Owen Mason
Appearance
* Groomed short light brown hair, bright gray eyes, fair skin, 5'10", lean build from traveling
* Usually wears a brown, knee-length coat over a navy blue tunic, black fold-over boots, and black trousers. Wears a large bandolier with pouches in front and a shoulderpad. Has a heavy utility belt for more carrying capacity. Carries a plague doctor mask and gloves, but wears them only when appropriate.
* Armed with a dull shortsword (not sharp enough to cut anymore, only for 'intimidation') and a small utility knife, which actually is sharp.
Skills and Abilities
Healing/Luinflow Healing: He has studied various healing disciplines under his father and the other Archons of Ared'luin, and indeed, has a good aptitude for them. Touch healing, distance healing, slow and gradual, fast and taxing, bone-mending, blood stabilization--many applications of traditional restorative magic. In addition, he often carries small packets of refined and enchanted powder crafted primarily from the Luin flower, aptly named "Luinflow dust". By applying the dust to his hands, he may use the magic stored within to deliver a quick burst of healing by touch, without using his own lifeforce as cost. But, given the lengthy preparation, rarity of the main ingredient, and skill necessary in the creation and proper use of Luinflow dust, these packets are best saved only for dire life-or-death emergencies where normal healing may not be enough. And still, the dust is powerful but not miraculous; even it may prove insufficient in the gravest of cases.
Potions/Elixirs: Where traditional healing magicks are often focused toward immediate injuries--the kinds commonly found on the battlefield--alchemy and the potions/elixirs derived from it step in where said magicks struggle. Everyday things. Potions to invigorate the body for a time, to aid one with sleep, to ease a hangover, and so on. But the greatest strength of potions, in Owen's view, is their effectiveness in bringing relief to disease. Though he only has potions for the temporary relief of some symptoms, he aspires through his travels to develop viable cures.
Augment: A magical boon bestowed upon an ally, Augment provides a boost to a single physical characteristic: strength, speed, endurance, or agility. Only one aspect many be augmented at a time. Augment also requires line-of-sight and intense chanting, concentration, and casting motions, rendering Owen immobile. Without cover or protection, he can be made an easy target by careless use of this spell.
Congenital Insensitivity to Pain: Born with this very rare condition, Owen is unable to perceive painful stimuli and appropriately react to it. More of a curse than anything else, he has to take great care to ensure even minor wounds don't go unnoticed and untreated. He can feel temperature, but intense cold or heat still does not elicit a normal and appropriate reaction. He has yet to come up with a proper name for his condition.
Personality
* Has a distinctive "Luin drawl", a slow-talking, drawn out accent of common.
* Having lived mostly in the peaceful village of Ared'luin, his views of the world may seem quaint, his lack of experience occasionally counterbalanced by his quick-wittedness.
* Courteous and friendly to a fault. Always "sir", "ma'am", or "friend" to those he speaks to, at least upon first meeting them, regardless of their station or even if they wish him ill.
* Incredibly optimistic, he'll almost always attempt to find the bright side to even the most dire situation, and takes the time to raise the spirits of his fellows in hard times as well. Though his travels have had the effect of slowly chipping away at this optimism.
* Can be quite happy-go-lucky about life and conflict, preferring in-the-moment action and decision-making to making sound plans. Also tends to engage in good-natured teasing with those he likes. Has a good sense of humor and enjoys the company around him the most when they are all smiling and laughing, though the teasing may leave one or more at odds accidentally.
* A staunch pacifist, he refuses to physically harm or kill other people. Though he is no fool about the dangers of the world. He will aid those around him in their efforts to defend themselves, but he will refuse to allow his own hands to directly engage in violence. Despite all his optimism, this state of affairs is the best deal he could strike with a more or less hostile world in order to keep his conscience clear.
* Has an intense interest in diseases, especially ones grave and serious, like vampirism and lycanthropy. By corollary, he has an interest in anatomy as well.
+ Curious about other cultures and species, to see how they live as opposed to Ared'luin.
+ Inept at fighting. Sometimes mistaken for a badass because of his condition.
+ Gambling is a growing vice for him. Carries a set of dice around.
+ Lightweight at drinking. Doesn't cost much for him to get drunk and have fun, though.
+ Practices card tricks and sleight of hand for fun.
+ Likes fancy hats, even though he doesn't wear one himself.
+ Has a bad habit of telling little white lies when he thinks it's what people want to hear.
Biography & Lore
He held his hand in the fire.
Smiled and giggled as the flame of the torch warped around it. As his hand caught fire itself. He watched with fascination as his hand changed. Why was it turning pink and red and black? He went to show his mother the neat trick he could do.
And she screamed when she saw it.
It took a year and some months to fully heal the horrific burns Owen suffered as a child. But he learned two important things. First, that he didn't know what pain was, and that his mother and father stressed that he had to be very careful from then on. Second, that the experience changed him, and he wanted to be a healer like his father and the other Archons and practitioners of Ared'luin. A sense of charity, service, and concern for the well-being of others awakened.
* * * * *
Owen had an older sister and a younger brother. His sister, with a talent for healing and a keen knack for leadership, would be succeeding their father as one of Ared'luin's Archons. His brother, restless with wanderlust, eschewed his studies and the quiet village life and set out on the road for adventure as soon as he was able. Fitting, then, that Owen found himself somewhere in-between. He would study and refine his healing disciplines and the craft of alchemy under the tutelage of his father, but he knew that he would take what he had learned out into the wider world. But, before he was ready to go, something happened.
A visit. Two of them, matter of fact. First, a Master of Elbion's College. He had brought a class of students on an excursion to learn under the Archons for a few weeks. But the Master found and spoke to Owen one day. Asked a variety of questions about his father. An odd tenor to the conversation. Almost too polite and too congenial. But the Master and his class left, and nothing came of it. Seemingly.
Only a few days later, a different visit. This time, from a Dreadlord of Vel Anir. She had come for diplomatic and trade purposes. All three of the Archons found her charming. And, like the Master before her, she sought out and spoke to Owen privately during her visit. Asked a variety of questions about his sister. Again, a familiar odd tenor to their talk. As if something else was happening beneath her cordial laughter and curious words. And the Dreadlord left as the Master had left, with seemingly nothing else arising from their conversation.
Over time, he gave less thought to both visits. And after he departed from Ared'luin to begin his travels across Liadain, the visits receded further and further into the back of his mind.
Couldn't be much to either. Right?
References
Tea with a Stranger
The Battle of the Blades: The Parade
The Battle of the Blades: The Assault