Caden Law
08-19-11, 10:43 PM
Also known as The Longest Bio Ever. Continuing my CharApp/FATE variant experiment. Let's see how well it survives Caden...
Past updates are not being linked to this time around. Trying to overhaul him completely to 3.+ standards, which includes scrapping, merging, or otherwise tweaking him wholesale. An archive will be present at the end, and pretty much all of Caden's stuff (powers, spells, weapons, whatever) has been gained the hard way.
Name: Caden Law
Sorcerous Name: Blueraven
Race: Human
Age: 27
Hair Color: Light blond
Eye Color: Generally blue
Height: 6'4”
Weight: 205 lbs.
Occupation: Wizard, Adventurer, Sorcerer
Aspects: The Wizard That Did It, Restless Wanderer, I Might Not Like It But I'll Do What I Have To, Veteran of the Corpse War, Self-Made Sorcerer, There Won't Be Any Apocalypse, Wormaxe's Master, Prospective Archwizard of the College Arcana, The Chronal Monkeywrench, Hatbutton Issues, I Only Slightly Hate Elves, Marked by Powers Beyond Hope or Reason, You Can't Go Home Again, As Good As My Word, Brigadier's Folly
Appearance: Caden is, from a distance, a tall and pale-skinned academic with pasty skin and shaggy light blond hair that's starting to streak stark white in places. At that same distance, he could be charitably described as Completely And Utterly Average looking. Get closer in and the pasty looking academic rapidly turns out to be a battle-scarred veteran marked by war and power alike. Every single part of his body is scarred to some extent, with the high points including stab and slash wounds on his right chest and left shoulder, a sleeve's worth of tiny burn scars all over his right arm. His face sports several scars as well, though his most distinguishing mark is solid blue, shaped like a 7 on one cheek. His eyes are, more often than not, bloodshot and a little green where they should be white. His hands and forearms have also developed vericose veins.
Signature Clothing: Caden's most identifiable outfit consists of his blue wide-brimmed Pointy Hat and blue Wizard Coat worn over black trousers and a white button-up shirt, often with heavy-duty Salvic boots and a black leather belt. He usually wears his sword either on his back or at his left side. His wand is usually concealed somewhere in the Coat. He usually wears a pair of circle-lensed, wire-framed glasses, but frequently switched to what look like yellow-lensed bomber goggles when going into combat. At times, he also wears pieces of custom-made light armor over this outfit.
Skills
Alchemy: Caden is a Below Average alchemist, using his skills mostly to preserve foodstuffs or mend clothing. He can fix furniture in a jiffy.
Close Combat: Caden has become a reluctant Expert at close combat, particularly with a sword or knife. Unarmed or with a staff still needs some work.
Knowledge: Arcana: Caden is an Expert on arcane lore, history, theory, and practice.
Knowledge: Necromancy: Caden is an Expert, however reluctant, when it comes to most things necromancy. His specialty is necromantic theory.
Knowledge: Ritual Magic: Caden is Average as a ritualist.
Knowledge: Sorcery: Caden is an intuitive savant when it comes to the workings of Sorcery, and his knowledge of Sorcerous lore is impressive. Compared to other Sorcerers though, he's still Below Average at best.
Linguist: Caden has forgotten more languages than most people will ever learn. He tends to have an easier time learning to read a language than he does speaking it, and he retains that reading comprehension even after forgetting how to speak it. His most stable fluencies are anchored in Salvic and Raiaeran, though he can belt out the Common tongue of Corone and Scara Brae like a native.
Navigation: Caden is an Expert navigator with years of experience traveling in just about every environment possible. He's only ever really lost when exploring new in-door areas with no view of the stars.
Riding: Caden is a Below Average rider. Mostly because his horses tend to die horribly with frightening regularity.
Sailing: Caden is a Below Average sailor, despite his talents as a navigator.
Survival: Caden is Above Average when it comes to surviving in the wild, particularly in cold environments, forests, and grasslands.
Abilities
Evocation: Caden is a natural at evocation, the neckbreaking, kneejerking, asspulling improv style of magic that most magi resort to when forced to fight – and Caden has gotten into a lot of fights over the years. Evocation is where Caden is at his finest, casting Arcane missiles and lightning, manipulating the earth with Geomancy, mimicking ice and fire with Thermal spells, warping Gravity, or countering Necromancy – to say nothing of what he can do using Sorcery. Caden's extraordinary ability to draw power from so many sources gives him a wide variety of offensive and defensive magicks to choose from, though he still maintains a small number of old stand-bys and trademark spells to see him through the worst of any situation. These are listed separately below.
Thaumaturgy: Caden is rougher at thaumaturgy, the long haul magic that generally can't be used in the heat of battle. His specialties as a thaumaturge are much more clearly defined than his abilities with evocation; Caden is best with Geomancy, Arcane magic, and Necromancy, although he has dabled with Gravity before. He has no talent whatsoever as an enchanter, nor is he particularly good with a lot of other passive forms of magic. He's performed a few curses in his time, but he isn't very good with them.
Sorcery: A boon from the Elder Thaynes of Althanas for surviving a seven-time crucible in the Icehenge of Berevar. This is easily Caden's most potent, and risky, ability. Ordinary magic, particularly that of Wizardry, is performed by drawing power from the surrounding area. Sorcery draws power directly from the Eternal Tap and uses Caden's own soul and the natural leylines that bind it to his body as conduits. Frankly speaking, mortal bodies and souls were not meant to handle that kind of power. If Caden ever uses too much, he will burn out and die. At present, he can manage one offensive or defensive spell while generating one mobility spell at a time. He can keep this up for two rounds at a stretch before he starts taking serious physical damage. On its own, Sorcery manifests as Conjuration – force-constructs, such as barely transparent walls or nimbus clouds for mobility's sake. Caden primarily uses Sorcery to provide short-term boosts his regular spellcasting. He has yet to try any Thaumaturgy as a Sorcerer.
Blueraven's Siege Arcana: Caden's first namesake spell, field tested as Thaumaturgy during the Siege of Eluriand and refined into an evocation by the end of the Corpse War. It's basically siege magic; a cannonball-sized black sphere that looks as if it's made out of shining glass with a thin red aura. Upon striking a target, Siege Arcana triggers first a frigid implosion, then a brutally hot explosion that has a nasty way of glassing regular dirt and knocking over anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near the impact zone. Close-range use is suicide at best. Although Caden has refined this to Evocation, he must be standing still in order to perform the spell.
Blueraven's Gravity Gambit: A volleyball-sized sphere of clashing gravity and anti-gravity, generated using an open hand. Simultaneously chews up and redirects physical attacks, although it can be bypassed by projectiles of either sufficient speed or size. Not especially useful as an offensive tool, as Caden has to stand still in order to use it. The redirection effect is also unpredictable – an arrow might shatter and be cast out of the Gambit, but the head could easily shoot up into his throat.
Stone Maiden Mausoleum: Four pillars shoot up out of the ground. Spikes shoot from one to the next, forming an empty square around a target. More spikes form a slanted roof overhead. And then the target is impaled from all sides. Timing is a must, as the pillars and spikes all take precious seconds to deploy.
Thermal Lance: A smooth lance of either ice or fire launched at an enemy, generally the size of a spear. Primarily cast using either two fingers or a focus of some kind.
Wizard's Voice: Owing to his heavy use of magic, Caden has developed a full-fledged Wizard's Voice, represented with blue Comic Sans MS. The Voice is inhumanly deep, with a certain electronic quality to it. Most people would describe it as being 'blue on the brain.'
- Sorcerer's Voice: When speaking and using Sorcery, Caden's Voice becomes even deeper still. It gains an echo, and projects actual force with every word – something that most people instinctively interpret as authority. While his Sorcerous Voice can shake off dust, rattle snow, and loosen dirt, it is not weaponized. This is represented with bolded blue Comic Sans MS.
- Necromancer's Voice: A side-effect that crops up whenever Caden uses necromancy. He isn't enough of a dabbler for it to have shaped his Voice, but it does alter the color and sound considerably; the Voice becomes colder, sharper, and literally feels green.
