Hallow
06-05-11, 08:13 AM
Name: Ashley Turgor
Title: Wizard
Wizard Name: Hallow
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Allegiance: Order of Hem, College of Beinost
Age: 24
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 146lbs
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Black
Birthplace: Anebrilith
2478
History: Anebrilith fell, and with it, the splendour of the College Arcana. Though Beinost rose quickly from the ashes of the war with the necromancer Xem’Zund, the providence of wizards, and their place in Raiera society did not. Some wizards went mad, corrupted by the void left by their kin and some fell from great heights to the trickery of the allure of cheating death. Ashley Turgor, however, resisted those temptations, and stands defiant yet in servitude in the necropolis of the city once proud and legendary throughout Althanas.
Resisting temptation and taking advantage of it, however, are to very different concepts. Ashley and many others like him took an oath when Xem’Zund fell in the dark in the Basque of the Lightbringers. They pledged to wield the forbidden art of necromancy to give life, not take it away and corrupt it, and it is the Order of Hem that crafts the city of Anebrilith into its new form, the souls of the dead themselves tainting the cobblestones and giving structure to the ruined towers and boulevards.
Throughout his childhood, Ashley played with dead birds, whispering secret lies to try and bring them back to life whilst his father was teaching in the College or his mother was out in the sunshine markets. He remained bitterly disappointed and permanently holding skeletal wings until one day, when he was twelve, he could have sworn it twitched! Apprehensive and excited, Ashley recited the last words he had muttered over and over, until the darkness in every wizard’s head decided to give him a break. The bird came to life, if only for three seconds, and fell back in a rotten heap.
Ashley had learnt to imbue a corpse with a spirit, before he had even learnt to read.
Of course, modesty is part of being a good wizard. You don’t take responsibility for something that will get you killed, so Hallow remained behind a mask and in dark corners of the world to practice his fetish, sealed in black iron cast in the forges of Alerar to hide his identity and his weaknesses from the world. The Order of Hem are all alike, and their silent traversing of the crumbling walls attending to the tormented souls of the dead as they struggle to break free of their architectural bonds has become an omen, but a much needed one. Though regarded with utter suspicion, and watched closely by the College and the Templars who would readily slay them all, the Order has remained alive on its secret wings and untainted by the same troubles that befell the Death Lords and their master.
For the last year, Ashley has undertaken the task of keeping the spirits of Beinost placated and benevolent. Somebody has to do the caretaking, don’t they? Hallow, as he is now named, has remained anonymous, and nobody knows his real identity except the other members of the Order. His life before he took the oath and finally gave in to his childhood fascination with death is a distant memory, his father, killed in the defence of the city, his mother lost long ago in tragic circumstances involving sacrificial daggers and white virginal robes (she had wanted it for eight years before the desperate populous had given it to her).
In Hallows’ mind, the colour of magic is very much black, and like the nobles of the many cities of Althanas, black is the new black, and to be seen without it, is to be dead to the eyes of the world. The only exception is the gold trim; you can never have enough gold trim. Of course, the greater tragedy is that these so called wizards don’t have hats, and their voices are somewhat muffled by the masks they wear, but a mysterious allure is as good as a well-worn robe and a wide brimmed pointed item of headdress if you think you’re a wizard, right?
Personality: Slow to respond and somewhat mysterious, Hallow is a calm, collected individual that is somewhat lacking in the personality department. He is seemingly emotionless, although this might be because his face is permanently hidden from view, and the muffled notation in his voice, compounded by his wizard tongue leaves even the most talented body language and speech therapist confused. As far as loyalty goes, however, Hallow is as dedicated to his art, his laws and the Order and College of Beinost as you can be without being part of the brick work yourself. If you earn his trust, you earn it for life, and perhaps for a good deal of time beyond that.
Though still young for a wizard, and having lived a sheltered life, he is remarkably well developed emotionally, though that might be his proximity to things without heartbeats and spending many long evenings in his late youth talking to dead people in cellars, graveyards and fashionable necromancy cafes (an enigma beneath the streets of Beinost, but a highly profitable organised ring of safe partitioning from the rest of society). All that said and done, he has a lot to learn about interaction with others, alive or dead, and though he finds solitude and happiness in his long, silent work with the spirits of Beinost, a part of him is so curious and intrigued by the very simplicity of ‘people’ that he often comes across as childish, immature and outright rude.
