Noted! That is long enough, thank you. =) I'll just wait for a day or two more for everyone interested currently to finish their sign-ups, then begin the judging process on the contested position(s). (... everybody wants to play Ciefe; I guess Reticent Shadow sounds nice?)
Name: Lyrian Sileres Morianus
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Personality: For the most part, Lyrian is aptly described as a temperate and rather halcyon personality. A practiced speaker, he is able to diffuse even the most hostile of atmospheres with a simple smile and a few select words of consolation, accompanied by an expression of innocence. An individual with a very flexible perspective on many things, he seems to be extremely malleable on first glance; nevertheless, this is not to say that he lacks his own ideals – quite the opposite – and his tenacity displays itself when acting in defense of those ideals. He is a man ruled by his emotions, perhaps uncharacteristically so, and though rational thought is dominant the majority of the time, passion may very well erase reason when the former runs high, and though typically he exerts enough self-control not to do so, unrestrained manifestations of raw psionic power might ensue a particularly severe outburst. Not an avid conversationalist, he prefers instead to give each of his individual statements greater weight, though he takes great pleasure in conversing with his very close acquaintances, and is someone who enjoys others' company in general.
While some may have the habit of veiling their opinions, it is a trait noticeably absent from Lyrian's personality; he carries a candid simplicity about himself, and tends to reveal at least a hint of what he is thinking on his visage, and is unabashed at displaying sudden shifts in mood openly, whether for better or for worse. Connected to this is his abundance of naivete; he believes the best of others, and is very trusting of their claims as long as they are mostly plausible - a trait Cecily often jokingly criticized with the words "not everyone is as forthright as you are, you know", but which would obviously lead to a number of problems when encountered with less savory individuals. He treats his friends as generally equal in importance, and has enough faith in all of them (even newly made ones) to entrust his safety to each.
Still, despite his cheerful front, all is definitely not well. In conversations with others, his eyes have the tendency to shift out of focus briefly before returning to reality, and he becomes absentminded at very inopportune times; when inquired about it by even his closest of acquaintances, he brushes it off with a strained smile and a casual wave of the hand, insisting that it's nothing to be worried about. Humans are fragile creatures, and Lyrian is no different; even if the precise trigger is unknown at the present, the frailty imbued within his overwrought mind is immanent, and difficult to remove. The wholeness of his heart is only an illusion, constructed of metaphorical smoke and mirrors, concealing innumerable fine fissures that threaten to tear at any opportunity.
Appearance: Bearing a slender build, Lyrian is of a medium stature, standing at some two inches below six feet. Fine silver locks of hair, combed in a seemingly extratemporaneous manner, flow untended, save for two small braids, one at each side of his head, attached by a hairpin adorned by a plain white feather. His eyes are a light steel blue, rounded and of a watery consistency, and his expression is innocuous, almost melancholic at times. His skin is very pale, and generally unblemished in the parts that are usually uncovered, though the remnants of a blade wound, healed to a pallid line that stretches across the front of his chest, is extant. His fingers are slender and well-manicured, though there is a thin layer of callused skin on his right hand, the result of extended periods of glove-less fencing.
Lyrian wears a sweeping cape of goldenrod wool, which is parted at the middle of his back and cascades outwards; decorated with a simple, singular floral crest at the front, it is affixed to his person by means of two steel fasteners, which are embedded with small alexandrite gemstones. Beneath this garment is a long velvet jacket with medium-lengthed open sleeves - the coattails of which almost reach the ground - dyed a dark royal blue with a large panel of alabaster at its anterior, it is adorned by a number of metallic buttons, which are also embedded with tiny shards of chrysoberyl. Closest to his body is a raiment of luxurious Calian silk, acting as a sort of undertunic and protective garment for the hands at the same time. Practical boots of tough leather, enchanted against water damage, rise up halfway to his knees, and are accompanied by loose-fitting tan trousers, which are embellished by a vertically descending pattern of turquoise rhombuses; the latter rest comfortably on his legs, and are ornamented by stylized cruciform medallions of an alloy of silver and gold.
Numerous preparations for travel and combat are visible as part of his attire. The most apparent, by far, is the gleaming
crysteel blade at his side, which incandesces with each turn in the light; in addition to serving as a weapon, the sword is a powerful receptacle of mental energy, and as long as a portion of a manifester's vitality is invested into it, its inherent qualities will be enhanced greatly, even though it is not as hard as regular steel would otherwise be. Slightly less noticeable, though still easily perceived, are the strands of copper wire attached to the edges of his cape, tipped with amethysts and decorative feathers; these are able to serve as foci - a defensive barrier, good against most ordinary weapons if only for short periods of time, can be conjured according to the specifications programmed into the power stones, depending on how much energy is channeled into the item. Furthermore, though one of the belts - a sturdy thing of reliable brown leather - he wears is for utility, storing a manner of useful tools of irrelevant size in its pouch, various cognizance crystals and psionatrices hang from his secondary belt, which is itself an artistic affair of etched ivory. Finally, a lightweight shirt of fine
aerelium links between his jacket and undertunic serves as protection without impeding movement.
