Witching Hour App

[path_to_the_world]

☽☾ Player Information
Name/Handle: Nica
Are you 18 years or above?: Yes
Current character(s) in game: N/A


☽☾ Character Information
Name: Tyrnen Monaghan
Age: 16
HMD link: http://path-to-the-world.dreamwidth.org/900.html
Story Role: Neutral Good
Appearance:
Tyrnen is slender and is a little on the shorter end of average for his age. His skin is pale along with his hair which is cut to a little above his shoulder. He has violet eyes and wears round glasses that tend to be half falling off his nose. He has a pretty face and long lashes, he looks delicate and the sort of person who needs protection.
https://i.imgur.com/xcRxUe0.jpg

History:
Tyrnen is the bastard son of Lord Monogan, a member of the council of lords. His mother however is a recognized mistress thus they didn't want for anything. They lived a life befitting of a recognized mistress of such a great lord; however Tyrnens mother became ill and eventually died to her sickness. Despite the fact that Tyrnens mother was a recognized mistress, with her death there was no further obligation to him. As a bastard child his best option (and the one he had assumed would pass) was to be sent off to a boarding school far away, and then be given a respectable job of a lords bastard, usually a bureaucrat, banker, or lawyer of some kind. Of course with no actual obligation to him he could have been turned to the street, but generally any aristocrat and even anyone wealthy will at least set up such a child with education and a career as it was the respectable thing to do and showing appearances was very important.

However Tyrnens assumptions of boarding school and a job afterward were dashed the day he went to meet his father about his future. Tyrnens mother had a strong affinity for magic and Tyrnen himself shared this as well. Instead of sending Tyrnen away somewhere as a bastard child his father decided to adopt him properly into the family, and audaciously put him as the second son over his younger half-brother. With this he then sent Tyrnen to Eolas to learn magecraft.

What Tyrnen didn't and doesn't know is that his father loved his mother very much and had wanted Tyrnen a recognized member of his family from the begining. However Tyrnens mother felt it would be an insult to his fathers official wife and refused. Even though Lady Monaghan had no objections as her relationship with Lord Monaghan was more of a friend than anything else. They had been betrothed since children and it was simply a duty to be married.

The other thing his mother had refused was to send him to school, she kept tutors at home for him but wouldn't send him off at the appropriate age, this was despite the fact that Tyrnen was considered a prodgy and should have gone as soon as possible. The reason was she knew that she was ill and would eventually die. Not wanting to lose any moment with her son (and not wanting him to look back and think of lost time with her) she kept him as close as possible. She used magic to hide her deteriation so when she did die it was a sudden shock for him.

Generally a student of magic enters a school at around the age of 12 or 13, in rare cases they can be older as it is based on when they're magic potentiall is mostly realized. Tyrnen entering the school at 16 was considered late, though his aptitude being what it was he was able to skip a lot and be in a year more apropriate to his age. The school uses a system of placement based on ability and potential rather than age and knowlege. If a person understood advanced skills but couldn't do them they couldn't advance, but a person who might not fully understand but could do them would.

Being out of the norm however made Tyrnen a target from other students so after his first week at Eolas, as a prank Tyrnen was locked in one of the library vaults, unable to get out he started wandering around looking at the different books and items, while doing this he ran across The Book of Words picking it up and looking at it. However The Book of Words housed a sentient spirit who manifested themselves in front of him as a beautiful young woman just as Tyrnen was about to place the book back down. The fright from such a thing startled him so badly he ended up throwing the book at the apparition, which caused the book to become angry and attack him. In defense Tyrnen cast his own attack spell at the same time managing to counter it. The Book of Words was so impressed by this reaction (or possibly just amused) that it decided to make Tyrnen it's master right there and forced a contract between them.

While suddenly acquiring The Book of Words Tyrnen continued his studies with no one the wiser that it was missing, though in the beginning he didn't know it was as big of a deal as it was. Not long later he's assigned a partner in his studies; the school had a policy to pair up students who were strong in each other’s weaknesses. Since Tyrnen was strong in offensive magic but lacked in his defensive skills he was paired up with another student who was strong in defensive skills and lacked in offensive. The school hoped in this way that they would learn from each other and thus become more well-rounded mages. Tyrnens partner, Aiden, ended up becoming Tyrnens friends and they started to get to know each other.

