Jace

[Jace]

Jace

 

Appearance

Race: Kelvic(wolf)
Gender: Male
Age: 2
Birthday:
Birthplace: Riverfall, currently in Syka
Occupation: Syka Rangers
Fluent Language: Common, Makath
Gnosis: 1 mark of Akajia(Night Stalking)

Physical Description: Jace stands five feet and nine inches tall in his human form, with short, messy white-blond hair and startling, sky blue eyes. He weighs 175 pounds, and his eyes retain a sort of wolfish look to them. His hands have the typical calluses one would find on that of a budding swordsman from all his practice with his grandfather's cold iron short sword. His clothes, though its rare to find him fully dressed, consist of simple black pants, plain white shirt, and black hiking boots. He usually chooses to go bare-chested, though, being a Kelvic. Jace's arms and legs are visibly muscular thanks to all the time he spent running and hunting as a wolf. He likes to stay clean shaven, keeping no facial hair.

In wolf form, Jace is two feet and eight inches tall at shoulder height, six and a half feet from nose to tail-tip, and weighs 130 pounds. His eyes remain sky blue, and his fur is a light grey with white-blond highlights mixed in.

Side Note: He has an incredible sense of smell as good as a wolf while in human form.

 

Character Concept

Personality: Like most Kelvics, Jace is loyal and protective of those close to him. He is terrible at socializing, always saying exactly what's on his mind when he thinks it. He is scared of dying alone, feeling that deep-seated urge to find a human companion, a Bondmate, but not being able to do so. It's the worst thing he could imagine, and he imagines it quite often. Still, he offsets that by distracting himself in the wilderness which is where he finds to be most peaceful. Out in the wild, any wild, is Jace's favorite place to be. His parents taught him to read and write, though he found it boring and difficult until he reached maturity. Once he did, he found he had a thirst for knowledge he never had before. All of this can change though.

 

Character History

Pre-Creation: Jace was born in the port city of Riverfall to two human parents, Parias and Zinnia. Needless to say, they were both surprised and concerned when they realized their newborn son was growing at an alarming rate. After some brief research, though, they realized Jace was actually a Kelvic and there was a short calm -like the calm before the storm. Riverfall didn't see Kelvics as anything more than animals, and the parents of Kelvics were treated just as the Kelvics themselves were. Parias and Zinnia loved their son though, Kelvic or not, and because of that they were concerned about how long he would live and how he would be treated if anyone found out. They didn't yet know what type of animal he was, so all they could do was guess at their son's potential life span and hope for the best while planning how best to keep the truth of what he was a secret.

At three months of age, Jace shifted for the first time and revealed to his parents his true animal form: a wolf. Though they could have wished for something with a much longer lifespan, at least Parias and Zinnia knew exactly how much time they had left with him, and a rough idea of when he would reach maturity.

He shot up four feet in the next nine months, reaching almost his full height at only a year old. In that time, his parents monitored Jace and kept him away from human contact as much as possible so as to not let him bond before he reached maturity and to avoid the social discrimination that would no doubt come with being a Kelvic, or the parents of one. Instead, Parias would take the boy on hunting trips with him, teaching him everything he knew about surviving in the wilderness, scouting, and tracking. When they weren't out hunting, they were home where Jace took lessons from his mother on all sorts of subjects ranging from mathematics to the life cycle of certain plants. He struggled with most of these, only retaining minimal knowledge. It wasn't his fault really, the way he was wired genetically just wouldn't let him focus.

From the time Jace was six months old, he would practice with his grandfather's short sword in their family's yard. His grandfather doted on him, being the only grandchild. The two loved each other, and it hurt him incredibly when the old man passed away. Jace had reached maturity by that point, fully grown at two years of age. Though he was emotionally mature enough now to handle the loss, he couldn't help but want to leave his mother and father and travel away from Riverfall. It wasn't like he really wanted to desert his parents or anything, he had just made a promise to his grandfather before he passed away. The old man had given Jace his cold iron short sword, and made the boy promise to leave Riverfall and see the world before his time had passed. It was something Jace's grandfather had always wanted to do himself, but was never able to. Now, it was up to Jace to do it for him.

