Christoph
08-15-11, 01:48 PM
Name: Elijah Belov
Level: 9
Age: 22
Race: Human
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175 Pounds
Occupation: Former chef, aimless wanderer, Pagoda Master, and self-professed Salvic Rebel Leader ™.
Appearance: Elijah’s mop of thick brown hair is wavy almost to the point of being curly and his strong chin and soft brown eyes curiously accent clean facial features. At least, it does when he's clean-shaven and well rested, neither of which happens often. ((On the whole his face looks rather German/middle European.))
Elijah always had a certain noble look when he asserts himself, one that contradicted his former culinary occupation. However, where he used to most often look the part of a scruffy, frustrated chef with an unnerving habit of talking to himself, hard years and the growth of power changed him. His many travels and trials scoured away his baby face and left him whipcord lean, sturdy. He combines vigorous youth with a fair number of scars and the mannerisms of an old soul.
Casual observers might write him off as unremarkable, but those who look closer will see and feel the power he hides.
History: Elijah’s grandfather was said to be a brave knight and a rich and powerful noble. Elijah’s mother spoke of few other redeeming features, and only when telling the story of how his grandfather engaged in an extended affair with his grandmother before running off with another woman. He had left Eli’s grandmother and newborn daughter to fend for themselves. Elijah’s mother followed in her mother’s footsteps in many ways. She, too, fell in love with a wealthy man who vanished and left her with a young child, Elijah.
Fortunately, Elijah’s mother showed greater foresight and saved enough money to open the Golden Grass Inn. Eli spent much of his youth working there as a talented chef and charming young bartender, and both he and his mother prospered modestly from his efforts.
Elijah first went out into the world for the sake of business at 17. He sailed to Scara Brae first, where he met some random people, engaged in some rather satirical brawls, and nearly got pummeled by some angry sailors. Luckily, he'd managed to meet with some warehouse owners there and worked out a number of shipping contracts for his mother's tavern, thus saving them the huge expense of purchasing pricy Salvarian grain. After almost a month, he left Scara Brae for Corone, where he found many perilous adventures and gained his first fleeting spark of fame in the Citadel. He also took full advantage of the nation’s acceptance toward magic to research and learn, furthering his arcane knowledge and understanding.
After two years, he finally managed to return to Salvar, only to find the huge nation on the brink of civil war. After finally reaching his hometown and finding his mother executed for witchcraft because of books he had hidden in their home, he set off again to extract vengeance against both the church and the witch hunter responsible. He played many key but often overlooked roles in the conflict in the following years. ((This arc in his story is still being written, suspended in Liquid Time as I write other stories taking place afterwards.))
After a long, tragic campaign that ranged across the entirety of Salvar, Elijah washed his hands of his home country and traveled south on the back of Cirothe, a fierce reptilian mount. He reached Alerar friendless and penniless, with only his remaining books, small collection of potent magic items, and his various formidable skills in magic, combat, and academics. Fortunately, these proved more than sufficient to begin a new life, frequently sailing between Ettermire, Scara Brae, and Radasanth. Since then, he has worked as a private “arcane contractor”, selling his sorcerous abilities to pay the bills.
His notoriety in the region grew further when he fought his way to a Master’s position in the famous Dajas Pagoda and participated in numerous high-profile Citadel battles. His displays of immense magical might combined with rapidly-surfacing rumors of his exploits during the Salvar civil war have earned him the praise of being “one of the most powerful sorcerers in the known world”. Having discovered his taste for fame, Elijah has put some effort into fostering his growing reputation in these regions.
Skills:
Non-Combat
Literacy:
Elijah is very literate and reads and writes often. He can decipher Elven and Dwarven texts without much trouble. His excellent literacy helps him learn odd skills.
Metalworking:
With some research, Elijah taught himself intermediate metalworking skills. After putting some practice into it, he’s become very skilled with basic metals (iron, steel) and has advanced skills in working precious metals (gold, silver) and with Mithril, Damascus, and other special materials.
Cooking:
Elijah was a chef and has been cooking for his entire life; he is a very skilled cook. His travels have given him more experience in cooking outside and in unpleasant conditions than he would have wanted. His cooking skills have improved a bit more since he left home.
He knows stuff:
His reading and research doesn’t end with combat theory, cooking, and metalworking. Elijah also enjoys studying history, music, philosophy, art, and various areas of science. He has been known to break into elaborate drunken debates with strangers in bars in areas of cosmic physics and the nature of time and space. He is known of as a moderately talented scholar in many fields of study.
