[center]Name:
[url=http://wp.tdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ChristianCamargo.jpg]Vincent D'Cerf[/url]

Age:
43

Gender:
Male

Appearance:
Vincent is a tall man, standing a full head taller than the average citizen, and carries himself with a regal grace that makes him instantly recognizable as nobility, even to those who have never seen such a man before. His build is slender, yet possessed of a lithe solidarity that would indicate a background of hardship despite his noble upbringing, and he also possesses a small collection of scars normally hidden by his clothing. His eyes hold the haunted wisdom of a man who has lost much, but also the keen curiosity of one who has studied enough to realize how little he truly knows. His hands, unlike those of most nobles, carry the remnants of callouses indicative of a willingness to work, though they have begun to fade in recent days. Where once his scent was reminiscent of the outdoors, mixed with the aroma of Alder, Birch, and Oak, it is now of a much cleaner aroma, almost on the border of nonexistent, as though he spends too much time bathing and not enough getting out into the world. On the subject of fashion, his tastes tend to air on the side of silken shirts, embroidered vests and knee-length coats, and calf-high boots. The embroidery is tasteful yet not overdone, and if not for the cost and quality of the materials used would be only just on the near side of acceptable for a nobleman.

Role:
Prominent Noble

Renown:
Very Famous

Interests: 
Ever since he was a boy, Vincent has always been fascinated by the mysteries and complexities of the world around him, drawn as much to the study of people as he was to the study of plants, animals, and that ever-pervading force known as magic. It was the last item that captivated him the most, and he has all but dedicated himself to uncovering the vast mysteries regarding that ever-present force and the nature of its interactions with the physical world. Even when he was young, he would spend hours in the mountains surrounding Moonshearth castle, practicing the spells he had learned from the priests and their books, not all of which had been taught on purpose. His mind was well-suited to such academic pursuits, and he quickly mastered every challenge laid before him, whether it be the learning of a new spell or the discovery of a new method to perform them. Hand in hand with this innate talent for magical learning came a similar talent for learning of a more mundane sort, and he took it upon himself to learn as much as he could about the land that his family called home.

Skills:
- Scrying -
An almost laughably simple spell, this ability has very few requirements in order to function, but it is the difficulty in acquiring these necessary components that makes it as rare an ability as it is. That, and the simple fact that those who know it tend not to share. Even Vincent himself, with access to the full library of the D'Cerf coven, had to come by the knowledge of this spell via deceptive means. Of the three things required, a body of water, an incantation to direct the magic, and an item belonging to the target of the spell, it is the last that is always the most difficult to come by. In order for the spell to function with any level of detail or clarity, the object must be one that has been in the possession of the target for a significant length of time, and for the best results it should also be an object of great value to the target. Naturally, the prime difficulty then becomes the acquiring of such an object, as their absence tends to be noticed, after which point they can take precautions against the spell. Thankfully, however, it is rare for a target to realize the true significance of the missing object, due in large part to the rarity of the spell itself and the knowledge of how to perform it.

- Wards -
Due in large part to his relentless study of magic and the various methods and spells used to harness it (as well as a distinct natural talent for it), Vincent has become exceedingly adept at countering a vast multitude of spells and their effects. From the simple annoyance of a laughing hex to the very potent danger of a fireball, he has an almost preternatural ability to devise counter-spells, sometimes even before he fully knows the spell he is countering. When asked to explain this ability, the best he could do was that he sometimes gets feelings about the magic around him, though at first they seemed to come and go with no rhyme or reason. As he grew and trained, however, he began to develop the skill further and learned to correctly guess a majority of the spells he observed another witch performing, even when he had never seen the spell before, or the method the witch was using to perform it.

- Dueling -
Complementing his skill with wards is an unusual talent for dueling, magical contests between two witches that end only when one has bested the other. His preferred method for participating in such activities is via the use of a wand, an enchanted device to aid the witch in the casting of non-verbal spells. Generally, this method of casting is far more rapid than the use of more elaborate incantations or rituals, but the spells often suffer from reduced effectiveness when compared to their slower counterparts. Due to the fast-paced nature of most duels, this tends to become a negligible factor in a majority of cases, as the duelist who can unleash the most spells in the shortest amount of time tends to be the one to gain the upper hand, followed quickly by the victory. To date, Vincent has only lost a single duel, and he is well known as one of the best in the realms, with some even saying there are none who could match him.