Wizard's Senses: Courtesy of his heavy use of magic, as well as a certain jaunt through Time, Caden has developed several extra senses over the years.
- Magic Detection: Stemming primarily from Arcane, Geomancy, and Thermal. Caden is able to detect the presence of magic, enchantments, the structure and the flow of arcane energies. This is basically useless for seeing through glamours, illusions, or anything like that. This usually manifests through either touch or smell, although Caden has heard, tasted, and seen magic as well.
- Sense of Time: A byproduct of Caden's travel through time. Caden is able to instinctively tell time right down to fractions of a second, regardless of circumstance. He cannot shut this off – even if he wanted to.
Items
Blueraven's Grimoire: The most prized of Caden's possessions. A leatherbound book with a blue raven painted on the front cover, held shut at nearly all times by a heavy-duty padlock with no key. One part journal, one part spellbook, one part alchemic recipe book, one part world map, and one part collection of apocalyptic prophecies. The inside of the book is effectively infinite, although it appears to have just six hundred pages. Usually kept in Caden's Hat.
Wizard's Hat and Coat: Caden's visual trademarks. The Hat is wide-brimmed, pointy and blue with a thick leather belt around the base. The Coat is long, heavy, appears neatly pressed most of the time, and is also blue. Both qualify as Masterwork N'jalian Spider-silk without the vulnerability to fire, courtesy of the Thaynes.
Raiaeran Armor: Custom-made armor that blends perfectly with Caden's Hat and Coat. Consists of a Conscript Breastplate, pauldrons, elbow and knee protectors, and shin, thigh, and wrist guards. Loosely resembles light cavalry armor. Average Steel.
Raiaeran Conscript Sword: Cruciform longsword of Raiaeran make and Coronian pattern, Masterwork Steel courtesy of a drow/dwarf blacksmith Caden met in Salvar. Originally intended for human cannon fodder during the Siege of Eluriand, this weapon has since seen Caden through everything from duels with farmers to battles with mad demigods.
Wand of Nevermorrow: Caden's souvenir from the dark possible future of N'Thayn'sal. Roughly 18” of highly intricate, dedicated arcane craftsmanship. It resembles an Akashiman katana hilt in most respects, complete with blue leather wraps and damascus pommels at both ends. The casing is rywan and the core is liviol. This is basically Caden's sidearm, used to quicken his evocations and, occasionally, smack people upside the head. Usually tucked away in his coat or hat, or worn at his side.
Staff of Power: Caden's souvenir from the Siege of Anebrilith-Beinost. Formed from an obscure Raiaeran item called a Shard of Resonance, which shapes itself in accord with the soul of its rightful owner. Each shaping is a one-time event requiring divine approval from the Raiaeran pantheon. In Caden's case, the Shard transformed from a sword into a six foot long staff resembling solid Prevalida both inside and out, with caps screwed onto each end and numerous runic inscriptions all over. The staff is black while the inscriptions have filled in with an orange gel-like material that turns electric blue when the staff is in use. Caden understandably has to carry this everywhere by hand.
Familiar: Kaerul: A blue-feathered raven capable of mimicking speech a little better than a parrot. Kaerul has been an eerie constant in Caden's life since he was a boy, although the raven has never actually demonstrated any unique abilities. It's simply always there at the right time and place, never staying for more than a week and only rarely going away for more than three months. It's less a familiar and more of an eccentric pet that moves in generically mysterious ways, often pointing Caden in the direction he should (not) go.
Mount: Charger: The Ornery Salvic Mountain Goat of Doom. Charger is a Dwarven riding ram, domesticated from the mountains between Salvar, Raiaera, and Alerar. He's only slightly shorter than a horse, but considerably sturdier and just plain meaner to boot. Stark white with curling black horns and a willingness to eat damn near anything. Jittery. Charger has excellent traction, speed, balance, and agility on most surfaces, but he'll always be most at home on mountainous terrain in a cold climate. Last seen rambling around Beinost, harassing locals and possibly eating their children. Caden may or may not have recovered him since then.
Aspects
The Wizard That Did It: The Wizard Blueraven has, to date, been involved in geography-changing disasters spanning three regions. He personally scourged Tembrethnil Forest and brought down Saint Denebriel's Cathedral in Knife's Edge, in addition to his involvement in major battles all over Raiaera, Salvar, and at least one full-blown geological cataclysm in Scara Brae. His infamy is only slightly balanced out by all the good he's done. The man has also taken out Warlock Covens, killed Death Lords, ended a siege, founded both a city and the first wizarding school in Raiaera, helped strike mortal blows on two Forgotten Ones, vied with a demigod and lived – and that's not even the whole highlight reel. His reputation preceeds him, and not necessarily in a good way.
Restless Wanderer: Caden has an incredibly hard time settling down, to the point that he's spent most of his life traveling in one way or another. He's well accustomed to living from inn to inn, roughing it in the wild, and being alone from start to finish. He has trouble even imagining himself settling down for very long, although the temptation is always there.
I Might Not Like It But I'll Do What I Have To: Caden is, above almost all things, driven. He knows the consequences of failure better than most people, and he has no qualms about playing dirty or sacrificing innocent lives in the name of a greater good. Occasionally, this also manifests as unintentional attempts at suicide. More often, he has difficulty sleeping or loses his appetite.
Veteran of the Corpse War: ...which may as well be titled I've seen some shit. Caden has fought in two wars against the Forgotten Ones, striking death blows in both. He's also seen cities wiped out, eco-systems ruined, men, women, and children all slaughtered in front of him, and things that are somehow worse than all of that put together. He copes with it by being cheerfully morbid and pragmatically numb, but the truth is that he suffers from nightmares, is scarred from head to toe, and will always be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life. He's almost as paranoid as a Warlock, and has only a tenuous grip on reality as most people know it.
Self-Made Sorcerer: The highest boon of the Elder Thaynes, arguably awarded for going seven consecutive rounds in the Icehenge of Berevar; although a case could be made that Caden took the power for himself in the same event. Caden is the first true Sorcerer in living memory, and one of only a handful of such magi throughout history to obtain the power without being the champion of a god. At present, he's only a rookie when it comes to Sorcery; not much better with it than he would be without. But he has the potential, however long term it might be, to wield power on the same level as the Forgotten Ones of myth and legend. With this potential also come a bevy of responsibilities, and a certain level of natural authority in all things magic.
There Won't Be Any Apocalypse: Caden has seen the future, laid bare and terrible before him. He came back with a suicidal determination to make sure that the world he saw – the world of N'Thayn'sal, where everything that possible could go wrong, did – never comes to pass. He's gone all over the world, fought monsters and tyrants leagues out of his weight class, sweat, bled, cried, and murdered to buy Althanas just a few more precious years at a time. It is a struggle with few allies and only fleeting hopes and triumphs, and it's a struggle that the Wizard Blueraven has dedicated himself to in every way imaginable.
Wormaxe's Master: If it's present, most Wizarding traditions don't allow a master to take on an apprentice until he's at least had enough time to fill out, fully grow into both his power and his beard. It isn't unheard of for young Wizards to teach children or amateurs the basics, particularly in school settings or during emergencies. It is unheard of for a Wizard to take on an apprentice before the age of fifty, and the apprentice is almost always below the age of puberty. Caden Law is just twenty-seven years old and he's been blackmailed into mentoring a Wizard a year older than he is. The relationship between Wormaxe and Blueraven is an insane one resembling brothers, friends, hateful enemies, and worthy adversaries. It's a strong bet that they'll end up killing each other someday, as both men tried to do with their original mentors...although it bears mention that Blueraven failed to kill his.
Prospective Archwizard of the College Arcana: At present, Caden is the most likely candidate to become the first Archwizard of Beinost's College Arcana. He literally helped shape the school from nothing and most of the other core faculty are his former students in some capacity. The lot of them have a pact to return to Beinost in a few years' time, and Caden intends to keep it. What happens after that...
