Paradox
04-11-06, 04:02 PM
Name: Talis MageHunter
Age: 29
Race: Human
Hair Color: Bald
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 187 pounds
Occupation: Magehunter and outlaw
Personality
For Talis, the greatest feat achievable is his own survival. He believes not in glory on the battlefield, only in victory by any means. Therefore, he knows exactly how to behave in different situations. Amongst Tomaris' clan of thieves, he is recognized as one of the more skilled warriors, and therefore he behaves arrogantly and vain. However, when faced with a mighty opponent, Talis will do anything to avoid battle - at least, until he has grown strong enough to conquer this new adversary. He lacks understanding of ethics, since he was never taught any, but he despises rape, and he hates hurting women or children, unless they were taught in the ways of magic. Other than that, Talis would never turn his back on an enemy who's still breathing. In short, he will stand up to any challenge, as long as he knows that he can win.
Appearance
Although a mugger and a thief, Talis spends a great amount of time on his apparel. Often, bandits would jokingly say that the first shop that the young man would plunder during a raid was the artisan, hoping for valuable but sturdy materials to don. They're not far from the truth. Currently, he sports a journeyman's attire of finely crafted brown wool, with boots of dark leather and a belt of the same material. A thick gray mantle is draped about his broad shoulders to protect him from the elements, but it does not have a hood. Talis wants everybody to see the strange pattern of tattoos all over his bald head - basically providing him with a substitute for real hair. Furthermore, he keeps clean-shaven and tries to bathe at least once a week - even if he has to break into a well-secured mansion to do so.
History
Talis WoodSpring was born to an exceptionally poor family. Both the names and faces of his parentage have been swept from his mind by the sands of time, but surely a loving mother would not abandon her defenseless offspring to the hazards of the forest surrounding an ancient abbey without reason? When he was younger, Talis sometimes wept for the lack of love he received from the people who saved him, and with each thought of his relinquishment, the hate for his heritage grew stronger. In the end, the future Magehunter reached the point where he no longer wanted to know by whom he was given birth to, fearing that his anger would quickly compel him to slay his long-lost progenitors.
Such grim rage can, unfortunately, be bent in strange ways. In those times, the abbey was inhabited by strange folk, distrusted by most outsiders. They were much alike normal monks, their cloaks sliding over the floors of the old building they had made their home. Floors of marble and granite, engraved with runes and markings long lost to the petty schools of symbology that disgrace this realm in current times. Although physically weak, these mysterious men and women were renowned for their sound knowledge of nature and magic. There was no disease they could not cure, no feral creature they could not best with blazing hailstorms, with their swords of emerald flame. Although they demanded an inordinate amount of gold from their clients, they never failed to do what they were asked to. They were no criminals, and did not seek to grow wealthy - merely requesting a great worldly sacrifice from their patrons, to show that their wish truly went above all else. As such, they were not necessarily evil, and they definitely did not fancy massacre of shows of force, for that matter.
However, as fate would have it, Talis was found by a travelling camp of outlaws before the order of magicians even noticed him lying at the portcullis. The baby would have been cruelly slain at that very moment, if not the ruffians' chief would have commanded his servants to stop dead in their tracks. It is known to only a few that the bandit leader was a rather talented warlock, no match for the combined powers of the abbey, but powerful in the arcane arts nonetheless. More importantly, his speechcraft surpassed all others', and whenever he spoke, the recipient of his words would deem his voice blissful, its intonation perfect, its contents wise above all else. He was named Tomaris. At his command, Talis was taken up into the society of thieves, and taught to live like a warrior's son. The reason behind the warlock's action went deeper than acquiring another combatant, however. Throughout his life, Tomaris had witnessed his own defeat at the hands of hostile magicians far too often. He found the deciding role that magic played in combat unacceptable. In fact, he went as far as to say that he ought to be the only one to use mana as a weapon. And so, he looked for a way to block even his most glorious adversaries from casting spells, crippling them while his own dark incanctations found their way through the enemy defenses. Once he sensed the spark of magic in an ignorant young boy, Tomaris reckoned that the time was ripe to put his plans to the test.
He was intent on making Talis the first Anti-Mage.
In the meanwhile, Talis himself grew up amidst the scruff of the world. There were no other children to play with, and he grew to adulthood fairly quickly, robbing his first store when he was but eleven years old. However, of all things he was taught by different outlaws, he excelled at the art of the sword - and though he'd had no professional trainer, he quickly grew to a soldier's level of expertise. Which was quite a feat, considering he had no material to read or learn from, only trees to practise on, and a few bar brawlers to teach him 'tactics'. The only person he truly talked to, shared his feelings with, was Tomaris; the warlock gleefully repaid Talis' trust with kind words, divulging new parts of the youngling's history every year. It was a carefully constructed web of lies, stories which will not be repeated here. In short, Talis learned that the parents he hated so much were actually magicians, a wizard and sorceress who'd abandoned him mercilessly, so that a child would not thwart their pursuit of magical power. Tomaris spoke about the monks in the abbey, how they would enact bloody sacrifices to force their will upon mundane townsfolk. Fuelled by these thoughts, Talis grew to hate magic.