A few days after the passing of his grandfather, Jace brought up the promise to his parents and asked their permission to go out into the world on his own. Hesitantly, they agreed and gave him money and supplies to help him along the way. They had even given him his first destination: the new settlement of Syka in the Falyndar region. Six months after that discussion, the Kelvic set foot on the settlement and began his new life.

 

Equipment

-Simple Shirt

-Simple Pants
-Simple Undergarments
-Simple Boots
-Simple Cloak
-1 Waterskin
-1 Backpack that contains:
-Comb
-Brush
-Razor
-Soap
-1 Week's balanced rations
-1 Eating knife
-Flint & steel
-Shortbow, Composite
-Quiver
-40 shortbow arrows
-Bow case
-Cold Iron Shortsword
-Whetstone
-Medium size leather pouch containing:
-Hunting knife
-Roll of thin rope for making simple traps
-Vials containing common animal scents
-Preserving kit
-2 tiny snares
-1 small snare
-1 10ft square camouflage tarp
-1 large tent(4 person)
-100ft of rope
-Lantern
-2 torches
-Bedroll
-Blanket
-Fishing tackle & hooks
-Amulet of Desire from here
-Tapir pelt

Heirloom: The only thing Jace has to remind him of his family back in Riverfall, and the promise he made to his grandfather is the old man's cold iron short sword.

 

Housing

House: Living in the new settlement of Syka, Jace lives in a large, four person tent until he manages to build his own home on his land.

 

Purchases

Purchase	Cost	Total
Starting	+350GM	350
Shortbow, Composite(SP)	-75GM	275
40 shortbow arrows(SP)	-2GM	273
Bow Case(SP)	-20GM	253
Quiver(SP)	-20GM	233
Toolkit, Hunter/Trapper's(SP)	-25GM	208
Whetstone(SP)	-2CM	207GM, 9SM, 8CM

 

Skills

Skill	EXP	Total	Proficiency
Foraging	1XP	1	Novice
Hunting	10RB + 2XP	12	Novice
Interrogation	2XP	2	Novice
Land Navigation	1XP	1	Novice
Leatherworking	1XP	1	Novice
Observation	4XP + 4XP	8	Novice
Planning	4XP + 1XP	5	Novice
Scouting	5SP	5	Novice
Socialization	4XP	4	Novice
Stealth	1XP	1	Novice
Tracking	5SP + 1XP	6	Novice
Weapon: Short Bow	1XP	1	Novice
Weapon: Short Sword	14SP	14	Novice
Wilderness Survival(Jungle/Grassland)	26SP + 2XP	28	Competent

 

Lores

Lore - Wilderness Survival: How to Find Shelter
Lore - Location Poisonous Plants (Syka)
Lore - Randal: Appearance, Personality, Location Of Home
Lore - Foraging: Kiwi, Bananas, Mangos – Appearance, Grow Wild All Over Syka
Lore - Syka: Needs Skilled Settlers
Lore - Syka: Accepts Kelvics, Has Lots of Kelvic Felines
Lore - Syka: Gives Five Acres Of Free Land To Anyone Settling
Lore - Syka: Offers Loans For Up To 1500GM
Lore - Syka: Bungalows Cost Aprox 850GM
Lore - Nya: Will Get You Started In The Rangers
Lore - Randal: Will Build Bungalow By End Of Season
Lore - Syka: Guests Can Stay At Guest Quarters
Lore - Syka: Communal Areas Are Syka Commons, Kitchens, Etc
Lore - Land Navigation: Cutting Trees to Mark Your Path
Lore- Stealth: Using Trees for Cover
Lore - Tracking: Tapirs, Scent and Appearance
Lore - Wilderness Survival: Field Dressing a Tapir
Lore - Wilderness Survival: Stay Aware of Attracting Predators Around a Carcass
Lore - Leatherworking: Skinning a Tapir

Thread List

21, Summer 518AV - The Adventure Begins
30, Summer 518AV -Pefect Hunters Don't Exist

[Jace]

~Gnosis Story~

Secret :

Ever since he was born, Jace was taught that the shadows and the night were his best friends. His parents had never been very religious, but after learning of their son's Kelvic nature that changed. They taught him that secrets and knowledge were tools to be used, and using them right were the best way to survive. They taught him to pray to Akajia for her protection, to help their secret stay hidden, and for the shadows to always guide them.