Combat
Barroom Brawling:
Aside from his impressive cooking, baking, and drink mixing abilities, Elijah’s former job has also made him a reasonable brawler. He’d learned to grapple and throw solid punches, not to mention how to fight with various odd objects (stools, chairs, beer mugs, kitchen knives, spoons, forks, etc...), from all those late nights of throwing out drunks and breaking up (or starting, from time to time) fights. His travels have taken him to other, rougher taverns. Because of his experiences there, he's proven himself a very dangerous brawler. His earlier Citadel battles and many trials have honed these skills to a razor's edge, advancing his brawling skills to real martial arts.
Swordplay:
Since his early youth, Elijah has taught himself swordplay, mainly based off of fencing and some basic martial arts, both of which he had occasionally practiced with the local town guards. Years of adventure and combat has honed his skills to immense degrees. Elijah has become a legendary master in combat with standard and light swords and knives. He is also a clever and canny fighter who is often able to outsmart the few superior swordsmen he meets.
Abilities:
Physical Attributes:
Eli’s many trials and study of different martial arts has left him swift, strong, athletic, dexterous, and flexible. He possesses the following intrinsic physical traits: (1) Two and a half times average agility, (2) twice average fine-motor dexterity, (3) 75% greater strength than an average adult man, and(4) two and a half times average endurance.
The Arcane Arts:
Eli has been delving into the mysterious arcane arts for a several years, despite Salvar’s less-than-friendly attitude toward arcanists. While some professional wizards surpass him in finesse, Elijah more than makes up for it with sheer power. Fatigue and illness drastically limits his powers, while preparatory meditation and/or desperation can work to bolster his magical might.
1.) Dream-walking:
Elijah has begun research into dream-walking, a peculiar art that he unwillingly discovered his personal affinity for. He’s figured out how to conduct rituals to keep his wandering sub-conscious in place, or to do the opposite and intentionally cause his mind to enter someone else’s dream. He hasn’t figured out how to reliably direct where he ends up, though. For this reason, the latter ritual is very risky.
2.) Magical Metal:
His studies also extended into slightly more advanced alchemy and material enchantment. His current abilities in both are somewhere in between proficient and expert, and extend only to metal. He can perform alchemical experiments to harden or soften basic metals. Normally, this will make the metal either more brittle if made harder, or more malleable or flexible if made softer. He can also place enchantments on metal. These would consist of basic, intermediate, and moderately advanced protective shielding spells, empowering spells, or offensive spells. This process takes quite a bit of time and effort, as well as full concentration. Any enchanted item would be requested as a spoil at the end of a quest or battle, and subject to moderator approval.
3.) Magical Earth:
This area of arcane studies branched off from his study of magic and metal. Elijah can extend many of his powers over metal listed above to any earthy element (dirt, rocks, sand, etc), though to a lesser extent. The advantage he has with these materials is that he can perform his magic on them without actually making physical contact, though it then requires more effort. He can also transmute these materials so that they are able to serve as high-yield fuel for his magically summoned fire, thus allowing his fire to not only sustain itself without needing to tax Elijah’s magical energies as much, but it also gives it a higher yield-to-effort ratio, so long as a supply of earthy materials are present and he has a moment to transmute it. The harder and denser the material, the harder it is to transmute.
4.) Hot Stuff:
Elijah has the ability to increase the temperature of metal to the level of a branding iron. He can also use his magic to protect himself from extreme temperatures. In addition, he mastered the skills required to do both spells at the same time, which he was definitely very excited about. And the cause for real excitement is his new trick! He’s finally mastered a spell that can allow him to protect his entire body from extreme heat for up to twenty seconds. This would allow him to sprint through raging fires without more than a few minor burns. He’s still not going to be swimming in boiling water, though. Actually, now he actually can, but not for very long.
5.) Hotter Stuff
With his life frequently on the line, Elijah has been forced to use magic more and more to survive. Even his more recent “quieter” days in Ettermire, Scara Brae, and Corone have afforded great improvement because of increased access to arcane texts. Because of this, his skill and power has increased steadily over the years. He can summon balls of fire the size of his torso, fling smaller ones rapidly, and maintain a steady stream of fire for several seconds, enough to engulf three or four average humans. He can also conjure forth mighty explosions and fiery waves that can envelope six or seven people. He has also learned how to give his fiery attacks kinetic force, allowing him to stun and knock his foes backwards. Utilizing this, he can also create a 360-degree shockwave of fire, hitting all targets within ten feet with enough force to knock over a armored knights, as well causing major burns. His mastery over flame has also allowed him to propel his fiery projectiles at much faster rates than he would normally be able to physically throw them. With a little extra effort his fiery projectiles, and any transmuted fuel within them, are able to fly at the velocity of crossbow bolts. He can also focus his larger fiery assaults into smaller, more intense areas to burn, blast, or melt through particularly tough targets, such as melting thick iron gates or blasting through stone walls. This requires additional effort, however.