However the disappearance of The Book of Words was going to catch up to Tyrnen pretty soon by this point. There was a ceremony held every year of the most promising students in the country, the ceremony was to give The Book of Words a master, a feat they had failed to be able to do for over 200 years. When they went to retrieve The Book of Words and found it missing alarm bells rang. It didn't take long to track down the culprit, a student in the school, and then further track down that it was Tyrnen who currently possessed the book. To those in charge it didn't matter that the book chose him, he wasn't an ideal candidate (one that aligned with their ideals or was easily manipulated). With his life on the line Tyrnen fled the school hoping to figure out what he could do to make himself not a criminal and on a wanted list with a bounty. However he really didn't have much knowledge of the outside world and wasn't sure what to do, in the end he just focused on not being caught.

Meanwhile back at the school they were organizing hunt parties to track Tyrnen down. Aiden, Tyrnens friend, volunteered for one. Once they tracked Tyrnen down Aiden cast a spell to put them all to sleep to protect Tyrnen, his reason for joining the hunt party was to find Tyrnen which he was having a hard time doing on his own. Once reunited they worked together to both stay out of the way of authorities as well as form some sort of plan to get them off the wanted list.

Without much of a plan and both being dumb teenagers, though Aiden was a year older and was more aware of the world around, they mostly relied on The Book of Words advice. With more recourses being put into finding them however avoiding capture became more and more dificult. It was then decided to seak out Aiden's master, the mage who he apprentenced under before entering Eolas for help. This was a problem though as his master currently resided in the Kingdom of Coille, they would need to cross the border to get there. Since The Book of Words was greatly valued Crann had restricted it's border to only allowe authorized people to leave the country. As a magical border it proved dificult to ctross, this is where Tyrnen's story gets interupted.

World Information:
Cre is a world full of magic and the kingdom of Crann na Ndeithe (gennerally just called Crann as it shares the same name with it's capital city) is at the head of most magical research within it. It houses one of the most prestigious magic schools in the world and owns one of the most diverse collections of magical tools and books collected over hundreds of years. Having basic understanding of magic is considered a given, though not everyone has the ability to use it. Most people on Cre are incapable of using magic beyond a very rudimentary level, thus the magic charm industry is quite thriving. This isn't to say that those with the ability to cast magic and powerful magic are rare, it just takes a particular type of talent and hard work in studying.

The technology level of Cre is somewhere between Victorian and Edwardian (1890s - 1919) though with magic replacing steam and electricity. Crann is the most developed of the countries having a monopoly on most information, as well as encouraging mages from around the world to move there both for school and job opportunities. The state gives great incentives to researching mages especially if they decide to work for the government. Due to this Crann has one of the most prestigious militaries with the highest number of mages enlisted than any other country. However Crann is on rather good terms with its neighbors and things are generally peaceful.

Eolas is Cranns magic school, which resides in the city of Crann na Haithne. Crann na Haithne was built around a great giant oak tree, large enough to house the magic school (which houses thousands of students, class rooms and research laboratories. Think a regular large campus). It is one of the oldest and most important cities in Crann. It is equal to the capital Crann na Ndeithe where the royal court resides and most nobility live.

Crann is a monarchy with a council of lords and then a council of representatives. The council of lords are the heads of noble families charged with the duty of advising the current king or queen and giving suggestions, only a few families are deemed worthy of such a status. Most lords are part of the council of representatives which is there to address concerns of the common man who live in each lords domain. Large cities that lack in a single ruling lord instead have their mayor attend it instead. The city of Crann na Haithne doesn't have a lord or mayor, instead the head of the Eolas acts as the head of the city and works directly under the Imperial Adviser of Magic. Generally affairs of magic are handled by mages and the current ruling monarch is only casually involved.

Mages in Crann are highly competitive and can be rather secretive. They like to hoard knowledge and only share it with proven disciples and apprentices, or create elaborate tests to deem one worthy of succeeding their knowledge. Ira the Book of Words is a good example of this, as the book will only choose a master that meets specific requirements, though what those exactly are no one is sure. Such items of knowledge and power with requirements are hoarded and selected individuals will be put through a test to hopefully unlock them. Crann currently holds within its borders 5 such artifacts, 2 have been assigned to individuals, one is locked up deemed dangerous, one is currently deemed stolen, and one is going through selection process.

Cranns closest neighbor is the Kingdom of Coille. Coille is peaceful and has good relations with Crann but generally consideres itself nuetral. It has rich recourses both magical and industrial and is home to an enchanted forest that is currently under research.

Another notible location is the City State of Cois Farraige which is on the ocean, it's a merchant society and operates on free trade.


