Sighter Tnailog
04-06-12, 05:27 PM
((Previous update: Transitions (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?19420).
After a conversation with Letho, a lot of this is changing. I'm using my absence as an opportunity to briefly reshape Findelfin's recent past, and cause his skills to undergo some revisions, partly on the grounds that Letho suggested I was underpowered, and partly to reflect changes in Findelfin's situation in the world. I'm handwaving some things that I owned back into the orbit of myself. My last profile had some stuff that indicated Findelfin's villa at Tirinost would be part of his storyline, but now that Tirinost was taken over to become Eluceliniel, I'm having some stuff redescribed here for efficacy's sake.))
Basic Stats
Name: Findelfin ap Fingolfin
Race: Raiaeran
Faction: Telendor Nauvarin
Gender: Male
Age: 260
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 Pounds
Hair Color: Yellowish-Brown
Eye Color: Green
Character History
((For full background to all Findelfin's long history on Althanas, read previous character updates. However, for the purposes of this update today I am trying to engage in a sort of careful forgetting -- there is a lot in Findelfin's history that just doesn't make sense chronologically, and a number of unfinished storylines that didn't finish. While I keep that stuff alive in my character's history, the story is difficult to describe in terms of a coherent narrative. What follows attempts to account for Findelfin's present existence in light of, but not constrained by, his more distant past.))
Friend, lover, leader, healer. Enemy, tyrant, war-monger, widow-maker. General, captain, tactician, king. Wanderer, singer, captive. Free. There was a litany of lives constructed and colliding at work in the character of Findelfin ap Fingolfin, known of many titles, beloved by few, respected by many, hated by some. He knew this now, he knew it, and he sang it, attempting at last to sing into one being a song that could be termed true. Or true, at least, in the eyes of the slice of the cosmos one soul might inhabit fully.
On the day that the undead army of Valinatal arrived, their trumpet blast heralding first a hope then shattering its dreams against the fierce anvil of necromantic power, Findelfin had vanished the field. No one knew why, and in the absence of knowledge they invented their own stories.
Ascended! was the cry of his soldiers. He had not vanished alone and broken by the charge of Xem'Zûnd, but surrounded by captains and squires, the assembled, bloodied heraldry of the Bladesingers and the Glorious Host and the Bardic Sigil surrounding him. Scholars and mages and warriors and singers who were near him in the field that day, those who escaped the rout of that shattering army and came harrowed and weaned into the welcoming arms of the woodlands of the north spoke of a light that seemed to crystallize from the air around him onto his skin. It was as though a fire laid waste to the moment in which his body stood suspended as that dreadful charge began, and when it faded it left only the subtle imprint of starlight against the darkening night of Raiaera's downfall. The ancient religious promises in Tel Aina Parma spoke of Hir-Menegil, the Lord-of-Thousand-Stars who would be taken from the mortal planes only to return and deliver the elves from bondage. Findelfin was to be Hir-Menegil, or so the rumors went.
Dead! was the clamoring response of a hundred others, scoffers who regarded the tales as the piffle of traumatized minds. Findelfin had been slain with the fiery arts of the necromancer's legions, or impaled upon the battle-lances of that ruined host of Narenhad. Some in the same battle, those who came at first with tales of the ascension of Hir-Menegil to the courts of heaven, had even changed their tunes in the face of such skepticism. One even swore that as she fled the battlefield, the resuscitated fingers of the Dagorathar himself clawed at her heel. When pressed, she could even produce a single bony finger with the twin rings of the Bladesingers and Tel Aglarim upon its knuckles, a finger taken from the hand she claimed to have cut off from around her foot in a desperate attempt to escape. Only the Dagorather had membership in both organizations, it was true, but there were many dead fingers on many dead hands in those days, and it would not have been difficult to find one of both and append them to such a dread talisman.
Deserted! was the cry of Nalith Celiniel. This betrayal of Findelfin's legacy was not something even he could begrudge her. She had always been jealous of his power, his sway over the hearts of his people, ever since the first rising of Xem'Zûnd and his defeat of the champion Mulciber at the gates of the city itself. But there were reasons for such a charge despite raw ambition. Indeed, he might had done the same in her place. There were many who would have waited for their General to return to them, hoping he might still lead them, and breaking their loyalty to him was the best way to insure loyalty to her in the desperate fight that still characterized his people's existence in the northern reaches of Raiaera. There were battles to be fought now, rather than waiting for some final battle of cosmic purity. And she had to fight them.
All these charges were true. Findelfin could not explain his experience after that bloody field, other than to say he awoke in a wood, on its outskirts, shivering in his armor with his horse pressing her nuzzle into his face, his sword lying beside him, his bow on his other side, and a set of strange beads clutched in his fingers. He had vague memories of a visitation with Khal'Jaren, a journey through the stars, but nothing substantial, nothing he could grasp. He fell asleep in the snow, ready to die, and awoke again in a cabin, concerned faces staring back at his face, deft hands administering ointments to his wounds, soothing words speaking comfort to his soul.
