OOC Info:
This will be played on Monkeyminey
Character Name: Pechman
Race: Human
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Character Description:
A scar-ridden older man with short dark black and slightly greying hair. The hair was overall, fairly messy and unkempt. Taking form as to whatever it felt like when he woke up in the morning. His eyes had a dark ocean-like blue hue that seem to stare out blankly. His skin was sun-kissed due to working outdoors, but overall it was quite pale.
Pechman typically is seen wearing simple leather clothing with a bear pelt cloak and a facemask to keep him warm. Pairs of working gloves and boots help protect him from simple damage one might get from working within a forest.
Character Occupation: (Optional)
Ex-Order Soldier, Woodsman, Farmer
Character Personality/Traits:
Renald tends to be pretty remote and dispassionate. He sticks to short and simple comments and answers. Oddly enough, the man is quite tenacious and has a surprising amount of resolve that he tends to keep hidden.
He typically hates small talk, let alone speaking about himself. He tends to use drugs, alcohol, and brothel visits to cope with his depression and the stress of life. Spending any bit of coin he finds on those pleasures in life. He’s not a man who opens up quickly with people, but it isn’t completely impossible.
Character Biography:
Pechman was not always known as such. Born in Kouren Kai as Renald Destalin to Nalan and Victor Destalin, a farming family just outside the walls of the city. They grew simple grains in particular for the city, but they always had a few root vegetables and fruit growing along with cattle and chickens. Simple things that they used for their food gave them a bit more variety compared to your typical bread and water.
His childhood for the most part was pretty simple. He helped his mother in the house when he was old enough to work but too young to work on the farm and then he worked with his father on the farm. The physical labor helped him bulk up, but it was cut short as expected when the Pact started to come in the footsteps of Kouren Kai. They fled behind the city walls and did what they could at the time. His father fought, whereas Renald and his mother helped the injured, sick, and hungry. Passing out food, getting additional water and towels, mostly humanitarian work that helped ease the pain and suffering.
Before the city fell, Renald and his mother fled while his father fought in the defense. The two of them became refugees in Barkamstead. Within the city, they continued their humanitarian aid which helped keep their mind off Victor’s potential death. The unknown began to eat at them for months before another wave of refugees came, which, Victor was a part of. Heavily injured, but alive thankfully.
The family lived on within the city for a good bit while Victor recovered, it was four months of happy tears that everyone enjoyed slightly. Kept their mind off the fact that the Pact was knocking right at the door, and there was nowhere else to run. When Victor recovered, he went back to help with the defense of the city, while Renald and Nalan continued their work.
Stress does a lot to the body, but so does hope. Renald held hope that they will survive, especially with the help of the elves and dwarves. There was a particular dwarf whose injuries saw him lose their arm, Galan Bloodstone. Renald was by his side a lot, helping feed and give him water, change his bandages, and help keep his spirits up. Stories of Thonduhm and Kouren Kai were exchanged, but it seemed that Renald mostly benefited from the additional knowledge as the dwarf had many years over him. Though, Galan benefited to have someone to talk with and keep his mind off the lost arm.
There were others, a dark elven woman named Natalia who had a giant gash on her back that she took while defending her children. A high elven Remartiu lord who talked about the wonders of Bothimir and their magic. The Lord himself had a bit of an ego when it came to talking about his magic, but it wasn’t completely unexpected given him being a lord.
Nonetheless, time went on in Barkamstead as the Pact approached the walls. The daily routine for the family seemed rather straightforward at this point. His father had patrolled and assisted with the defense of the city, whereas Renald and his mother assisted the wounded. That was until the Pact started beating at the door.
Once the Pact reached the city and began their assault, everyone was called to action that was capable of fighting or assisting the wounded in any way. Those that could not, were sent off to be sheltered. The sounds of battle outside the makeshift hospital were filled with clashing steel, grunts, gurgles, and screams that were ever so often broken apart by the sounds of cannon fire.
