User Profile

[OOC Information]
Name: Mica
Age: 22
AIM / E-mail / LiveJournal: pearlyunicorn1 / evilshrimpy@yahoo.com
Have you seen Cloverfield? Yes
Where did you hear about Project Daisychain? A friend
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[IC Information]
Character Name: Vanyel Ashkevron
Series: Heralds of Valdemar (specifically the "Magic's" trilogy)
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Species: Human
Sexuality: Bisexual, but with a powerful preference for men
Appearance: Vanyel is slight, whippy rather than skinny and was a pale, skinny feminine child. He takes after his mother, delicate-boned and considered to be quite beautiful by most. Silver eyes, made paler by the bleaching effects of years of advanced Magecraft. His hair was once black enough the throw back blue highlights, again like his mother, and completely unlike any of his myriad siblings, nephews or nieces. Over time it has turned a pure white, legacy of a lifetime of heavy use of Magecraft, although he sometimes dies it back, vain creature. Ordinarily quite fair, Vanyel has very few readily visible blemishes, and many fewer scars than is ordinary for a herald of his experience, due to his ability as a healer. A protracted somber expression contrives to make him seem perennially older than he is, and by contrast dramatically younger when a smile is finally pried out of him. Note: for no apparent reason, the cover art of Vanyel was not done showing his proper hair color as described in the book. Therefore, while my icons resemble Vanyel, they are in the most part inaccurate to his actual haircolor.
Personality: The quintessential workaholic, Vanyel's first, last, and middle names are Duty. He's dedicated his life to working for and saving others, to the almost complete neglect of his personal life. Rigidly ethical, he tolerates very few serious incursions, especially in the areas of magic. Perhaps due to a lack of practice, he is remarkably conservative when he does get around to his personal life, preferring to play 'hounds and hinds' — a version of chess — or play his music to pass the time alone than anything else. When he loves, he loves deeply, and so very few people ever find themselves into his inner circle, while nearly everyone gains a polite regard, and a lucky few a bit more regard.
Abilities: Vanyel is a Herald-mage with the unique quality of having every gift available to those, thanks to the rather painful blasting-open of such channels when he was a teenager. His most powerful ability is that of Magecraft, or magic, in which he has been extensively tutored and which which he has large amounts of combat(and otherwise) experience. In Valdemar, 'Magic' is split into two opposing and seemingly incompatible regions, that of 'true magic' which is more akin to what you'd think of as magic, and 'mind-magic,' which is more along the lines of psychic powers. As to limitations of Vanyel's abilities, I'd likely take away nearly all his Gifts outright, leaving him with some vestigal form of Empathy, Magic, Fetching, and Healing, which seem to be the most prominently used throughout the trilogy, aside from thoughtsensing, which I personally think would be too difficult to RP on a regular basis, and sort of OP.
To whit, in Manhattan, Vanyel would be able to perform minor feats of magic, all of which would be quite difficult for him, as is not usually the case. As a comparison, in canon Vanyel is quite capable of leveling a castle (or skyscraper), if he exerts himself. In Manhattan, he'd likely be able to do no more than flatten a crab, with the same exhausting effort. This effect is a combined effort between magecraft and fetching gifts, with fetching being a sort of telekinesis.
Empathy, as a gift, is a bit self-explanatory. Vanyel would likely be able to feel the emotions of those around him, in order to judge their mindset and react accordingly. As a diplomat, in canon, this was essential...though in Manhattan it's as likely to give him a crippling migraine as not, thus limiting it's usefulness.
Healing is an ability which is not used often in canon by Vanyel, but when it is, it's to great effect. It would likely provide a rather huge energy drain, much more than normal, in Manhattan. He's capable of healing quite life-threatening injuries.
