Bringing the Old Character Back
General
Name: Arphenion (“son of a noble”) De Lecuyer (“shield bearer”)
Common Name: Adanion (“son of man”) – This is also a common insult for half-elves
Alias: None
Age: 190
Appears: 34
Nation of Origin: Raiaera
City of Origin: Trenyce
Race: Half-Elf
Hair Color: Golden
Eye Color: Emerald
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 130 lbs
Build: Thin
Skin Color: Pale White
Preferred Hand: Either. ambidextrous
Current Location: Salvar
Language Comprehension: Human Common, Raiaeran elf and human, Salvic human
Former Occupation: Bladesinger/Songmage, Soldier, Merchant
Current Occupation: Tap-touched Mage
Appearance and Personal Philosophy
Standing at an average five foot and six inches, the young looking Arphenion has the 'ideal' body shape. Study and time with his weapons and practicing with his masters in the Bladesinger's academy has given him a shapely and hopefully attractive figure. His muscles are soft, but toned, not excessive but easily prominent. He is not necessarily bulky, and when not flexing the muscles are hardly prevalent features at all. He looks to be more skin and bones than anything at most times.
His hair is a soft and straight, vibrant gold when the sun's rays are allowed to touch it for an extended period of time. When the winter laden clouds hold sway his hair pales to a dull blonde, almost silver coloration. No matter the season his hair is wild, long and free across his back continuing its length from his bangs to his chin.
His eyes are a pale emerald color and when he casts his magic spells they tend to take on an intermixing of silver and black, the powers of the Tap swirling through the only visible way to be expressed.
Arphenion’s skin is a pale color, and almost never tans. Overexposure in the skin often leads to a somewhat reddened complexion he hates to have happen, so he is very careful to avoid exposure to the more harsh rays of the sun, or their pronounced reflection in the snows of Salvar.
A man of thought and of reason, though not without his own biased opinions, he tends to find himself amidst a throne of books and documents. The lack of centered, realistic, and base beliefs in the cultures that currently run rampant like a plague across the lands of Althanas is a grave matter to Arphenion. He finds that the world has been without sophisticated and intellectual reason for some time. His love of the linguistic qualities of Althanas has forced him, in a way, to nearly perfect the native tongues of humans –common tongue as well as Raiaeran humans, human Salvarans, and elven Raiaerans.
His view of magic is very difficult to understand, as it is by far one of the most complex philosophies. As a user of the Tap, the ultimate and broken source of magic that once existed, he has come to know and understand that magic is not something given to a person by a god, not something that has to be learned alone, but is something that is inherent within a person. In regards to the Tap, as it was originally the main body of magic that was split off to create all other branches, he has the opinion that the mastery –or at least understanding –of each different subtype could potentially lead to the purification of magic once again. Opinions regarding the Tap are withheld from the general populace, however, as having multiple people following the same goal and belief that he follows would undoubtedly create a lack of a monopoly on the perspective.
In relation to a singular god, or multiple gods, the revived Raiaeran half-elf has the utmost disrespect for the necessity of belief in them. He believes that any god is no more than a person who can control others, both body and mind.This leads to the viewpoint of people that place their faith in the ultimate will of a higher power being no more than a pawn to their own misguided religious philosophy. The Thayne, those that had compelled his previous incarnation, warped and removed his will to follow or submit to anything claiming higher dominion over either his soul or his mind. Nothing, in his opinion, is more powerful than his own will to survive, and the strength of an individual rests in that which they have learned in their lifetime, as opposed to what may be illogically perceived as a 'boon' from the deity they follow. He will, and does, whatever he can to oppose religion in any front it may take in order to control society, and in turn will do what he can to change others minds.
Weapons
9-Ringed Guandao
Description:
Arphenion initially was given the weapon as a member of the light cavalry in the Tel Aglarim, or when required to be a spearman on the frontline of the army. Its heavy headed blade is counterbalanced by a thick dehlar cap. Along the back of the blade are 9 rings of steel.
23 pounds; 4.5 foot shaft; 2 foot blade.