The Chronal Monkeywrench: Courtesy of his jaunt through Time, Caden no longer experiences the progression of Time the same way that ordinary people do. He's actually aware of Liquid Time to an unsettling degree, rendering him semi-immune or at least mostly aware of alterations and inconsistencies in the timeline. He has also demonstrated an apparent immunity to temporal paradoxes, as evidenced during the battle with Saint Denebriel. Caden has tried to spread this awareness to a handful of other people with varying degrees of success.
Hatbutton Issues: Put simply: Do not ever damage a Wizard's Hat. There are quicker, easier ways to commit suicide.
I Only Slightly Hate Elves: Caden has been a variable racist towards Elves for a very, very long time. At first he was merely sarcastic, then he was worryingly serious, and then it became a tired old joke he repeats more because his Elven friends expect it than because he buys into it. Notably, Caden will not make Elven prostitute jokes anymore. Ever. Also notably, Caden has a partially adopted half-elven daughter by one of his future colleagues in Beinost.
Marked by Powers Beyond Hope or Reason: In addition to the literal Sorcerous Mark on Caden's cheek and the vericose veins of his hands, and the green bloodshot look in his eyes, Caden has been subtly marked by his experiences with magic and the gods. Those sensitive to necromancy will notice a certain chill in the air about him, or perhaps the harsh scent of peppermint. Those versed in Thayne Lore will notice small clues hinting at whichever Thayne has an interest in him at any given time – usually a desert scent evocative of Khal'jaren. It is also possible that Caden has been marked somehow by at least one major demonic entity, the Skinwalker of Lindequalmë, if not a dozen others just as strong and awful. This is not even going into any marks left by the Pantheon of Raiaera.
You Can't Go Home Again: Due to past actions and his involvement with the Battle of Evernorth, Caden was permanently banished from his home village and the surrounding area. Odds are good that his involvement in the death of Saint Denebriel and the Massacre at Borse-Aryakham has also gotten him banished from Salvar. Assuming there isn't a big fat bounty on his head for either.
As Good As My Word: A Wizard is only as good as his word, and the only way to get most Wizards to break an old promise is to set up a new one. In the past, Caden has been spiritually hogtied using oaths. On only a few occasions has he been able to exploit the system to his own benefit, usually while in a blind rage. One of Caden's worst fears is to intentionally go back on his word, as this would represent one of the first significant steps towards becoming a Warlock. The only instance of Caden successfully disregarding a past oath was because it was extracted in bad faith using an illusion spell.
Brigadier's Folly: During the early stages of the Corpse War in Raiaera, Caden successfully spread his Sorcerous Name to an entire brigade's worth of human conscripts, along with a handful of elves. This carried with it unforeseen consequences. Throughout that war, Xem'zund's Death Lords were constantly trying to curse him to death from a distance, and constantly failing; they kept hitting his former brigadiers. Caden is a Wizard and both paranoia and narcissistic self-importance are a part of who he is, but but this was an honest mistake that torments him to this day. At present, an estimate ninety-eight brigadiers still survive from an original 300-or-so. Note that this aspect does not make him immune to curses – it just lowers the odds of actually hitting him.
History
Few are the magi in living memory who have wrought as much havoc as Caden Law, the Wizard Blueraven. From the Scourged Forest of Tembrethnil in Raiaera to the bloody rubble of Saint Denebriel's Cathedral in Salvar, the horrific Massacre of Borse-Aryakham and the geological upheaval in the Catacylsm of Scara Brae, Caden has scarred virtually every region he has set foot in for the past five years. He's traveled farther than almost any living Althanian, been down in the slave cages of Kebiras, vied with demigods on three continents, faced down repeated challenges from the Elder Thaynes, and born witness to a future that must never come to pass – a future he's sworn to stop at any cost, though the price might well be his sanity, his life, or even his soul.
Hard to believe, then, that this battle-scarred academic adventurer came from such humble roots as a frontier village in northermost Salvar. The village in question, Evernorth, was literally so far removed from the heart of Ethereal power in Knife's Edge that it was past the fiefs of even the League of Salvar. The village was nothing but ice-fishing and a small bit of logging and hunting, along with the growth of some very rare herbs found useful in alchemy. Most authority came through the Church of the Ethereal Sway, and the Clerical Wizards ruled that tiny place to such an extent that the mayor was just a man with a flimsy rubber stamp.
Into this place, as the eighth of ten children to Brayden and Essa Law, Caden was born. His brothers were Aiden, Brenden, Hayden, Ogden, Dresden, and Camden. His sisters were Eden, Jaiden, and Cadence. All of his brothers were practically models of the ideal Salvic frontiersman: tall, burly, blond in the hair, blue in the eye, pale of skin, and with beards as unique as fingerprints. His sisters were all born with the gift of magic and talent, each of them brilliant in their own ways. Caden was the only boy who manifested the gift, and he had little talent with it. He was also the shortest, runtiest of the litter, and the most rebellious. His powers manifested early and his schooling with the Clergy began almost immediately.
Caden wasn't having that. Unfortunately, the teachers weren't having him either. He was punished frequently and rarely, if ever, learned his lesson – if there was even a lesson to learn. The school's headmaster eventually pawned young Caden off on a senior Wizard passing through town en route to Berevar, a fully Sanctioned agent of the Church who, nonetheless, did not truly believe in or adhere to its dogma. His parents, with nine other, far more productive mouths to feed, did not object. The Wizard's name was Jolstice Aram, also known as Greyspine.
The next few years of Caden's life were a heady mix of constant travel through desolate wilderness, struggling for survival, learning at every turn, and trips home that were both infrequent and unpredictable. Over the course of several such trips, he struck up a young romance and a potentially lifelong friendship with a girl named Veshua, who was to become Caden's raison d'etre for several years.
Eventually, Caden and Jolstice had a falling out. At barely sixteen years old, Blueraven tried and failed to kill his master. Greyspine sent him running into the wilderness with a few days' head start – the only reason that Caden was able to make it back to Evernorth, spend another day with Veshua, and then resume his flight from Salvar without being killed in the process. He spent the next few months running for his life from town to town, often on foot, before finally arriving in a port city called Dendrestok, where he met a man named Patton in a place called Deadwater Tavern. He had one last run-in with Veshua, complete with all kinds of promises made in the heat of a young, loving moment, and then left Salvar as part of Patton Ventures, an adventuring company that took him all over the known world and a little beyond it. It was messy, ill profitable business, but Caden survived and learned and grew wiser because of it.
Patton Ventures met its end somewhere along the line. Don't ask how or why, Caden won't speak of it.
Afterwards, he took a sabbatical from the adventuring business and made his way to Scara Brae. From there, it was a straight shot to Raiaera, where Caden was drafted into the defense of the capital city, Eluriand. Caden had been far and seen much, but Eluriand is where he picked up his first real scars, made his first real enemies, and gained his first real claim to fame: he wounded Xem'zund at the height of the siege, just before an unplanned teleportation incident unhinged him from Time. This second part is where things began to get really messy for him. Caden was effectively split into multiple timelines at once, with his core landing in a dark future called N'Thayn'sal – where everything that could go wrong did.
This was the defining moment of his life in a great many ways, as Caden returned from the future with a slow building sense of purpose – one that drove him on through battle after battle after battle in the months ahead. It also gave him a whole new enemy in the form of a wyrmfolk Warlock named Anton Icetongue, who's cropped up from time to time ever since.
While many men and women fought the Corpse War, none of them did it quite like Blueraven. When he was thrown away from it, he found his way back. When he tried to run away from it, the war followed him home and left a trail of bodies in its wake. He was hounded and harried all the way to the mountains of Salvar, and the ghosts followed him even further to Evernorth, where he found and broke up a Warlock Coven. It was in Evernorth where the Wizard's spirit finally broke, courtesy of seeing Veshua married to another man – an elf, no less – with a daughter who had the name that they always swore their own child would have.
