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 Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:50 pm
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 9:58 pm
Name: Aaltos Belhaven or "The Keeper"
Age: the cause of much debate, Aaltos is old enough that his hair has whitened and his skin is creased but he is as spry as men who appear far younger than he.
Birthdate: unknown
Appearance: Aaltos does not have the look of a typical Sunderlandian, with coffee coloured skin, and dark chocolate eyes. He does not distinctly have the look of any race in particular and so his heritage is as much a mystery as everything else about the man. His hair, once black, has faded to a soft white and grey colour and his skin wears creases in all the right places. He wears an odd assortment of clothes, generally mismatched garments from various countries of the world he has visited which makes him a sight to see. He will occasionally wear Sunderland appropriate clothes when the occasion calls for it, but generally favours a more interesting look. On his person he always carries a large assortment of oddities, a small pouch full of animal bones, several small crystals, a star chart, and other odds and ends. Despite looking older, he is surprisingly nimble, and walks at a fast gait.
Personality:
Fairly easygoing, Aaltos is a man with boundless curiosity, and sometimes doesn't always understand the concept of personal space or tact when he's interested in something. That's not to say he's rude, for he does his very best to be polite and kind to everyone, however often his curiosity will get the better of him and he has no problems with walking right up to anyone and asking them all the questions he pleases. He is often irrationally good at learning what he wants to know from people, likely one of the reasons he is such a good researcher. This skill, like several others is no doubt an ability that has been directly aided by his magic as a hedgewitch. If he likes you he may even invite you over for tea and a conversation, but good luck getting out of there in under a few hours. For any looking for stories or tales of anything related to magic, adventure and to some degree history, he can tell you anything you'd like to know, but for those seeking information about the man himself, his answers are vague to the point of infuriating - if one allows them self to become that invested in the details of the old man's life. Most give up after several questions, and many believe that his vagueness is done by the man to keep the air of mystery that surrounds him. All this is done with a cheerfully wily attitude, almost as if he enjoys being annoying to a degree. For other hedgewitches, he is more than willing to act as a mentor, and is actually quite good at it, his penchant for teaching evident. He loves speaking with them about their abilities and practices and tries to make note to get to know as many as he can. Additionally, once you've met the man and spoken to him for a brief amount of time he will generally consider you his friend, and as such has no problems popping over unannounced to borrow a cup of sugar, ask you to do a spell with him, or just spread a bit of friendly gossip.
He can certainly be serious when the mood requires it however, and when it comes to his divination and research he is is incredibly thorough and very dedicated. He has spent his life travelling the world and gathering information about the old magic still left in the world. When he is in Sunderland it is common for him to wander into the Wardwood for days at a time and meditate.
History:
He is referred to by many with a simple moniker, “The Keeper,” the origin of which has been long since forgotten, or perhaps was never known. What exactly the man keeps has never been clear. It may be valuable books, stones, jewels, perhaps simply knowledge. It may have something to do with the golden key his rook holds. No one has ever found out, as despite his pleasant demeanor the man is rather an expert at deflecting questions, and speaks little of himself. He knows and is friends with many in both Palisade and Oldcastle, though none seem to know anything of his life, his family, his work, or anything other than minor details and fantastical stories. He loves knowledge, research and investigation, that much is clear from the tales he spins for a willing ear. He tells the histories of Sunderland and other far-away lands, stories of the Great War and times of the Old Ways when the spirits were far more prevalent in the lives of men. One of the few male hedgewitchs, he calls himself a truth-seeker, practicing the art of divination and constantly seeking answers. His home is full of books, crystals, strange rocks, odd things from distant lands and constantly shrouded with the scent of burning herbs. He has always been a touch eccentric, and the consensus is divided between those that believe his words for truth and those that think him nothing more than a fanciful storyteller. Still, for any wishing to know anything about adventure, foreign lands and beasts, or the tales of the Old Ways, he is the expert.
His coffee coloured skin and dark chocolate eyes hint at a foreign ancestry and yet the man has been in Sunderland as long as anyone remembers. Some think he was born here, others think he wandered in from across the mountains or deserts or seas, and still there are some who think he simply appeared out of nowhere, looking for all intent and purpose as if he had lived here forever. He is apt to wander here and there, sometimes disappearing for years at a time and yet he always manages to return just as people begin to forget him. They say he searches for something, but no one can say what. Some say he searches for the lock of the key his rook hold around it’s neck, but many just wave it off as another of the great mysteries surrounding the man.
The albino rook too, is a great mystery. No one truly knows where she came from or how it was that Aaltos acquired her, but the story goes that she came to him in a dream as he meditated in the depths of the Wardwood and spoke to him. When he awoke the rook was perched on a branch in front of him, holding his key in her beak. Aaltos, taking her appearance as a sign of something has been a flurry of activity ever since, pouring over ancient documents and muttering under his breath. She is seen often around town, sometimes accompanied by her master and sometimes alone, issuing cryptic messages from her beak and always carrying Aaltos’ golden key. Most who have known Aaltos know that before the rook, the key was around his neck at all times, his most precious thing which he trusted no one to touch, and barely anyone had even seen it emerge from beneath his shirt. No one even knows what the key is for, as it matches no lock that anyone can think of and has never been used as far as they know. Why he now trusts it to a simple bird is anyone’s guess, and many of the younger generation simply think his mind is going with his age. Those who still hold with the Old Ways however think differently, and many are wary of the bird, and the strange messages she carries.
“They stir” caws the rook to the darkness of the night.
Talents: The subtle magics that bless Aaltos are mainly in the areas concerning divination, or "truth-seeing." As such, he has always been a very good judge of character, having good instinct as to when someone is speaking the truth, and if their intentions are as they say. When travelling through foreign countries when one's life is often at the hands of strangers who do not speak the common tongue, this ability has often been what has kept him alive. He trusts strongly in his intuitions as they often prove uncannily accurate. He is also very talented at extracting the truth and information from others, helping make him such a successful researcher. Ever since meeting Saleha his talents have only increased and he hopes to achieve great things with the rook.
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Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 10:11 pm
Saleha Personality:
Different from Aaltos, Saleha is more refined, sophisticated. It is an interesting contrast she makes to his rather haphazard and spontaneous way of being. It may be that she chose him for the other side of his personality, the dedicated researcher who will probe to the ends of the earth for answers to his unending questions. She does definitely support that side of him, lending her magic to his to aid his discoveries. And yet she doesn't seem to mind his other, day-to-day personality either. If anything it seems mostly to amuse Saleha, almost as a humorous child might amuse someone. In spite of their differences they make a good pair, and while Saleha often can bring Aaltos around to more 'proper' behaviour, he can also bring out the fun side of her.
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:12 am
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