![[Approved by Pegasus]](.//images/icons/cs_ok.png "[Approved by Pegasus]"){kind=icon}
Aerlan
Name: Aerlan Mavarium
Age: 31
Height: 6'4''
Weight: 170lbs
Race: Eídisi
Date of Birth: 23rd of Vhalar, 685
Home City: Viden
Marks: None.
Factions Joined: None.
Languages Spoken: Common (Fluent), Ancient (Broken), Ith'ession (Broken), Xanevic (Broken)
Partners: None.
Profession: Research Investigator
Age: 31
Height: 6'4''
Weight: 170lbs
Race: Eídisi
Date of Birth: 23rd of Vhalar, 685
Home City: Viden
Marks: None.
Factions Joined: None.
Languages Spoken: Common (Fluent), Ancient (Broken), Ith'ession (Broken), Xanevic (Broken)
Partners: None.
Profession: Research Investigator
Appearance
Aerlan is of average height and weight for one of his race, merely standing at 6'4'' and weighting 170lbs. Having been more focused on the academic and arcane, there has been little time for the more physical endeavors in life, thus his physique is more on the slender side. He is quite toned however, another physical benefit of his race. The void blind-looking eyes of an Eidisi peer out from his finely-boned face framed by shoulder length black hair that is usually kept tied back with a small strip of leather. His skin is a light blue akin to water reflected upon snow.
Given his home city, and a general distaste for hot climates, Aerlan can always be seen wearing a black wolf-skin fur cloak. When in the coldest climates, such as Viden, he can be seen fully decked in furs like most of his people to stave off the deathly cold. Any fur he chooses is always in black. or shades thereof, for the extremely practical reason of hiding the color of blood. Should he find himself in a warmer place, Aerlan swaps his furs for a pair of black leggings, black tunic, and sturdy black boots.
Personality
Aerlan was born almost completely Frayed, making him essentially a sociopath. He utterly lacks empathy for anyone or thing in this world, and any shows of such emotion will always be an act. There is no conscience or feelings of right and wrong within him, though that is not to say he does not grasp the meanings of such things. He is not above using deceit and cold, calculating ruthlessness to get his way. Awareness of his mentality is quite apparent to this Eidisi, and for what it's worth, even enjoyed. It can even be said that Aerlan's manic drive to understand the human psyche stems from his own lack of humanity. He sees it as a great benefit to himself that his race is quite aloof and emotionally detached, as it makes it far easier to hide his true self from everyone around him. Yet as an academic from a race of intellects like the Eidisi, Aerlan refuses to let the void within himself cause failure in any way most sociopaths fall into.
Even with his mental disorder, Aerlan still has varying aspects to his personality. He does feel curiosity more than anything else, and it drives him more than anything. This single driving emotion may lead him to the path of research, murder, addiction, or exploration. If there is something he wishes to know about, Aerlan will do whatever it takes to discover the answers. A curious "tick" that he has picked up is a simple coin toss. When moments of decision occur his complete lack of morality leave him with no preferential choice and intellect has no bearing, he will flip his keepsake and follow where Chance decides. Subconsciously, and so far unknown to himself, he seeks to fill the void within himself that his sociopathy has created.
History
Aerlan Mavarium was born on the 23rd trial of Vhalar in the 685th arc to two Eidisi parents, Elarea and Taerin. His father died when Aerlan was barely a year old. Taerin Mavarium was a soldier for the Navy of Viden, having died bravely in the line of duty during one of the expeditions Viden would send out to clear the seas near their home of encroaching Mer. His mother, Elarea, was an exceptional researcher and part of the Viden Academy as a professor in the Institute of Sciences with a focus upon biochemistry. Due to Aerlan’s father having died when he was but a toddler, he had been raised extensively by his mother and a female human slave Elarea had purchased for the specific role of care-giving while she was busy with research and her work at the Academy. In such a setting, Aerlan lived the first few arcs of his life simply and as any other Eidisi child would.
