Vereshin
Summary
Born from meagre origins and desiring no forms of political power, Vereshin is a sorcerer who leans towards the more morally questionable arts. His study focuses around the limits of death, the afterlife and the nature of darkness itself. Since being expelled from the Elbion college, he has been living as a vagabond and fulfilling odd quests for those who might require an enemy cursed or a ghost appeased.Having never completed his education, Vereshin desires to share his ideas with an institution which will accept his work. He travels across the land conducting rituals and uncovering sources of power in the pursuit of broadening the sphere of dark magic beyond necromancy. However, his dislike of social structure dissuades him from seeking out any organized branch of dark mages who could potentially nurture his skill.
Personality
Darkly and strange, almost haunting, Vereshin is a wayward mage dedicated to understanding the limits of the mortal coil. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge and curiosity which borders on being outright dangerous, he lives on the fringes of society. He is highly articulate and elegant in the fashion of a soft-spoken demon. He carries himself with an optimistic attitude and appreciates the beauty in even the most twisted notions.Along with exuding a devilish charm and wicked sense of humor, Vereshin is playful when happy and genuinely sweet. His sweet nature is how he normally behaves and inadvertently assists in masking his true intentions. He is always clean-shaven and preened, paying great detail to his appearance even when travelling. With his hospitable nature and lack of regard for moral standards, he is commonly regarded as bizarre.
Although Vereshin’s courtesy is not a guise, his perception of right and wrong is distorted. Provided that he is polite at the time, he genuinely believes that his actions are acceptable. His sweet nature is not subtle and only makes him appear all the more unsettling. Having spent most of his life as an outcast, he is not accustomed to compliments and becomes bashful when somebody approves of his work. His magic is his sole source of confidence and having his powers cut off by another mage remains his greatest fear. In the event that he feels threatened, he discards his manners and becomes vindictive.
Those who encounter Vereshin for the first time are often charmed by just how friendly he is, a perception which is shattered the moment he tries to harvest their soul. In general, he is chipper, but makes no effort to disguise his emotions when he is angry. He fears physical confrontation and goes out of his way to avoid a fight, which means that he tries to keep his practice within the boundaries of the law, an effort which is often disregarded when his curiosity gets the better of him. He is distrusting of combative individuals and is more likely to help a mage in a similar situation, especially if they practice magic exclusively.
Vereshin leads an insular lifestyle and avoids populated areas where necromancy is more of an issue. He is unhinged from the political situation and does not concern himself with any whiles of power and conquest, finding such aspirations to be a waste of time. He is indifferent to suffering and accepts it as a necessary part of many avenues of his work, without gaining any pleasure from causing pain. While he does not go out of his way to cause harm, he does whatever he can get away with in pursuit of his craft. He remains innocent in a bizarre way, having discarded political bias to pursue his life as a magus in the purest form.
Appearance
Tall and thin, with immaculate posture, Vereshin is a suave, almost ghastly man in his late thirties. He is conspicuous by his dark sense of fashion and dresses entirely in black, apart from the white shirt he wears beneath his tunic. His hair is raven black, dead straight, trimmed short and always slicked back. His skin is a creamy, ivory and his eyes are a brilliant, lime green which glow when he uses magic. He has thick, arched eyebrows which are highly expressive and a slightly hooked nose. His teeth are pitch black, a result of the effects of practicing dark magic.The garments Vereshin wears are no different to those of any traveler, apart from being entirely black. He wears a sleeveless, black tunic with laces up at the front over a long sleeved, white shirt. On top of the tunic, he wears either a black cloak with a standing collar or a black, knitted shawl which fastens with a pin. In colder climates, he wears a long sleeved tunic and gloves with a fur wrap which crosses over his chest. He wears black trousers which tuck into boots with pointed toes and many silver buckles. The only weapon he carries is a ceremonial dagger, which he uses to collect parts from corpses to use in his magic.
Skills
A pure mage, Vereshin has no notable skills in any other areas. As a necromancer, he is capable of manipulating the souls of the deceased and their corpses. He can reanimate a body which has recently been killed and manipulate their soul to craft a new personality for the vessel. He can merge multiple souls together to create a new entity and implant souls in different bodies. He can commune with ghosts and perform tasks for demons in exchange for power or protection, as well as conjure demons made out of pure energy to puppeteer during combat.Through ritual preparation, Vereshin can appease the spirits which haunt certain areas and ward away offensive spells. He can extract part of a person’s soul and use it to manipulate them from afar. He can harvest the souls of the living and milk them of their power, often in the pursuit of revitalizing himself physically. He can manipulate shadows and use the shadows of a large area to cast tendrils which are powerful enough to cause harm. He can destroy the light of large areas to cast planes of perfect darkness and use shadows to conceal himself from view.
Vereshin has no skills with a weapon of any kind. He will never learn melee combat due to his thin frame and poor motor skills. He cannot ride a horse, use a bow and arrow, or throw a spear. His use of dark magic corrodes his body, making it difficult for him to put on weight. After using magic strenuously, he becomes exhausted and needs to sleep for an extended period of time. When he casts shadows, the energy surrounding his form becomes black and swirls as he moves, concealing his feet and morphing his silhouette.
Roleplays
Grave PrecipiceOrcish Ruin
River Carry Me
Wrong Side of the Woods
At Cursed Crossroads
The Siren's Call
Unquiet and Overgrown
The Benign Void
Beware the Friendly Stranger