Toul (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bendthekey) wrote2034-08-08 06:39 pm
bendthekey) wrote2034-08-08 06:39 pm
[OOC] App for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tushanshu
Player Information:
Name: Kathrine
Age: over 18
Contact: spkathrine]@]gmail.com, plurk: chocolateisbrainfood
Other Characters Played: Kaldur’ahm (apologiesmyking), Richie Foley (gearshifting) | AC Thread
Character Information:
Name: Toul
Canon: Original Character
Canon Point: After traveling to Darrowtown with Saxa and buying new clothes due to her others being damaged. Just as they were shot at by an Archer through the shop window.
Age: 19
Reference Links:
Toul did not start out her life as the chosen Apprentice of her Keymaster, but a young girl who had been gifted to him as payment for a job he had done. She had been orphaned two years before coming to him in an accident where she had been playing on an old wooden bridge over a ravine that she had been warned more than once never to play near. The bridge cracked and caught her foot, frightening her enough that she screamed for her mother to come and get her. The wood gave way easily under her mother's weight, but Toul's wrist was caught in the rope railing, keeping her held there long enough to watch her mother fall to her death. She is saved by a woodcutter who lives nearby, but wore a leather braided bracelet around her wrist to hide the scar there for years. After her mother's death she was sold along with all of their property to pay off the debts that her father had left behind when he died shortly after she was born.
Her first "owner" was an elderly woman, Madame Valtoria Espava, looking for a child to be her granddaughter's playmate when she visited for the summer and fall. The woman was not usually kind, but made sure that Toul wanted for nothing material as long as she helped with simple chores around the house and kept the woman's granddaughter, Karia, out of trouble. She wasn't very good at this at first because Karia liked to tease her and Toul would be brought to tears more than once, often crying herself to sleep at night. Madame Valtoria one day told her to at least learn to smile as she had no use for a crying child disrupting her household.
Toul was afraid that she would be shipped off to one of the nearby Work Houses and given all the horrible stories she had heard, it was a far worse fate than the one she had. So she tried to smile more and refused to cry over anything Karia did to upset her. Instead, she laughed. And she kept laughing. She found that laughing in the face of what hurt her was a lot less painful than crying. Within the span of a month her entire attitude had changed from the quiet, withdrawn child to one that smiled and laughed and was openly affectionate and cheerful to those around her.
She remained with the household for two years until Valtoria fell ill and was forced to move into her son's household to be properly looked after. With her gone, most of the workers on the estate were let go and the indebted servants either moved to her son, Lord Espava's estate, or sold off once more. Toul was not kept and was instead gifted to her next owner as part of a business deal with Lord Espava.
The Keymaster, Galin Temmore, kept her around as a servant, but didn’t expect much of her. Toul educated herself by sneaking into his library despite it being very poor protocol for a servant to learn how to read and write without permission from their Master. When he found out months later she was sure he would dismiss her to a Work House, but instead he kept her around and ordered her to learn all she could from the library. He began giving her weekly tests and what information she could not answer, he expected her to learn the next week. Galin was not one who suffered fools or ignorance so even having a servant in his home that was uneducated was not allowed, but he did not devote any time to teaching her himself.
It was five years later that he would dismiss his third Apprentice that he had taken on during her servitude. Toul had watched many of the lessons in secret, knowing that she was breaking one of Galin's primary rules by observing them. On her own she found that she actually could use the most basic of spells, but only used it occasionally so as to not attract his suspicion. But when Galin found her performing a locking spell on his chest of scrolls (she had accidentally broken the lock months before and hadn't wanted him to find out) he was furious. Not because she had gone against his rule, but that he'd had a potential Apprentice in his home for years and she was learning the spells wrong due to trying to teach herself. It was an insult to him.
From that day on for the next four years she would be his official Apprentice and given the rarity of people outside his home having seen the brand on her, very few were the wiser that she had previously been an Indebted Servant. He required her to intensify her academic studies, pushed her to learn how to better manipulate her Mystic Energy, and even required her to learn self-defense from a local military veteran, ex-Lieutenant Paerio Cannor.
As he focused more on her actual Keymaster training instead, it was exhausting and time-consuming for her, as learning to manipulate and adapt the compatibility of one’s own mystic energy to the energy of other objects and persons is not easy. It took time for her to gain a stronger sense of identity and learn to instinctively recognize her own energy so she could perform more advanced spells, and more than once he’d been tempted to cut her off altogether.
She was nineteen (or at least thought to be so as she could not remember her true birthday, just that it was in the summer months) when a man came to Galin's home and spoke to him in private for several hours. Toul did not know him, but his clothing and the silver ring with the emblem of the Tusserian Republic on his hand was proof her was someone of status, a man high up in the government. She did not know what they spoke of, but Galin became even more distant, distracted, after he had gone.
It was two weeks later than Galin sent her off on an overnight job, helping set special alarms on the new county armory two towns over. It was the first time that he had sent her so far away and she believed it to be a test of her abilities without him there to fix her mistakes. She did the job well and was even given a bonus commission by the Commander in charge of Armory: an old, but well-kept Keymaster staff. She believed that Galin would be proud of her when she returned only she came home to find their house burned down and Galin missing--possibly dead if the bones she found in the charred remains of the house meant anything.
She did not know what had caused the fire and did not want to believe Galin was dead, despite there being a body found. She did find his charmed chest within the wreckage, which she did know how to open, and it turned out that within the chest was more than enough gold marks for her to rebuild the house and more should she choose to. Galin was old and had no family that could be found, so as his Apprentice she legally became his only heir.
Days later, the man she had seen those weeks ago, Septium, returned and asked about the job Galin had been charged with doing for him. She explained to him about Galin's disappearance, but offered to do the job herself so as to honor the word of her Keymaster. Septium almost rejected her offer, but she was insistent. And so they were off to a hidden location near the Rift of Argo. Instead of going over one of the stone bridges they traveled down a secret staircase to a large cave within the side of the wall of the rift. Inside Septium laid out a circle and all but demanded that Toul read a special unlocking spell that she had never heard before, a long and complicated one which meant that it was most specific for its use. He told her that Galin understood it and was willing to take the chance, so Toul agreed to try.
But it went wrong. What she had unlocked was not just a door, but a cage that held a sleeping being inside so powerful that she was incapable of cancelling the spell once it had begun. All she could do was finish the spell--only she got the last line wrong. Instead of releasing the being into Septium's control she said "bind to me what I hath set free!" Septium raged at her, realizing what she had done even before she had and was ready to kill her, but the Mystic Circle she stood in prevented him from coming nearer. The force of the magic being released left her unconscious and Septium fleeing through a transport spell.
This was how she met Saxa, the Death Reaper. She almost died from the shock of looking at her when she awoke, but Saxa placed a hand over her heart and the pain in her chest finally faded away until she could breathe again. Saxa told her that her Mystic Energy was drained and had it not been for their new bond, Toul would be dead. But now that they were bound, Saxa could use her energy to temporarily heal her. Saxa did not understand why she had been awakened when it was not yet time. But to Toul, Death Reapers were a myth and having one right in front of her was too much to deal with at the time. So she chose not to. They needed to find a way out of the cave first; the entrance was blocked by large stones from the cave-in.
This turned out to be little more than an obstruction for Saxa, who touched the rocks and disintegrated them right there. This weakened her far more than she expected, which is how they found out that the amount of power she could use was restrained by the new bond she had with Toul. Only Toul could give her permission to use her full power. They escaped the cave and made it back to the cliff and proceeded to travel on foot toward the nearest town. It was fifty marches away, which is a bit of a distance on foot, but as they walked they came upon a traveling merchant who was heading in the same direction. Toul tried to ask him for a ride, but his horses were terrified by Saxa and fled, dragging the man and his cart with them.
Toul realized then that they couldn’t travel with Saxa looking so noticeable and in response Saxa shape-shifted with Toul’s encouragement until she found a generic and plain human form to use. The only thing she could not remove was the mark over her eye that was a sign of her true self. Toul didn't mind and pointed out her own strange birthmark and said people would think it was a tattoo. Saxa asked her again what her purpose was, but Toul told her that she would have to find one for herself, since Toul wasn't that great at giving out directions, let alone telling someone what they should do with their lives.
