Callan
11-06-13, 04:00 PM
Name: Callan Blacksnake
Assumed Age: 25
True Age: Unknown, between 24 and 26
Race: Human (Half Fallien / Half Coronian)
Hair Color: Russet Brown
Eye Color: Piercing Silver
Skin Color: Light Bronze
Height: 6'3"
Weight: Around 200 lbs
Occupation: Adventurer
Description: Aloof, but not quite apathetic: Callan dislikes being tied down to anything he doesn't firmly believe in, and is still searching for something worthy of his passion He tends to be rather meritocratic, and is more than willing to correct his first impressions of other people despite being an uncannily good judge of character. Always seeking to better himself, he thinks that fulfilling one's potential is a fundamental reason for living. As such, he has conflicting thoughts on acts such as thievery; while he does not condone the act itself, he feels that a talented thief choosing not to steal due to laws or morals is an unfortunate waste of potential. He feels that a man such as that should find some way to use his talents in a different manner rather avoiding them entirely.
Although he is not quick to trust other people, he has found that he has a penchant for inspiring trust and loyalty in others even without trying. Callan is usually fairly quiet and soft-spoken, but not in a manner that would make him seem timid. He is not without a temper however, and can be quiet abrasive when angry. He has a strong mind for tactics and social manuevering, as well as a great deal of common sense. Ever the pragmatist, he tends not to spend much time regretting his decisions, instead focusing on acting differently in the future rather than dwelling on the unchangeable.
Appearance: Callan shows traits of both his parents' ancestry: his height is decidly Coronian, but his forceful silver eyes (sometimes appearing to have a hint of ice blue depending on the light) are almost certainly from his Fallien mother. His skin tone is a blend of the two cultures – a light bronze that could pass for either an exceptionally tanned Coronian or perhaps a light-skinned Fallien – and his dark brown hair (typically worn either short or medium length, relatively unkempt besides sometimes being hastily parted to the side) would be unremarked upon in either country.
He is of a medium build, well muscled but not bulky. Handsome but not striking, he can draw a woman's interest without leaving a strong memory. He has a strong jawline and a slightly angular face, warm when he smiles and cold when solemn. Typically he either has a few days of scruff or is clean shaven, but his beard is full and thick when he does let it grow in. Although marked by a few small scars on his chest and back,his only really noticeable scar is a straight line across his lower neck, usually purposefully covered by clothing. Despite his upbringing in Fallien, or perhaps because of it, he tends to favor dark clothing, often adorned with serpentine designs or emblems.
Skills:
-Prodigy of the Sword: Callan has trained extensively with the sword, but is also familiar and capable with most kinds of weaponry,. Although far from a master, Callan shows extreme potential with the sword and is currently perhaps twice as skilled as the average soldier. He favors long but narrow one-handed swords, though he is far from unskilled with two-handed fighting styles with heavier blades.
-Enthusiast of the Knife: While not nearly as skilled with a dagger as with a longer blade, Callan can still hold his own against most soldiers with a knife. Although he overall enjoys wielding a sword more for the way he is able to lose himself in the dancelike flow of a duel, he has found a great deal of entertainment in knife fights as he finds them to be of a more intimate, primal, and perhaps brutal nature. He prefers to hold daggers in reverse and stand perpendicular to his foe in a sideways stance. He has fairly good aim when throwing a knife but typically prefers to rely on his psychokinetic abilities when using one as a projectile.
-Maven of the Horse: Callan is a skilled horseback rider, able to ride well both with a saddle and without. He is familiar with the care of horses and mounted combat, and feels as comfortable on a horse as he does on his own two feet.
-Amateur of the Herb: Growing up in Fallien has taught Callan a decent amount about herbs and spices. Aside from improving meals, he has basic knowledge of what herbs can be used as medicines and which can be made into poisons.
-Friend of the Night: Callan has learned to appreciate the calm and intimacy of darkness. Not only is he comfortable in it, but he is also skilled at concealing himself and reducing the noise of his movement. He can apply this knowledge to move quietly in the daytime as well, but is more relaxed and adept at remaining unseen in the night.
Abilities:
-Agility: Callan is approximately 1.5 times as agile as the average human male his size. This affects his balance, fighting ability, and general movement: he is more graceful and precise at running, jumping, climbing, rolling, evading, and even flipping.
-Serpentine Affinity: Whether by coincidence or some occult magic unknown to him, Callan's affinity for snakes appears to be reciprocated. While he is unable to communicate with serpents, they almost never attack Callan withion provocation. Furthermore, it seems they are somehow drawn to his presence as he encounters more than can be naturally accounted for. Additionally, unbeknownst to Callan, he has a minute immunity to venom derived from snakes, causing him to fair better than the average victim when poisoned.
