sought the wisdom and the advice of the great warriors and sages of his homeland; then, with their words and his family's blessings ringing fresh in his ears, he spent all but a small pittance of his hoardings on a ship journey to the northern continent. His only worldly possessions were the clothes that he wore and the equipment that he carried, but his heart clung to hope and his mind overflowed with memories as he bade farewell to his home.
Three months later, Ingwe finally arrived at Scara Brae... and this was where his adventures truly began. A trip to the bazaar for tomes was accompanied by a mysterious prophecy by an even more enigmatic oracle. Upon hearing of the Dragon Hermit of Mountain-Tear Falls, Ingwe set out to meet him in an attempt to locate Yuka and his other friends; whilst it was a failure, the journey was not in vain, for it gleaned him valuable self-knowledge and experience, as well as pointed him in the direction of Raiaera where the necromancer Xem'zund was running amok over the ruins of the University of Istien.
When one Arminas Ereinon asked for his help in leading a band of adventurers to relieve Anebrilith and liberate Eluriand, Ingwe did not have to be asked twice.
-Level 0 (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12073)-
'Ware (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12122) the (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12353) falls (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=106117) of (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12388) Mountain (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=114904)-Tear (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=14869),
'Ware (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=14057) the paths to one held dear.
'Ware the ruins of Istien,
'Ware the Flames of Hyperion!
Age: 23
Race: Human
Hair Color: Black/Brown
Eye Color: Black/Brown
Height: 178cm (5'10")
Weight: 60kg (140lb)
Occupation: Scholar, Kensai, Channeler, Adventurer
Personality: Ingwe is a quiet young man, forged by years of martial training and academic isolation. The single-mindedness in which he applied himself to his regime, as well as his shy and sentimental nature, meant that for much of his childhood he lived a relatively solitary existence, forgoing many of the perks of the early years of life in favour of rigorous self-improvement. Ingwe is often characterised as a moody person, with swings carrying him from happy one instant to morose the next, and also suffers from a certain lack of self-confidence bordering on self-hate. At heart, though, he is pure and honourable.
Maintaining a healthy desire to learn just for the sake of expanding his knowledge, he often tries to see an issue from all possible viewpoints and to see the positives in all of them, albeit tempered by a strong moral code. As such, he rarely ventures a strong personal opinion; if pressed, he will usually try to give a balanced middle view rather than taking a side. Ingwe often tries to avoid outright conflict whenever possible, encouraging discourse over arms, and retains a childish naivette and both perfectionist and romantic streaks.
Appearance: On first glance, Ingwe is not much to meet the eye. Slimly toned and sure of foot, his face (while not handsome) still boasts a youthful innocence that the world has not quite yet destroyed, and the dark eyes that peer out from above a pair of battered half-rim glasses are friendly and intelligent. Clear pale skin and cropped coal-black hair speak of his origins far from the northern continent, but somewhere within the contours of his face, traces of Coronian and Scarabrian ancestry can be seen. Soft fuzz - more whisker than actual beard - tends to gristle his chin when he hasn't bothered to shave for a few days, but other than that he tries to maintain a neat and tidy appearance.
Ingwe tends to favour a lightweight martial tunic that allows for great freedom of movement, white as snow save for when he's been on the road for a while and trimmed in a fiery red, worn under a heavy deepblue cloak that doubles as a warm blanket at night. He is also a proponent of traveling light, and is fond of the saying that any material thing needed in life can be carried in a travel pouch. His, in fact, contains little more than ink and tome, handy-knife, and perhaps just enough coin to see him until the next town, although this is supplemented by a small haversack that carries a spare change of clothes and a towel or two.
Skills:
Scholar: Jack of all trades, master of none. Perhaps a slightly derogatory description of his talents, but the truth is that Ingwe cannot help but want to learn. His insatiable appetite for knowledge means that he has an extensive education, varying from very basic to relatively in-depth, in a wide range of diversely varied subjects; his perennial favourites, however, have always been history, geography, magic, science, and the art of war. Amongst the most useful of his academic skills is his fluency in two languages (Nippon and Common) and command of two more (Elvish and Dwarven). He also has great knowledge about the history, geography, and customs of the continent of Althanas, gleaned from a heavy set of books that he purchased upon arrival at Scara Brae (the particulars of which have been recorded in his own tome, the originals have long since been given away).