It took a full day and a half to reach the next city of Darrowtown, which was a small, but bustling market town. Toul was able to use some of the gold marks she had brought with her to get them room and board for the night and slept for several hours. The next day they went to buy some clothes as Toul’s were greatly damaged—torn, bloodied from the cave-in—and Sasha’s only clothes were warrior garb. So they went out into the marketplace for clothes and supplies and it was an hour or so into their shopping that Saxa suddenly moved into Toul’s path deflecting an arrow that came through the shop window from one of the nearby rooftops. It sent the civilians in the shop into a panic and suddenly they were trapped in a chaotic mess of people trying to get out of the way, rushed outdoors where the archer continued to fire at them.
Additional Information
Setting:
Gaia is not a world like ours. It is not a planet exactly like ours, either. It is filled with magic and phenomena that not many can or will attempt to explain. There is a cultural atmosphere of acceptance of the unexplainable with people often acknowledging that their world is far too mystic and mysterious for them to understand everything about it. Majority of the people consider miraculous acts and the extreme natural disasters to be the work of their gods and goddesses, the most common group of those worshipped being known as the Daiad of Daeties.
The people vary greatly from region to region and sometimes even within one country alone. Due to the magic of Gaia and the will of the Gods, people are not entirely homogenous in having one “Ancestral Species” they all derived from. As the legends tell, the Gods looked upon Gaia and saw that many animals had beings among them who were strong, clever, cunning and remarkably intelligent for the beasts that they were. As a gift to them, the Gods granted these animals a higher status than their brethren, allowing them and their progeny to evolve beyond beasts that could not speak amongst other species, could not walk on their hind legs or even use their hands to build great things. And thus, humans have evolved from a large variety of animals, from felines to canines to reptiles to sea creatures.
There are indeed many countries in which these differences cause dissent and some are discriminated against due to being considered “lower beings” should they have obvious characteristics that show their ancestry. The more “animal-like” a person is, the lesser some humans consider them to be, for they believe that looking more like an animal makes you more like a beast than those who look more “evolved.” But most allow the people to live in harmony with one another as “personhood” is more defined by your intelligence and ability to think and verbalize comprehendible thoughts than about whether you are a Felinus (Feline-ancestored) or a Hominus (Primate-ancestored).
The world has progressed in its usage of magic and mixing it with technology to create what some consider an advanced society, but due to the disparity between classes, it is only the large, industrial cities that have benefited from this where most small towns and villages or less economically powerful countries remain simple and with only basic forms of power and plumbing, and are rooted in agricultural economies. The Tusserian Republic in particular, where Toul has lived her entire life, is a country with a strong agricultural and natural resource export-based economy while some of the larger cities are more industrialized with factory work forces. It has a Prime Minister that is elected to office by popular vote (of which a citizen must be 20 years of and pay yearly taxes to the Tusserian State to be eligible to vote), with a Council of Vice Ministers appointed by the Prime Minister that are in charge of the various departments of government—from education, to military, to foreign affairs.
1712 years ago a great earthquake shook the continent of Paltaysea. A canyon was ripped open in central Tusseri right in the center of the large trading city of Argo. It almost completely split the country in two and completely swallowed the village above it. Now it is known as the Rift of Argo. The people of Tusseri saw the tragedy as a sign from the Daeties that if they allowed the disharmony of their people to worsen, they would all suffer grave consequences, which is why Tusseri is considered now the “Heart of Unity” by many and the different people live together more peacefully.
Tusseri still has its flaws, including a system of servitude that is enforced and held to as a tradition of the Old World. Should one be incapable of paying a monetary debt owed to either the State or another person that was high enough to be considered an “Outstanding Debt” than the person could be forced into Debtor Servitude (a polite way of saying they became slaves) and the cost of the sale would be considered “paying the debt in full.” If the person dies before being able to pay off their debt to their lenders, their estate is sold off to do so and any children they have are considered property of the State to send into Debtor Servitude to pay off the debt. If they have no children, then the State may seek to extract the debt from their nearest living relative with a claim to their estate.
Debtor Servants (also called “Indebted”) are branded magically with the ancient symbol for “Servitude.” Should a Master choose to remove the seal, they must pay the fee to the local Courts equal to the rest of the time on the Servant’s “service” and then will be told the special “code” to remove the seal (which is different for every Servant). With those few simple words and a drop of their blood, the brand is removed.
The only other option for someone than becoming a Debtor Servant is to go to a Work House where you work up to fourteen hours a day in questionable conditions doing whatever jobs are hired out to the House and give two-thirds of your wages a month to the State to pay off the debt. It is considered kinder to make a child who is paying off their parents’ debt become a Debtor Servant as it is assumed they will be treated better by their wealthy Master than they would within one of the Work Houses.
There is a variety of religions scattered across the continent, some that are polytheistic and others that are monotheistic, but the primary religion is called Orthodox Daeism based on the Scrolls of Xerusetos. Daeism is not the oldest religion on Paltaysea by far, but it has swept across the continent with fervor since the discovery of the Scrolls centuries before. There are ten that are considered the Daiad, or primary Gods and Goddesses among them, by Orthodox Daeism: Enthu, Saesté, Morain, Olil, Chiaiot, Ysia, Ilassa, Dilevaos, Ksaethel, and Aelasti.
What most people do not realize is that they are not the only sentient and intelligent beings created by the Gods that have influence over Gaia and its development. Ksaethel, brother of Saesté, is known as the God of Judgment, who watches over the Gates to Exaelius and Daeon, judging those who die and sending them on to whichever plane he finds them most deserving of. He is also in charge of managing the balance of Souls that exist on the two sides of the Veil. If this balance is disturbed, he must act to fix it. And for this purpose he created the Tragodien, the Death Reapers.
Death Reapers should not be confused with "Death Gods," although many cultures on Gaia also believe in those as the ones who find souls and lead them to the Gates for Judgment by Ksaethel. Death Reapers on the other hand, are often thought to be a myth, something that could not possibly exist as their purpose is too dark for even most Mystic Historians to look upon them as fact despite evidence to it. A Death Reaper is a servant of the Daiad, designed with one purpose: to maintain the natural order of life and death, a balance of how many souls exist on each side of the Veil. If the balance is too far tipped toward the Living, a Death Reaper awakens and seeks out a master to direct them on how to even that balance.
A Reaper has the right to Test the one they see as a potential Master and then decide if they are worthy or not. If they are, the Death Reaper becomes subservient to the will of their Master and how they believe the Reaper should go about achieving their goal. If they are deemed unworthy, their Soul is forfeit to the Reaper. They are beings of Upheaval and Change, and once their goal is achieved, they return to their cages to sleep until the next time they are awakened. All Reapers have a psychic connection to each other, to the point that the awakening of one Reaper will create a ripple effect of the others. There are 12 Death Reapers in all.
There are seven Classes within the Mystic Arts (art of using Mystical Energy, “Magic” being a slang term some use for it), some more magically focused than others. The Mystic Arts are the ways in which the people of Paltaysea use not only magic, but spiritual energies within themselves and nature. What people of Gaia are not aware of is that the Mystic Arts exist in part due to the energy transferring back and forth across the two sides of the “Veil” the barrier between the Living Realm and the Realm Beyond, Exaelius, governed by the Goddess of Death, Saesté. Humans of Gaia use their spiritual energy to reach out and manipulate the energy around them and in nature, this energy being that which keeps the Living Realm and the Realm Beyond separate. This energy is abundant, but the more people who learn to use it, the more the Veil begins to wear against it. In the future this may even lead to bleeding between the two sides.
Most practitioners of the Mystic Arts undergo formal training or education in the Arts. Older school-age children are given very basic courses on them and how they are used. It is those who choose to further their studies that either join the military or take on an Apprenticeship. Mages, Keymasters, and Engineers all require Apprenticeship status before moving on and should they pass their Apprenticeship they will be officially recognized by the state as certified Masters of their Art. If an Apprentice is let go by their Master before completing their years of study or their Master dies before they can complete them, they can choose to become an “Aimless Apprentice” meaning one who is in search of a new Master to finish their years of tutorship. The seven classes are the Mages, Keymasters, Shields, Weaponmasters, Bards, Bonders, and Engineers.
