Name: Blyth Snowstar of Olencia

Sex: Male

Age: 25

Occupation: For years, Blyth has been forced to live as a cutthroat. He scrounges off the streets and moves on whenever the wind blows. He does “dirty work” for those willing to pay him money. He is willing to do almost anything. Perhaps this arises from years of playing the fool. Duped one too many times, Blyth has developed great common sense and can read people easily. This contributes to his success as a thief and scoundrel. Many don’t realize how good a life a scoundrel leads.

Status & Rank: Although he is technically of the lower class, Blyth tends to fit in anywhere. He has played minstrel, hero, noble, priest, and merchant among many other roles. He has a natural tendency to befriend the lower class and not sell them out as easily. He has a disdain for nobles who will never know what the real world is like … what he is like. He desperately wants to be accepted for the person who he is, rather than those he plays.

Roots & Origin: BLYTH DOES NOT KNOW HIS ORIGINS (DON’T TELL HIM or at least not all at once if your character might play into his story) THIS APPLIES UP TO ABOUT AGE 8 when he first drew his daggers (his first memories).

Blyth was born during a famine in the empire. His mother, a young girl without support, abandoned him in an alley. A man whom he had always called Mr. Withertongue took him in and raised him. From the time he turned six, Blyth was forced to manual labor. As a result, he grew cold and drew away from the company of others. His mind grew dark. This was not however Mr. Withertongue’s intention. He simply wanted to teach the boy to fend for himself. At eight, Mr. Withertongue began training Blyth to fight. Blyth was given a choice of weapon, but Mr. Withertongue mandated that he would have to wield that weapon forever. As a result, Blyth is weak in combat with his fists, although that has grown stronger in later years. With his weapons (twin daggers), Blyth has killed more men than he can count (he can only count to thirty without becoming confused).

From the beginning, Mr. Withertongue noticed Blyth’s ability to learn quickly. As a result, Withertongue began to teach him to wield magic. Blyth learned and became proficient with minor magic.

Withertongue, unbeknowest to Blyth was once a Slayer. In his youth, he had practically worshipped the society of magic users. He was had been adept and about to become Ablest. But another power rose. One other was progressing faster, becoming greater than he. Penril. He decided then that the Slayers would be better off without him. Penril was strong and could run the faction himself. No respect would be given to Withertongue's accomplishments. The bitter man had dropped from the Slayer radar and began to hide using magic and cunning. When he found Blyth, Withertongue thought for the first time of resistance.

Blyth began to realize that Mr. Withertongue was very careful about his magic. Through his resourcefulness, Blyth learned of the Slayers for the first time.

Out of the knowledge came understanding. Poor living conditions were not because of lack of money but instead to stay under the radar of the Slayers. As a result though, Blyth’s proficiency with magic was below average at best. He soon began to stop progressing because of the secrecy. But all of it ended soon.

On the eve of his 14th birthday everything changed. Blyth awoke and stood, already with the habit of sleeping in clothing. Noises and yelling came from the kitchen. Blyth drew his daggers from his leg sheaves and crept to the door. He opened the door, quiet as a stalking cat. He dared not use magic to light his way, as he knew it would be detected.

Blyth looked down the hall. A Slayer with bared mark was arguing with Withertongue. Withertongue continued to deny his knowledge of magic. The stranger seemed to stiffen and he let loose a spell. Soon the door burst open and a group of Slayers barged in immobilizing and pulling Withertounge out the door. Hastily, Blyth drew on the energy of the earth's molten core. To supplement, he also drew that of the plants on the windows and the strays on the streets. Someone had to stop them. As the magic grew, he felt a new force of power join his magic. The uncontrolled magic grew and flew out from inside of him. As he watched, the Slayers slumped, dead. Withertongue, the source of the supplement to his power, was lying on the floor, twisted and mangled, drained forever by the rogue magic. Blyth wept.

BLYTH WILL ONLY REMEMBER WITHERTONGUE’S DEATH AND THE FIRST TIME HE USED HIS SWORDS (and he won’t talk about Withertongue’s death with most.)

Appearance: Lelahiah did not bless Blyth in looks. She was angry at the sins of his mother and so she punished the child or so she thought. She cursed him to be bland, dull, and to have only one distinguishing physical characteristic. His piercing green eyes are the only part of his face that is in the least bit memorable. He actually has learned to mold his looks and change them with the aid of makeup. Lelahiah’s curse was turned into a gift for him. His unforgettable face helped him to become one of the best cutthroats in the business.