As always, though, nothing drains him like exerting his magical powers, though his pool of power has drastically increased since he began his studies. While flicking around small and medium sized balls of flame won’t normally wear him out, overly exerting himself can become a major problem. While at full strength, he can churn out fire and magic with enough hellish, terrifying intensity to drive back dozens of enemies, but more than seven or eight minutes of such extreme conjuring and evocating leaves him drained. Pacing his exertion is often crucially important, unless he requires a swift and brutal victory. He can also form his pyromancy spells from existing flames, which makes them easier to a degree dependent upon the size of the flame and the size of the spell.
6.) Charms and Cantrips:
During much of his idle time traveling, Elijah has expanded his repertoire of spells. He’s learned several quick, minor charms and cantrips to aid him in a variety of situations. These spells draw more from his mental strength and willpower, rather than the physical energy and life force that his pyromancy expends. At his current skill and efficiency, he can cast twenty-five times from the spells listed below each day before feeling severely mentally drained, and even fewer if he casts several in rapid succession.
He has also learned how to stack the effects of like charms to produce greater results (such as using Titan’s Strength listed below twice to gain double the benefit). The maximum number of the same charm he can cast while still gaining the additional benefit is four -- however, the forth only lasts for a mere fifteen seconds before wearing off.
While cleverly stacking the right physically-oriented charms can allow Eli to fight seemingly like a demigod (or demon, depending on who you ask), his body cannot be pushed so hard without repercussions. Every charm beyond the first used to enhance a given physical trait causes that same trait to weaken by 20% once the charm wears off. Also, the same physical charm may not be used more than four times per day on the same person.
- Feather-fall: this charm can reduce any fall of 50 feet or less to a harmless velocity. Longer falls will be lessened, but will still do damage as though they were 50 feet closer to the ground. When stacked, each casting adds another 50 feet to the charm’s effect.
- Titan’s Strength: Seriously, this charm doesn’t come anywhere near its namesake. It does, however, increase his strength by 150% for about four minutes. When stacked, each casting adds another 150% to his base strength (for a total of 300%, 450%, or 600% respectively).
- Metal Leech: With a touch, Elijah can suck the strength out of metallic materials, making them soft and brittle. The effect varies depending on the metal and how long he is in contact with it. This spell has yet to affect at all any metals of the strength of adamantine or greater. Stacking has no effect on this charm, other than repeatedly increasing the damage caused to the targeted metal.
- Wind Feet: This spell allows Elijah to jump four times as high as normal, and doubles his forward running speed. It lasts for five minutes. Stacking this charm only adds an additional 100% to his jump height and running speed.
- Dazzling Swiftness: This charm grants double speed and agility, allowing him to dodge all but the fastest of attacks. It has little effect on his running speed, however. It lasts for five minutes. When stacked, each casting adds another 100% to his base speed agility.
- Flash and Smoke: This spell creates a large flash to blind enemies, followed by a cloud of smoke to obscure his movements. The smoke covers an area of sixty feet and the flash can blind enemies for up to four minutes if they don’t close their eyes in time, and blind for twenty seconds through their eyelids, but only if they are still facing the direction of the flash. This charm cannot be stacked for greater effect.
- Shield Charm: This is a basic defensive spell that covers a 5’ by 4’ area in front of him. It can block arrows and deflect average to strong punches and weapon strikes. It can only take seven or eight hits before breaking, though. Stronger attacks will destroy it faster. When stacked, each casting increases the shield in size by 50% and durability by 50%. It lasts until destroyed or intentionally dispersed.
