App for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tushanshu
Player Information:
Name: Chloe
Age: 26
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
swevene
Game Cast: Alcuin nó Delaunay (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
virginprice) and Randolph Lyall (cravats); last AC comment.
Character Information:
Name: Jermayan, son of Malkirinath
Canon: The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Canon Point: Chapter 2 of To Light A Candle
Age: Approximately 100, give or take a few years
Reference: The wikipedia page for the trilogy.
Setting: The world of the Obsidian Trilogy is a fantasy world populated by men, elves, demons, unicorns, dragons, centaurs, and many other races. The general technology level is approximately medieval, with certain advancements (such as basic refrigeration and plumbing) made possible by the use of magic or by being elves.
The formative events of the world were the wars that elves and later elves, men, and other races fought against the demons. The first of these happened before humans became a powerful force, and the second some two or three thousand years before the trilogy begins. These wars took an incredible toll on the world and its people, changing the terrain and the people- wiping out forests, forcing some races into extinction, drastically reducing others, and even forcing them to develop new magic.
At the heart of the conflict is, of course, Light (the elves, humans, and Otherfolk) and Dark (the demons and whatever allies they coerce or seduce). While nature has its balance, Dark is always trying to overturn it and overrun the world. The Obsidian Trilogy is about the latest attempt of Darkness to overpower the Light.
The Races Involved
Humans
Humans are probably the most varied race in the world. From the peaceful, sheltered citizens of Armethalieh and the farmers of the valley surrounding it to the sea-going Selken Traders to the hard-working townsfolk of the Wildwood and the tough hunters and herders of the Mountains and the Lost Lands, they live in many places and do many things. It can take months to travel across all the land that is occupied by humans. Armethalieh is the largest known human city at the time of the Obsidian Trilogy, though in its territory in the Delfier Valley, there are quite a few farming villages, and in the Wildwood beyond there are still more, though they are farther apart. In the Mountain Reaches and the Lost Lands, settlements are more scattered and humans are far rarer. In the Mountain Reaches, they survive by hunting and trading with other, more prosperous communities. In the Lost Lands, life is very hard, thanks to frequent raids by demons, but they survive by herding and by a larger number of Wildmages than any other regions, which help to defend them against the demons.
Humans are as varied in shape and form as modern humans today. Outside the city of Armethalieh, they often cohabit with other races such as centaurs, and they seem to get along quite well with them. No other settlement is advanced as Armethalieh, but then, Armethalieh has its disadvantages as well.
After the second war against the demons, the High Mages built the city of Armethalieh (also known as the Golden City and the City of a Thousand Bells) and became very exclusive and even xenophobic, thanks to the fear that the demons would someday return- eventually, they decided that Wild Magic was an ally of the dark forces and banned it, and painted elves and the Otherfolk with the same brush.
The rulers of Armethalieh are the High Council, consisting of twelve High Mages and the Arch-Mage. They and their subordinates are devoted to keeping its populace safe, contented, and ignorant of anything beyond its walls. Saying that the city is hidebound and traditional would be saying like water can be damp sometimes- anything new, or even variations on old things like new patterns for decorative ribbons, require a permit, in case they bring about a fad that leads to dangerous instability... and any instability is dangerous. Books must be reviewed to ensure that they won't be upsetting to the populace before they're published. No maps or histories of lands beyond Armethalieh's walls are available. No one is permitted to leave. If a disgruntled citizen finds a way to leave anyway (stowing away in the ship of a Selken Trader, for instance), a spell will cause them to mysteriously take sick and eventually die- the High Mages don't let anyone go unless there is no other choice.
One reason for this is that, as mentioned before, the citizens of Armethalieh provide the High Mages with the magic that they need for the city. Every citizen wears a golden talisman to mark their citizenship, and they exchange it every month for a new one. Unbeknownst to all of them but the mages, the talisman collects their energy (magical energy that they don't use) and allows the mages to access it. This magic allows Armethaliehans to live comfortable lives and the High Mages to retain their power over them.
Armethalieh is a heavily patriarchal society, with the upper classes relegating women to the role of wife and mother and nothing more. They are never taught High Magick, being considered too emotional and irrational, and the Mageborn are taught to consider them as nothing more than a necessary inconvenience. You have to carry on your line, but you don't have to like it.
In dire circumstances, there is a way for a citizen of Armethalieh to be banished- but it's rare for them to survive it. Those who are convicted of Wildmagery and other serious crimes are sentenced to be banished, stripped of their talisman, pushed out the main gate at sunset and told that they must be out of the lands that the City has claimed by dawn. Depending on the size of the lands at the time, this may be impossible for anyone without magical talent. A Wildmage can summon help or ask for the ability to get over the border by dawn, but most others are just plain out of luck and are killed by the Outlaw Hunt- a pack of animated stone hounds that are created by the High Council, one dog for each of the mages that sit on it. While the common perception is that the Outlaw Hunt is only intended to drive the exiles out of Armethalieh's territory, that is not the case.
Elves
The elves are a long-lived but primarily non-magical people, the result of a bargain that they made long ago: they gave up their part in any larger magics for long lives and peace. While they still have smaller magic (the ability to keep food and drink hot, or to ensure that a meeting isn't eavesdropped on), they can no longer do magic as a Wildmage can.
That doesn't stop them from getting extremely fancy. Long, peaceful lives give them plenty of time to pursue perfection in everything that they do, and to build elaborate structures of tradition and formality that they are trained to adhere to and often find almost impossible to shuck off when the time calls for it.
The elven code of manners is elaborate- courtesy is of paramount importance. For instance, the traditional greeting is 'I see you, [name]', which acknowledges without necessarily requiring a response. Sometimes, people may not want to be seen- in that case, the elf very politely pretends that they aren't there and don't exist. Another aspect of elven manners is the lack of questions. A question is seen as containing an implied expectation- or coercion- of an answer, and that is very rude. Indirect statements, such as mentioning the thing you're interested in hearing about, are common, though more direct statements like 'It would be good to hear more of this matter' are permissible, though considered very blunt.
The exception to this is War Manners- during a battle or in other urgent situations during war, it is permissible to be direct and ask questions. Obviously, these situations have been rare since the earlier demon wars, but War Manners are still taught to Elven Knights like Jermayan.
In general, their speech is indirect and it can be very difficult for a non-elf to get all the information they want from an elf- much of the way they communicate seems to be founded on unspoken knowledge that other elves understand because of their common context but it would be bordering on rude to speak aloud. Additionally, the amount of small-talk elves go through before reaching the important discussion can be frustrating. They speak of the weather, the tea they're brewing (elves LOVE tea), or any other trivial matter before coming to the real business. Someone who can't make small-talk is basically a barbarian.
Nearly all of their doings are marked by that sense of 'why hurry?'- even in situations that most other races would consider of dire urgency, they want to take time to consider all the aspects and give it deep and extended thought, and they sometimes assume that events will move at their speed too. Additionally, they're very reluctant to move away from traditional approaches and solutions- while they aren't as virulently opposed to anything new as the mages of Armethalieh, it can take a lot of work to budge them from the ideas that have worked before. This can be a grave weakness, as is noted by the human protagonist of the trilogy, Kellen.
They have many traditional events that are referenced but unseen in the trilogy, such as the Flower Wars, which seem to be some kind of tournament or mock war, which uses lances, and the Winter Running Dance, which gets even less description. However, it all points to their love of tradition and custom.
Where elves really shine is the perfection of everything they produce- art, music, architecture, clothing... even the humblest thing, like fuel for the fire, is made beautiful. Their craftspeople spend their lives in relentless pursuit of perfection, to the point where they can be incredibly single-minded- it's said of the clothing designer Tengitir that if the prince of demons showed up, she would ask him to strip and step into the light so she could judge what colours and fabrics would suit him best. Their devotion to their crafts has led to them advancing beyond usual medieval technology- they have hot and cold running water and flush toilets, for instance. They can also send messages quickly by a combination of birds and mirror-based signalling towers.