As expected of the Eidisi and pushed to further excellence by his mother, Aerlan began primary education at the age of five. This level of education passed by at an acceptable pace as he was an intelligent child and, even more so, was given aid by his mother’s private tutoring when she was home. However, it was during these early years that the slave and his mother Elarea began to notice something was strange about Aerlan. The child was distant, even for an Eidisi. He rarely smiled except after someone else was doing so and that his eyes always seemed dead. His facial expressions were greatly lacking for a child who should have had their heart on their sleeve. Concerned about her son, Elarea reached out to Brelin Roure, a colleague and psychologist in the Institute of Humanities. Brelin met with Aerlan at their home and proceeded to give the child a psyche evaluation. Upon completion, it became apparent that the child had been born lacking most emotions. Professor Roure felt that there was something still off though and, with Elarea, contacted another colleague. This colleague, Delia Mepha, was an Empath of the Institute of Arcana. She met with the child and, to the dismay and pity of all, determined that Aerlan was a Frayed and indeed lacked most of the basic human emotions.
Three and a half arcs passed by and Aerlan completed his primary education then entered into the mandatary Secondary Education at the age of eight. During these years of childhood, Aerlan had to learn to blend in with the rest of society. Since he lacked the most basic emotions, he learned to mimic and charm his way through social settings. He discovered early that the awkwardness of interacting with people whom expect emotions and don’t see them as well as the pity, and sometimes targeted bullying, for being different was far more of a bother than the energy it took to fake everything. Aerlan also had a great sense of self-awareness of his condition quite early. This is what propelled him forward into his studies, shaping his future interests. Caring little for others, he learned only the basics of history and philosophy as he saw them as useless to the here, now, and self. He focused greatly upon psychology to better understand himself and others. Linguistics was of great use in his mind, but there was something else. He felt something the first time he read about the Arcane. An ember lit itself in his chest, and a feeling surfaced that he had never known: curiosity. Latching on to the emotion like a drowning man death grips the floating flotsam, Aerlan threw himself at the topic with a sudden passion that shocked his own mother.
Elarea did what she could to fan this small ember in her son. She used her position and contacts to gather what little available knowledge she could concerning the arcane that the Institute of Arcane did not have completely locked away. Albeit illogical, as a mother she wanted to make her son happy. She went so far as to make contact with less than legal sources of information to gather this knowledge for her son. He devoured the basic theories with a voracity that thrilled his mother’s academic side. Her crowning achievement came the day she was able to make contact with a rogue expert Defier by the name of Jasper. Jasper had once been a student of the Institute of the Arcane but had been expelled due to a confrontation that left another human student heavily injured. In exchange for his agreement to initiate Aerlan into Defiance, Elarea had promised him both gold and to use her contacts to assist him in being reinstated to the academy. Yet, his character was better revealed when he met Aerlan and fully understood the child’s mental condition. The man, more out of pity for the boy than for the benefits to himself, did as he had agreed. He had seen the blankness behind the young Eidisi’s eyes and knew the uniqueness of Defiance may bring something back to the life within Aerlan through the bond with the elements. Explaining the basics of the initiation process to Elarea, the man convinced her to allow him to take Aerlan into the wilderness outside of Viden during the warmest part of the year.
That following Saun when Aerlan had just turned nineteen, Jasper led Aerlan to a grove a trees covered in the snow outside of Viden. Jasper stated that they would need to dig a deep pit into the earth. Curiosity, one rare emotion for Aerlan, surged and he agreed to do as requested. It took nearly a full trial to dig through the snow and frozen top layer of dirt then ten feet down into the earth. Aerlan had then looked to his master and waited. The man reached down and introduced his spark into the earth and stated: “The earth is my kin. It is my brother and my protector. May it bond with you as I have with it.” At these words, Aerlan felt a calm different than the emptiness he was accustomed to. Laying down at the bottom of the hole, he fought his panic and natural urges as Jasper filled the pit, burying him alive. The weight of the earth bore down upon him and Aerlan started to suffocate. But as he moved closer to death, something within him reached out to the earth and connected. Aerlan felt himself slowly rising. The earth pushed him up, moving around his body as he was lifted up from the depths of the hole. Light pierced his eyes and the first thing he saw was Jasper smiling and leaning over him. “Welcome back, initiate. Now you are a Defier as well.” A slight breeze flowed around Aerlan as he stood, propelled up slightly by the earth beneath him.