Wooden shaft made of oak
Metal blade and cap on base of staff made of dehlar
Abilities
The chime of the rings helps focus his tone, as well as adds to his bladesinger magic. Provides a bonus to his Bladesinger magic, x2, when it is in use and a spell that is bladesinger related is being cast.
Hromagh’s Blades
Description
Each blade is 35 inches in length, with a six inch guard total. The blades are each straight, curving just slightly towards the tip, and single edged. They weigh below 2 pounds, almost a pound and a half each. The material used is a marble hue of mithril and an unknown material. Due to the unique and extremely rare material and quality of both blades, the edges of the swords will never be blunted or need sharpening and the surfaces of the swords will never dull or become worn with use. The edge is sharper than almost any edge possible to modern weapon smiths.
- Blade One: The blade has more blackened material along the blade's edge with mithril through the surface. Because of the magical resistance that the black metal presents, its edge is made to cut through and destroy spells being cast. It is a powerful and explosive offense against spells of all natures.
- Blade Two: The blade has the pure mithril material along its edge but more impure blackened metal mingled through the flat surface, allowing it to be a more impressive defensive weapon against all types of magical threats. In battle it acts as a shield against spells cast at the prophet.
Military Bow
Description
One of the most common weapons associated with elves, the bow is renowned for its stopping power and range when made by and handled by a Raiaeran. It’s recurve shape allows for more power in a slightly shorter frame, but makes more noise when fired.
2 pounds; 5 feet long limb; 7 inch brace
Wooden limb made of silver birch
Brace made of deer hide and bone
String made of sinew and hemp interwoven
Armor
Bladesinger’s Uniform
Description
Azure blue tunic, padded and thick for blunt force protection; it is long sleeved and falls all the way to his knees. He also has a padded cap with a metal dome, blue with white lining. Over all of it is a breastplate with feathers engraved on the shoulders. He also has a pair of steel grieves with wings emblazoned on both facing outwards.
Tunic: Linen; ripped and bloodied
Cap: Linen with steel dome; dented
Breastplate: Steel; cracked and slashed open
Grieves: Steel
Items
Clothing
Upper body
Arphenion wears a white linen camicia – bloused, long sleeve undershirt – without a collar and ruffled cuffs. Over that he wears a black, quarter-sleeve doublet with large wooden buttons up the center. Finally a thick black, smooth felt, baroque frock coat is worn over everything – single breasted with small steel buttons and always kept open, it is plain and lined for warmth. He also wears a black felt cavalier hat, wide brimmed with one side secured against the side.
Lower Body
A pair of black, linen knee-britches are held up by a thick leather belt with a steel buckle. They are tucked into a pair of simple black, knee-high leather boots that are laced along the inner edge and fold over at the top.
Quiver
Description
The specially designed quiver straps along the leg with a larger strap that goes around the waist. It is 18 inches deep, designed to hold at least 24 inch arrows. There are two pouches on the outside of the quiver, designed to hold an extra string in one, extra arrow-heads in the other. It also has room for multiple hooks.
Made of leather with canvas and cord as a belt
Has 1 extra string and two barbed arrow-heads (steel)
Can hold 30 arrows at a time
Skills
Horsemanship
Arphenion is a great rider, able to use weapons from horseback easily and ride without hands. He is not a master, cannot pull stunts or tricks while riding, but is trained well enough as a cavalry soldier.
Spearman
While in the Tel Aglarim he learned how to use a spear and glaive, effectively from foot and mounted. When he joined the Bladesingers he chose the guandao as his weapon of choice and further studied its use and honed his skill with it.
Bowman
From a young age, as part of a high class family, Arphenion was taught how to use the bow for recreational purposes. Hunting and military time gave him an even better grasp of the weapon, and by the time he was inducted into the Bladesingers a bow was always with him.
Craft (fletcher/bower)
An apprentice in the art of making bows, the half-elf has learned how to make his own arrows and repair the weapon of his homeland enough to keep it operational. He is not able to make bows that are above average quality with common woods, or poor quality with tier 2 woods.
