Silvis Norm

[Aetheren]

Character Sheet

Name: Silvis Norm

Character Details (Optional)
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Human (though becoming less so over time)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Class: Magus (currently specialising in the manipulation of mana, energy and souls)

Literacy
Basic Literacy: Y
Magic Literacy: Y

Proficiencies
Weapons: Is trained to be able to use some types of weapons adequately, but is much more skilled in the use of magic than physical combat and therefore usually only uses conventional weapons if forced to... though he has a particular fondness for the elegance of swords above other weapons.
Armor: If at all, he wears parts of a suit of plate armour, stained black in the style of Norm. Though it slows him down, his habit of wearing armour (in general, fairly unusual for mages) stems from his training as a mage of Norm. It was not unusual for mages of Norm to fight in fairly close quarters, and on top of that, as Nobles, their lives were considered valuable enough to warrant the extra protection. However, most of the time, Silvis wears a set of enchanted robes... an option he coming to favour more and more for the increased magical power it grants him.
Items: Anything that increases his arcane power, along with remnants from his past (the two are often one and the same)
Other: Diplomacy (somewhat) and battlefield tactics

Restrictions
Weapons: Silvis generally reviles the use of physical weapons, believing magic to be the way to true power
Armor: Will not use anything that seriously restricts his spell-casting abilities, though despite this, as already mentioned, he often wears part of a suit of Norm plate
Items: Items that increase physical capabilities he is simply not interested in, with the rare exception... and those exceptions are always magical

Special Equipment
Celestial Cuffs: Silvis, since his transformation, is able to absorb magical energy from around him as mana
Mana Flower: Silvis capacity for the generation and channeling of magical energies has increased significantly since his transformation
Sorcerer's emblem: A keepsake and symbol of identity for the mages of Norm... more details are in the backstory
Black dye x7: Black is the predominant family colour of Norm, and as such much of their clothing and equipment is stained black
Ancient cobalt armour: The armour worn by most of the Norms' high nobility - heavier than more common choices such as robes or jungle armour, but as such more durable. Silvis often wears his set, and takes great care to maintain it properly. Apart from being a valuable artifact, it is one of his last links with home
Black Robe and cloak, (emerald robe dyed black, red cape dyed black): Silvis' everyday wear, and often what he wears over his armour.
Familiar wig: As mentioned, Silvis rarely wears his helmet - but the set bonus is still important to the mechanics of his character (16% reduced mana usage)

Weaknesses of Character
Somewhat megalomanic - Unhealthily obsessed with power, arcane power far more than any other kind
Arrogant - Though he is well mannered to most, most times he thinks of himself as being above those around him
Overconfident - Often overestimates the limits of his own abilities
Vengeful - When wronged, Silvis can hold a grudge for a long time, waiting or actively striving for an opportunity to repay such debts in kind
Possessive - Silvis has a clear idea of what is and what ought to be his, and will rarely relinquish such things without a struggle

Appearance
Hair: Black, medium length
Skin: Pallid - the result of long hours training and studying indoors, combined with the cold climate of his homeland
Build: Lean
Height: Approximately 170 cm

Backstory
The noble house of Norm, to which Silvis belongs, were a family of battle mages, trained specifically in battle magic, diplomacy, battlefield tactics and the adequate use of most kinds of weapons. At birth, as a Norm, Silvis received an emblem, marked with the seal of house Norm. This emblem identified him both as a member of such a high standing house and, consequently, as a powerful mage. In keeping with the Norm tradition, all emblems of the house of Norm are enchanted to increase the magical potential of their bearers. For Silvis, his emblem is extremely valuable. Apart from its worth as a magical artifact, it represents the sole remaining tie to his family, and his home... apart from his own innate magical power. This tie is especially important since Silvis believes the majority of his family to be dead, and his homeland taken by his family's enemies. It is the will to take what he believes to be rightfully his... his power, taken from his upon exile, the lands of house Norm, and the lives of those who took all of this from him in the first place, that drives him onward... and his emblem is a constant reminder of that.

The Norms, famed for their prowess as battle mages and tacticians, were a great asset to their nation. All members of the family received rigorous training in the use of a variety of weapons, particularly those of the magical kind. They also received training in strategy, battlefield tactics and diplomacy.
Silvis, therefore, is fairly able in all these areas. However, due to the abrupt end to his training and his lack of experience, he is far from being as capable as his elders.
There came a time, when Silvis was 21 years old, that the nation that the house of Norm served was crumbling under the strain of a war against a more powerful neighbour. The enemy took territory after territory, and there came a point where Castle Norm itself was laid siege to. The defenders held for several weeks, until the enemy found a way to corrupt their water source with unholy water.