For the next eight arcs, Jasper mentored Aerlan as a Defier. Their bond grew, and despite Aerlan’s true nature, he found himself warming to his teacher. Aerlan began to see Jasper as a father figure and mentor, the spark binding them just as much as their daily interactions of teacher and student. Under his tutelage, Aerlan understood the concepts of Deference and Calling. His limited emotions let him feel a dulled version of excitement when Jasper explained the greater gifts to come with further mastery of Defiance as he knew them and even the ones above what he knew that his own master had once explained to him. Years later, Aerlan would say that between his studies at the academy and his time learning Defiance would be the most content of times he had ever known.
Unbeknownst to the duo, Jasper’s past had come back to haunt him . Gaeril Dako, brother to the man Jasper had injured years before, had tracked the rogue Defier across multiple cities and finally back to Viden itself. This human turned out to be another mage but one far darker than Jasper; Gaeril was an aberrant. The day Gaeril found Jasper, he was at the Mavarium home along with Elarea, Aerlan, and the female slave. Gaeril burst into the home, brimming with energy from a recent flaying, and waylaid the family before they could put up a resistance. With a knife in hand and a massive shadow-snake floating around him, the abberant targeted Elarea first as the best choice for hostage. He sprung forward as a basketball-sized sphere of swirling, dark purple energy appeared between the master and apprentice and grabbed Elarea, putting the wicked blade to her throat. Jasper and Aerlan were unable to bring their magic to bear against Gaeril, and powerless to stop him. With the situation under his control, Gaeril pulled a silver, Viden coin out of his pocket and tossed it to Jasper. The next five minutes would haunt Aerlan for the rest of his life in a way that even his Frayed nature could not completely halt.
“You will flip twice. Your first flip determines whether this woman or the slave dies. The second determines whether the boy dies, or you do. Heads for the former, tails for the latter. The other two will live. I am a man of my word, and you know this.” Gaeril had then cracked a manic smile, a devilish light burning in his eyes. A pained expression crossed Jasper’s face and he flipped the coin. He snatched it out of the air and flipped it onto the back of his palm. Glancing at it, a frown deepened and his eyes turned to the slave. Gaeril chuckled and the sphere shot across the room, punching a hole through the woman. She dropped, her flesh sizzling around the hole through her chest. Aerlan watched stoically, the death not phasing his senses. Elarea groaned, eliciting a hiss from the aberrant. “Now, now. One down. Flip again, Jasper!”
The Defier glared into the Aberrant’s eyes and shook his head. “I will not. I choose myself to save the boy.” His shoulders had squared and a defiant look filled his eyes, but a shadow of fear flittered across them for a second. Gaeril did not miss this.
“Good, good. Your death was the whole point of this charade. Correct choice.” The aberrant’s sphere floated slowly across the room until it floated directly before Aerlan’s eyes. “I have a better idea though,” Gaeril chuckled. He released the Eidisi professor and approached Aerlan. “Come here, boy. You will be my student now.” Curiosity piqued, Aerlan’s void Eidisi eyes looked at the man as he cocked his head slightly. Gaeril reached out a hand crackling with energy and placed it on Aerlan’s chest. The Frayed felt the spark ignite within him, unlocking a new faucet of power he hadn’t felt before. After a few moments, Aerlan returned to his senses and found himself on his knees. “Now, boy. You will flay your master. Do it and your mother lives as will you. Do not, and you all die…” Aerlan’s detached mind weighed the scales of this situation and logically found his answer. But a spark of emotion struck him as he turned his gaze to his Defiance master and met sad but accepting eyes, as if Jasper saw the rare emotional response.
