[hider=Selio Taraves]
[center][h2][u] Selio Taraves [/u][/h2]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/aSmr5iy.jpg[/img][/center]
[b][center] "In this place, you can either get ahead or get behind. I see too many others just stepping back to bask in how that Gift of theirs makes them feel, and then not even noticing when it starts withering like some plucked flower. They’re getting behind… I’m getting ahead." [/center][/b]

[center][h3][b] 16 | Male | Torragonese | Noble | 6.6 [/b] [/h3][/center]

[h3][u]P E R S O N A L I T Y            [/u][/h3]
[indent]❖ [Ambitious]
❖ [Unyielding]
❖ [Tightly-wound]
❖ [Temperamental]
❖ [Studious][/indent]

In contrast to his somewhat undeserved reputation at home as a layabout and a scoundrel, Selio is a rigorous academic that will go to almost any length to see the task in front of him through. It is this determination to succeed that saw his entry to the Ersand’Enise Academy in the first place. This dedication to learning goes hand-in-hand with a ruthlessly competitive spirit and a compulsion to move up in the world. The trouble lies in his reaction to all the stress and pressure that comes with the work he tends to accumulate. At the best of times, the youth has a short temperature and volatile emotions, and he is liable to crack under pressure, making spur-of-the-moment, irrational decisions. In order to burn off stress, he sometimes will make impromptu trips to the seediest part of town he can find and disappear for hours at a time.

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Selio often desires approval and attention, and he relies on others more than he believes himself to. Those who can tolerate the occasional outburst will find in the young noble a steadfast friend.

At heart, Selio is a healer, but his desire to succeed sometimes trumps his somewhat underdeveloped sense of empathy and he can needlessly complicate situations where his help is unwanted.

[h3][u]C H A R A C T E R    A P P E A R A N C E            [/u][/h3]
A slight and gangly youth, Selio has already grown to be 5’11” and doesn’t seem to be quite finished growing just yet. He has the typical Torragonese complexion - deeply tanned skin, dark brown eyes and thick black hair. His hair is worn long and usually gathered at the nape of his neck. Selio’s face is long, angular and solemn, which would conceal his emotional nature if not for the near-permanent furrow in his brow.

[h3][u]L A N G U A G E S            [/u][/h3]
Torragonese - Native
Avincian - Fluent
Belzaggic, Revidian - Partial understanding

[h3][u]T H E    G I F T            [/u][/h3]

Late into his childhood, Selio’s strong affinity for Binding manifested itself when he accidentally drew magical energy from his surroundings during a game in the sands outside of his family’s estate. Thankfully, no one was injured, and the young Selio was immediately provided with a tutor - the only mage of similar talent in the area, an old and often drunken man who also took over the majority of the boy’s education in mathematics and sciences. Over time, the youth showed a prodigious talent for healing given his magical capacity, and he received rudimentary training in medicine as well. Finally, in the final years before the fateful day when his brother was found murdered, Selio began his studies into chemical magic and the effects various chemical reactions had on the natural world around him. After his brother’s murder, he was no longer able to study magic in his own home, and so upon his enrollment at Ersand’Enise, he promptly took up right where he had left off previously. His primary school is Binding, with a focus on healing, with a secondary study in Chemical Magic, focusing on offense to complement his primary magical weaknesses.

[h3][u]B A C K G R O U N D            [/u][/h3]

At first glance, the nation of Torragon seems daunting in its size and power - a monolith, complete in the function and motivation of all its parts, moving inexorably towards the goals of the crown. From his vantage point in the Torragonese noble class, however, Selio came to have quite a different understanding of his home country - one in which Torragon is a nest of vipers; serpents eating for their own in a climb towards the top of the pile. Selio’s family, the modest House of Taraves, had, over the years, worked its way to the bottom of the pile by accumulating debts and hemorrhaging wealth and territory. Located near the passes into the arid northern sands, the Taraves’ territory had few subjects and little in the way of natural resources. They had managed to stay afloat, unlike those sent to settle the desert itself, though just barely. 

There was one hope for redemption for House Taraves: Selio’s eldest brother, Imeran. Though young, Imeran showed immense political acumen and was all but ready to take the reins of leadership of the house from their aging father. Tragedy struck in a particularly cruel way, however, when the scion of the family was found senselessly murdered on the street in the midst of a routine trip to a nearby town. No motive other than assassination was determined, no culprit found. The method was particularly heinous - death by blood magic. 

