It's been some time, old friend.
You look surprised. What did you hope to find?
Scars remind us that the past is real
appearance
Caele has two distinct forms; one is that of a dark elf, and is his natural form. The other is that of a veldryn, gifted to him for briefly serving Lord Time.
humanoid form
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In his natural form, Caele is a dark elf of the elder bloodline; he has black hair, light silver eyes, and pale skin. Much like his high elven ancestors, Caele is tall and relatively muscular, if somewhat thin, and has an assortment of telltake that appear light even against his fair complexion. He does not tan, and rarely burns, despite a life lived aboveground unlike much of his kin. One eye - the right - has been blinded, and appears white with a shattered pupil.
Of his scars, few are visible when clothed and even then most are not prominent, having healed smoothly. The most visible are those across the right half of his face, his shoulders, and the deepest one down his side. Several rune scars can be spotted on his person, should he be willing to show them; they are the kv'naer letters M, Y, S, and R, located on the back of each wrist, his brow, and at the base of his skull. These runes spell the words 'memory sear' in the ancient, magical language, and were once a part of a curse that has since been broken.
Most commonly, Caele can be found wearing a gray, silver, or black sleeveless tunic that bares his shoulders, breeches of similar colors, and knee-high boots. He wears short, fingerless gloves when fighting or training, and a black cloak when traveling. Caele wears little armor; usually, he will wear twin dragonsteel bracers inscribed with elven runes and engravings of small dragons that wing their way around the edges. Otherwise, he wears a plain swordbelt that carries not only his sword, but a small dagger and a pouch on his right side. Around his neck - never forgotten - he wears an unusual silver-plated leaf pendant.
During formal occasions, Caele may wear attire similar to the Authoritarian Council in D'issan; this begins with a black or grey tunic emblazoned with the image of a silver pheonix with white eyes and red flecks like flames; his family's ancient crest. He wears knee-high, polished black boots, black leather gloves, and a silver-trimmed black cloak with a similar device, though in silvers and glossy black thread without the flecks of scarlet. He may also choose to wear limited jewelry to formal occasions, such as a ring or set of subtle earrings, though this is rare.
veldryn form
In his shifted form, Caele becomes a black-scaled veldryn with a mane of the same color, medium in length and relatively soft to the touch, that stretches from his forehead to the base of his long neck. He has a tufted tail, and three sharp spines that jut from the lower part of his back, where the scales are bare of fur. Like all veldryn, he walks on all fours, and has birdlike talons on his forepaws, as well as canine-like paws on the hind. Long, expressive ears covered in fine scales and supple hide top his head, able to be swiveled much like a rabbit's or deer's.
Unlike his true shape, all of Caele's scars are very visible in this form, appearing as lighter silver on the black of his hide. Though these scars are still smooth to the touch, he is self conscious of them in this form, and detests the stares he may receive because of their visibility.
In this form, he takes the alias he was given when he first attained the shift - Mirshann S'argt - a name meaning 'Guardian Angel' in Drowish.
My weakness is that I care too much
personality
Caele is a quiet, often withdrawn individual who enjoys the solace of close friends instead of the attention of many people. He is kindhearted and compassionate, quick to help in situations that garner his attention, though he doesn't care for any praise that may come after. Most note him as being brave to the point of foolhardiness, especially when one he loves is in danger. He finds it difficult to resist intervening when he sees an injustice, and will defend any he feels needs protection in the moment. Otherwise, he spends a good deal of time alone or with his dragon, Talos, away from population centers or gatherings of any great size. It's common for him to affect a mask of aloofness around those he doesn't know; although it's been noted that he lacks the ability to hold this mask for long anymore.
He shares blood with those once on the ruling Authoritarian Council of the drowish city D'issan, and fears being drawn into the same political web his parents were caught in. He avoids D'issan, and his home, as much as possible; instead, he often camps wherever he and Talos may find themselves, or may stay in taverns and inns wherever possible. He is relatively wealthy, though carries little of his family's coin on him, and only rarely returns to the Agarwath vault in his homeland to access the jaden stored there. Instead, he enjoys living roughly and earning his own coin, often working small jobs in various towns and villages he passes through. He is sentimental, and finds it difficult to part with treasured items he has had for many years.