Being raised in secrecy, he was never allowed to leave the property except at night when his father took him on scheduled hunting trips. Even then, Parias would lead the way and only tell Jace to follow when he was sure there were shadows to cover their movement until they got out of the city. Everything about his situation made him grow more and more curious.

His curiosity leaned more on the side of people and their secrets, though, and had little to do with his actual studies. In fact, he hated learning about most of his subjects. He was happy and knew his parents loved him, but the way they kept him hidden just didn't feel right. When he was almost a year old they had told him that all the secrecy was to ensure he matured well without accidentally bonding with someone. It wasn't the full truth, though, and he knew it. He knew the truth of the city he was being raised in.

Sometime after Jace had turned six months old, his curiosity had gotten the better of him and everything changed.

The day had started just as normal as any other. He woke up early, washed and clothed himself, and began heading to the kitchen to eat his breakfast. Unfortunately, he would soon find out that was all the normal he was going to get that day. Approaching the kitchen, he could hear his parents' voices. He could tell they were trying to stay quiet so he wouldn't hear them, but it was obvious that they were fighting. Quickly, he hid himself in the shadows of the wall adjacent to the door.

"No! He's still too young, Parias. He doesn't need-"

"Yes he does! He deserves to know why we keep him hidden. He deserves to know the truth!" his father said, cutting off his mother mid sentence. 'The truth? What did they mean the truth?' he thought to himself. He pressed himself closer to the wall, straining his ears to keep listening. The argument continued. He heard them talking about what people would think and how he could survive if anyone found out he was a Kelvic. That was when he stopped listening and darted out the back of the house. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Were his parents really ashamed of him? What exactly was it that they were hiding from him? Whatever it was, he had to know and he was going to find out.

Deciding to get the truth, he slipped over the back wall and disappeared. It was the first time he had ever disobeyed his parents, but he was hurt and confused. It was also the first time he had ever been in the city during the daylight, let alone by himself. There were people and animals everywhere. It was overwhelming at first, all the colors and movement surrounding him as he walked. All the different smells and voices. He soon lost himself in it's beauty, almost completely forgetting why he had come in the first place. That is, until he saw a man trying to drag a child along by a leash and collar.

Jace looked around, astonished that no one was doing anything about what was happening in front of him. The boy refused to move, and was rewarded with a firm smack by the man. His body moved before he could think, and he started running to the poor child not far ahead. Suddenly, the wind changed direction and Jace stopped dead in his tracks. The scent coming off of that child wasn't human. It was unmistakably animal. Unmistakably Kelvic.

Rage boiled inside of him, but his parent's warnings stopped him from doing something foolish. Well, at least they stopped him from doing anything foolish without the cover of night. The pair started moving again, the man still half dragging the child. Jace, probably against his better judgement, once again let his curiosity get the better of him and decided to follow them from a distance. He moved through the crowd, trying his best to keep his prey in sight. Even if he did lose them among all the people, the child's scent was still there to lead the way. At least, that's what he thought.

He was able to follow them for a few hours, but he eventually lost the Kelvic child among the crowd. By the time he finally managed to get through the bustling people, they were gone. He tried to follow the child's scent still lingering in the air, but it was no use. He ended up lost in the city and they were nowhere in sight. Disappointed, Jace did his best to memorize the boy's scent before heading back home to face his parents. No doubt there would be a lot of yelling. He felt guilty about taking off the way he did, but he felt even guiltier that he was planning on doing it again. He just couldn't let this go until he found out exactly what was going on with that poor kid and where he lived.

When he got home, Jace's parents were livid. There was a lot of screaming and yelling, then there was a lot of hugging and crying. They really did care about him. After making sure their son was ok and listening to his story, they forbade him from doing anything like that again and sent him to his room for the night. He obeyed, if only to wait for cover of darkness to sneak out again.

"Mistress of the Night, Queen of Shadows. I beg of you to aid me in my search for the truth. May your shadows keep me from prying eyes and the Night be my guide. Darkness is my friend, and you are my Savior." It was the prayer he had been taught by his parents, and one that fell close to his heart this night. Finishing his prayer, the young wolf slipped out of his bedroom window and into the darkness of night.