It was a bloody and horrific battle. Those that survived never truly would be the same after the horrors they had witnessed. It was only exacerbated by the imminent demon invasion that occurred. Renald and his mother had a lot of work to do, and not enough time.
The horrors brought upon by the denizens of Hell were swift and scarring. Nightmares from the attack on Barkamstead only fueled the fervor of the demons which only made the nightmares worse. Renald barely held on to himself during that time. Keeping his mind focused on the task at hand and that was trying to help keep people alive.
His mother was assisting an orc who was injured in a fight with a demon. One of the few survivors of the onslaught, but one left without any feet. Renald left to get more water and clean bandages and returned to the orc holding his mother by her throat before he snapped it. Though, seemingly unaware of what happened moments later. That did not stop some of the soldiers there from ending the orc’s life.
Blue class demons sowing deceit within the walls and the ranks of those fighting the demons. They were tricky, clever, and quite good at causing mischief. Renald knew little of the demons and so he didn’t know that that was the cause of his mother’s demise. A blue-class demon, on the verge of purple, possessed the orc and forced their hand.
It was a devastating blow to the teen. He was now alone, till his father returned. His already restless nights became sleepless nights. He stopped helping others and was one who needed the help himself. People fed and bathed him and made sure that he was well while he was in shock.
His father never did return. Renald learned that he was slain in battle, but the part that was left out was that it was an ally of his that plunged the blade into his father from behind. He was numb to the rest of the war. Days, weeks, and months passed by in what felt like a blink of an eye. His family and loved ones are gone and him now an orphan.
There was a time of peace, one that Renald used to rest and be a bit at ease. He wasn’t in an orphanage given that he was quite close to adulthood and was taken in by Natalia the dark elf patient that he and his mother helped. They lived together with her children for the next five years before he went and joined the Order as a soldier in response to the void threat.
He stayed with the Order as one of their soldiers for a plethora of years. He was able to make it through the plague with a few new scars and without losing his memories, but a part of him wished he did to some extent. He knew it wasn’t picked or chosen though and was most afraid of losing his memories of his time before the Pact War. The peaceful life he lived with his family in Kouren Kai.
It was after the time of the plagues that he met the shining light that finally made the man smile. A young human woman who seemed to brighten the mood of everyone she met. Rebecca Valin was her name and to Renald, she made living seem quite worthwhile.
The two of them wed rather hastily one might say, but the two of them were incredibly happy together. They both knew, as did many people within the kingdom, that life was incredibly precious and easy to falter in this world. That if one found love, seize it and hold onto it dearly, as tomorrow is never guaranteed.
The apparent “peace” after the Ca’Liar attacked Barkamstead seemed more than ample enough time for the two to start their own family. They stayed in the capital of the kingdom, Falkvard as Barkamstead was a place of nightmares for both of them. It was here that the two of them had twins, a daughter, and a son, named Gretchen and Samuel respectively. This was at the time of the end of the war in Acaedia. Renald and Rebecca did not know any of the mercenaries that went to fight there, but the news of what the emperor did spread fast. News that shook Renald to his core as his dislike for demons further increased and the disdain for the Ca’Liar seemed to turn more to pity. To think that the ruler of one’s country would sell the souls of their people was something he was never able to wrap his head around.
Things seemed to ebb and flow between times of peace and conflict at home and out in the world. Renald fought out in the Mesas with the Order and then in the Pine Valley with a bit of time back home for the wedding of the King Regent. Only to have the conflict of the blight ravage the lands farms. The family had begun to strain some due to the constant stressful situations that they were put in, but that would be expected for most families at these times.
Things changed rapidly once the Pine Valley was dealt with and the forbidden one was slain. The constant struggle against both the creatures of the forest and cultist creations made Renald happy just for it to be over and for him able to see his family again.
