Alearto
11-10-06, 04:59 AM
'Kay... Here goes nothing. Naturally, I'm happy to hear any comments/constructive criticism/suggestions anyone may have. Can't improve otherwise, right? I'd like to return to this a bit later and organize his skills better, but this should give a good enough idea for approval/denial. Also, I apologize in advance if there are any grammatical errors/typos/plotholes... I'm pretty sure I got them all, but it's a ridiculous time of night for any right-minded individual to be awake at the time when I'm posting this, and my vision's going a little blurry from lack of sleep...
Name: Alearto Akatriel
Age: 17
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Grey
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 147 lbs
Occupation: n/a (traveler)
Appearance: Alearto is fairly tall and skinny, with the awkward teenage appearance of not being fully grown into his own body. Though he doesn’t have much muscle or fat, he possesses a wiry strength exceeding that which his thin frame suggests. His hair and eyes, while normally black and grey respectively, have a tendency to shimmer and change color slightly without warning. His skin is pale and smooth, giving the impression that he doesn’t spend much time outdoors. His regular outfit consists of a shirt, trousers, leather shoes, and a cloak. The shirt is black, long-sleeved, and loose fitting, cinching at the wrists. Several inches fall below the cinch at the waist, and the neck has a slight “V” cut to it. Over the shirt he wears a belt at his waist, which is also black. His trousers are also black, with deep pockets on either thigh. The shoes are simple black walking shoes, with no distinguishing features. Alearto’s cloak has a large hood and is reversible, one side being black as with the rest of his outfit, the other side being stark white, with no hint of coloration.
History: Alearto Akatriel was raised in a remote location called the Temple of Light. The monks in this temple dedicate there lives to an art they have dubbed Photomancy, the act of controlling light itself. Theirs is not so much a religious order as a way of life; members of the order are under only generalized guidelines, and there are no deities or worship involved. Over time, this order has learned to manipulate light to many different ends, gaining the ability to become invisible in what would otherwise be plain sight, create complex illusions, and even focus light intensely enough to serve as weaponry.
Alearto’s father, Deornoth, was one of the most advanced Photomancers in the Temple of Light, having attained the status of one of the temple’s guardians and keeper of their highest techniques.
Alearto began his training as a Photomancer at age thirteen. Over the course of the next several years, he learned the basic principles of photomancy and the early light-bending skills. Before his training could continue, however, circumstance forced him from the temple. A slew of murders were committed over a period of several weeks, and the victims were primarily persons of equal or higher standing in the temple hierarchy than Alearto’s father, and rumors flew that Deornoth was the one responsible. Eventually, reports of sighting Deornoth at the crime scenes began to filter in to the remaining elders, and he was taken into custody.
Alearto’s departure was a confusing and hurried one; woken in the middle of the night by one of his teachers, he was ordered to dress and escape quickly. His teacher gave him a matching light crystal and sword usually reserved for temple guardians, and after leading Alearto out of the temple under the cover of shadow, whispered a hurried message. Deornoth had been framed by an enemy, or perhaps enemies within the temple. Without knowing who was doing it or why, there was no way to stop the process, and all signs indicated that after removing Deornoth, Alearto would be next. A dead man can’t hold a grudge, after all.
Alearto, realizing that as he was he had no chance of helping his father, fled the Temple of Light. With no particular destination, he set out to try and hone his skills, so that one day he might return and find the truth about what happened at the temple. But he is now without a teacher, forced to learn for himself the techniques originally developed over many generations… And he has no way of knowing how much time his father has left.
Personality: Alearto has a tendency to seem distant, sometimes drifting away from conversations. Overall he is good-natured, if a bit preoccupied. He is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to use and develop his abilities, and dives headlong into danger and uncertain situations. His focus is always on growing stronger, so as to return to the Temple of Light and right the wrongs being committed there.
Being a teenager, he’s something of a know-it-all. He is, however, inexperienced with the opposite sex, and can become flustered and awkward when forced to confront an attractive woman.
Equipment: Alearto wears a round magnifying lens, about three inches in diameter, on a leather cord around his neck.
At his left hip he carries what, when in its scabbard, appears to be a narrow sword. The guard is made up of a flat, triangular plate positioned like a tsuba on a katana. The pommel has, at its base, a triangular opening which seems to lead into the hilt of the weapon. When drawn, the “blade” is revealed to be a very long prism made of a crystalline material, roughly the same hardness as iron. It has three surfaces, ending bluntly in a triangle at the tip. Overall, it is roughly 38” long, 31” of which is the prism itself with the remaining 7” making up the guard and hilt. The scabbard itself is rounded, made of wood reinforced down its length with iron and wrapped in leather. The interior is padded with a velvety fabric to cushion the crystal blade.
Worn horizontally on his lower back, Alearto also carries a hunting knife about 10” long overall.