-Psychokinesis: Callan can exert psychokinetic force on metal to move it without physically touching it. Presently he can manipulate objects about half as well with his mind as he can with his hands, up to a distance of fifteen feet. He can manipulate objects at farther ranges than this, but the efficacy drops off sharply until around thirty feet at which point he can no longer affect the item. However, objects propelled by his mind do not instantly lose their velocity outside this range. Objects need to be bonded to him by remaining in his possession or very close to him for a period of time dependent on its mass, where more massive objects take longer to bond. Presently it would take a couple days to handle a coin, a couple weeks to wield the average sword, and a couple months to move something as massive as a cannon ball, but during this time he may be able to manipulate the object with drastically reduced dexterity. No matter how long he has possessed the item or items he would be unable to move more than one hundred pounds at once, about half of what he could lift physically.
Objects he has an emotional bond with or has possessed for a long time are able to be manipulated slightly more effectively, and he is less able to manipulate objects with which he has not been in possession of or close to for a period of time approximately equal to the time he spend bonding with the item. While his manipulations are only half as dexterous as with his hands, simple single-direction manipulations can be done more forcefully than with his hands, proportional to the object's mass - at present he could shoot an arrowhead half as fast as a typical longbow could, and thrust a sword with nearly the same force he could with only physical strength, but propel a cannon ball with only a quarter the force he could physically muster. Additionally, this ability can be used with objects that are still in his hands to lend more power to an action than he could summon with physical strength alone. His psychokinesis does not drain him at all physically, but instead taxes his mental energy. He becomes mentally exhausted and needs to rest about three times faster than he would become physically exhausted from manipulating an object bodily. Some actions, such as spinning or rotating an item, are simply much easier to do when the object is suspended in air, and as such can be performed slightly better with his mind than physically.
Generally speaking, he cannot affect another player or NPC's possessions. If Callan had never had possession of the item for an appreciable amount of time, he would be totally unable to affect it. If both the other player and Callan had owned the item for some time, but the other player was currently in possession of it, Callan would only be able to manipulate the item with the other player's mental consent, or if Callan physically took the item from the player. However, if the other player currently possesses but has never actually owned an item that Callan is bonded to (e.g. They merely picked up Callan's sword from the ground), Callan would still be able to manipulate it until the bond receded. Callan is a terribly respectful young man and would certainly never use this ability in such a way as to draw the ire of other writers or moderators.
Equipment:
-Sunaris: Named for the serpent that inspired his surname, this double-edged steel sword sports an inch and a half wide three foot long nearly white blade and half foot hilt wrapped in black leather. A simple four inch silver coated cruciform guard with slightly enlarged ends sits atop the hilt. The sword has a silver coated wheel pommel with a coiled black snake engraved into it on one side, and the same snake striking on the other. Its hardened black leather scabbard attaches to the left hip and is woven in a complex pattern vaguely reminiscent of a slithering snake. Callan is strongly bonded with the weapon, allowing him more psychokinetic control over it than most of his other possessions.
-Iron Dagger: A simple weapon with a double-edged foot long blade of dark iron, and a polished dark brown wooden hilt. The blade is an inch wide, and a two inch guard separates the hilt and blade.
-Black Leather Boots: Simple travelling boots Callan won in a duel on the ship from Fallien to Corone. They offer little protection, but fit surprisingly well and offer good traction and some proctection from the elements. Callan regularly blackens the boats to better match his wardrobe.
-Black Leather Jerkin: A sleeveless garment made of interwoven strips of strong black-dyed leather. The armor offers some protection from both blunt and sharp weaponry, and has a short collar to guard Callan's neck. It fits snugly, and doesn't restrict movement.
-Clothes: Callan currently sports a long-sleeved dark gray wool shirt (worn under his jerkin) that buttons up the front, and light gray denim pants. He typically wears a black wool scarf around his neck to better cover the scar on his neck just above his jerkin's collar. The garments offer negligible protection in combat.
-Dark Brown Burlap Cloak: A rough hooded cloak Callan created himself from the cloth of a tent. Although it is not terribly useful in combat, it offers some protection from the elements and a slightly better sleep than one would find on the bare ground. A wavy black design is crudely stained into the coat, but it would take some knowledge of Callan and perhaps a lucky guess to correctly identify it as a snake.
Brief History: Like so many adventurers before him, Callan's parents met a tragic end before he was old enough to remember them. He was raised by a raiding band of Esseker in the dry deserts of Fallien, and taught combat, horsemanship, and herbology from a young age. He showed much promise with the sword despite it being a non-traditional weapon for the Esseker. In his youth he was given the nickname Blacksnake - an insult which he crafted into his own persona. He developed an affinity for all things serpentine, including a gifted blade in the form of a slithering snake.
During his adolescence the nature of his birth was brought into question, and it was revealed that he was of both Fallien and Coronian parentage. This grew to be an issue with many of the ethnocentric Esseker, which eventually led to one of them attempting murder on Callan. In his desperation, Callan discovered a hidden talent of his: his ability to manipulate metallic objects with which he had spent considerable time with. After slaying his attacker, he continued his studies of both sword and newfound magic, until eventually deciding it was not his destiny to stay with the raiding band. He departed for Corone with few possessions to lead a life of adventure and to find some greater calling.