As he was nursed back to his health, he learned that he was in the Warded Wood. Had he been in any state to leave, at hearing the name he would have done so, for it caused a chill to deepen in his heart deeper than the snowbank where he had once lain to die. The Warded Wood was, as the legends told, the place where the Enarlin bards, the wicked and evil souls who sought to destroy and dominate life, left when they were expelled from the Elven schools so long ago. But he was too weak, and was forced to remain. And they came to him, these wicked mages, and every day they tended his wounds. He listened carefully to their words, and even conversed with them, and never once heard them attempting to poison his mind or dominate his thought.
Ascended, dead, or deserted? None of them was the answer. Restored. That was a better word, if incomplete. Findelfin's time among the Enarlin mages has been spent learning. He has put aside his weapons and studying the ways of the whole world of elven song magic, ways he had never before taken the time to truly learn. ((I'm handwaving this here, as I want to explore what Findelfin learns from the Enarlin more fully in retrospective roleplaying threads to come.))
Skills, Spells, and Abilities
((I'm rewriting a lot of this, more or less. I won't use color in anything because so much is changing. In order to judge power effectively, feel free to refer to previous character updates, linked above.))
Skills
Woodlore -- Findelfin has always been able to track beasts well and cover tracks, and essentially get around without being seen or heard in a forest. He can also create poultices to bind to wounds and perform other first-aid related functions when in a deciduous forest, thanks to an extensive knowledge of the types of trees and plants commonly found in such biomes. His time among the Enarlin has also taught him much about new types of plants and animal byproducts more common to the evergreen woods of the north, effectively expanding the types of woodland in which he can effectively make use of these skills. The Enarlin mages have also taught him much about the effects of warding magic and the magical properties of various types of items in the forest.
Advanced Swordsmanship -- Before vanishing, Findelfin was widely considered one of the best wielders of the longsword in Althanas. His skills in an outright battle these days might be a bit rusty, but they have not degraded too much: he takes time every day to practice with the few bards and bladesingers that kept their orders alive within the confines of the Warded Wood, and has actually taught them much about refining their own one-on-one and crowd fighting tactics.
Bowmanship -- Always an above-average bowman, Findelfin's participation in hunting parties sent out from the Warded Wood has made him more adept at moving quietly and stealthily with a drawn bow, as well as making his general ability to strike a single mortal blow with a bow much better.
Horseback Riding -- Findelfin is trained in horseback riding.
Web of Informants -- This ability is currently significantly reduced. Although once Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin's access to Telendor Nauvarin's informants is nonexistent--and it is not certain that, should he re-emerge into public life, that he would still be Telendor Nauvarin's Diadem. This ability will remain locked until such time as it re-emerges through roleplaying, at which point it will be formally approved in the RoG.
NPC Followers: Findelfin's has access to lead and command NPCs as the situation dictates, depending on which position of leadership or factional alliances he is in presently. Given that he currently resides in the Warded Wood, with a variety of bards, bladesingers, and scholars of a variety of Elvish magical schools, these are who he currently has access to as traveling companions. No single one of Findelfin's NPCs will ever exceed 1/5 of Findelfin's current level (rounding down), and he can command only one NPC per 2 of his levels per thread. These NPCs are not accessible in one-on-one battles or tournaments, except at the discretion of the tournament leader or the allowance of an opponent.
Spell Competencies
Findelfin can manifest all these spells in weaker versions than here mentioned...for instance, he could use the Requiem of the North to make things cold, or the Fire Ring Requiem to make things warm. He can exceed the power described here, but at significant cost to his own personal health and mental and physical reserves.
Findelfin also found that the Enarlin mages in the Warded Wood were not alone; there were representatives of all the schools of Elvish song-magic represented, including the school of Ainalin whose arts of holy magic had been considered long-dead. As such, Findelfin has had the opportunity to explore more fully and holistically his knowledge of Elvish song-magic.
Dagorlin
The Battle School, Dagorlin magic is fierce, loud, and quick. Findelfin has minor skills in this school consonant with those of any basically trained bard. He can manifest fire from the air with a single musical phrase and propel it through the air in a selected direction with another phrase. He can also manipulate fire into defensive shields and concentrate latent heat in an area into one point in order to drastically raise its temperature. He can also manipulate these factors in reverse -- removing heat to make things cold, or manipulating water to cause it to freeze. Currently, he can produce these effects within about ten feet of himself, and thrust them outwards from himself with the speed of an arrow, up to a range of thirty feet without losing speed or precision. He can create up to seven regions of water- or fire-based attack spells at any given time without taking the time to use an instrument or a full song, and propel no more than three of them at once without losing speed and range.
Findelfin knows the following more powerful Dagorlin musical attack. This attack takes about a minute to work, and requires the use of an instrument to achieve full effects.
[i]Requiem of the North -- A song-spell taught to him by Elrundir Galadhrim, this Dagorlin song, once begun, produces an instant snap freeze in a circle with a twenty-five foot radius around the singer, which slows the movement speed of enemies. As the singer continues, it forms several large chunks of ice in front of the caster. Upon conclusion of the song, the chunks shatter into several finger-sized chunks while thrusts them outwards in a scattering blast in the direction the bard is facing. The blast is short-ranged, however, and requires the bard to maneuver in close range while singing in order to strike. The singer must sing for at least two minutes, a time which may be halved by use of a musical instrument to accompany the singing.