Personality:
Though Tyrnen is completely capable of being polite, cordial and everything a proper noble should be, he tends not waste the effort. In fact it takes a lot for him to keep it up as that sort of socializing is hard on him. He's naturally rather shy and introverted, he really prefers to be left alone, or at least not have a lot of people around him. This isn't to say he doesn't like having friends though, he just isn't good with dealing with people well. When not trying to keep up appearances he can sometimes come across as a bit cold but it has more to do with his awkward nature than anything. He tries to keep up appearances on official occasions however, or when it seems appropriate, since he dislikes those sorts of things though he tries his best to avoid them. In school he was mostly aloof, avoiding his classmates and generally hanging out in the library alone. It isn't until he gets stuck with Ira The Book of Words and meets Aiden that he starts to become accustomed to dealing with others on their terms.

Due to his sheltered life Tyrnen is rather naive to the ways of the world outside of what he's read in books. He understands things academically but not experience wise. Because of this it isn't hard to fluster him or make him feel embarrassed on his lack of understanding. Of course as a teenager and someone who reads a lot he thinks he understands everything he's read, it's not that hard to prove him wrong though and when proven wrong it shows on his face. Not that he won't keep trying to be right as he can be really stubborn, but when it's obvious he's wrong he will give up, or if the battle is a lost cause. It's not that he isn't open to knew ideas or learning from others, it's mostly just a pride issue of not wanting to admit he had the wrong idea about something.

Tyrnen values intelligence and knowledge above all else and will be disdainful of others who do not value those principals though not necessarily mean about it. The worst offenders are those who do not value books and do not read being ignorant is just an offense. In situations where he is "suffering fools" he is more prone to sarcasm and will call back to his educational background, even if it has no baring on the situation. He likes to feel educated and hates it when others assume he's not. He's also not above stating his status if situations call for it, if he might make a better impression by saying he's a nobles son he will do so even despite the fact he's actually a bastard. He was still raised in an affluent environment and his father is also a high ranking noble, he also is well aware that he is rather talented in magic and won't hold back to use these two things to his advantage. However in general he doesn't like talking about his family much and prefers to talk about his magical background instead. Being a student of Eolas is a big deal.

Where he holds great contempt for the ignorant he holds great respect for the informed. If someone is knowledgeable in something he will question them eagerly, those with stories to tell he will listen with open ears. Those willing to teach especially he will be drawn to and if they are good he will do what he can to be a student of them. If he likes the person enough it doesn't even matter what they teach, he will try it at least once. Once Aiden won his friendship he obediently listens to him, though still grumbles a bit when told to practice protection magic. Though Aiden's personality makes him a good match to Tyrnen, knowing just what buttons to push to get the right reactions. Tyrnen himself is an easy mark to manipulate if someone is observant enough.

Though he likes to talk about his background and his education he doesn't like to brag senselessly. He needs to believe he's right or knows more than someone else, such as explaining magic to someone who doesn't understand it. Otherwise he won't say things just to get an upper hand when unrelated to the situation. It's not about how important he is personally as much as how credible his information is. Of course exceptions exist, if bragging about something is a means to an end he's not above it.

Tyrnen has a soft spot for those in need, if he witnesses suffering he will want to fix it. Even in situations where he can do nothing he will feel a type of guilt and sadness. Bad situations will leave him slightly depressed for a while and he has a specific fondness for children and animals. Even if it means risking himself he will not ignore someone in need once he's seen them. His ideas of right and wrong are rather childish though, influenced from books and an innocent naive perception of the world. Helping people in need is simply the right thing to do, not doing bad things is simply normal. This is one of the reasons Aiden was worried about him on his own and insisted on following him.

Tyrnens relationship with Ira the Book of Words is rather interesting, it's half instructor, half friend of sorts and not exactly considered a tool. He respects it and admires it, though won't admit it, and feels more or less comfortable with it. However since it likes to pull pranks it's hard to be truly comfortable. He will even ask it suggestion and opinions about matters he is unsure of. However most the time it is indifferent and will leave him to make his own choices. The only times he will usually get suggestions and advice is when it comes to magic, it is a magic book after all and that is where its specialties lie. Of course if there is something relating to Tyrnen's safety the Book of Words will get involved, it wants to keep it's master alive. In fact it wants it's master to be successful and at times will give suggestions unsolicited if it will help to that end. (Such as saying to use specific spells without explaining them fully because the end result is desired.) Tyrnen doesn't question the book, and due to how the book interacts with him generally tends to forget its an item and not a person. In the end The book is the closest thing to an adult in the group so it's natural to try and rely on it in that way.

As for Tyrnens relationship with Aiden it's that of a close friend. At first Tyrnen was reluctant and didn't like the idea of being paired up with someone, however Aiden is very easy going and friendly, and he’s also very persistent, because of this Aiden broke through Tyrnens shell and forced himself into his life. Once that was accomplished Aiden was a very valued friend. Their relationship almost seems like a brotherly one; Aiden is even teased for acting maternal towards Tyrnen, who has gotten to the point of just doing whatever he's told if it's Aiden that tells him. It's easier for Tyrnen to rely on the others judgment than worry about it himself. Since Aiden is an extrovert and Tyrnen is an introvert they work rather well for each other.

