Zakar
11-29-08, 01:56 PM
Name: Zakar Yrithen
Age: 32
Race: Half-Elf
Hair Color: Reddish orange
Eye Color: Jade
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 157 lbs.
Occupation: Apprentice Healer/Necromancer
Personality: Zakar is the kind of man who walks into a room and lights it up. He is genuinely warm, and pleased to meet people. Seldom does he have an unkind word to say about anyone. Quick to smile and slow to anger, Zakar is at home with peasants more than nobility. He hasn’t forgotten how to smile at ribald humor, or the simple elegance of tripping a friend so they fall in the mud. What little his friends have to say against Zakar comes from the times when he has worked himself into a righteous fury, and the Gods preserve anyone who riles that sleeping dragon.
Appearance: Zakar is of a decent height, and average build with nothing particularly remarkable about his frame to cause him more than a glance in a crowd. His more noteworthy feature is that his hair comes down to his knees, and is kept wrapped in an extensive braid. At the crown is a ribbon with a metal disc on it. The disc has an eclipse on it, a symbol of life, and marks him as a healer. His eyes are set in a face that shows he is well-fed, which contributes to his often jovial nature. The same eclipse that is on the disc in Zakar’s hair is also tattooed largely (http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h31/MicaMoonspear/eclipselarge.jpg) on his back (the apex is between his shoulder blades), and a smaller version is tattooed on the center of his chest. Neither symbol is typically seen since there is little call for a healer to disrobe.
History:
Zakar was born to a line of healers from both sides of the family. His mother, Earian Yrithen, and his father, Dyrar Liren, both served the villages of Raiaera. Dubbed “Mother of Spirits” and “Father of Spirits” respectively, the two made their names as healers of an able hand and…something more. Their presence could pacify troubled spirits. Some claimed that the two would speak with spirits, and that their son, when he was born, was really the reborn soul of a particularly troubled spirit that Earian took into herself to calm.
His childhood, while spent traveling in a wagon or on foot with his parents, was happy. Occasionally, Zakar would be left with his future mentor, Reshard, for months at a time when Zakar’s parents needed to travel to a particularly distant or dangerous place. It was during one of these longer trips that Reshard first began Zakar’s instruction as a necromancer and healer. The village Reshard called home knew well of what he was, but his usefulness as a healer kept them from ever turning on him. Likewise, they took a shine to his young protégé. One might have even thought that they preferred the young Zakar to his mentor due to the sheer amount of exuberant life found in the boy.
His instruction continued like this for several years. One year Zakar’s parents did not return. He never learned why, but accepted Reshard’s words that they probably encountered some “trouble on the road.” While Zakar missed his parents, he threw himself doubly into his studies under Reshard in hopes of living up to the legacy left to him by the lives of his parents. While not the most apt pupil in the world, Zakar had learned most of the basics necessary for his craft by the age of twenty. Reshard, in turn, sent him to a neighboring farm to deal with the troubled spirit of a young girl who had died there. The end result was Zakar’s companion, Misha, who has remained with him until this day.
Four years later, Reshard fell ill. The old man had particular insight into the time of his own death, a skill he said that Zakar would acquire in time. For that reason, he had ceased teaching Zakar after the beckoning of Misha. Instead, he had devoted all of his time to the completion of his legacy to Zakar, the Amulet of the Lich (see Familiar section). He donned it at his death, and so his soul entered the amulet. Zakar occasionally places the amulet around Misha’s neck to consult his mentor, or to receive further instruction.
With the death of Reshard, Zakar took over his mentor’s role in the village until the coming of Xem'zûnd. Like so many others, Zakar and Misha were forced from their home. The two have been constantly on the move since. The public view of necromancy is understandably grim, and Zakar finds himself chased from villages more often than not. He continues to hold on to his love of life though, and knows that all of life cannot be so unaccepting as the current times; he looks forward to the day in his inevitably long life in which he can settle down again.
Skills:
Necromancy
Zakar’s form of necromancy was learned from his mentor, Reshard Nielson. Unlike some forms of necromancy which rely on forcibly binding the souls of the dead into whatever is handy, Zakar’s necromancy involves asking any unsatisfied spirits looking for a second chance to animate the vessel (corpse) Zakar provides. Any vessel must be ritually prepared by Zakar first; this process which can take up to a month depending on how hard it is for him to get all he needs for the preparation. With that in mind, his first skills include:
Necromantic Preparation:
Zakar must use leather, bits of metal, and other items to fortify the joints of the skeleton he is working with so that, once animated, his new companion’s form does not fall apart while the energies binding it settle. To that end, Zakar has minimal skills in leather working and smithing to produce things like leather strips and pins for his purposes.