Extended History: Kar'lan Blacksnake knows little of the first few years of his life in the Outlander's Post, including his true name or age. Beyond a vague memory of his mother's face, he remembers almost nothing. While this might be considered the norm for most children, it is of importance to Kar'lan's history as his parents were slain in a raid by a band of the Esseker tribe in Fallien before he was old enough to form strong memories. In an odd turn of events, he was subsequently adopted by the marauding band, and grew up among the tribes hailing from Suravani's Oasis.
His upbringing was understandably non-traditional; the tribe as a whole cared for him in an odd fashion, although a man named Kar'alvan was the closest person he had to an actual father. There were only a few other children near his age in the tribe. He was trained in combat from a young age, and had learned to ride a horse before he'd spent even two full years with the Esseker. Herbs and spices were shown to him with instructions on how to use them as medicine or poison when he was perhaps five or six. He and the other children weren't allowed on raids, so he instead turned to sparring with the other youths.
Although the sword was not the most popular weapon in the band of raiders, Kar'lan took an interest in it in his youth and devoted most of his time to learning the intricacies of the weapon from the few swordsmen in the tribe, including Kar'alvan. He showed great promise with the sword, and after spending a dozen years among the Esseker he was able to hold his own from time to time in spars with some of the men, wether they used swords or more traditional Fallien weaponry.
Once, a man told Kar'lan – after beating him in a duel – that he was like a Sunaris. At seeing Kar'lan's confusion, he explained the Sunaris was a small black snake from southern Fallien, simply called a "black snake" in the north, that was extremely fast. Kar'lan thanked the man for his compliment and the man, along with the other raiders that had watched the spar, began laughing, revealing that the Sunaris, while quick, was almost entirely harmless.
The story spread among the camp, and the men quickly began calling him "Black Snake." Kar'alvan, now leader of the band, advised Kar'lan that he should simply grin and bear it, and that ignoring it would cause everyone to forget about it quickly. But Kar'lan was stubborn in his youth, and decided not to take the insult lightly. He continued his study of the sword, and challenged anyone who used the nickname to a spar.
At first, he lost most of them. But as he grew he began to win more and more of the duels. The nickname started to become less of an insult and more of an ironic show of respect for his skill. Most of the raiders applauded his efforts, and stated their interest in riding with Kar'lan in the next raid. And raid he did, pillaging small settlements and sometimes even those as large as Outlander's Post, but not all took so warmly to losing a duel to one they still considered a child.
On his fifteenth year with the tribe, the bandit who had first compared Kar'lan to the Sunaris rewarded the boy with a sturdy iron sword. The blade was cast in a serpentine zig-zag, and blackened to resemble a Sunaris. Although it was perhaps not the most effective weapon Kar'lan adored the blade and kept it with him at all times.
Over the next few years as he finished puberty and approached perhaps twenty, his Coronian ancestry began to show more strongly. A xenophobic folk, many in the tribe began to look askance at Kar'lan, as he was far too tall and fair of skin to be entirely Fallien. While in his youth his height had not been so apparent and his skin color was relatively unremarked upon, the uncertainty of his birth became a source of tension in the camp. Eventually, it was revealed by Kar'alvan that Kar'lan's father had been a Coronian.
The majority of the raiders took the news amiss, some calling for the return of Kar'lan to Outlander's post. Others thought he should simply be left behind in the harsh deserts by himself. And then there were those who thought he should be slain, claiming that a child born of such dishonor as the union of a Fallien woman and a Coronian man should not be given a chance to live.
The leader of the band pacified most of the men, claiming that as Kar'lan recalled nothing of his father he was Fallien at heart. Some still glared at Kar'lan with distaste - and a few left to join other Esseker raiding parties - but one remained convinced that Callan was an abomination that must be purged. One night when Callan had moved away from camp to relieve himself, the man set upon him with staff and notched dagger.
Kar'lan had been standing with his back to the man, one hand resting on the hilt of his serpentine sword, the other on the hilt of his other. The first attack nearly killed him outright - he had assumed the raider's footsteps to be merely that of another man come to empty his bladder - but his instincts took over as he heard the swoosh of the staff descending towards his skull.
With a flourish as fast as a Suranis, Kar'lan spun and unsheathed his sword in the same moment, bringing his blade up and across. The bandit's staff was sliced in half, but when Kar'lan brought his sword back in a counter attack the raider caught the blade with his ribbed dagger. Kar'lan's sword was not as strong as most blades due to its unique curvature, and the man's swordbreaker broke the weapon with ease. This caused Kar'lan a moment of hesitation, leading to him being sent to the ground with a swift kick, the hilt and base of his broken sword falling from his grasp.
In a heartbeat the raider was on top of him, one knee pinning his left arm to the ground and the other on his chest. The man grabbed his other arm with the hand he'd freed by dropping his half staff, and pressed the notched knife to Kar'lan's neck with the other. Smiling, he explained how he would be rewarded by the Goddess Suravani for removing this blemish on the world. Kar'lan writhed underneath the man but could not free either arm nor force the the man off his body. He struggled to reach the broken piece of sword near him but it was just out of reach. The dagger descended into the soft flesh of his throat.
