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And the ringing wires resound;
And the unearthly lovely weep,
In lament of the music they make
In the sullen courts of sleep:
Whose marble flowers bloom for aye:
And--lapped by the moon-guiled tide--
Mock their carver with heart of stone,
Caged in his stone-ribbed side. |
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— Walter de la Mare, "Sunk Lyonesse" |
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Rey Devoss is the heir to an ancient legacy, now defunct in every sense that matters to human society. There is little property left to the Devoss family, no fortune, only a barely remembered name. However, he is also the son of an ancient goddess and has spent many years in Faërie, where he was knighted by the enigmatic Erlking and came to be known formally as The Autumn Knight.
Now, this fairy knight-errant has come to Earth to establish his own freehold and to see what good he might turn his sword to in this world.
Personality
While the classic Myers Briggs personality breakdown is an arbitrary and fundamentally synthetic way of classifying personality types, it's also convenient as a way to quantify a personality. Given this model, Rey would be considered Extroverted Sensing Thinking and Perceiving: "As an ESTP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things rationally and logically."
When it comes to the question of introversion versus extroversion, Rey is more of the extrovert--a true people person who enjoys taking action and is good at reading and understanding others. In the question of sensing versus intuition, Rey is is much more reliant upon his senses, what he actually perceives, than trusting his intuition. It is noteworthy that his senses are keen enough that he may often seem to act on intuition, but he does not actually do well in trusting to luck, chance, or vague feelings. As to thhinking versus feeling, he tends to be a thinker, but he is also in touch with his feelings. He has a fairly low preference score in this area, though he does come down slightly more on the side of being a thinker than a feeler. Finally, considering judging versus perceiving, Rey is much more inclined to take in a situation and respond to it than walk in with a strict plan to follow. He is good at being flexible and handling a situation extemporaneously.
Principled but not rigidly lawful, a people person who also enjoys periods of solitude, Rey is in many ways a classic ESTP type. He has a flair for drama and style, tends to avoid being tied to rigid structures, and prefers practical situations to theoretical concepts. He chafes under strict routine and rules, though he is comfortable enough with habits that he has chosen to fall into--though he may shake those off at times. Unlike the classic type, he has learned to be good at considering the feelings of others, has learned to do without the finer things in life, and is much more in touch with his emotions than governed by strict logic. He also tends to be much better at following things through than the classic type, tending to always try to see through anything he has started.
The ESTP archetype has been called "The Doer," valuing action and seeing things clearly over contemplation or trusting their instincts. Of course, even Jung said that everyone is an individual, and therefore everyone is an exception to the rule--so these aren't strict rules, just general guidelines. Still, the end summary of the ESTP is fitting enough: "ESTPs are practical, observant, fun-loving, spontaneous risk-takers with an excellent ability to quickly improvise an innovative solution to a problem. They're enthusiastic and fun to be with, and are great motivators. If an ESTP recognizes their real talents and operates within those realms, they can accomplish truly exciting things." -- personalitypage.com
Background
In Ancient Lyonesse
It was another time, another world. Centuries before the birth of Arthur Pendragon, the ancient land of Lyonesse existed beyond the reaches of time and upon the borders of the Otherworld. One of the undying lands, births there were rare enough, and thus children were prized and brought up to be the very best they could become. One of the sons of this land was born Maloré, son of Genovefa and Lóegaire, a child of lofty parentage on his mother's side, humble on his father's side, yet as he grew he would quickly distinguish himself as a musical prodigy. Apprenticed to master bard Nechtan, young Maloré rose quickly in fame as one of the great players of the city. In time, he would take his place as court bard to a prince of the royal family, Gwrtheyrn. Then, one day, he vanished and did not return for uncounted years. When he did come back, he brought with him a child and a tale of performing for The Morrígan, a goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He returned to his prince and lover, Gwrtheyrn, and the two raised the child together until the boy's thirteenth birthday. On that day, the child was taken by the Morrígan to Faërie to dwell at the court of her ally, the Erlking, out of time and knowledge, not to be seen in Lyonesse again, and in time that land sank into the sea and was lost to distant memory.
The Knight-Errant
The child would not remember his childhood. Instead, his oldest memory is of adolescence, living in at the Erlking's court with a mysterious, royal fairy godfather and being raised up to serve the court. For five years he learned and was trained, honing skills and being taught in magic. Or, perhaps it was much longer than five years--but so it seemed, to him. After he turned eighteen, he ventured into the world, traveling between Earth and Otherworld, and he earned significant renown to earn himself a knighthood in the Erlking's court. Swearing his knightly Oaths, he took up his sword and set out on his first adventure as a fairy knight-errant. In the years since he has had many such adventures, seen many things, and acquired quite a few interesting stories and trinkets along the way. Most recently, he has come to Beacon Hills, seeking to know more of what has happened there in that unusual town--a town that he is very sure he knows more about than he should....