Elven cities blend into the landscapes around them to the point that they can be almost invisible at first, and then the unaccustomed eye realizes that they are visible, just created and shaped to be in perfect harmony with their natural environment- something that the elves consider very important.
Much of the elves' development has been in ways that harmonize with nature. They consider themselves guardians and protectors of it, keeping safe rare trees that grow nowhere else in the world in their Flower Forests, and offering shelter to species of Otherfolk like unicorns. Almost everything they build looks like it belongs exactly where it is, as though it grew there.
Elves tend to be difficult to tell apart for other races. They all seem to have dark hair and pale skin, and they grow more androgynous as they grow older. Their clothing tends to be beautifully made, of course, with most of it being quite elaborate. Styles for men tend to involve a great deal of sheer fabric and be cut very close to the skin, and styles for both genders are elaborately beaded and embroidered. Elven Knights such as Jermayan each have their own colour which tints their armour, weapons, tack, and supplies, and their armour is almost as elaborate as their clothing, with designs that strengthen the metal adorning it. It's also very finely made and easy to move in- you could dance in it, if you had to.
The Elven Lands are very large and guarded by the land-wards, which keep demons and things of evil nature out of them (unless smuggled in underground). There are nine major cities- Sentarshadeen, Ysterialpoerin, Lerkalpoldara, Windalorianan, Deskethomaynel, Ondoladeshiron, Realthetaladon, Valwendigorean, and Thultifoniseen, each governed by a Viceroy or Vicereign (or both, in the case of Lerkalpoldara), who are subordinate to the King. The King is advised by his Council, but ultimately the decisions are his. Each of the cities has what is known as a Flower Forest, a forest of rare trees that don't exist anywhere outside of Elven Lands. These are held in great reverence, as they're remnants of a forest that used to exist before the demon wars- the honoured dead are laid to rest in them, and any wood or herbs are harvested only with permission.
In terms of religion, elves reverence the Gods of Leaf and Star, but they don't seem to have temples or priests. The Gods are more of a force that guide events than any real personalized presence in their lives- they will often say 'Gods of Leaf and Star will that it might be so', for instance.
Demons
Demons- or to give them their proper name, the Endarkened, also referred to as shadow Mountain- are, of course, the villains of the Obsidian Trilogy, and boy, do they give it their all. They start off with numerous advantages over the races that oppose them- they're immortal, every single one of them is a deadly mage, and the only way to kill one of them permanently is by the cooperation of High Magic and Wild Magic.
Their primary source of amusement seems to be torture- they've raised it to an artform. The queen of the demons, Savilla, has a garden where she stores the last moments of her victims' agony in crystals, and a couch with armrests made of unicorn horn (although living unicorns are dangerous to them, dead ones are quite safe). The remains of the torture victims are often sent to the kitchens, since the Endarkened seem to have quite a taste for the flesh of other sentient beings.
The demons take delight in perverting, seducing, and tainting anything they can get their taloned fingers on. As mentioned above, they did their best to seduce as many Wildmages to their case as they could during the second war, and that continues even in the time of the Obsidian Trilogy, with Queen Savilla even tainting the mind of a High Mage and using him to nearly bring down Armethalieh. They like to twist the creatures of Light- for instance, combining goblins (poison spitting monsters) with elves to create Shadowed Elves that can infiltrate the Elven Lands.
What they can't bring over to their side (like elves- and they hate the elves beyond any other race for that), they'll do their best to destroy and they have no qualms about doing it in as underhanded a method as possible, setting two enemies against each other, or sacrificing a pawn (like the aforementioned Shadowed Elves, whose location inside the Elven Lands they arrange to have revealed to the elves so that the elves will be forced to waste time and troops destroying them) to weaken their opposition. The first move they made against the elves was a Barrier that they created with magic that held back all the rain from the Elven Lands, forcing it into a terrible drought- they hoped the elves and their forests would wither and die or burn with the Endarkened never having to lift another finger. They spread plagues and set monsters on remote cities until almost no one survives to reach safety.
Basically, when it comes to villainy, they're the most villainous. They have enormous magical power, which is fuelled by death and pain- another reason for their torture hobby. Only by the forces of the Light working together can they be really vanquished.
The Demons are a monarchy, ruled by Queen Savilla with Prince Zyperis and her heir, and her court is about as deceitful and backstabbing as you would expect from a court full of exclusively evil sorts. Treachery, trickery, and all kinds of devices are employed to acquire power.
Demons can take any form they choose, but their true form is a tall humanoid with scarlet or black skin, horns, slit-pupilled eyes, and great wings. Sometimes they can have hooves and tails as well. Their clothing tends to be even more revealing than elven garb. There are Lesser Endarkened as well, which are described as scaly and squat.
The Endarkened have a number of monster races under their command, including Coldwargs (giant ice wolves), giants, trolls, Shadewalkers (giant bear-like monsters with a healing factor), Colddrakes (giant snakes with legs that breathe ice), and Deathwings (giant flying nasty things that rot quickly when killed). They tend to employ these to attack their enemies rather than doing so themselves.
Other Races
Centaurs
Centaurs- as usual, people with the bodies of horses (though somewhat smaller and stouter) and the torsos and heads of humans- are one of the most numerous races after elves and humans. They sometimes live alongside humans in their villages in the Wildwood and the High Hills, but they have their own settlements as well. They are as skilled at farming and crafting as humans are.
Centaurs are not capable of magic, though one of their number has become a Wildmage of sorts. Rather than performing spells, however, he receives 'Knowings', which grant him some kind of knowledge, and completes 'Tasks' to pay for them.
Unicorns
Unicorns are much like their classic form, though they are built somewhat smaller and more like deer. They can run very fast, with a bounding, not-particularly-comfortable gait, and they come in colours other than white as well, such as bay or black. They are as intelligent as an elf or human (moreso, if you ask them), and have their own magic which does, to quote, 'unicorn things'. Unicorns are a potent weapon against the Endarkened and their taint, and their horns can discorporate one at a touch, as well as having the ability to nullify hostile magic, counter poison, and purify water.
Unicorns can only be approached or touched by virgins (in this case, someone who has never been sexually active and abstains from sexual thoughts or fantasies). Elven Knights occasionally form a partnership with a unicorn and they are chaste as long as they are together, but the partnership is almost never permanent.
Some unicorns live with the elves near their cities, while most live with the Great Herd in an unknown location.
Dragons
Dragons are very rare creatures, thought to be extinct. In the past, they bonded with both elven and human mages, creating mages with power that was nearly unlimited. However, these bonds led to their near-extinction in the wars against the demons and the few dragons left live in hidden caves or in places far away from any human habitation, hoping to avoid the fate that befell their kin.
Magic
Wild Magic
Wild Magic is the most common and widespread form of magic in the world of the Obsidian Trilogy. While primarily restricted to humans, these human Wildmages have no issue in assisting those of other races. The Gods of the Wild Magic (the force behind the magic) use Wildmages to restore and keep order in the world, putting right things that have gone wrong, from the very small to the very large. Wildmages are unquestionably forces for Good, as long as they obey the precepts of the Wild Magic and don't try to escape the price that their power exacts.
The Wild Magic, or the Gods of the Wild Magic (which are theorized to be the gods of every people of the Light under different names and aspects, from the Light in Armethalieh to the Huntsman and Forest Wife of the Mountain people), do more than just allow Wildmages to cast spells. They guide Wildmages and even other people in mysterious ways. Things tend to just turn up when they're needed, or a Wildmage has an intuition that turns out to be essential to a battle.