But suddenly the severed upper half of his sword shot towards the raider's throat, easily passing in one side and out the other. A warm spray of blood gushed out onto Kar'lan and the surrounding ground from both sides of the man's neck, soaking quickly into the dry Fallien earth. The bandit died within moments and fell forward onto Kar'lan, his face locked into an expression of surprise. Kar'lan coughed no blood, and decided the knife must not have sunk deep enough to cause major damage. With a grunt he shoved the corpse off of himself and stood up panting. After regaining his breath, he laced up the front of his pants and headed back to camp, trying to reason through what had just happened.
Over the next couple years he discovered that he was able to move certain objects through sheer force of thought. Only objects made primarily of metal and that he had owned for some time seemed to be affected by this odd power, and Kar'lan experimented in almost every minute of his private time. However, he kept the magic, if that was what it was, hidden from the rest of the tribe; his relationship with the group was strained after killing his would-be murderer, and Kar'lan had never heard of any Esseker, even their shaman, possessing any ability similar to his.
It came to pass that on his twentieth year with the band, Kar'alvan presented Kar'lan with a fine steel blade, built in a standard cruciform style and embossed with snakes on the pommel. He then revealed that he had been the one to kill Kar'lan's parents. Claiming that he had been relatively new to raiding then, about the age Kar'lan was now, he explained he had not been able to bring himself to kill a child.
Kar'lan was not quite sure how to feel. He had suspected that this was likely the case since Kar'alvan had first given details of Kar'lan's heritage, but at the same time Kar'alvan had for the most part raised Kar'lan as if he were his own son. To Kar'lan it seemed that his father had killed his father, an odd concept that invited neither pure rage nor total forgiveness. Kar'alvan explained that when the news passed around the camp, as it was already beginning to, Kar'lan would be expected to challenge him to fight for leadership of the tribe.
Kar'lan did as expected, demanding a duel of the man that had simultaneously destroyed and created Kar'lan's parentage. The fight, observed by the entirety of the raiding party, was long and tense. Kar'lan refrained from using his strange ability, instead fighting only with his physical body and sword. It was a close match, but Kar'lan proved the victor.
He did not, however, claim either Kar'alvan's life or the leadership of the band. Instead, he left the tribe behind. Taking only his sword, horse, a tent, and a few week's rations he set out for Outlander's Post, deciding to leave Fallien to pursue a new life. He had never enjoyed raiding those that couldn't defend themselves, and after the past few years no longer felt much of a connection to the Esseker, regardless of his mother's ancestry.
When he reached the city he used the cloth of his tent to create a rough cloak, attempting to dye a pattern of a snake into the burlap with charcoal. He sold his horse for a large sum of gold; most natives in Fallien refused to sell their well-bred horseflesh to outlander's, but Kar'lan had no such reservations. With the money he purchased new clothing, a black leather jerkin, and an iron knife. Finally, he bought himself passage from Fallien to Corone. When asked his name by the captain of the ship, Kar'lan decided that while he would not reject entirely his Fallien past, he no longer considered himself at all a native.
With that frame of mind Callan Blacksnake came aboard the ship, sleeping with the rest of the crew and other passengers in dingy cots below the deck. He had learned a decent amount of trade speak from Kar'alvan, but spent every waking moment either practicing with his sword or speaking with Coronian natives to better pick up the tongue, sometimes both. Early on in the voyage a man noted that Callan's footwear was a poor choice for Corone; the Fallien sandals he wore would not fair well in the wetter climate, nor were they a smart choice for combat.
Although Callan secretly agreed with the man, he claimed that his sandals were a far better choice for combat, and challenged the man to an unarmed duel. The stakes were the man's leather boots against Callan's leather jerkin; not a fair trade, but not truly a trade at all given that Callan was certain of his ability to win. And his certainty was not without reason as when he stepped off the boat into Corone it was not in Fallien sandals but the man's sturdy leather boots.
Over the next couple years Callan continued his study of swordsmanship, the common tongue, and also his odd magic. Despite seeking out many different practictioners of magic, few seemed to have any practice with or real knowledge of his ability, so Callan was left to train by himself. With practice he became far more adept in using his sword with both his body and his mind, or sometimes even alternating between the two. He made his living doing odd jobs and buying into tournaments of the sword in Underwood and Radasanth, and quickly became not only fluent in tradespeak, but able to speak it with almost none of his Fallien accent slipping through.
With little to guide him besides a strong desire for self improvement and a sense of adventure, Callan settled into Coronian culture to live out the next phase of his life.
I've reworded his Psychokinesis ability multiple times to try to make its limitations very explicit without restricting it to listing the exact manipulations he can perform. I understand how it could come across as very over-powered so I've tried to place a fair amount of restrictions on it (such as generally only being able to manipulate things half as well as he can physically) - otherwise all I can say is that I won't use it to powergame, especially against other players.