SIGNATURE ABILITY
Sight Beyond Sight
As a knight, Rey strives always to see the world with eyes unclouded, and as a demigod, one of his greatest gifts is that of perception. These factors combine to make him virtually impossible to surprise attack. Whenever Rey or someone whom he's protecting in his immediate vicinity is threatened with immediate danger, Rey is aware of the incoming threat. This does not automatically allow a successful defense against the threat, but it does allow him the opportunity to try, such as is possible for him at the time. It grants him no special ability to succeed in his defense, only the opportunity to make the attempt, even against otherwise unseen or invisible sources of danger or attack.
SKILLS
Academics - Competent Level
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Rey has a classic education, versed in the arts and humanities, mathematics, and sciences. He is somewhat less well-versed in subjects pertaining to technology, wherein he rates as a Novice.
When it comes to alchemy, Rey is capable of mixing reagents and components to prepare various potions, but he's not especially gifted or widely experienced using such magics. He can follow a recipe, but usually that's it. One exception to this is that Rey does have quite a talent for producing substances of what might be termed a "recreational" nature.
Rey is naturally athletic and extensively trained, making him equally adept at nearly any kind of athleticism, from motion-based skills like tumbling and leaping to strength-based skills climbing and lifting to dexterity-based skills, involving reflexes and hand-eye coordination.
Not only is Rey highly perceptive, but he's a very skilled observer and highly alert to his surroundings. Whether it comes to physical observation of mystic senses, little goes on around him that he does not notice. He is also quite an expert at putting together his observations to draw useful conclusions, making it very difficult to deceive or fool him, and he misses very, very little.
Charisma - Competent Level
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Naturally charismatic and inclined toward being expressive, Rey is skilled at portraying any particular emotion or manner that he needs in a given situation. This includes being forceful or ingratiating, mannerly or brusque, and so forth as needed.
Domestics - Competent Level
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Through various circumstances, Rey has been taking care of his own needs for quite some time. This means he knows how to keep a good house and home. This includes the ability to care for and mend clothing, to perform a variety of household repairs, to cook well enough to please guests, and otherwise to maintain a hospitable and comfortable household. To his mind, it's all part of being a good host.
Expression - Competent Level
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Trained in most forms of art and expression, Rey is a capable novice visual artist, singer, dancer, and musician. He could paint a picture, but it would be fair rather than brilliant. He can play guitar, piano, or flute but not to an expert degree. He is widely trained, rather than particularly talented. While Rey has little formal training in the realm of music, he has a naturally good voice and sense of rhythm. He can also perform reasonably well with a guitar or piano, but for the most part he sticks to singing informally. He's much more at home singing in the shower or in a group around a fire or at a tavern rather than putting on a performance.
Mechanic - Competent Level
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Years of riding an enchanted motorcycle have led Rey to become a reasonably talented mechanic. He can maintain and repair just about any older model of vehicle, though the newer ones with computerized parts and complex modern systems tend to confound him. Generally, it's vehicles from the mid twentieth century that he works best with. He is also an Expert at applying his Occultism skill to creating and maintaining enchantments and other magical enhancements on vehicles in various ways.
Melee Combat - Expert Level
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In terms of close combat, particularly with a sword, Rey is a true expert, even a master duelist, comparable in skill to famous stories of characters like Diego de la Vega or Inigo Montoya. Not only are his reflexes and form superb, but he also has the general athleticism, situational awareness, and knowledge (such as of human anatomy and how to care for various weapons).
Educated in Faërie with long years of experience beyond that, Rey is an expert spellcaster and occultist. He possesses extensive knowledge of various supernatural creatures, magical forces, and realms. He is also a veteran traveler of the Ways and can identify most enchantments, curses, and other mystic effects unless they are truly esoteric. With a good research library and some time, he can work out even most obscure magics.
Rey is a skilled rider, encompassing everything from motorcycles to horses to mythical beasts of the Otherworld. When riding a magical or enchanted vehicle, he functions at Expert level, though on a mundane vehicle he is only capable of Novice level skill.
Stealth - Competent Level
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The land of Faërie is full of many predators with very keen senses, and it is there that Rey honed skill. Capable of sneaking and hiding, both by staying out of sight and moving silently, he is quite competently stealthy when he needs to be.