Wildmages are instructed primarily by the three Books- the Book of Moon, the Book of Sun, and the Book of Stars- which come to them when the time is right. For instance, Kellen (the hero of the Obsidian Trilogy) finds his books in a used book shop and his sister finds hers in an old archive in Armethalieh, but it would be possible to find them in a nest you're examining, or in a hole that you've tripped over. The Book of Moon is primarily the basic spells of a Wildmage, including spells to find things, spells of healing, spells of scrying, spells to cast light, and many other spells. It would be impossible to list every single ability of a Wildmage. Most spells have a physical component- for example, healing spells require hair from the injured person and from the mage and some of the person to be healed's blood, as well as some herbs, while scrying involves placing a leaf and some cider or wine on water- and some have a verbal component as well, a key phrase or rhyme.
In many ways, Wild Magic is about choices and prices. You can choose to accept your books and become a Wildmage, and after that, they will never leave you. They can't be destroyed or lost, but they can be willingly given up. Every spell comes with a Mageprice- not monetary, but a price in power and usually an action that must be performed- Kellen's attempt to find his missing house key leads him to rescuing a kitten from a tree for a crying girl. In the process, he knocks down a bird's nest that holds his key- if he had made the choice not to help the girl, he would never have found the key. A lot of spells work that way. The greater the spell, the greater the price- his sister Idalia requires a great deal of power to control weather that could cause a lot of damage and the price is her life... at some point in the future. Later, she finds that all her spells have been paid for by that price, even those she casts later. The energy cost of a spell can be shared by those around the Wildmage if they give permission- sometimes this also gives those sharing the spell their own Mageprice to pay.
It is possible for human Wildmages to bond with dragons, which gives them an unlimited source of power to call on and additionally pays all their Mageprices as well. In this case, the price is paid by the dragon's life- dragons are immortal, but by bonding with a human they shorten their lifespan to the human's lifespan.
It is also possible for a human mage to fall to the Dark. Generally, the way they do this is by seeking to avoid the prices for their spells- the demons can offer many things, like greater power for free, or immortality, so that a human and their dragon will never have to die. Of course, the demons usually lie about this, because they're big jerks.
Knight-Mages are a very rare form of Wildmage, only appearing in times of great danger. Their power turns inwards, rather than outwards like other Wildmages- while they can heal and perform the other spells, they will never gain great skill with them. Instead, they have their own specialized set of skills. As suggested by their name, they have great martial ability, both in learning to fight and in matters of tactics and strategy. They can summon various states of mind that help them target enemies' weakpoints, or avoid attacks. And, more than most Wildmages, they seem to be tapped into the force behind Wild Magic, displaying great intuition and insight, especially when it comes to military matters.
In the past it was possible for elves to be Wildmages as well, though they gave up that power in the Great Bargain. Jermayan becomes the first Elven Mage in millennia when he bonds with the dragon Ancaladar, and it seems that his magery takes a different form than classic human Wildmagery. To him, each spell holds a certain colour and shape that he must hold in his mind while Ancaladar sends power through it, and what he can do with this power amazes even other Wildmages. Where regular Wild Magic is the magic of 'what could be'- wounds will heal in time, and things can usually be found- the magic of Elven Mages is a magic of transformation, of doing the impossible. He can burn rock, widen a stone staircase in a cave into something wide enough (and elegant enough) for a king's palace, create a stone bridge out of ice and fog, call up a massive thunder blizzard to quench a fire, and even hold open a massive gate through space to cover the distance over an entire mountain range long enough for an entire army to pass through. Presumably, this variety of Wild Magic is the same as that which the elves had in the ancient times.
Creatures such as unicorns are also considered to be part of the Wild Magic, with their own abilities that are far more strictly defined than a Wildmage's and their own role to play in events.
High Magick
The High Magick was developed during the second war with the demons and, when combined with Wild Magic (for example when a High Mage hits a demon with a lightning bolt and a unicorn tramples it to death while it's incapacitated), it provides the only real way of permanently killing the demons. It is far more ritualized and rule-based than Wild Magic- there is a great deal of preparation required in most spells (though spells can be prepared for later instant casting), and things like phase of the moon, time of the month, ingredients, clothing, and implements are all important. However, the caster is not subject to the additional mageprice of a Wild Magic spell, and the effects are far more varied and often more dramatic- High Magick can animate statues, alter memories, control the environment, make doorways open on different places, and allow people to communicate mind-to-mind. The only cost is in time and a great deal of energy. The first High Mages made deals with wild elementals, creatures of great power, to give them the energy that they needed to cast spells. Later High Mages found another source: the people of their city.
High Magick is hereditary, unlike Wild Magic, and requires an inborn gift called Magegift. It takes a long time- an entire lifetime- to master. Students with the Magegift begin training as children and it can take decades to progress past the rank of Apprentice, even with total dedication. They are expected to devote their lives to High Magick, with few other hobbies or interests- even marriage is seen as an unfortunate necessity in most cases. A High Mage's first love must be High Magick or they will never succeed in it. Women are never given the chance to learn the High Magick, even if they are born with Magegift- the gift is burned out of them if they manifest it and if they're interested in it, that interest is magically turned to another subject such as music.
One of the major differences between Wild Magic and High Magick is that High Magick is a tool of the mages who cast it and will obey their will if they know how to work it, where Wild Magic is an active force in the world, guiding events as it chooses. A Wildmage can't cast a spell without the cooperation of the Wild Magic, but the High Magick has no such agency. A High Mage also can't read a Wildmage's books- they appear blank to him.
Dark Magic
Unsurprisingly, dark magic is the magic used by the Endarkened and those who serve under them. They fuel their magic with blood and pain, which is one reason that torture is such a vaunted artform in their culture- the more pain, the more power that they can harvest. While the exact methods aren't examined in close detail because that would be awful, we do know that they use charming things like bowls full of blood for scrying, and that they have spells that could possibly force a bond on a dragon, whether that dragon wants it or not. They also excel with spells that bring disease and pain, of course.
Recent Events
After a thousand years of peace, things in the world have been heating up- first, the Banishment of Kellen Tavadon from Armethalieh for Wildmagery and his escape from the Outlaw Hunt led to the expansion of Armethalieh's territory in search of him, which drove Kellen and his long-lost sister Idalia to the Elven Lands where Armethalieh would not dare to trespass.
Idalia met Jermayan again, having known him years before in another of the elven cities and firmly rejected his affections. Kellen and Idalia found that not all was well in the Elven Lands- they were suffering a severe drought that surpassed any other drought in elven memory. Idalia did a spell and discovered that the source of the drought was the Endarkened, who hate the elves, and devised a plot to counter it, which involved Kellen going on a journey to the source of the spell, the Black Cairn, and destroying their spell, thus ending the drought.
Jermayan volunteered to travel with Kellen and his unicorn Shalkan to the Cairn. On the way they met a girl named Vestakia, the daughter of the Prince of the Endarkened. Kellen believed she was harmless, while Jermayan was suspicious. Still, she travelled with them and used her power of sensing the demon's taint to lead them to the Cairn.
Jermayan, Vestakia, and Shalkan held off the demons attempting to keep Kellen away from the Cairn as Kellen completed his task, and then they returned to the Elven Lands, where Idalia had kept the weather that had been trapped by the Black Cairn from destroying the land, at the price of her own life- to be paid sometime in the future. This made her more willing to consider Jermayan's offers of love, since she knew that (with the demons returning) they were both likely to die.
Personality: Jermayan is the quintessential Elven Knight. He is courteous, restrained in his emotion, and skilled in both the arts of war and more peaceful arts. He shares the drive that nearly every elf has towards excellence, but he takes it even further than most. We're told that he wins all the Flower Wars and that where most Elven Knights choose one of the simpler fine arts to learn, like carving or playing a single musical instrument, he goes above and beyond and learns several musical instruments, as well as learning how to compose music himself. He even makes certain that he's at the forefront of fashion, finding an appropriate outfit in the latest style within hours of returning home from a grueling journey. When he does a thing, he does not do it by halves.
