Player Name | Josh |
---|---|
Languages | Common, Aarakocra, and Sylvan |
Aliases | Hero of Manquel |
Place of Birth | Gulfithorpe |
Place of Death | Seven - Ice field outside of Ravel.
Six - The CCC Five - The frozen shelf, between Ravel and Tuskur |
Species | Human |
Gender | Androgynous |
Height | 6' 0" |
Weight | 211 |
Eye Color | Almond in shape, red in color |
Four is a human Hexblade, present during the ongoing events of the Fantasial Freeze.
(Seven was killed by a wendigo during Episode 8. Six was lost in the Veil during Episode 13. Five was killed by a chest bump from Mundy in Episode 19.)
Physical Appearance[edit | edit source]
Four is a 6-foot-tall human with platinum blonde hair and pale, dusky skin, akin to quartz. Their appearance is neatly groomed and their clothing style is very simple, cream and burgundy-colored fabrics over leather. Four's eyes are red, their teeth are straight and white, and their default expression is a quizzical estimation of their surroundings.
Personality[edit | edit source]
Four is logical, curious, and timid. He believes strongly in the value of education as a means of improving oneself, and as such wants to learn very much about the world around him. He does this by watching and listening, speaking mostly when spoken to.
Four will talk at length on any intellectual subject. His favorite is the movement of stars across Quelmar's landscape, which was the basis for much of his academic work. Otherwise, he is most curious to test the capabilities of the body he is currently within.
History[edit | edit source]
Four's original domicile is a wind-scraped cliff in the Gulfithorp Isles. It is lucky that this is so, for the communities of aarakocra in the Pepper Isles do not follow the warring way of rest of their people, and physically weak chicks may survive to adulthood where they otherwise would not. Four was a bookish and curious child, interested in the world of magic more than the open air or farming peppers. He studied hard in school, amassing knowledge in transmutation and divination, and was rewarded with a scholarship to the Galik Arcane University. He was thrilled to be a part of such a prestigious school.
After several years of study, Four had become an apprentice within the University and a pen pal to several other notable wizards and historians across Quelmar. He leveraged these connections to deepen his study on ley lines, where he was most intrigued. Ley lines, if real, would map deep running threads of pure magic running across the world. If one could then read them and understand their flow, otherwise unexplainable magic events would be understood, and disasters could be prevented.
In his efforts to solve this riddle, Four journeyed to Pteris to investigate the desert sands - perhaps ancient civilizations had unlocked the secrets he now pursued! In was on sabbatical that he met an Illumian doing similar research on the ancient elves of Ta-Shedet. In turned out she was also originally from Galik, and her knowledge of weather patterns led Four to a breakthrough, linking the movement of Quelmar's constellations to the flow of ley lines beneath their feet. This meeting and mutual benefit led to being fast friends and collaborators. This wizard would go so far as to steal a book from The ArchCrystal Tower to further Four's research. "I believe in what you're doing," she told him, warming his aarakocra heart and spurring his mind onward.
In following years, Four's theory on ley lines deepened. A map of Quelmar's ley lines now existed! He could calculate locations where magic swells across Quelmar could be tapped into and rituals would become more potent - but this was all theory. It had to be tested. Luckily, there was a location in southern Osugbo that would be the nexus for ley line power in a few weeks time. He would be remembered for this! Four's Illumian friend was also travelling to Osugbo, and was happy to help him test his theory. She even offered to introduce him to a friend from the University of Xyrneiros who could attest to his success. Four was thrilled, and began to dream of the future.
So it was that Four did not look too closely at the exact nature of the ritual being performed by the two masters, nor the runes at his feet as he chanted in an ancient tongue. His mind was on what came after he was back in Galik - the acclaim, the promotion at Galik Arcane University, the chance to be cataloged and remembered for ages after. The greatest aarakocra wizard ever! And then, a tug at the edge of his consciousness - some warp in the arcane fabric approaching their summoning circle. Four's head turned belatedly to see a small farm girl with dark brown hair and crooked teeth approaching the ritual, awe in her face. Before he could even think, "She's too close," the swell from the ley lines came rushing forth. Four snapped from elation to horror in the span of a breath, for the magic was too much, and the farm girl was disrupting the flow just by being there. The last thing Four remembers is being washed away in the arcane torrent.