Assumed Age: 25
True Age: Unknown, between 24 and 26
Race: Human (Half Fallien / Half Coronian)
Hair Color: Russet Brown
Eye Color: Piercing Silver
Skin Color: Light Bronze
Height: 6'3"
Weight: Around 200 lbs
Occupation: Adventurer
Description: Aloof, but not quite apathetic: Callan dislikes being tied down to anything he doesn't firmly believe in, and is still searching for something worthy of his passion He tends to be rather meritocratic, and is more than willing to correct his first impressions of other people despite being an uncannily good judge of character. Always seeking to better himself, he thinks that fulfilling one's potential is a fundamental reason for living. As such, he has conflicting thoughts on acts such as thievery; while he does not condone the act itself, he feels that a talented thief choosing not to steal due to laws or morals is an unfortunate waste of potential. He feels that a man such as that should find some way to use his talents in a different manner rather avoiding them entirely.
Although he is not quick to trust other people, he has found that he has a penchant for inspiring trust and loyalty in others even without trying. Callan is usually fairly quiet and soft-spoken, but not in a manner that would make him seem timid. He is not without a temper however, and can be quiet abrasive when angry. He has a strong mind for tactics and social manuevering, as well as a great deal of common sense. Ever the pragmatist, he tends not to spend much time regretting his decisions, instead focusing on acting differently in the future rather than dwelling on the unchangeable.
Appearance: Callan shows traits of both his parents' ancestry: his height is decidly Coronian, but his forceful silver eyes (sometimes appearing to have a hint of ice blue depending on the light) are almost certainly from his Fallien mother. His skin tone is a blend of the two cultures – a light bronze that could pass for either an exceptionally tanned Coronian or perhaps a light-skinned Fallien – and his dark brown hair (typically worn either short or medium length, relatively unkempt besides sometimes being hastily parted to the side) would be unremarked upon in either country.
He is of a medium build, well muscled but not bulky. Handsome but not striking, he can draw a woman's interest without leaving a strong memory. He has a strong jawline and a slightly angular face, warm when he smiles and cold when solemn. Typically he either has a few days of scruff or is clean shaven, but his beard is full and thick when he does let it grow in. Although marked by a few small scars on his chest and back,his only really noticeable scar is a straight line across his lower neck, usually purposefully covered by clothing. Despite his upbringing in Fallien, or perhaps because of it, he tends to favor dark clothing, often adorned with serpentine designs or emblems.
Skills:
-Prodigy of the Sword: Callan has trained extensively with the sword, but is also familiar and capable with most kinds of weaponry,. Although far from a master, Callan shows extreme potential with the sword and is currently perhaps twice as skilled as the average soldier. He favors long but narrow one-handed swords, though he is far from unskilled with two-handed fighting styles with heavier blades.
-Enthusiast of the Knife: While not nearly as skilled with a dagger as with a longer blade, Callan can still hold his own against most soldiers with a knife. Although he overall enjoys wielding a sword more for the way he is able to lose himself in the dancelike flow of a duel, he has found a great deal of entertainment in knife fights as he finds them to be of a more intimate, primal, and perhaps brutal nature. He prefers to hold daggers in reverse and stand perpendicular to his foe in a sideways stance. He has fairly good aim when throwing a knife but typically prefers to rely on his psychokinetic abilities when using one as a projectile.
-Maven of the Horse: Callan is a skilled horseback rider, able to ride well both with a saddle and without. He is familiar with the care of horses and mounted combat, and feels as comfortable on a horse as he does on his own two feet.
-Amateur of the Herb: Growing up in Fallien has taught Callan a decent amount about herbs and spices. Aside from improving meals, he has basic knowledge of what herbs can be used as medicines and which can be made into poisons.
-Friend of the Night: Callan has learned to appreciate the calm and intimacy of darkness. Not only is he comfortable in it, but he is also skilled at concealing himself and reducing the noise of his movement. He can apply this knowledge to move quietly in the daytime as well, but is more relaxed and adept at remaining unseen in the night.
Abilities:
-Agility: Callan is approximately 1.5 times as agile as the average human male his size. This affects his balance, fighting ability, and general movement: he is more graceful and precise at running, jumping, climbing, rolling, evading, and even flipping.
-Serpentine Affinity: Whether by coincidence or some occult magic unknown to him, Callan's affinity for snakes appears to be reciprocated. While he is unable to communicate with serpents, they almost never attack Callan withion provocation. Furthermore, it seems they are somehow drawn to his presence as he encounters more than can be naturally accounted for. Additionally, unbeknownst to Callan, he has a minute immunity to venom derived from snakes, causing him to fair better than the average victim when poisoned.
