Tomagus 'Toms' Waldrum
Appearance & Demeanor
Toms is a wiry fellow of average height, though his lifelong hobby of traveling across the continent on foot & through the most harsh terrain leaves him now in remarkable shape. A shaggy and ragged bed of hair rests atop his head, all parts of it being varying lengths. This is from years of attempting to emulate local fashions when traveling through less safe territories.
Though small in stature, he presents himself with an aloof confidence, and holds his head high with a smug grin at most times. The smile is quite easy to see through for anyone with at least average emotional intelligence. He suffers greatly from loss of sanity and mental faculty from years of delving into occultic practices & engaging in revelatory council with the Great Elders more regularly than ordinary folk. Thus a deep melancholia sits upon him some of the time, but it is fair to say that it is not all. He practices a proud stoicism as best he can, and ignores the mental strain & loss of coherence.
His style of dress does not tend to vary much, as it suits his profession, status, & overall climate of his typical range of travels well enough. He wears no undershirt beneath his long tunic, as the material is not particularly abrasive. The skin of his torso is covered in scars & tattoos of obscure symbols, though all possess positive connotative meaning. Typically, these symbols are wards against evil or signs of reverence to certain Great Elders who are seen as more benign.
Though small in stature, he presents himself with an aloof confidence, and holds his head high with a smug grin at most times. The smile is quite easy to see through for anyone with at least average emotional intelligence. He suffers greatly from loss of sanity and mental faculty from years of delving into occultic practices & engaging in revelatory council with the Great Elders more regularly than ordinary folk. Thus a deep melancholia sits upon him some of the time, but it is fair to say that it is not all. He practices a proud stoicism as best he can, and ignores the mental strain & loss of coherence.
His style of dress does not tend to vary much, as it suits his profession, status, & overall climate of his typical range of travels well enough. He wears no undershirt beneath his long tunic, as the material is not particularly abrasive. The skin of his torso is covered in scars & tattoos of obscure symbols, though all possess positive connotative meaning. Typically, these symbols are wards against evil or signs of reverence to certain Great Elders who are seen as more benign.
Skills and Abilities
Toms is a particularly good example of what is possible when a child with strong natural magical tendencies is born into a culture which embraces those who walk such a path. He is well versed in the sacred Lores & Gnoses of the Danites, with deep insight into their cosmic religion of sanity-leeching revelations.
He has also studied the highly impactful art of Teramancy (a branch of Eleomancy involving the movement of earth through will alone), and even the Hermetic Trade of the Danites (the combination of Teramancy & Heliomancy to create a new style of Eleomancy, known as Chloromancy) which allows users to control plants & plant matter in an area. While many other peoples have mastered such types of plant-based magics, and perhaps with no need for the 'baser' schools of Heliomancy & Teramancy, such an investment is necessary for those who have studied under the Danite magic system.
These magical specializations allow Toms to control a large amount of space at once, but his true attacks lack much in terms of stopping power when compared to those who specialize in extremely destructive forms of magic. While Heliomancy has several means of vanquishing other beings in a beam of holy light, it typically only works on beings of 'External' origin which are exceptionally rare in our world. Even when one such being is met, exorcisms are very uncommon. That is because these External Agents are seen as having been sent by, or perhaps possessing the power of, the Great Elders. This places them on the same tier of power as Daemons, or 'Angels' as some other groups have chosen to call such entities.
Outside of combat, Toms has a very broad skillset regarding magical practices which fall within his range of expertise (particularly the magics surrounding the Danite religion).
He has also studied the highly impactful art of Teramancy (a branch of Eleomancy involving the movement of earth through will alone), and even the Hermetic Trade of the Danites (the combination of Teramancy & Heliomancy to create a new style of Eleomancy, known as Chloromancy) which allows users to control plants & plant matter in an area. While many other peoples have mastered such types of plant-based magics, and perhaps with no need for the 'baser' schools of Heliomancy & Teramancy, such an investment is necessary for those who have studied under the Danite magic system.
These magical specializations allow Toms to control a large amount of space at once, but his true attacks lack much in terms of stopping power when compared to those who specialize in extremely destructive forms of magic. While Heliomancy has several means of vanquishing other beings in a beam of holy light, it typically only works on beings of 'External' origin which are exceptionally rare in our world. Even when one such being is met, exorcisms are very uncommon. That is because these External Agents are seen as having been sent by, or perhaps possessing the power of, the Great Elders. This places them on the same tier of power as Daemons, or 'Angels' as some other groups have chosen to call such entities.
Outside of combat, Toms has a very broad skillset regarding magical practices which fall within his range of expertise (particularly the magics surrounding the Danite religion).
