[hider=Math Luc du Châtelet][CENTER][h1]Math Luc du Châtelet[/h1][/CENTER] [i]"Don’t worry, I’m one of the good ones."[/i] [table][row][/row][row][cell] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/gonErdS.jpeg[/img] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [sub][color=4967d5]Math Luc du Châtelet[/color] [color=4967d5]He/Him [b]|[/b] 22 [b]|[/b] Shadar-kai [b]|[/b]] 5’11” [b]|[/b] 130lbs [b]|[/b][/color] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [color=4967d5]Ardor[/color] [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [color=4967d5]Skills & Talents[/color][/sub] [i]"I wasn’t born perfect - just with more promise than my peers. I jest, of course!"[/i] [sup]___________________________________[/sup][/center][hider=] [sub][color=4967d5][b][Money where his mouth is] ⫻[/b][/color] Math was a prodigy from an early age, the prize of his family. Showered with praise and guidance from as early as he could remember, his ambition allowed no room for complacency. He studied under the greatest teachers available, subjects ranging from mathematics to literature, physics to archery. Tutors sung his praise. While he might seem cavalier at first, there is substance to his claims. [color=4967d5][b][Silver tongue] ⫻[/b][/color] Witty, charming, and clever, Math is a true conversationalist, and a formidable opponent in an argument. Having spent years mingling with the lower classes, he can talk his way in, and out, of nearly any setting, situation, or problem. One might describe him as a master manipulator, though that, of course, is surely hyperbole. [color=4967d5][b][Heredibus Suis] ⫻[/b][/color] Math benefits from his Shadar-kai heritage, inheriting the gifts bestowed upon his people by the Raven Queen. Cloaked in shadow, he can teleport at will, though still grapples with the frustrating parameters of distance and endurance. His innocuous appearance, which allows him to pass for an elf of ambiguous ancestry, can be a valuable element of surprise. [color=4967d5][b][Sorcerer’s ember] ⫻[/b][/color] Growing up, Math’s talents were attributed solely to a fortuitously brilliant mind. It was only later, when he set out on his journey, that the embers, nursed unseen for years, ignited his true power. He can wield arcane energy at will, drawing from channels within, through the true nature of this gift, if indeed it is something that can even be given, remains a mystery. [/sub][/hider] [/cell][cell][sub][color=4967d5][b] Appearance[/b][/color][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i]"Oh darling, your words can’t hurt me. Don’t you know it's the inside that counts?"[/i] [indent]Math is no stranger to flattery. He inhabits ambiguity with grace, and attracts all sorts of attention from those he comes across. He’s of a slim build and average height for an elf, the balanced curves of his body easily moulded to whichever impression he wishes to give. He wields his body with the precision of someone who is well practiced in interoception, and has learned the nuances of movement. His skin is exceedingly pale and, as a Shadar-kai, desaturated enough to leave an almost uncanny impression when interpreted as an elf of different lineage. In contrast, his hair is jet black, and cut severely to follow the line of his jaw. Freckles dust his nose and cheeks, and he is prone to burning if exposed to excessive sunlight. His features are sharp, and at rest his expression can seem overly stern and dignified, but more often than not he is expressive, open, if a little self-conscious. His pupils are lost in the black of his eyes, making him hard to truly read, like an unsolved span of prose. Math wears a turtleneck shirt and trousers, both black and tailored exquisitely, punctuated by a black leather corset belt, to which his rapier, holster, and an accessible leather pouch are attached. His boots are black and thigh high, laced from top to bottom. He wears a slim fitting black coat, much shorter in the front than the back, embroidered with delicate, silver sigils. To one lapel a silver brooch bearing his family sigil is attached, two chains connecting it to a button on the opposite side. Protecting his neck and chest he wears a black leather pauldron which extends to cover his shoulders. Over his right shoulder he wears a shoulder cape with thick silver fur at the point of attachment. [/indent] [/cell][/row][/table][sub][color=4967d5][b] Psychology[/b][/color][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i]"When they see what I can do, what I am… Oh, I can feel the warmth of it already."[/i] [INDENT][color=4967d5][b]MAIN GOAL ⫻[/b][/color] Math has something to prove. Leaving home with wounded pride and a determination to prove his superiors wrong, he treads the line between challenging the boundaries of who he can be, and orienting himself to the path that had been set out before him long ago. [color=4967d5][b]PHILOSOPHY ⫻[/b][/color] Math can’t help but feel a sense of superiority when comparing himself to others - even his kin. Despite yearning for their acceptance, he’s pulled by a dark sense of justice, like a prophet whose words have yet fallen on deaf ears. [color=4967d5][b]SECRETS ⫻[/b][/color] Math often comes across as warm and authentic, but his true authenticity lies in how easily he plays each role… and plays the people who trust him. Carefully curated and packaged as natural, his need to be liked conceals deep insecurity, and a fractured sense of self. [color=4967d5][b]SEXUALITY ⫻[/b][/color] Bisexual. [color=4967d5][b]FEARS ⫻[/b][/color] That it was all for nothing. That his fervent momentum is leading him to a cliffedge he can’t avoid. That in being everything for everyone, he’s left with nothing at his core. [color=4967d5][b]WHAT BROUGHT THEM TO GREYHARROW ⫻ [/b][/color] Math is searching. For what, he can’t say. A spark of inspiration, perhaps, or enlightenment, or a setting he can plot the arc of his redemption. Having followed a trail of bounty posters to the periphery, wretched and eccentric, his eye is out for a familiar face. Perhaps an explanation might arrange his fractured understanding of his life. Perhaps revenge might give clarity to his muddled thoughts. [color=4967d5][b]WHAT DO OTHERS IN TOWN THINK OF THEM ⫻ [/b][/color] As a newcomer, his presence is a curiosity. He comes across as charming and selfless, a genuine ear that new acquaintances can share their story with. But Math’s perfection, an asset when garnering trust and friendship elsewhere, comes across to some as suspicious. In a sanctuary for the downtrodden and discarded, trust isn’t as easily given. Many came here to seek refuge from the monsters under the mask. [color=4967d5][b]EQUIPMENT ⫻[/b][/color] Black leather light armour - pauldron and gauntlets. Pistol. In his pouch he keeps a set of lockpicks, makeup, mirror, and spare bullets. Aside from the clothes he presents in, he took little of his previous life with him when he left. He’s confident in his ability to acquire the things he needs through various means. [color=4967d5][b]FLAWS ⫻[/b][/color] Having shaped his identity around what others think of him, he can struggle to make genuinely autonomous, logical decisions, often prioritising the appearance of an outcome over its alignment with his principles. He can be fickle, painfully shallow, yet quietly obsessive, driven by a need for approval - especially from the few people he sees as equal to him. Due to this, he is unable to forge meaningful relationships based on mutual trust. He is paranoid, often seeing condemnation where there is none, and this can lead to a sudden prickly defense in his worst moments. His perfectionism often affects his ability to complete tasks, and he lacks the practicality that comes with growing up outside of nobility. [/INDENT] [sub][color=4967d5][b] Backstory[/b][/color][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i]"It wasn’t lonely. I had everything."[/i] [indent]Math was born into a noble family. His father was traditional but fair, though Math was closest with his mother. As he grew, they noticed early on that he learned remarkably quickly, and was advanced for his age. Before he started formal schooling, they invested in the finest tutors to teach him all sorts of things, and he absorbed the lessons with ease. When he wasn’t training, he spent much of his time with his mother, who doted on him endlessly, investing a great amount of hope and energy in her child. When he reached the age of formal education, instead of attending preparatory school he continued to be home schooled for a year, before convincing his parents to allow him to attend university early. Living away from home for the first time, he was a divisive figure. Half of the professors loved him; the other half found his arrogance abrasive, and went out of their way to challenge him further. The other students, sometimes twice his age or more, often resented him, though with the cloying niceties of the nobility it was only behind his back that they spat their venom. Math himself had no time to consider their opinions. It was his goal to become the heir his parents were owed, and he was determined to show them that their faith was not misplaced. Any time he wasn’t in trance, he was studying, practicing, and learning how to use his growing arsenal of skills to secure his place on the top. After denying plentiful requests for him to visit his family, and evading correspondence more over time, his parents formally summoned him back home for a month’s break. It was the first time he’d seen them since leaving, though his mother’s clinginess felt smothering, and his father spared little emotional warmth. They observed him critically, and then opened discussion of his future. Several suitors had been selected, they told him, men who would advance the family’s status. Math hadn’t considered partnership at that point, though he was nearing adulthood. The thought of courtship repelled him. In the traditional ways of the noble families, while women were just as esteemed and formidable as their husbands, they were also expected to submit to him only in matters of furthering the bloodline. The crux of the issue, though Math didn’t know this of himself yet, was that he wasn’t a woman. The resulting argument left him and his parents on bad terms. Returning to university with a wounded ego and new doubts about his life’s trajectory, Math found solace in sneaking out to the surrounding towns and cities, and mingling for the first time with the lesser classes. His view of the world became richer, and he started to lean into the performance of relationships, both at school and with the new folk he encountered. Perhaps the most impactful part of his rebellious years was his relationship with a woman. One night, as he was sneaking out of the residence of a human merchant, alleviating him of some of his bloated wealth, he stumbled across that very merchant being murdered. The murderer