As a talented practitioner of binding magic, Selio found himself beset by suspicion from those outside his family, even longtime friends that he trusted. From within the confines of the Taraves estate, he was met by thinly-veiled disdain from his parents, who had always compared him to his brother and looked with scorn on both his preference for study over politics and his tendency to get into trouble and mischief. Behind closed doors, it was determined that the ‘troubled’ youth could not hope to carry on the house’s legacy, and so Selio was sent away. His parents were not totally unsympathetic - they recognized the importance that becoming a skilled mage held for their son, and so they sent him to study somewhere where his practicing of binding magic would not stir up hushed, frightened whispers of fratricide.

Selio, for his part, has struggled to cope with his brother’s sudden death. Despite the pain that his parents’ scorn brought him, he loved his brother. He has resolved to make a name for himself in his new life, by any means necessary, but he hasn’t forgotten his home, or resigned himself to move forward without finding the truth.

[h3][u]M O T I V A T I O N            [/u][/h3]

Selio first set foot on the grounds of Ersand’Enise with two distinct goals in mind.

First, to become the greatest mage and healer that he possibly can, for fame, glory, and influence. Attending such a world-renowned place of learning is a unique opportunity for the young noble from a down-on-their-luck family to make a much larger impact on the world. 

Second, to learn more about forbidden magics such as, for instance, blood magic, and to see justice brought to those who misuse said magics for abhorrent purposes. Particularly, to find out if there is any way to locate the person that murdered his brother.

[h3][u]I N V E N T O R Y            [/u][/h3]
A well-crafted waterskin: old habits die hard. Water is a precious thing in northern Torragon, and the young Selio still carries his filled waterskin on his person to most places, as a measure of security against a scarcity rendered uncommon so far from home.

Yatagan sabre: 
[hider=Sabre]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/0ZtAVWc.jpg[/img]
[/hider]
All of the Taraves children had some training at arms, as befit noble persons in a hostile environment. Selio received rudimentary, yet thorough training in swordplay, archery, and marksmanship. Out of these, he showed a particular affinity for blades. When he was hastily packing for his trip to Ersand’Enise, he was permitted to take a weapon from the armory, should he need it. This older sabre in a slightly out-of-fashion style was one of the few that could be spared, but nevertheless its light weight, good balance and slender, sinuous blade suit Selio’s fighting style rather well. It is somewhat ornate, yet this is offset by signs of age and wear.

Belt knife: Single-edged, with a slight curve to the tip, with a polished and heat-treated black palm grip. Selio has carried this knife for years, and it comes in handy for a variety of purposes (though most commonly, it was used to trim quill pens and peel fruit). 

Others: A modest sum of coins, mainly Torragonese but with a few new additions from currently closer locales. Several changes of clothes, ranging from the formal to the practical, several in-progress quills, and a small pin with the sigil of his house. 

[h3][u]S T R E N G T H S  &  S K I L L S           [/u][/h3]
[indent]❖ Work ethic: Selio’s discipline and work ethic are incredibly strong. He will devote however much time and energy is needed to see his tasks through to completion.
❖ Affinity for horses: As with nearly all Torragonese, Selio is a born rider. In addition, he has a fine eye for good horseflesh, which he owes to his family. One of the few points of pride and wealth for House Taraves was their fine breeding stock of horses for all purposes, and Selio grew up learning how to judge any such specimens with an exceptionally discerning eye.
❖ Medical skill: Selio’s tutor educated him in the medicinal arts alongside his typical schooling after his magical affinity had manifested itself. While not a fully-fledged doctor, the youth can diagnose and take steps toward treating a remarkable number of injuries for his age, disregarding binding magic.
❖ Curiosity: As many a librarian can attest: the young scholar is willing and able to upend a library in search of the truths that he’s looking for. [/indent]

[h3][u]W E A K N E S S E S  &  F L A W S            [/u][/h3]
[indent]❖ Privilege: Selio, as a noble, is blind to how good he has it, even coming from a disgraced family. He is generally unaware of the regular, everyday struggles that commoners may face.
❖ Temper: Selio has a short fuse. This can damage relationships, complicate tasks and put his reputation in constant jeopardy.
❖ Burnout: That incredible work ethic comes with a big downside: Selio is prone to burnout in the worst way.
❖  Righteous anger: The struggles of House Taraves have instilled in the youth a sense that magic can be used for specific rights and specific wrongs, and it will take much to change his mind once he sees it used for ill.[/indent]


[h3][u]M I S C E L L A N E O U S            [/u][/h3]
*cough*

[/hider]