Kensai: Ingwe has had some training in the variety of martial arts native to his homeland, but the one discipline that he favoured above all the rest was the use of the blade. Preferring the dual-wielding Hyoho Niten ryuha of swordsmanship, his experience in it at the moment is only such that, at a relatively average skill level, he can simultaneously wield two short swords. His daily martial training has also had some unexpected benefits... he is nearly ambidextrous in that his off-hand is less of a liability than before, and the intense meditation inherent to his regime has had a positive effect on his magic. His fighting style relies more on speed and agility, dodging and parrying rather than taking blows on armour, and as such Ingwe is of average skill in nimble footwork and acrobatics.
- Dance of the Evening Breeze: A highly defensive sword dance, useful as a desperate measure when Ingwe is engaged in melee with multiple or superior foes. By no means impregnable, the flurry of skilled parries and nimble dodges does tend to extend his lifespan just long enough to think out a different solution to the problem.
Channeler: Ingwe's natural talent as a spellcaster is as a channeler - one who draws upon the most primal magics of the world itself and shapes them unto release. His proficiencies seem to lie in the control of Fire and Wind elements, as well as in some subtler mental disciplines. Due to being a rather late bloomer in terms of magical ability, he is limited at the moment to basic manipulation of flame and air (for example, the creation and manipulation of elemental spheres) and a restricted ability to disrupt an enemy spellcaster by disturbing the winds of magic they draw upon. His relative inexperience in the field of arcana means that he is still prone to exhaustion even after drawing upon his powers only a few times, but he is beginning to learn how to control his powers and apply them effectively. An intriguing fact about the sacred flame that Ingwe manipulates is that it is marginally more powerful against undead and daemonic creatures; whether this is a conscious effect or an innate ability (or perhaps a combination of the two) is still unknown.
The spells defined below are by no means the full extent of Ingwe's powers, but are representative of his general level of skill with magic and the way in which he can (and prefers to) manipulate it. At the same time as working to strengthen his skills as a mage, Ingwe is also experimenting with channeling his magics into other objects... elementally charging his swords, for example, or storing his spells within uniformly-shaped pieces of cardpaper that serve as analogues of scrolls. The latter in particular he is beginning to get the hang of, and at any time carries up to ten such pre-written scrolls that allow him to instantly cast spells without need for drawing upon his magic. Finally, he has recently discovered that the potency of his spells can be enhanced by particular incantations and preparations, and though he hasn't really made much progress as of yet, it is an area of his power that holds much future promise.
- Fireball: Creates a fist-sized fireball on Ingwe's palm, which can then be thrown or manipulated as he wishes, and explodes / burns upon contact. Ingwe's as-yet below-average skill with the spell, however, means that without enhancement, at the moment it is only effective on weaker creatures such as goblins or zombies; anything stronger can shrug it off with ease.
- Phoenix Petals: Similar to the fireball spell, only generates five wispy balls of flame rather than one whole, which can then be guided and manipulated as wished. Used against multiple opponents or to attack a blind spot, but it suffers from a near-fatal lack of stopping power... anything stronger than an zombie is not going to be very bothered.
- Windball: Creates a fist-sized ball of compressed air on Ingwe's palm, similar to a fireball with the exception of the element and the nature of the damage it causes. The Windball is more useful for scything through metal than scorching the skin, albeit it suffers from the same problems as its cousin... namely, the inexperience of its wielder.
- Zephyr Blades: Conjures with a sweep of his arms sharp blades of wind that can be launched towards a target. At his current level, the blades can just about cause minor injuries to exposed skin, cut through leather, or deflect arrows and other thrown weapons; they cannot penetrate metal, lop off limbs (with the exception of poorly attached ones like those of zombies), or parry real swords.