Skills:
• Knowledge (Magical Text): Average
• Knowledge (Wizardry): Average
• Knowledge (Raiera): Average
• Knowledge (Literacy & Calligraphy): Above Average
• Surgery: Above Average
• Prepare Potions: Below Average
• Scribe: Above Average
• Anatomy: Above Average
Abilities:
Commune Novalis: A wizard can see death, and things that other people ignorant to the powers of the tap cannot. A necromancer, can hear, speak and reveal death to others, should they be willing to witness the worlds beyond their own. A wizard who is unsure what he is, can be a little schizophrenic about which reality he is actually seeing at any one time, so though Hallow can commune with the dead and is aware of it, it doesn’t leave him certain of himself.
There are several laws to adhere to when using the Commune. Firstly, only one spirit can be revealed at any one time, no matter how powerful or willing it or the people who wish (or in some cases, don’t) wish to see it. Speaking with spirits doesn’t mean they will listen, or indeed, that they will understand. Though a necromancer can temper the side effects of being on the borderline between life and death, sometimes, his psychotic babbling and strange behaviour can attract too much attention, and the need for secrecy is paramount. If ever a member of the Order’s identity is made public to the world, he is immediately dragged into the spirit world.
• See Spirits: Average
• Speak With Spirits: (Below Average)
• Reveal Spirits To Others: (Below Average)
• Psychotic Babbling: (Average)
Aura of Frailty: Hallow emits, at all times that he is able to maintain the small amount of concentration required to do so a spherical aura of mind numbing and weakening sickness. His proximity to death and his permanent state of mourning for his victims and those he placates has caused a subconscious grieving, a scar on his mind and body that connects to his wizardry heart and projects a small ring of energy, which anyone with magical talent can clearly see in brown and yellow hue. This aura reduces the strength, stamina and dexterity of anyone within five feet of Hallow by 0.5, including him.
Flutter: Drawing on the latent energies of the Black Iron Hauberk, and the ties to the shadows of Beinost themselves, Hallow can cast minor cantoris and spells that all serve one unified purpose. He may teleport around the city, walking through the shadows themselves as if they were mere doorways. This ability is limited to Beinost, and no other living creature or thing may be taken through the doorways except members of the Order of Hem. Souls, spirits and undead creatures may follow him freely, so it offers only sanctuary and utility from the living. To do so however requires free hands, the use of the Grimoire Graviga and a small amount of his energy and stamina, so it is not without its limitations or physical drawbacks to his frail form.
Items/Equipment:
• Spellpouch.
• Heavy Leather Bracers.
• Well Worn Reinforced Boots
• Small Surgery and run-down tower.
• Bedding and Towels.
• Anatomy Equipment.
• Iron Knifes of various shapes and lengths (surgical).
• Preserving Fluids and potions.
Shadow Brand: The Shadow Brand is a permanent connection to the colour of magic of death, and takes the form of a demi-cloak or robe that can change length and shape and in a very limited way, move by telepathic command. It is, in essence, a homunculus, without the teeth. It does not emit any magical signal, though it is clearly enchanted and made of magic itself. It cannot become wet, cannot be burnt by conventional fire and does not allow light to pass through it. It offers the wearer limited protection against fire, magic of a light bound origin and against water, though the wearer must channel all his energy into the brand if he wishes to form a cocoon or shield against those elements. Such is the strength required, that this may only be used once per day, and only if response times allow the brand to be reformed before inevitable and painful ends are met.
Grimoire Graviga: The gravity bound Grimoire of Hallow is a powerful artefact containing many spells and instructions on anatomical procedures to prepare corpses for resurrection and for discoursing politics of haunting with the spirits of the dead which occupy the city of Beinost. It is a simple black leather book with a gold trim clasp and a magic circle on its cover. It also contains many basic cantoris for preparing light, water and so on, taught to all wizards in their junior years of attendance of the College (which Hallow has all but forgotten in favour of pursuing one particular school of magic to its upper limits). The book is an anchor to the shadow and spirit worlds, and its use is semantically linked to many of Hallow’s procedures. He can conjure it to his side with a word and a flash of shadow, and it can, once per day, when it is night time or he is complete outside of natural light, fire a single blast ring of dark energy that affects only the undead. This ring will suspend any undead creature or spirit in a gravitational field, allowing him a few important seconds to do what most careful wizards do best. Run, the fuck, away.
Black Iron Hauberk & Helm: Iron upper body armour and a full helm cast in black ore and decorated with gold trim (though it’s more bronze with the hue of gold, though don’t tell anyone). The armour cannot be removed by non-magical means, and the helmet reveals nothing about his physical features, and distorts his voice. They are reinforced with enchantment to allow safe passage through the shadows of Beinost and are resilient and light by merit of further augmentation to limit the interference with spell casting. They don’t make him too light on his feet, however, which isn’t helped by his aura, but they do offer protection and display his allegiance and membership to the Order of Hem – a black cloak and black visage that is feared and reviled but tolerated all the same. You have to look good in your uniform, so why not go all out?