Ostlin
This defensive school of magic features slow and steady rhythms and solid, uncomplicated melodies. Findelfin is here also only minorly trained, capable of creating simple walls of fire or ice that last for a minute or so after casting, regions of uncomfortably painful heat or cold that last for slightly longer, and singing very simple melodies into weapons or armor to make these weapons temporarily more resistant to incoming magical assault based on either intense heat or frigid cold. All these temporary effects can be sustained or fortified with active effort, though even then they are not impregnable. Findelfin is working on his knowledge of the earth tones of this school, in order to create more powerful barriers of metal or soil that can actually resist physical damage, but at present he is not capable of such magic. As with Dagorlin, Findelfin knows the following more significant spell, which requires preparation and time to create.
Canticle of the Fire Ring -- A dome of fire erupts from the caster at the end of the song, with about a ten-foot radius from the caster. Within the dome the temperature is normal, but outside the dome the fiery sphere radiates heat as normal. This song takes about two minutes to cast with or without an instrument. If an instrument is used, the dome will move with the caster up to ten feet from the origin point without dissipating. The sphere lasts two minutes after casting without sustaining, and can be sustained by the singer's song for up to five more minutes without added difficulty to concentration. Sustaining for longer becomes very draining upon the singer, however, and can cause Findelfin to collapse from exhaustion if attempted for too long.
Lissilin Competency
Soft and lilting, with soft rounded tones and soothing melodies, Lissilin is the sound of healing. Findelfin is moderately skilled in Lissilin magic. He can heal groups of his allies (within twenty feet) and produce songs which discriminate between those he wishes to heal and those he does not wish to heal. He can heal major, life-threatening wounds in a single individual, with the strength of his healing prowess declining the more people he is trying to heal, maxing out his abilities at four allies that can be cured of only minor wounds. When healing his allies in an open fight he will need to sing for at least a minute in order to create a result. Findelfin can augment his magical healing skills with his woodlore skill, described above, both to increase the quality of his healing and decrease the time required to achieve results. As with all song spells, instrument use increases quality and decreases cast time on all spells.
Turlin Competency
Findelfin's most expert area of competency, Turlin magic most basically deals with purging necromantic powers, banishing undead creatures, and detecting and eliminating magic associated with ongoing curses and devouring diseases of the mind. Findelfin's extensive training in Turlin arts allows him to sense the direction and power of necromantic magics within a mile of his location. He can also sense necromancers and their various enchanted talismans if they are not guarding their power signatures--which is rare, as necromancers are notoriously vigilant about their sources of power. Findelfin can produce bolts of magical energy that burst from his fingertips with the speed and power of an arrow shot, which do no harm to living creatures but cause the undead uncomfortable burns and, for weaker zombies and skeletons, possible instant death. He can also sing songs which cause pain and discomfort to undead who hear the songs, slowing them, making their attacks and response times weaker, and possibly forcing them to retreat depending on their ferocity and internal strength.
Against necromancers, Findelfin knows quick invocations that can cancel spells they hurl at him up to 1/2 his level, and weaken spells stronger than that by a similar amount. He can also attempt to lash out with his magical projectiles, described above, weakening a strong necromancer's powers or eliminating them altogether for weaker necromancers (although the weakening is temporary).
Turlin magic also gives Findelfin the ability to peer into the minds of others to a limited extent. This manifests itself primarily in an almost preternatural ability to guess the motivations and intentions of others, or ferret out when they are lying to him (unless they are guarding their thoughts, as with Gorian'fel hide helmets). It is not mind-reading, however, just a sort of "second sense" about how others in Findelfin's immediate surroundings might act or behave. This skill, it is important to note, is not perfect, and someone aware of Findelfin's ability may, by careful mental control, cloud their motivations or even mislead Findelfin regarding them. Findelfin may, in brief moments, direct this power outward, engaging in one-way telepathic conversation. He cannot, however, engage in such mental conversation unless he is trying to talk with someone who can also speak telepathically.
In addition to these basic spells, Findelfin knows two significantly powerful Turlin rituals. These require the use of his Woodlore skill to work, though he carries the components for their performance with him at all times and is rarely caught without them.
Nocturne of Purification -- Findelfin carves seven runic symbols into seven different types of wood, then arranges them in a specific fashion and draws significant symbolic lines between them, chanting the magic song as he begins drawing these lines. He then concentrates his focus on each runic symbol in turn, attempting to relate his own song to the aspect of the Deity each represents. At the conclusion of the ritual, which takes ten minutes and requires an instrument for focus in order to achieve its full power, Findelfin finishes his song, each symbol consumes itself in a burst of bluish-white fire, and an area of about a ten thousand square feet around Findelfin is cleansed of any necromantic magic or undead thralls up to Findelfin's level, and necromantic magic/creatures above this threshold is weakened by Findelfin's level. While performing this ritual, Findelfin cannot be interrupted or otherwise engage in combat. The ritual can be concluded early, but for each minute the ritual concludes early the power of the spell drops by 4 levels, to a minimum of level 1, and the area cleansed drops precipitously.
Ritual of Binding -- Findelfin follows a process similar to the one above, only instead of standing within the circle himself, he must have contained a necromancer, using either magical or physical means, and placed them within the circle. Findelfin casts the ritual as normal, only upon its completion, all the necromancer's connections to any raised undead will be severed immediately. All of their magical powers will be immediately blocked for several days, and the blocks can be reinscribed by repeated applications of the ritual every few days. This can ONLY be used on player characters within the context of a player character's permission. Exceptionally strong necromancers may evade certain bonds, retaining the use of their more powerful arts, for example, or retaining the connections to certain of their weaker minions for whom the dominating bonds are easier to sustain indefinitely.