Finally, he has a satchel slung over his left shoulder with the strap crossing his chest so that the pouch rests on his right hip. In side this he carries miscellaneous essentials (flint, small amounts of food, money, etc.) in addition to the following: A round hand mirror 4 inches in diameter, and an elongated triangular crystal ending in a piece of metal corresponding to the pommel of his sword. This "Light crystal" glows a golden hue of its own accord, and seems able to increase or decrease the amount of light produced proportionately to the amount of light in its relative area (i.e., if the surrounding area gets darker, the crystal gets brighter, and vice versa). There is no apparent limitation on how often this crystal can be used, but its brightness is controlled solely by its surroundings. It is able to fit securely into the hilt of Alearto’s sword, though the purpose this fact serves remains a mystery even to Alearto himself. The brightness of the crystal is transmitted to the blade, illuminating the length of the sword, but it doesn’t seem to have any other function at this time.
Summary of equipment:
Magnifying lens (around neck)
Crystal sword (in scabbard on left hip)
Light crystal (in satchel)
huntiing knife (in sheath across lower back)
satchel (right hip)
mirror (in satchel)
misc. general items (in satchel)
Skills:
--Photomancy: The ability to bend and manipulate light. Alearto does not, at this point, have the ability to generate light himself, and therefore musts use an outside source (like sunlight, firelight, or the glow from his crystal). His skill in this area is still undeveloped, but it does have many applications, such as bending light around objects to obscure people’s view of that object, essentially rendering it invisible. It is not perfect yet, and does leave a visible distortion in the air. Neither can it be sustained for long periods of time. It can also be used, with the aid of objects like his magnifying lens, to create intensely focused beams of light capable of burning flesh or setting fires. The potential applications are too vast and varied to list simply, but for the time being he has only limited control of this ability and relies heavily on instruments like his lens, mirror, and crystal to aid him. By switching his cloak to the black or white side, he can either absorb light and blend into shadow or divert it and render himself invisible, respectively. In this way his cloak serves to facilitate his existing abilities. While using either of these skills on himself, he is unable to move much due the concentration required. He can, however, use these abilities to a lesser extent (i.e., darkening shadows so he's harder to see, but not necessarily becoming completely concealed) and remain mobile.
--Alearto has rudimentary knife-fighting skill, but nothing special. He has no specific techniques at this time relating to his knife.
--While he is reasonably well-developed in swordsmanship, using what seems to consist primarily of slashes rather than thrusts, he avoids using his crystal blade as much as possible. With its triangular shape it does not have a single, sharp edge, and though the weight is enough that he could certainly do some significant blunt damage, it isn’t very functional as a sword.
Name: Alearto Akatriel
Age: 17
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Grey
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 147 lbs
Occupation: n/a (traveler)
Appearance: Alearto is fairly tall and skinny, with the awkward teenage appearance of not being fully grown into his own body. Though he doesn’t have much muscle or fat, he possesses a wiry strength exceeding that which his thin frame suggests. His hair and eyes, while normally black and grey respectively, have a tendency to shimmer and change color slightly without warning. His skin is pale and smooth, giving the impression that he doesn’t spend much time outdoors. His regular outfit consists of a shirt, trousers, leather shoes, and a cloak. The shirt is black, long-sleeved, and loose fitting, cinching at the wrists. Several inches fall below the cinch at the waist, and the neck has a slight “V” cut to it. Over the shirt he wears a belt at his waist, which is also black. His trousers are also black, with deep pockets on either thigh. The shoes are simple black walking shoes, with no distinguishing features. Alearto’s cloak has a large hood and is reversible, one side being black as with the rest of his outfit, the other side being stark white, with no hint of coloration.
History: Alearto Akatriel was raised in a remote location called the Temple of Light. The monks in this temple dedicate there lives to an art they have dubbed Photomancy, the act of controlling light itself. Theirs is not so much a religious order as a way of life; members of the order are under only generalized guidelines, and there are no deities or worship involved. Over time, this order has learned to manipulate light to many different ends, gaining the ability to become invisible in what would otherwise be plain sight, create complex illusions, and even focus light intensely enough to serve as weaponry.
Alearto’s father, Deornoth, was one of the most advanced Photomancers in the Temple of Light, having attained the status of one of the temple’s guardians and keeper of their highest techniques.
Alearto began his training as a Photomancer at age thirteen. Over the course of the next several years, he learned the basic principles of photomancy and the early light-bending skills. Before his training could continue, however, circumstance forced him from the temple. A slew of murders were committed over a period of several weeks, and the victims were primarily persons of equal or higher standing in the temple hierarchy than Alearto’s father, and rumors flew that Deornoth was the one responsible. Eventually, reports of sighting Deornoth at the crime scenes began to filter in to the remaining elders, and he was taken into custody.
