Name: Sir Isaac Dorovich
Element: Animals/Plants OR Earth/Stone
Age: 23
Race: Human, with a bit of human blood mixed in on his mother's side. Some call him a snake.
Gender: Male
Appearance: As a man from the higher classes of the world, Sir Isaac carries himself with pride, standing at his full height of 6'2" with no slouch in his posture. His wavy, prematurely greyed hair is kept neat yet long, with the bangs kept to the sides to frame his facial features. His paler-than-normal complexion emphasize his piercing golden eyes, which reflect his lust for power and wealth. When excited or making use of his powers, the gold expands, enveloping all but a vertical black slit like a snake's eyes. His dainty, pointed nose and thin lips belie his noble heritage.
Also speaking of his noble heritage are his clothes. Sewn of fine silks and linings by one of the finest tailors in Coake, the dark colors of his outfit contrast beautifully with his skin and hair. His coat is decorated with golden lining and embroidery, removing any doubt of Isaac's supposed standing among the classes of Coake. The dark grey silken robe worn beneath that merely serves to hide whether he is wearing the muffled chainmail he uses for protection on excursions. Finally, his black trousers are tucked neatly into his tall and tough black leather boots, which are lined with golden silks themselves.
Theme Song:
youtube.com/watch?v=zUJPBw9TV8QNature: Sir Isaac is every bit the shrewd businessman that a black market salesman needs to be. He is known throughout the "underworld" for his reliability and skill. He has a rebellious streak, which is what led him to his current profession. Some may find his matter-of-fact, all-business manner when working to be cold or even abrasive, though to him he's merely being "detached". Those who have gotten onto his bad side find he is quick to take up his trusty lance. However...
A few mannerisms remain from the days of his high-class upbringing. He conducts himself with an air of elegance that makes him stand out from those outside the inner district. Those lucky enough to be on good terms with him find he's quite the pacifist, as he frequently moans about times he is forced to use force. So long as he's given the respect he believes he deserves, he is happy to return the favor.
Backstory:
Sir Isaac was born to a wealthy noble family in the city of Jeorvo. His family spared no expense in his education, sending him to the college in Jeorva as soon as he was old enough to attend. There he learned a great many truths of the world, though none were as valuable in his mind as those he learned in alchemical classes. Something just seemed to click for him, and both he and his teachers were startled by his aptitude for the subject. The professors were certain that Isaac had a bright future ahead of him.
However, the future was not so kind. During Sir Isaac's fourteenth year of life, disaster struck the Dorovich clan. Like the other wealthy families of Jeorvo, Sir Isaac's parents decided to move the family's home from Jeorvo to Frel while Sir Isaac studied at college. During the journey, they were accosted by a group bandits that quickly disposed of the hired bodyguards and Sir Isaac's parents, then looted their fortune from the caravan. When Sir Isaac received the news, he was stricken; his whole life had been shattered in a nightmare of brutality. His professors offered to let him study for a year free, but Sir Isaac chose to head home and see what he could salvage of his family's wealth.
When he arrived in his home he found it being burglarized. Isaac, then a man of pure scholarship, had no way to defend himself from their blades nor stop them from taking what they wanted. Thus, he uttered four words that changed his life forever: "Let me join you." The group, surprised, took him in when he told his story. It turned out that the group was part of a crime syndicate which ran a sort of black market in the city, procuring valuables and contraband for their clients. They taught him the ins and outs of the job from the ground up, taking him with them as they stole everything from jewels to rare animal eggs. At age 16 the merchant he procured goods for began to teach him the skills needed for fencing them on the black market proper, such as finding clients, setting up trade locations, and negotiation tactics.
When Sir Isaac turned 17, he awoke to his power. It began with his master's pet dog. The first time it spoke and he heard it, he thought he'd gone loony. The dog was known for being friendly to the shop's customers, greeting them with cheerful barks as they entered. However, that day, Sir Isaac heard only the coarsest of profane terms leave its mouth. For years this dog had been insulting customers, and they'd happily greeted it with treats and friendly pats. Surely Sir Isaac must have been placed under a terrible curse!