Like most elves, he can be stubborn and slow to change his ideas or beliefs, though this doesn't always correspond to being slow to change his actions. When he meets a woman who looks like a demon but has the heart of a human, he at first wants to kill her because of her appearance (despite the fact that the touch of a unicorn does her no harm) and then refuses to give up his suspicions of her when she joins them on their journey- yet after the first moments he doesn't try to hurt her and even brings her soup, accepting her in deed if not in thought. It's only after she almost gets carried away by dark forces that he accepts that she is not what she looks like- but then his acceptance of her is as fierce as his distaste for her was before. He even threatens to leave the elves if she is not allowed to enter the city of Sentarshadeen, and for an elf that is no small matter.
His acceptance of his magic is also somewhat slow and reluctant, because it simply shouldn't be possible. Elves don't have his kind of magic- they made a bargain that involved them losing access to it! Despite the presence of his bond with Ancaladar, it takes some time to adjust his thinking- yet even while he is reluctant, he commits himself for the good of others, doing great deeds of magic even as he still has trouble accepting it himself.
Although to a human who isn't familiar with elves, Jermayan would seem almost entirely calm and unemotional, he's actually quite passionate. He carries a deep love for the Wildmage Idalia, which doesn't falter even when she's rejected him. At the same time, he behaves respectfully and courteously, not intruding on her space or time. When given the chance to unburden his feelings, he does so with an 'oddly restrained passion'- while he might not have the appearance of passion, he certainly has it lurking inside him. We do see him display anger quite openly- when he sees Vestakia for the first time, he's clearly angry and disbelieving, but that circumstance is understandably extreme since she looks like everything he's been taught to hate and mistrust.
Unlike most of the other Elven Knights we see in the trilogy, Jermayan primarily works with at most one or two other partners- he travels with Kellen in the first book, but after he meets Ancaladar he is often on special errands, scouting, or simply separate from the army to serve as backup. He doesn't mind the separation, and he doesn't seem to share as close a bond with the other Elven Knights as they do among each other. He seems content with close friendships with a few special people- Idalia, Kellen, Vestakia, and Ancaladar- rather than the camaraderie that the rest of the army has. That doesn't mean that he's not capable of socializing- he can enjoy a party or share tea with the best of the elves- but he seems somewhat more solitary and self-contained.
Jermayan has no hesitance about sacrificing himself if it becomes necessary. At the end of the first book, he's willing to die to hold off the dark forces that wish to keep Kellen from reaching his goal, so that Kellen can save the Elven Lands and the world. In the third book, he's again willing to die by opening up a portal that will allow the army to travel over a mountain range in a matter of hours rather than four months, just so that the army can hold onto its advantage over the forces of the Dark. He isn't asked or commanded to do this by anyone else- he knows that he can do it, he knows that it will give the army a better chance of victory, and so he does it without making a fuss.
Despite all this, he isn't always serious. His humour is subtler than some other elves' (the Unicorn Knights and their mounts have particularly sarcastic and amusing conversations with each other) but he does enjoy a joke. He enjoys using the high formality of elven courtesy when it's most unexpected, like when receiving orders from his closest friend Kellen, for example, or when talking with his Bondmate Ancaladar, with whom he can usually be as informal as elves ever get. If he finds something amusing, he doesn't tend to point it out. He keeps it to himself, much like he restrains most of his other emotions, though he has been known to smile at such things.
His first response to his arrival in Tu Vishan will be anger- he'll assume that this is some plot of the Endarkened to imprison him and punish him for the role he played in removing the Barrier that stopped the rain in the Elven Lands and nearly caused them to starve or burn to death. It will take some time for him to move past this notion- demons are notorious for lying and for being able to take many forms, and with his stubbornness he will be slow to change his thinking. Eventually the fact that he isn't being horribly tortured and nothing Tainted seems to be around will persuade him that the Endarkened had nothing to do with this and he will assume that the Gods of Leaf and Star have some purpose for him here.
After that, he'll be very interested in the fight against Malicant, who will remind him strongly of one of the Endarkened (a shapeshifter and immortally evil force that uses sickness and other people as tools to conquer) and he will do his best to assist, both fighting it personally and perhaps even training others who don't have special powers in the Way of the Sword. He'll be worried about what's going on back at home, but he'll accept the fact that he can't do anything about it himself beyond trying his best here, saving his energy for fighting Malicant rather than fighting pointlessly against the Emperor. The idea that he's dreaming and that he'll wake up in bed in Sentarshadeen will be some comfort to him. He'll act as if it's true, whether or not he believes it- wasting energy on worrying over it isn't wise.
Appearance: Jermayan looks like most other elves- dark hair, pale skin, and slightly androgynous. Elves are more lightly built than humans, and possibly slightly shorter, but he is thoroughly muscled and strong enough to compete with any human. He enjoys the most elaborate of the elven fashion trends- sheer clothing, tight fits, appropriate amounts of beading and decoration... He's a fashion leader! Maybe they'll catch on in Keeliai.
His intended PB is Gaston Willig.
Abilities: Jermayan is a fully-trained elven knight, which means he's an extremely skilled fighter, since elves have longer to train than most humans live. We see him primarily with sword and shield in the series, but he also uses bow and lance (though the latter we only hear about second-hand. Apparently he's very good with it too). He is also an excellent rider on horseback, and quite strong.
He plays several musical instruments which are not all listed, though his favourite is noted to be the harp, and is a talented composer as well. He also makes very good tea and is a decent cook while camping.
Jermayan also has the untapped potential to become an elven mage, as outlined in the part about Wild Magic in the setting above, but this is unlikely to be triggered unless canon updated (in which case he still wouldn't be able to use his powers) or unless an Ancaladar apps.
Inventory: An elaborate suit of clothing, including lapis lazuli jewelry, thigh-high boots, a cloak for wet weather, and a silver and blue rain shade.
Suite: Three floors in Wood. While not as fancy as he's used to, the tree-houses will remind him of something that elves might build- at least they're natural.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person: Jermayan walked the streets of the sector the beings who called themselves kedan named his home- they were dappled with shade, lined with trees large enough to serve as houses. Indeed, many of those trees were houses, reminding him of far-off Ysterialpoerin. His own dwelling was one of them, though he could not think it homelike yet. He was still rigid with suspicion, watching kedan and Foreigner alike for signs that they were not what they claimed to be.
There had been no sign of Demontaint, no creatures of the Endarkened that he could see, but he was no Wildmage to sense such things. He only had the evidence of his senses, and he knew that the demons could take any form they chose and that they were masters of deception. But so many, so consistently, without ever showing sign of evil purpose? They had done him no harm save for reaving him away from his land and people... though that was harm enough.
Yet he saw no fear or despair here. The people lived well enough, and he had always learned that the Endarkened did not create or grow things of their own, only twisted and took advantage of what others made. But if he was not a captive of Shadow Mountain, then there was little reason for him to be here. The elves had no quarrel with these people- the kedan had never appeared in their stories or songs, and the histories of elves were long.
Yet such a task as kidnapping an Elven Knight would not be done without cause. There was purpose behind it- he just had to find it out.
Network: [Jermayan's hands are folded in front of him, his face tranquil- he has allowed himself to be persuaded by now that this is not a plot of the Endarkened, and that he is in no immediate danger. Thus, to other important matters]
It seems to me that the weather has been finer than usual of late, and even sometimes too warm, though I find that it is rarely so. Walking the paths of the Wood Sector in this heat puts me in mind of the days of highest summer at home, when it was a great joy to rest in the shade and drink tea with friends who were likewise retiring from the heat of the day.
[He pauses, considering.]
It strikes me that it would be a pleasure to do so here as well, if I had tea to drink and company to drink it with. It would be good to know where I might be able to find some.