Tomaris concluded his indoctrination of a now fully-grown Talis with the Rite of Reversion. In that night, now three years ago, soundless thunder struck the moon, and the stars of heaven themselves shook in their places. Basically, the Rite of Reversion multiplies the magical spark with an apprentice with negative magic, dead magic - the magic of necromancy. Once it is cast, the enchanted will begin to show signs of being less affected by magic. With time, and with experience may come the time where the Anti-Mage may absorb enemy spells, to be impervious to the mind tricks of mentalists and to rely totally on the strength of his sword... But Talis is far from that level at the moment, as his career has just begun. Still, he carries his new name, MageHunter, with pride, and will not hesitate to slay any magicians in his path - Tomaris, for some reason, excluded.
Skills
Mastery from worst to best:
Novice - Apprentice - Mediocre - Advanced - Expert
Swordsmanship [Mediocre]
Talis can handle his sword like any single soldier. He is not a swordsmaster, but will probably best a recruit in one-on-one fights.
Diminish [Novice]
The most basic of Anti-Magic skills, Diminish allows Talis to slightly weaken small magical projectiles thrown at him. Though he cannot stop the process, he can also recognize moments when someone is trying to play with his mind through use of this skill.
Reflect [Novice]
With focus, Talis can force part of the Rite of Reversion into his weapon, allowing it to send weak magical projectiles, like small fireballs, ricocheting off the blade. This way, Talis can effectively swing those attacks back at his opponent. It is a difficult technique to master, however, and it can only be done once a thread, the Reflect lasting for one post. Talis may use no other skills for two posts after Reflect was used.
Equipment
Iron Longsword
A standard military issue one-handed iron longsword, often given to recruits to begin their military career. Talis simply stole it off a guard during one of the town raids Tomaris had given order to. Comes with a leather sheath.
Kite Shield
A sturdy round shield of reinforced wood, able to withstand most one-handed weapons. It will shatter when hit spot-on with heavy weapons like greataxes, greatswords, or war hammers.
Familiars
No acquaintances
Age: 29
Race: Human
Hair Color: Bald
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 187 pounds
Occupation: Magehunter and outlaw
Personality
For Talis, the greatest feat achievable is his own survival. He believes not in glory on the battlefield, only in victory by any means. Therefore, he knows exactly how to behave in different situations. Amongst Tomaris' clan of thieves, he is recognized as one of the more skilled warriors, and therefore he behaves arrogantly and vain. However, when faced with a mighty opponent, Talis will do anything to avoid battle - at least, until he has grown strong enough to conquer this new adversary. He lacks understanding of ethics, since he was never taught any, but he despises rape, and he hates hurting women or children, unless they were taught in the ways of magic. Other than that, Talis would never turn his back on an enemy who's still breathing. In short, he will stand up to any challenge, as long as he knows that he can win.
Appearance
Although a mugger and a thief, Talis spends a great amount of time on his apparel. Often, bandits would jokingly say that the first shop that the young man would plunder during a raid was the artisan, hoping for valuable but sturdy materials to don. They're not far from the truth. Currently, he sports a journeyman's attire of finely crafted brown wool, with boots of dark leather and a belt of the same material. A thick gray mantle is draped about his broad shoulders to protect him from the elements, but it does not have a hood. Talis wants everybody to see the strange pattern of tattoos all over his bald head - basically providing him with a substitute for real hair. Furthermore, he keeps clean-shaven and tries to bathe at least once a week - even if he has to break into a well-secured mansion to do so.
History
Talis WoodSpring was born to an exceptionally poor family. Both the names and faces of his parentage have been swept from his mind by the sands of time, but surely a loving mother would not abandon her defenseless offspring to the hazards of the forest surrounding an ancient abbey without reason? When he was younger, Talis sometimes wept for the lack of love he received from the people who saved him, and with each thought of his relinquishment, the hate for his heritage grew stronger. In the end, the future Magehunter reached the point where he no longer wanted to know by whom he was given birth to, fearing that his anger would quickly compel him to slay his long-lost progenitors.