- Iron Skin: This charm hardens Elijah’s skin to the level of iron, making him extremely resilient to physical punishment. It lasts for two minutes. When stacked once, it increases to the strength of steel. When stacked twice, it increases to the strength of Delyn. When stacked three times, his skin gains, fleetingly, the strength of mithril.[color]
- Levitate: Casting this spell gives the chef three minutes of magical telepathy, allowing him to lift up to sixty pounds, whether as one object, several smaller ones, or even piles of sand. Stacking has no effect save for increasing the duration. [color=green]If used simultaneously with Feather Fall, Levitate allows Elijah to levitate himself, hovering up to fifteen feet above his starting position and moving at the speed of an average jog.
7.) Mage Senses:
Elijah has become adept at using magic to augment his sensory perception. He has the ability to detect concentrations and vacuums of life energy. The practical upshot of this is that he can detect the locations of living and undead beings without needing to actually see or hear them. Also, he has become adept at sensing enchantments, especially those on items. The initial indication of a magical object’s presence tends to come at random, though it will typically detect the presence of any significant item 90% of the time. Once he knows that it’s there, he can usually determine the item’s primary magical function. He can also perceive the ‘threads of magic’, to better weave his spells.
Fighting Style – Dancing Flame Swordplay:
This deadly fighting art took three years to fully develop and combines Elijah’s mastery of swordsmanship with his potent arcane abilities. It doesn’t represent an increase in power, or a significant improvement in either physical or arcane skill, but rather a new way of combining his existing formidable abilities in new and deadly ways. The final piece of the style is the Abyssal Blade, and as such he can only use most of the abilities in this style while wielding that blade, or a different sword of similar shape and magical power. This style is useless when wearing anything heavier than light armor, or with shields.
Dancing Candle Form: As the name suggests, the core form of the style takes on the aspect of his primary element: fire. The practitioner’s movements flicker and dance like a candle’s flame. This very unpredictable pattern of motion makes Elijah considerably more difficult to hit, and allows him to parry and redirect blows and find openings with much greater efficiency. In addition, a brilliant corona of swirling fire envelops his body. These flames lash out at nearby opponents with fiery tendrils, and cause severe burns to unprotected opponents trying to make unarmed or grappling attacks. The bright glare also makes Elijah hard to look at directly.
Blood Igniting Flurry: By channeling his arcane powers through his Abyssal Blade, Elijah can turn the smallest scratch into an agonizing burning wound. This ability lasts for thirty seconds at a time (and can’t be used again for another two minutes at least). The weapon glows brightly like a branding iron, and during that time it moves 50% faster than normal, and all cuts that draw blood, no matter how small, burst into flames. The smaller the initial cut, the easier it is to extinguish. And while it causes major tissue damage and excruciating pain, it does stem blood loss by cauterizing the wound, though this is a small consolation.
Hellfire Mirror: Once per day, Elijah can conjure up three humanoid fiery apparitions that function as shadow forms of him. They possess identical physical abilities to Elijah, and benefit from identical benefits to those presented under Dancing Candle Form and Blood Igniting Flurry (though without the limited duration). They last for three minutes or until destroyed or intentionally released.
Important items: Steel dueling sword, two chef coats and hats, apron, a small library of books, a small collection of chef knives, a pair of enchanted Prevalida claw gauntlets (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?12985-Slashy-smashy-stuff.), and the Abyssal Blade.
The Abyssal Blade:
Master craftsmen of unknown origin forged this sinister and mighty blade from rare Prevalida. Elijah took it from a powerful vampire lord, lured by the promise of its power. Ever since, he has become more and more convinced that a malevolent presence lurks within the evil sword. The weapon is covered in arcane runes, glyphs, and sigils, each one binding a different enchantment. Currently, Elijah has only been able to activate two runes. One is an enchantment that charges him with magical energies up to twice per day, restoring 50% of his overall magical allotment, and increasing the strength of his spells by 20%. The other helps to protect him from extreme elements by keeping him warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot
Though no new runes have been unlocked yet, Elijah’s mastery over the blade has increased nonetheless. He can harness the weapon’s formidable power to create a steady and massive flow of magical energy – though he is still only able to personally draw about half of it, increasing his store of magical powers even further.
((Abyssal Blade acquired here (http://xn--http-996a//www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=7155%22). Second rune activation awarded here (http://xn--http-996a//www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=10528%22).))
Cirothe, the Ashkore War Lizard
Cirothe is a terror to behold, standing taller than most warhorses and weighing far more. This beast has the stamina of a pair of oxen, the speed of most any horse, and the stealth and agility of a forest predator, despite its huge mass. Its scales are as hard as stone and its jaw is filled with sharp, dagger-like teeth. This creature was purchased at the largest and oldest Bestiary in Salvar and has served as the former chef’s mount ever since.