Name: Chloe
Age: 26
Contact:
Game Cast: Alcuin nó Delaunay (
virginprice) and Randolph Lyall (cravats); last AC comment.Character Information:
Name: Jermayan, son of Malkirinath
Canon: The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Canon Point: Chapter 2 of To Light A Candle
Age: Approximately 100, give or take a few years
Reference: The wikipedia page for the trilogy.
Setting: The world of the Obsidian Trilogy is a fantasy world populated by men, elves, demons, unicorns, dragons, centaurs, and many other races. The general technology level is approximately medieval, with certain advancements (such as basic refrigeration and plumbing) made possible by the use of magic or by being elves.
The formative events of the world were the wars that elves and later elves, men, and other races fought against the demons. The first of these happened before humans became a powerful force, and the second some two or three thousand years before the trilogy begins. These wars took an incredible toll on the world and its people, changing the terrain and the people- wiping out forests, forcing some races into extinction, drastically reducing others, and even forcing them to develop new magic.
At the heart of the conflict is, of course, Light (the elves, humans, and Otherfolk) and Dark (the demons and whatever allies they coerce or seduce). While nature has its balance, Dark is always trying to overturn it and overrun the world. The Obsidian Trilogy is about the latest attempt of Darkness to overpower the Light.
The Races Involved
Humans
Humans are probably the most varied race in the world. From the peaceful, sheltered citizens of Armethalieh and the farmers of the valley surrounding it to the sea-going Selken Traders to the hard-working townsfolk of the Wildwood and the tough hunters and herders of the Mountains and the Lost Lands, they live in many places and do many things. It can take months to travel across all the land that is occupied by humans. Armethalieh is the largest known human city at the time of the Obsidian Trilogy, though in its territory in the Delfier Valley, there are quite a few farming villages, and in the Wildwood beyond there are still more, though they are farther apart. In the Mountain Reaches and the Lost Lands, settlements are more scattered and humans are far rarer. In the Mountain Reaches, they survive by hunting and trading with other, more prosperous communities. In the Lost Lands, life is very hard, thanks to frequent raids by demons, but they survive by herding and by a larger number of Wildmages than any other regions, which help to defend them against the demons.
Humans are as varied in shape and form as modern humans today. Outside the city of Armethalieh, they often cohabit with other races such as centaurs, and they seem to get along quite well with them. No other settlement is advanced as Armethalieh, but then, Armethalieh has its disadvantages as well.
After the second war against the demons, the High Mages built the city of Armethalieh (also known as the Golden City and the City of a Thousand Bells) and became very exclusive and even xenophobic, thanks to the fear that the demons would someday return- eventually, they decided that Wild Magic was an ally of the dark forces and banned it, and painted elves and the Otherfolk with the same brush.
The rulers of Armethalieh are the High Council, consisting of twelve High Mages and the Arch-Mage. They and their subordinates are devoted to keeping its populace safe, contented, and ignorant of anything beyond its walls. Saying that the city is hidebound and traditional would be saying like water can be damp sometimes- anything new, or even variations on old things like new patterns for decorative ribbons, require a permit, in case they bring about a fad that leads to dangerous instability... and any instability is dangerous. Books must be reviewed to ensure that they won't be upsetting to the populace before they're published. No maps or histories of lands beyond Armethalieh's walls are available. No one is permitted to leave. If a disgruntled citizen finds a way to leave anyway (stowing away in the ship of a Selken Trader, for instance), a spell will cause them to mysteriously take sick and eventually die- the High Mages don't let anyone go unless there is no other choice.
One reason for this is that, as mentioned before, the citizens of Armethalieh provide the High Mages with the magic that they need for the city. Every citizen wears a golden talisman to mark their citizenship, and they exchange it every month for a new one. Unbeknownst to all of them but the mages, the talisman collects their energy (magical energy that they don't use) and allows the mages to access it. This magic allows Armethaliehans to live comfortable lives and the High Mages to retain their power over them.
Armethalieh is a heavily patriarchal society, with the upper classes relegating women to the role of wife and mother and nothing more. They are never taught High Magick, being considered too emotional and irrational, and the Mageborn are taught to consider them as nothing more than a necessary inconvenience. You have to carry on your line, but you don't have to like it.
In dire circumstances, there is a way for a citizen of Armethalieh to be banished- but it's rare for them to survive it. Those who are convicted of Wildmagery and other serious crimes are sentenced to be banished, stripped of their talisman, pushed out the main gate at sunset and told that they must be out of the lands that the City has claimed by dawn. Depending on the size of the lands at the time, this may be impossible for anyone without magical talent. A Wildmage can summon help or ask for the ability to get over the border by dawn, but most others are just plain out of luck and are killed by the Outlaw Hunt- a pack of animated stone hounds that are created by the High Council, one dog for each of the mages that sit on it. While the common perception is that the Outlaw Hunt is only intended to drive the exiles out of Armethalieh's territory, that is not the case.
Elves
The elves are a long-lived but primarily non-magical people, the result of a bargain that they made long ago: they gave up their part in any larger magics for long lives and peace. While they still have smaller magic (the ability to keep food and drink hot, or to ensure that a meeting isn't eavesdropped on), they can no longer do magic as a Wildmage can.
That doesn't stop them from getting extremely fancy. Long, peaceful lives give them plenty of time to pursue perfection in everything that they do, and to build elaborate structures of tradition and formality that they are trained to adhere to and often find almost impossible to shuck off when the time calls for it.
The elven code of manners is elaborate- courtesy is of paramount importance. For instance, the traditional greeting is 'I see you, [name]', which acknowledges without necessarily requiring a response. Sometimes, people may not want to be seen- in that case, the elf very politely pretends that they aren't there and don't exist. Another aspect of elven manners is the lack of questions. A question is seen as containing an implied expectation- or coercion- of an answer, and that is very rude. Indirect statements, such as mentioning the thing you're interested in hearing about, are common, though more direct statements like 'It would be good to hear more of this matter' are permissible, though considered very blunt.
The exception to this is War Manners- during a battle or in other urgent situations during war, it is permissible to be direct and ask questions. Obviously, these situations have been rare since the earlier demon wars, but War Manners are still taught to Elven Knights like Jermayan.
In general, their speech is indirect and it can be very difficult for a non-elf to get all the information they want from an elf- much of the way they communicate seems to be founded on unspoken knowledge that other elves understand because of their common context but it would be bordering on rude to speak aloud. Additionally, the amount of small-talk elves go through before reaching the important discussion can be frustrating. They speak of the weather, the tea they're brewing (elves LOVE tea), or any other trivial matter before coming to the real business. Someone who can't make small-talk is basically a barbarian.
Nearly all of their doings are marked by that sense of 'why hurry?'- even in situations that most other races would consider of dire urgency, they want to take time to consider all the aspects and give it deep and extended thought, and they sometimes assume that events will move at their speed too. Additionally, they're very reluctant to move away from traditional approaches and solutions- while they aren't as virulently opposed to anything new as the mages of Armethalieh, it can take a lot of work to budge them from the ideas that have worked before. This can be a grave weakness, as is noted by the human protagonist of the trilogy, Kellen.
They have many traditional events that are referenced but unseen in the trilogy, such as the Flower Wars, which seem to be some kind of tournament or mock war, which uses lances, and the Winter Running Dance, which gets even less description. However, it all points to their love of tradition and custom.
Where elves really shine is the perfection of everything they produce- art, music, architecture, clothing... even the humblest thing, like fuel for the fire, is made beautiful. Their craftspeople spend their lives in relentless pursuit of perfection, to the point where they can be incredibly single-minded- it's said of the clothing designer Tengitir that if the prince of demons showed up, she would ask him to strip and step into the light so she could judge what colours and fabrics would suit him best. Their devotion to their crafts has led to them advancing beyond usual medieval technology- they have hot and cold running water and flush toilets, for instance. They can also send messages quickly by a combination of birds and mirror-based signalling towers.