-Psychokinesis: Callan can exert psychokinetic force on metal to move it without physically touching it. Presently he can manipulate objects about half as well with his mind as he can with his hands, up to a distance of fifteen feet. He can manipulate objects at farther ranges than this, but the efficacy drops off sharply until around thirty feet at which point he can no longer affect the item. However, objects propelled by his mind do not instantly lose their velocity outside this range. Objects need to be bonded to him by remaining in his possession or very close to him for a period of time dependent on its mass, where more massive objects take longer to bond. Presently it would take a couple days to handle a coin, a couple weeks to wield the average sword, and a couple months to move something as massive as a cannon ball, but during this time he may be able to manipulate the object with drastically reduced dexterity. No matter how long he has possessed the item or items he would be unable to move more than one hundred pounds at once, about half of what he could lift physically.
Objects he has an emotional bond with or has possessed for a long time are able to be manipulated slightly more effectively, and he is less able to manipulate objects with which he has not been in possession of or close to for a period of time approximately equal to the time he spend bonding with the item. While his manipulations are only half as dexterous as with his hands, simple single-direction manipulations can be done more forcefully than with his hands, proportional to the object's mass - at present he could shoot an arrowhead half as fast as a typical longbow could, and thrust a sword with nearly the same force he could with only physical strength, but propel a cannon ball with only a quarter the force he could physically muster. Additionally, this ability can be used with objects that are still in his hands to lend more power to an action than he could summon with physical strength alone. His psychokinesis does not drain him at all physically, but instead taxes his mental energy. He becomes mentally exhausted and needs to rest about three times faster than he would become physically exhausted from manipulating an object bodily. Some actions, such as spinning or rotating an item, are simply much easier to do when the object is suspended in air, and as such can be performed slightly better with his mind than physically.
Generally speaking, he cannot affect another player or NPC's possessions. If Callan had never had possession of the item for an appreciable amount of time, he would be totally unable to affect it. If both the other player and Callan had owned the item for some time, but the other player was currently in possession of it, Callan would only be able to manipulate the item with the other player's mental consent, or if Callan physically took the item from the player. However, if the other player currently possesses but has never actually owned an item that Callan is bonded to (e.g. They merely picked up Callan's sword from the ground), Callan would still be able to manipulate it until the bond receded. Callan is a terribly respectful young man and would certainly never use this ability in such a way as to draw the ire of other writers or moderators.
Equipment:
-Sunaris: Named for the serpent that inspired his surname, this double-edged steel sword sports an inch and a half wide three foot long nearly white blade and half foot hilt wrapped in black leather. A simple four inch silver coated cruciform guard with slightly enlarged ends sits atop the hilt. The sword has a silver coated wheel pommel with a coiled black snake engraved into it on one side, and the same snake striking on the other. Its hardened black leather scabbard attaches to the left hip and is woven in a complex pattern vaguely reminiscent of a slithering snake. Callan is strongly bonded with the weapon, allowing him more psychokinetic control over it than most of his other possessions.
-Iron Dagger: A simple weapon with a double-edged foot long blade of dark iron, and a polished dark brown wooden hilt. The blade is an inch wide, and a two inch guard separates the hilt and blade.
-Black Leather Boots: Simple travelling boots Callan won in a duel on the ship from Fallien to Corone. They offer little protection, but fit surprisingly well and offer good traction and some proctection from the elements. Callan regularly blackens the boats to better match his wardrobe.
-Black Leather Jerkin: A sleeveless garment made of interwoven strips of strong black-dyed leather. The armor offers some protection from both blunt and sharp weaponry, and has a short collar to guard Callan's neck. It fits snugly, and doesn't restrict movement.
-Clothes: Callan currently sports a long-sleeved dark gray wool shirt (worn under his jerkin) that buttons up the front, and light gray denim pants. He typically wears a black wool scarf around his neck to better cover the scar on his neck just above his jerkin's collar. The garments offer negligible protection in combat.
-Dark Brown Burlap Cloak: A rough hooded cloak Callan created himself from the cloth of a tent. Although it is not terribly useful in combat, it offers some protection from the elements and a slightly better sleep than one would find on the bare ground. A wavy black design is crudely stained into the coat, but it would take some knowledge of Callan and perhaps a lucky guess to correctly identify it as a snake.
Brief History: Like so many adventurers before him, Callan's parents met a tragic end before he was old enough to remember them. He was raised by a raiding band of Esseker in the dry deserts of Fallien, and taught combat, horsemanship, and herbology from a young age. He showed much promise with the sword despite it being a non-traditional weapon for the Esseker. In his youth he was given the nickname Blacksnake - an insult which he crafted into his own persona. He developed an affinity for all things serpentine, including a gifted blade in the form of a slithering snake.
During his adolescence the nature of his birth was brought into question, and it was revealed that he was of both Fallien and Coronian parentage. This grew to be an issue with many of the ethnocentric Esseker, which eventually led to one of them attempting murder on Callan. In his desperation, Callan discovered a hidden talent of his: his ability to manipulate metallic objects with which he had spent considerable time with. After slaying his attacker, he continued his studies of both sword and newfound magic, until eventually deciding it was not his destiny to stay with the raiding band. He departed for Corone with few possessions to lead a life of adventure and to find some greater calling.