Level: 9
Age: 22
Race: Human
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 175 Pounds
Occupation: Former chef, aimless wanderer, Pagoda Master, and self-professed Salvic Rebel Leader ™.
Appearance: Elijah’s mop of thick brown hair is wavy almost to the point of being curly and his strong chin and soft brown eyes curiously accent clean facial features. At least, it does when he's clean-shaven and well rested, neither of which happens often. ((On the whole his face looks rather German/middle European.))
Elijah always had a certain noble look when he asserts himself, one that contradicted his former culinary occupation. However, where he used to most often look the part of a scruffy, frustrated chef with an unnerving habit of talking to himself, hard years and the growth of power changed him. His many travels and trials scoured away his baby face and left him whipcord lean, sturdy. He combines vigorous youth with a fair number of scars and the mannerisms of an old soul.
Casual observers might write him off as unremarkable, but those who look closer will see and feel the power he hides.
History: Elijah’s grandfather was said to be a brave knight and a rich and powerful noble. Elijah’s mother spoke of few other redeeming features, and only when telling the story of how his grandfather engaged in an extended affair with his grandmother before running off with another woman. He had left Eli’s grandmother and newborn daughter to fend for themselves. Elijah’s mother followed in her mother’s footsteps in many ways. She, too, fell in love with a wealthy man who vanished and left her with a young child, Elijah.
Fortunately, Elijah’s mother showed greater foresight and saved enough money to open the Golden Grass Inn. Eli spent much of his youth working there as a talented chef and charming young bartender, and both he and his mother prospered modestly from his efforts.
Elijah first went out into the world for the sake of business at 17. He sailed to Scara Brae first, where he met some random people, engaged in some rather satirical brawls, and nearly got pummeled by some angry sailors. Luckily, he'd managed to meet with some warehouse owners there and worked out a number of shipping contracts for his mother's tavern, thus saving them the huge expense of purchasing pricy Salvarian grain. After almost a month, he left Scara Brae for Corone, where he found many perilous adventures and gained his first fleeting spark of fame in the Citadel. He also took full advantage of the nation’s acceptance toward magic to research and learn, furthering his arcane knowledge and understanding.
After two years, he finally managed to return to Salvar, only to find the huge nation on the brink of civil war. After finally reaching his hometown and finding his mother executed for witchcraft because of books he had hidden in their home, he set off again to extract vengeance against both the church and the witch hunter responsible. He played many key but often overlooked roles in the conflict in the following years. ((This arc in his story is still being written, suspended in Liquid Time as I write other stories taking place afterwards.))
After a long, tragic campaign that ranged across the entirety of Salvar, Elijah washed his hands of his home country and traveled south on the back of Cirothe, a fierce reptilian mount. He reached Alerar friendless and penniless, with only his remaining books, small collection of potent magic items, and his various formidable skills in magic, combat, and academics. Fortunately, these proved more than sufficient to begin a new life, frequently sailing between Ettermire, Scara Brae, and Radasanth. Since then, he has worked as a private “arcane contractor”, selling his sorcerous abilities to pay the bills.
His notoriety in the region grew further when he fought his way to a Master’s position in the famous Dajas Pagoda and participated in numerous high-profile Citadel battles. His displays of immense magical might combined with rapidly-surfacing rumors of his exploits during the Salvar civil war have earned him the praise of being “one of the most powerful sorcerers in the known world”. Having discovered his taste for fame, Elijah has put some effort into fostering his growing reputation in these regions.
Skills:
Non-Combat
Literacy:
Elijah is very literate and reads and writes often. He can decipher Elven and Dwarven texts without much trouble. His excellent literacy helps him learn odd skills.
Metalworking:
With some research, Elijah taught himself intermediate metalworking skills. After putting some practice into it, he’s become very skilled with basic metals (iron, steel) and has advanced skills in working precious metals (gold, silver) and with Mithril, Damascus, and other special materials.
Cooking:
Elijah was a chef and has been cooking for his entire life; he is a very skilled cook. His travels have given him more experience in cooking outside and in unpleasant conditions than he would have wanted. His cooking skills have improved a bit more since he left home.
He knows stuff:
His reading and research doesn’t end with combat theory, cooking, and metalworking. Elijah also enjoys studying history, music, philosophy, art, and various areas of science. He has been known to break into elaborate drunken debates with strangers in bars in areas of cosmic physics and the nature of time and space. He is known of as a moderately talented scholar in many fields of study.