Other Competencies
Findelfin has been learning the basic structure of Aglarlin music, and how to sing its songs and play its melodies. However, Findelfin has yet to begun learning how to actually imbue this music with any sort of actual magical enchantment. While the naturally uplifting and inspiring songs of Aglarlin might stir a demoralized group to renew their efforts, it won't be because of any sort of magical inspiration, just because the music itself keeps them going.
The same is true for the music of Enarlin and Lissilin. Findelfin has begun learning the rudiments of these styles, but has not yet begun to learn about how they might serve his magical portfolio.
A note on competencies
Competencies are being described primarily, as opposed to discrete and specific skills, in order to try to suggest something different about magic than is often assumed. That is, instead of specific spells that one learns -- although such spells do exist, and I have a few listed above -- a bard develops ways of molding and shaping magical energies that are as diverse and varied as the sounds one can create using a variety of musical instruments, or singing with a variety of styles. Effects from multiple schools may be combined, for instance, weakening the extent of both; perhaps, in exchange for sacrificing the full sphere of the Canticle of the Fire Ring, Findelfin might choose instead to put up a single ring, over which an enemy might jump, in exchange for producing within that ring a region of weak magical healing. Such mingling of effects will be done within the constraints of distance and speed already described, and must always involve some sort of weakening of one or both effects in order to compensate. Any judgments on the abuse or unfair use of this "mingling" are up to the moderators.
Derived Abilities
This section is for specific powers derived concretely from the more general powers listed in the skills section. Currently, it contains only the following power:
Ward Within the Wood -- When in a wooded area, Findelfin can quickly identify types of wood, leaves, or other forest matter, hum a few strains of Enarlin spell-singing, and unlock the mystical properties of the items. Currently, Findelfin can make quick charms which defend against magical attack by reducing the intensity of attacks if they hit and causing a slight bending in the fabric of reality, causing the attacks to miss more often. With more time, he can also make larger charms that subtly alter a foe's mind, making them turn away from a location or simply not notice it, allowing him to either evade detection or avoid encountering enemies altogether.
Property
Weapons and Armor
Ainalindil -- A sword of mythril with a golden crosshilt and a fine leather grip. The hilt is inset with a ruby that bears a Rune of Turlin, which imbues the blade with a soft glowing light. The blade is deadly to anything undead, and can purify most black magic at a touch. It was crafted for Findelfin by a Elfsmith of Haidia, and can shoot blasts of holy light from its tip. The blasts are only mildly harmful to most organic entities, but to enemies carrying evil within them it is potent and perilous.
Mythril-scaled leather armor
Two leather bracers with delyn-ringed interiors and cotton interiors
Mythril helmet
Thumb Ring
Composite Bow (Ulder and Bone)
Longbow (Talymer)
Three plynt daggers, unweighted
97 Arrows, Rywan Shafts and Mythril-headed
War Horse (Name: Pelektar)
Home
Findelfin owns a small villa to the north of Valinatal, in Raiaera. It was once called Tirinost, but was taken over by Nalith Celiniel and is now called Eluceliniel. Much of Findelfin's wealth -- including his fine bard's harp, Lomelindar -- was at the villa. He does not know if any of it can be recovered, or even if Tirinost still stands.
Important Items
Key of Vainta -- One of the five keys denoting a Guardian of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin found this key while in Haidia on his first mission. He has no idea what to do with it now, or even if Telendor Nauvarin still wants a vanished general, or who to give it to.
The Diadem Key -- The largest of the five keys, this sizeable golden key is a symbol of Findelfin's authority within Telendor Nauvarin. As with all of the keys, it can unlock or reseal the latches affixed on the Gateway to Dis.
Mending the Tear -- A book on the nature of the Eternal Tap, Raiaeran song magic, and how to fix the Eternal Tap.
Raiaeran History in Story and Song -- A basic resource for bards.
Torc of Tel'Quessir -- A golden torc with three jewels (a ruby in the center flanked by two emeralds), each of these jewels has a power. The middle jewel will immediately return the person who presses it to the Hall of the Second Brigade in Haidia. The leftmost jewel will send a message to the person the caster needs most -- although the torc is fickle about who it thinks that person is. The final gem will render the wearer -- and anyone they are touching -- invisible for eight seconds. It can only be used once a day, or else the bearer will be rendered unconscious on the second attempt.
Rosary of Tel Aina Otso -- A fine rosary of seven sections of seven beads each, with each section representing one of the Raiaeran star gods. Tel Aina Otso = The Holy Seven.
Other Items
All these items are stored within Findelfin's villa.
Three silver fox statues
Several casks of wine and two gallons of black tar, purchased in Alerar, most likely gone, though he does not know.
The Swordcane of Leopold Stevens -- Twenty-four inches steel. It can launch a magical assault with fire and lightning for up to twenty feet, and will return to the owner's hand on command.
The Tombstone of Auran -- ((If it still stands, this is where Findelfin's pet fox and familiar was laid to rest after it died back when I killed it after realizing I didn't give a shit about Findelfin having a pet fox.))