Background: Originating from a lower-upper class Helvan family, Lyrian has always grown up in the shadows. Because of his naturally frail constitution, Lyrian spent much of his childhood years bedridden and afflicted with various illnesses, and, having lost his mother very early on in his life - when he was only three or four - he was largely raised by his brother, the general Regulus Sileres Morianus, at that time only a young officer in the army. Though his father cares greatly for the both of them, his lack of time limited their interactions; he could not spend very much time with him, being increasingly busied by work. His health did not prevent him from engaging in study, though, and often it was the only sort of activity he was able to engage in. The perusal of books lit a spark in his mind, one that would only grow brighter as he aged: the spark of imagination.
When his mental abilities were discovered at eight years of age, he was sent off at once to the Collegium Magiae; a series of experiments needed to ascertain his ability passed, and he was deemed relatively talented in the art, but his health prevented him from attending classes. Instead, a professor was hired from the college to tutor him privately on the usage of manifestation – an enigmatic Nemaesian scholar by the name of Darien Asmaris, hailing from Naranum, who would become his mentor. The man taught Lyrian the ways in which one could draw upon reserves of mental strength and convert it to fortitude, and thereby strengthen oneself, with the stern warning that if overuse of his abilities occurred, the negative side-effects on his health would be much greater than that of a typical failed manifestation. Under the man's tutelage, Lyrian's condition slowly began to improve, and within a year, he was able to attend a grammar school in person. There, Lyrian learned literature and oratory, as well as the natural sciences, mathematics, history, geography, and other such subjects.
Admitted to the Collegium as a novice at fourteen, he was not a very diligent student; often, pretending to have issues with his health, he would choose to skip the rudimentary classes on his schedule and instead sit quietly in the gardens of the school, as he was already familiar with the material. After each instance of this, he would usually receive a lecture from Darien as well as chastisement in the form of additional after-classes tutelage; he did not mind this, however, as he was much more suited to take advantage of private lessons than a broad coverage of topics that he already grasped quite firmly. During his time at the Collegium, Lyrian took up swordsmanship; if he wanted to be of assistance to his brother, he had to at least be able to take care of himself on the battlefield. This was of great aid to improving his agility, reflexes, and sense of balance, and augmented his fitness.
His life in academia was fairly ordinary; his personality, though not the most entrancing, was nonetheless quite charming, and won him a number of close acquaintances, among them an optimistic and intelligent alchemist named Tomas Welriam, as well as a withdrawn but talented conjurer, Frerin Vinarion. As others were drawn to him, so he in turn was drawn to another: Cecily Madeleine, a gifted evoker whose radiance dazzled him and bound him with intangible chains to her side. Though she considered him simply another admirer at first - and a troublesome one at that, having large amounts of free time at his disposal! - after a dangerous incident relating to a rapidly regenerating carnivorous plant that briefly ran rampant through the laboratories in the greenhouse of the Collegium and Lyrian's resolute display of determination to act for the sake of her welfare, which was well beyond normal standards of admiration, the two became inseparable friends. As the months passed into years and their amity grew, affection bloomed forth as well; before the third winter had passed, the two were enmeshed in an inseparable relationship. Following their graduations in their sixth year, Lyrian proposed to his beloved with a shining ring, crowned with a star sapphire; Cecily, smiling brilliantly, accepted in an instant.
Unfortunately, their happiness was not to persist. At the end of that very same year, Arianne is set upon by a group of extremists; both Lyrian and Cecily are severely wounded, acting in the defense of the city that was their home. Anticipating the powerful magicians that the Helvan Empire possessed, the perpetrators were equipped with curved blades that were able to lessen the effects of even the most powerful manifestations and magicks; wounds inflicted with such weapons refused to close upon treatment with spells, and though Lyrian miraculously recovered, his fiancée did not have the same fortune. In a single night, the night of her passing, his glossy chestnut hair transformed into a shade of curious silver. He blamed himself for her untimely demise, and entered a sort of existential paralysis for the better part of the next half-year, only being shaken out of his fruitless reverie by his former mentor, Darien Asmaris. Following the sharp admonishments of his erstwhile tutor, Lyrian slowly recovered himself from the void of despair that he had fallen into. Though his spirit had shattered from the adversity, he realized that his current state was not doing anyone any favors whatsoever, and certainly served as a poor remembrance of the person most precious to him; and, collecting his thoughts, applied for a position as an independent magister under the command of the military. Most recently, the empire's conquests have brought him to the battlefront, on the outskirts of the fallen Tyrovion.
Legend: Helvenn, Heroic Champion.
Statistics:
Strength - 14 (6)
Dexterity - 15 (8)
Constitution - 12 (4)
Intelligence - 12 (4)
Wisdom - 8
Charisma - 17 (10) [+1]
Abilities:
Major Mindcraft (Metacreativity, Psychoportation)
- Minor Influence
Minor Edged Weapon Mastery (Longsword)
Roleplay Sample: I think this entire thread should suffice.