Elven cities blend into the landscapes around them to the point that they can be almost invisible at first, and then the unaccustomed eye realizes that they are visible, just created and shaped to be in perfect harmony with their natural environment- something that the elves consider very important.
Much of the elves' development has been in ways that harmonize with nature. They consider themselves guardians and protectors of it, keeping safe rare trees that grow nowhere else in the world in their Flower Forests, and offering shelter to species of Otherfolk like unicorns. Almost everything they build looks like it belongs exactly where it is, as though it grew there.
Elves tend to be difficult to tell apart for other races. They all seem to have dark hair and pale skin, and they grow more androgynous as they grow older. Their clothing tends to be beautifully made, of course, with most of it being quite elaborate. Styles for men tend to involve a great deal of sheer fabric and be cut very close to the skin, and styles for both genders are elaborately beaded and embroidered. Elven Knights such as Jermayan each have their own colour which tints their armour, weapons, tack, and supplies, and their armour is almost as elaborate as their clothing, with designs that strengthen the metal adorning it. It's also very finely made and easy to move in- you could dance in it, if you had to.
The Elven Lands are very large and guarded by the land-wards, which keep demons and things of evil nature out of them (unless smuggled in underground). There are nine major cities- Sentarshadeen, Ysterialpoerin, Lerkalpoldara, Windalorianan, Deskethomaynel, Ondoladeshiron, Realthetaladon, Valwendigorean, and Thultifoniseen, each governed by a Viceroy or Vicereign (or both, in the case of Lerkalpoldara), who are subordinate to the King. The King is advised by his Council, but ultimately the decisions are his. Each of the cities has what is known as a Flower Forest, a forest of rare trees that don't exist anywhere outside of Elven Lands. These are held in great reverence, as they're remnants of a forest that used to exist before the demon wars- the honoured dead are laid to rest in them, and any wood or herbs are harvested only with permission.
In terms of religion, elves reverence the Gods of Leaf and Star, but they don't seem to have temples or priests. The Gods are more of a force that guide events than any real personalized presence in their lives- they will often say 'Gods of Leaf and Star will that it might be so', for instance.
Demons
Demons- or to give them their proper name, the Endarkened, also referred to as shadow Mountain- are, of course, the villains of the Obsidian Trilogy, and boy, do they give it their all. They start off with numerous advantages over the races that oppose them- they're immortal, every single one of them is a deadly mage, and the only way to kill one of them permanently is by the cooperation of High Magic and Wild Magic.
Their primary source of amusement seems to be torture- they've raised it to an artform. The queen of the demons, Savilla, has a garden where she stores the last moments of her victims' agony in crystals, and a couch with armrests made of unicorn horn (although living unicorns are dangerous to them, dead ones are quite safe). The remains of the torture victims are often sent to the kitchens, since the Endarkened seem to have quite a taste for the flesh of other sentient beings.
The demons take delight in perverting, seducing, and tainting anything they can get their taloned fingers on. As mentioned above, they did their best to seduce as many Wildmages to their case as they could during the second war, and that continues even in the time of the Obsidian Trilogy, with Queen Savilla even tainting the mind of a High Mage and using him to nearly bring down Armethalieh. They like to twist the creatures of Light- for instance, combining goblins (poison spitting monsters) with elves to create Shadowed Elves that can infiltrate the Elven Lands.
What they can't bring over to their side (like elves- and they hate the elves beyond any other race for that), they'll do their best to destroy and they have no qualms about doing it in as underhanded a method as possible, setting two enemies against each other, or sacrificing a pawn (like the aforementioned Shadowed Elves, whose location inside the Elven Lands they arrange to have revealed to the elves so that the elves will be forced to waste time and troops destroying them) to weaken their opposition. The first move they made against the elves was a Barrier that they created with magic that held back all the rain from the Elven Lands, forcing it into a terrible drought- they hoped the elves and their forests would wither and die or burn with the Endarkened never having to lift another finger. They spread plagues and set monsters on remote cities until almost no one survives to reach safety.
Basically, when it comes to villainy, they're the most villainous. They have enormous magical power, which is fuelled by death and pain- another reason for their torture hobby. Only by the forces of the Light working together can they be really vanquished.
The Demons are a monarchy, ruled by Queen Savilla with Prince Zyperis and her heir, and her court is about as deceitful and backstabbing as you would expect from a court full of exclusively evil sorts. Treachery, trickery, and all kinds of devices are employed to acquire power.
Demons can take any form they choose, but their true form is a tall humanoid with scarlet or black skin, horns, slit-pupilled eyes, and great wings. Sometimes they can have hooves and tails as well. Their clothing tends to be even more revealing than elven garb. There are Lesser Endarkened as well, which are described as scaly and squat.
The Endarkened have a number of monster races under their command, including Coldwargs (giant ice wolves), giants, trolls, Shadewalkers (giant bear-like monsters with a healing factor), Colddrakes (giant snakes with legs that breathe ice), and Deathwings (giant flying nasty things that rot quickly when killed). They tend to employ these to attack their enemies rather than doing so themselves.
Other Races
Centaurs
Centaurs- as usual, people with the bodies of horses (though somewhat smaller and stouter) and the torsos and heads of humans- are one of the most numerous races after elves and humans. They sometimes live alongside humans in their villages in the Wildwood and the High Hills, but they have their own settlements as well. They are as skilled at farming and crafting as humans are.
Centaurs are not capable of magic, though one of their number has become a Wildmage of sorts. Rather than performing spells, however, he receives 'Knowings', which grant him some kind of knowledge, and completes 'Tasks' to pay for them.
Unicorns
Unicorns are much like their classic form, though they are built somewhat smaller and more like deer. They can run very fast, with a bounding, not-particularly-comfortable gait, and they come in colours other than white as well, such as bay or black. They are as intelligent as an elf or human (moreso, if you ask them), and have their own magic which does, to quote, 'unicorn things'. Unicorns are a potent weapon against the Endarkened and their taint, and their horns can discorporate one at a touch, as well as having the ability to nullify hostile magic, counter poison, and purify water.
Unicorns can only be approached or touched by virgins (in this case, someone who has never been sexually active and abstains from sexual thoughts or fantasies). Elven Knights occasionally form a partnership with a unicorn and they are chaste as long as they are together, but the partnership is almost never permanent.
Some unicorns live with the elves near their cities, while most live with the Great Herd in an unknown location.
Dragons
Dragons are very rare creatures, thought to be extinct. In the past, they bonded with both elven and human mages, creating mages with power that was nearly unlimited. However, these bonds led to their near-extinction in the wars against the demons and the few dragons left live in hidden caves or in places far away from any human habitation, hoping to avoid the fate that befell their kin.
Magic
Wild Magic
Wild Magic is the most common and widespread form of magic in the world of the Obsidian Trilogy. While primarily restricted to humans, these human Wildmages have no issue in assisting those of other races. The Gods of the Wild Magic (the force behind the magic) use Wildmages to restore and keep order in the world, putting right things that have gone wrong, from the very small to the very large. Wildmages are unquestionably forces for Good, as long as they obey the precepts of the Wild Magic and don't try to escape the price that their power exacts.
The Wild Magic, or the Gods of the Wild Magic (which are theorized to be the gods of every people of the Light under different names and aspects, from the Light in Armethalieh to the Huntsman and Forest Wife of the Mountain people), do more than just allow Wildmages to cast spells. They guide Wildmages and even other people in mysterious ways. Things tend to just turn up when they're needed, or a Wildmage has an intuition that turns out to be essential to a battle.