After a conversation with Letho, a lot of this is changing. I'm using my absence as an opportunity to briefly reshape Findelfin's recent past, and cause his skills to undergo some revisions, partly on the grounds that Letho suggested I was underpowered, and partly to reflect changes in Findelfin's situation in the world. I'm handwaving some things that I owned back into the orbit of myself. My last profile had some stuff that indicated Findelfin's villa at Tirinost would be part of his storyline, but now that Tirinost was taken over to become Eluceliniel, I'm having some stuff redescribed here for efficacy's sake.))
Basic Stats
Name: Findelfin ap Fingolfin
Race: Raiaeran
Faction: Telendor Nauvarin
Gender: Male
Age: 260
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 Pounds
Hair Color: Yellowish-Brown
Eye Color: Green
Character History
((For full background to all Findelfin's long history on Althanas, read previous character updates. However, for the purposes of this update today I am trying to engage in a sort of careful forgetting -- there is a lot in Findelfin's history that just doesn't make sense chronologically, and a number of unfinished storylines that didn't finish. While I keep that stuff alive in my character's history, the story is difficult to describe in terms of a coherent narrative. What follows attempts to account for Findelfin's present existence in light of, but not constrained by, his more distant past.))
Friend, lover, leader, healer. Enemy, tyrant, war-monger, widow-maker. General, captain, tactician, king. Wanderer, singer, captive. Free. There was a litany of lives constructed and colliding at work in the character of Findelfin ap Fingolfin, known of many titles, beloved by few, respected by many, hated by some. He knew this now, he knew it, and he sang it, attempting at last to sing into one being a song that could be termed true. Or true, at least, in the eyes of the slice of the cosmos one soul might inhabit fully.
On the day that the undead army of Valinatal arrived, their trumpet blast heralding first a hope then shattering its dreams against the fierce anvil of necromantic power, Findelfin had vanished the field. No one knew why, and in the absence of knowledge they invented their own stories.
Ascended! was the cry of his soldiers. He had not vanished alone and broken by the charge of Xem'Zûnd, but surrounded by captains and squires, the assembled, bloodied heraldry of the Bladesingers and the Glorious Host and the Bardic Sigil surrounding him. Scholars and mages and warriors and singers who were near him in the field that day, those who escaped the rout of that shattering army and came harrowed and weaned into the welcoming arms of the woodlands of the north spoke of a light that seemed to crystallize from the air around him onto his skin. It was as though a fire laid waste to the moment in which his body stood suspended as that dreadful charge began, and when it faded it left only the subtle imprint of starlight against the darkening night of Raiaera's downfall. The ancient religious promises in Tel Aina Parma spoke of Hir-Menegil, the Lord-of-Thousand-Stars who would be taken from the mortal planes only to return and deliver the elves from bondage. Findelfin was to be Hir-Menegil, or so the rumors went.
Dead! was the clamoring response of a hundred others, scoffers who regarded the tales as the piffle of traumatized minds. Findelfin had been slain with the fiery arts of the necromancer's legions, or impaled upon the battle-lances of that ruined host of Narenhad. Some in the same battle, those who came at first with tales of the ascension of Hir-Menegil to the courts of heaven, had even changed their tunes in the face of such skepticism. One even swore that as she fled the battlefield, the resuscitated fingers of the Dagorathar himself clawed at her heel. When pressed, she could even produce a single bony finger with the twin rings of the Bladesingers and Tel Aglarim upon its knuckles, a finger taken from the hand she claimed to have cut off from around her foot in a desperate attempt to escape. Only the Dagorather had membership in both organizations, it was true, but there were many dead fingers on many dead hands in those days, and it would not have been difficult to find one of both and append them to such a dread talisman.
Deserted! was the cry of Nalith Celiniel. This betrayal of Findelfin's legacy was not something even he could begrudge her. She had always been jealous of his power, his sway over the hearts of his people, ever since the first rising of Xem'Zûnd and his defeat of the champion Mulciber at the gates of the city itself. But there were reasons for such a charge despite raw ambition. Indeed, he might had done the same in her place. There were many who would have waited for their General to return to them, hoping he might still lead them, and breaking their loyalty to him was the best way to insure loyalty to her in the desperate fight that still characterized his people's existence in the northern reaches of Raiaera. There were battles to be fought now, rather than waiting for some final battle of cosmic purity. And she had to fight them.
All these charges were true. Findelfin could not explain his experience after that bloody field, other than to say he awoke in a wood, on its outskirts, shivering in his armor with his horse pressing her nuzzle into his face, his sword lying beside him, his bow on his other side, and a set of strange beads clutched in his fingers. He had vague memories of a visitation with Khal'Jaren, a journey through the stars, but nothing substantial, nothing he could grasp. He fell asleep in the snow, ready to die, and awoke again in a cabin, concerned faces staring back at his face, deft hands administering ointments to his wounds, soothing words speaking comfort to his soul.
As he was nursed back to his health, he learned that he was in the Warded Wood. Had he been in any state to leave, at hearing the name he would have done so, for it caused a chill to deepen in his heart deeper than the snowbank where he had once lain to die. The Warded Wood was, as the legends told, the place where the Enarlin bards, the wicked and evil souls who sought to destroy and dominate life, left when they were expelled from the Elven schools so long ago. But he was too weak, and was forced to remain. And they came to him, these wicked mages, and every day they tended his wounds. He listened carefully to their words, and even conversed with them, and never once heard them attempting to poison his mind or dominate his thought.