Combat
Barroom Brawling:
Aside from his impressive cooking, baking, and drink mixing abilities, Elijah’s former job has also made him a reasonable brawler. He’d learned to grapple and throw solid punches, not to mention how to fight with various odd objects (stools, chairs, beer mugs, kitchen knives, spoons, forks, etc...), from all those late nights of throwing out drunks and breaking up (or starting, from time to time) fights. His travels have taken him to other, rougher taverns. Because of his experiences there, he's proven himself a very dangerous brawler. His earlier Citadel battles and many trials have honed these skills to a razor's edge, advancing his brawling skills to real martial arts.
Swordplay:
Since his early youth, Elijah has taught himself swordplay, mainly based off of fencing and some basic martial arts, both of which he had occasionally practiced with the local town guards. Years of adventure and combat has honed his skills to immense degrees. Elijah has become a legendary master in combat with standard and light swords and knives. He is also a clever and canny fighter who is often able to outsmart the few superior swordsmen he meets.
Abilities:
Physical Attributes:
Eli’s many trials and study of different martial arts has left him swift, strong, athletic, dexterous, and flexible. He possesses the following intrinsic physical traits: (1) Two and a half times average agility, (2) twice average fine-motor dexterity, (3) 75% greater strength than an average adult man, and(4) two and a half times average endurance.
The Arcane Arts:
Eli has been delving into the mysterious arcane arts for a several years, despite Salvar’s less-than-friendly attitude toward arcanists. While some professional wizards surpass him in finesse, Elijah more than makes up for it with sheer power. Fatigue and illness drastically limits his powers, while preparatory meditation and/or desperation can work to bolster his magical might.
1.) Dream-walking:
Elijah has begun research into dream-walking, a peculiar art that he unwillingly discovered his personal affinity for. He’s figured out how to conduct rituals to keep his wandering sub-conscious in place, or to do the opposite and intentionally cause his mind to enter someone else’s dream. He hasn’t figured out how to reliably direct where he ends up, though. For this reason, the latter ritual is very risky.
2.) Magical Metal:
His studies also extended into slightly more advanced alchemy and material enchantment. His current abilities in both are somewhere in between proficient and expert, and extend only to metal. He can perform alchemical experiments to harden or soften basic metals. Normally, this will make the metal either more brittle if made harder, or more malleable or flexible if made softer. He can also place enchantments on metal. These would consist of basic, intermediate, and moderately advanced protective shielding spells, empowering spells, or offensive spells. This process takes quite a bit of time and effort, as well as full concentration. Any enchanted item would be requested as a spoil at the end of a quest or battle, and subject to moderator approval.
3.) Magical Earth:
This area of arcane studies branched off from his study of magic and metal. Elijah can extend many of his powers over metal listed above to any earthy element (dirt, rocks, sand, etc), though to a lesser extent. The advantage he has with these materials is that he can perform his magic on them without actually making physical contact, though it then requires more effort. He can also transmute these materials so that they are able to serve as high-yield fuel for his magically summoned fire, thus allowing his fire to not only sustain itself without needing to tax Elijah’s magical energies as much, but it also gives it a higher yield-to-effort ratio, so long as a supply of earthy materials are present and he has a moment to transmute it. The harder and denser the material, the harder it is to transmute.
4.) Hot Stuff:
Elijah has the ability to increase the temperature of metal to the level of a branding iron. He can also use his magic to protect himself from extreme temperatures. In addition, he mastered the skills required to do both spells at the same time, which he was definitely very excited about. And the cause for real excitement is his new trick! He’s finally mastered a spell that can allow him to protect his entire body from extreme heat for up to twenty seconds. This would allow him to sprint through raging fires without more than a few minor burns. He’s still not going to be swimming in boiling water, though. Actually, now he actually can, but not for very long.
5.) Hotter Stuff
With his life frequently on the line, Elijah has been forced to use magic more and more to survive. Even his more recent “quieter” days in Ettermire, Scara Brae, and Corone have afforded great improvement because of increased access to arcane texts. Because of this, his skill and power has increased steadily over the years. He can summon balls of fire the size of his torso, fling smaller ones rapidly, and maintain a steady stream of fire for several seconds, enough to engulf three or four average humans. He can also conjure forth mighty explosions and fiery waves that can envelope six or seven people. He has also learned how to give his fiery attacks kinetic force, allowing him to stun and knock his foes backwards. Utilizing this, he can also create a 360-degree shockwave of fire, hitting all targets within ten feet with enough force to knock over a armored knights, as well causing major burns. His mastery over flame has also allowed him to propel his fiery projectiles at much faster rates than he would normally be able to physically throw them. With a little extra effort his fiery projectiles, and any transmuted fuel within them, are able to fly at the velocity of crossbow bolts. He can also focus his larger fiery assaults into smaller, more intense areas to burn, blast, or melt through particularly tough targets, such as melting thick iron gates or blasting through stone walls. This requires additional effort, however.