“It’s okay, son. Save your mother and remember what I’ve taught you.” Aerlan nodded, pushing away the unknown emotion and stepped forward to stand before Jasper. His senses reached out and he felt the Ether within his master. Slowly raising his right hand, Aerlan put his hand on Jasper’s head, palm to forehead. Hesitating, he felt the bond of Defiance master and student swell within him. It fought the order his brain had given, refusing to sever such a connection in such an abominable way. Gaeril growled angrily, focusing Aerlan back to the present situation. “I’m…sorry…master,” escaped Aerlan’s lips as he pulled. His senses exploded as the Ether was ripped forcefully from Jasper and into himself. The Spark within him flared with a power he had never known while his master began shaking, froth spilling from his mouth. Jasper’s eyes sunk in as his skin dried to a husk. Moments later, the Ether finished pulling and the corpse fell at Aerlan’s feet. Despite the power flooding his system, an intense sense of loss smashed into his “heart”. A single tear fell from his left eye and a sense of loss filled Aerlan. “Master…” he choked out, his voice strangely husky.
Gaeril’s mocking laugh filled the room. “HA! Good, boy. Now, you will come with me and I will teach you what that energy means. I’m sure you will soon feel the desire for…more. You’ve much to learn, and a new friend will soon wish to speak with you.” The aberrant struck Elarea in the head and shoved her forward to fall to the floor between the two corpses. Aerlan didn’t move. “You will come, or she will die. And you with her,” the man said as he headed for the door and gestured to the sphere which hovered over Elarea. Aerlan kneeled down and took the silver coin from his master’s hand, then stood and turned to follow Gaeril without a backward glance to his unconscious mother. Gaeril glanced over his shoulder as they left and spoke once more. “You will not return here or I will as well and finish what I started.” The young Eidisi merely nodded.
The aberrant immediately led his new initiate to a small stone house on the outer edge of Viden. Once inside, Gaeril pulled up two chairs and indicated for Aerlan to sit. “Now, boy. Soon, that energy will dissipate and you’ll feel the desire for more. Fight that and wait. And answer the call when it comes.” Aerlan cocked his head curiously, still not speaking to the man who made him destroy his master. Within a trial, Aerlan felt the energy dissipate and the hunger for more creep slowly up his spine. Even the emptiness of his emotions didn’t halt the horrifying feeling but he remembered the thrill of the power and glanced up at his new mentor. As Aerlan’s eyes bore into the man and fought the craving, Gaeril merely smirked while his own shadow snake floated in the air behind him. The aberrant knew full well what was going on in the initiate’s mind.
At that moment, Aerlan heard the whisper. “Let me help…” Aerlan looked around slowly, seeing no one in sight and the voice had not matched Gaeril’s. “Let me help…” the voice whispered again. Two glowing yellow eyes slowly appeared before him. “What are you?” Aerlan stared at the floating eyes, his memory searching through all the arcane information he’d read and finding nothing to explain this.
“I am Glaren, and I want to share in that delicious energy. I will provide you control and you will give me power. Nothing more, nothing less. I am here to help…and feed. Bond with me and you will know power beyond anything you’ve seen thus far. This I can guarantee…” Aerlan cracked an emotionless smirk and weighed those words in his mind. Gaeril merely watched and nodded.
“I will remain in control and you will be obedient as long as you are fed. You will not seek to control me while this remains true. “ Aerlan stared into the yellow eyes and watched as a smokey, formless cloud came into view around them. “Yes… While that remains true. I will be your companion…” Nodding in agreement, Aerlan reached out a hand to the eyes. They moved closer and the smokey cloud touched his outstretched hand. A ripple of energy shot through his being. The Eidisi felt as if his body was enveloped by an invisible, thin blanket and the Harvester spoke into his mind. “Greetings, brother. Now we are bound.”
