Rated M for Mature; Will Encompass All that a Mature Rating Entails!
The world of Turalisj Tonash consists of several continents, but the most unusual of these is the continent of Empyrean, once known as the Land of the Lost. The land is aptly named, as those who became lost were likely to find themselves in this land, and elements of every society and culture from across the vast world could be found, and over time formed into countless small tribes, principalities, and kingdoms.
In the aftermath of the Demon Wars some fifty years ago, during which hordes of exiled demons found themselves on this continent in the same way that most everything else did, these kingdoms and tribes began to band together for safety, eventually forming the Empire which now dominates the temperate regions of the continent. However, the Demon Wars were just the beginning, as the Empire even now continues to expand and gain power as they face a new threat, as the Chromatic dragon heralds of Tiamat have awoken on five separate continents, and now threaten the entirety of the world.
In an effort to continue to expand and unify the tribes of men, the Empire has dispatched an Arcane Knight to the Frozen North, in order to meet with the chieftain of the most powerful of the barbarian tribes. However, little do the knight or his local barbarian escort know that they are mere pawns in a greater conspiracy of deception and betrayal...
Spoiler: Gunther von ReichskapitalName: Gunther von Reichskapital
Age: Around 32
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Spoiler: Gunther
Race: Magically augmented human
Profession: Arcane Knight
Magical Skills and Abilities:
Arcane Spellcasting: With a background of education from the Arcane University, Gunther is able to cast a number of spells, as sub-divided into ten different schools of magic, of which he is highly skilled in three and moderately skilled in four. The level in parenthesis displays the maximum difficulty level of spells of each given school that he is able to cast, while his own memory and knowledge of Draconic determines which spells he knows. Casting spells requires magical energy, also called Mana, limiting the amount of magic Gunther is able to use in a given time period.
Foundry Circuit: A rare magical circuit found only in male descendants of the Foundry and specially designed male homunculi, individuals shown to be able to use the Foundry Circuit are highly sought after to fill high ranking specialty roles such as Arcane Knights. The Foundry Circuit allows Gunther to conjure forth a variety of magical weapons and armor to suit the combat situation, though it requires a great deal of magical energy to do so.
Armored Casting: Arcane Knights train to use arcane magic while wearing all types of armor, up to and including plate armor, which is Gunther's preferred choice in armor due to its full body protection while still allowing near full combat mobility.
Primary Schools of Magic (Arcane caster only, limit three for combat hybrids, four for pure caster):
Abjuration (5)
Alteration (5)
Conjuration (5)
Secondary Schools of Magic (Limit four for combat hybrid, six for pure caster):
Evocation (4)
Divination (4)
Transmutation (4)
Restoration (3)
Auxiliary Schools of Magic:
Compulsion (2)
Illusion (2)
Normal Skills and Abilities:
Martial Weapons Mastery: Gunther is proficient in most forms of battlefield weaponry, with extensive mastery with blades and polearms. He can use Imperial tech weapons and crossbows with a high degree of accuracy, but prefers a face to face confrontation whenever possible and practical.
Heavy Armor Proficiency: Due to extensive training while wearing heavy armor, Gunther's combat movements are not noticeably slowed down, and he can jump and run fairly quickly while wearing it, though not quite as quickly as he can while unarmored. In general, all tropes about heavily armored fighters being immobile do not apply to him, though swimming is still quite difficult.
Education: Due to his background as a University student, Gunther is highly educated in matters of history, lore, and magic, able to read, write, and speak in several different languages, including the trade tongue, the Imperial tongue, the Draconic language, and the Elven language, to name a few. Though he possesses passing knowledge in the local barbarian dialects of the far north, his Imperial accent is quite thick, and he prefers to speak in the trade tongue.
Mounted Combat: As a knight Gunther is highly proficient in both how to ride a horse, and how to fight while on horseback. He has limited training in how to ride a flying mount such as a wyvern or dragon, however, though his mobility on a magically conjured phantasmal steed is quite remarkable.
Commonly used Weapons (Conjured through Foundry Circuit):
Spoiler: Duelists SchiavonaHis preferred blade for killing men, this magically enhanced weapon is sharp enough to cut through non-magical armors and exploit the gaps in magical armor. It is enchanted with the Mankiller ability, making it particularly deadly against humans.
Spoiler: Duelists CinquedeaA companion offhand to go with the Schiavona, this shorter sword is used to exploit weak points in armor. It is enchanted with the Defender property to make it better suited as a parrying blade, and when summoned along with the Schiavona, requires less mana to summon
Dragonbane polearm (Need a good image for it...): His preferred weapon for dealing with dragons, wyverns, and the like. While swords are inferior against such weapons due to their short reach and inability to cut deep enough to hit vital organs, and field artillery is often difficult to acquire, this polearm is enchanted with the Dragonbane enchantment, allowing it to cleave through the near-impenetrable scales of a dragon to deliver deep, fatal wounds. The exact shape of the polearm's bladed tip can be morphed to suit the needs of combat.