Survival
Living in the wild, scrapping a daily living while marching, and going out with very little rations while patrolling made survival necessary for the half-elf. He spent a lot of time learning herbs, edible plants, and the ins and outs of the flora and fauna of Raiaera.
Hunting
As sport, past time, or simply to entertain each other; hunting was something that Arphenion learned early. It included use of the javelin, bow, riding, trapping, tracking, falconry, and training hunting dogs.
Commerce
The Lecuyer family was built on a single plot of land, and grew into a large trading empire. The knowledge of how to invest, loan money, make business agreements, and everything else involved in finance and business was taught to Arphenion from a young age, until he left for military service.
Craft (Vintner)
It is only natural that having a large vineyard on his family’s estate offered the half-elf numerous occasions to learn from the vintners. He has the palette for fine wines, though they were mostly tasted without the knowledge of his parents. His skill is considered that of an apprentice at best.
Singing
He always had a great voice, but teaching and training with the Bladesingers made it amazing. He can control his pitch, tone, and flow of his voice expertly. He can completely control his voice type – vocal weight, vocal range, timbre, and transition points between chest and head.
Craft (Painting)
It was a pastime, a means of distraction, but he became very good at it.
Musician
His singing was always accompanied by others playing instruments, or after he learned to play the viola, violin, harp, and double bass. His understanding of stringed instruments and how to play with tones assisted him greatly with the Bladesingers.
Craft (Alchemy)
Arphenion's nature is to try and find the most interesting things he can, and invest as much time into them as possible - being a half-elf that is quite a lot. One of his interests is alchemy, though at this time he has a very rudimentary understanding of how to do it and can only make simple potions and poultices; minor medicinal tonics, very simple poisons (the kind that can't kill), and things of that nature.
Craft (Enchantment)
Consciously he can imbue magic in the form of an enchantment, temporary (at least 5 threads of use), permanently, or based on the judge's discretion. The spells he can imbue are any that he has access to, either in his own mind or through a scroll or spellbook, through a participating person who is assisting him, and also through his Spirit Link.
Magic or Abilities
Raiaeran Bardic Magic
School of Aglarlin
Din of Battle - Combat Support
With the rattle of the guandao’s nine rings against the metal, deep notes are sung with solid chords and a steady flow of his voice, Arphenion can strengthen himself. So long as the weapon is in motion and his voice can remain steady, the half-elf’s strength will triple, and the lingering effects work for a couple minutes afterwards. Lasts for a total of 5 minutes in quests and battles; can be used once per battle or once per hour in a quest.
School of Lisslin
Healing Flame - Support/Combat Support
The half-elf whistles a sweet, soft tone that sharpens at its peak. While whistling, a light green glow forms, slowly becoming darker as the song continues, and at the end is brought to a sharp shrill tone. When the whistling comes to its climax the green glow turns to flames, and those flames flicker from the wounded areas. He can use it to heal minor and moderate wounds on others, or minor wounds of his own person. Can be used twice a day in a quest, and not at all in a battle on himself.
School of Ost’Dagorlin
Sonic Protection - Combat Support
By humming a deep, smooth melody a shield of pure sonic energy forms around the caster. It acts as a full body shield, extending three inches from the body, and can deflect lighter weapons as well as projectiles a maximum of two times - effectively as strong as steel. Can be cast once per battle, or once every hour in a quest.
Warped Tap Mage
Tap-Touched Soul - Combat Support
As the Tap is the ultimate stream of magic, pure and unified, and Arphenion has been exposed to it while in the afterlife. Once a battle or twice a quest he can summon the power of the Tap. When it is active the latent energy of the Tap is focused and his body becomes consumed by pure magic energy. Activation of this lasts for 3 minutes. Once active, Arphenion gains three times the speed and dexterity of a normal elf, as well as two times the strength.
After this has been used, he feels winded and worn out, like a rush of adrenaline just hit him and left all at once. This effect lasts for up to a minute.