Ascended, dead, or deserted? None of them was the answer. Restored. That was a better word, if incomplete. Findelfin's time among the Enarlin mages has been spent learning. He has put aside his weapons and studying the ways of the whole world of elven song magic, ways he had never before taken the time to truly learn. ((I'm handwaving this here, as I want to explore what Findelfin learns from the Enarlin more fully in retrospective roleplaying threads to come.))
Skills, Spells, and Abilities
((I'm rewriting a lot of this, more or less. I won't use color in anything because so much is changing. In order to judge power effectively, feel free to refer to previous character updates, linked above.))
Skills
Woodlore -- Findelfin has always been able to track beasts well and cover tracks, and essentially get around without being seen or heard in a forest. He can also create poultices to bind to wounds and perform other first-aid related functions when in a deciduous forest, thanks to an extensive knowledge of the types of trees and plants commonly found in such biomes. His time among the Enarlin has also taught him much about new types of plants and animal byproducts more common to the evergreen woods of the north, effectively expanding the types of woodland in which he can effectively make use of these skills. The Enarlin mages have also taught him much about the effects of warding magic and the magical properties of various types of items in the forest.
Advanced Swordsmanship -- Before vanishing, Findelfin was widely considered one of the best wielders of the longsword in Althanas. His skills in an outright battle these days might be a bit rusty, but they have not degraded too much: he takes time every day to practice with the few bards and bladesingers that kept their orders alive within the confines of the Warded Wood, and has actually taught them much about refining their own one-on-one and crowd fighting tactics.
Bowmanship -- Always an above-average bowman, Findelfin's participation in hunting parties sent out from the Warded Wood has made him more adept at moving quietly and stealthily with a drawn bow, as well as making his general ability to strike a single mortal blow with a bow much better.
Horseback Riding -- Findelfin is trained in horseback riding.
Web of Informants -- This ability is currently significantly reduced. Although once Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin's access to Telendor Nauvarin's informants is nonexistent--and it is not certain that, should he re-emerge into public life, that he would still be Telendor Nauvarin's Diadem. This ability will remain locked until such time as it re-emerges through roleplaying, at which point it will be formally approved in the RoG.
NPC Followers: Findelfin's has access to lead and command NPCs as the situation dictates, depending on which position of leadership or factional alliances he is in presently. Given that he currently resides in the Warded Wood, with a variety of bards, bladesingers, and scholars of a variety of Elvish magical schools, these are who he currently has access to as traveling companions. No single one of Findelfin's NPCs will ever exceed 1/5 of Findelfin's current level (rounding down), and he can command only one NPC per 2 of his levels per thread. These NPCs are not accessible in one-on-one battles or tournaments, except at the discretion of the tournament leader or the allowance of an opponent.
Spell Competencies
Findelfin can manifest all these spells in weaker versions than here mentioned...for instance, he could use the Requiem of the North to make things cold, or the Fire Ring Requiem to make things warm. He can exceed the power described here, but at significant cost to his own personal health and mental and physical reserves.
Findelfin also found that the Enarlin mages in the Warded Wood were not alone; there were representatives of all the schools of Elvish song-magic represented, including the school of Ainalin whose arts of holy magic had been considered long-dead. As such, Findelfin has had the opportunity to explore more fully and holistically his knowledge of Elvish song-magic.
Dagorlin
The Battle School, Dagorlin magic is fierce, loud, and quick. Findelfin has minor skills in this school consonant with those of any basically trained bard. He can manifest fire from the air with a single musical phrase and propel it through the air in a selected direction with another phrase. He can also manipulate fire into defensive shields and concentrate latent heat in an area into one point in order to drastically raise its temperature. He can also manipulate these factors in reverse -- removing heat to make things cold, or manipulating water to cause it to freeze. Currently, he can produce these effects within about ten feet of himself, and thrust them outwards from himself with the speed of an arrow, up to a range of thirty feet without losing speed or precision. He can create up to seven regions of water- or fire-based attack spells at any given time without taking the time to use an instrument or a full song, and propel no more than three of them at once without losing speed and range.
Findelfin knows the following more powerful Dagorlin musical attack. This attack takes about a minute to work, and requires the use of an instrument to achieve full effects.
[i]Requiem of the North -- A song-spell taught to him by Elrundir Galadhrim, this Dagorlin song, once begun, produces an instant snap freeze in a circle with a twenty-five foot radius around the singer, which slows the movement speed of enemies. As the singer continues, it forms several large chunks of ice in front of the caster. Upon conclusion of the song, the chunks shatter into several finger-sized chunks while thrusts them outwards in a scattering blast in the direction the bard is facing. The blast is short-ranged, however, and requires the bard to maneuver in close range while singing in order to strike. The singer must sing for at least two minutes, a time which may be halved by use of a musical instrument to accompany the singing.