A Keymaster has the ability to "unlock the doors of reality." They can unlock doors, safes, barriers, memories, and a lot more. It is considered a neutral Art, due to the fact it is not inherently offensive or defensive. The years of apprenticeship are short, but the training itself is rigorous with few making it passed the first two years. Just as they can unlock reality, Keymasters can lock it away, but this comes at a higher price for it is easier to open a “door” than to shut one. To be a Keymaster, a person must have a high mystical compatibility as Keymasters do not have an affinity to just one or two Mystical Elements, but to none of them and all of them at the same time because of their ability to manipulate their own energy. Keymastering is not about manipulating “nature” but syncing their energy in order to manipulate the Veil itself and how it influences the reality of the world. It is considered one of the rarer Arts because of how few apprentices make it to Master level.
Personality:
Toul isn't a bad person in any way that most people might judge them, but she has a low opinion of herself (due the foolish disobedience of her childhood that led to the death of her mother) and she wants to prove herself as being on the Good Side so much she gets reckless. Many would not see that given her normally cheery disposition, but she is very eager to please others and to prove that she is worth something to them. Which leaves her being manipulated more times than one would think. Or maybe exactly as many times as one might think--hence the awakened Death Reaper. She is a very emotional person and has a tendency to react with her heart when she truly believes she is doing the right thing, but her need to please others and prove herself as a good Keymaster leads to her jumping into situations she does not always know the full extent of.
Toul has a strong urge to make others happy or at least please them in some way, having developed after her mother’s death when she was constantly in fear that she would be sold by Madame Valtoria, her first master. She did not want to be sent to a Work House, but she had been a traumatized little girl at the time and Madame Valtoria did not have the patience or the empathy to care about her plight. She had bought her to behave a certain way and act as a companion to her granddaughter and that is what Toul would do. She completely altered her outward personality and behavior in the span of a month because if she did not, Madame Valtoria might think she was useless and then get rid of her. If there is one thing Toul hates more than anything else it is being useless or other people finding her skills wanting. She is fairly proficient for someone her age with her level of training, but it is not good enough for her, so she often extends her power beyond her skills, which is bad for her weakened heart. This does not matter to Toul herself, as she sees no real purpose for herself if she is not being useful to others.
Even though Toul has a need to please and a desire to prove her worth, her entire sense of identity does not revolve around that. It’s just that being useful to others is part of that identity. She wants to do something worthwhile and providing a service, helping others, is the most worthy path she could take, in her opinion. This means that no matter where she is or what she is doing, there is that underlying goal. Even if she is not being praised and acknowledged, just the fact that she knows is worth it.
Where before it was others being pleased with her that made her feel worthwhile (and let her know she would not be rejected or discarded), this has changed since she became a Free Citizen and started training under Galin. No longer does she seek validation for her deeds by people knowing she has done something for them, only the proof of her acts meaning something to them in the long run. She would call it a very selfish need, as she feels better about herself by doing for others. This doesn't mean that she'll do anything no matter what, or that she'll obey any order given to her, but if it sounds right and isn't illegal, Toul is more likely than not to do a favor for anyone who asks.
She hates being sad almost as much as she fears being useless. She learned young that smiling and laughing about her problems and bad situations made her feel less negative about them, so that is what she does. She does not cry excessively, and did not even when she was informed by the local authorities that her Master, Galin, was likely to have died when his house burned down. That wasn’t acceptable to her as there was no proof the person found dead in the house was actually Galin. So she decided he might still be alive. She has a determined sense of optimism and seeks out as many positive outcomes as she can, even when there are few.
Conflict is something else she strives to avoid and in doing so will try to calm down any tense situation, but should physical aggression become involved she will defend herself only if necessary. She’s more willing to take a beating than to accidentally hurt another person, something that her Master, Galin, was very annoyed by. Toul just can’t bear the thought of accidentally harming someone, although if someone else is in danger she’s far more ready to step in, even if the altercation did not originally involve her.
As could be expected, her dislike of being sad herself leads to her wanting to make other people happy as much as she can, as well. This comes back to her desire to do for others. If someone is hurt or upset, she’s more than willing to be there for them and try to put a positive spin on whatever is happening to bring up their spirits. This has led to people thinking that she’s too feather-brained to empathize with people when their feeling down as she’s always smiling, but she also is good as sitting quiet and just giving someone comfort through her presence. She’s also physically affectionate, despite having received little of it while she was with her first Master or Galin, because she receives little of it if she does not initiate it herself.
Toul is a perfectionist, but her low sense of self-esteem leads her to jokingly putting herself down on more than one occasion. If she can laugh at her own flaws then it is perfectly all right if others do it, too, surely? If it is something she can make a joke about, then it is not something worth being upset over. Her demeanor has worked well for her in the years since; although her overt cheeriness and scatterbrained demeanor often leads people to thinking she is stupid or too naive. Very untrue, as seen by her drive to learn and Galin’s distaste for ignorance.
Despite that she was not always treated kindly as a Debtor Servant, Toul has a strong sense of loyalty to the people she has worked for or with. Her first Mistress, Madame Valtoria, was a cold, demanding woman who verbally abused her more often than gave praise, but Toul does not see it that way. She is grateful for the fact that her Mistress cared enough to provide for her. S taught Toul the most important tool she would need to survive—that a smile and laugh will ease her heart more than tears ever would. She also forgives slights against her very easily because her mother taught her that if someone seeks to hurt someone else to make themselves feel better than they must be hurting just as deeply or far more than the hurt they cause. People in the town of Silzayra came to expect that it is rather easy to pick on Toul because any insult or joke against her would be greeted with a laugh instead of a reprimand. Still, her aggressively optimistic demeanor worked in her favor and most tending to let her alone as she would not react the way they wanted her to.
Do not think that Toul’s eagerness to please or sense of duty will keep her from breaking the rules. She has a strong sense of curiosity that at times can get her into trouble because she just can’t help herself. How often she breaks a rule depends on how important she knows it is and whether or not her desire to know or do something outweighs her fear of reprimand and disappointing someone. Her breaking a rule is uncommon thing, but not unheard of, and it is also something that she considers greatly and goes into knowing very well that she can suffer consequences for it. She knew that Galin had ordered her not to observe his Apprentice lessons or to go through his spell scrolls, but Keymastering was such a fascinating and enchanting Art to her that she couldn’t stay away. She believed he would be angry and punish her, but her need to know more outweighed this and she did it anyway. She was more surprised than not that he did not punish her and instead gave her such a great gift of becoming his Apprentice instead, which is an honor she will strive to live up to for the rest of her life. Despite Toul’s struggles she sees herself as lucky and blessed and wants to be worthy of her good fortune.
Appearance:
Toul is about 5'4", physically fit, has long blonde hair and dark skin, with eyes that are a golden brown. She has a very pale birthmark under her right eye that looks like shapes in various sizes in a pattern, a scar around her left wrist that she covers with arm guards and leather wristbands, and ears that designate her as being a Felinus, a human evolved from a cat. The movement of her ears often reflects her mood and when she is using Mystical Energy her eyes glow a shimmering gold.
Abilities:
Toul is what is known in her world as Keymaster, although only at the Apprentice Level. Keymasters like all users of the Mystical Arts cast spells using their own mystic energy to influence the energy of the world around them, with their specialty being in fully manipulating the fabric of reality that is the Living Realm and “unlocking” both the physical and spiritual aspects of the world. Toul can open doors, safes, break through barriers, and can even help people recall memories they might have suppressed. Being a Keymaster also allows her to create special “locks” like mystical alarm systems that are keyed into her energy or the energy of whoever she links them to. She can perform some very simple spells (unlocking a door) without direct contact as long as she is focused on the target, but she is much more effective touching whatever she is trying to “open.”
She currently uses a special Keymaster Staff to help her manipulate her Mystic Energy and focus it for spells, but can’t open a “transport window” (a “door” in reality allowing her instantaneous travel from one location to another) without it. Locking things back for her is much harder than unlocking them, because opening a door takes less concentration and energy than shutting it. She’s agile and fairly skilled at hand-to-hand, but primarily in self-defense. Toul is also a better than average cook, as preparing meals was a required skill for her growing up.