Such grim rage can, unfortunately, be bent in strange ways. In those times, the abbey was inhabited by strange folk, distrusted by most outsiders. They were much alike normal monks, their cloaks sliding over the floors of the old building they had made their home. Floors of marble and granite, engraved with runes and markings long lost to the petty schools of symbology that disgrace this realm in current times. Although physically weak, these mysterious men and women were renowned for their sound knowledge of nature and magic. There was no disease they could not cure, no feral creature they could not best with blazing hailstorms, with their swords of emerald flame. Although they demanded an inordinate amount of gold from their clients, they never failed to do what they were asked to. They were no criminals, and did not seek to grow wealthy - merely requesting a great worldly sacrifice from their patrons, to show that their wish truly went above all else. As such, they were not necessarily evil, and they definitely did not fancy massacre of shows of force, for that matter.
However, as fate would have it, Talis was found by a travelling camp of outlaws before the order of magicians even noticed him lying at the portcullis. The baby would have been cruelly slain at that very moment, if not the ruffians' chief would have commanded his servants to stop dead in their tracks. It is known to only a few that the bandit leader was a rather talented warlock, no match for the combined powers of the abbey, but powerful in the arcane arts nonetheless. More importantly, his speechcraft surpassed all others', and whenever he spoke, the recipient of his words would deem his voice blissful, its intonation perfect, its contents wise above all else. He was named Tomaris. At his command, Talis was taken up into the society of thieves, and taught to live like a warrior's son. The reason behind the warlock's action went deeper than acquiring another combatant, however. Throughout his life, Tomaris had witnessed his own defeat at the hands of hostile magicians far too often. He found the deciding role that magic played in combat unacceptable. In fact, he went as far as to say that he ought to be the only one to use mana as a weapon. And so, he looked for a way to block even his most glorious adversaries from casting spells, crippling them while his own dark incanctations found their way through the enemy defenses. Once he sensed the spark of magic in an ignorant young boy, Tomaris reckoned that the time was ripe to put his plans to the test.
He was intent on making Talis the first Anti-Mage.
In the meanwhile, Talis himself grew up amidst the scruff of the world. There were no other children to play with, and he grew to adulthood fairly quickly, robbing his first store when he was but eleven years old. However, of all things he was taught by different outlaws, he excelled at the art of the sword - and though he'd had no professional trainer, he quickly grew to a soldier's level of expertise. Which was quite a feat, considering he had no material to read or learn from, only trees to practise on, and a few bar brawlers to teach him 'tactics'. The only person he truly talked to, shared his feelings with, was Tomaris; the warlock gleefully repaid Talis' trust with kind words, divulging new parts of the youngling's history every year. It was a carefully constructed web of lies, stories which will not be repeated here. In short, Talis learned that the parents he hated so much were actually magicians, a wizard and sorceress who'd abandoned him mercilessly, so that a child would not thwart their pursuit of magical power. Tomaris spoke about the monks in the abbey, how they would enact bloody sacrifices to force their will upon mundane townsfolk. Fuelled by these thoughts, Talis grew to hate magic.
Tomaris concluded his indoctrination of a now fully-grown Talis with the Rite of Reversion. In that night, now three years ago, soundless thunder struck the moon, and the stars of heaven themselves shook in their places. Basically, the Rite of Reversion multiplies the magical spark with an apprentice with negative magic, dead magic - the magic of necromancy. Once it is cast, the enchanted will begin to show signs of being less affected by magic. With time, and with experience may come the time where the Anti-Mage may absorb enemy spells, to be impervious to the mind tricks of mentalists and to rely totally on the strength of his sword... But Talis is far from that level at the moment, as his career has just begun. Still, he carries his new name, MageHunter, with pride, and will not hesitate to slay any magicians in his path - Tomaris, for some reason, excluded.
Skills
Mastery from worst to best:
Novice - Apprentice - Mediocre - Advanced - Expert
Swordsmanship [Mediocre]
Talis can handle his sword like any single soldier. He is not a swordsmaster, but will probably best a recruit in one-on-one fights.
Diminish [Novice]
The most basic of Anti-Magic skills, Diminish allows Talis to slightly weaken small magical projectiles thrown at him. Though he cannot stop the process, he can also recognize moments when someone is trying to play with his mind through use of this skill.
Reflect [Novice]
With focus, Talis can force part of the Rite of Reversion into his weapon, allowing it to send weak magical projectiles, like small fireballs, ricocheting off the blade. This way, Talis can effectively swing those attacks back at his opponent. It is a difficult technique to master, however, and it can only be done once a thread, the Reflect lasting for one post. Talis may use no other skills for two posts after Reflect was used.
Equipment
Iron Longsword
A standard military issue one-handed iron longsword, often given to recruits to begin their military career. Talis simply stole it off a guard during one of the town raids Tomaris had given order to. Comes with a leather sheath.
Kite Shield
A sturdy round shield of reinforced wood, able to withstand most one-handed weapons. It will shatter when hit spot-on with heavy weapons like greataxes, greatswords, or war hammers.
Familiars
No acquaintances