Leyus Lerte
"So, once again... who are you exactly?"
"Who would you like me to be?"
Appearance
Always changing.
Of course, there are some things that Leyus likes to stick with, as far as it is within his abilities, as the rather tall height, lean built and overall tones of his natural appearance. But... does he have a true, natural look? Who knows.
Well, definitely not him.
If somebody had to give an overall description of Leyus Lerte, they would probably say something like "reasonably attractive", "broad gestures" and "lively expressions". And it would indeed be true, because even if Leyus does find it impossible (due to his not-quite-mundane nature) to keep his appearance set, he still possesses a love for waving around hands, walking with elegant, wide steps and tilting one side of his mouth a bit downwards while smiling.
Of course, there are some things that Leyus likes to stick with, as far as it is within his abilities, as the rather tall height, lean built and overall tones of his natural appearance. But... does he have a true, natural look? Who knows.
Well, definitely not him.
If somebody had to give an overall description of Leyus Lerte, they would probably say something like "reasonably attractive", "broad gestures" and "lively expressions". And it would indeed be true, because even if Leyus does find it impossible (due to his not-quite-mundane nature) to keep his appearance set, he still possesses a love for waving around hands, walking with elegant, wide steps and tilting one side of his mouth a bit downwards while smiling.
Skills and Abilities
I was born like this.
Some people learn magic through hard work and practice. Others have the misfortune to have it cast upon themselves from the very, very beginning.
Leyus had come from a family of twisted heritage and love for adventure, so it wasn't really a surprise for anybody that he had inherited certain gifts, even if their origin wasn't that clear to anybody.
Feeling emotions: Leyus has the borderline magical ability to feel other's feelings, emotions and inner state, although this ability is hardly under his own control. He can often get glimpses and impressions of what people around him are feeling, especially if they are under strong emotions. If he spends more time with a certain person, these glimpses become more detailed as he becomes attuned to the person. This ability can be used, to some extent, to detect sentient living creatures nearby.
Complications: As this gift isn't controlled by Leyus himself, he can sometimes confuse the emotions of others with his own. Most of all this creates an everlasting struggle of his own identity versus those of the people around him.
Shape-shifting: Leyus possess the magical gift of changing his appearance by his own will. He can manipulate almost any detail of his looks, although bigger changes might take hours or even days of time, while, for example, variations in hair or skin color, facial details, might be minutes worth of work, and the slightest changes, like adding some freckles, can be made almost instantly. While for the most part he can consciously control this ability, sometimes, especially when he is distracted by something, his appearance can change in accordance with his feelings, people or even the setting around him.
Complications: Leyus isn't really sure, that he has a true form, a look that is natural to him, since the appearance he usually takes is simply the one he prefers the most. Morphing also can exhaust him pretty quickly, and changing his body takes the natural resources that such changes would demand from any other creature, so he has to follow his own diet quite closely. Together with that, Leyus has an extreme intolerance for any alcohol, drugs or substances of this sort. They are like literal poison to him, even more so than to other humans. Not lethal per se, but very, very unpleasant.
And then I learnt some.
Leyus came from a family of entertainers, performers, gamblers and traders, so from a very early age he acquired all the skills that came with these trades, as well as those that were necessary for the life on the road.
Performing: Feels at home on the trapeze, can bend his body in more than one fun way, Leyus has a memory for both physical and mental acts: he can remember movement sequences and long bits of text with ease. Together with that he has the charm, acting abilities and silver tongue of a true performer.
He is also quite skilled on the back of a horse.
Trading: Leyus trusts his gut in different deals, knows the prices of wide variety of goods, what gambles are worth taking, are where it is the best to simply accept the demanded payment. He knows how to read and write, as well as is educated in algebra enough to do more than just basic accounting. And, most important of all, he has the contacts and experience necessary for his craft all around Aberresai savannah.
Languages: Leyus is well-versed in basic, but can also speak many of the regional languages he has encountered on his way, to greater or lesser extent. His native tongue is that of the Lerte family and other traveling gypsies similar to them: a peculiar mixture of different languages and dialects, mutually intelligible with some of them.
Survival skills: Leyus is mostly a lover of civilization, but he knows enough about lighting a fire, defending himself with his fists or a knife or dagger, and what plants can be eaten, to survive at least a few days in the wild.