Wildmages are instructed primarily by the three Books- the Book of Moon, the Book of Sun, and the Book of Stars- which come to them when the time is right. For instance, Kellen (the hero of the Obsidian Trilogy) finds his books in a used book shop and his sister finds hers in an old archive in Armethalieh, but it would be possible to find them in a nest you're examining, or in a hole that you've tripped over. The Book of Moon is primarily the basic spells of a Wildmage, including spells to find things, spells of healing, spells of scrying, spells to cast light, and many other spells. It would be impossible to list every single ability of a Wildmage. Most spells have a physical component- for example, healing spells require hair from the injured person and from the mage and some of the person to be healed's blood, as well as some herbs, while scrying involves placing a leaf and some cider or wine on water- and some have a verbal component as well, a key phrase or rhyme.
In many ways, Wild Magic is about choices and prices. You can choose to accept your books and become a Wildmage, and after that, they will never leave you. They can't be destroyed or lost, but they can be willingly given up. Every spell comes with a Mageprice- not monetary, but a price in power and usually an action that must be performed- Kellen's attempt to find his missing house key leads him to rescuing a kitten from a tree for a crying girl. In the process, he knocks down a bird's nest that holds his key- if he had made the choice not to help the girl, he would never have found the key. A lot of spells work that way. The greater the spell, the greater the price- his sister Idalia requires a great deal of power to control weather that could cause a lot of damage and the price is her life... at some point in the future. Later, she finds that all her spells have been paid for by that price, even those she casts later. The energy cost of a spell can be shared by those around the Wildmage if they give permission- sometimes this also gives those sharing the spell their own Mageprice to pay.
It is possible for human Wildmages to bond with dragons, which gives them an unlimited source of power to call on and additionally pays all their Mageprices as well. In this case, the price is paid by the dragon's life- dragons are immortal, but by bonding with a human they shorten their lifespan to the human's lifespan.
It is also possible for a human mage to fall to the Dark. Generally, the way they do this is by seeking to avoid the prices for their spells- the demons can offer many things, like greater power for free, or immortality, so that a human and their dragon will never have to die. Of course, the demons usually lie about this, because they're big jerks.
Knight-Mages are a very rare form of Wildmage, only appearing in times of great danger. Their power turns inwards, rather than outwards like other Wildmages- while they can heal and perform the other spells, they will never gain great skill with them. Instead, they have their own specialized set of skills. As suggested by their name, they have great martial ability, both in learning to fight and in matters of tactics and strategy. They can summon various states of mind that help them target enemies' weakpoints, or avoid attacks. And, more than most Wildmages, they seem to be tapped into the force behind Wild Magic, displaying great intuition and insight, especially when it comes to military matters.
In the past it was possible for elves to be Wildmages as well, though they gave up that power in the Great Bargain. Jermayan becomes the first Elven Mage in millennia when he bonds with the dragon Ancaladar, and it seems that his magery takes a different form than classic human Wildmagery. To him, each spell holds a certain colour and shape that he must hold in his mind while Ancaladar sends power through it, and what he can do with this power amazes even other Wildmages. Where regular Wild Magic is the magic of 'what could be'- wounds will heal in time, and things can usually be found- the magic of Elven Mages is a magic of transformation, of doing the impossible. He can burn rock, widen a stone staircase in a cave into something wide enough (and elegant enough) for a king's palace, create a stone bridge out of ice and fog, call up a massive thunder blizzard to quench a fire, and even hold open a massive gate through space to cover the distance over an entire mountain range long enough for an entire army to pass through. Presumably, this variety of Wild Magic is the same as that which the elves had in the ancient times.
Creatures such as unicorns are also considered to be part of the Wild Magic, with their own abilities that are far more strictly defined than a Wildmage's and their own role to play in events.
High Magick
The High Magick was developed during the second war with the demons and, when combined with Wild Magic (for example when a High Mage hits a demon with a lightning bolt and a unicorn tramples it to death while it's incapacitated), it provides the only real way of permanently killing the demons. It is far more ritualized and rule-based than Wild Magic- there is a great deal of preparation required in most spells (though spells can be prepared for later instant casting), and things like phase of the moon, time of the month, ingredients, clothing, and implements are all important. However, the caster is not subject to the additional mageprice of a Wild Magic spell, and the effects are far more varied and often more dramatic- High Magick can animate statues, alter memories, control the environment, make doorways open on different places, and allow people to communicate mind-to-mind. The only cost is in time and a great deal of energy. The first High Mages made deals with wild elementals, creatures of great power, to give them the energy that they needed to cast spells. Later High Mages found another source: the people of their city.
High Magick is hereditary, unlike Wild Magic, and requires an inborn gift called Magegift. It takes a long time- an entire lifetime- to master. Students with the Magegift begin training as children and it can take decades to progress past the rank of Apprentice, even with total dedication. They are expected to devote their lives to High Magick, with few other hobbies or interests- even marriage is seen as an unfortunate necessity in most cases. A High Mage's first love must be High Magick or they will never succeed in it. Women are never given the chance to learn the High Magick, even if they are born with Magegift- the gift is burned out of them if they manifest it and if they're interested in it, that interest is magically turned to another subject such as music.
One of the major differences between Wild Magic and High Magick is that High Magick is a tool of the mages who cast it and will obey their will if they know how to work it, where Wild Magic is an active force in the world, guiding events as it chooses. A Wildmage can't cast a spell without the cooperation of the Wild Magic, but the High Magick has no such agency. A High Mage also can't read a Wildmage's books- they appear blank to him.
Dark Magic
Unsurprisingly, dark magic is the magic used by the Endarkened and those who serve under them. They fuel their magic with blood and pain, which is one reason that torture is such a vaunted artform in their culture- the more pain, the more power that they can harvest. While the exact methods aren't examined in close detail because that would be awful, we do know that they use charming things like bowls full of blood for scrying, and that they have spells that could possibly force a bond on a dragon, whether that dragon wants it or not. They also excel with spells that bring disease and pain, of course.
Recent Events
After a thousand years of peace, things in the world have been heating up- first, the Banishment of Kellen Tavadon from Armethalieh for Wildmagery and his escape from the Outlaw Hunt led to the expansion of Armethalieh's territory in search of him, which drove Kellen and his long-lost sister Idalia to the Elven Lands where Armethalieh would not dare to trespass.
Idalia met Jermayan again, having known him years before in another of the elven cities and firmly rejected his affections. Kellen and Idalia found that not all was well in the Elven Lands- they were suffering a severe drought that surpassed any other drought in elven memory. Idalia did a spell and discovered that the source of the drought was the Endarkened, who hate the elves, and devised a plot to counter it, which involved Kellen going on a journey to the source of the spell, the Black Cairn, and destroying their spell, thus ending the drought.
Jermayan volunteered to travel with Kellen and his unicorn Shalkan to the Cairn. On the way they met a girl named Vestakia, the daughter of the Prince of the Endarkened. Kellen believed she was harmless, while Jermayan was suspicious. Still, she travelled with them and used her power of sensing the demon's taint to lead them to the Cairn.
Jermayan, Vestakia, and Shalkan held off the demons attempting to keep Kellen away from the Cairn as Kellen completed his task, and then they returned to the Elven Lands, where Idalia had kept the weather that had been trapped by the Black Cairn from destroying the land, at the price of her own life- to be paid sometime in the future. This made her more willing to consider Jermayan's offers of love, since she knew that (with the demons returning) they were both likely to die.
Personality: Jermayan is the quintessential Elven Knight. He is courteous, restrained in his emotion, and skilled in both the arts of war and more peaceful arts. He shares the drive that nearly every elf has towards excellence, but he takes it even further than most. We're told that he wins all the Flower Wars and that where most Elven Knights choose one of the simpler fine arts to learn, like carving or playing a single musical instrument, he goes above and beyond and learns several musical instruments, as well as learning how to compose music himself. He even makes certain that he's at the forefront of fashion, finding an appropriate outfit in the latest style within hours of returning home from a grueling journey. When he does a thing, he does not do it by halves.