Caden ventured all the way back to Berevar afterwards, where he reunited and made peace with his old mentor before undergoing a profound crucible in the Icehenge. There, he was confronted by himself seven times over; all men who had been given the same choices he had, but who had all chosen differently. Caden murdered himself seven times in the space of an hour or so, and only at the last did he finally find his will to live again – redefined from love to a higher calling. There will be no N'Thayn'sal so long as Caden Law is there to stop it, and he aims to kill that dreadful future in its crib by any means necessary.
It was also during this trial that Caden ascended to the position of Sorcerer, marking him as one of the few mortals to do so since the closure of the Eternal Tap, and one of only a handful throughout history to do so without divine patronage. Immediately after, he fought in the final battle of the Salvic Civil War as an errand from one of the Thaynes, then found himself dumped back into Raiaera, where he ended the siege of Anebrilith and helped give rise to the city of Beinost and its College Arcana. Never one to rest on his laurels, Caden went on to fight Xem'zund as one of the Dawnbringers, where he successfully unraveled the Necromancer's past, helped to break his will to fight, and ultimately witnessed his public death.
Afterwards, Caden ventured to the Red Forest and finished the job himself. He killed Xem'zund once and for all, destroyed the body and crushed the tomb and all its relics under countless tons of earth. This was merely the end point of a journey that introduced him to his future apprentice, destroyed a hidden village of proto-elves, and left him marked by a demonic entity called the Skinwalker. It also let him in on a truth he's been unable to escape since then: Liquid Time. Caden's already questionable sanity has infrequently begun to slip and waver even more than usual courtesy of that little revelation.
Following the final resolution to the Corpse War, Caden returned to Scara Brae, effectively confessed his sins and adventures to a fellow Wizard he had befriended some years earlier, and then found himself blackmailed into teaching a Dark Wizard named Savas Tigh. This has further eroded his standing as one of The Good Guys, if only because Tigh is a necromancer, a murderer, a cannibal, and a former Death Lord-in-training to say the least. Caden hopes to train him up and point him at a greater evil somewhere down the road, but he's already regretting the things he's taught the Wizard Wormaxe. It was also during this time that Caden finally ventured into the Catacombs of Scara Brae, where he ultimately confronted and was defeated by a Sorcerer known as the Penitent, a true champion of N'jal who sought to – and did – unleash the bastard son she sired with Draconus.
What followed was a cataclysm the likes of which has not been seen since the Wars of the Tap. Caden did his part, but his failures there and the consequences of his actions both before and after still haunt him.
Where the Sorcerer is now, nobody knows for sure. He hopped a boat out of Scara Brae and didn't look back.
Archive of Quests and Contest Entries
Outside of RP
Happiness (http://www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php?p=102849&postcount=2) - 100 EXP and 50 GP. Set around the same time as Tourism for Wizards and Unto the broke, unto the cynical.
Caden is asked to investigate a missing persons case in Scara Brae. He gets more than he bargained for.
OOC: Decisions, decisions... (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16824) - +Arcanist's Rod, -1153 GP.
FQ Exemplary Contributor Reward (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19852) – +Staff of Power.
Good Holiday (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?22063-Holiday-Vignette!&p=177769&viewfull=1#post177769) – 1100 EXP, set during the Catacombs of Scara Brae: Dead Sun Rising.
Caden spends the Festival of Lights a mile underground in the company of abominations, horrors beyond word, and three miserable bastards he never thought he'd meet. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Level Zero to Two: Wizard to War
Tourism for Wizards (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85425) - 15 gold; gained 670 EXP and 180 gold.
Caden arrives in Scara Brae. Demonic kicks to the groin, the arrival of That Fucking Bird! and the first of many encounters that will undoubtedly leave the amoral Wizard forever blue.
Unto the broke, unto the cynical (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85241) - Acquired Bowie Knife, Scalpel, and Burlap Sack, -115 gold. +100 EXP.
Caden heads to the Bazaar for some quicky provisions.
FQ: Slings and Arrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=8699) - +706 EXP.
Caden goes to Raiaera and gets drafted. He shows a certain aptitude for leadership. He also marks the beginning of a long-term lust-fail-hate relationship with High Elven women when one of the High Bards threatens to set him on fire.
FQ: Beyond the Bridge of Souls (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=88175) - +1193 EXP.
Caden comes into his own as the leader of Blueraven Company. Violence ensues.
FQ: The Field of Sighs and Sorrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=92739) - +1446 EXP. Gained Conscript equipment and Arcane affinity.
All Hell breaks loose in Eluriand. Caden gains the first of many scars, scores the first of many meaningless victories, and loses the first of many critical battles.
Cosmic Bump in the Road (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12219) - Acquired Oak/Damascus Wand, -350 gold. +100 EXP.
The first of Caden's mishaps with teleportation.
The Cosmic Detour (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12597) - FQ-earned Gold (1438) spent here. Acquired Rywan/Damascus Wand, internal GPS/Clock abilities.
The second, and much more important, of Caden's mishaps with teleportation. This marks the first of his divine interventions, if you could call them that.
Level Two to Four: The Law of Wizardry
Between the Numbers (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=111977) - +1619 EXP, +120 GP, +A bunch of pencils.
Caden returns from an alternate future, sworn to prevent it...and immediately becomes the first Althanian to visit the far-flung continent of Kebiras.
Intricacies of Asymmetry (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=115551) - +3173 EXP, +508 GP, +Basic Knowledge: Necromancy, -Bazaar Wand, -Raiaeran Conscript Breastplate
Wizards, Elven tradition, Necromantically empowered barbarian lords and the Scourging of Tembrethnil Forest: The most pyrrhic of Caden's victories to date.
Not Quite Homecoming (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16601) - Unresolved. Liquid time means that this thread is now In The Past. RP-wise, Caden acquired his Arcanist Rod (FQ Reward) here.
Emotionally and spiritually exhausted from the Raiaeran War, Caden heads home. Unfortunately, his past and the dark future of N'Thayn'sal are waiting.
The Wizard That Did It (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=137585) - +2756 EXP, -100 GP, +Masterwork updates to Bowie and Sword, +Blueraven's Gravity Gambit, +Magic Missile Barrage, +Thermal Strike, +Charger, +Swordsmanship training, -Scalpel
En route through the mountains, Caden is ambushed by a quartet of Death Lords and ends up in the care and tutelage of a weaponsmith named Dueril.
The Laws of Wizardry (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19237) - +10,116 EXP, +1,066 GP, a new pair of glasses.
After months of travel, trial and trauma, the Wizard Blueraven finally comes home. There's just one small problem: Wizards can never go home.
Four to Eight: No Rest for the Wizard
The Henge Sorcerous (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=154223) - +5,123 XP, +Sorcery, +Knowledge Arcana: Sorcery, +Raiaeran Conscript Breastplate, +N'jalian Spidersilk upgrades, -Cosmic Positioning Sense, -Greyspine's Grimoire
With nothing left to lose and nothing but burdens to gain, Caden carries out his suicidal test of self-worth in Berevar's Icehenge.
Mortal Intervention (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19865) - +200 GP, 4746 EXP.
Caden joins Rayse Valentino and Teric Bloodrose on a mission from Thayne Y'edda: Kill Saint Denebriel.
Ain't No Rest For The Wizard (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=157981) - +?Staff of Power, +Armor, +?Knowledge: Necromancy, +?Expertise in Magic
The Siege of Anebrilith, the birth of Beinost, the founding of the College Arcana, and all sorts of stories that should've been left unlived.
MQ: Dawnbringers (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20244) - +2453 EXP, 220 GP.
The final battle of the Corpse War.
The Red Requiem in Cresting Summer (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20799) - +6673 EXP, +1080 GP.
The End of an Era, including a meeting of Sorcerers and the last words of Zundalon the Cantor, and the secret histories of the Forgotten Ones of Althanas.
Level Nine Onward: Wizard at Large
The Catacombs of Scara Brae: Dead Sun Rising (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=171445) - -Arcanist's Rod, -Masterwork Bowie Knife, Armor reduced to Average, -7391 GP, +4100 EXP, +350 GP.
Caden returns to Scara Brae to stop the awakening of a mad undead demigod. History changes. For that matter, so does geography.