Away from those he knows and trusts, he is wary, and tends to keep his own counsel. He also holds prejudices against those of demon and deathcat lineage, struggling with the inherent racism of dark elves and the incidents of his past. However, he has made few friends who are slowly changing his views on others, helping to erase the bonds of bigotry so long in his memory. Of demons, he is all but over his sordid views... though little progress has been made in his views of deathcats, as a raiding pride from Nimravus were directly responsible for the deaths of his little sister and parents.
Caele has an almost irrational fear of chains and imprisonment, as well as a nervousness of the utter dark most of his kind - even an elder blood - do not share.
Tear myself open, sew myself shut
abilities
Trained in the military academy of D'issan from a very young age, as all boys from his caste are, he is proficient in the use of the sword, as well as having some preliminary training in the spear and bow (though he is a very poor shot). His primary weapon is the hand-and-a-half sword Omar; an heirloom dating from the years before dark elves were driven from Evylon, forged of divine metal with a dragonsung steel hilt and a bold topaz set in the crossguard. The blade has no inherent offensive abilities, though it is very resistent to wear, and is very difficult to break.
While those who knew Caele as a child claim he was born to be a mage, he has very little skill in the use of magic. He knows some simple spells in the dark-elven magic Leanfir, such as minor healing, light, and fire, though has no true elemental powers. Otherwise, he may summon and use his reiatsu - appearing black with glittering white and silver flecks, said to resemble a night sky. He cannot use this power for long; usually, he's able to summon brief shields or short offensive blasts that can slice at flesh similar to a blade, or be used as a concussive force, depending on his intent. His reiatsu is said to feel cold to the touch, though not to the point of frostbite.
Lastly, he has been granted a shifting ability during his time as a Ward, and can transform into a black-scaled veldryn (as noted above). In this form, he is very swift, and has the use of sharp teeth and talons, as well as thick scaled hide. However, he can use no magic, and must rely on his physical abilities only. He is also prone to falling into this form out of emotional distress, and may find it very difficult to shift back to his natural shape. When he focuses, he is capable of shifting only parts to the veldryn form - such as fingers to talons or a covering of scales - though should he lose his concentration, he will either shift immediately, or return to his drowish form.
the Aurtha
The Aurtha is an enchanted heirloom passed down to him through his father's line, and is said to have belonged to the family of dark elves when they were still considered part of the high elves. It is a simple pendant, an aspen leaf coated in shimmering silver, without a trace of tarnish or wear. It glows softly in the darkest of shadows consistently, though it may glow much brighter when the souls housed within it are active. How many spirits slumber within cannot be told, but Caele - or others of his family if not him directly - know of three that have wakened over the years. These three are listed below.
Any soul housed within the Aurtha that is active and aware may, should the spirit have enough energy, phase into the physical world - though they may not always be fully solid, and may be unable to speak with anyone but Caele. Stronger spirits can interact with the living Realms until their energy runs out, at which point they will withdraw into the pendant until they have recovered enough power to be summoned once again.
Rennati
Caele's little sister, slain by deathcats in the 12990 attack on D'issan. Unknown to her family at first, her weakened spirit was drawn into the Aurtha instead of being released into the Soulplane. She was hidden from her brother for many, many years, only revealing herself to those close friends of his when he was in danger.
She works to protect him in what very small ways she can, though she has very little power. She can't hold a physical manifestation for more than a few minutes, and her abilities revolve solely around dreams and magic of the mind.
Agarwath
Perhaps the oldest spirit to inhabit the Aurtha, and one who has spent the greater majority of that time dormant. He is the very elf that founded the dark elf elder bloodline; the prince that was driven from Heartwood, and gave his life to protect his fleeing people. Though Caele knows very little about him, he is inherently selfless, and would risk his own soul to save the life of any of his descendants.
Though as a spirit he can work no magic, he is capable of taking physical form for brief periods of time, up to several days without any physical exertion. However, if he's pressed to do battle, this time can be cut short to hours, even minutes, before his energy burns itself out.
Alaekeira
The only spirit to the family's knowledge that is both not a dark elf, and not related - either by blood or marriage - to the Agarwath line. Alae is a skydeer that grew close to Caele, Talos, and Iriiliae before she was killed by a deathcat. She later rejoined them as a ghost, and then faded away; Caele had thought she simply went to the Spirit Realm, but her soul took residence in the Aurtha instead.
She cannot become fully physical, though she can appear and manifest in a ghostly visage at any time, for great lengths of time, and enjoys speaking with Caele and his friends.