became a close friend, and something more, as they spent time aiding each other in their crimes, learning from each other and letting walls down that had never been crossed before. It was during that time that Math realised he desired women, and then later on realised that he was not a woman himself. When they split, it was on bad terms. Spurred by betrayal and heartbreak, Math impulsively, destructively, informed his parents on no uncertain terms that he would not be marrying, and that he would be living as the man he was from then on. The fallout was predictably explosive, though emotion had clouded Math’s foresight and thus horrified him nonetheless. Withdrawing him from the university, his parents summoned him home, where they humiliated him with the scorn and disappointment that had gone unsaid for years. His mother, in particular, was inconsolable. A marriage date was set, and within their opulent estate Math became a prisoner. After his fiancé’s envoy arrived, Math made a decision. His parents, whom he’d revered his whole life, trusting in their wisdom and fortitude, simply couldn’t match the intellect he’d grown into. No one could. They were misguided, and he’d teach them their errors with the same patient, but unrelenting hand they’d used when raising him. At night, he snuck into his fiancé’s chambers and killed him in his sleep. An example to be made. Then he left, on a quest to become just as great, if not greater, as he was within his own society. His parents couldn’t be proud of him when he followed the path they’d set for him, because they were blind to what their son was capable of. [/indent] [sub][color=4967d5][b]Sorcerer | Rogue[/b][/color][/sub] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i]"Some things require a delicate touch, but I’m not scared to get my hands dirty."[/i] [indent][color=4967d5][b]TYPE ⫻[/b][/color] Sorcerer, Aberrant | Rogue, Soulknife [color=4967d5][b]FIGHTING STYLE⫻[/b][/color] Out of all the weapons Math has trained with, he prefers a versatile mix of ranged and close range weapons, focusing on skill and strategy rather than brute strength. [color=4967d5][b]CANTRIPS ⫻[/b][/color] [indent][color=4967d5][b]Friends⫻[/b][/color] When wearing makeup or perfume, Math is able to emanate a sense of friendship or attraction towards someone he can see nearby. The effect is difficult to resist, and most of the people he’s targeted are charmed, so long as they are humanoid and not currently fighting him. If distracted, Math can lose control of the spell. He uses it sparingly, because afterwards, those he uses it on can sense that their béguin was artificial. [/indent] [color=4967d5][b]1ST LEVEL⫻[/b][/color] [indent][color=4967d5][b]Sleep⫻[/b][/color] By blowing a pinch of rose petals or sand, Math can cause any target unable to resist the spell, within a 5 ft radius of his choosing, to lose control of their muscles, causing them to call limp. If they are still able to break free of the spell’s effect, they are rendered unconscious. Math’s control can be broken if his targets are harmed. The spell loses power after a minute. Creatures which don’t require sleep, or are immune to exhaustion, are able to resist the spell. [color=4967d5][b]Witch Bolt⫻[/b][/color] Math can summon lighting and form a sustained arc of electricity between himself and a chosen target, causing them injury. He can subsequently cause a surge of lighting to hit them at intervals at will for up to a minute.[/indent] [color=4967d5][b]CURRENT WEAPONS/TOMES/STAFFS ⫻[/b][/color] When Math left home, his haste caused him to overlook the need to bring weapons. Lacking his preferred rapier, he relied on magic for some time until a flashy pistol caught his eye. With an abundance of gold to sweeten the deal, he seduced the pistol’s owner into parting with the weapon, and it is now an invaluable companion wherever he goes. [color=4967d5][b]TRAINING ⫻[/b][/color] Math recieved a mix of formal schooling and private tutorage in a wide range of weapons. While battle was not expected for someone of his station, it is customary for nobles to master at least one fighting technique, and sports like fencing and archery are seen as an art. Math enjoyed these lessons as a break from purely intellectual pursuits, practicing in his free time as a form of stress relief. He particularly enjoyed the elegance of fencing, winning tournaments often, and when he began sneaking into the nearby city, he learned apply theory to real fights. While lacking the interest in archery, when he later acquired a pistol on his travels he became obsessed with mastering it, and spent many a candlelit night pouring over its components when staying at inns. His previous schooling on crossbow and archery, and his knack for picking up new skills, allowed him to become quickly comfortable with the firearm. [color=4967d5][b]LIMITS ⫻[/b][/color] The main limit to Math’s magical ability is that its source is interwoven with his very essence. Using it too liberally or recklessly causes a toll, physically and spiritually, and instead of learning to temper its flow he uses it in dramatic bursts. As he grows stronger, the repercussions become more severe. [color=4967d5][b]WEAKNESSES ⫻[/b][/color] (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU) [/INDENT] [sup][color=4967d5][b] Other[/b][/color][/sup] [sub][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][/sub] [i]"Extra Quote here."[/i] [indent]Anyyyything else?[/INDENT] [/hider]