Lithomancy: The only magical art he is familiar with by actually learning it. While Leyus is by no means a proficient user of this kind of magic, he has had the opportunity to learn the basics, although the usage of them might come out in intuitive bursts more than in a well thought-out manner.
Some people learn magic through hard work and practice. Others have the misfortune to have it cast upon themselves from the very, very beginning.
Leyus had come from a family of twisted heritage and love for adventure, so it wasn't really a surprise for anybody that he had inherited certain gifts, even if their origin wasn't that clear to anybody.
Feeling emotions: Leyus has the borderline magical ability to feel other's feelings, emotions and inner state, although this ability is hardly under his own control. He can often get glimpses and impressions of what people around him are feeling, especially if they are under strong emotions. If he spends more time with a certain person, these glimpses become more detailed as he becomes attuned to the person. This ability can be used, to some extent, to detect sentient living creatures nearby.
Complications: As this gift isn't controlled by Leyus himself, he can sometimes confuse the emotions of others with his own. Most of all this creates an everlasting struggle of his own identity versus those of the people around him.
Shape-shifting: Leyus possess the magical gift of changing his appearance by his own will. He can manipulate almost any detail of his looks, although bigger changes might take hours or even days of time, while, for example, variations in hair or skin color, facial details, might be minutes worth of work, and the slightest changes, like adding some freckles, can be made almost instantly. While for the most part he can consciously control this ability, sometimes, especially when he is distracted by something, his appearance can change in accordance with his feelings, people or even the setting around him.
Complications: Leyus isn't really sure, that he has a true form, a look that is natural to him, since the appearance he usually takes is simply the one he prefers the most. Morphing also can exhaust him pretty quickly, and changing his body takes the natural resources that such changes would demand from any other creature, so he has to follow his own diet quite closely. Together with that, Leyus has an extreme intolerance for any alcohol, drugs or substances of this sort. They are like literal poison to him, even more so than to other humans. Not lethal per se, but very, very unpleasant.
And then I learnt some.
Leyus came from a family of entertainers, performers, gamblers and traders, so from a very early age he acquired all the skills that came with these trades, as well as those that were necessary for the life on the road.
Performing: Feels at home on the trapeze, can bend his body in more than one fun way, Leyus has a memory for both physical and mental acts: he can remember movement sequences and long bits of text with ease. Together with that he has the charm, acting abilities and silver tongue of a true performer.
He is also quite skilled on the back of a horse.
Trading: Leyus trusts his gut in different deals, knows the prices of wide variety of goods, what gambles are worth taking, are where it is the best to simply accept the demanded payment. He knows how to read and write, as well as is educated in algebra enough to do more than just basic accounting. And, most important of all, he has the contacts and experience necessary for his craft all around Aberresai savannah.
Languages: Leyus is well-versed in basic, but can also speak many of the regional languages he has encountered on his way, to greater or lesser extent. His native tongue is that of the Lerte family and other traveling gypsies similar to them: a peculiar mixture of different languages and dialects, mutually intelligible with some of them.
Survival skills: Leyus is mostly a lover of civilization, but he knows enough about lighting a fire, defending himself with his fists or a knife or dagger, and what plants can be eaten, to survive at least a few days in the wild.
Lithomancy: The only magical art he is familiar with by actually learning it. While Leyus is by no means a proficient user of this kind of magic, he has had the opportunity to learn the basics, although the usage of them might come out in intuitive bursts more than in a well thought-out manner.
Personality
Influenced from outside.
Although, of course, there is a basis which makes Leyus Lerte himself. He is, as he himself liked to state, a very positive cynic. Expanding a bit, that could mean that Leyus has seen the worst in the world, doesn't expect anything too great from it, but, at the same time, he doesn't really get upset by the dirt, blood and sweat of existence.
Leyus loves to socialize, make contacts and be in the middle of the crowd, although he hardly wears his heart of his sleeve. Yes, his emotions might be influenced by others, but that doesn't mean that he has to let it show.
Overall, an easy to get acquaintance, a hard to keep friend and quite the storm of a person.
Although, of course, there is a basis which makes Leyus Lerte himself. He is, as he himself liked to state, a very positive cynic. Expanding a bit, that could mean that Leyus has seen the worst in the world, doesn't expect anything too great from it, but, at the same time, he doesn't really get upset by the dirt, blood and sweat of existence.
Leyus loves to socialize, make contacts and be in the middle of the crowd, although he hardly wears his heart of his sleeve. Yes, his emotions might be influenced by others, but that doesn't mean that he has to let it show.