Survivalism - Novice Level
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Having traveled a great deal, particularly through the Otherworld, Rey has some basic survival skills. However, much of this depends on magic and knowledge of the Ways, so in practical terms he is only a novice.
Artistry is in Rey's heritage, though his own talent manifested a bit differently. Where music is more in his family line, he proved to have skill in visual art, designing images and patterns. In particular, he found an interest in tattooing, which combines very effectively with his talent for enchantment. As such, he has developed this skill over the years to quite an expert level, enabling him to craft intricate and even beautiful designs -- even when they're magical and might leap off the body and fly away once their purpose is fulfilled.
Not only is Rey strong-willed by nature, but he is also skilled in applying that willpower in practical terms. Whether resisting mundane forms of temptation, intimidation, or coercion or more mystic or psychic influences, he's exceptionally capable in this area. His mind is strong, disciplined, and exceedingly difficult to sway against his will. This also grants him a good measure of resistance to mental attacks or damage, especially when his other talents are considered.
ABILITIES
Magic: Cantrips - Basic Level
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Rey is capable of casting cantrip-level or Basic magic to wide and varied effect, allowing minor, aesthetic, or basic functional applications that are not especially powerful or dangerous but certainly have their uses. This might mean levitating a cup of tea, lighting a fire with the flick of his wrist, conjuring a light, drawing forth water from the earth, curing simple injuries or ailments and enhancing healing, or other simple acts of magic.
Innate: Divine Agility - Enhanced+ Level
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Thanks to the blessings of his divine blood, Rey is physically more deft and agile than ordinary humans, at the high end of Enhanced level. This includes his ability to move over short distances, as well as his reflexes, dexterity, and other aspects of physical movement and agility. For sustained movement, he can run at Basic+ speeds over a distance, around 100 MPH.
Innate: Divine Physique - Enhanced Level
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Thanks to the blessings of his divine blood, Rey is physically stronger and more durable than ordinary humans, both solidly at Enhanced level. He also heals at an increased rate, also at the Enhanced level. It is very thorough, allowing him to recover from any illness, toxin, or non-fatal wound, given time.
Innate: Divine Will - Supreme Level
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As a demigod, Rey has an indomitable will and virtually unshakable mental fortitude. This allows him to resist essentially any mental or spiritual intrusions, influences, or compulsions, as well as granting him tremendous raw willpower for non-mystical purposes. In effect, he resists any attempts to sway, influence, or manipulate him, as well as any mental or will-based attacks at the Supreme level.
Magic: Evocation - Enhanced Level
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Evocation is the kind of magic performed by true spell-slingers: big, flashy effects that often make things go "boom." This might include force manipulation, akin to blasts of kinetic energy, or elemental control, such as fireballs or lightning strikes. Evocation almost always tends to boil down to fairly immediate cause and effect, a force being applied to achieve an immediate and direct result. Rey can project force, elemental, or similar attacks at the Enhanced level, or he can exert finer control, effectively allowing elementalism or kinetomancy at the Basic level. For more advanced control, he must use a specific ritual or other pre-prepared focus.
While Rey is a gifted evoker, he is not primarily a spell-slinger. The larger the effect, the more difficult it is for Rey to control. He could let loose an impressive force or elemental blast, but without the proper rituals or mystic foci he would be unable to control it. Most of the time, he manages this by casting his magic through a very specific, localized focus. He can use a staff or wand, but in almost all cases he casts magic through his sword, and he is much more likely to, say, channel lightning through his sword and fling it or make his sword burst into flames than he is to try to whip up a raging inferno. When he casts magic in a more off-the-cuff, spell-slinging way, he tends to carefully limit himself to simple, direct effects that are less likely to get out of control.
Innate: Immortal - Supreme Level
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As a demigod, Rey is blessed with immortality. He is ageless and cannot become sick or infected with any ailment, and his enhanced physique makes him more difficult to harm than a normal human.
Magic: Mentalism - Enhanced Level
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Using mentalism, Rey can cast magic of the thoughts and psyche, such as telepathy, mental influence, and mental warding. He can exert mental influence to alter the perceptions or dominate the will of others, though he generally avoids using such measures beyond light touches. He can also defend against such influences, though thanks to his divine willpower his own defenses function at Supreme level. He can engage in telepathy with another over regional distance or even farther via strong personal connection or mystic link.
Innate: Perception - Supreme Level
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Rey is especially attuned to the world around him, both in a physical and mystical sense. This means that his vision, hearing, sense of smell, and other senses are all supernaturally keen and potent, allowing him to see across different spectra of light, hear and vastly extended frequencies, track by smell with unfailing accuracy, and even perceive chemical components to some degree by scent or taste. He can perceive or even see beyond almost any magical effect or illusion, and he is able to perceive the true forms of physical and spiritual creatures.