Ostlin
This defensive school of magic features slow and steady rhythms and solid, uncomplicated melodies. Findelfin is here also only minorly trained, capable of creating simple walls of fire or ice that last for a minute or so after casting, regions of uncomfortably painful heat or cold that last for slightly longer, and singing very simple melodies into weapons or armor to make these weapons temporarily more resistant to incoming magical assault based on either intense heat or frigid cold. All these temporary effects can be sustained or fortified with active effort, though even then they are not impregnable. Findelfin is working on his knowledge of the earth tones of this school, in order to create more powerful barriers of metal or soil that can actually resist physical damage, but at present he is not capable of such magic. As with Dagorlin, Findelfin knows the following more significant spell, which requires preparation and time to create.
Canticle of the Fire Ring -- A dome of fire erupts from the caster at the end of the song, with about a ten-foot radius from the caster. Within the dome the temperature is normal, but outside the dome the fiery sphere radiates heat as normal. This song takes about two minutes to cast with or without an instrument. If an instrument is used, the dome will move with the caster up to ten feet from the origin point without dissipating. The sphere lasts two minutes after casting without sustaining, and can be sustained by the singer's song for up to five more minutes without added difficulty to concentration. Sustaining for longer becomes very draining upon the singer, however, and can cause Findelfin to collapse from exhaustion if attempted for too long.
Lissilin Competency
Soft and lilting, with soft rounded tones and soothing melodies, Lissilin is the sound of healing. Findelfin is moderately skilled in Lissilin magic. He can heal groups of his allies (within twenty feet) and produce songs which discriminate between those he wishes to heal and those he does not wish to heal. He can heal major, life-threatening wounds in a single individual, with the strength of his healing prowess declining the more people he is trying to heal, maxing out his abilities at four allies that can be cured of only minor wounds. When healing his allies in an open fight he will need to sing for at least a minute in order to create a result. Findelfin can augment his magical healing skills with his woodlore skill, described above, both to increase the quality of his healing and decrease the time required to achieve results. As with all song spells, instrument use increases quality and decreases cast time on all spells.
Turlin Competency
Findelfin's most expert area of competency, Turlin magic most basically deals with purging necromantic powers, banishing undead creatures, and detecting and eliminating magic associated with ongoing curses and devouring diseases of the mind. Findelfin's extensive training in Turlin arts allows him to sense the direction and power of necromantic magics within a mile of his location. He can also sense necromancers and their various enchanted talismans if they are not guarding their power signatures--which is rare, as necromancers are notoriously vigilant about their sources of power. Findelfin can produce bolts of magical energy that burst from his fingertips with the speed and power of an arrow shot, which do no harm to living creatures but cause the undead uncomfortable burns and, for weaker zombies and skeletons, possible instant death. He can also sing songs which cause pain and discomfort to undead who hear the songs, slowing them, making their attacks and response times weaker, and possibly forcing them to retreat depending on their ferocity and internal strength.
Against necromancers, Findelfin knows quick invocations that can cancel spells they hurl at him up to 1/2 his level, and weaken spells stronger than that by a similar amount. He can also attempt to lash out with his magical projectiles, described above, weakening a strong necromancer's powers or eliminating them altogether for weaker necromancers (although the weakening is temporary).
Turlin magic also gives Findelfin the ability to peer into the minds of others to a limited extent. This manifests itself primarily in an almost preternatural ability to guess the motivations and intentions of others, or ferret out when they are lying to him (unless they are guarding their thoughts, as with Gorian'fel hide helmets). It is not mind-reading, however, just a sort of "second sense" about how others in Findelfin's immediate surroundings might act or behave. This skill, it is important to note, is not perfect, and someone aware of Findelfin's ability may, by careful mental control, cloud their motivations or even mislead Findelfin regarding them. Findelfin may, in brief moments, direct this power outward, engaging in one-way telepathic conversation. He cannot, however, engage in such mental conversation unless he is trying to talk with someone who can also speak telepathically.
In addition to these basic spells, Findelfin knows two significantly powerful Turlin rituals. These require the use of his Woodlore skill to work, though he carries the components for their performance with him at all times and is rarely caught without them.
Nocturne of Purification -- Findelfin carves seven runic symbols into seven different types of wood, then arranges them in a specific fashion and draws significant symbolic lines between them, chanting the magic song as he begins drawing these lines. He then concentrates his focus on each runic symbol in turn, attempting to relate his own song to the aspect of the Deity each represents. At the conclusion of the ritual, which takes ten minutes and requires an instrument for focus in order to achieve its full power, Findelfin finishes his song, each symbol consumes itself in a burst of bluish-white fire, and an area of about a ten thousand square feet around Findelfin is cleansed of any necromantic magic or undead thralls up to Findelfin's level, and necromantic magic/creatures above this threshold is weakened by Findelfin's level. While performing this ritual, Findelfin cannot be interrupted or otherwise engage in combat. The ritual can be concluded early, but for each minute the ritual concludes early the power of the spell drops by 4 levels, to a minimum of level 1, and the area cleansed drops precipitously.
Ritual of Binding -- Findelfin follows a process similar to the one above, only instead of standing within the circle himself, he must have contained a necromancer, using either magical or physical means, and placed them within the circle. Findelfin casts the ritual as normal, only upon its completion, all the necromancer's connections to any raised undead will be severed immediately. All of their magical powers will be immediately blocked for several days, and the blocks can be reinscribed by repeated applications of the ritual every few days. This can ONLY be used on player characters within the context of a player character's permission. Exceptionally strong necromancers may evade certain bonds, retaining the use of their more powerful arts, for example, or retaining the connections to certain of their weaker minions for whom the dominating bonds are easier to sustain indefinitely.