Ritual of Beckoning:
Zakar must spend at least six hours pouring all the energies he can into the prepared vessel. Any less and the beacon requesting a soul to occupy the vessel will be too weak, any more and Zakar puts his own life at risk. The ritual creates a magical beacon visible to all spirits, and makes plain the intentions of the caster. Only a willing spirit can bind itself to the vessel. The self-sacrificial part of the ritual deters most evil spirits from even trying to take control of the vessel, and the idea that the existence of the new form is dependent on the will of the necromancer. The ritual does not always succeed, but can be done once more within a lunar cycle should the first attempt fail. If a spirit does choose to inhabit the vessel, a portion of the energy Zakar invested remains with the vessel. This limits the number of companions that Zakar can have at any given time. He can currently maintain one. The spirit may vacate its vessel without warning, if it so chooses, since it is there of its own free will. A vacated vessel can be used again.
Mend Bone:
Despite the bodies Zakar works with having been willed to him or otherwise given freely, they often shown the signs of living. Weakened bones or fractures that have not entirely healed are common, so Zakar has developed a spell allowing him to mend bones. He can also use the spell on the living with lesser effect.
Feverbreak:
Working with the dead and the ill living naturally lends itself to Zakar becoming ill more often than most people. He has devised a simple spell that allows him to remove simple illnesses from himself to allow him to continue his work. He can use the spell on another for a lesser effect, and cool the fever of another to provide them with some comfort in their illness.
Languages
Tradespeak, Elven
Equipment: A backpack with provisions, a solid looking wooden cudgel, traveler’s clothing, a few spare bones, a book with the names and towns of people who have left their bodies to him (Book currently has only two names), books of herb lore (to help with his function as a healer) and the Amulet of the Lich (see “Familiar” section)
Familiars:
Maximum Vessels Maintainable: 1
Vessels Being Maintained: 1
Vessel Name: Misha
Skeleton: Human Child (Female)
Personality: Misha is a little girl (even if she also happens to be a reanimated skeleton). She seems to think of Zakar as her father (as near as anyone can tell), and is quite happy to accompany him. She can be playful or shy depending on how people react to her. More often than not, she can be found trailing behind Zakar and trying to hide because of bad reactions in the past. If left to her own devices, Misha will play with whatever is at hand as if they were dolls or play hide and seek. Sometimes she can be a bit of a handful though when she chooses to wander off, causing Zakar no end of worry.
Description: Misha looks like the skeleton of a small, human child. She has two dresses. One is a gray woolen one for cooler weather, and the other is a cream one for warmer weather. She wears no shoes, but does carry a small bag that holds whatever dress she isn’t wearing at the time. The actual temperature doesn’t seem to affect her at all, but Zakar insists that she likes having the dresses.
Skills: None.
Amulet of the Lich:
The Amulet of the Lich is the legacy of Zakar’s mentor. Despite its ominous name, the amulet has surprisingly little to do with the feared creatures. The amulet is a phylactery, but one of a less sinister nature. When placed around the neck of a dying person, their soul, if willing, will enter the amulet instead of departing. The amulet can hold one soul, and the current occupant is none other than its creator, Reshard Nielson. When the amulet is placed around the neck of an occupied vessel, the soul in the amulet and the soul in the vessel commune and must agree to share control of the vessel. If the soul in the vessel agrees to the terms, the soul in the amulet can then assume control of the vessel from time to time. The amulet also allows the soul within it to speak with the voice they had in life through the magics of the amulet and the vessel working together. The soul in the amulet can willingly leave at any given moment, but upon leaving can never re-enter the amulet. The amulet itself is a simple iron disc about two inches in diameter suspended by a leather thong. One side of the disc has a symbol of life carved on it.
The power of the amulet is limited due to the magical forces at work. In order for the vessel to continue to be supported by the soul inhabiting it, the soul in the amulet can only control the vessel for five minutes. Any longer puts the magic maintaining the vessel in jeopardy. Should the soul of the amulet persist on trying to hold on to the vessel, both souls could be expelled from their respective homes against their will. After half a day, it is usually safe to use the amulet again.
Reshard Nielson is viewed by Misha as a grandfather, and only protests him using the vessel when it is playtime.