For the next arc, Gaeril tutored Aerlan in the necessities of an Aberrant mage. He taught the young Eidisi how to target the weak and bottom of society, those whom would be easy prey and not missed. Aerlan was taught the concepts of the Sphere and Conjunction. Words rarely came from Aerlan unless necessary or to verify a concept he wanted to make sure he understood. Gaeril taught the magic hungry Eidisi and watched him closely, always on guard against potential danger from the younger aberrant. And indeed this was on Aerlan’s mind. His thoughts were constantly upon returning to his mother and the death of his master. Feeling no desire of revenge or even rage, Aerlan did still feel that incredible loss. This loss was constantly at the forefront of his thoughts due to the bond he felt from the elements always reminding me of his dead master.
Patience eventually paid off for Aerlan. One day while Aerlan was stuck within that same stone house, Gaeril stumbled through the door. Blood was streaming from his nose and his eyes were glazed over, barely conscious. He moved forward enough to fall onto the bed he kept against the wall. Watching his aberration mentor finally in a state of weakness, Aerlan shot forward and placed his hand, palm to forehead, upon the overstepped mage and pulled. The ether drained from Gaeril and flooded Aerlan’s spark, eliciting a gasp from the frayed mage. After the Flaying was done, Aerlan stared at the husk of the man. A glimmer lit deep within the Eidisi’s eyes and he smiled truly for the first time in his life. “For my master…” The words came out no louder than a whisper as he turned and left the house, his steps taking him in the direction of the Mavarium home. He had a lot of explaining to do.
Housing
Lived in the Mavarium home while in Viden. While outside of Viden, he rents.
Knowledge & Skills
| Skill | Points Acquired | Total Points Spent | Proficiency |
| Defiance (Domain) | 20/100 | (20/251) | Novice |
| Abberation (Domain) | 5/100 | (5/251) | Novice |
| Deception | 9/100 | (9/251) | Novice |
| Discipline | 14/100 | (14/251) | Novice |
| Linguistics | 25/100 | NA: FT | Novice |
| Psychology | 14/100 | (14/251) | Novice |
| Research | 25/100 | (25/251) | Novice |
Skill Point Ledger
| Thread or Skill Name | Points Awarded | Points Spent | Running Total |
| Research [RB] | 25[RB] | 25 | 00 |
| Multilingualism | 25 | 25 | 00 |
| Starting Package | 50 | 00 | 50 |
| Aberration | ... | 5 | 45 |
| Defiance | ... | 20 | 25 |
| Deception | ... | 5 | 20 |
| Psychology | ... | 10 | 10 |
| Discipline | ... | 10 | 0 |
| Discipline | ... | 4 [PG] | 0 |
| Deception | ... | 4[PG] | 0 |
| Psychology | ... | 4[PG] | 0 |
| Why? | 10 | 00 | 10 |
Marks Section
Items
- Prized Possession: A silver, Viden coin depicting Yvithia on the front and the Academy on the back.
- One set of clothing (adaptable as per race, though for humanoid races, this will include a coat or cloak, shirt or blouse, pants or skirt, undergarments, and a pair of boots. All clothing is standard quality.
- One Set of Toiletries: Soap, A comb or brush, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste,
- One waterskin
- Two sets of eating utensils
- Tinderbox
Ledger
| Item | Debit | Credit |
| Starting Package | ... | 350 |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
Total Currency: 0 ON, 350 GN, 0 SN, 0 CN
Fame Ledger
| ]Item/ Thread | Fame | Total |
| Starting Fame | +30 | +30 |
| Why? | -6 | +24 |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
| ... | ... | ... |
Thread List
26th of Zi'da, 716: Why?
29th of Zi'da, 716: How to Pick a Victim 101
30th of Zi'da, 716: Red vs Blue
31st of Zi'da, 716: Lost and Not Alone
55th of Zi'da, 716: Silence of the Caravans: Planning
56th of Zi'da, 716: Silence of the Caravans: Travel