The happy reunion that Renald was expecting and happy for was a nightmare in itself. He came home to find his wife slowly crawling towards him, a trail of blood following her movement. He of course ran to help her but only found out that she was already dead as she attacked. He struggled in slaying her, not because the particular zombie was strong, but due to his emotions going haywire. A part of him wanted to find a way to save her but knew that there was nothing to do but put her out of her misery. A mercy killing as he told himself after a bit of a tussle they had and not of the kind he was used to. With his wife truly dead, he went looking for his children. He ran to their room and did not even take a moment to carefully open the door. Smashing right through the door only to see a hellish scene.
It stood like an upright serpent, seemingly made of putrid smog. The chest was an outlier, more formed and resembling a boiler containing a raging hellfire within it. The creature had only one arm; the wispy fog had no issue holding Gretchen in its taloned fingers. Samuel was on the ground crying and scared. It seemed the creature expected this and looked over to Renald and tossed Gretchen aside, Samuel crawling over to her and holding onto her dearly.
“Your will is quite high it would seem, Renald.” the creature seemed to hiss out as it approached. Where the creature lacked an arm, a blade of darkness seemed to shoot out of the shoulder which left a trail of what appeared to be blood dripping from the tip of the blade which ate through the wooden floor. “Let’s see if it can be broken once again.”
It was there that Renald didn’t think as he went to go fight the demon. They seemed to mostly play with him, letting blades meet and only going for minor wounding attacks. It only went on for a minute before the multitude of minor wounds added up and Renald couldn’t keep fighting. A peal of hellish laughter came from the demon as they went to finish the man off.
“Wait!” Renald gurgled out which caused the demon to stop, the blade coming into contact with the man's neck leaving a burning sensation that created a nasty scar.
“Mhm, yes? What is it? Begging for your life?”
The demon pulsed out of the darkness which made Renald freeze briefly before he spoke. “Let me and my children live, please. I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?” the demon had a giant grin on its face. “Fine, you will give to me the gifts of all other gods and only see darkness in this revived life.”
“Yes, take it, please just let us live.” at which the demon took the blade and touched the tip of it to Renald’s chest, right where his heart was. A burning hot pain rushed through his body as if his blood was on fire for a brief moment. The scent of copper and burning flesh filled his nose before a mark was placed on his heart. The skin itself seemed to reflect the mark which grew intense with each beat of his heart before fading till the next beat.
“Then so I shall let you all live.” the demon approached the children and opened up a dark gate, grabbing hold of the two of them before walking through the gate.
“Wait-” Renald watched in horror as his children were taken who knows where, the pain then overwhelmed him as the wounds cauterized over in mere moments. That is when he passed out from the combination of pain and exhaustion.
When he woke, he did not know what to do. He knew the mark was that of a demon and that for him to get his children back, it’d best not be thrown in jail for making an illegal deal. He felt weaker overall and wandered till he settled at Veidrheim right at the base of the last place his life had a sense of normalcy. Forgoing his name and only calling himself Pechman.
It was here that he spent the rest of his days foraging the forest and hunting game in his weakened state. The nights were filled with alcohol and drugs. Not one moment was spent trying to recover his lost strength as he seemed more focused on being a glutton to drown out the memories of that fated night.
This continued for years, he never went to the call for Itiris. Leaving the Order without any notice will do that. The year-long Winter made his foraging and hunting a lot harder, which saw him drink more and more.
It was only recently that he decided to figure out something to save his children and get his soul back. A group of Hunters appeared to help with an odd illness that seemed to affect people. Leaving them asleep for long periods and those that recovered seemed to just be husks like him, but much worse off. Lack of memories and just going through motions, needing assistance to do anything.
It was there that he decided to head for the capital and see what he can do. He still used his alias as Pechman as it felt the safest thing to do.
Magic Biography:
(At least three paragraphs about your character's relationship to magic, and how they may discover their potential.)
“So, Bothimir is the god of magic and everyone has the chance of being capable of casting magic save for dark elves.” The Remartiu Lord remarked to Renald.