Either Akajia had truly been listening tonight, or Jace was the luckiest person on Mizahar. More than once he narrowly escaped detection. Of course, there were a a lot more times where he tripped and fell or knocked something over with a loud crash and then had to run before anyone came to see what had happened. Still, it wasn't terrible. He somehow managed to find his way back to where he had seen the Kelvic child earlier, and did his best to follow the boy's scent but to no avail. He ended up having to return home before he made any real progress. Again, his parents had caught him trying to sneak back inside, and again there was a lot of yelling. He really had to get better at this sneaking thing.

It took him a few more nights of searching and stumbling around the city before he actually found himself outside of the child's open window. Sobs could be heard coming from inside, accompanied by the scent of fresh blood. Jace couldn't help wondering what else had happened between when he saw the child last and now. Quickly checking that the boy was alone, Jace climbed through the window and landed on the floor with a soft thud.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly. The kid was a Kelvic for sure, but a very very young one. Jace was just over six months old, but he looked like a twelve year old human. This kid looked like he could pass for maybe a three or four year old. His fingers were scarred and bloody, probably from trying to remove the metal collar around his neck which still had fresh blood on it. Part of a terrible story still to be told.

"Who, who are you? You smell like me. You smell like a Kelvic." the boy said, fear and curiosity in his voice. He was hunched over in a corner of the room, wearing nothing but worn and ragged pants.

"I am a Kelvic, just like you," he answered. He made a point to smile kindly at the boy, to show him he was a friend and not to be feared. "I saw you in town the other day, when that man hit you. Is he your father? Is he the one that put that collar on you? It's gotta be hard to shift like that."

"I," the boy began, quickly looking down as he remembered the scene from earlier. "No, he isn't my dad. He's my owner. He bought me from some people a while ago. I, I don't know where my dad is. Or my mom. I want my mom!" The boy was beginning to freak out. Jace could tell he was scared and confused, not having his parents around and having to listen to that horrid man.

"Shhh, shhh!" he whispered, running over to the boy to try and comfort him, something he wasn't very good at. "It's ok. What's your name? Just, just tell me about your parents. Tell me what you remember." he said, patting the boy on the back.

Jace sat with the boy, who's name was Ja'lek, and listened to his story. It was sad, and short, but it was the truth and that's what Jace was interested in. When Ja'lek finally fell asleep, Jace prayed once more to Akajia and made his way home. He was able to slip into the house this time without his parents noticing.

Over the next couple of days Jace made a habit of sneaking out at night, after his prayer to Akajia, and meeting up with Ja'lek. Sometimes he managed to go unnoticed, other times his parents or a random person walking the streets caught him. Every night he listened to the boy's stories of his parents and helped him forget about the cuts and bruises he earned from his owner throughout the day. Through him, he learned the truth of the city of Riverfall, and the viewpoint they had on Kelvics. They were nothing but animals to them. Pets who needed to be trained. and sometimes even collared. He learned secrets about the boy's master, things the man did that could end in his punishment and a new, safer home for Ja'lek. Even more reason for Jace to continue his nightly outings. Ja'lek needed a friend, and their talks made Jace's curiosity grow stronger. He even enjoyed his time with the boy.

After about a week or so of his nightly outings, it was time for one of Jace and his father's regular hunting trips. They prayed together to Akajia, and then headed out of the city.

The darkness of night hid them from sight as they left Riverfall. They were headed to the outskirts where a mass of crag fir trees extended outward and kept on going through the Sea of Grass. The shadows there were dense and countless. It was the perfect place for them to hunt, and these trips were the only time Jace was allowed to shift and move about as a wolf as he pleased. When they got to their destination, that's exactly what he did. Once Parias gave him the go ahead, he couldn't get his clothes off fast enough. In a swirl of lights where the form of a young boy once stood was now a wolf pup. He howled at the night sky and took off into the trees.