Past updates are not being linked to this time around. Trying to overhaul him completely to 3.+ standards, which includes scrapping, merging, or otherwise tweaking him wholesale. An archive will be present at the end, and pretty much all of Caden's stuff (powers, spells, weapons, whatever) has been gained the hard way.
Name: Caden Law
Sorcerous Name: Blueraven
Race: Human
Age: 27
Hair Color: Light blond
Eye Color: Generally blue
Height: 6'4”
Weight: 205 lbs.
Occupation: Wizard, Adventurer, Sorcerer
Aspects: The Wizard That Did It, Restless Wanderer, I Might Not Like It But I'll Do What I Have To, Veteran of the Corpse War, Self-Made Sorcerer, There Won't Be Any Apocalypse, Wormaxe's Master, Prospective Archwizard of the College Arcana, The Chronal Monkeywrench, Hatbutton Issues, I Only Slightly Hate Elves, Marked by Powers Beyond Hope or Reason, You Can't Go Home Again, As Good As My Word, Brigadier's Folly
Appearance: Caden is, from a distance, a tall and pale-skinned academic with pasty skin and shaggy light blond hair that's starting to streak stark white in places. At that same distance, he could be charitably described as Completely And Utterly Average looking. Get closer in and the pasty looking academic rapidly turns out to be a battle-scarred veteran marked by war and power alike. Every single part of his body is scarred to some extent, with the high points including stab and slash wounds on his right chest and left shoulder, a sleeve's worth of tiny burn scars all over his right arm. His face sports several scars as well, though his most distinguishing mark is solid blue, shaped like a 7 on one cheek. His eyes are, more often than not, bloodshot and a little green where they should be white. His hands and forearms have also developed vericose veins.
Signature Clothing: Caden's most identifiable outfit consists of his blue wide-brimmed Pointy Hat and blue Wizard Coat worn over black trousers and a white button-up shirt, often with heavy-duty Salvic boots and a black leather belt. He usually wears his sword either on his back or at his left side. His wand is usually concealed somewhere in the Coat. He usually wears a pair of circle-lensed, wire-framed glasses, but frequently switched to what look like yellow-lensed bomber goggles when going into combat. At times, he also wears pieces of custom-made light armor over this outfit.
Skills
Alchemy: Caden is a Below Average alchemist, using his skills mostly to preserve foodstuffs or mend clothing. He can fix furniture in a jiffy.
Close Combat: Caden has become a reluctant Expert at close combat, particularly with a sword or knife. Unarmed or with a staff still needs some work.
Knowledge: Arcana: Caden is an Expert on arcane lore, history, theory, and practice.
Knowledge: Necromancy: Caden is an Expert, however reluctant, when it comes to most things necromancy. His specialty is necromantic theory.
Knowledge: Ritual Magic: Caden is Average as a ritualist.
Knowledge: Sorcery: Caden is an intuitive savant when it comes to the workings of Sorcery, and his knowledge of Sorcerous lore is impressive. Compared to other Sorcerers though, he's still Below Average at best.
Linguist: Caden has forgotten more languages than most people will ever learn. He tends to have an easier time learning to read a language than he does speaking it, and he retains that reading comprehension even after forgetting how to speak it. His most stable fluencies are anchored in Salvic and Raiaeran, though he can belt out the Common tongue of Corone and Scara Brae like a native.
Navigation: Caden is an Expert navigator with years of experience traveling in just about every environment possible. He's only ever really lost when exploring new in-door areas with no view of the stars.
Riding: Caden is a Below Average rider. Mostly because his horses tend to die horribly with frightening regularity.
Sailing: Caden is a Below Average sailor, despite his talents as a navigator.
Survival: Caden is Above Average when it comes to surviving in the wild, particularly in cold environments, forests, and grasslands.
Abilities
Evocation: Caden is a natural at evocation, the neckbreaking, kneejerking, asspulling improv style of magic that most magi resort to when forced to fight – and Caden has gotten into a lot of fights over the years. Evocation is where Caden is at his finest, casting Arcane missiles and lightning, manipulating the earth with Geomancy, mimicking ice and fire with Thermal spells, warping Gravity, or countering Necromancy – to say nothing of what he can do using Sorcery. Caden's extraordinary ability to draw power from so many sources gives him a wide variety of offensive and defensive magicks to choose from, though he still maintains a small number of old stand-bys and trademark spells to see him through the worst of any situation. These are listed separately below.
Thaumaturgy: Caden is rougher at thaumaturgy, the long haul magic that generally can't be used in the heat of battle. His specialties as a thaumaturge are much more clearly defined than his abilities with evocation; Caden is best with Geomancy, Arcane magic, and Necromancy, although he has dabled with Gravity before. He has no talent whatsoever as an enchanter, nor is he particularly good with a lot of other passive forms of magic. He's performed a few curses in his time, but he isn't very good with them.
Sorcery: A boon from the Elder Thaynes of Althanas for surviving a seven-time crucible in the Icehenge of Berevar. This is easily Caden's most potent, and risky, ability. Ordinary magic, particularly that of Wizardry, is performed by drawing power from the surrounding area. Sorcery draws power directly from the Eternal Tap and uses Caden's own soul and the natural leylines that bind it to his body as conduits. Frankly speaking, mortal bodies and souls were not meant to handle that kind of power. If Caden ever uses too much, he will burn out and die. At present, he can manage one offensive or defensive spell while generating one mobility spell at a time. He can keep this up for two rounds at a stretch before he starts taking serious physical damage. On its own, Sorcery manifests as Conjuration – force-constructs, such as barely transparent walls or nimbus clouds for mobility's sake. Caden primarily uses Sorcery to provide short-term boosts his regular spellcasting. He has yet to try any Thaumaturgy as a Sorcerer.
Blueraven's Siege Arcana: Caden's first namesake spell, field tested as Thaumaturgy during the Siege of Eluriand and refined into an evocation by the end of the Corpse War. It's basically siege magic; a cannonball-sized black sphere that looks as if it's made out of shining glass with a thin red aura. Upon striking a target, Siege Arcana triggers first a frigid implosion, then a brutally hot explosion that has a nasty way of glassing regular dirt and knocking over anyone unfortunate enough to be standing near the impact zone. Close-range use is suicide at best. Although Caden has refined this to Evocation, he must be standing still in order to perform the spell.
Blueraven's Gravity Gambit: A volleyball-sized sphere of clashing gravity and anti-gravity, generated using an open hand. Simultaneously chews up and redirects physical attacks, although it can be bypassed by projectiles of either sufficient speed or size. Not especially useful as an offensive tool, as Caden has to stand still in order to use it. The redirection effect is also unpredictable – an arrow might shatter and be cast out of the Gambit, but the head could easily shoot up into his throat.
Stone Maiden Mausoleum: Four pillars shoot up out of the ground. Spikes shoot from one to the next, forming an empty square around a target. More spikes form a slanted roof overhead. And then the target is impaled from all sides. Timing is a must, as the pillars and spikes all take precious seconds to deploy.
Thermal Lance: A smooth lance of either ice or fire launched at an enemy, generally the size of a spear. Primarily cast using either two fingers or a focus of some kind.
Wizard's Voice: Owing to his heavy use of magic, Caden has developed a full-fledged Wizard's Voice, represented with blue Comic Sans MS. The Voice is inhumanly deep, with a certain electronic quality to it. Most people would describe it as being 'blue on the brain.'
- Sorcerer's Voice: When speaking and using Sorcery, Caden's Voice becomes even deeper still. It gains an echo, and projects actual force with every word – something that most people instinctively interpret as authority. While his Sorcerous Voice can shake off dust, rattle snow, and loosen dirt, it is not weaponized. This is represented with bolded blue Comic Sans MS.
- Necromancer's Voice: A side-effect that crops up whenever Caden uses necromancy. He isn't enough of a dabbler for it to have shaped his Voice, but it does alter the color and sound considerably; the Voice becomes colder, sharper, and literally feels green.
