[hider=Yalen Castel, Year 2][center][h2][u] Yalen Castel [/u][/h2][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hdJIatA.png[/img][/center] [b][center] "If the law is not perfect, then it is our duty to make it so." [/center][/b] [center][h3][b] 17 | Male | Miatto | Clergy | 6.25(7.38) [/b] [/h3][/center] [h3][u]P E R S O N A L I T Y [/u][/h3] [indent]❖ [ Ascetic ] ❖ [ Devout ] ❖ [ Patient ] ❖ [ Friendly ] ❖ [ Justified ][/indent] Yalen is an honest and friendly individual. He isn't shy at all, but he does get flustered easily. He is happy to offer his company to anyone who comes, paying no mind to barriers such as faith or social standing. He is open minded to other people's eccentricities and tries to act without prejudice. Yalen is an easy person to approach and have a conversation with, and he loves to hear other people's stories and learn about their passions and goals. He understands that humans often suffer from inner turmoil and occasionally require guidance. Yalen is a patient listener and will try to instruct others with the faith's teachings when they are feeling lost. As long as he sees a little bit of good in someone, he won't turn away from them. At the same time, he is prepared to educate the world's petty tyrants through force and coercion. Yalen is not as naive as he used to be. He has learned that some people's hearts cannot be reached with words alone. Yalen has little interest in material possessions or wealth. As long as he has the means to survive, he would be happy to sleep on the hard ground if necessary. If he pays for better lodgings for himself, it is because someone living with him would be made more comfortable. If he purchases a piece of land, it is because he needs the income to support his holy duties. Despite being strict with himself, Yalen still has things he enjoys, such as enjoying a good meal with friends. He loves food so much that he has begun learning how to cook, and he plans to open his own inn someday. As a former follower of the Creator, Yalen had an unfaltering belief in the sanctity of life. Yalen had a hard time engaging in the act of violence, and even killing a creature maddened by the void filled him with self doubt. Though his heart has been tempered by combat, the mercy in his soul will never fade completely. It takes great strength to defeat a person without killing them, so he has begun to grapple with his study of magic more earnestly than before. [h3][u]C H A R A C T E R A P P E A R A N C E [/u][/h3] Yalen has grown since his freshman year, but at five feet and six inches he is still an average person. He has a handsome, almost pretty face, with golden hair and dull blue eyes. His skin has become more fair, and his weak body has been beaten into the shape of a proper warrior. Yalen currently presents himself as a High Somnian to disguise his true allegiance. He insists on wearing his abbey attire despite being a wizard in training, causing some confusion among new students. He does have some casual clothing available, but he just feels more comfortable as is. It is also more convenient to look the part of the priest, as most people aren't crazy enough to draw the ire of the Quentic church. He has trouble walking, and often has to wear supportive footwear to stay on his feet. He used to walk around with a cane but recently gained possession of a pair of leg braces from a tethered refuge. This has aided his mobility and he can perform most activities normally, such as running and swimming, but he has to do it slower and more methodically. [h3][u]L A N G U A G E S [/u][/h3] Perrench, Avincian, Miattan, Revidian (learning) Many of the abbey's texts are written in Avincian, which is how Yalen learned the language. Perrench he has learned to understand through exposure, and he has begun taking classes to learn Revidian as well. He plans to learn the languages of all the major Quentic cultures in due time. [h3][u]T H E G I F T [/u][/h3] Yalen was raised to be a monk and has no formal background in the magical arts. His gift was discovered unexpectedly some time after he went through puberty. His initial education in magic came from his adoptive father, an abbot and also a blueblooded nobleman. Because he started down the path of wizardry later than many other students at Ersand'Enise, Yalen always has to look for opportunities to practice so that he won't fall behind. Yalen's score identifies him as an average mage, but looks can be deceiving. Whoever gave birth to him had the Tethering in their bloodline, and as a recipient of that curse he has been given a powerful edge over other spellcasters. The distance at which he can read, draw, and cast is several times higher than even those in the 8 RAS range. His maximum engagement range is a little over seven kilometers. His third eye is also very sensitive, allowing him to locate sources of power in difficult places, and perceive things that others may have missed. Yalen has slowly been practicing