(Previous: Five hails from East Levinkan, south of Osugbo. His father was a tailor to the ruling class of the Levinkan Dynasty, and his mother was an educated gnome who worked as a healer. Five was spoiled rotten by his doting parents, allowed to stay up late, eat whatever he wanted, and enjoy the good things in life as much as gnomishly possible. In addition, a chance meeting with the Levinkan of the time left a powerful impression on him, and Five strove to be a good and capable person, just like his new role model. Still, by the time he was an adult, Five's appetite for wine, women, and stories had exceeded the bounds of the island, and he took a jaunt north to Osugbo on a lark for further chivalry, but mostly debauchery.
The adventure Five went on through Osugbo lasted many months and included many rollicking and jolly tales, full of interesting strangers. One of the most memorable was an Illumian from the great southern city of Galik, who caught Five's eye in a crowded bar. She pined to him of her plight; she was a wizard needing an escort for herself and her companion, as they did magical research on the ley lines that ran through the continent. Five was charmed and happy to oblige the alluring stranger, although the other people in the wizard's group left him rolling his eyes - a boring half-elf bodyguard and a bumbling apprentice were nothing special compared to a ravishing master of magic.
So it was that, driven by his heart and not his brain, Five was a bit too close for safety when a powerful magical ritual was attempted near a small farm town. Captivated as he was, Five did not spot a small human girl tumbling down the nearby hill until it was too late. The ritual went awry, resulting in an immense explosion. The rest of his memory is fuzzy....
Six was born in the city of Ravel to an elven noble and his human concubine. He and his mother, Florina, lived in a quiet part of the residential district, as Six's father would not approve of his illegitimate child's discovery, yet could not bear to see one of his deep loves sent away. Florina raised Six with tender care and encouraged him to make the most of his life. Six took those words to heart, and as a child was entranced by the bright-colored ships daily coming and going from Ravel's port. He decided his path in life was to become a sailor and trained into adulthood to get his sea legs and sail the oceans.
His path led to many ups and downs, as Six could not manage to hold down a steady job on one of the merchant vessels within the larger shipping companies. He grew dejected and frustrated, taking out his frustrations on his fellow (more successful) sailors, earning a reputation as a good hand with a blade. Six started taking bodyguard work for various individuals, and one night was contacted to accompany a small group days out of the city to a secluded grove near Manquel. Six didn't pay much attention to the purpose of their journey, so when a magical ritual blew the surroundings to bits, he was caught off-guard and lost... for a time.
Seven is the child of Malcolm and Bertha Jenkins, a farm couple from Manquel. They tended the animals and harvested the crops, as many farmer children do. They were smaller in childhood, with dark brown hair, crooked teeth, and the weary look that only poverty and effort may impose on a face. Seven wasn't wholly deterred by the circumstances of their life; they enjoyed sneaking away to nearby places to be alone and listen to the sounds of nature. One winter, Seven tumbled into a magical ritual taking place in a grove of trees near their home. Their disturbance of the ritual caused a great burst of light and energy to blast the surroundings to bits. When Seven came to, their appearance had changed to its current form; they were taller, stronger, and could swing the sword they found next to them with practiced ease. In awe of their new strength, Seven bid their parents goodbye and set out to see more of the world.)
Languages[edit | edit source]
Four speaks and reads Common, Aarakocra, and Sylvan. They know enough to chant magic spells in other languages, but they are not conversational in any others.
Powers and Abilities[edit | edit source]
A good sense of tactics and combat. Four is able to channel an internal fire in two ways; one as a source of luminescence in dark places, and the other as a scorching fire on their blade. They have since gained the ability to manifest a blade of their own without the need for weapons.
Due to some magical awakening within their blood, Four has gained the ability to resist the cold of the Freeze without any need for other clothing. Additionally, they no longer need to eat, drink, or sleep.
Weapons [edit | edit source]
"The Way Forward" - a magical longsword Four carries at all times
"Blood Dart" - A red lance, looted from a pirate ship off the coast of Ravel