Because of Toul accidentally binding the Death Reaper Saxa to herself during the Awakening Ritual, they share a special link with each other. Saxa can sense Toul’s feelings when they are heightened, such as being very happy or upset. Toul believes she cannot sense Saxa’s but it is truly that Saxa’s emotions have not yet reached a strong enough level for her to do so. Toul is a living inhibitor of Saxa’s powers, and only she can give Saxa permission to use her full strength. They can feel each other’s presence, but Toul’s poor sense of direction makes it much harder for her, while Saxa can locate her within a matter of minutes. If there is a great distance between them, it is as if static is disrupting the bond, but the signal is still there. There are ways to block the bond, such as through special barriers/seals, but it is like someone who has very long hair suddenly cutting all of it off: the sensory memory of it against the skin, but the real thing is gone.
Inventory: Her clothing, Keymaster Staff, traveling sack of gold and foodstuffs. The sack isn’t that large, but has multiple pockets and a single strap like certain types of backpacks.
Suitability: Toul is someone who lives for being useful and helping others and though she hates violence, I believe that her abilities and drive to protect others could be useful as the plot moves forward with the fight against Malicant. She would find the entire world to be fascinating, especially with how the kedan shapeshift themselves and the different ways magic is used in Keeliai, due to it’s differences and similarities to her own world. While still hoping to return home eventually she would take the opportunity as one to learn as much as she could while supporting those who had a more direct role in the fighting.
Suite: Wood definitely suites Toul, as she’s rather passive, but always on the move and a little on the absentminded side. She also really enjoys being involved with nature, so living in a tree house would be a great adventure to her. And like the people of Wood Sector, she can be just as stubborn and unwilling to compromise about the things she truly believes in and thinks are worth standing her ground on.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
They entered Darrowtown sometime shortly after the sun broke its noontime vigil at the peak in the sky, the noise and bustle filling Toul with a sense of excitement and adventurousness that makes her ears perk up and her nose twitch as if she’s gotten an imaginary itch. It had been so long since she had been in one of the large cities and they were so busy, it was as if there were dozens of villages all pulled together, the people going about their days. It fascinates her. She smiles and turns to point something out to Saxa, but she finds her standing very still and barley moving. Her body language is not that of someone who is relaxed by far and Toul doesn’t understand at first why she is reacting this way.
“Saxa?” she calls out, reaching out a hand to touch the other girl’s arm. This seems to draw her out of the strange hesitation and Toul smiles at her. “You shouldn’t go off in your mind like that. There’re enough people here that I could lose you.”
Saxa’s expression doesn’t change, but she tilts her head a bit and speaks with utter surety. It makes Toul feel like she’s being stared into. No matter how normal Saxa has made herself look, her eyes are rather telling, Toul thinks. “I would find you.”
Ah, well. What else can she say to that? She laughs and pats Saxa’s arm. “Then when we pick up a map scroll, I’ll give it to you. I’m terrible with directions.” Then she takes her hand and quickly pulls her alone. “But first let’s get some clothes. People will think I was attacked on the road soon enough.”
Saxa doesn’t comment, but let’s Toul lead her and that’s well enough for her. Saxa will tell her if she doesn’t like something she is doing, won’t she? Toul may not understand everything yet about the strange new bond between them, but Saxa does and so she should know that Toul wouldn’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do. It was strange enough telling her she had to follow Toul to Darrowtown. Giving orders is so awkward. Maybe next time she’ll phrase it as a question so Saxa can’t mistake it as a demand?
She looks back again to get a glance at Saxa—it’s so hard trying to figure out what the girl is thinking when she can’t see her, if only she had a key forthat lock—but Saxa’s face is as reserved as it’s been since they started their trek the day before. “You do not need to stare at me,” she responds unexpectedly. “I am not in any immediate discomfort.”
Toul doesn’t pull away, but she does look away briefly, only to laugh sheepishly and bring up a hand to brush some hair out of her face. Oh right. She may not be able to sense Saxa, but it seems like she can read Toul as easily as the sign on a storefront. She isn’t sure if the Bond or if she is just that obvious. “Don’t mind me, really,” Toul replies. “I’m just that sort of a worrier, you know.” And truly she is, but considering who Saxa is, worrying is the last thing she needs, isn’t it? She can more than take care of herself.
She doesn’t realize that by looking behind her as she is, she’s not watching where she is going and ends up running right into the side of another person standing in front of a food cart. The collision is rough, but short-lived as Toul steps back quickly. “Oh, apologies! I should really have been paying better—”
The woman sneers at her from beneath the brim of her wife, veiled hat. “Keep your words, girl,” she hisses in anger. “Look what you’ve done to me!”
And indeed the greased wrapped package of cooked meats she had just taken from the man behind the cart was on the ground, a smeared trailed of greasy sauce trailed down the woman’s dress right to where it lay. Toul is shocked, mouth open in surprise and embarrassment because really how could she do that? A foolish mistake to not watch where she was going and now the poor woman’s dress was a mess.
“It’s all right! Or well—not all right, but I can fix it, really!” she states quickly. “I’m very sorry and I’ll pay for the meat and so you can buy a new dress. And I’m sure there’s a washwoman who can get that out--”
“You think that you can just pay and that will fix this?” Her eyes go up and down Toul’s clothes, no doubt taking in how tattered and filthy they were. “This dress is worth more the tally you have to your--”
Toul pulls out the bag tied with leather straps to her waist and removes two gold marks, holding them out before the woman can finish. “Hopefully this should be enough,” she tells her. “I have more if it isn’t.”
There is a look that Toul can’t quite understand on the woman’s face, but she does reach out and snatch the marks from her hand, eyeing them as if they couldn’t possibly be real. Of course, she would wonder herself if she didn’t know that they were what Master Galin had left to her. She’s not exactly what people bring to mind when they think of someone who can bring out gold marks like that. The woman finally seems to accept the money is real and nods. “This should be sufficient.”
More than enough really, Toul thinks. She had seen Karia wear boots worth more than that dress, no matter how that woman behaved about it—although still, she had no right to think so poorly of it considering the damage she had done to it. She could only hope the woman would forgive her.
“I truly am sorry,” she repeats, ears drooping a little in her remorse. What else can she do?
The woman turns away from her back to the shop man behind his cart and orders more of the meats. “And wrap it doubly this time in the case another beast tries to run me down in the street.”
Toul does take a step back at how purposefully those words are said just so she can hear them. She smiles then. “Ah, well—I do have to go, ma’am!” she calls to the woman, waving. “I hope the rest of your day is bright and fruitful!” She then turns to go back toward the direction of the clothes shop and realizes right then she had completely forgotten about Saxa. Who has been standing behind her watching the entire mishap.
“It’s a good thing I took these marks with me when I left,” she speaks before Saxa has a chance to—not that she looked as if she would, but better to get the entire thing out of the way first. “If I’m as heedless the rest of the day as I’ve been since we started, I could be giving a lot of people money.” At this rate she could almost hear Master Galin in her mind telling her to put a lock on her purse strings.
Saxa only stares at her for a while longer before responding, “We are wasting time.”
“Oh, too right!” Toul nods agreeably. “We’ve got so much to do before heading back toward Silzayra. Come on it’s this way.” She doesn’t take Saxa’s hand this time, but instead links her arm in the other girl’s. Saxa does react this time, head tilted ever so slightly in that way Toul wonders if it could mean she is confused or trying to figure something out. “This way you can stop me before I run into anyone else, yeah?”
“As you want,” is the only response she receives, but Saxa lets her continue on and doesn’t seem averse to walking so closely to her. It is when they have almost reached the seamstress’s shop that Toul realizes her own folly.
Drat. She’ll have to keep working on her question phrasing.
Network:
Hello there! [Toul is smiling and waving her hand at that screen, moving forward and backward as if testing the way the video adjusted to her position.] I’ve never seen the like of this machine before, but it is quite amazing. To be able to record yourself as you are doing something like this is and let others see you in person is wonderful. I’ve never even heard of such a thing even from the big cities back home.
[Then she stops, ears flicking back and forth for a moment, thoughtful.] I believe I have been brought here for some purpose. I am not certain yet what that exact purpose is, but there is always a purpose to where we come to be, isn’t there? I can’t think of a reason I would be riding the back of a large turtle otherwise. [She laughs softly, because she thinks she is far more amusing than she probably really is.] I have heard there are Reptilia here who need help and I will do my best in whatever way you may need me to.
It is good to meet you all…whoever may be listening!
[And then her eyes widen just a bit before she reaches out and lightly raps the knuckles of her hand to the side of her head.] Oh, yes, how silly of me not even give you my name. Apologies! I am Keymaster Toul—ah well, Apprentice Keymaster, that is. If there is something you need of me, please do not be afraid to seek me out.