Overall, an easy to get acquaintance, a hard to keep friend and quite the storm of a person.
Biography & Lore
Leyus was born in the Lerte family, between folk, who were something between a traveling circus and trade group. They didn't know who they really were descendant from (many of them didn't even share the same blood) or where their road was leading them in the end, but they were daring enough not to care.
Leyus was treated as one of troop's many kids: as a child of every single person there. Obviously, he had his biological parents, but they hardly played a more important role in his life than any other Lerte. His earliest life consisted mostly of two things, namely, endless travel and learning. It was a custom in the troop that anybody who knew how to do anything was more than willing to teach it to the young ones, and so all the children acquired a wide set of skills and knowledge, before finding their own craft.
For Leyus it was performing. His magical gifts had almost destined him for this path, and his character fit into the mold of a natural performer easily. He could pull of any role, morphing from one form to another with ease, most of the time with hardly using any magic. It was just who he was.
And so it went one, one town after another, one performance after another.
Until one day he woke up with the burning feeling that he had to go. See the world. Find something more there.
His family didn't object, that would have been strange of these people. They just nodded their heads, said, that they believed that he would return soon, and let him go. And so he went.
World outside was a lot harsher than he had expected. It wanted to profit, hurt and exploit more than it wanted to build and nurture, at least so it seemed at times. For the first time in his life, while pursuing his travels alone, he experienced starvation, real fights and brutality, betrayal and dishonesty. It was hard. Few times, he almost lost his life.
And yet, Leyus managed to get on. Find jobs as performer or trader, make some friends on the way and earn enough to survive, and, later on, to live quite well. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough, and with every day he grew ore assured that the "something" that he was looking for was getting closer to him.
But maybe it wasn't something he would be happy to find. The event that finally made his life take a sharp turn was a meeting in the wilderness, in the form of a woman and a creature that, as terrifying as it was, seemed to be very similar to Leyus himself. And out of the creature's mouth came the statement that Leyus wasn't human at all.
Yes, he had always known and employed his abilities. But he had also never lost the belief that it was nothing more than a gift, a talent, perhaps even a skill.
And now, barely escaping alive and well, he was left to wonder: was he truly human?
Leyus was treated as one of troop's many kids: as a child of every single person there. Obviously, he had his biological parents, but they hardly played a more important role in his life than any other Lerte. His earliest life consisted mostly of two things, namely, endless travel and learning. It was a custom in the troop that anybody who knew how to do anything was more than willing to teach it to the young ones, and so all the children acquired a wide set of skills and knowledge, before finding their own craft.
For Leyus it was performing. His magical gifts had almost destined him for this path, and his character fit into the mold of a natural performer easily. He could pull of any role, morphing from one form to another with ease, most of the time with hardly using any magic. It was just who he was.
And so it went one, one town after another, one performance after another.
Until one day he woke up with the burning feeling that he had to go. See the world. Find something more there.
His family didn't object, that would have been strange of these people. They just nodded their heads, said, that they believed that he would return soon, and let him go. And so he went.
World outside was a lot harsher than he had expected. It wanted to profit, hurt and exploit more than it wanted to build and nurture, at least so it seemed at times. For the first time in his life, while pursuing his travels alone, he experienced starvation, real fights and brutality, betrayal and dishonesty. It was hard. Few times, he almost lost his life.
And yet, Leyus managed to get on. Find jobs as performer or trader, make some friends on the way and earn enough to survive, and, later on, to live quite well. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough, and with every day he grew ore assured that the "something" that he was looking for was getting closer to him.
But maybe it wasn't something he would be happy to find. The event that finally made his life take a sharp turn was a meeting in the wilderness, in the form of a woman and a creature that, as terrifying as it was, seemed to be very similar to Leyus himself. And out of the creature's mouth came the statement that Leyus wasn't human at all.
Yes, he had always known and employed his abilities. But he had also never lost the belief that it was nothing more than a gift, a talent, perhaps even a skill.
And now, barely escaping alive and well, he was left to wonder: was he truly human?
References
Lessons in Lithomancy pt.1Nightly business
The job of stopping evil
Lessons in Lithomancy pt.2
Only Joy
You better watch out
Diamonds Are An Elf's Best Friend
Come One, Come All
How Frail The Mind
Crime and Reparation