Age: 32
Race: Half-Elf
Hair Color: Reddish orange
Eye Color: Jade
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 157 lbs.
Occupation: Apprentice Healer/Necromancer
Personality: Zakar is the kind of man who walks into a room and lights it up. He is genuinely warm, and pleased to meet people. Seldom does he have an unkind word to say about anyone. Quick to smile and slow to anger, Zakar is at home with peasants more than nobility. He hasn’t forgotten how to smile at ribald humor, or the simple elegance of tripping a friend so they fall in the mud. What little his friends have to say against Zakar comes from the times when he has worked himself into a righteous fury, and the Gods preserve anyone who riles that sleeping dragon.
Appearance: Zakar is of a decent height, and average build with nothing particularly remarkable about his frame to cause him more than a glance in a crowd. His more noteworthy feature is that his hair comes down to his knees, and is kept wrapped in an extensive braid. At the crown is a ribbon with a metal disc on it. The disc has an eclipse on it, a symbol of life, and marks him as a healer. His eyes are set in a face that shows he is well-fed, which contributes to his often jovial nature. The same eclipse that is on the disc in Zakar’s hair is also tattooed largely (http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h31/MicaMoonspear/eclipselarge.jpg) on his back (the apex is between his shoulder blades), and a smaller version is tattooed on the center of his chest. Neither symbol is typically seen since there is little call for a healer to disrobe.
History:
Zakar was born to a line of healers from both sides of the family. His mother, Earian Yrithen, and his father, Dyrar Liren, both served the villages of Raiaera. Dubbed “Mother of Spirits” and “Father of Spirits” respectively, the two made their names as healers of an able hand and…something more. Their presence could pacify troubled spirits. Some claimed that the two would speak with spirits, and that their son, when he was born, was really the reborn soul of a particularly troubled spirit that Earian took into herself to calm.
His childhood, while spent traveling in a wagon or on foot with his parents, was happy. Occasionally, Zakar would be left with his future mentor, Reshard, for months at a time when Zakar’s parents needed to travel to a particularly distant or dangerous place. It was during one of these longer trips that Reshard first began Zakar’s instruction as a necromancer and healer. The village Reshard called home knew well of what he was, but his usefulness as a healer kept them from ever turning on him. Likewise, they took a shine to his young protégé. One might have even thought that they preferred the young Zakar to his mentor due to the sheer amount of exuberant life found in the boy.
His instruction continued like this for several years. One year Zakar’s parents did not return. He never learned why, but accepted Reshard’s words that they probably encountered some “trouble on the road.” While Zakar missed his parents, he threw himself doubly into his studies under Reshard in hopes of living up to the legacy left to him by the lives of his parents. While not the most apt pupil in the world, Zakar had learned most of the basics necessary for his craft by the age of twenty. Reshard, in turn, sent him to a neighboring farm to deal with the troubled spirit of a young girl who had died there. The end result was Zakar’s companion, Misha, who has remained with him until this day.
Four years later, Reshard fell ill. The old man had particular insight into the time of his own death, a skill he said that Zakar would acquire in time. For that reason, he had ceased teaching Zakar after the beckoning of Misha. Instead, he had devoted all of his time to the completion of his legacy to Zakar, the Amulet of the Lich (see Familiar section). He donned it at his death, and so his soul entered the amulet. Zakar occasionally places the amulet around Misha’s neck to consult his mentor, or to receive further instruction.
With the death of Reshard, Zakar took over his mentor’s role in the village until the coming of Xem'zûnd. Like so many others, Zakar and Misha were forced from their home. The two have been constantly on the move since. The public view of necromancy is understandably grim, and Zakar finds himself chased from villages more often than not. He continues to hold on to his love of life though, and knows that all of life cannot be so unaccepting as the current times; he looks forward to the day in his inevitably long life in which he can settle down again.
Skills:
Necromancy
Zakar’s form of necromancy was learned from his mentor, Reshard Nielson. Unlike some forms of necromancy which rely on forcibly binding the souls of the dead into whatever is handy, Zakar’s necromancy involves asking any unsatisfied spirits looking for a second chance to animate the vessel (corpse) Zakar provides. Any vessel must be ritually prepared by Zakar first; this process which can take up to a month depending on how hard it is for him to get all he needs for the preparation. With that in mind, his first skills include:
Necromantic Preparation:
Zakar must use leather, bits of metal, and other items to fortify the joints of the skeleton he is working with so that, once animated, his new companion’s form does not fall apart while the energies binding it settle. To that end, Zakar has minimal skills in leather working and smithing to produce things like leather strips and pins for his purposes.