Wizard's Senses: Courtesy of his heavy use of magic, as well as a certain jaunt through Time, Caden has developed several extra senses over the years.
- Magic Detection: Stemming primarily from Arcane, Geomancy, and Thermal. Caden is able to detect the presence of magic, enchantments, the structure and the flow of arcane energies. This is basically useless for seeing through glamours, illusions, or anything like that. This usually manifests through either touch or smell, although Caden has heard, tasted, and seen magic as well.
- Sense of Time: A byproduct of Caden's travel through time. Caden is able to instinctively tell time right down to fractions of a second, regardless of circumstance. He cannot shut this off – even if he wanted to.
Items
Blueraven's Grimoire: The most prized of Caden's possessions. A leatherbound book with a blue raven painted on the front cover, held shut at nearly all times by a heavy-duty padlock with no key. One part journal, one part spellbook, one part alchemic recipe book, one part world map, and one part collection of apocalyptic prophecies. The inside of the book is effectively infinite, although it appears to have just six hundred pages. Usually kept in Caden's Hat.
Wizard's Hat and Coat: Caden's visual trademarks. The Hat is wide-brimmed, pointy and blue with a thick leather belt around the base. The Coat is long, heavy, appears neatly pressed most of the time, and is also blue. Both qualify as Masterwork N'jalian Spider-silk without the vulnerability to fire, courtesy of the Thaynes.
Raiaeran Armor: Custom-made armor that blends perfectly with Caden's Hat and Coat. Consists of a Conscript Breastplate, pauldrons, elbow and knee protectors, and shin, thigh, and wrist guards. Loosely resembles light cavalry armor. Average Steel.
Raiaeran Conscript Sword: Cruciform longsword of Raiaeran make and Coronian pattern, Masterwork Steel courtesy of a drow/dwarf blacksmith Caden met in Salvar. Originally intended for human cannon fodder during the Siege of Eluriand, this weapon has since seen Caden through everything from duels with farmers to battles with mad demigods.
Wand of Nevermorrow: Caden's souvenir from the dark possible future of N'Thayn'sal. Roughly 18” of highly intricate, dedicated arcane craftsmanship. It resembles an Akashiman katana hilt in most respects, complete with blue leather wraps and damascus pommels at both ends. The casing is rywan and the core is liviol. This is basically Caden's sidearm, used to quicken his evocations and, occasionally, smack people upside the head. Usually tucked away in his coat or hat, or worn at his side.
Staff of Power: Caden's souvenir from the Siege of Anebrilith-Beinost. Formed from an obscure Raiaeran item called a Shard of Resonance, which shapes itself in accord with the soul of its rightful owner. Each shaping is a one-time event requiring divine approval from the Raiaeran pantheon. In Caden's case, the Shard transformed from a sword into a six foot long staff resembling solid Prevalida both inside and out, with caps screwed onto each end and numerous runic inscriptions all over. The staff is black while the inscriptions have filled in with an orange gel-like material that turns electric blue when the staff is in use. Caden understandably has to carry this everywhere by hand.
Familiar: Kaerul: A blue-feathered raven capable of mimicking speech a little better than a parrot. Kaerul has been an eerie constant in Caden's life since he was a boy, although the raven has never actually demonstrated any unique abilities. It's simply always there at the right time and place, never staying for more than a week and only rarely going away for more than three months. It's less a familiar and more of an eccentric pet that moves in generically mysterious ways, often pointing Caden in the direction he should (not) go.
Mount: Charger: The Ornery Salvic Mountain Goat of Doom. Charger is a Dwarven riding ram, domesticated from the mountains between Salvar, Raiaera, and Alerar. He's only slightly shorter than a horse, but considerably sturdier and just plain meaner to boot. Stark white with curling black horns and a willingness to eat damn near anything. Jittery. Charger has excellent traction, speed, balance, and agility on most surfaces, but he'll always be most at home on mountainous terrain in a cold climate. Last seen rambling around Beinost, harassing locals and possibly eating their children. Caden may or may not have recovered him since then.
Aspects
The Wizard That Did It: The Wizard Blueraven has, to date, been involved in geography-changing disasters spanning three regions. He personally scourged Tembrethnil Forest and brought down Saint Denebriel's Cathedral in Knife's Edge, in addition to his involvement in major battles all over Raiaera, Salvar, and at least one full-blown geological cataclysm in Scara Brae. His infamy is only slightly balanced out by all the good he's done. The man has also taken out Warlock Covens, killed Death Lords, ended a siege, founded both a city and the first wizarding school in Raiaera, helped strike mortal blows on two Forgotten Ones, vied with a demigod and lived – and that's not even the whole highlight reel. His reputation preceeds him, and not necessarily in a good way.
Restless Wanderer: Caden has an incredibly hard time settling down, to the point that he's spent most of his life traveling in one way or another. He's well accustomed to living from inn to inn, roughing it in the wild, and being alone from start to finish. He has trouble even imagining himself settling down for very long, although the temptation is always there.
I Might Not Like It But I'll Do What I Have To: Caden is, above almost all things, driven. He knows the consequences of failure better than most people, and he has no qualms about playing dirty or sacrificing innocent lives in the name of a greater good. Occasionally, this also manifests as unintentional attempts at suicide. More often, he has difficulty sleeping or loses his appetite.
Veteran of the Corpse War: ...which may as well be titled I've seen some shit. Caden has fought in two wars against the Forgotten Ones, striking death blows in both. He's also seen cities wiped out, eco-systems ruined, men, women, and children all slaughtered in front of him, and things that are somehow worse than all of that put together. He copes with it by being cheerfully morbid and pragmatically numb, but the truth is that he suffers from nightmares, is scarred from head to toe, and will always be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life. He's almost as paranoid as a Warlock, and has only a tenuous grip on reality as most people know it.
Self-Made Sorcerer: The highest boon of the Elder Thaynes, arguably awarded for going seven consecutive rounds in the Icehenge of Berevar; although a case could be made that Caden took the power for himself in the same event. Caden is the first true Sorcerer in living memory, and one of only a handful of such magi throughout history to obtain the power without being the champion of a god. At present, he's only a rookie when it comes to Sorcery; not much better with it than he would be without. But he has the potential, however long term it might be, to wield power on the same level as the Forgotten Ones of myth and legend. With this potential also come a bevy of responsibilities, and a certain level of natural authority in all things magic.
There Won't Be Any Apocalypse: Caden has seen the future, laid bare and terrible before him. He came back with a suicidal determination to make sure that the world he saw – the world of N'Thayn'sal, where everything that possible could go wrong, did – never comes to pass. He's gone all over the world, fought monsters and tyrants leagues out of his weight class, sweat, bled, cried, and murdered to buy Althanas just a few more precious years at a time. It is a struggle with few allies and only fleeting hopes and triumphs, and it's a struggle that the Wizard Blueraven has dedicated himself to in every way imaginable.
Wormaxe's Master: If it's present, most Wizarding traditions don't allow a master to take on an apprentice until he's at least had enough time to fill out, fully grow into both his power and his beard. It isn't unheard of for young Wizards to teach children or amateurs the basics, particularly in school settings or during emergencies. It is unheard of for a Wizard to take on an apprentice before the age of fifty, and the apprentice is almost always below the age of puberty. Caden Law is just twenty-seven years old and he's been blackmailed into mentoring a Wizard a year older than he is. The relationship between Wormaxe and Blueraven is an insane one resembling brothers, friends, hateful enemies, and worthy adversaries. It's a strong bet that they'll end up killing each other someday, as both men tried to do with their original mentors...although it bears mention that Blueraven failed to kill his.
Prospective Archwizard of the College Arcana: At present, Caden is the most likely candidate to become the first Archwizard of Beinost's College Arcana. He literally helped shape the school from nothing and most of the other core faculty are his former students in some capacity. The lot of them have a pact to return to Beinost in a few years' time, and Caden intends to keep it. What happens after that...