“Vhy is zat? Can I cast magic?” Renald seemed to lean in a bit before getting a glass of water to the Lord and helping him drink it.
“Thank you, young Renald of Line Destalin.” there was a slight smile as the cool crisp water seemed to hit the spot. “It was not within Kinos’ design. They are quite physically capable people. Their senses are far better than yours, as are their strength, speed, and agility. Perhaps Bothimir intended them to have magic too, but Udero may be said, ‘No’. Questioning the Gods’ design isn’t worth your time, boy.”
“Isn’t zat vhat Bothimir vould vant? To gain such knowledge?”
“While they’re the god of magic and knowledge, one can not gain the knowledge of the Gods’. One can speculate, but that is all it will ever be. Speculation.”
“I see. So how does magic work zen?”
The Lord cleared his throat a bit, about to speak before he was handed a letter. There was a wait as he started to read and write his response. Renald waited patiently for a response, but there was a bit of fidgeting to be had.
“There are eleven types of magic, called aspects. If you have Bothimir’s gift, then you can cast magic so long as you have a special artifact that allows you to channel that energy called a trinket. There’s a list of levels of magic one is capable of using, but if you have the gift, you can cast using magic up to medium without issue so long as you have the trinket.” there was a bit of a pause for a moment before he gritted his teeth. “Ah, I’m sorry young Renald of Line Destalin, but I think I need to get a bit of rest. We can continue our talk another day.”
Renald doesn’t know that he possesses the gift, let alone that it was something he traded partially away. The demon deal allowed him to cast dark magic only, but not to the extent a half-demon could, he would still require a trinket. He could still concentrate on these artifacts and feel the magic out, but he would run into consequences attempting to cast magic that was not dark magic.
Please describe the magic system, including its limitations in your own words:
(In two Paragraphs, please mention how one would cast, the limitations to casting and specific races, and the consequences of overuse)
One can only cast magic in Saphriel if they have both the capability of casting which is limited based on race, and a trinket. Sight is required as well to cast magic. Dark elves and Alba are unable to cast magic at all, whereas other races can cast magic but it is a bit limited still. Aspects, each race with the capability to cast magic has a number of aspects they can have. One can have less than the amount the race allows, but one can not go over that number.
The more a mage masters magic, the ability to cast cantrips and have additional energy to draw upon exists. This is only for those that are at least strong to cast cantrips and need to have at least two aspects at strong and above to gain the benefit of additional spell slots. The pool of magical energy isn’t separated for each aspect either, which means that mages have to use their magic strategically or else run into consequences of using too much magic, which includes overcasting. Overcasting is dangerous as it can leave a mage dead instantly without anything to counteract it, but it can also become a boon to get a second wind in essence, but it is high risk and high reward.
Please describe how you would use a weak trinket with your character's first/only aspect:
(Try to be creative, while acknowledging its limitations and utility uses)
If Renald had a weak trinket of dark, he would be capable of manipulating shadows slightly. Tiny ripples in shadows as if he threw a pebble in the water. He would be able to create profaned water as well as create very small shadows. He could be a very good shadow puppeteer, augmenting his physical capability of making shadows with his hands and a source of light, to add even more effects to the shadow. Making it as if he had an additional hand to help create particular creatures.
Other/Extra:
Due to the injuries sustained (and lack of spending time to recover) in their background, they will start with -1 in each stat. He can sense the magic of trinkets and enchantments but is only capable of casting dark magic and it's his only aspect. Attempting to cast with any trinket but dark would find his blood feeling like it is boiling and would eat all his spell slots due to his demon deal.
Donator Item:
/lore name &6Wedding Band
/lore add &eA simple wedding band made of brass with an
/lore add &einscription of the name
/lore add &cRebecca
/lore add &e.
This application is Accepted!
Everything looks good in this application! Starting currency and item will be sent your way, and if you'd like to start at the ravine fort given what's happened recently to Pechman's housing area, you're free to!