The Lidless Eye - Support
The only ever-present entity in the world of Althanas is magic, and it has a knack for being part of everything. The Lidless Eye of The Tap is part of the half-elf at all times, whether conscious or not. Subconsciously, uses it to write magic (requires special ink and parchment) and reads magic, as well as senses it when it is around him. He cannot identify exactly what the magic is, but he can tell the area from which it is coming.
Dreamer State - Support
The Tap is pervasive, seeping into every part of him. It is the wellspring of knowledge from which everything flows, and as such is part of the future, present, and past. This means that when he sleeps his mind dreams not of subconscious thoughts but of visions the Tap provides. He can see what will happen, things that have happened, and what might be happening at the time he is asleep. This is not an ability that gives him much other than random deja vu, potential scattered information about past events, or things of that nature. Doesn’t allow him to know anything about characters that is not already common knowledge or allowed by another writer.
Reflect/Reverse - Combat Support
This spell allows Arphenion to, twice per battle or up to four times a day, reflect or reverse a single spell equivalent to his level or lower. Reflecting the spell is just as it sounds, being able to swat a fireball back at its creator without taking damage. Reverse means that he can actually turn a beneficial magical ability back on its user for a few minutes that it would otherwise be active; i.e. a spell that gives x5 strength would actually reverse that and drain them of that ability, but only for the given amount of time.
In the case of supernatural attributes that are not spell based/activated, this has no effect.
Forsaken Defiled Mage
Pocket Dimension - Support
Arphenion is able to reach into the depths of the Great Nether, pulling forth anything stored within the pocket his soul once occupied in the damnation. He can store small items, large weapons and smaller, and summon the pocket at will to draw them back to him.
Spirit Link - Support
The taint of the Forsaken has left him with an interesting magical ability allowing him to pull a sliver of someone’s soul from their body and attach it to his own. The participant must be willing in order for the ability to fully work, but if the strand is forcibly removed there is a chance of it being rejected or fading over time. The weaker the person the spell is used on, the better chance that it will remain intact.
Once the connection between Arphenion and the other person is established, he is able to at any time draw on the thread. This allows him to telepathically communicate, and sense how they are and a vague understanding of their location.
Hands of Decay - Combat
The lingering corruption of the Forsaken and the magic he used has infected the body of the half-elf, leaving him with barely contained darkness writhing through his blood. Whenever he summons the power of the polluted blood his hands darken and the veins begin to blacken, spreading up his arm the longer it is active. Every moment it is active his body begins to be worn, and eventually falters altogether, until it surges through him completely and he dies. His hands are able to decay matter with enough time. Currently he could sustain the destruction for only thirty minutes at most. As with the list below, it cannot be used very effectively in battle against armored opponents and must be sustained to be used in a quest (with the addendum that the list is for metal, wood, and other hard materials, things like paper and common cloths are easy to destroy).
It also leaves blisters and boils on the skin as if someone contracted a blight. The more strikes on the same area the worse they get, and skin would begin to disintegrate as if from disease or infection.
- Tier 1 = 10 min
- Tier 2 = 20 Min
- Tier 3 = 30 Min
History
Family History
Seventeen generations before Arphenion was born his family made their place in Raiaera, cemented the future that the boy would one day be born into and become a part of.
Jacques Mercier was one of many called Mercier at the time, a name that transitioned from a clan of subjugated or displaced humans into a surname that spread far and wide. In the Raiaeran human’s tongue it meant trader, as almost all humans were given surnames to denote their jobs or responsibilities. Jacques was a trader, as his name-sake implied, but was drafted into the elven military during the endless skirmishes with the nation of Alerar. For centuries the two had fought each other, pointless battles between the nations had always seen humans drawn into service.
At one of the battles the dark elves had ambushed the small party of high elves and human counterparts, catching them in the high mountain passes. The company of men defended their own, creating a spear wall in the bottleneck of the pass. Untrained farmers, craftsmen, and dissidents were weathered down by crossbow and javelin until their crumbling resolve was dealt its final blow.