various skills to compensate for his ordinary RAS. Over time he has become a capable freecaster, and has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to cast spells without making gestures or even looking at his target. Another skill he finds useful is channeling, which opens the way to larger and more powerful spells at the cost of expediency. As it was the first kind of magic he ever used, Yalen's initial focus was on Arcane studies. He tended to focus on the utilitarian aspect of the school, such as blinding enemies with light and manipulating temperatures. After experiencing battle firsthand he has reconsidered his priorities and shifted focus elsewhere. Leveraging his background in medicine, Yalen has become somewhat proficient in the study of the Chemical arts. His specialty is internal chemistry but he has begun looking into external chemistry as well. He is also a passable Binder and Magnetic mage, schools which augment his ability to alter the body's humors. He has been made aware of forbidden concepts like offensive drawing and dark magic, and while he may have had religious objections to such things before, his mindset as a Dark Somnian is a bit more pragmatic. The Art of Command is a secret school of magic shared with only the most trusted servants of Quentic society, giving them the strength to force the most powerful of mages to kneel before them. As a reward for defeating an immensely powerful demon, he has been granted special permission to receive his initiation. [b]Competencies: Chemical (4), Magnetic (2), Binding (2), Arcane (1), Command (2) Blood type: Blackblood, Tethered[/b] [h3][u]B A C K G R O U N D [/u][/h3] Yalen was an orphaned child, born in lands unknown and relinquished by his mother in the country of Miatto. His hometown of Verignac is a small farming community near the border of Perrence. He was taken in by a Dordian monastery, where a sect of the Brothers of Sunset practiced their faith in service of the community. He was more optimistic than most kids in the same circumstances, and throughout his childhood he expressed more interest in theological studies than the others. Seeing true faith in the young Yalen, the head of the monastery felt his heart moved, and a few years after he came to the church Yalen found himself adopted by Charles Castel. He had his son formally inducted into the clergy with his consent, and from then on the young monk was trained in ways of his order. Yalen's ordinary life was changed when he underwent puberty. As his body matured so did the manas that were lying dormant inside of him, and when he began to visibly release his magic in uncontrolled ways, his father decided to have his magic formally tested. During the testing process many things were discovered about his gift, including his unnaturally long range of effect. There was only one conclusion that could be drawn from this, and that was him being a Tethered. It was a disease rarely seen outside of a handful of specially prepared hostels. Thankfully, Yalen's father thought better of shipping him off to some unknown refuge. When the boy learned that he might die much sooner than his loved ones, he was sad at first, but through heartfelt prayer he discovered a new path for himself that he was compelled to follow. He asked his father to send him to magic school so that he could strengthen his gift and use it as a tool to help the needy. Charles agreed. In another world line, Yalen's destiny was likely to be a healer and a scholar. He might have walked across the land seeking out the poorest of villages, offering alms and prayers to those who were sick. Whatever that destiny might have been, it was forever changed by the interference of Hugo Hunghorasz, the most powerful wizard on the Twin Continents. Seeking the budding priest's aid in the rescue of his fellow Tethered, Hugo sent him on a mission with many of his peers. It was a dangerous quest that almost cost him his life, but through valiant struggles he was able to survive while making many friends and allies along the way. It was in the desert of Torragon that he met his first love: Jocasta Re. Life became busy from then on. Yalen took part in the prestigious Trials, and beyond all his expectations his college placed rather high. During that turbulent arc he continued to visit lands far from home. He walked through savannahs and forests, meeting strange merchants and isolated goat herders. It was a memorable time in his life, but also a painful one, for it was at that time that he received a strange request from Jocasta. He alongside others were sent to the island of Djamant, the place where she was born and where she believed lay the key to recovering the memories she lost to the refuges. While many answers had indeed been found there, Djamant also became the site of a tragic encounter for Yalen. A small army of Quentics appeared seeking Jocasta's head for reasons unknown to him, and they had little interest in sparing the lives of