- Disrupt: By projecting his mind into the vicinity of an enemy spellcaster, Ingwe seeks to disrupt the flow of mana and magic in order to disturb the formation of a spell. Obviously not the most reliable of abilities, higher-level mages are able to shrug it off with ease, but it remains effective against an unprepared or overtly concentrating foe.
- Summon Creature: Summons a pact-bound creature to Ingwe's aid by calling a name upon the winds of magic. These creatures have manifold use, from aiding Ingwe's magic to fighting for him; at the moment, since he has just discovered that he possesses the ability and is using it to maintain Hayate, he cannot do anything else with it yet.
Soul of the Phoenix: Many Nippon mages are associated with a guardian spirit to match their personality and their talents. Not all are so lucky, and some will spend their entire lives fruitlessly searching for such an entity. Ingwe, on the other hand, has been exceptionally fortunate in that he has known his spirit all his life - the phoenix. At this current point in time, the bond barely manifests itself, perhaps most obviously as a never-say-die attitude meaning that if there's one thing that Ingwe doesn't like doing, it's giving up.
Equipment:
Weapons: Two guardless short swords of a distinctly Oriental style, inscribed with the characters "Yamato" and "Musashi" respectively at the base of the blades. Made of finely folded and fire-hardened steel, the swords are sharpened on both sides and approximately fifty centimetres (twenty inches) long. The pair are tethered together at the hilt by a fine silken rope and are usually worn in a specialised saya over Ingwe's shoulders. Aside from these, Ingwe carries no weapons of a physical nature; neither does he wear any armour, believing in the benefits of agility, flexibility, and adaptability in times of strife.
Tomes: By far the most useful of Ingwe's possessions is a plain leather-bound tome, with a simple enchantment cast upon it that means that it never runs out of blank pages. Part journal, part notebook, part encyclopedia, and part spellbook, the tome is a repository for everything that Ingwe has learnt and seen for the past ten years. Given the young man's natural curiosity and aptitude for study, this is quite the amount of knowledge, yet the book has always remained constant in size and even seems to be able to turn to a specific page when required. Finding enough ink to keep up with the speed at which he writes into it, though, has always been a problem. In addition to this tome, Ingwe can often be seen toting up to two other books for light reading, which he will often pass on at the next town after summarising their main points within his own tome.
Pendant Chain: A silver locket that Ingwe wears on a light golden chain around his neck. The locket itself is in the shape of a pair of outstretched wings, while a small fiery red stone is set in the middle. The locket itself, said to be imbued with some small amount of magical essence (the claim remains as yet unfounded), is one of only two like it in the entire world; a portrait of the owner of the other locket, somebody dear to Ingwe's heart, is held within. Of all the items that the somewhat possessive Ingwe owns, this is the one that he is most likely to fight to the death to protect.
Familiar: A snow white male gyrfalcon named Hayate. Originally bred by Ingwe's mentor and arcane tutor, Hayate has shown signs of intelligence and an ability to understand Ingwe's words, at the very least on an instinctive level. A free spirit, the bird is more of travelling companion than pet or familiar, often working in concert with Ingwe by scouting out the lay of the land and keeping a careful sentinel during the night in turn for safety and security during the day. Ingwe's travels to the Mountain-Tear Falls revealed that Hayate is a summoned creature who has been using Ingwe's innate magic to persist in the real world as if real, courtesy of his old tutor. At the same time, he is helping to focus and bolster Ingwe's arcane skills.
History:
"Ingwe Helyanwe" is not the real name for the eldest child of a Scarabrian explorer and the Nippon miko priest-girl that he maried at the end of his journeys; rather, it was the name that the local Elves gave the young lad when they found him, at two years of age, intently staring at the magical grimoires in the nearby academy. Ingwe has since adopted this pseudonym, loosely translated as "The One who Bridges the Skies", as his identity during his travels. His reasons are manifold, but are mostly centred around three - a desire to maintain a facade of anonymity, the difficulty of accurately pronouncing his mixed-heritage name, and the deep-held belief that a wizard's true name should not be given lightly.