The Bolter (Magical Crossbow, Heavy Steel, Pump Repeater): One of his rare choices in ranged weaponry, this crossbow is necessary in situations where up close and personal isn't enough, such as when dealing with flying opponents, mages, and other distant targets that won't allow him to easily get close. The crossbow itself uses a complex mechanic that allows a new bolt to be slotted into the firing mechanism by pulling back on a pump-action string draw, while the bolts themselves are conjured using the Foundry circuit, with a variety of magical tips selected based on the nature of his target, such as Dragonbane for dragons, spell breaker for mages, mankiller for humans, etc.
Armor:
Spoiler: Gothic Plate Armor of Physical ResistanceAs he typically only selects one suit of armor for the entire day, Gunther's default choice is this suit of gothic plate armor due to its full body protection. It is further enchanted with resistance to puncture, slice, and impact attacks, though its lack of specific magic resistance requires him to use his own Abjuration magic for such protection.
Dragonscale Plate Armors: When preparing to fight against a chromatic dragon, which he is known to do on occasion, Gunther will instead wear a suit of plate armor crafted from the same color scales as said dragon, in order to provide resistance against the dragon's dangerous breath weapon.
Personality: Though being of the nobility by definition, Gunther lacks many of the typical pompous arrogance of Imperial nobles. He is a soldier, first and foremost, and though he has a sense of honor and dignity when it comes to battle and personal etiquette, he also maintains a sense of duty to protect the weak and uphold justice, as befits a knight. He can, however, be a bit sarcastic and nihilistic, as he is well aware of the corruption prevalent within the Imperial aristocracy. A veteran of many battles, he has a cynical view of humanity and human nature, yet he still clings to old school ideals of chivalry in an age where knights are no longer common on the battlefield.
Likes: Swords, cute non-human girls, a worthy challenge, beer, more cute non-human girls, and jousting.
Dislikes: Whores, Slutty girls, savage brutality, cruelty, rapists, slavery, injustice, and being bored.
History: It is traditional for an Arcane Knight to discard his past upon achieving knighthood, and so he hasn't been known to speak of his childhood or life prior to enrolling in the Arcane University. What is known, however, is that he has been questing for some time now, righting wrongs, slaying dragons, and rescuing damsels, as befits a knight. He has seen quite a bit more combat, both on the battlefield and off, than most of the Empire's knights. His name is becoming more and more well known among the Imperial aristocracy, however, provoking jealous resentment as he has stepped on more than a few corrupt toes in his relentless pursuit of justice in his loyalty to the Emperor's ideals.
Spoiler: Ithilwen "Celine" VindyamirielName: Ithilwen Vindyamiriel
Nickname: Celine
Age: 74 (Approximately marriage age in the Empire)
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Spoiler: Celine
Race: Moon Elf
Profession: Spellsword / Squire
Magical Skills and Abilities:
Arcane Spellcasting: With a background of education from the Arcane University, Celine is able to cast a number of spells, as sub-divided into ten different schools of magic, of which she is highly skilled in three and moderately skilled in four. The level in parenthesis displays the maximum difficulty level of spells of each given school that she is able to cast, while her own memory and knowledge of Draconic determines which spells she knows. Casting spells requires magical energy, also called Mana, limiting the amount of magic Celine is able to use in a given time period.
Elven Sorcery: As a High Elf, Celine has a background in Elven sorcery as well, which differs somewhat from the Arcane schools of magic in its fairy origins. Incantations are done in the Elven language rather than Draconic, and spell effects favor aesthetic beauty over function, so she uses this form of magic when she wants her spells to look pretty rather than to be efficient.
Spellbladery: Celine uses a specially designed Spellblade weapon, made of magical crystal rather than metal, in order to channel magical effects into her melee strikes. This results in various forms of elemental damage being applied to physical attacks, and makes up for her lack of physical strength when using melee weapons.
Arcane Archery: Using an ancient Elven technique, Celine is able to fire arrows either enchanted with magical effects, or purely magical arrows with no physical mass, from her Elven hunting bow. This is to compensate for her lack of physical strength, as she cannot draw a bow powerful enough to penetrate armor or dragon scales and must rely on magical arrows to get the job done.
Primary Schools of Magic (Arcane caster only, limit three for combat hybrids, four for pure caster):
Compulsion (5)
Illusion (5)
Restoration (4)
Secondary Schools of Magic (Limit four for combat hybrid, six for pure caster):
Abjuration (3)
Divination (3)
Evocation (3)
Transmutation (3)
Auxiliary Schools of Magic:
Alteration (2)
Conjuration (2)
Normal Skills and Abilities:
Blade Dancer Adept: While no match for a powerful warrior when it comes to brute strength, Celine relies instead on finesse fighting, using a sword of magical crystal which is lighter than a metal blade, yet harder than steel. She uses a style of Elven blade mastery known as Blade Mastery, which takes decades to learn. Due to her young age (for an elf), she is only considered an adept in this style, having trained hard for a mere thirty years to get to where she is now.