Powers & Abilities:
First and foremost Tyrnens specialty is his magic affinity. It's rather high, it's so high in fact that it's really rare. He's considered a prodigy. His affinity also allows for easy channeling of magic (which the book of words uses frequently) as well as the ability to cast magic from recitation alone. Casting magic through recitation is considered incredibly hard as one must have a base understanding of the spell to do so. People with those skills tend to learn spells and different types of magic easier. Tyrnen is no exception he learns spells quickly when he puts his mind to it.

There is a draw back to having the ability to cast from recitation however, it takes longer to prep spells and if you lose the paper the spell is written on you can't use it. To properly cast the spell as learned it still takes time to memorize it and properly understand it. People with these skills tend to have less spells properly memorized, Tyrnen is no exception to this.

Tyrnen's other specialty is reducing spells to their base elements to build up from, this allows him to cast spells quicker than most mages would, he can also do this because of his high affinity. Since magic requires a clear and vivid image and feeling of the spell to cast most spells are a long prep work of invoking such images and feelings. Tyrnen modified this method by taking the element that represented a spell best and writing it out and using that to cast from instead. For example a fire spell would be started with the symbol for fire written out in the air and then turned into the start of the spell followed by the spells name to activate. Using this method allows him to focus on what makes up the spell and have a strong image of it. However because he feels it's so easy this way he tends to favor spells with one element representing them or one element being the predominate force. He's also reluctant to practice other spells that don't do well with that method thus his lack of skill with protection magic. (Protection magic generally requires multiple elemental bases or sometimes no elements at all.)

He does know proper spells though, but due to being slower he doesn't use them as often and is not as adept at them.

His biggest ability however is his contract with The Book of Words which is a repository of spells written by mages over several thousand years. Tyrnens contract with The Book of Words allows him to access the content of the book either through recitation or through channeling. Channeling is a difficult process and recitation requires him to be able to read the spell. It's more difficult to cast a spell based off recitation alone and takes a lot longer. And where Tyrnen can channel through The Book of Words to activate one of it's spells (which is an exhausting process and usually used for spells that are actually too advanced for Tyrnens current educational level), The Book of Words can channel through Tyrnen using his magic capacity to activate itself. It also has a store of it's own magic and can cast up to a medium level without Tyrnen.

Learning spells is hard and time consuming, it should take three or so days to learn a new spell enough to cast it, it will take longer to cast it effectively. A lot of the spells he has access to he does not properly know, so his pool of knowledge on specific spells drops dramatically if he is not in possession of the Book of Words.

As for none magic related abilities Tyrnen is really good at studying when he puts his mind to it, and has a good memory for things he's interested in.

Fears, Weaknesses:
Fears: Despite being more or less a loner he is afraid of being completely alone. He's also afraid of being branded a criminal forever for possessing The Book of Words, despite having no control over that. Monsters, demons, and 'tainted' things tend to scare him to, he's superstitious and hates curses and 'evil'. Ghosts don't really bother him though.

Weaknesses: Tyrnen isn't physically strong, he's a book worm that sits in libraries more than anything else. He has no hand to hand combat skills. His ability to cast protection magic and healing magic is also low (though he can do both). This is mostly due to not practicing than a lack of ability to be proficient in it though. He's bad in crowds, he can get claustrophobic in them. He has a limit on how much he can take at a time. He's weak to extreme temperatures and excessive physical activity. He is prone to getting sick and can't see without his glasses as well.

Samples
YOU CANNOT USE SAMPLES FROM D_M OR D_P.
Samples can be linked from the TDM.
Network Sample:
Hello? Do people randomly read this?

[He wanted to test it out, but he also had nothing in particular to say and no one in particular he wanted to talk to.]

I've never used something like this before, so... I thought maybe there were others out there like me, a bit confused by all this. Or... lost I guess?

[He was just writing things as they came to mind, if he did that it was less likely for him to over think himself from just stopping all together.]

It sort of feels like a dream, but... well, not. I mean, I know it's not a dream but it feels like it should be.

[Things like this just didn't happen.]

So there must be others feeling the same way. Or maybe someone has an answer? Why am I here? How do I get home? Why can't I do magic?

Prose Sample:
http://thehighcouncil.dreamwidth.org/7254.html?thread=37718#cmt37718
http://thehighcouncil.dreamwidth.org/7254.html?thread=435030#cmt435030