Extended History: Kar'lan Blacksnake knows little of the first few years of his life in the Outlander's Post, including his true name or age. Beyond a vague memory of his mother's face, he remembers almost nothing. While this might be considered the norm for most children, it is of importance to Kar'lan's history as his parents were slain in a raid by a band of the Esseker tribe in Fallien before he was old enough to form strong memories. In an odd turn of events, he was subsequently adopted by the marauding band, and grew up among the tribes hailing from Suravani's Oasis.
His upbringing was understandably non-traditional; the tribe as a whole cared for him in an odd fashion, although a man named Kar'alvan was the closest person he had to an actual father. There were only a few other children near his age in the tribe. He was trained in combat from a young age, and had learned to ride a horse before he'd spent even two full years with the Esseker. Herbs and spices were shown to him with instructions on how to use them as medicine or poison when he was perhaps five or six. He and the other children weren't allowed on raids, so he instead turned to sparring with the other youths.
Although the sword was not the most popular weapon in the band of raiders, Kar'lan took an interest in it in his youth and devoted most of his time to learning the intricacies of the weapon from the few swordsmen in the tribe, including Kar'alvan. He showed great promise with the sword, and after spending a dozen years among the Esseker he was able to hold his own from time to time in spars with some of the men, wether they used swords or more traditional Fallien weaponry.
Once, a man told Kar'lan – after beating him in a duel – that he was like a Sunaris. At seeing Kar'lan's confusion, he explained the Sunaris was a small black snake from southern Fallien, simply called a "black snake" in the north, that was extremely fast. Kar'lan thanked the man for his compliment and the man, along with the other raiders that had watched the spar, began laughing, revealing that the Sunaris, while quick, was almost entirely harmless.
The story spread among the camp, and the men quickly began calling him "Black Snake." Kar'alvan, now leader of the band, advised Kar'lan that he should simply grin and bear it, and that ignoring it would cause everyone to forget about it quickly. But Kar'lan was stubborn in his youth, and decided not to take the insult lightly. He continued his study of the sword, and challenged anyone who used the nickname to a spar.
At first, he lost most of them. But as he grew he began to win more and more of the duels. The nickname started to become less of an insult and more of an ironic show of respect for his skill. Most of the raiders applauded his efforts, and stated their interest in riding with Kar'lan in the next raid. And raid he did, pillaging small settlements and sometimes even those as large as Outlander's Post, but not all took so warmly to losing a duel to one they still considered a child.
On his fifteenth year with the tribe, the bandit who had first compared Kar'lan to the Sunaris rewarded the boy with a sturdy iron sword. The blade was cast in a serpentine zig-zag, and blackened to resemble a Sunaris. Although it was perhaps not the most effective weapon Kar'lan adored the blade and kept it with him at all times.
Over the next few years as he finished puberty and approached perhaps twenty, his Coronian ancestry began to show more strongly. A xenophobic folk, many in the tribe began to look askance at Kar'lan, as he was far too tall and fair of skin to be entirely Fallien. While in his youth his height had not been so apparent and his skin color was relatively unremarked upon, the uncertainty of his birth became a source of tension in the camp. Eventually, it was revealed by Kar'alvan that Kar'lan's father had been a Coronian.
The majority of the raiders took the news amiss, some calling for the return of Kar'lan to Outlander's post. Others thought he should simply be left behind in the harsh deserts by himself. And then there were those who thought he should be slain, claiming that a child born of such dishonor as the union of a Fallien woman and a Coronian man should not be given a chance to live.
The leader of the band pacified most of the men, claiming that as Kar'lan recalled nothing of his father he was Fallien at heart. Some still glared at Kar'lan with distaste - and a few left to join other Esseker raiding parties - but one remained convinced that Callan was an abomination that must be purged. One night when Callan had moved away from camp to relieve himself, the man set upon him with staff and notched dagger.
Kar'lan had been standing with his back to the man, one hand resting on the hilt of his serpentine sword, the other on the hilt of his other. The first attack nearly killed him outright - he had assumed the raider's footsteps to be merely that of another man come to empty his bladder - but his instincts took over as he heard the swoosh of the staff descending towards his skull.
With a flourish as fast as a Suranis, Kar'lan spun and unsheathed his sword in the same moment, bringing his blade up and across. The bandit's staff was sliced in half, but when Kar'lan brought his sword back in a counter attack the raider caught the blade with his ribbed dagger. Kar'lan's sword was not as strong as most blades due to its unique curvature, and the man's swordbreaker broke the weapon with ease. This caused Kar'lan a moment of hesitation, leading to him being sent to the ground with a swift kick, the hilt and base of his broken sword falling from his grasp.
In a heartbeat the raider was on top of him, one knee pinning his left arm to the ground and the other on his chest. The man grabbed his other arm with the hand he'd freed by dropping his half staff, and pressed the notched knife to Kar'lan's neck with the other. Smiling, he explained how he would be rewarded by the Goddess Suravani for removing this blemish on the world. Kar'lan writhed underneath the man but could not free either arm nor force the the man off his body. He struggled to reach the broken piece of sword near him but it was just out of reach. The dagger descended into the soft flesh of his throat.