His appearance varies on an almost daily basis. He dies his naturally light chestnut hair at least twice a week to keep from being recognized. Only those closest to him know his original hair color (which doesn’t much matter since it is almost never that color). His hair is always past shoulder length so he can pretend to be a maid or waitress but he often tucks it up when wearing it like a man. More often than not, he impersonates men because women are just so darn hard to be. In the way of clothes, Blyth has wardrobes full of them. He likes to collect different outfits not only because they are part of his job but also because he has a longing to find himself hoping that one of these outfits might fit him. Really, his clothes often show his mood, reflecting it in both color and cut. He can use only his hair and clothing to change from a vagrant to a knight in just under thirty minutes. If he is trying to trick someone of trained eye, he might need to add another half hour and a bit of facial hair. What he is really looking to add to his collection is a pair of magic lenses that will block the color of his eyes, dulling them into submission.

As far as distinguishing marks go, Blyth has very view as he kills his targets often without them knowing who did it. He bears a scar across his fifth rib down on the left side where he was struck by a rapier. A crescent shaped birthmark is present on his inner right thigh.

Strengths:
· His daggers. Blyth is one of the few cutthroats with a master at one weapon only. He is devastating in combat with him combined with his natural agility and grace.
· Blyth is an extremely quick learner. He has learned to adapt to his situations and learn what is necessary to survival. He is extremely resourceful and always makes the best of his surroundings. In prolonged combat, this makes him a challenging opponent because he learns from his mistakes.
· His magic. Blyth is the only magic user he knows of aside from the Slayers (and Blyth knows a lot of people). This gives him an advantage in both combat and everyday survival.
· His tenacity. Blyth never gives up on what others see as hopeless. In many cases, he creates a solution that fits his needs.
· His fluidity. Since he is so unrecognizable and also naturally attractive (personality wise), he is able to make friends with a wide range of people. He has also gained many powerful contacts this way.

Weaknesses:
· Although intelligent, Blyth does not know the finer arts such as singing, painting, and playing. He wishes he were good at these things and respects people who are.
· Blyth is very hard on himself. Since Withertongue’s death he has coveted more power so he can control the magic and fiery spirit inside him. Though not rash, Blyth sometimes gives into his emotions and does things that are against his better judgment. He generally looks at himself and others in a pessimistic view until he gets to know them better. He keeps himself alienated and doesn’t let people very close (even though they might think he does).
· Blyth is hopeless in combat without his daggers. It doesn’t help that after Withertongue’s death, his magic became uncontrollable. As a result, he adapted and bound his talent for magic to his daggers. Although they won’t work in others’ hands, Blyth needs at least one dagger in hand to draw energy. They don’t necessarily have to be his but he has a psychological dependence on using his daggers for both fighting and drawing energy.
· Blyth has uncontrollable magic. It may be powerful but the lack of control keeps him from using it to often. He has never successfully cast a killing spell without exstinguishing a life.
· Blyth is petrified of hurting someone he likes. Since he has so few good friends (in fact there is only one), he doesn’t want to lose them the same way he did Withertongue.
· Blyth’s real name, although known by few, has the effect of breaking any character he is in. If anyone were to find out his name and then address him by it, he would instantly lose his nerve and drop whatever disguise he was in.

Magic: Below Average; Blyth possesses the ability for magic but the lack of training hurts him. His magic is extremely wild and he fails to control it almost whenever he uses it. He is too scared to join the Slayers (indeed he has run from them since 14 using what little magic he possessed) because of the Withertongue incident. At the same time he wants to join the Slayers for the control they might give him. He needs a mentor of great skill to be able to teach him control. His magic is also bound to daggers so he cannot cast without one (although he carries at least six on his body at all times). For him, the daggers are simply a projection of his own self that he can easily draw energy into.

Personality: Blyth feels that he can mold his personality to suit others. Most of the time, this works out because he is always acting a part. He rarely ever uses his name and his most common alias is Gael Lightwind of Olencia (please refer to him as this unless you are told his real name). Other aliases (can also be referred to) include Torg Nightstorm of Ivria, Alarion Quint of Marlas, and Julius Stonehand of Haven. His personality fluctuates with his name and only his aliases of Haven and Marlas have used magic. He tends toward the nighttime hours in all his persons because that’s when business is best as they say.

Blyth’s true personality that he only shows to his closest friends is dark and brooding. He is a cynic at heart believing that many people are just out for themselves. He does believe there are some good people and he even knows a few. But through his adventures, he has learned that usually all people are trying to preserve or further their own goals. He takes great comfort in the fact that usually the ones who are civil and generally moral get the furthest.

For him morality has nothing to do with deeds but rather of intentions. Killing and stealing to him are a way of life rather than a crime. There is only one crime he cannot stand and that is treason (ironic for someone with more than four different identities). His heart lies in Olencia although he has been many other places and enjoys the company of many that don’t live in the capital.

