Post by Emma on Jun 1, 2013 21:58:21 GMT -5
Name:
Viaspea Serowë
Age:
Eighteen years
Race:
Human
Allegiance:
The Riders
Occupation:
Ward; cartographer; translator
Physical Description:
Despite not knowing the identity of his father, Viaspea is fairly certain that he is of Alagaësian stock. His appearance certainly cements this belief- he has the creamy skin tone of the Broddring people and is of average height for a man at 5’9”. He has his mother’s eyes, deep sea green and almond-shaped with long eyelashes. He has light, slightly arched eyebrows and golden-blonde hair. Viaspea’s hair is usually grown only to his ears and is eternally mussed up, as he pays no attention to his physical appearance with the exception of when a pretty girl is around. His body is fairly well-defined by muscle thanks to his sword training, although still quite slender due to his youth and inexperience with actual fighting.
Viaspea’s heart-shaped face could pass as cute if he wasn’t scowling all the time. He has high cheekbones and a wide jaw, with small lips, a straight nose, and a wide forehead. His chin has a slight cleft in it and is always clean-shaven, as Viaspea’s few attempts to grow a beard thus far have failed miserably. Clothing-wise, Viaspea has much finer cloth than most people in Doru Araeba. Most of his outfits are fine silk and brocade, which he will wear when in the city. For purposes of traversing the wilderness, the Riders have given him a set of boiled leather armour, treated to withstand the constant rain. Viaspea’s ever-constant weapon is his sword, a simple hand-and-a-half blade kept in a leather scabbard dyed crimson. The sword is unremarkable except for the pommel, which consists of lapis lazuli set in black.
Personality:
Brash, headstrong, egotistical and wildly emotional, Viaspea seems to be the embodiment of an annoying teenager. On one hand, he can be an invaluable friend and ally who will stick by your side through hell and high water, and on the other he can be an undisputed pain in the ass. Viaspea cannot and will not tolerate anyone he perceives as being a threat to himself or those he cares about. He is also highly suspicious, nearly to the point of being paranoid, and as a result is slow to trust people. Viaspea is stubborn and strong-willed, frequently letting his own pettiness and vindictive nature get the best of him. He is exceptionally hostile towards people in authority and feels little desire to follow orders he disagrees with. Viaspea is obstinate and self-absorbed, generally acting out of sheer self-interest. He is foul-mouthed, incapable of sitting still, snide, disrespectful, impatient, and has an explosive temper. When it comes to matters of insult, Viaspea prefers to settle things with steel-fisted violence rather than calm negotiation.
Viaspea’s outward personality does not make him popular on Vroengard. However, most of it is a defense mechanism that he uses to deal with the shock and the unsettlement of suddenly living among other people. Viaspea is also very naïve and completely untrained in matters of the heart, and rarely lets his brain guide him. He only knows the world through his books and what his mother and sisters told him while growing up, and as a result has a skewed, often far too optimistic perception on things. And despite his rude behaviour, Viaspea is incredibly open to different people and cultures, never one to judge based on appearance. He often seeks out people just to learn about who they are and where they are from, and has an insatiable need to travel. Having spent his entire life locked in a tower, Viaspea has read hundreds, if not thousands of books and is very knowledgeable and thoughtful- possibly his most surprising aspects.
History:
Viaspea to this day has no idea who or where his father is. His mother, however, is a bizarre woman that has made every effort to raise her son without any male help whatsoever. Pele Lahela Serowë was once a human woman that was very gifted in the arcane arts. Unlike most magicians, who steered well clear of sorcery, Pele aspired to become a Shade. She made enough money to purchase an estate near Sardavar Leed, as far away from human contact as physically possible. Here, she intended to make herself a Shade. First, however, she wanted to have a child, something she’d be unable to do in an immortal body. She gave birth to Viaspea one year after moving to Vroengard. When Viaspea was six, she allowed spirits to overwhelm her body and take it for themselves. Because Pele was willing to give herself to the spirits, she maintained some semblance of self. However, she also became excessively paranoid, and refused to let Viaspea leave the estate.
Viaspea had an unusual childhood full of magic, spirits, and monsters, with very few male presences in his life. He was raised mainly by his mother and four ‘sisters’ called Malice, Vanity, Misery and Revenge- not his actual sisters but servant spirits that embodied emotion. Viaspea was taken care of, but was very lonely without other children to play with. His mother could only offer one alternative- books. Viaspea was taught how to read and write at a very early age. And for most of his life, that was all he did. Every piece of literature in every dialect of every known language was consumed by him. Though he never saw the outside world, pictures and words filled his imagination. Viaspea knew everything from the most tragic romances to the most successful battle strategies. He was taught swordsmanship by Revenge from the age of five, and learned languages from his mother. Though he tried to escape the estate several times, his mother’s wards always kept him back. Because of this imprisonment, Viaspea’s devotion to his mother began to curdle into resentment.
However, shortly after his eighteenth birthday, the Riders arrived on Vroengard. In their initial scouting of the island, they immediately picked up the presence of a Shade. Pele’s door was broken down and Riders surrounded her, but she managed to negotiate. The Riders were weak, wounded, and lost in a strange land. They were in no shape to take on a Shade. Pele offered them her complete compliance, maps of the island, and Viaspea if they threatened no harm to her. Pele had realized her son’s resentment and that he couldn’t spend his entire life indoors, so she resigned herself to letting him go to Doru Araeba. She knew he would be safest with the Riders, so she offered him as a possible Rider himself. Viaspea was thrilled to leave the estate and has since joined the Riders in Doru Araeba as a ward and cartographer.