Weaknesses: Vanyel has a tendency to overwork himself that is frankly life-threatening. More than once he has had to be bodily restrained and drugged in order to prevent him from riding off half-dead into combat after pulling a week of all-nighters on the front line of a brewing war. As a Herald, his duty is to adjudicate legal matters in his homeland, so he often judges people stubbornly, based on his first impression — the fact that he's often right makes this no less annoying and unfair than it is. He's stubborn to the point of idiocy about some things. The month of October, and romantic holidays, makes him cry. He has serious intimacy issues, reacting like a third-grader when presented with a romantic opportunity. Re: being mean means he likes you.
Manhattanite or outsider? Outsider
History: The story is set in a fictional country called 'Valdemar' in a pseudo-elizabethan era. The country is mainly policed by a network of 'Heralds,' all of whom posses a deep and loving bond with a magical, intelligent creature called a Companion, who resemble horses. The pampered and spoiled eldest son of a minor noble, Vanyel grew up in southern Valdemar, near the border with the neighboring country, Karse. His father's estate, a sprawling and rugged affair had once been a defensible keep, but had deteriorated to a hodgepodge of additions and outbuildings by the time the story begins, which is when Vanyel is about fourteen. As the eldest of a large brood of legitimate and illegitimate children, Vanyel is expected to inherit his father's lands and holdings, and all his authority...Unfortunately for Vanyel he resembles his mother far more than his father, unlike every other son. He's slight and skinny, and as pretty as a girl. Terrified that he might have fathered a 'fairy boy' his father, Lord Withen, hid from his son any indication that homosexual relationships were even possible, going so far as to severely punish any guard who made raunchy gay jokes in Vanyel's earshot, and choosing a resident priest who was vehemently and vocally against the idea. Vanyel, unsuited to the phalanx style of brute-force swordsmanship, was tutored in it by the would-be arms master, who was told to 'make a man of him,' and who did so to the point of breaking both the bones in Vanyel's right arm all the way through. Far from being pitied, Vanyel was told to 'toughen up,' and was lectured over the incident. As a boy whose only ambition was to somehow escape the ire of being unwanted by his family, Vanyel was a talented young musician. No bard, but certainly good enough to be a minstrel, trained in the capital city of Haven. Breaking his arm so severaly damaged the sensitivity in his hand, making practicing music difficult for him.
Withen, unable to cope with how poorly his plan to man-ify his son was going, sent the boy to foster with his Aunt in Haven. Aunt Savil, a notorious hard-ass teacher is one of the Heralds. Heralds are like a personal army at the behest of the king, going around the countryside and keeping the peace. They're chosen for this duty in a seemingly-arbitrary fashion by a breed of horse-like creatures called 'Companions,' who in reality take great care to choose people who are likely to become compassionate, or whose potential are great but would otherwise be completely wasted in their current life. Many Heralds have mind-magic and a few true magic. Savil has three students with her, one of whom is her protegé Tylendel. After a period of intense loneliness and attention-seeking, Vanyel and Tylendel end up in a diabetes-inducingly adorable romance, the likes of which you haven't felt since you were that age, and had your first love. More than that, it is augmented by a soul-deep bond known as a 'lifebond,' something quite rare, and very romantic.
Vanyel, at least, is desperate that this all go well, because if his father back home realizes that he's gone and found out a few key facts about his sexuality, he'd be yanked home (and worse) in a heartbeat. Over time, they manage to keep the secret pretty well. At this point in the story Vanyel has no extra-human abilities, but Tylendel is a gifted Mage, and a trainee-herald, which is why Savil is his mentor, at all. Tylendel reveals a sort of primitive psychic link between himself and his elder twin, which helped them get into a lot of mischief when they were younger.