The Chronal Monkeywrench: Courtesy of his jaunt through Time, Caden no longer experiences the progression of Time the same way that ordinary people do. He's actually aware of Liquid Time to an unsettling degree, rendering him semi-immune or at least mostly aware of alterations and inconsistencies in the timeline. He has also demonstrated an apparent immunity to temporal paradoxes, as evidenced during the battle with Saint Denebriel. Caden has tried to spread this awareness to a handful of other people with varying degrees of success.
Hatbutton Issues: Put simply: Do not ever damage a Wizard's Hat. There are quicker, easier ways to commit suicide.
I Only Slightly Hate Elves: Caden has been a variable racist towards Elves for a very, very long time. At first he was merely sarcastic, then he was worryingly serious, and then it became a tired old joke he repeats more because his Elven friends expect it than because he buys into it. Notably, Caden will not make Elven prostitute jokes anymore. Ever. Also notably, Caden has a partially adopted half-elven daughter by one of his future colleagues in Beinost.
Marked by Powers Beyond Hope or Reason: In addition to the literal Sorcerous Mark on Caden's cheek and the vericose veins of his hands, and the green bloodshot look in his eyes, Caden has been subtly marked by his experiences with magic and the gods. Those sensitive to necromancy will notice a certain chill in the air about him, or perhaps the harsh scent of peppermint. Those versed in Thayne Lore will notice small clues hinting at whichever Thayne has an interest in him at any given time – usually a desert scent evocative of Khal'jaren. It is also possible that Caden has been marked somehow by at least one major demonic entity, the Skinwalker of Lindequalmë, if not a dozen others just as strong and awful. This is not even going into any marks left by the Pantheon of Raiaera.
You Can't Go Home Again: Due to past actions and his involvement with the Battle of Evernorth, Caden was permanently banished from his home village and the surrounding area. Odds are good that his involvement in the death of Saint Denebriel and the Massacre at Borse-Aryakham has also gotten him banished from Salvar. Assuming there isn't a big fat bounty on his head for either.
As Good As My Word: A Wizard is only as good as his word, and the only way to get most Wizards to break an old promise is to set up a new one. In the past, Caden has been spiritually hogtied using oaths. On only a few occasions has he been able to exploit the system to his own benefit, usually while in a blind rage. One of Caden's worst fears is to intentionally go back on his word, as this would represent one of the first significant steps towards becoming a Warlock. The only instance of Caden successfully disregarding a past oath was because it was extracted in bad faith using an illusion spell.
Brigadier's Folly: During the early stages of the Corpse War in Raiaera, Caden successfully spread his Sorcerous Name to an entire brigade's worth of human conscripts, along with a handful of elves. This carried with it unforeseen consequences. Throughout that war, Xem'zund's Death Lords were constantly trying to curse him to death from a distance, and constantly failing; they kept hitting his former brigadiers. Caden is a Wizard and both paranoia and narcissistic self-importance are a part of who he is, but but this was an honest mistake that torments him to this day. At present, an estimate ninety-eight brigadiers still survive from an original 300-or-so. Note that this aspect does not make him immune to curses – it just lowers the odds of actually hitting him.
History
Few are the magi in living memory who have wrought as much havoc as Caden Law, the Wizard Blueraven. From the Scourged Forest of Tembrethnil in Raiaera to the bloody rubble of Saint Denebriel's Cathedral in Salvar, the horrific Massacre of Borse-Aryakham and the geological upheaval in the Catacylsm of Scara Brae, Caden has scarred virtually every region he has set foot in for the past five years. He's traveled farther than almost any living Althanian, been down in the slave cages of Kebiras, vied with demigods on three continents, faced down repeated challenges from the Elder Thaynes, and born witness to a future that must never come to pass – a future he's sworn to stop at any cost, though the price might well be his sanity, his life, or even his soul.
Hard to believe, then, that this battle-scarred academic adventurer came from such humble roots as a frontier village in northermost Salvar. The village in question, Evernorth, was literally so far removed from the heart of Ethereal power in Knife's Edge that it was past the fiefs of even the League of Salvar. The village was nothing but ice-fishing and a small bit of logging and hunting, along with the growth of some very rare herbs found useful in alchemy. Most authority came through the Church of the Ethereal Sway, and the Clerical Wizards ruled that tiny place to such an extent that the mayor was just a man with a flimsy rubber stamp.
Into this place, as the eighth of ten children to Brayden and Essa Law, Caden was born. His brothers were Aiden, Brenden, Hayden, Ogden, Dresden, and Camden. His sisters were Eden, Jaiden, and Cadence. All of his brothers were practically models of the ideal Salvic frontiersman: tall, burly, blond in the hair, blue in the eye, pale of skin, and with beards as unique as fingerprints. His sisters were all born with the gift of magic and talent, each of them brilliant in their own ways. Caden was the only boy who manifested the gift, and he had little talent with it. He was also the shortest, runtiest of the litter, and the most rebellious. His powers manifested early and his schooling with the Clergy began almost immediately.
Caden wasn't having that. Unfortunately, the teachers weren't having him either. He was punished frequently and rarely, if ever, learned his lesson – if there was even a lesson to learn. The school's headmaster eventually pawned young Caden off on a senior Wizard passing through town en route to Berevar, a fully Sanctioned agent of the Church who, nonetheless, did not truly believe in or adhere to its dogma. His parents, with nine other, far more productive mouths to feed, did not object. The Wizard's name was Jolstice Aram, also known as Greyspine.
The next few years of Caden's life were a heady mix of constant travel through desolate wilderness, struggling for survival, learning at every turn, and trips home that were both infrequent and unpredictable. Over the course of several such trips, he struck up a young romance and a potentially lifelong friendship with a girl named Veshua, who was to become Caden's raison d'etre for several years.
Eventually, Caden and Jolstice had a falling out. At barely sixteen years old, Blueraven tried and failed to kill his master. Greyspine sent him running into the wilderness with a few days' head start – the only reason that Caden was able to make it back to Evernorth, spend another day with Veshua, and then resume his flight from Salvar without being killed in the process. He spent the next few months running for his life from town to town, often on foot, before finally arriving in a port city called Dendrestok, where he met a man named Patton in a place called Deadwater Tavern. He had one last run-in with Veshua, complete with all kinds of promises made in the heat of a young, loving moment, and then left Salvar as part of Patton Ventures, an adventuring company that took him all over the known world and a little beyond it. It was messy, ill profitable business, but Caden survived and learned and grew wiser because of it.
Patton Ventures met its end somewhere along the line. Don't ask how or why, Caden won't speak of it.
Afterwards, he took a sabbatical from the adventuring business and made his way to Scara Brae. From there, it was a straight shot to Raiaera, where Caden was drafted into the defense of the capital city, Eluriand. Caden had been far and seen much, but Eluriand is where he picked up his first real scars, made his first real enemies, and gained his first real claim to fame: he wounded Xem'zund at the height of the siege, just before an unplanned teleportation incident unhinged him from Time. This second part is where things began to get really messy for him. Caden was effectively split into multiple timelines at once, with his core landing in a dark future called N'Thayn'sal – where everything that could go wrong did.
This was the defining moment of his life in a great many ways, as Caden returned from the future with a slow building sense of purpose – one that drove him on through battle after battle after battle in the months ahead. It also gave him a whole new enemy in the form of a wyrmfolk Warlock named Anton Icetongue, who's cropped up from time to time ever since.
While many men and women fought the Corpse War, none of them did it quite like Blueraven. When he was thrown away from it, he found his way back. When he tried to run away from it, the war followed him home and left a trail of bodies in its wake. He was hounded and harried all the way to the mountains of Salvar, and the ghosts followed him even further to Evernorth, where he found and broke up a Warlock Coven. It was in Evernorth where the Wizard's spirit finally broke, courtesy of seeing Veshua married to another man – an elf, no less – with a daughter who had the name that they always swore their own child would have.
Caden ventured all the way back to Berevar afterwards, where he reunited and made peace with his old mentor before undergoing a profound crucible in the Icehenge. There, he was confronted by himself seven times over; all men who had been given the same choices he had, but who had all chosen differently. Caden murdered himself seven times in the space of an hour or so, and only at the last did he finally find his will to live again – redefined from love to a higher calling. There will be no N'Thayn'sal so long as Caden Law is there to stop it, and he aims to kill that dreadful future in its crib by any means necessary.