Like most elves, he can be stubborn and slow to change his ideas or beliefs, though this doesn't always correspond to being slow to change his actions. When he meets a woman who looks like a demon but has the heart of a human, he at first wants to kill her because of her appearance (despite the fact that the touch of a unicorn does her no harm) and then refuses to give up his suspicions of her when she joins them on their journey- yet after the first moments he doesn't try to hurt her and even brings her soup, accepting her in deed if not in thought. It's only after she almost gets carried away by dark forces that he accepts that she is not what she looks like- but then his acceptance of her is as fierce as his distaste for her was before. He even threatens to leave the elves if she is not allowed to enter the city of Sentarshadeen, and for an elf that is no small matter.
His acceptance of his magic is also somewhat slow and reluctant, because it simply shouldn't be possible. Elves don't have his kind of magic- they made a bargain that involved them losing access to it! Despite the presence of his bond with Ancaladar, it takes some time to adjust his thinking- yet even while he is reluctant, he commits himself for the good of others, doing great deeds of magic even as he still has trouble accepting it himself.
Although to a human who isn't familiar with elves, Jermayan would seem almost entirely calm and unemotional, he's actually quite passionate. He carries a deep love for the Wildmage Idalia, which doesn't falter even when she's rejected him. At the same time, he behaves respectfully and courteously, not intruding on her space or time. When given the chance to unburden his feelings, he does so with an 'oddly restrained passion'- while he might not have the appearance of passion, he certainly has it lurking inside him. We do see him display anger quite openly- when he sees Vestakia for the first time, he's clearly angry and disbelieving, but that circumstance is understandably extreme since she looks like everything he's been taught to hate and mistrust.
Unlike most of the other Elven Knights we see in the trilogy, Jermayan primarily works with at most one or two other partners- he travels with Kellen in the first book, but after he meets Ancaladar he is often on special errands, scouting, or simply separate from the army to serve as backup. He doesn't mind the separation, and he doesn't seem to share as close a bond with the other Elven Knights as they do among each other. He seems content with close friendships with a few special people- Idalia, Kellen, Vestakia, and Ancaladar- rather than the camaraderie that the rest of the army has. That doesn't mean that he's not capable of socializing- he can enjoy a party or share tea with the best of the elves- but he seems somewhat more solitary and self-contained.
Jermayan has no hesitance about sacrificing himself if it becomes necessary. At the end of the first book, he's willing to die to hold off the dark forces that wish to keep Kellen from reaching his goal, so that Kellen can save the Elven Lands and the world. In the third book, he's again willing to die by opening up a portal that will allow the army to travel over a mountain range in a matter of hours rather than four months, just so that the army can hold onto its advantage over the forces of the Dark. He isn't asked or commanded to do this by anyone else- he knows that he can do it, he knows that it will give the army a better chance of victory, and so he does it without making a fuss.
Despite all this, he isn't always serious. His humour is subtler than some other elves' (the Unicorn Knights and their mounts have particularly sarcastic and amusing conversations with each other) but he does enjoy a joke. He enjoys using the high formality of elven courtesy when it's most unexpected, like when receiving orders from his closest friend Kellen, for example, or when talking with his Bondmate Ancaladar, with whom he can usually be as informal as elves ever get. If he finds something amusing, he doesn't tend to point it out. He keeps it to himself, much like he restrains most of his other emotions, though he has been known to smile at such things.
His first response to his arrival in Tu Vishan will be anger- he'll assume that this is some plot of the Endarkened to imprison him and punish him for the role he played in removing the Barrier that stopped the rain in the Elven Lands and nearly caused them to starve or burn to death. It will take some time for him to move past this notion- demons are notorious for lying and for being able to take many forms, and with his stubbornness he will be slow to change his thinking. Eventually the fact that he isn't being horribly tortured and nothing Tainted seems to be around will persuade him that the Endarkened had nothing to do with this and he will assume that the Gods of Leaf and Star have some purpose for him here.
After that, he'll be very interested in the fight against Malicant, who will remind him strongly of one of the Endarkened (a shapeshifter and immortally evil force that uses sickness and other people as tools to conquer) and he will do his best to assist, both fighting it personally and perhaps even training others who don't have special powers in the Way of the Sword. He'll be worried about what's going on back at home, but he'll accept the fact that he can't do anything about it himself beyond trying his best here, saving his energy for fighting Malicant rather than fighting pointlessly against the Emperor. The idea that he's dreaming and that he'll wake up in bed in Sentarshadeen will be some comfort to him. He'll act as if it's true, whether or not he believes it- wasting energy on worrying over it isn't wise.
Appearance: Jermayan looks like most other elves- dark hair, pale skin, and slightly androgynous. Elves are more lightly built than humans, and possibly slightly shorter, but he is thoroughly muscled and strong enough to compete with any human. He enjoys the most elaborate of the elven fashion trends- sheer clothing, tight fits, appropriate amounts of beading and decoration... He's a fashion leader! Maybe they'll catch on in Keeliai.
His intended PB is Gaston Willig.
Abilities: Jermayan is a fully-trained elven knight, which means he's an extremely skilled fighter, since elves have longer to train than most humans live. We see him primarily with sword and shield in the series, but he also uses bow and lance (though the latter we only hear about second-hand. Apparently he's very good with it too). He is also an excellent rider on horseback, and quite strong.
He plays several musical instruments which are not all listed, though his favourite is noted to be the harp, and is a talented composer as well. He also makes very good tea and is a decent cook while camping.
Jermayan also has the untapped potential to become an elven mage, as outlined in the part about Wild Magic in the setting above, but this is unlikely to be triggered unless canon updated (in which case he still wouldn't be able to use his powers) or unless an Ancaladar apps.
Inventory: An elaborate suit of clothing, including lapis lazuli jewelry, thigh-high boots, a cloak for wet weather, and a silver and blue rain shade.
Suite: Three floors in Wood. While not as fancy as he's used to, the tree-houses will remind him of something that elves might build- at least they're natural.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person: Jermayan walked the streets of the sector the beings who called themselves kedan named his home- they were dappled with shade, lined with trees large enough to serve as houses. Indeed, many of those trees were houses, reminding him of far-off Ysterialpoerin. His own dwelling was one of them, though he could not think it homelike yet. He was still rigid with suspicion, watching kedan and Foreigner alike for signs that they were not what they claimed to be.
There had been no sign of Demontaint, no creatures of the Endarkened that he could see, but he was no Wildmage to sense such things. He only had the evidence of his senses, and he knew that the demons could take any form they chose and that they were masters of deception. But so many, so consistently, without ever showing sign of evil purpose? They had done him no harm save for reaving him away from his land and people... though that was harm enough.
Yet he saw no fear or despair here. The people lived well enough, and he had always learned that the Endarkened did not create or grow things of their own, only twisted and took advantage of what others made. But if he was not a captive of Shadow Mountain, then there was little reason for him to be here. The elves had no quarrel with these people- the kedan had never appeared in their stories or songs, and the histories of elves were long.
Yet such a task as kidnapping an Elven Knight would not be done without cause. There was purpose behind it- he just had to find it out.
Network: [Jermayan's hands are folded in front of him, his face tranquil- he has allowed himself to be persuaded by now that this is not a plot of the Endarkened, and that he is in no immediate danger. Thus, to other important matters]
It seems to me that the weather has been finer than usual of late, and even sometimes too warm, though I find that it is rarely so. Walking the paths of the Wood Sector in this heat puts me in mind of the days of highest summer at home, when it was a great joy to rest in the shade and drink tea with friends who were likewise retiring from the heat of the day.
[He pauses, considering.]
It strikes me that it would be a pleasure to do so here as well, if I had tea to drink and company to drink it with. It would be good to know where I might be able to find some.