Title: Wizard
Wizard Name: Hallow
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Allegiance: Order of Hem, College of Beinost
Age: 24
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 146lbs
Eye Colour: Green
Hair Colour: Black
Birthplace: Anebrilith
2478
History: Anebrilith fell, and with it, the splendour of the College Arcana. Though Beinost rose quickly from the ashes of the war with the necromancer Xem’Zund, the providence of wizards, and their place in Raiera society did not. Some wizards went mad, corrupted by the void left by their kin and some fell from great heights to the trickery of the allure of cheating death. Ashley Turgor, however, resisted those temptations, and stands defiant yet in servitude in the necropolis of the city once proud and legendary throughout Althanas.
Resisting temptation and taking advantage of it, however, are to very different concepts. Ashley and many others like him took an oath when Xem’Zund fell in the dark in the Basque of the Lightbringers. They pledged to wield the forbidden art of necromancy to give life, not take it away and corrupt it, and it is the Order of Hem that crafts the city of Anebrilith into its new form, the souls of the dead themselves tainting the cobblestones and giving structure to the ruined towers and boulevards.
Throughout his childhood, Ashley played with dead birds, whispering secret lies to try and bring them back to life whilst his father was teaching in the College or his mother was out in the sunshine markets. He remained bitterly disappointed and permanently holding skeletal wings until one day, when he was twelve, he could have sworn it twitched! Apprehensive and excited, Ashley recited the last words he had muttered over and over, until the darkness in every wizard’s head decided to give him a break. The bird came to life, if only for three seconds, and fell back in a rotten heap.
Ashley had learnt to imbue a corpse with a spirit, before he had even learnt to read.
Of course, modesty is part of being a good wizard. You don’t take responsibility for something that will get you killed, so Hallow remained behind a mask and in dark corners of the world to practice his fetish, sealed in black iron cast in the forges of Alerar to hide his identity and his weaknesses from the world. The Order of Hem are all alike, and their silent traversing of the crumbling walls attending to the tormented souls of the dead as they struggle to break free of their architectural bonds has become an omen, but a much needed one. Though regarded with utter suspicion, and watched closely by the College and the Templars who would readily slay them all, the Order has remained alive on its secret wings and untainted by the same troubles that befell the Death Lords and their master.
For the last year, Ashley has undertaken the task of keeping the spirits of Beinost placated and benevolent. Somebody has to do the caretaking, don’t they? Hallow, as he is now named, has remained anonymous, and nobody knows his real identity except the other members of the Order. His life before he took the oath and finally gave in to his childhood fascination with death is a distant memory, his father, killed in the defence of the city, his mother lost long ago in tragic circumstances involving sacrificial daggers and white virginal robes (she had wanted it for eight years before the desperate populous had given it to her).
In Hallows’ mind, the colour of magic is very much black, and like the nobles of the many cities of Althanas, black is the new black, and to be seen without it, is to be dead to the eyes of the world. The only exception is the gold trim; you can never have enough gold trim. Of course, the greater tragedy is that these so called wizards don’t have hats, and their voices are somewhat muffled by the masks they wear, but a mysterious allure is as good as a well-worn robe and a wide brimmed pointed item of headdress if you think you’re a wizard, right?
Personality: Slow to respond and somewhat mysterious, Hallow is a calm, collected individual that is somewhat lacking in the personality department. He is seemingly emotionless, although this might be because his face is permanently hidden from view, and the muffled notation in his voice, compounded by his wizard tongue leaves even the most talented body language and speech therapist confused. As far as loyalty goes, however, Hallow is as dedicated to his art, his laws and the Order and College of Beinost as you can be without being part of the brick work yourself. If you earn his trust, you earn it for life, and perhaps for a good deal of time beyond that.
Though still young for a wizard, and having lived a sheltered life, he is remarkably well developed emotionally, though that might be his proximity to things without heartbeats and spending many long evenings in his late youth talking to dead people in cellars, graveyards and fashionable necromancy cafes (an enigma beneath the streets of Beinost, but a highly profitable organised ring of safe partitioning from the rest of society). All that said and done, he has a lot to learn about interaction with others, alive or dead, and though he finds solitude and happiness in his long, silent work with the spirits of Beinost, a part of him is so curious and intrigued by the very simplicity of ‘people’ that he often comes across as childish, immature and outright rude.