It was also during this trial that Caden ascended to the position of Sorcerer, marking him as one of the few mortals to do so since the closure of the Eternal Tap, and one of only a handful throughout history to do so without divine patronage. Immediately after, he fought in the final battle of the Salvic Civil War as an errand from one of the Thaynes, then found himself dumped back into Raiaera, where he ended the siege of Anebrilith and helped give rise to the city of Beinost and its College Arcana. Never one to rest on his laurels, Caden went on to fight Xem'zund as one of the Dawnbringers, where he successfully unraveled the Necromancer's past, helped to break his will to fight, and ultimately witnessed his public death.
Afterwards, Caden ventured to the Red Forest and finished the job himself. He killed Xem'zund once and for all, destroyed the body and crushed the tomb and all its relics under countless tons of earth. This was merely the end point of a journey that introduced him to his future apprentice, destroyed a hidden village of proto-elves, and left him marked by a demonic entity called the Skinwalker. It also let him in on a truth he's been unable to escape since then: Liquid Time. Caden's already questionable sanity has infrequently begun to slip and waver even more than usual courtesy of that little revelation.
Following the final resolution to the Corpse War, Caden returned to Scara Brae, effectively confessed his sins and adventures to a fellow Wizard he had befriended some years earlier, and then found himself blackmailed into teaching a Dark Wizard named Savas Tigh. This has further eroded his standing as one of The Good Guys, if only because Tigh is a necromancer, a murderer, a cannibal, and a former Death Lord-in-training to say the least. Caden hopes to train him up and point him at a greater evil somewhere down the road, but he's already regretting the things he's taught the Wizard Wormaxe. It was also during this time that Caden finally ventured into the Catacombs of Scara Brae, where he ultimately confronted and was defeated by a Sorcerer known as the Penitent, a true champion of N'jal who sought to – and did – unleash the bastard son she sired with Draconus.
What followed was a cataclysm the likes of which has not been seen since the Wars of the Tap. Caden did his part, but his failures there and the consequences of his actions both before and after still haunt him.
Where the Sorcerer is now, nobody knows for sure. He hopped a boat out of Scara Brae and didn't look back.
Archive of Quests and Contest Entries
Outside of RP
Happiness (http://www.althanas.com/world/showpost.php?p=102849&postcount=2) - 100 EXP and 50 GP. Set around the same time as Tourism for Wizards and Unto the broke, unto the cynical.
Caden is asked to investigate a missing persons case in Scara Brae. He gets more than he bargained for.
OOC: Decisions, decisions... (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16824) - +Arcanist's Rod, -1153 GP.
FQ Exemplary Contributor Reward (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19852) – +Staff of Power.
Good Holiday (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?22063-Holiday-Vignette!&p=177769&viewfull=1#post177769) – 1100 EXP, set during the Catacombs of Scara Brae: Dead Sun Rising.
Caden spends the Festival of Lights a mile underground in the company of abominations, horrors beyond word, and three miserable bastards he never thought he'd meet. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Level Zero to Two: Wizard to War
Tourism for Wizards (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85425) - 15 gold; gained 670 EXP and 180 gold.
Caden arrives in Scara Brae. Demonic kicks to the groin, the arrival of That Fucking Bird! and the first of many encounters that will undoubtedly leave the amoral Wizard forever blue.
Unto the broke, unto the cynical (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=85241) - Acquired Bowie Knife, Scalpel, and Burlap Sack, -115 gold. +100 EXP.
Caden heads to the Bazaar for some quicky provisions.
FQ: Slings and Arrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=8699) - +706 EXP.
Caden goes to Raiaera and gets drafted. He shows a certain aptitude for leadership. He also marks the beginning of a long-term lust-fail-hate relationship with High Elven women when one of the High Bards threatens to set him on fire.
FQ: Beyond the Bridge of Souls (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=88175) - +1193 EXP.
Caden comes into his own as the leader of Blueraven Company. Violence ensues.
FQ: The Field of Sighs and Sorrows (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=92739) - +1446 EXP. Gained Conscript equipment and Arcane affinity.
All Hell breaks loose in Eluriand. Caden gains the first of many scars, scores the first of many meaningless victories, and loses the first of many critical battles.
Cosmic Bump in the Road (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12219) - Acquired Oak/Damascus Wand, -350 gold. +100 EXP.
The first of Caden's mishaps with teleportation.
The Cosmic Detour (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=12597) - FQ-earned Gold (1438) spent here. Acquired Rywan/Damascus Wand, internal GPS/Clock abilities.
The second, and much more important, of Caden's mishaps with teleportation. This marks the first of his divine interventions, if you could call them that.
Level Two to Four: The Law of Wizardry
Between the Numbers (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=111977) - +1619 EXP, +120 GP, +A bunch of pencils.
Caden returns from an alternate future, sworn to prevent it...and immediately becomes the first Althanian to visit the far-flung continent of Kebiras.
Intricacies of Asymmetry (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=115551) - +3173 EXP, +508 GP, +Basic Knowledge: Necromancy, -Bazaar Wand, -Raiaeran Conscript Breastplate
Wizards, Elven tradition, Necromantically empowered barbarian lords and the Scourging of Tembrethnil Forest: The most pyrrhic of Caden's victories to date.
Not Quite Homecoming (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16601) - Unresolved. Liquid time means that this thread is now In The Past. RP-wise, Caden acquired his Arcanist Rod (FQ Reward) here.
Emotionally and spiritually exhausted from the Raiaeran War, Caden heads home. Unfortunately, his past and the dark future of N'Thayn'sal are waiting.
The Wizard That Did It (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=137585) - +2756 EXP, -100 GP, +Masterwork updates to Bowie and Sword, +Blueraven's Gravity Gambit, +Magic Missile Barrage, +Thermal Strike, +Charger, +Swordsmanship training, -Scalpel
En route through the mountains, Caden is ambushed by a quartet of Death Lords and ends up in the care and tutelage of a weaponsmith named Dueril.
The Laws of Wizardry (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19237) - +10,116 EXP, +1,066 GP, a new pair of glasses.
After months of travel, trial and trauma, the Wizard Blueraven finally comes home. There's just one small problem: Wizards can never go home.
Four to Eight: No Rest for the Wizard
The Henge Sorcerous (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=154223) - +5,123 XP, +Sorcery, +Knowledge Arcana: Sorcery, +Raiaeran Conscript Breastplate, +N'jalian Spidersilk upgrades, -Cosmic Positioning Sense, -Greyspine's Grimoire
With nothing left to lose and nothing but burdens to gain, Caden carries out his suicidal test of self-worth in Berevar's Icehenge.
Mortal Intervention (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=19865) - +200 GP, 4746 EXP.
Caden joins Rayse Valentino and Teric Bloodrose on a mission from Thayne Y'edda: Kill Saint Denebriel.
Ain't No Rest For The Wizard (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=157981) - +?Staff of Power, +Armor, +?Knowledge: Necromancy, +?Expertise in Magic
The Siege of Anebrilith, the birth of Beinost, the founding of the College Arcana, and all sorts of stories that should've been left unlived.
MQ: Dawnbringers (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20244) - +2453 EXP, 220 GP.
The final battle of the Corpse War.
The Red Requiem in Cresting Summer (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20799) - +6673 EXP, +1080 GP.
The End of an Era, including a meeting of Sorcerers and the last words of Zundalon the Cantor, and the secret histories of the Forgotten Ones of Althanas.
Level Nine Onward: Wizard at Large
The Catacombs of Scara Brae: Dead Sun Rising (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=171445) - -Arcanist's Rod, -Masterwork Bowie Knife, Armor reduced to Average, -7391 GP, +4100 EXP, +350 GP.
Caden returns to Scara Brae to stop the awakening of a mad undead demigod. History changes. For that matter, so does geography.