With night falling on the group, wounded calling out to the snaking winds in the pass, and only half the company still holding death was a promise. Jacques prayed to the stars above, asking the elven gods for a kind eye and a peaceful end. However, the longest night of Mercier’s life came and went without the descent of the dark-skinned elves. As the sun crested the horizon, caressing the Mountains of Twilight, the silhouette of reinforcements on their way brought a cheerful cry to the lips of the broken humans.
The great Bladesinger – Theodemar Vesryn – and a squad of comrades brought more than just aide, they brought the songs of Aglarlin. The bolstered troops gathered while the wounded were tended to, readying for the retreat back to the lives and families they had left behind. The injured slowly made their way through the pathways, with comrades helping carry supplies and gear behind, and Jacques left with a handful of humans and the Bladesinger squad to defend the rear. Less than an hour into the retreat the company was ambushed by the Aleraran troops. Flanked and scattered, the battle was bloody.
Men on litters were slain, the men helping them cut down, and only the handful of able bodies were left to fight for their lives. Bardic songs resounded through the narrow pass, filling Mercier and his mates with the strength to fight. It was in that day that Jacques threw his shield and body at three dark elves, saving the great Theodemar from an attempt on his life. It was in that skirmish that he made his name, given a plot of land for his service and willingness to sacrifice his life to save the elven commander. The Bladesinger gifted him with more than just land though, giving him the honorary name Lecuyer – shield-bearer – which he took as his surname.
For the rest of his life Jacques established his fertile land and for generations to come the Lecuyer name transitioned into a name synonymous with trade. The Chateau De Lecuyer was built from the small country house, more land was added, and the lands of Jacques became something more. Outside of the growing city of Trenyce the wealthy family held power in their own way, no noble title to command true authority they did establish trade routes and through determination hold those they created and those they gained from others.
Personal History
Arphenion grew up a child of privilege, the first born of Pierre De Lecuyer. From a young age he had the best of two worlds, both elven and human. His father was a dominant member of the Lecuyer family, one of the four brothers and patriarch. Learning from Pierre gave him the acumen of a shrewd businessman, and his uncles taught him just as much. Life in the chateau offered him access to anything he desired, including wealthy pastime passions such as hunting, the arts, and social intrigue.
His mother, Valadhiel Lassalil, was also from a wealthy family, but one of longstanding Raiaeran descent. The relationship between the Lassalil and De Lecuyer family was one of business, but the love between Arphenion’s parents was true and the arranged marriage was happily accepted by both. Valadhiel was beautiful, her angelic features as soft and alluring as her character and resolution were strong. She spent countless hours with her eldest, honing his musical and artistic interests, as well as teaching him of the great lineage of the Lassalil and De Lecuyer families.
However, outside of the Chateau De Lecuyer, the half-elf was treated with the deference he deserved but not the respect. The other children of the freeman farmers and merchants, whether they were elves or humans, looked down on his mixed blood and features. His nickname of ‘Adanion’ was one he got early, an insult from the elves to his human side and accepted by humans after seeing that it was hurtful. As he grew older, Arphenion pulled away from the pure blooded denizens of his family's lands, focusing on his life of wealth.
Decades before the war with the Forsaken the young half-elf joined the Tel Aglarim to serve the military, serve his nation. He was given the position of Lieutenant with his family's prestige, and prominently grew into the new role. Light cavalry were under his command, a single company, but he learned from the veterans as much as he earned their respect with his willingness to ignore his commission and rank. By the time he was given the rank of Captain, the Bladesingers took notice. It was less than a year into his training as a Bladesinger that the Corpse War began.
Over the next decade or so Arphenion developed his voice, learned a few spells, and as a low ranking member of the Bladesingers was assigned to a small squad. It was towards the end of the war that his squad was sent to the south, scouting the area at the edge of the Red Forest in order to gain intelligence on their enemy. He was part of a four man team, roaming the edge of the forest, when they were attacked. They desperately sought any form of refuge from the twisted woods, but their enemy gave chase – unafraid of the corrupted forest. A small horde of undead and the lich commanding them lost six troops for each Bladesinger they killed, but eventually all four were dead. Their bodies were left deep in Lindequalme…