him or his friends. Forced to fight, Yalen fought tooth and nail for the sake of his own survival. He saw his own people die, and while he did not have a direct role in the killing he was most certainly an accomplice. The guilt nearly consumed him. Before he could subject himself to penance, Yalen was approached by a very special individual. That man was Cardinal Verus, the head of the Dark Somnian order. To make a long story short, Yalen was given an offer he could not possibly refuse. He was given salvation as well as enlightenment. He received the answers to many questions that plagued him ever since he met the Paradigm. For these things, Yalen pledged his undying loyalty as a servant of The Judge. [h3][u]M O T I V A T I O N [/u][/h3] Yalen has abandoned his original standing with the Brothers of Sunset, and became an agent of the Dark Somnians. He has made himself an enemy of both the Volti and the Traveler, and he has sworn an oath to bring them to justice by any means necessary. By fulfilling his mission he hopes to make amends for his raising his hand against the church in the defense of his beloved. Even though he finds himself in an unfamiliar environment, Yalen continues to follow the ways of his order. Outside of the academy's lessons, his daily behaviors are mostly unchanged. Yalen still wakes up earlier than required. He says his daily prayers. He tries his best to live virtuously and reflect on the holy scriptures. He has done his best to unite a monk's lifestyle with the life of a student of magic. Seeing his pacifism as a liability in the face of ever increasing threats, Yalen went through harsh training in order to fight alongside his friends. His morning prayers are now accompanied by a strict fitness regimen of sword practice, weight lifting, and daily runs. As someone who has been protected from danger time and time again, he wishes to become a person who can protect others instead. His future goals include goat ranching, inn keeping, and living under the same roof with his newlywed wife Jocasta. [h3][u]I N V E N T O R Y [/u][/h3] ❖ A travel bag filled with various medicines and tools [i]"This is a potion for curing stomach aches."[/i] ❖ An enchanted censer [i] Hegelan made.[/i] ❖ An enchanted breathing mask [i] Hegelan made.[/i] ❖ An enchanted pair of sandals [i] Hegelan made.[/i] ❖ An enchanted blowgun. [i] Hegelan made.[/i] ❖ 9 wyrm scales [i]Dropped by the royal sand wyrm. Might be useful.[/i] ❖ 10 wyrm teeth [i]Dropped by the royal sand wyrm. Might be useful.[/i] ❖ A partially reticulated Froabass named Laila [i]Female. Has an interesting pattern covering her four limbs. It looks like she's wearing socks.[/i] ❖ A pair of pet sea goats named Pollock and Anchovy [i]A gift from a pen pal in Thalakos. Named by Rita.[/i] ❖ Oil from the Plushtail plant [i]Kills manas and stops them from reproducing for a time. Used by refuges to poison the tethered.[/i] ❖ 1850 acres of land in Miatto [i]Encompasses his hometown and the surrounding area. A portion of it is being used for livestock breeding.[/i] Yalen's room at Ersand'Enise is a lot nicer than it used to be. For sophomore year he planned to request accommodations in the noble dorms, which are much larger than the one he currently inhabits. He needed the space to help keep up with the animals he has taken ownership of, and to allow Rita to leave his sister's house in the city and move in with him. His wife Jocasta offered to have him permanently stay at her home instead. He still hasn't done much with the decor in his personal quarters, and usually just lets Rita do as she will with the place. To him it is a place to eat and study, and occasionally sleep when Jocasta gets annoyed with him and kicks him out of their shared bedroom. [h3][u]S T R E N G T H S & S K I L L S [/u][/h3] [indent] ❖ Tethered caster [i]See 'The Gift'.[/i] ❖ Good with people of all ages [i]Just a nice guy.[/i] ❖ Knowledge of herblore and medicine [i]Former Brother of Sunset.[/i] ❖ Decent fighter [i]Taught by his sister.[/i] ❖ Student of the law [i] Necessary for his current occupation.[/i] [/indent] [h3][u]W E A K N E S S E S & F L A W S [/u][/h3] [indent]❖ Easily embarrassed [i]The bar for making him blush is not that high.[/i] ❖ Raised in the countryside [i]Generally well mannered, but ignorant of the trends in high society.[/i] ❖ Honest to a fault [i]Though sometimes a white lie is necessary for the greater good.[/i] ❖ Merciful to his enemies [i]Will his kindness backfire on him someday?[/i] [/indent] [h3][u]M I S C E L L A N E O U S [/u][/h3] ❖ His hometown is called Veyrignac. ❖ The severity of Yalen's disease looks abnormal for his age, but he is actually an example of the Tethering's natural progression. Is it not official knowledge, but tethered children born inside of the refuge system are force fed a mana killing poison which shortens their apparent lifespan. As a freeborn tethered, he is expected to live until a fairly old age. [/hider] Updated Feb 27 2023