Further, his prowess is so great that even that which cannot normally be perceived may be revealed by the displacement of the environment around it. For instance, even if an invisibility spell were flawless, it could not actually stop the displacement of air, and Rey would be able to perceive that. His senses cannot be fooled or directly affected by magical effect, psychic powers, or any other such chicanery.
These powers do not extend into divination or scrying, relying on his immediate, personal senses. Notably, his senses are not a weakness: He is immune to sensory damage, such that he could stare directly into the sun without being in any way harmed by it.
Weapon: The Autumn Blade - Supreme Level
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One relic that Rey inherited from his stepfather was Gwrtheyrn's personal blade, which has earned the name The Autumn Blade. Forged in ancient Lyonesse and imbued with the magic of the fae and the Tuatha Dé Danann, the blade of Gwrtheyrn had been given in keeping to the Morrígan when she took Rey to Faërie, and she in turn passed it on to him. The blade is effectively indestructible and capable of inflicting Enhanced damage purely as a blade.
The sword's truest gift is the ability to channel and redirect magical energy. It can be used as a channel or focus for casting, and if wielded correctly, it can absorb magic effects up to the Supernatural level. The blade can only absorb a single active effect at a time, and the effect must be reasonably localized. More minor effects may be absorbed over a larger area, and for each absorbed effect, the sword stores power.
By storing multiple Enhanced effects or a single Supernatural effect, the blade may gain a few minutes of Supernatural level attack power. The more power it absorbs, the longer its enhanced strength will last. It takes a great deal of concentration to absorb such effects, so the wielder must primarily focus on defense to do so. However, by steadily channeling at least Enhanced-level magics into the blade, it can be empowered to Supernatural levels without the need to absorb outside energies.
When channeling such power, the blade takes on the aspect of the magic it absorbed, so if it absorbed a fireball, it might gain a flaming aura or trail a lash of fire. Notably, the blade cannot absorb magic from a living source or magic that is bound up in an active enchantment. The sword may be able to break enchantments, such as barriers or curses, if it is powerful enough at the time, but it cannot simply absorb or drain power in that way.
Magic: Warding - Enhanced Level
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Rey is capable of casting magic to create barriers and wards, functioning as shields or preventing passage into a certain area. This might apply to physical beings or objects, as well as various types of ethereal presences or energies, such as magic or mental effects. Without great effort, he can create a ward of Enhanced strength level that will keep out beings of moderate power or shield against Enhanced-level physical, mystic, spiritual, or mental effects. With enough time and preparation, he can create wards of much greater power, sufficient to seal a fortress or, at the high end, a city.
ADVANTAGES
Being a knight-errant of Faërie grants limited benefits on Earth. It does command certain respect, and it has provided him with certain resources. However, he cannot depend on any assistance from the fae while on Earth. He does not act as the direct instrument of the court's will, but it does grant him certain authority and prestige within the fairy courts. During his time on Earth, Rey has earned the personal title "The Autumn Knight," but this carries no particular significance beyond serving as a personal honorific.
Rey carries a variety of enchanted objects, ranging from the potent to the trivial. These often use a focusing gem to hold the power, granting some spell effect of Basic or Enhanced level. In most cases, they allow for effects such as standard "tech" equipment, whether it be sending a distress signal, creating a smoke screen, or causing a small-scale explosion. One typical example is that Rey carries a smart phone, but it's carefully crafted and enchanted to be both compatible with magic and normal technology.
As another example, Rey owns a number of leather coats, each spelled with various protective enchantments designed to keep him physically safe, as are his boots and other riding clothes. These have Enhanced level durability, allowing him to resist a bit more than he could normally, but they also make it more difficult to target him with hostile magic. For instance, a spell designed to sap his strength or weaken him might be diffused from targeting him, while a fireball flung at him would be unaffected.
As an alchemist of minor talent, Rey also generally keeps a number of useful potions around. None of these offer particularly epic effects, but they're good at accomplishing the basics: delivering a direct magical effect through a potion, salve, or similar. Rey often has access to various minor to moderate healing and restorative substances, as well as a few with more exotic effects, mostly used for personal entertainment.
For any particularly large or exotic effect, staff permission must be sought in advance.