Cornered and out of time, all of the remaining forces inside the castle, including Silvis, were marched out in a desperate final sally. Though they fought valiantly, their vastly inferior numbers allowed the enemy army to surround them on three sides and crush them. The army was wiped out, and the members of the Norm family were taken prisoner. Silvis and his sister were drained of their mana and constitution before being exiled; the fate of the rest of the family remains unknown. However, Silvis believes that it is likely they were executed soon after, thereby putting the possibility of their survival out of his mind.
Silvis gathered a company of 10 men from the survivors to be his guards in exile, and set sail. After what felt like months of travel, they arrived at last in a strange land; one of the men in his employ recalled that he had heard of such a land – it was called Iseyu.

Backstory following Silvis' arrival in Iseyu
Silvis' desire for revenge has driven him to seek out power wherever it lies, especially magical power, and claim it for his own. This lust for power was the reason for him allying himself with the cult of Cthulhu, and the reason for him spending so much time researching magic in all its forms, and how to control and manipulate it. Silvis gathered magical artifacts and tomes from across the land, and slowly regained the mana stripped from him upon exile. Through the conduction of much research and many experiments (one of which resulted in the destruction of his own remote dwelling), Silvis learned many secrets of magic, some yet officially undiscovered.

However, there was a particular event that allowed Silvis to increase his magical power exponentially. Silvis joined the cult of Cthulhu out of a desire to bring about the imbalance, thus turning the world into a much greater source of power than it had been previously. But, although Silvis had made the decision to join, he was still concerned for his own sanity... after all, few who spent much time in the corruption managed to stay in control of their own mind. As a result, Silvis went to a friend for help and council. What his friend gave him was understanding, and an offer to fuse an enchanted gem with Silvis soul to keep the madness at bay. Silvis agreed almost immediately, and chose to have the gem be a sapphire, due to its association with pure magical energy, or mana.

Through research of enchantment, Silvis found, as his friend had told him, that clear materials like glass or gems were much more compatible with enchantment than opaque materials. Thus, through experimentation based on his own knowledge, he found a way to draw power from magical sources into the gem fused with his soul in the form of pure mana. Little did he know that the more power that he absorbed, the less human he became... he was becoming more and more a being formed of magical energies. As this was beyond his knowledge, it was also beyond his control.

Following the chaos that ensued when the leader of the cult, in an impatience born of rage, slew the Wall of Flesh and brought about the Imbalance, many fled the land and started afresh elsewhere in Caphori. This also brought about the collapse of collapse of the cult, and Silvis, though he had achieved his goal, fled with the rest of the people. He realised he did not have nearly enough power to withstand the the Imbalance, and so decided to retreat and continue to gather his strength. However, before leaving he managed to salvage much valuable knowledge and several artifacts from his own home and from Cthulhu's cathedral, most notably a number of tomes regarding the theory and practice of necromancy.

Once Silvis had settled into his new home, he continued his research into magic in earnest. As he did so he absorbed more and more mana from gems, torches, candles, spells and any other source of power he could get his hands on. His magic became faster, more fluid and more powerful. In addition to re-attaining the knowledge of several spells, Silvis honed his new-found abilities regarding the manipulation of pure mana, creating more and more complicated magical constructs and improving his control over them. Of course, this sort of mana manipulation was only possible for one extraordinarily in-tune with the magical energies around and inside them - the source of Silvis' attunement, unbeknownst to him, was the extent to which he himself had become composed of mana.

Silvis, bearing in mind his goal to raise an army to march upon his homeland to reclaim it, began studying the books of necromancy that he had salvaged from the dark cathedral. It seemed that necromancy, in essence, was any magic that involved the souls of the dead. As Silvis had already experimented much with his own soul, or at least the gem fused with it, he had a fair bit of background knowledge to get him started. knowing that his fellows would, at the very least, disapprove of his study of this particular branch of magic, Silvis decided to construct a secret, isolated research facility, enabling him to focus himself entirely on his research without fear of interference.

At least some of this will be rewritten once the new lore is decided on