Name: Kathrine
Age: over 18
Contact: spkathrine]@]gmail.com, plurk: chocolateisbrainfood
Other Characters Played: Kaldur’ahm (
apologiesmyking), Richie Foley (gearshifting) | AC ThreadCharacter Information:
Name: Toul
Canon: Original Character
Canon Point: After traveling to Darrowtown with Saxa and buying new clothes due to her others being damaged. Just as they were shot at by an Archer through the shop window.
Age: 19
Reference Links:
Toul did not start out her life as the chosen Apprentice of her Keymaster, but a young girl who had been gifted to him as payment for a job he had done. She had been orphaned two years before coming to him in an accident where she had been playing on an old wooden bridge over a ravine that she had been warned more than once never to play near. The bridge cracked and caught her foot, frightening her enough that she screamed for her mother to come and get her. The wood gave way easily under her mother's weight, but Toul's wrist was caught in the rope railing, keeping her held there long enough to watch her mother fall to her death. She is saved by a woodcutter who lives nearby, but wore a leather braided bracelet around her wrist to hide the scar there for years. After her mother's death she was sold along with all of their property to pay off the debts that her father had left behind when he died shortly after she was born.
Her first "owner" was an elderly woman, Madame Valtoria Espava, looking for a child to be her granddaughter's playmate when she visited for the summer and fall. The woman was not usually kind, but made sure that Toul wanted for nothing material as long as she helped with simple chores around the house and kept the woman's granddaughter, Karia, out of trouble. She wasn't very good at this at first because Karia liked to tease her and Toul would be brought to tears more than once, often crying herself to sleep at night. Madame Valtoria one day told her to at least learn to smile as she had no use for a crying child disrupting her household.
Toul was afraid that she would be shipped off to one of the nearby Work Houses and given all the horrible stories she had heard, it was a far worse fate than the one she had. So she tried to smile more and refused to cry over anything Karia did to upset her. Instead, she laughed. And she kept laughing. She found that laughing in the face of what hurt her was a lot less painful than crying. Within the span of a month her entire attitude had changed from the quiet, withdrawn child to one that smiled and laughed and was openly affectionate and cheerful to those around her.
She remained with the household for two years until Valtoria fell ill and was forced to move into her son's household to be properly looked after. With her gone, most of the workers on the estate were let go and the indebted servants either moved to her son, Lord Espava's estate, or sold off once more. Toul was not kept and was instead gifted to her next owner as part of a business deal with Lord Espava.
The Keymaster, Galin Temmore, kept her around as a servant, but didn’t expect much of her. Toul educated herself by sneaking into his library despite it being very poor protocol for a servant to learn how to read and write without permission from their Master. When he found out months later she was sure he would dismiss her to a Work House, but instead he kept her around and ordered her to learn all she could from the library. He began giving her weekly tests and what information she could not answer, he expected her to learn the next week. Galin was not one who suffered fools or ignorance so even having a servant in his home that was uneducated was not allowed, but he did not devote any time to teaching her himself.
It was five years later that he would dismiss his third Apprentice that he had taken on during her servitude. Toul had watched many of the lessons in secret, knowing that she was breaking one of Galin's primary rules by observing them. On her own she found that she actually could use the most basic of spells, but only used it occasionally so as to not attract his suspicion. But when Galin found her performing a locking spell on his chest of scrolls (she had accidentally broken the lock months before and hadn't wanted him to find out) he was furious. Not because she had gone against his rule, but that he'd had a potential Apprentice in his home for years and she was learning the spells wrong due to trying to teach herself. It was an insult to him.
From that day on for the next four years she would be his official Apprentice and given the rarity of people outside his home having seen the brand on her, very few were the wiser that she had previously been an Indebted Servant. He required her to intensify her academic studies, pushed her to learn how to better manipulate her Mystic Energy, and even required her to learn self-defense from a local military veteran, ex-Lieutenant Paerio Cannor.
As he focused more on her actual Keymaster training instead, it was exhausting and time-consuming for her, as learning to manipulate and adapt the compatibility of one’s own mystic energy to the energy of other objects and persons is not easy. It took time for her to gain a stronger sense of identity and learn to instinctively recognize her own energy so she could perform more advanced spells, and more than once he’d been tempted to cut her off altogether.
She was nineteen (or at least thought to be so as she could not remember her true birthday, just that it was in the summer months) when a man came to Galin's home and spoke to him in private for several hours. Toul did not know him, but his clothing and the silver ring with the emblem of the Tusserian Republic on his hand was proof her was someone of status, a man high up in the government. She did not know what they spoke of, but Galin became even more distant, distracted, after he had gone.
It was two weeks later than Galin sent her off on an overnight job, helping set special alarms on the new county armory two towns over. It was the first time that he had sent her so far away and she believed it to be a test of her abilities without him there to fix her mistakes. She did the job well and was even given a bonus commission by the Commander in charge of Armory: an old, but well-kept Keymaster staff. She believed that Galin would be proud of her when she returned only she came home to find their house burned down and Galin missing--possibly dead if the bones she found in the charred remains of the house meant anything.
She did not know what had caused the fire and did not want to believe Galin was dead, despite there being a body found. She did find his charmed chest within the wreckage, which she did know how to open, and it turned out that within the chest was more than enough gold marks for her to rebuild the house and more should she choose to. Galin was old and had no family that could be found, so as his Apprentice she legally became his only heir.
Days later, the man she had seen those weeks ago, Septium, returned and asked about the job Galin had been charged with doing for him. She explained to him about Galin's disappearance, but offered to do the job herself so as to honor the word of her Keymaster. Septium almost rejected her offer, but she was insistent. And so they were off to a hidden location near the Rift of Argo. Instead of going over one of the stone bridges they traveled down a secret staircase to a large cave within the side of the wall of the rift. Inside Septium laid out a circle and all but demanded that Toul read a special unlocking spell that she had never heard before, a long and complicated one which meant that it was most specific for its use. He told her that Galin understood it and was willing to take the chance, so Toul agreed to try.
But it went wrong. What she had unlocked was not just a door, but a cage that held a sleeping being inside so powerful that she was incapable of cancelling the spell once it had begun. All she could do was finish the spell--only she got the last line wrong. Instead of releasing the being into Septium's control she said "bind to me what I hath set free!" Septium raged at her, realizing what she had done even before she had and was ready to kill her, but the Mystic Circle she stood in prevented him from coming nearer. The force of the magic being released left her unconscious and Septium fleeing through a transport spell.
This was how she met Saxa, the Death Reaper. She almost died from the shock of looking at her when she awoke, but Saxa placed a hand over her heart and the pain in her chest finally faded away until she could breathe again. Saxa told her that her Mystic Energy was drained and had it not been for their new bond, Toul would be dead. But now that they were bound, Saxa could use her energy to temporarily heal her. Saxa did not understand why she had been awakened when it was not yet time. But to Toul, Death Reapers were a myth and having one right in front of her was too much to deal with at the time. So she chose not to. They needed to find a way out of the cave first; the entrance was blocked by large stones from the cave-in.
This turned out to be little more than an obstruction for Saxa, who touched the rocks and disintegrated them right there. This weakened her far more than she expected, which is how they found out that the amount of power she could use was restrained by the new bond she had with Toul. Only Toul could give her permission to use her full power. They escaped the cave and made it back to the cliff and proceeded to travel on foot toward the nearest town. It was fifty marches away, which is a bit of a distance on foot, but as they walked they came upon a traveling merchant who was heading in the same direction. Toul tried to ask him for a ride, but his horses were terrified by Saxa and fled, dragging the man and his cart with them.
Toul realized then that they couldn’t travel with Saxa looking so noticeable and in response Saxa shape-shifted with Toul’s encouragement until she found a generic and plain human form to use. The only thing she could not remove was the mark over her eye that was a sign of her true self. Toul didn't mind and pointed out her own strange birthmark and said people would think it was a tattoo. Saxa asked her again what her purpose was, but Toul told her that she would have to find one for herself, since Toul wasn't that great at giving out directions, let alone telling someone what they should do with their lives.