As always, though, nothing drains him like exerting his magical powers, though his pool of power has drastically increased since he began his studies. While flicking around small and medium sized balls of flame won’t normally wear him out, overly exerting himself can become a major problem. While at full strength, he can churn out fire and magic with enough hellish, terrifying intensity to drive back dozens of enemies, but more than seven or eight minutes of such extreme conjuring and evocating leaves him drained. Pacing his exertion is often crucially important, unless he requires a swift and brutal victory. He can also form his pyromancy spells from existing flames, which makes them easier to a degree dependent upon the size of the flame and the size of the spell.
6.) Charms and Cantrips:
During much of his idle time traveling, Elijah has expanded his repertoire of spells. He’s learned several quick, minor charms and cantrips to aid him in a variety of situations. These spells draw more from his mental strength and willpower, rather than the physical energy and life force that his pyromancy expends. At his current skill and efficiency, he can cast twenty-five times from the spells listed below each day before feeling severely mentally drained, and even fewer if he casts several in rapid succession.
He has also learned how to stack the effects of like charms to produce greater results (such as using Titan’s Strength listed below twice to gain double the benefit). The maximum number of the same charm he can cast while still gaining the additional benefit is four -- however, the forth only lasts for a mere fifteen seconds before wearing off.
While cleverly stacking the right physically-oriented charms can allow Eli to fight seemingly like a demigod (or demon, depending on who you ask), his body cannot be pushed so hard without repercussions. Every charm beyond the first used to enhance a given physical trait causes that same trait to weaken by 20% once the charm wears off. Also, the same physical charm may not be used more than four times per day on the same person.
- Feather-fall: this charm can reduce any fall of 50 feet or less to a harmless velocity. Longer falls will be lessened, but will still do damage as though they were 50 feet closer to the ground. When stacked, each casting adds another 50 feet to the charm’s effect.
- Titan’s Strength: Seriously, this charm doesn’t come anywhere near its namesake. It does, however, increase his strength by 150% for about four minutes. When stacked, each casting adds another 150% to his base strength (for a total of 300%, 450%, or 600% respectively).
- Metal Leech: With a touch, Elijah can suck the strength out of metallic materials, making them soft and brittle. The effect varies depending on the metal and how long he is in contact with it. This spell has yet to affect at all any metals of the strength of adamantine or greater. Stacking has no effect on this charm, other than repeatedly increasing the damage caused to the targeted metal.
- Wind Feet: This spell allows Elijah to jump four times as high as normal, and doubles his forward running speed. It lasts for five minutes. Stacking this charm only adds an additional 100% to his jump height and running speed.
- Dazzling Swiftness: This charm grants double speed and agility, allowing him to dodge all but the fastest of attacks. It has little effect on his running speed, however. It lasts for five minutes. When stacked, each casting adds another 100% to his base speed agility.
- Flash and Smoke: This spell creates a large flash to blind enemies, followed by a cloud of smoke to obscure his movements. The smoke covers an area of sixty feet and the flash can blind enemies for up to four minutes if they don’t close their eyes in time, and blind for twenty seconds through their eyelids, but only if they are still facing the direction of the flash. This charm cannot be stacked for greater effect.
- Shield Charm: This is a basic defensive spell that covers a 5’ by 4’ area in front of him. It can block arrows and deflect average to strong punches and weapon strikes. It can only take seven or eight hits before breaking, though. Stronger attacks will destroy it faster. When stacked, each casting increases the shield in size by 50% and durability by 50%. It lasts until destroyed or intentionally dispersed.
- Iron Skin: This charm hardens Elijah’s skin to the level of iron, making him extremely resilient to physical punishment. It lasts for two minutes. When stacked once, it increases to the strength of steel. When stacked twice, it increases to the strength of Delyn. When stacked three times, his skin gains, fleetingly, the strength of mithril.[color]
- Levitate: Casting this spell gives the chef three minutes of magical telepathy, allowing him to lift up to sixty pounds, whether as one object, several smaller ones, or even piles of sand. Stacking has no effect save for increasing the duration. [color=green]If used simultaneously with Feather Fall, Levitate allows Elijah to levitate himself, hovering up to fifteen feet above his starting position and moving at the speed of an average jog.