Rey has established holdfasts in Beacon Hills, San Francisco, and Port-Au-Feu. Apart from all of the amenities of a reasonably well-appointed modern home or business, each of these also features potent mystical defenses. The private dwellings including a strong threshold against uninvited guests. The holdfasts also have more overt wards, preventing entry or invasion by physical or supernatural means. This means that scrying, other forms of observation, and entry through the Ways are generally not possible there without specific invitation from Rey.
Rey has prospered in life, and he now owns several valuable properties. The first of these is the old, abandoned railway station in Beacon Hills, a building that dates back to when the city was a major rail hub in Northern California. Having purchased and renovated the structure, Rey now often resides there in a converted apartment beneath the building. Spacious and sturdily built, the place serves as a ready refuge for Rey and up to a fair number of guests. He also owns The Marble Court in San Francisco and The Sylvan Court in Port-Au-Feu, a pair of extravagant clubs that offer cocktails, dancing, and fine dining. Each also includes a special members-only area and a private apartment dwelling for Rey's personal use. Apart from being well-constructed and very defensible in a conventional sense, each property is also a holdfast in Rey's name as the Autumn Knight, including all the rights, responsibilities, and mystical defenses that such entails.
While Rey arrived in Beacon Hills as a knight-errant with little money to his name, he has since begun to establish a household for himself. Thanks to a few windfalls, such as a nest egg that was given to him on behalf of his mother "for making her proud" with his tenure as a knight, and a bit of shrewd investing, he has managed to amass a tidy personal fortune. He's not yet fabulously wealthy, but he is growing wealthier and can now afford to live comfortably while enjoying the finer things and indulging the occasional extravagance.
Rey is the proud owner of a vintage 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle, dubbed "The Waysmaster," which has been customized and enchanted heavily over the years by various owners. The bike is a Supernatural level artifact, virtually indestructible, is capable of traveling at up to the Supernatural level, combining aspects of speed, teleportation, and planar travel for a very unique form of transit. This allows the bike to make itself and what it carries intangible, as well as serving as a reliable means of navigating through the Ways. It is also keyed by potent enchantment so that only its present owner, or someone carrying a token of their willing permission, can operate it. At times, the vehicle nearly seems to have a mind of its own.
WEAKNESSES
As a fairy knight, Rey is sworn to follow many codes of the old world. For instance, if he is a guest in someone's home, he will not raise a hand against his host so long as he is treated with the proper respect due a guest. Similarly, if any are welcomed into his own home, he will do everything in his power to defend them and will treat them with due respect, seeing to their needs in every way he can, unless or until they do something to violate their role as guest, such as by seeking to harm him or another under his protection, attempting to damage or steal his or another's property within the house, or otherwise betraying his trust. He deals courteously with others until given reason not to, will act to protect the innocent and defenseless, and will generally not strike an unarmed foe or use excessive force against others unless pressed to do so while acting in the defense of his life or the life of another.
Due to his particular mystic nature, Rey is bound by his word. He is able to lie, but when he is really pinned down on something--asked thrice--he must give a direct answer that adheres to at least the spirit of the truth. Oaths binds him more powerfully: he is not capable of willingly breaking any Oath he makes, though if one is broken by circumstances beyond his control, he suffers no harm from it.
Rey comes from ancient blood with ties to both divinity and the fae. As a consequence of his particular mystic nature, belief carries more impact for him than it might for many others, such that many superstitions and folk beliefs actually work against his magic. Any "charm" or ritual that a person uses might give them some protection from his powers. For example, the presence of charms like rowan wood bound with red string, four-leaf clovers, protective crystals, or wolfsbane can inhibit his power over the holder. The more powerful the charm, the more his power over the bearer will be inhibited. For such a charm to be effective, the bearer must truly believe in its power. Much like when a cartoon character runs off a cliff but does not fall until they look down, these charms only work until the bearer knows that they aren't "real" magical defenses at all, just old superstitions, so it's unlikely that a well-educated occultist could use them effectively against him. (Obviously, if the charm is actually real, then it will offer whatever mystical protection that it would normally offer.)
In terms of power level, it varies a great deal with the nature of the object, itself. A trinket purchased at a store, like a clover under glass, or actions such as making the sign of the cross or throwing salt over one's shoulder are weak charms, good for Basic protection if the holder believes in them. Hand-crafted charms or naturally found objects are more powerful, and anything which has long been in contact with humans, such as a family heirloom or relic, is still stronger, up to Enhanced level. Truly rare charms, such as a relic that the bearer's family has passed down from generation to generation, could provide up to even Supernatural levels of protection. Notably, this protection only extends to his casting abilities, but given the power of some of his magic, this can be a very significant defense against his more powerful spellcasting abilities.