Other Competencies
Findelfin has been learning the basic structure of Aglarlin music, and how to sing its songs and play its melodies. However, Findelfin has yet to begun learning how to actually imbue this music with any sort of actual magical enchantment. While the naturally uplifting and inspiring songs of Aglarlin might stir a demoralized group to renew their efforts, it won't be because of any sort of magical inspiration, just because the music itself keeps them going.
The same is true for the music of Enarlin and Lissilin. Findelfin has begun learning the rudiments of these styles, but has not yet begun to learn about how they might serve his magical portfolio.
A note on competencies
Competencies are being described primarily, as opposed to discrete and specific skills, in order to try to suggest something different about magic than is often assumed. That is, instead of specific spells that one learns -- although such spells do exist, and I have a few listed above -- a bard develops ways of molding and shaping magical energies that are as diverse and varied as the sounds one can create using a variety of musical instruments, or singing with a variety of styles. Effects from multiple schools may be combined, for instance, weakening the extent of both; perhaps, in exchange for sacrificing the full sphere of the Canticle of the Fire Ring, Findelfin might choose instead to put up a single ring, over which an enemy might jump, in exchange for producing within that ring a region of weak magical healing. Such mingling of effects will be done within the constraints of distance and speed already described, and must always involve some sort of weakening of one or both effects in order to compensate. Any judgments on the abuse or unfair use of this "mingling" are up to the moderators.
Derived Abilities
This section is for specific powers derived concretely from the more general powers listed in the skills section. Currently, it contains only the following power:
Ward Within the Wood -- When in a wooded area, Findelfin can quickly identify types of wood, leaves, or other forest matter, hum a few strains of Enarlin spell-singing, and unlock the mystical properties of the items. Currently, Findelfin can make quick charms which defend against magical attack by reducing the intensity of attacks if they hit and causing a slight bending in the fabric of reality, causing the attacks to miss more often. With more time, he can also make larger charms that subtly alter a foe's mind, making them turn away from a location or simply not notice it, allowing him to either evade detection or avoid encountering enemies altogether.
Property
Weapons and Armor
Ainalindil -- A sword of mythril with a golden crosshilt and a fine leather grip. The hilt is inset with a ruby that bears a Rune of Turlin, which imbues the blade with a soft glowing light. The blade is deadly to anything undead, and can purify most black magic at a touch. It was crafted for Findelfin by a Elfsmith of Haidia, and can shoot blasts of holy light from its tip. The blasts are only mildly harmful to most organic entities, but to enemies carrying evil within them it is potent and perilous.
Mythril-scaled leather armor
Two leather bracers with delyn-ringed interiors and cotton interiors
Mythril helmet
Thumb Ring
Composite Bow (Ulder and Bone)
Longbow (Talymer)
Three plynt daggers, unweighted
97 Arrows, Rywan Shafts and Mythril-headed
War Horse (Name: Pelektar)
Home
Findelfin owns a small villa to the north of Valinatal, in Raiaera. It was once called Tirinost, but was taken over by Nalith Celiniel and is now called Eluceliniel. Much of Findelfin's wealth -- including his fine bard's harp, Lomelindar -- was at the villa. He does not know if any of it can be recovered, or even if Tirinost still stands.
Important Items
Key of Vainta -- One of the five keys denoting a Guardian of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin found this key while in Haidia on his first mission. He has no idea what to do with it now, or even if Telendor Nauvarin still wants a vanished general, or who to give it to.
The Diadem Key -- The largest of the five keys, this sizeable golden key is a symbol of Findelfin's authority within Telendor Nauvarin. As with all of the keys, it can unlock or reseal the latches affixed on the Gateway to Dis.
Mending the Tear -- A book on the nature of the Eternal Tap, Raiaeran song magic, and how to fix the Eternal Tap.
Raiaeran History in Story and Song -- A basic resource for bards.
Torc of Tel'Quessir -- A golden torc with three jewels (a ruby in the center flanked by two emeralds), each of these jewels has a power. The middle jewel will immediately return the person who presses it to the Hall of the Second Brigade in Haidia. The leftmost jewel will send a message to the person the caster needs most -- although the torc is fickle about who it thinks that person is. The final gem will render the wearer -- and anyone they are touching -- invisible for eight seconds. It can only be used once a day, or else the bearer will be rendered unconscious on the second attempt.
Rosary of Tel Aina Otso -- A fine rosary of seven sections of seven beads each, with each section representing one of the Raiaeran star gods. Tel Aina Otso = The Holy Seven.
Other Items
All these items are stored within Findelfin's villa.
Three silver fox statues
Several casks of wine and two gallons of black tar, purchased in Alerar, most likely gone, though he does not know.
The Swordcane of Leopold Stevens -- Twenty-four inches steel. It can launch a magical assault with fire and lightning for up to twenty feet, and will return to the owner's hand on command.
The Tombstone of Auran -- ((If it still stands, this is where Findelfin's pet fox and familiar was laid to rest after it died back when I killed it after realizing I didn't give a shit about Findelfin having a pet fox.))