7.) Mage Senses:
Elijah has become adept at using magic to augment his sensory perception. He has the ability to detect concentrations and vacuums of life energy. The practical upshot of this is that he can detect the locations of living and undead beings without needing to actually see or hear them. Also, he has become adept at sensing enchantments, especially those on items. The initial indication of a magical object’s presence tends to come at random, though it will typically detect the presence of any significant item 90% of the time. Once he knows that it’s there, he can usually determine the item’s primary magical function. He can also perceive the ‘threads of magic’, to better weave his spells.
Fighting Style – Dancing Flame Swordplay:
This deadly fighting art took three years to fully develop and combines Elijah’s mastery of swordsmanship with his potent arcane abilities. It doesn’t represent an increase in power, or a significant improvement in either physical or arcane skill, but rather a new way of combining his existing formidable abilities in new and deadly ways. The final piece of the style is the Abyssal Blade, and as such he can only use most of the abilities in this style while wielding that blade, or a different sword of similar shape and magical power. This style is useless when wearing anything heavier than light armor, or with shields.
Dancing Candle Form: As the name suggests, the core form of the style takes on the aspect of his primary element: fire. The practitioner’s movements flicker and dance like a candle’s flame. This very unpredictable pattern of motion makes Elijah considerably more difficult to hit, and allows him to parry and redirect blows and find openings with much greater efficiency. In addition, a brilliant corona of swirling fire envelops his body. These flames lash out at nearby opponents with fiery tendrils, and cause severe burns to unprotected opponents trying to make unarmed or grappling attacks. The bright glare also makes Elijah hard to look at directly.
Blood Igniting Flurry: By channeling his arcane powers through his Abyssal Blade, Elijah can turn the smallest scratch into an agonizing burning wound. This ability lasts for thirty seconds at a time (and can’t be used again for another two minutes at least). The weapon glows brightly like a branding iron, and during that time it moves 50% faster than normal, and all cuts that draw blood, no matter how small, burst into flames. The smaller the initial cut, the easier it is to extinguish. And while it causes major tissue damage and excruciating pain, it does stem blood loss by cauterizing the wound, though this is a small consolation.
Hellfire Mirror: Once per day, Elijah can conjure up three humanoid fiery apparitions that function as shadow forms of him. They possess identical physical abilities to Elijah, and benefit from identical benefits to those presented under Dancing Candle Form and Blood Igniting Flurry (though without the limited duration). They last for three minutes or until destroyed or intentionally released.
Important items: Steel dueling sword, two chef coats and hats, apron, a small library of books, a small collection of chef knives, a pair of enchanted Prevalida claw gauntlets (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?12985-Slashy-smashy-stuff.), and the Abyssal Blade.
The Abyssal Blade:
Master craftsmen of unknown origin forged this sinister and mighty blade from rare Prevalida. Elijah took it from a powerful vampire lord, lured by the promise of its power. Ever since, he has become more and more convinced that a malevolent presence lurks within the evil sword. The weapon is covered in arcane runes, glyphs, and sigils, each one binding a different enchantment. Currently, Elijah has only been able to activate two runes. One is an enchantment that charges him with magical energies up to twice per day, restoring 50% of his overall magical allotment, and increasing the strength of his spells by 20%. The other helps to protect him from extreme elements by keeping him warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot
Though no new runes have been unlocked yet, Elijah’s mastery over the blade has increased nonetheless. He can harness the weapon’s formidable power to create a steady and massive flow of magical energy – though he is still only able to personally draw about half of it, increasing his store of magical powers even further.
((Abyssal Blade acquired here (http://xn--http-996a//www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=7155%22). Second rune activation awarded here (http://xn--http-996a//www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=10528%22).))
Cirothe, the Ashkore War Lizard
Cirothe is a terror to behold, standing taller than most warhorses and weighing far more. This beast has the stamina of a pair of oxen, the speed of most any horse, and the stealth and agility of a forest predator, despite its huge mass. Its scales are as hard as stone and its jaw is filled with sharp, dagger-like teeth. This creature was purchased at the largest and oldest Bestiary in Salvar and has served as the former chef’s mount ever since.