It took a full day and a half to reach the next city of Darrowtown, which was a small, but bustling market town. Toul was able to use some of the gold marks she had brought with her to get them room and board for the night and slept for several hours. The next day they went to buy some clothes as Toul’s were greatly damaged—torn, bloodied from the cave-in—and Sasha’s only clothes were warrior garb. So they went out into the marketplace for clothes and supplies and it was an hour or so into their shopping that Saxa suddenly moved into Toul’s path deflecting an arrow that came through the shop window from one of the nearby rooftops. It sent the civilians in the shop into a panic and suddenly they were trapped in a chaotic mess of people trying to get out of the way, rushed outdoors where the archer continued to fire at them.
Additional Information
Setting:
Gaia is not a world like ours. It is not a planet exactly like ours, either. It is filled with magic and phenomena that not many can or will attempt to explain. There is a cultural atmosphere of acceptance of the unexplainable with people often acknowledging that their world is far too mystic and mysterious for them to understand everything about it. Majority of the people consider miraculous acts and the extreme natural disasters to be the work of their gods and goddesses, the most common group of those worshipped being known as the Daiad of Daeties.
The people vary greatly from region to region and sometimes even within one country alone. Due to the magic of Gaia and the will of the Gods, people are not entirely homogenous in having one “Ancestral Species” they all derived from. As the legends tell, the Gods looked upon Gaia and saw that many animals had beings among them who were strong, clever, cunning and remarkably intelligent for the beasts that they were. As a gift to them, the Gods granted these animals a higher status than their brethren, allowing them and their progeny to evolve beyond beasts that could not speak amongst other species, could not walk on their hind legs or even use their hands to build great things. And thus, humans have evolved from a large variety of animals, from felines to canines to reptiles to sea creatures.
There are indeed many countries in which these differences cause dissent and some are discriminated against due to being considered “lower beings” should they have obvious characteristics that show their ancestry. The more “animal-like” a person is, the lesser some humans consider them to be, for they believe that looking more like an animal makes you more like a beast than those who look more “evolved.” But most allow the people to live in harmony with one another as “personhood” is more defined by your intelligence and ability to think and verbalize comprehendible thoughts than about whether you are a Felinus (Feline-ancestored) or a Hominus (Primate-ancestored).
The world has progressed in its usage of magic and mixing it with technology to create what some consider an advanced society, but due to the disparity between classes, it is only the large, industrial cities that have benefited from this where most small towns and villages or less economically powerful countries remain simple and with only basic forms of power and plumbing, and are rooted in agricultural economies. The Tusserian Republic in particular, where Toul has lived her entire life, is a country with a strong agricultural and natural resource export-based economy while some of the larger cities are more industrialized with factory work forces. It has a Prime Minister that is elected to office by popular vote (of which a citizen must be 20 years of and pay yearly taxes to the Tusserian State to be eligible to vote), with a Council of Vice Ministers appointed by the Prime Minister that are in charge of the various departments of government—from education, to military, to foreign affairs.
1712 years ago a great earthquake shook the continent of Paltaysea. A canyon was ripped open in central Tusseri right in the center of the large trading city of Argo. It almost completely split the country in two and completely swallowed the village above it. Now it is known as the Rift of Argo. The people of Tusseri saw the tragedy as a sign from the Daeties that if they allowed the disharmony of their people to worsen, they would all suffer grave consequences, which is why Tusseri is considered now the “Heart of Unity” by many and the different people live together more peacefully.
Tusseri still has its flaws, including a system of servitude that is enforced and held to as a tradition of the Old World. Should one be incapable of paying a monetary debt owed to either the State or another person that was high enough to be considered an “Outstanding Debt” than the person could be forced into Debtor Servitude (a polite way of saying they became slaves) and the cost of the sale would be considered “paying the debt in full.” If the person dies before being able to pay off their debt to their lenders, their estate is sold off to do so and any children they have are considered property of the State to send into Debtor Servitude to pay off the debt. If they have no children, then the State may seek to extract the debt from their nearest living relative with a claim to their estate.
Debtor Servants (also called “Indebted”) are branded magically with the ancient symbol for “Servitude.” Should a Master choose to remove the seal, they must pay the fee to the local Courts equal to the rest of the time on the Servant’s “service” and then will be told the special “code” to remove the seal (which is different for every Servant). With those few simple words and a drop of their blood, the brand is removed.
The only other option for someone than becoming a Debtor Servant is to go to a Work House where you work up to fourteen hours a day in questionable conditions doing whatever jobs are hired out to the House and give two-thirds of your wages a month to the State to pay off the debt. It is considered kinder to make a child who is paying off their parents’ debt become a Debtor Servant as it is assumed they will be treated better by their wealthy Master than they would within one of the Work Houses.
There is a variety of religions scattered across the continent, some that are polytheistic and others that are monotheistic, but the primary religion is called Orthodox Daeism based on the Scrolls of Xerusetos. Daeism is not the oldest religion on Paltaysea by far, but it has swept across the continent with fervor since the discovery of the Scrolls centuries before. There are ten that are considered the Daiad, or primary Gods and Goddesses among them, by Orthodox Daeism: Enthu, Saesté, Morain, Olil, Chiaiot, Ysia, Ilassa, Dilevaos, Ksaethel, and Aelasti.
What most people do not realize is that they are not the only sentient and intelligent beings created by the Gods that have influence over Gaia and its development. Ksaethel, brother of Saesté, is known as the God of Judgment, who watches over the Gates to Exaelius and Daeon, judging those who die and sending them on to whichever plane he finds them most deserving of. He is also in charge of managing the balance of Souls that exist on the two sides of the Veil. If this balance is disturbed, he must act to fix it. And for this purpose he created the Tragodien, the Death Reapers.
Death Reapers should not be confused with "Death Gods," although many cultures on Gaia also believe in those as the ones who find souls and lead them to the Gates for Judgment by Ksaethel. Death Reapers on the other hand, are often thought to be a myth, something that could not possibly exist as their purpose is too dark for even most Mystic Historians to look upon them as fact despite evidence to it. A Death Reaper is a servant of the Daiad, designed with one purpose: to maintain the natural order of life and death, a balance of how many souls exist on each side of the Veil. If the balance is too far tipped toward the Living, a Death Reaper awakens and seeks out a master to direct them on how to even that balance.
A Reaper has the right to Test the one they see as a potential Master and then decide if they are worthy or not. If they are, the Death Reaper becomes subservient to the will of their Master and how they believe the Reaper should go about achieving their goal. If they are deemed unworthy, their Soul is forfeit to the Reaper. They are beings of Upheaval and Change, and once their goal is achieved, they return to their cages to sleep until the next time they are awakened. All Reapers have a psychic connection to each other, to the point that the awakening of one Reaper will create a ripple effect of the others. There are 12 Death Reapers in all.
There are seven Classes within the Mystic Arts (art of using Mystical Energy, “Magic” being a slang term some use for it), some more magically focused than others. The Mystic Arts are the ways in which the people of Paltaysea use not only magic, but spiritual energies within themselves and nature. What people of Gaia are not aware of is that the Mystic Arts exist in part due to the energy transferring back and forth across the two sides of the “Veil” the barrier between the Living Realm and the Realm Beyond, Exaelius, governed by the Goddess of Death, Saesté. Humans of Gaia use their spiritual energy to reach out and manipulate the energy around them and in nature, this energy being that which keeps the Living Realm and the Realm Beyond separate. This energy is abundant, but the more people who learn to use it, the more the Veil begins to wear against it. In the future this may even lead to bleeding between the two sides.
Most practitioners of the Mystic Arts undergo formal training or education in the Arts. Older school-age children are given very basic courses on them and how they are used. It is those who choose to further their studies that either join the military or take on an Apprenticeship. Mages, Keymasters, and Engineers all require Apprenticeship status before moving on and should they pass their Apprenticeship they will be officially recognized by the state as certified Masters of their Art. If an Apprentice is let go by their Master before completing their years of study or their Master dies before they can complete them, they can choose to become an “Aimless Apprentice” meaning one who is in search of a new Master to finish their years of tutorship. The seven classes are the Mages, Keymasters, Shields, Weaponmasters, Bards, Bonders, and Engineers.