But suddenly the severed upper half of his sword shot towards the raider's throat, easily passing in one side and out the other. A warm spray of blood gushed out onto Kar'lan and the surrounding ground from both sides of the man's neck, soaking quickly into the dry Fallien earth. The bandit died within moments and fell forward onto Kar'lan, his face locked into an expression of surprise. Kar'lan coughed no blood, and decided the knife must not have sunk deep enough to cause major damage. With a grunt he shoved the corpse off of himself and stood up panting. After regaining his breath, he laced up the front of his pants and headed back to camp, trying to reason through what had just happened.
Over the next couple years he discovered that he was able to move certain objects through sheer force of thought. Only objects made primarily of metal and that he had owned for some time seemed to be affected by this odd power, and Kar'lan experimented in almost every minute of his private time. However, he kept the magic, if that was what it was, hidden from the rest of the tribe; his relationship with the group was strained after killing his would-be murderer, and Kar'lan had never heard of any Esseker, even their shaman, possessing any ability similar to his.
It came to pass that on his twentieth year with the band, Kar'alvan presented Kar'lan with a fine steel blade, built in a standard cruciform style and embossed with snakes on the pommel. He then revealed that he had been the one to kill Kar'lan's parents. Claiming that he had been relatively new to raiding then, about the age Kar'lan was now, he explained he had not been able to bring himself to kill a child.
Kar'lan was not quite sure how to feel. He had suspected that this was likely the case since Kar'alvan had first given details of Kar'lan's heritage, but at the same time Kar'alvan had for the most part raised Kar'lan as if he were his own son. To Kar'lan it seemed that his father had killed his father, an odd concept that invited neither pure rage nor total forgiveness. Kar'alvan explained that when the news passed around the camp, as it was already beginning to, Kar'lan would be expected to challenge him to fight for leadership of the tribe.
Kar'lan did as expected, demanding a duel of the man that had simultaneously destroyed and created Kar'lan's parentage. The fight, observed by the entirety of the raiding party, was long and tense. Kar'lan refrained from using his strange ability, instead fighting only with his physical body and sword. It was a close match, but Kar'lan proved the victor.
He did not, however, claim either Kar'alvan's life or the leadership of the band. Instead, he left the tribe behind. Taking only his sword, horse, a tent, and a few week's rations he set out for Outlander's Post, deciding to leave Fallien to pursue a new life. He had never enjoyed raiding those that couldn't defend themselves, and after the past few years no longer felt much of a connection to the Esseker, regardless of his mother's ancestry.
When he reached the city he used the cloth of his tent to create a rough cloak, attempting to dye a pattern of a snake into the burlap with charcoal. He sold his horse for a large sum of gold; most natives in Fallien refused to sell their well-bred horseflesh to outlander's, but Kar'lan had no such reservations. With the money he purchased new clothing, a black leather jerkin, and an iron knife. Finally, he bought himself passage from Fallien to Corone. When asked his name by the captain of the ship, Kar'lan decided that while he would not reject entirely his Fallien past, he no longer considered himself at all a native.
With that frame of mind Callan Blacksnake came aboard the ship, sleeping with the rest of the crew and other passengers in dingy cots below the deck. He had learned a decent amount of trade speak from Kar'alvan, but spent every waking moment either practicing with his sword or speaking with Coronian natives to better pick up the tongue, sometimes both. Early on in the voyage a man noted that Callan's footwear was a poor choice for Corone; the Fallien sandals he wore would not fair well in the wetter climate, nor were they a smart choice for combat.
Although Callan secretly agreed with the man, he claimed that his sandals were a far better choice for combat, and challenged the man to an unarmed duel. The stakes were the man's leather boots against Callan's leather jerkin; not a fair trade, but not truly a trade at all given that Callan was certain of his ability to win. And his certainty was not without reason as when he stepped off the boat into Corone it was not in Fallien sandals but the man's sturdy leather boots.
Over the next couple years Callan continued his study of swordsmanship, the common tongue, and also his odd magic. Despite seeking out many different practictioners of magic, few seemed to have any practice with or real knowledge of his ability, so Callan was left to train by himself. With practice he became far more adept in using his sword with both his body and his mind, or sometimes even alternating between the two. He made his living doing odd jobs and buying into tournaments of the sword in Underwood and Radasanth, and quickly became not only fluent in tradespeak, but able to speak it with almost none of his Fallien accent slipping through.
With little to guide him besides a strong desire for self improvement and a sense of adventure, Callan settled into Coronian culture to live out the next phase of his life.
I've reworded his Psychokinesis ability multiple times to try to make its limitations very explicit without restricting it to listing the exact manipulations he can perform. I understand how it could come across as very over-powered so I've tried to place a fair amount of restrictions on it (such as generally only being able to manipulate things half as well as he can physically) - otherwise all I can say is that I won't use it to powergame, especially against other players.