Alearto’s departure was a confusing and hurried one; woken in the middle of the night by one of his teachers, he was ordered to dress and escape quickly. His teacher gave him a matching light crystal and sword usually reserved for temple guardians, and after leading Alearto out of the temple under the cover of shadow, whispered a hurried message. Deornoth had been framed by an enemy, or perhaps enemies within the temple. Without knowing who was doing it or why, there was no way to stop the process, and all signs indicated that after removing Deornoth, Alearto would be next. A dead man can’t hold a grudge, after all.
Alearto, realizing that as he was he had no chance of helping his father, fled the Temple of Light. With no particular destination, he set out to try and hone his skills, so that one day he might return and find the truth about what happened at the temple. But he is now without a teacher, forced to learn for himself the techniques originally developed over many generations… And he has no way of knowing how much time his father has left.
Personality: Alearto has a tendency to seem distant, sometimes drifting away from conversations. Overall he is good-natured, if a bit preoccupied. He is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to use and develop his abilities, and dives headlong into danger and uncertain situations. His focus is always on growing stronger, so as to return to the Temple of Light and right the wrongs being committed there.
Being a teenager, he’s something of a know-it-all. He is, however, inexperienced with the opposite sex, and can become flustered and awkward when forced to confront an attractive woman.
Equipment: Alearto wears a round magnifying lens, about three inches in diameter, on a leather cord around his neck.
At his left hip he carries what, when in its scabbard, appears to be a narrow sword. The guard is made up of a flat, triangular plate positioned like a tsuba on a katana. The pommel has, at its base, a triangular opening which seems to lead into the hilt of the weapon. When drawn, the “blade” is revealed to be a very long prism made of a crystalline material, roughly the same hardness as iron. It has three surfaces, ending bluntly in a triangle at the tip. Overall, it is roughly 38” long, 31” of which is the prism itself with the remaining 7” making up the guard and hilt. The scabbard itself is rounded, made of wood reinforced down its length with iron and wrapped in leather. The interior is padded with a velvety fabric to cushion the crystal blade.
Worn horizontally on his lower back, Alearto also carries a hunting knife about 10” long overall.
Finally, he has a satchel slung over his left shoulder with the strap crossing his chest so that the pouch rests on his right hip. In side this he carries miscellaneous essentials (flint, small amounts of food, money, etc.) in addition to the following: A round hand mirror 4 inches in diameter, and an elongated triangular crystal ending in a piece of metal corresponding to the pommel of his sword. This "Light crystal" glows a golden hue of its own accord, and seems able to increase or decrease the amount of light produced proportionately to the amount of light in its relative area (i.e., if the surrounding area gets darker, the crystal gets brighter, and vice versa). There is no apparent limitation on how often this crystal can be used, but its brightness is controlled solely by its surroundings. It is able to fit securely into the hilt of Alearto’s sword, though the purpose this fact serves remains a mystery even to Alearto himself. The brightness of the crystal is transmitted to the blade, illuminating the length of the sword, but it doesn’t seem to have any other function at this time.
Summary of equipment:
Magnifying lens (around neck)
Crystal sword (in scabbard on left hip)
Light crystal (in satchel)
huntiing knife (in sheath across lower back)
satchel (right hip)
mirror (in satchel)
misc. general items (in satchel)
Skills:
--Photomancy: The ability to bend and manipulate light. Alearto does not, at this point, have the ability to generate light himself, and therefore musts use an outside source (like sunlight, firelight, or the glow from his crystal). His skill in this area is still undeveloped, but it does have many applications, such as bending light around objects to obscure people’s view of that object, essentially rendering it invisible. It is not perfect yet, and does leave a visible distortion in the air. Neither can it be sustained for long periods of time. It can also be used, with the aid of objects like his magnifying lens, to create intensely focused beams of light capable of burning flesh or setting fires. The potential applications are too vast and varied to list simply, but for the time being he has only limited control of this ability and relies heavily on instruments like his lens, mirror, and crystal to aid him. By switching his cloak to the black or white side, he can either absorb light and blend into shadow or divert it and render himself invisible, respectively. In this way his cloak serves to facilitate his existing abilities. While using either of these skills on himself, he is unable to move much due the concentration required. He can, however, use these abilities to a lesser extent (i.e., darkening shadows so he's harder to see, but not necessarily becoming completely concealed) and remain mobile.
--Alearto has rudimentary knife-fighting skill, but nothing special. He has no specific techniques at this time relating to his knife.
--While he is reasonably well-developed in swordsmanship, using what seems to consist primarily of slashes rather than thrusts, he avoids using his crystal blade as much as possible. With its triangular shape it does not have a single, sharp edge, and though the weight is enough that he could certainly do some significant blunt damage, it isn’t very functional as a sword.