History: From the age of 14 Blyth was on his own. He taught himself how to survive on the streets. He would get into fight frequently. He worked for his survival and when he couldn’t find enough, he stole. He got into killing at the age of sixteen when he was hired to kill a merchant discreetly. He did it so discreetly that the authorities are still looking for the body. Eventually the case was closed due to lack of evidence. The guard called the man a runaway. From then on, he became regularly employed in the contract-killing underworld of the Capitol. He was in high demand because he could do jobs that would take months.

His biggest job was eight months in Marlas where he first befriended a merchant to the point of becoming his heir and then poisoning him on his 50th birthday. At this time, he met Lord Tsuko Theras of Marlas while visiting Taye. He and Tsuko became fast friends to the point that he was invited to the upcoming wedding of Tsuko’s son. Tsuko is one of the few people who know his real name.

On the eve of his 18th birthday, Blyth met Trundell. He bumped into the older man on the street. But the street they happened to be in was an alley hangout of a thief gang. They didn't appreciate Trundell wandering into their territory (he had purposefully been doing it). Unfortunately, he had been caught. Blyth thought it best to save the man from the untalented thugs.

Blyth has been almost everywhere in Olencia due to his contracts. He also is a friend with Oriana Lark who he met on a quick job in Maloren. She knows him best as Gael Lightwind but shortly before he left, Blyth told her his real name. The only character that currently knows that Blyth can use magic (or has been told by him, the Slayers might know) is Tsuko. Blyth has not seen Tsuko in some weeks and has been longing to go back to Marlas. Blyth has never ventured to the Dragonlands, but the tales of danger that stem from the place intrigues him.

Blyth has been waiting for the chance to prove his worth to the Slayers. The group is almost invisible in the eye of the general public. He has finally accepted that he needs training for control. He needs to go back to the basics and rebuild his entire understanding of magic. He is afraid of not being able to be himself with his mentor. At the very least, he wouldn't use his real name until he began making real progress, both in magic and in friendship. He hungers to do something with meaning in his life rather than just killing to keep alive. The Slayers could provide an outlet for that, although the structure might be hard on him.

Recently, Blyth has been living low in Olencia and waiting for his next big job. He has not been hired recently, probably because he has been posing as Julius for sometime. He will soon take on Gael again but he wants to wait until the intrigues at the castle are over. He is trying to make at least one good friend in the Capitol and is currently thinking that Pen the bartender would make a very good companion. Pen is holding a secret though and Blyth is dying to know what it is.

Please approve ... willing to change anything that causes problems.

Okay, just a couple things. It's a fantastic start.

Magic and the Slayers... First of all, it is *extremely* difficult to avoid becoming a Slayer. The Slayers hunt these people down, so the fact that Withertongue would know how to teach Blyth is very unlikely. And that Blyth would avoid the Slayers, much less kill a couple of them, would be even more difficult. We have two other rogue magic users on the site - one of them is going to be picked up by a Slayer eventually, and the other one was a Slayer at some point.

Some solutions to this:
a ) Withertongue is a retired, disgruntled Slayer who does not like the way the Slayer system works very much. Hence, he would then have the ability to teach Blyth without sending him to the Slayers -- this would also allow him to be more adept at avoiding the Slayers. He could still end up dieing like you said - maybe an old enemy of Withertongue's was a sucker for the rules and got pissed that he was teaching Blyth? Blyth might have picked up some tricks of the avoiding-the-Slayer trade this way -- but there is no way that he could have killed a couple of them to avoid them. Slayers are Slayers for the reason - they've survived the Dragonlands. Some mangy cutthroat isn't going to murder them with a snap of his fingers. Maybe he had some rough entanglements, escaped, but not like that.

b) Withertongue had a magical object that he gave to Blyth - a dagger? This would solve a lot of problems, which I'll continue to speak of later. Blyth could be very skilled at wielding this, and you could avoid the Withertongue vs. Slayer business I mentioned above. However, the whole killing-a-couple-Slayers thing still needs to remain out. It's too unlikely.

Second, it seems that you've made Blyth very powerful in magic, and that's also really unlikely. The Slayers would definitely have their hands on someone that powerful. That's why option B) might be better.

Also, I don't know about the whole forging his magic to his weapon thing. It would be better then if you chose option B).

These all might need Penril's approval... 'cause I'm not the expert on the Slayers by any means.

Hope this helps.

You could also elaborate on your history a bit, but I'll let that slide. Some more details would be good - tell how he feels about stuff and the like. If you need more help, you know where to find me. :D Nice writing otherwise though!

Much better. I can accept that if there are no objections from the other Overlords. :D Yay, welcome to Olencia!

Horya, I'm late.

I've got some late nitpicks, if you don't mind:

1. Separate your paragraphs for easier reading x_o

2. Hmm. Magic... I'll allow you to keep your magic provided you become an apprentice.

Very well, Penril, but I must be found first. I will not push too hard to become a Slayer. Perhaps I am what you call a free spirit??

All right :lol:
Let's get plotting~