Elven Archery: Her incredibly potent eyesight and superhuman agility allow Celine to perform incredibly precise target marksmanship with an elven hunting bow. Though the draw strength is low, the ability to strike with precision against weakpoints with arcane archery makes up the difference, making her a highly effective ranged combatant.
Medium Armor Proficiency: Lacking the strength and endurance to fight for long in heavy armor, Celine has nevertheless trained in armor use, to an extent. She is proficient in medium armor, but typically only wears a few select pieces of enchanted moonsilver so as not to interfere with her Elven sorcery and to utilize her speed and agility to the fullest, reinforcing the gaps on her defenses with Abjuration spells.
Education: Due to her background as a University student, Celine is highly educated in matters of history, lore, and magic, able to read, write, and speak in several different languages, including the trade tongue, the Imperial tongue, the Draconic language, and the Elven language, to name a few. She made a point to study the northern barbarians and their language extensively in order to support Gunther in his mission, though her High Elven accent is quite thick and comes across as princess-like.
Mounted Combat: As an elven spellsword, Celine is proficient in both how to ride a horse, and how to fight while on horseback. While her blade skills on horseback are inferior to those of a knight, she is skilled in mounted archery, and can ride traditional Elven flying mounts such as pegasi and hippogriffs. Though she used to ride unicorns, she lost this ability when she began to ride Gunther instead.
Weapons:
Crystal Spellblade (in picture): This blade, created by University mages from a form of magical crystal called Arcanite, is as hard as a diamond, lighter than steel, and razor sharp. The single most valuable item that Celine owns, it is highly conductive to magical energy, designed to channel magical effects into melee strikes in order to make up for the traditional lack of physical strength among Elven women. It is bound to Celine, so that if it leaves her possession or is taken to her, it returns to her at dawn the next day.
Spoiler: Elven hunting bow
This bow is as precise as it is beautiful, allowing precision marksmanship at long range. Though its magical enchantment amplifies its accuracy and the velocity of arrows fired from it, the draw strength is rather low, so it lacks the ability to pierce heavy armor or dragon scale without further magical assistance.
Armor:
Moonsilver gauntlets and greaves of Defense (in picture): While far from a full suit of armor, the greaves and gauntlets worn by Celine are forged from enchanted Moonsilver and are incredibly lightweight, yet as strong as steel. They allow her to use Elven sorcery along with Arcane magic, as she lacks the proficiency to do either while wearing any sort of heavy armor. However, a magical enchantment on these items allows them to reinforce the rest of her body with Abjuration magic, which acts as armor for the seemingly exposed parts of her body with the same level of protection as the actual armor itself.
Personality: An aristocrat from a noble family of Moon Elves, Ithilwen Vindyamiriel is quite naive and childlike in her view of the world, with a sense of wonder that betrays her youth. Though she is over twice Gunther's age, she acts like she's around half his age, due to the difference in relative maturity between elves and humans. Preferring to be called by her human name, Celine, this cheerful, energetic elf bridges the gap between youth an adulthood, as she can just barely be considered of marriage age (and old enough to have sex, which she won't let Gunther forget) in the Empire.
Likes: Knights in shining armor, pretty dresses, flowers, stylish weapons and armor, humans, magic, and sex (but only with Gunther).
Dislikes: Slutty girls, manly girls, mean people, uncivilized wood elves, orcs, and dumb barbarians (though she hides this last one when dealing with them).
History: A member of the Vindyamiriel family of moon elves, Ithilwen Vindyamiriel began her studies in elven sorcery, archery, and unicorn riding from a very young age, though the process was, at first, as slow as everything else in Elven society. After her primary education in basic literacy and mathematics, she began to attend an all-girls' prep school for Arcane education in her late sixties. Though she was still forty years too young to be considered old enough to leave the Elven society, the fact that the other girls attending this prep school would be close to her same relative age was enough to eventually convince her parents to let her leave home to attend school. This was her first experience socializing with races other than her own.
After making friends and graduating from this prep school, she transferred to the Arcane University in the Imperial City, where she studied to be a Spellsword. By the time she graduated, she was still only 73 years old, and looked much younger than the graduating human students, as she had only aged by about a year over her five year education. However, she knew that if she returned home, she would be forbidden to leave again until her hundredth birthday, and had come to love the energy and excitement of the Imperial City too much to leave so soon.
During her studies, Ithilwen quickly learned that her name was hard for Imperial humans to pronounce properly, and began to use the nickname Celine, which held he same meaning in the Imperial tongue. She was using this name when she met an Arcane Knight who she came to admire deeply, who had recently lost his squire. After weeks of begging and pleading, Celine eventually managed to use her feminine charms to convince this knight to take her as his new squire, and has been travelling with him ever since, refusing to return home for fear of being separated.
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