From his early days he showed a natural aptitude for study, devouring books of knowledge like the other children his age devoured food. The Elves long suspected his innate magical talent, but they remained silent about it for reasons known only to them; on the other hand, when his human teachers first discovered the traces of magic that flowed through his veins, they were overjoyed, for such affinity was rarer in his homeland than elsewhere in Althanas. Some surmised that it was his father's blood that gave him his ability; in any case, they were careful to nurture them slowly and cautiously rather than attempt to bring them out in full at too early a stage.
A fundamental belief in his homeland was that mages must strive to be great in body as well as in mind, just as the warrior should not neglect strengthening his will in favour of strengthening his swordarm. Thus it was that Ingwe was inducted into a small class of children gifted with magical talents, who were given training both in the arcane and in the martial. Though not necessarily gifted with any greater talent than his contemporaries, his application and his discipline saw him rise to the forefront of his class, albeit at a heavy price in terms of social development. It was also about this time that he first became acquainted with the one the Elves called Elerrina, "Crowned with Stars", and fell deeply in love with the young woman.
By the age of twenty, Ingwe and a close clique of friends - amongst them his closest friend Elerrina, the dragon-blooded Yoshi, half-elven sisters Hitomi and Kendal, knight's son Hector, and the enigmatic mindmage Thomas - had progressed together through a series of institutions until they studied at the very pinnacle of learning in the Orient... the famed Toho Institute of Higher Learning. There, under the tutelage of some of the finest and greatest that Nippon had to offer, they refined their skills and nurtured their talents. For the first time in his life, Ingwe began to realise what true happiness meant.
But things were not destined to last.
No one knows for sure what happened on that fateful night a year ago. Suffice it to say that when dawn broke, the Institute lay a smouldering battleground with many dead or injured. Thomas had disappeared without a trace, along with Elerrina and a half-dozen of the most gifted students. Many of the other pupils at the academy, including all of Ingwe's close friends, had been scattered far and wide across the known world by a dimension-warping spell of deific power, the very fact itself only ascertained by the few who had the skills necessary to find their own way back. And the only person who had any idea where the perpetrators of the incident might have fled was Ingwe, found unconscious and near death in the devastated central courtyard, incoherently mumbling one word over and over again.
Haidia...
In his intense grief and pain, Ingwe blamed himself for being unable to prevent the deaths of his tutors and contemporaries and the breakup between his friends. Stricken, he vowed to take it upon himself to find out the truth, and, if at all possible, bring everybody back together again. At first, the young man sought the wisdom and the advice of the great warriors and sages of his homeland; then, with their words and his family's blessings ringing fresh in his ears, he spent all but a small pittance of his hoardings on a ship journey to the northern continent. His only worldly possessions were the clothes that he wore and the equipment that he carried, but his heart clung to hope and his mind overflowed with memories as he bade farewell to his home.
Three months later, Ingwe finally arrived at Scara Brae... and this was where his adventures truly began. A trip to the bazaar for tomes was accompanied by a mysterious prophecy by an even more enigmatic oracle. Upon hearing of the Dragon Hermit of Mountain-Tear Falls, Ingwe set out to meet him in an attempt to locate Yuka and his other friends; whilst it was a failure, the journey was not in vain, for it gleaned him valuable self-knowledge and experience, as well as pointed him in the direction of Raiaera where the necromancer Xem'zund was running amok over the ruins of the University of Istien.
When one Arminas Ereinon asked for his help in leading a band of adventurers to relieve Anebrilith and liberate Eluriand, Ingwe did not have to be asked twice.
-Level 0 (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12073)-
'Ware (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12122) the (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12353) falls (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=106117) of (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12388) Mountain (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=114904)-Tear (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=14869),
'Ware (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=14057) the paths to one held dear.
'Ware the ruins of Istien,
'Ware the Flames of Hyperion!