Ritual of Beckoning:
Zakar must spend at least six hours pouring all the energies he can into the prepared vessel. Any less and the beacon requesting a soul to occupy the vessel will be too weak, any more and Zakar puts his own life at risk. The ritual creates a magical beacon visible to all spirits, and makes plain the intentions of the caster. Only a willing spirit can bind itself to the vessel. The self-sacrificial part of the ritual deters most evil spirits from even trying to take control of the vessel, and the idea that the existence of the new form is dependent on the will of the necromancer. The ritual does not always succeed, but can be done once more within a lunar cycle should the first attempt fail. If a spirit does choose to inhabit the vessel, a portion of the energy Zakar invested remains with the vessel. This limits the number of companions that Zakar can have at any given time. He can currently maintain one. The spirit may vacate its vessel without warning, if it so chooses, since it is there of its own free will. A vacated vessel can be used again.
Mend Bone:
Despite the bodies Zakar works with having been willed to him or otherwise given freely, they often shown the signs of living. Weakened bones or fractures that have not entirely healed are common, so Zakar has developed a spell allowing him to mend bones. He can also use the spell on the living with lesser effect.
Feverbreak:
Working with the dead and the ill living naturally lends itself to Zakar becoming ill more often than most people. He has devised a simple spell that allows him to remove simple illnesses from himself to allow him to continue his work. He can use the spell on another for a lesser effect, and cool the fever of another to provide them with some comfort in their illness.
Languages
Tradespeak, Elven
Equipment: A backpack with provisions, a solid looking wooden cudgel, traveler’s clothing, a few spare bones, a book with the names and towns of people who have left their bodies to him (Book currently has only two names), books of herb lore (to help with his function as a healer) and the Amulet of the Lich (see “Familiar” section)
Familiars:
Maximum Vessels Maintainable: 1
Vessels Being Maintained: 1
Vessel Name: Misha
Skeleton: Human Child (Female)
Personality: Misha is a little girl (even if she also happens to be a reanimated skeleton). She seems to think of Zakar as her father (as near as anyone can tell), and is quite happy to accompany him. She can be playful or shy depending on how people react to her. More often than not, she can be found trailing behind Zakar and trying to hide because of bad reactions in the past. If left to her own devices, Misha will play with whatever is at hand as if they were dolls or play hide and seek. Sometimes she can be a bit of a handful though when she chooses to wander off, causing Zakar no end of worry.
Description: Misha looks like the skeleton of a small, human child. She has two dresses. One is a gray woolen one for cooler weather, and the other is a cream one for warmer weather. She wears no shoes, but does carry a small bag that holds whatever dress she isn’t wearing at the time. The actual temperature doesn’t seem to affect her at all, but Zakar insists that she likes having the dresses.
Skills: None.
Amulet of the Lich:
The Amulet of the Lich is the legacy of Zakar’s mentor. Despite its ominous name, the amulet has surprisingly little to do with the feared creatures. The amulet is a phylactery, but one of a less sinister nature. When placed around the neck of a dying person, their soul, if willing, will enter the amulet instead of departing. The amulet can hold one soul, and the current occupant is none other than its creator, Reshard Nielson. When the amulet is placed around the neck of an occupied vessel, the soul in the amulet and the soul in the vessel commune and must agree to share control of the vessel. If the soul in the vessel agrees to the terms, the soul in the amulet can then assume control of the vessel from time to time. The amulet also allows the soul within it to speak with the voice they had in life through the magics of the amulet and the vessel working together. The soul in the amulet can willingly leave at any given moment, but upon leaving can never re-enter the amulet. The amulet itself is a simple iron disc about two inches in diameter suspended by a leather thong. One side of the disc has a symbol of life carved on it.
The power of the amulet is limited due to the magical forces at work. In order for the vessel to continue to be supported by the soul inhabiting it, the soul in the amulet can only control the vessel for five minutes. Any longer puts the magic maintaining the vessel in jeopardy. Should the soul of the amulet persist on trying to hold on to the vessel, both souls could be expelled from their respective homes against their will. After half a day, it is usually safe to use the amulet again.
Reshard Nielson is viewed by Misha as a grandfather, and only protests him using the vessel when it is playtime.