Then, tragedy strikes.

Lord Leshara, a court noble, in a political move, manages to contrive a 'accidental' death of Tylendel's twin brother. The backlash along their bond drives Tylendel mad with grief and shock. Over the following weeks and months, Tylendel plots with Vanyel on how to gain vengeance. Tylendel arranges to have Van steal a book from Savil, one which describes how to build a transportation spell called a 'Gate' to get to the estate of the Leshara family. Ordinarily, the Gate spell would drain an individual mage to the dregs, leaving them useless for up to a day or two afterward, and the cost in energy unsharable. However, due to their bond, Tylendel is able to make us of Van's personal energy for the spell, which conserving his own for the vengeance. Doing so, Tylendel — not quite sane by this time — releases a group of magical constructs known as Wyrsa on a crowd of harvest-festival-goers (it is October by this time), causing several horrific deaths, and a lot of panic.
Gala, Tylendel's Companion charges through the gate, and repudiating his friendship, attacks the Wyrsa. Although she manages to kill one and injure another, such an attack could be little else but suicide, and Tylendel's last, greatest friend is killed before his eyes. Gala's death bought time enough for the adults of the Heraldic circle to make their way there, and they contrive to kill the Wyrsa and begin mopping up the mess, dragging both boys home through the gate, which is still standing, feeding from vanyel's life-energy. Vanyel is nearly comotose, and Tylendel in shock. While the adults are still figuring on hos exactly to fix things, Tylendel struggles free and darts up the stairs of the small chapel who's door was used as a base for the gate-spell. He throws himself from the top, killing himself, and severing the control of the gate in one stroke. The shock of the magic's release would normally be absorbed into the earth as the spell collapsed, but as Vanyel too is tied into it, it rockets through him like a lightning strike, burning open all the places within him that Magic would normally travel through.
These channels are literally burned open, as if pierced by a red-hot poker, giving him magics and abilities that he would normally never have aquired. Magic and mind-magic of every type, and all of it screaming down into his brain at full volume, like a mountain of salt burying someone who's just been in a fire and had all their skin burned off.
Drowning in grief at the loss of Tylendel, and the residual feelings from his beloveds own madness, and delirious with pain, Vanyel bolts, while everyone is still distracted by Tylendel's sudden death. In an attempt to kill himself, he goes into a river, but is fished out by a Companion. This Companion, Yfandes, chooses Vanyel, rescuing him from his own grief and pain, and becoming his lifelong friend.
Vanyel's recovery is agonizing, and twice more he tries to kill himself before finally gaining his feet. He finishes his recovery among the Tayledras, a forest-dwelling people with many mages, old friends of his mentor, Savil and those who trained her, and trains his magic with them as well, to gain the basic foundation of what he must know to keep his new power in check, so that it won't kill himself or run amok.
Reft and bereft of the closest bond of love he could feel, Vanyel's life is increasingly lonely, with few who know him, and fewer he'd call friends. Time and again he serves Valdemar, and as both the strongest Herald-Mage in several generations, and one of a very small number of such remaining people, His duties are varied, far-flung, constant and full of action. Often he saves the entire Kingdom of Valdemar from trouble, and because of his fame is just as often called to play diplomat.
He hates it, and is desperately lonely for many years, grieving still for the lost Tylendel. He takes very few lovers, but among those are those of his friends who are unable to conceive children for themselves. He grows more weary, but refuses to rest, throwing himself into the ever-increasing burden placed on him by the dieing king Randale with everything his has — often to the detriment of his overall health. On more than one occasion he works himself literally sick, and is forcibly rested by his friends, over his own loud protests. Then, one day, he meets a bard called Stefen. Stefen has the Bardic Gift, and empathic ability to alter the mood and actions of people via the medium of music. His is a wild talent, a genetic sport, that allows him not only to sooth away hurt feelings, but to sooth away physical pain as well, making him invaluable to the ever more painwracked King as he slips from life in the grip of a wasting illness. Stefen, being rather notoriously gay, is immediately attracted to Vanyel, something Vanyel resists on the grounds that Stef would only be making himself a target for Van's enemies, and that it is likely 'puppy love' brought on by the myriad of annoying stories and songs about Vanyel's various adventures. Vanyel resists, Stefen persists, and eventually Vanyel is more or less forced to see that Stef is old enough to both know what he's doing and take responsibility for the consequences. They fall quite in love, and are excellently mushy about it.

Then, tragedy strikes...again

One by one the remaining herald-mages are being picked off by pinpoint and brutal magical attacks by an unknown mage, apparently from beyond the northern border. Vanyel, furious and grieving over the death of his longtime friends, and his mentor Savil, is the last of the Herald-mages. He spends some time securing the magical defenses before he goes, but eventually begins to travel, making the trek northward to the farthest reaches of Valdemar, the foothills of the Pelegir mountains. Stef, sensing Vanyel grimness, insists on coming along, as Randale has died and he is no longer required in the capitol, and wins the right to do so over Vanyel's protests. The trip north is slow and arduous, though thick snow typical for that region. Vanyel, single-minded and grimly focused on their goal of finding what's up there that's killed his loved ones, insists on the fastest pace possible, one that leaves Stef raggedly tired in his wake. distracted by this and his own determination, Vanyel walks into a trap set specifically with him in mind, and is captured. After a brutal stint in captivity, Yfandes and Stef manage to break him free, and they continue at a more caution pace northwards, aided by the Kyree, a local indiginous people. Upon arriving at the northern border, Van and Stef find that there is an army marching southward, fronted by an extremely powerful mage, and it is this that has subtly cut down the magical defenses of the Kingdom, and to the purpose of all-out invasion. Desperately, Vanyel sets himself to defending a choke-point in the most likely pass, while Stef is sent back on Yfandes at breakneck pace, to deliver the message of invasion to the army. Upon arrival there, Yfandes simply dumps Stef and races back to Vanyel, knowing that without help, he'll die much sooner than can be managed.

Vanyel, unable to stop the incoming forces, eventually commits himself to a magical attack called 'Final Strike.' The name is fairly self-explainitory, being a sudden and final burst of magical energy, destroying the mage that casts it and all around him in an explosion proportional to the amount of power used — in Van's case, quite a lot.
And so, he died.
One of the quirks of being a herald is that, after you die, you are often given a choice. Many Companions have the names of Heralds from back in history — for a reason. Vanyel, because of the particular circumstances of his life, and that there are no living Herald-Mages after his death, is given the option of returning as a sort of spiritual guardian to the northern border. He accepts this choice, and due to his haunting the area is eventually renamed the 'Forest of Sorrows.'
The Vanyel of DC will be taken from this part of the story, technically after Vanyel's death, but restoring him to a form like the one before his death, for obvious reasons of convenience, such as 'being able to talk to people and manipulate objects.'

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