- Other -
The extensive study of magic ever since he was a boy has given Vincent an almost unparallelled knowledge of spellcraft, and he has at least dabbled in every known form, from alchemy, to necromancy, to enchanting, and even magic-infused physical combat (though that ended before he got any farther than training with knives). While his specialties are dueling, scrying, and the creation of wards, he nevertheless has a working knowledge of every form of magic that can be taught in the D'Cerf coven, and several forms that can only be found outside its walls.

Personality:
Always being the smartest person in any given room has given Vincent a bit of an ego complex, though not in the way that he believes everyone around him to be beneath him. He simply knows that if he tried to explain everything as he see's it they would likely just stare dumbfounded and think him a gibbering idiot, and so he hides the intellect behind a facade of warm cordiality in order to blend in at the various political functions performed at Castle Moonshearth. In truth, he often prefers the silence of solitude to the buzzing of court, though being the current first in line to the throne has taken away the luxury of remaining absent from the masses, even if he did decline those who wished to raise him to the position. When alone, he is a man driven by vibrant curiosity and a boundless thirst for knowledge, often remaining shut inside his quarters for days on end as he conducts one experiment after another in his attempts to reveal the deepest mysteries of magic. This habit was only heightened after the death of his sister, the High Priestess Olwyn, and it wasn't until recently that he began returning to court, frequently enough that a bodyguard was hired to help protect him.

Biography:
The first thing Vincent remembers is the cold winter day when he and his sister first arrived at Castle Moonshearth, accompanied only by their guardian. The man was elderly, though still far from what one would call frail. He sported a long grey beard and a towering physique that would make any cutthroat think twice, but also a kindly disposition when dealing with the young Vincent and his sister. With a few whispered words between the gatekeeper and the guardian, the two children were admitted into the glorious finery that was the home of the D'Cerf coven, and that was the last time they saw the man. Having never known their parents, he was the only father figure they had until that day, and after that they never had another like him. While Olwyn was taken to the temple of the Occult in order to be trained as a priestess, Vincent was taken in by one of the great scholars of the D'Cerf, and both the children took on the name of the coven as their own, having no other by which to call themselves.

As the years passed, Vincent grew in both knowledge and stature, until his height was just as much a point of fame as was his innate aptitude for learning. By the time he came of age, he had even surpassed several of his teachers in ability, and there were those that speculated he would one day make a play for the throne itself, such was his aptitude at the game. He chose a different path, however, and remained dedicated to his scholarly studies throughout his life, taking only brief respites from the gathering of knowledge to defend his home and his sister whenever the need to do so arose. It was during these times that his talent for spellcraft and dueling shone most brightly, and he bested all but the first of the opponents to come against him.

On the day that he failed his commitment to his sister, the day that her corpse was found clasping the hand of her dead husband and lover, Vincent's life changed forever. He had lost one of the only people in the world he had ever cared for, the one who had been there with him from the beginning, guiding him through the treacherous waters of the personal relationships he had always found to be so tedious and draining. Without her, he would never have been anything more than the curious little boy who just wanted to know how magic worked, and now that she was gone he had lost the only balancing influence on his brilliant but fragile mind. He retreated into the depths of his own studies and refused to see anyone that was not a cook or a servant, and even they were ushered out of his chambers as soon as their tasks were done. He even declined those who were vying to place him on the throne, sending them packing even faster than the others. 

It was not until recently that he finally re-emerged from his downward spiral, stepping back into court with a clean-shaven jaw and the regal presence he had always been known for. He has not yet declared the intent behind his sudden and inexplicable return, and the court is rife with gossip about everything from a play for the throne to a manhunt that will only end with the death of his sister's killer, and there are almost as many rumors about what he might have been doing trapped inside his chambers for so long. Had he succumbed to madness and begun practicing the dark arts of the savages? Perhaps he had been delving into the study of necromancy in order to bring his sister back. Or maybe it had all been a ploy, a scheme to engender uncertainty in the court so he could return in a flourish and claim the throne for himself. No one can say for sure what his intentions are, but it is known that he has not been idle. The acquisition of the hulking bodyguard known as Atlas has only further fueled the rumors, though none can say for certain what his purpose truly is.[/center]