Slowly, he began to understand other animals and came to understand something: Many pets were horrible to their owners. They knew they could get away with anything and be rewarded in the end, and so took pleasure in throwing the vilest insults they could at their owners. Where multiple pets were involved, they'd have "conversations" where they tried to outdo each other's insults. The knowledge was jarring to Sir Isaac - though he was a party to thieves, pirates, and smugglers, he had yet to meet any who took such pleasure in negativity. He became certain in that year that he had been cursed.
That idea quickly shattered while traveling through a forest to meet with a long-distance client. The calls of birds, squirrels, and insects filled his ears with the (relative) goodness of wild animals. Enchanted by the newfound beauty of their songs, Sir Isaac found his journey through the woods to be far more pleasant than usual - until a wolf howled. Startled, he sat bolt upright. Being able to understand the wolf's howl, he initially thought they were under attack by bandits - after all, the wolf had called that the "target" was surrounded. Nobody else in the caravan seemed to have heard the "bandit" shout, and the group continued forward. When they rounded a bend, Sir Isaac saw what had been - a pack of wolves had taken down a large buck and were taking the catch off the path.
As time went on, Sir Isaac began to learn from the calls of the wild animals. He learned much of hunting strategies from the howls of wolves. He learned how to avoid predators from the calls of fleeing prey. He learned the locations of poisonous plants, nutritious leaves, and fresh sources of water. By putting what he learned into practice, he quickly became the most well-respected gatherer of wild herbs and spices in Jeorvo. His flora-based alchemical studies flourished with the availability of fresh ingredients, and his alchemical business began in earnest.
That was not all that Sir Isaac learned to use his power for. He began approaching animals, starting with the smallest and working his way up, and starting conversations. At first he wanted to squeeze information out of them, but soon came to realize he could use the animals as workers. By "paying" them with deeds simple for humans but quite difficult for animals, he could earn their favor. By creating a predator-resistant door for rabbit dens, he increased his herb supply dramatically. By purchasing cows and giving them to wolves, he ensured that the black market's caravans would gain safe passage through the forests.
Finally, Sir Isaac learned to play inter-species politics in his favor. Snakes, as it turns out, are hunted by a number of species that humans like to keep as unique pets or hunt for exquisite meats or furs. Thus, snakes would often complain of species like foxes, hawks, raccoons, and boars in the area. Sir Isaac could ask where he should avoid in order to not run into such creatures and be led practically to the animals' front doors. He quickly turned this to his favor in business, selling furs, rare pets, and fresh meats through the black market's many fronts and turning a pretty profit.
By age 21, Sir Isaac had a booming business in the black market, handling both the procurement and sale of goods himself. He had built a strong name for himself with his service guarantee and results. Only one of his orders ever went unfulfilled, and that due to special circumstances. A client approached him and requested a peculiar stone and a number of research journals find their way out of the possession of an old man deep in the third district and into the client's hands. Sir Isaac agreed (after more than doubling the client's price) and began his work as normal.
In the old man's home, things quickly became paranormal. The old man was bedridden when Sir Isaac arrived and held the stone in his hands. After a short conversation, the man requested that Sir Isaac destroy the stone and protect the research from thieves, not realizing why Sir Isaac had visited, then promptly died of old age. Upon reading the research, Sir Isaac decided that it would be far more valuable to do as the man had requested, destroying the stone and keeping the research. He justified the action through his client's mistake: the client attempted to short-change Sir Isaac, resulting in the black market itself voiding the transaction and silencing the client.
Contained within the journals was a plethora of information on alchemy. The knowledge contained in the pages was far beyond anything he'd learned at the college in Jeorva. By incorporating them into his alchemical front business, he began to turn enough profit to lessen his black market dealings. He does, however, maintain a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with the black market that spared his life and helped him find his new calling: to rebuild his family's greatness.
Goal(s): As a former member of the nobility, Sir Isaac seeks only to find his way back into the upper echelons of society. He intends to reach this end by whatever means he finds necessary, up to and including dethroning a king or two. Of course, as a businessman, he would greatly prefer negotiation over the use of force.
Inventory:
- Alchemical Supplies
- Mortar and Pestle
- Glass Jars w/ Labels
- Apron, Gloves, and Eye Shield
- A supply of alchemical ingredients
- Tinderbox
- Research Journals
- Spear (Bei)
- Muffled Chainmail
- An assortment of pre-prepared poisons and antidotes