Limitations
Typically when forced to perform feats of Eleomancy, Toms' go-to choice is Teramancy. Specifically, the field of Microlithic Teramancy. In the Danite tradition, Teramancy is broken down into two attainable subdivisions, and a third which is most certainly unobtainable by beings lesser than gods. The attainable subdivisions are Mircolithic & Megalithic Teramancy, and the unobtainable is Tectonic Teramancy. We shall ignore Tectonic, and briefly detail the other two. Megalithic obviously refers to large blocks of stone, often weighing several tonnes. Microlithic, therefore, entails small chunks of stone which can be altered & manipulated much more easily.
Toms is quite incapable of performing any extended feats of Megalithic Teramancy, and in fact he must usually resist the temptation to dabble in the art at all in order to avoid exhaustion or worse. He is capable of maintaining Microlithic control for a considerably long time, though the time-frame shrinks exponentially as more & more objects are added.
Heliomancy, however, costs him quite little in its least specialized forms. This is true of most Lightworkers though, as it is used as a much more support oriented magic by the Danites. Lightworkers typically use it to illuminate the darkness or blind enemies. Some Heliomancers can tie effortlessly into Pyromancy, as fire & light work startlingly similarly when applying the Danite method, but Toms is not one such example. Specialized healing traditions affiliated with the school do exist, and because of the limited usefulness of Heliomancy they do so quite commonly. Toms is trained in healing practices, but performing such feats on his own is incredibly hazardous. Danite Lighthealers usually work in groups of 3-5, and sometimes more, so that combined power can be used. This minimizes the physical toll placed on the healer by spreading it more evenly. There is always a give & take, and healers have been known to kill themselves in an attempt to save another. Thus Toms is quite unlikely to attempt any sort of healing, qualified as he might be.
Chloromancy is a middle ground for Toms between Microlithic Teramancy and Heliomancy in terms of difficulty & physical toll. Though Chloromancy is not subdivided like Teramancy, a similar dichotomy does exist, and again Toms finds himself very limited when attempting to manipulate full sized trees or a large number of vines. It can reasonably be said that Toms is severely lacking in terms of magical endurance, though this limitation exists only in the fields of Mancery (excluding Telekinesis, which is technically considered the basis of Mancery by Danites, but is generally looked at as a separate field. In this area, Toms is quite a natural).
Occult magic is Toms' primary area of focus. These types of spells typically involve the storing & culmination of power, or a sudden expenditure of a great deal of it. Comparable to feats of physical power, some individuals can exert immense power in very short burst quite effortlessly, while others can maintain a consistent & sometimes equal amount of power for a much longer time. Both physically & magically, Toms excels in short bursts. Thus he is able to overcome his weaknesses very easily by performing these spells & rites stress-free, and at his own pace.
Toms is quite incapable of performing any extended feats of Megalithic Teramancy, and in fact he must usually resist the temptation to dabble in the art at all in order to avoid exhaustion or worse. He is capable of maintaining Microlithic control for a considerably long time, though the time-frame shrinks exponentially as more & more objects are added.
Heliomancy, however, costs him quite little in its least specialized forms. This is true of most Lightworkers though, as it is used as a much more support oriented magic by the Danites. Lightworkers typically use it to illuminate the darkness or blind enemies. Some Heliomancers can tie effortlessly into Pyromancy, as fire & light work startlingly similarly when applying the Danite method, but Toms is not one such example. Specialized healing traditions affiliated with the school do exist, and because of the limited usefulness of Heliomancy they do so quite commonly. Toms is trained in healing practices, but performing such feats on his own is incredibly hazardous. Danite Lighthealers usually work in groups of 3-5, and sometimes more, so that combined power can be used. This minimizes the physical toll placed on the healer by spreading it more evenly. There is always a give & take, and healers have been known to kill themselves in an attempt to save another. Thus Toms is quite unlikely to attempt any sort of healing, qualified as he might be.
Chloromancy is a middle ground for Toms between Microlithic Teramancy and Heliomancy in terms of difficulty & physical toll. Though Chloromancy is not subdivided like Teramancy, a similar dichotomy does exist, and again Toms finds himself very limited when attempting to manipulate full sized trees or a large number of vines. It can reasonably be said that Toms is severely lacking in terms of magical endurance, though this limitation exists only in the fields of Mancery (excluding Telekinesis, which is technically considered the basis of Mancery by Danites, but is generally looked at as a separate field. In this area, Toms is quite a natural).
Occult magic is Toms' primary area of focus. These types of spells typically involve the storing & culmination of power, or a sudden expenditure of a great deal of it. Comparable to feats of physical power, some individuals can exert immense power in very short burst quite effortlessly, while others can maintain a consistent & sometimes equal amount of power for a much longer time. Both physically & magically, Toms excels in short bursts. Thus he is able to overcome his weaknesses very easily by performing these spells & rites stress-free, and at his own pace.
Personality
Toms is overly obsessive, and exceedingly eccentric. However this aspect of his personality is quickly overturned when he is forced to engage in either fighting or escaping from conflict. In these moments he is calm & insightful, carefully managing his actions so that too great a cost is not required for the success of the spell in question.