A Keymaster has the ability to "unlock the doors of reality." They can unlock doors, safes, barriers, memories, and a lot more. It is considered a neutral Art, due to the fact it is not inherently offensive or defensive. The years of apprenticeship are short, but the training itself is rigorous with few making it passed the first two years. Just as they can unlock reality, Keymasters can lock it away, but this comes at a higher price for it is easier to open a “door” than to shut one. To be a Keymaster, a person must have a high mystical compatibility as Keymasters do not have an affinity to just one or two Mystical Elements, but to none of them and all of them at the same time because of their ability to manipulate their own energy. Keymastering is not about manipulating “nature” but syncing their energy in order to manipulate the Veil itself and how it influences the reality of the world. It is considered one of the rarer Arts because of how few apprentices make it to Master level.
Personality:
Toul isn't a bad person in any way that most people might judge them, but she has a low opinion of herself (due the foolish disobedience of her childhood that led to the death of her mother) and she wants to prove herself as being on the Good Side so much she gets reckless. Many would not see that given her normally cheery disposition, but she is very eager to please others and to prove that she is worth something to them. Which leaves her being manipulated more times than one would think. Or maybe exactly as many times as one might think--hence the awakened Death Reaper. She is a very emotional person and has a tendency to react with her heart when she truly believes she is doing the right thing, but her need to please others and prove herself as a good Keymaster leads to her jumping into situations she does not always know the full extent of.
Toul has a strong urge to make others happy or at least please them in some way, having developed after her mother’s death when she was constantly in fear that she would be sold by Madame Valtoria, her first master. She did not want to be sent to a Work House, but she had been a traumatized little girl at the time and Madame Valtoria did not have the patience or the empathy to care about her plight. She had bought her to behave a certain way and act as a companion to her granddaughter and that is what Toul would do. She completely altered her outward personality and behavior in the span of a month because if she did not, Madame Valtoria might think she was useless and then get rid of her. If there is one thing Toul hates more than anything else it is being useless or other people finding her skills wanting. She is fairly proficient for someone her age with her level of training, but it is not good enough for her, so she often extends her power beyond her skills, which is bad for her weakened heart. This does not matter to Toul herself, as she sees no real purpose for herself if she is not being useful to others.
Even though Toul has a need to please and a desire to prove her worth, her entire sense of identity does not revolve around that. It’s just that being useful to others is part of that identity. She wants to do something worthwhile and providing a service, helping others, is the most worthy path she could take, in her opinion. This means that no matter where she is or what she is doing, there is that underlying goal. Even if she is not being praised and acknowledged, just the fact that she knows is worth it.
Where before it was others being pleased with her that made her feel worthwhile (and let her know she would not be rejected or discarded), this has changed since she became a Free Citizen and started training under Galin. No longer does she seek validation for her deeds by people knowing she has done something for them, only the proof of her acts meaning something to them in the long run. She would call it a very selfish need, as she feels better about herself by doing for others. This doesn't mean that she'll do anything no matter what, or that she'll obey any order given to her, but if it sounds right and isn't illegal, Toul is more likely than not to do a favor for anyone who asks.
She hates being sad almost as much as she fears being useless. She learned young that smiling and laughing about her problems and bad situations made her feel less negative about them, so that is what she does. She does not cry excessively, and did not even when she was informed by the local authorities that her Master, Galin, was likely to have died when his house burned down. That wasn’t acceptable to her as there was no proof the person found dead in the house was actually Galin. So she decided he might still be alive. She has a determined sense of optimism and seeks out as many positive outcomes as she can, even when there are few.
Conflict is something else she strives to avoid and in doing so will try to calm down any tense situation, but should physical aggression become involved she will defend herself only if necessary. She’s more willing to take a beating than to accidentally hurt another person, something that her Master, Galin, was very annoyed by. Toul just can’t bear the thought of accidentally harming someone, although if someone else is in danger she’s far more ready to step in, even if the altercation did not originally involve her.
As could be expected, her dislike of being sad herself leads to her wanting to make other people happy as much as she can, as well. This comes back to her desire to do for others. If someone is hurt or upset, she’s more than willing to be there for them and try to put a positive spin on whatever is happening to bring up their spirits. This has led to people thinking that she’s too feather-brained to empathize with people when their feeling down as she’s always smiling, but she also is good as sitting quiet and just giving someone comfort through her presence. She’s also physically affectionate, despite having received little of it while she was with her first Master or Galin, because she receives little of it if she does not initiate it herself.
Toul is a perfectionist, but her low sense of self-esteem leads her to jokingly putting herself down on more than one occasion. If she can laugh at her own flaws then it is perfectly all right if others do it, too, surely? If it is something she can make a joke about, then it is not something worth being upset over. Her demeanor has worked well for her in the years since; although her overt cheeriness and scatterbrained demeanor often leads people to thinking she is stupid or too naive. Very untrue, as seen by her drive to learn and Galin’s distaste for ignorance.
Despite that she was not always treated kindly as a Debtor Servant, Toul has a strong sense of loyalty to the people she has worked for or with. Her first Mistress, Madame Valtoria, was a cold, demanding woman who verbally abused her more often than gave praise, but Toul does not see it that way. She is grateful for the fact that her Mistress cared enough to provide for her. S taught Toul the most important tool she would need to survive—that a smile and laugh will ease her heart more than tears ever would. She also forgives slights against her very easily because her mother taught her that if someone seeks to hurt someone else to make themselves feel better than they must be hurting just as deeply or far more than the hurt they cause. People in the town of Silzayra came to expect that it is rather easy to pick on Toul because any insult or joke against her would be greeted with a laugh instead of a reprimand. Still, her aggressively optimistic demeanor worked in her favor and most tending to let her alone as she would not react the way they wanted her to.
Do not think that Toul’s eagerness to please or sense of duty will keep her from breaking the rules. She has a strong sense of curiosity that at times can get her into trouble because she just can’t help herself. How often she breaks a rule depends on how important she knows it is and whether or not her desire to know or do something outweighs her fear of reprimand and disappointing someone. Her breaking a rule is uncommon thing, but not unheard of, and it is also something that she considers greatly and goes into knowing very well that she can suffer consequences for it. She knew that Galin had ordered her not to observe his Apprentice lessons or to go through his spell scrolls, but Keymastering was such a fascinating and enchanting Art to her that she couldn’t stay away. She believed he would be angry and punish her, but her need to know more outweighed this and she did it anyway. She was more surprised than not that he did not punish her and instead gave her such a great gift of becoming his Apprentice instead, which is an honor she will strive to live up to for the rest of her life. Despite Toul’s struggles she sees herself as lucky and blessed and wants to be worthy of her good fortune.
Appearance:
Toul is about 5'4", physically fit, has long blonde hair and dark skin, with eyes that are a golden brown. She has a very pale birthmark under her right eye that looks like shapes in various sizes in a pattern, a scar around her left wrist that she covers with arm guards and leather wristbands, and ears that designate her as being a Felinus, a human evolved from a cat. The movement of her ears often reflects her mood and when she is using Mystical Energy her eyes glow a shimmering gold.
Abilities:
Toul is what is known in her world as Keymaster, although only at the Apprentice Level. Keymasters like all users of the Mystical Arts cast spells using their own mystic energy to influence the energy of the world around them, with their specialty being in fully manipulating the fabric of reality that is the Living Realm and “unlocking” both the physical and spiritual aspects of the world. Toul can open doors, safes, break through barriers, and can even help people recall memories they might have suppressed. Being a Keymaster also allows her to create special “locks” like mystical alarm systems that are keyed into her energy or the energy of whoever she links them to. She can perform some very simple spells (unlocking a door) without direct contact as long as she is focused on the target, but she is much more effective touching whatever she is trying to “open.”
She currently uses a special Keymaster Staff to help her manipulate her Mystic Energy and focus it for spells, but can’t open a “transport window” (a “door” in reality allowing her instantaneous travel from one location to another) without it. Locking things back for her is much harder than unlocking them, because opening a door takes less concentration and energy than shutting it. She’s agile and fairly skilled at hand-to-hand, but primarily in self-defense. Toul is also a better than average cook, as preparing meals was a required skill for her growing up.
Because of Toul accidentally binding the Death Reaper Saxa to herself during the Awakening Ritual, they share a special link with each other. Saxa can sense Toul’s feelings when they are heightened, such as being very happy or upset. Toul believes she cannot sense Saxa’s but it is truly that Saxa’s emotions have not yet reached a strong enough level for her to do so. Toul is a living inhibitor of Saxa’s powers, and only she can give Saxa permission to use her full strength. They can feel each other’s presence, but Toul’s poor sense of direction makes it much harder for her, while Saxa can locate her within a matter of minutes. If there is a great distance between them, it is as if static is disrupting the bond, but the signal is still there. There are ways to block the bond, such as through special barriers/seals, but it is like someone who has very long hair suddenly cutting all of it off: the sensory memory of it against the skin, but the real thing is gone.
