22
Human
Sorcerer with Cleric training
Blade-Ended Magical Staff
Dorothea is not that special. Her features and skin tone indicates she has Ellenzagian ancestors, like the majority of Volenstul's Human residents. She stands at 5'6", with little in the way of muscle mass. A sedentary life within the Gallows has in turn left her rather soft, making her both curvy in the right and wrong places, a fact she dislikes being reminded of. A rather strange feature is her hair pigmentation. Platinum-blonde hair is a very rare trait, especially on someone who does not otherwise exhibit albinistic tendencies.
Usually garbed in the brightly colored and ostentatious mage robes of the Htead Gallows to her great shame, Dorothea prefers simple, loose and light clothing. Having been forced to wear entangling robes most of her life, she obviously dislikes wearing things that restrict her movement or unduly presses down on her body.
Dorothea remembers no life outside the Htead Gallows. It is equally plausible she was some offspring of unknown parents taken away to be "protected" after signs of magic in her, or her parents are or were mages within the Gallows themselves, illegally fostering a child outside the purview of their protectors. Either way, the guards nor her fellow mages have been very forthcoming with answers, and eventually Dorothea stopped asking.
Dorothea's childhood was nothing special. She, like the other young mages, were taught by a mix of their elders and their protectors. "Magic must serve, and never rule.", they said, again and again. Dorothea could not care one lick about ruling anything. What she wanted was freedom. An existence within the Gallows' walls is by no means uncomfortable, mind you. The mages do not live in squalor, for their self-proclaimed guardians do not wish to incite rebellions and escape attempts. Dorothea herself had little to complain about in terms of accommodations or food. In the end however, a cage is still a cage, no matter how much gilded gold or fine silk you drape over it. Dorothea understood this early in her life, spending much time in the upper towers to gaze across the chaotic hustle and bustle of Volenstul. A world that would forever be beyond her grasp, if her captors had their way...
As she entered her teenage years, it quickly became apparent to the powers that be, that she'd grown up to be a troublemaker. She avoided pranks and the mishaps of her fellow students, for she had bigger plans. She would be the first to escape from the Gallows in living memory. For a month she played the dutiful student and mage, even halting her habitual avoidance of chapel attendance and healing classes. Finally, when she was certain she was ready, she executed her plan, intending to flee the Gallows through a number of old tunnels deep below the surface.
After what felt like hours of stumbling in the dark, crawling through pipes and passageways, and nearly losing herself entirely in the darkness, Dorothea stumbled out into light...and the arms of an awaiting figure.
Master Arvis Deylin was a wizened member of the Gallows, a leading magical scholar and teacher. In the absence of anyone else, the doddering old man had become as close to a father figure as Dorothea could ever had, and he had known all along. That moment, realizing she was finished, Dorothea broke down into a mess of tears and pleas. It was all for naught...
Deylin knew of her plans, but had also seen her prowess and ability. It would be a waste of her potential to see her imprisoned or killed. He could not let her escape, but he did offer her an alternative. An alternative she eagerly grasped for. From then on, she became his apprentice, going where-ever he went, be it on tours of the Imperial Court, travels into the wilderness collecting ancient lore, or anything in-between. In moments of calm, he taught her all he knew.
And then, one day while away from the Capital, investigating recently unearthed ruins, Master Deylin disappeared. His tent was missing, as though it had never been set, and in it's place Dorothea could only find a simple satchel. Sealed within it was a simple journal, page upon page written in a script completely unknown to the young mage, and a strange obsidian amulet. Distraught and confused, Dorothea wept with grief, until she realized her jailors would soon again seek her out. Without the protection of Master Deylin, she was vulnerable.
And so, she made her own escape, fleeing with no set destination in mind, the journal and amulet tightly pressed to her chest. She could not...would not return to the Gallows. She would find her missing Master again, and this time...
This time she'd ensure they both retained their freedom.
Likes:
- Experimenting - (Magic is a fascinating subject. Imagine what we could do with it, if we could just do a little more?)
- Beautiful Views - (When she was young, she used to climb up the tallest tower of the Gallows, and watch Volenstul go about it's day.)
- Painting / Doodling - (A recommendation from Master Deylin. It helps Dorothea relax and de-stress.)
- Sweets / Sugary Treats - (Dorothea's sweet tooth was the second-most poorly kept secret amongst the students.)
Dislikes:
- Enclosed Spaces - (After a rather traumatic event during her escape, Dorothea has begun to exhibit strong claustrophobic tendencies.)
- Authorities - (Why do they have the right to tell us what to do? Who gave them that privilege?)
- Anti-Magic Views - (Mages are people, just as you are. Why do you seek to torment us for the misfortune of our birth?)
- Mirrors - (Her former peers made it clear she would never be beautiful. She dislikes seeing they were right...)
You must have three abilities and give a short description of each ability.
- Magical Prowess: Restricting though the Gallows may be, there is no denying those mages intered within it's walls are masters of their craft, taken from all corners of the Empire. With such an illustrious set of teachers, there is little wonder that Dorothea is well on the way to mastering the magical schools herself. There is little magic she is unfamiliar with, even outside her chosen schools of study.
- Runecarving: A time-consuming and stressful school of magic with a number of useful applications nonetheless. The art of enchantment and runecraft can enhance and improve regular objects with magical effects, so long as it's charge of magical energy persists.
- Blood Magic: While distasteful to the extreme, there is power in the blood of the living. Incredible spells could be cast by those desperate or crazy enough to sacrifice their own vitality, or that of others, willing or otherwise...
What are the drawbacks of those abilities?
- The Empire has very strict and specific rules concerning mages and magic. While this is not much of a problem on the periphery and borderlands, the closer one comes to the center of Imperial power, the more cautious a mage must be, even one supposedly vetted by the Gallows. The consequences for any suspected free mage can be quite dire indeed.
- In addition to the regular dangers associated with open displays of magic, runecrafting is illegal for a reason. Improperly made or decayed runes have a tendency to leak it's mana charge, causing disfigurement and injury to those exposed to it over long durations.
- It goes without saying attempting to even research Blood Magic is a heinous crime. To cast it's spells is to forever damn your soul in the eyes of the divine, and mark you as a danger to all around you. An Other. A monster. A Maleficar.
- Arcana: After all these years of study, Dorothea better know the ins and outs of arcane academia! She could probably recite it in her sleep if needed.
- Medicine: With a rare aptitude for restorative magic, Dorothea took remedial classes to ensure she could use her natural talent properly in emergency situations.
- Religion: Try as she might, Dorothea could never quite get the teachings of the damn clerics and jailors out of her head after a lifetime of repetition and testing.
Theme Song:
Pandolin,
Ti,
jasbraq,
WhiteAngel25,
Fetzen,
Jamesyco,
Bartimaeus,
Vampiretwilight,
Crimson Flame