Skills:
• Knowledge (Magical Text): Average
• Knowledge (Wizardry): Average
• Knowledge (Raiera): Average
• Knowledge (Literacy & Calligraphy): Above Average
• Surgery: Above Average
• Prepare Potions: Below Average
• Scribe: Above Average
• Anatomy: Above Average
Abilities:
Commune Novalis: A wizard can see death, and things that other people ignorant to the powers of the tap cannot. A necromancer, can hear, speak and reveal death to others, should they be willing to witness the worlds beyond their own. A wizard who is unsure what he is, can be a little schizophrenic about which reality he is actually seeing at any one time, so though Hallow can commune with the dead and is aware of it, it doesn’t leave him certain of himself.
There are several laws to adhere to when using the Commune. Firstly, only one spirit can be revealed at any one time, no matter how powerful or willing it or the people who wish (or in some cases, don’t) wish to see it. Speaking with spirits doesn’t mean they will listen, or indeed, that they will understand. Though a necromancer can temper the side effects of being on the borderline between life and death, sometimes, his psychotic babbling and strange behaviour can attract too much attention, and the need for secrecy is paramount. If ever a member of the Order’s identity is made public to the world, he is immediately dragged into the spirit world.
• See Spirits: Average
• Speak With Spirits: (Below Average)
• Reveal Spirits To Others: (Below Average)
• Psychotic Babbling: (Average)
Aura of Frailty: Hallow emits, at all times that he is able to maintain the small amount of concentration required to do so a spherical aura of mind numbing and weakening sickness. His proximity to death and his permanent state of mourning for his victims and those he placates has caused a subconscious grieving, a scar on his mind and body that connects to his wizardry heart and projects a small ring of energy, which anyone with magical talent can clearly see in brown and yellow hue. This aura reduces the strength, stamina and dexterity of anyone within five feet of Hallow by 0.5, including him.
Flutter: Drawing on the latent energies of the Black Iron Hauberk, and the ties to the shadows of Beinost themselves, Hallow can cast minor cantoris and spells that all serve one unified purpose. He may teleport around the city, walking through the shadows themselves as if they were mere doorways. This ability is limited to Beinost, and no other living creature or thing may be taken through the doorways except members of the Order of Hem. Souls, spirits and undead creatures may follow him freely, so it offers only sanctuary and utility from the living. To do so however requires free hands, the use of the Grimoire Graviga and a small amount of his energy and stamina, so it is not without its limitations or physical drawbacks to his frail form.
Items/Equipment:
• Spellpouch.
• Heavy Leather Bracers.
• Well Worn Reinforced Boots
• Small Surgery and run-down tower.
• Bedding and Towels.
• Anatomy Equipment.
• Iron Knifes of various shapes and lengths (surgical).
• Preserving Fluids and potions.
Shadow Brand: The Shadow Brand is a permanent connection to the colour of magic of death, and takes the form of a demi-cloak or robe that can change length and shape and in a very limited way, move by telepathic command. It is, in essence, a homunculus, without the teeth. It does not emit any magical signal, though it is clearly enchanted and made of magic itself. It cannot become wet, cannot be burnt by conventional fire and does not allow light to pass through it. It offers the wearer limited protection against fire, magic of a light bound origin and against water, though the wearer must channel all his energy into the brand if he wishes to form a cocoon or shield against those elements. Such is the strength required, that this may only be used once per day, and only if response times allow the brand to be reformed before inevitable and painful ends are met.
Grimoire Graviga: The gravity bound Grimoire of Hallow is a powerful artefact containing many spells and instructions on anatomical procedures to prepare corpses for resurrection and for discoursing politics of haunting with the spirits of the dead which occupy the city of Beinost. It is a simple black leather book with a gold trim clasp and a magic circle on its cover. It also contains many basic cantoris for preparing light, water and so on, taught to all wizards in their junior years of attendance of the College (which Hallow has all but forgotten in favour of pursuing one particular school of magic to its upper limits). The book is an anchor to the shadow and spirit worlds, and its use is semantically linked to many of Hallow’s procedures. He can conjure it to his side with a word and a flash of shadow, and it can, once per day, when it is night time or he is complete outside of natural light, fire a single blast ring of dark energy that affects only the undead. This ring will suspend any undead creature or spirit in a gravitational field, allowing him a few important seconds to do what most careful wizards do best. Run, the fuck, away.
Black Iron Hauberk & Helm: Iron upper body armour and a full helm cast in black ore and decorated with gold trim (though it’s more bronze with the hue of gold, though don’t tell anyone). The armour cannot be removed by non-magical means, and the helmet reveals nothing about his physical features, and distorts his voice. They are reinforced with enchantment to allow safe passage through the shadows of Beinost and are resilient and light by merit of further augmentation to limit the interference with spell casting. They don’t make him too light on his feet, however, which isn’t helped by his aura, but they do offer protection and display his allegiance and membership to the Order of Hem – a black cloak and black visage that is feared and reviled but tolerated all the same. You have to look good in your uniform, so why not go all out?