Inventory: Her clothing, Keymaster Staff, traveling sack of gold and foodstuffs. The sack isn’t that large, but has multiple pockets and a single strap like certain types of backpacks.
Suitability: Toul is someone who lives for being useful and helping others and though she hates violence, I believe that her abilities and drive to protect others could be useful as the plot moves forward with the fight against Malicant. She would find the entire world to be fascinating, especially with how the kedan shapeshift themselves and the different ways magic is used in Keeliai, due to it’s differences and similarities to her own world. While still hoping to return home eventually she would take the opportunity as one to learn as much as she could while supporting those who had a more direct role in the fighting.
Suite: Wood definitely suites Toul, as she’s rather passive, but always on the move and a little on the absentminded side. She also really enjoys being involved with nature, so living in a tree house would be a great adventure to her. And like the people of Wood Sector, she can be just as stubborn and unwilling to compromise about the things she truly believes in and thinks are worth standing her ground on.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
They entered Darrowtown sometime shortly after the sun broke its noontime vigil at the peak in the sky, the noise and bustle filling Toul with a sense of excitement and adventurousness that makes her ears perk up and her nose twitch as if she’s gotten an imaginary itch. It had been so long since she had been in one of the large cities and they were so busy, it was as if there were dozens of villages all pulled together, the people going about their days. It fascinates her. She smiles and turns to point something out to Saxa, but she finds her standing very still and barley moving. Her body language is not that of someone who is relaxed by far and Toul doesn’t understand at first why she is reacting this way.
“Saxa?” she calls out, reaching out a hand to touch the other girl’s arm. This seems to draw her out of the strange hesitation and Toul smiles at her. “You shouldn’t go off in your mind like that. There’re enough people here that I could lose you.”
Saxa’s expression doesn’t change, but she tilts her head a bit and speaks with utter surety. It makes Toul feel like she’s being stared into. No matter how normal Saxa has made herself look, her eyes are rather telling, Toul thinks. “I would find you.”
Ah, well. What else can she say to that? She laughs and pats Saxa’s arm. “Then when we pick up a map scroll, I’ll give it to you. I’m terrible with directions.” Then she takes her hand and quickly pulls her alone. “But first let’s get some clothes. People will think I was attacked on the road soon enough.”
Saxa doesn’t comment, but let’s Toul lead her and that’s well enough for her. Saxa will tell her if she doesn’t like something she is doing, won’t she? Toul may not understand everything yet about the strange new bond between them, but Saxa does and so she should know that Toul wouldn’t make her do something she doesn’t want to do. It was strange enough telling her she had to follow Toul to Darrowtown. Giving orders is so awkward. Maybe next time she’ll phrase it as a question so Saxa can’t mistake it as a demand?
She looks back again to get a glance at Saxa—it’s so hard trying to figure out what the girl is thinking when she can’t see her, if only she had a key forthat lock—but Saxa’s face is as reserved as it’s been since they started their trek the day before. “You do not need to stare at me,” she responds unexpectedly. “I am not in any immediate discomfort.”
Toul doesn’t pull away, but she does look away briefly, only to laugh sheepishly and bring up a hand to brush some hair out of her face. Oh right. She may not be able to sense Saxa, but it seems like she can read Toul as easily as the sign on a storefront. She isn’t sure if the Bond or if she is just that obvious. “Don’t mind me, really,” Toul replies. “I’m just that sort of a worrier, you know.” And truly she is, but considering who Saxa is, worrying is the last thing she needs, isn’t it? She can more than take care of herself.
She doesn’t realize that by looking behind her as she is, she’s not watching where she is going and ends up running right into the side of another person standing in front of a food cart. The collision is rough, but short-lived as Toul steps back quickly. “Oh, apologies! I should really have been paying better—”
The woman sneers at her from beneath the brim of her wife, veiled hat. “Keep your words, girl,” she hisses in anger. “Look what you’ve done to me!”
And indeed the greased wrapped package of cooked meats she had just taken from the man behind the cart was on the ground, a smeared trailed of greasy sauce trailed down the woman’s dress right to where it lay. Toul is shocked, mouth open in surprise and embarrassment because really how could she do that? A foolish mistake to not watch where she was going and now the poor woman’s dress was a mess.
“It’s all right! Or well—not all right, but I can fix it, really!” she states quickly. “I’m very sorry and I’ll pay for the meat and so you can buy a new dress. And I’m sure there’s a washwoman who can get that out--”
“You think that you can just pay and that will fix this?” Her eyes go up and down Toul’s clothes, no doubt taking in how tattered and filthy they were. “This dress is worth more the tally you have to your--”
Toul pulls out the bag tied with leather straps to her waist and removes two gold marks, holding them out before the woman can finish. “Hopefully this should be enough,” she tells her. “I have more if it isn’t.”
There is a look that Toul can’t quite understand on the woman’s face, but she does reach out and snatch the marks from her hand, eyeing them as if they couldn’t possibly be real. Of course, she would wonder herself if she didn’t know that they were what Master Galin had left to her. She’s not exactly what people bring to mind when they think of someone who can bring out gold marks like that. The woman finally seems to accept the money is real and nods. “This should be sufficient.”
More than enough really, Toul thinks. She had seen Karia wear boots worth more than that dress, no matter how that woman behaved about it—although still, she had no right to think so poorly of it considering the damage she had done to it. She could only hope the woman would forgive her.
“I truly am sorry,” she repeats, ears drooping a little in her remorse. What else can she do?
The woman turns away from her back to the shop man behind his cart and orders more of the meats. “And wrap it doubly this time in the case another beast tries to run me down in the street.”
Toul does take a step back at how purposefully those words are said just so she can hear them. She smiles then. “Ah, well—I do have to go, ma’am!” she calls to the woman, waving. “I hope the rest of your day is bright and fruitful!” She then turns to go back toward the direction of the clothes shop and realizes right then she had completely forgotten about Saxa. Who has been standing behind her watching the entire mishap.
“It’s a good thing I took these marks with me when I left,” she speaks before Saxa has a chance to—not that she looked as if she would, but better to get the entire thing out of the way first. “If I’m as heedless the rest of the day as I’ve been since we started, I could be giving a lot of people money.” At this rate she could almost hear Master Galin in her mind telling her to put a lock on her purse strings.
Saxa only stares at her for a while longer before responding, “We are wasting time.”
“Oh, too right!” Toul nods agreeably. “We’ve got so much to do before heading back toward Silzayra. Come on it’s this way.” She doesn’t take Saxa’s hand this time, but instead links her arm in the other girl’s. Saxa does react this time, head tilted ever so slightly in that way Toul wonders if it could mean she is confused or trying to figure something out. “This way you can stop me before I run into anyone else, yeah?”
“As you want,” is the only response she receives, but Saxa lets her continue on and doesn’t seem averse to walking so closely to her. It is when they have almost reached the seamstress’s shop that Toul realizes her own folly.
Drat. She’ll have to keep working on her question phrasing.
Network:
Hello there! [Toul is smiling and waving her hand at that screen, moving forward and backward as if testing the way the video adjusted to her position.] I’ve never seen the like of this machine before, but it is quite amazing. To be able to record yourself as you are doing something like this is and let others see you in person is wonderful. I’ve never even heard of such a thing even from the big cities back home.
[Then she stops, ears flicking back and forth for a moment, thoughtful.] I believe I have been brought here for some purpose. I am not certain yet what that exact purpose is, but there is always a purpose to where we come to be, isn’t there? I can’t think of a reason I would be riding the back of a large turtle otherwise. [She laughs softly, because she thinks she is far more amusing than she probably really is.] I have heard there are Reptilia here who need help and I will do my best in whatever way you may need me to.
It is good to meet you all…whoever may be listening!
[And then her eyes widen just a bit before she reaches out and lightly raps the knuckles of her hand to the side of her head.] Oh, yes, how silly of me not even give you my name. Apologies! I am Keymaster Toul—ah well, Apprentice Keymaster, that is. If there is something you need of me, please do not be afraid to seek me out.