His father was hunting tonight, but Jace was running. The feeling of the wind flowing over his fur and the ground racing beneath his paws was indescribable. Truly one of the best feelings he had ever had. His keen senses and animal instincts helped him to find sound footing in the moonlit underbrush. He was searching for his own prey as he ran, trying to pick up the scent of any animal large enough to satisfy him. He soon found what he was searching for, and began following the trail as he tried to stay hidden in the shadows. Before he got to his prey, however, the wind changed direction and he picked up another, unfamiliar, scent. It was so, extraordinary. If the night and secrets could be turned into a smell, this would be it. It tested the limits of his curiosity until he gave in and followed it.

He ran after it, longing to know where it came from and why it was so tantalizing. As he grew closer to its source, his pace slowed and he kept himself closer to the shadows, silently praying for them to aide in his hunt. Eventually he came upon a clearing where the scent was coming from, but he found nothing there. Circling the edge of it along the treeline, he still found nothing. Nothing but shadows and grass. Cautiously, one paw moved forward, and then another, and another. He continued his slow, pointed trek into the center of the clearing.

"I've had my eye on you, little one." a female voice said from the shadows behind him. Startled, the wolf turned around and searched for its source. He almost missed her at first, her blueish black skin blending so well into the dark that she could have been a shadow herself. Her intense presence awed him. Shadows seemed to dance around her. No wonder she was called the Mistress of the Night and Queen of Shadows. Akajia. There was a swirl of lights, and Jace's human form replaced that of the wolf. "You've done well to uncover the truth of that child and his owner, breaking all the rules and giving in to your curiosity. But I wonder, do you really know the true power that secrets hold?" she said, smiling mysteriously at the young Kelvic. Before he could say anything, she was gone.

It took three days before Jace was back to slipping out after his parents fell asleep, only this time it wasn't only to see Ja'lek. This time, he was going to have a word with the boy's owner too.

Naked, he made his way to Ja'lek's house, praying to Akajia as always. Only when he arrived, he found the bedroom window of the boy's owner instead. He climbed in through the opening, and landed lightly on the floor. His head was on a swivel, searching the room for any sign of movement. There was none. He tried to sneak up to the boy's owner, but somehow managed to knock over a small lantern he hadn't seen. The crash woke the man up, and Jace ran to the side of the man's bed and covered his mouth with his hand before he really thought about what he was doing. "Don't move, don't talk. I know how you treat the Kelvic boy. I know why he has fresh cuts and bruises on his body every day. You could lose a lot if the wrong people found out what you've been up to." he said in a low whisper. He had thought a lot about the Goddess' words and this is what he came up with. Knowledge was power. Secrets were gold. They could be used for all sorts of things, good or bad. "Touch the boy again, and I'll make sure you get what you deserve." He let the man go and jumped out of the window, shifting as he did into a grey wolf with white-blond streaks in his fur. He kept low to the ground and ran as fast as he could, trying to avoid anyone that might be out that late.

When he was just around the corner from his house, Jace stopped in the shadow of a nearby building that seemed darker than the others and shifted back into his human form after looking around to make sure no one else was in the street. And suddenly the scent and voice was back.

"Well done, little one. I see my interest in you was well earned." said the Goddess. Jace turned to face her, still in complete awe of her presence. The praise she gave, though small, was enough to make him tremble with pride.

"Thank, thank you." he whispered, unsure of how or why exactly this was happening.

Akajia smiled, taking a step closer to the young wolf. "You are a natural seeker, and a child of the Night and Shadows. How curious you are, yearning for the light in the darkness that is the truth. Come, little one, and take my gift. Allow the shadows to guide and protect you in your search for the truth. Befriend them, and they will never leave you. Ask nicely, and you will find answers to questions you never knew you needed." The Kelvic did as he was asked, and moved close enough for Akajia to touch him. Her hand was cool on his bare chest. A spot just above his left hip began to tingle. It was a strange and powerful sensation, yet not quite painful. Her arm retreated, and the sensation passed. Suddenly, Jace was acutely aware of the shadows surrounding them in the street. Shadows cast off of the nearby buildings and fences, from the clouds passing overhead. They danced and moved in ways he had never noticed before. Their whispers in a language he had never heard before suddenly made sense to him. They were alive.

"Thank you." was all he could say. Her praise was gift enough for him, yet he had been given so much more. Words could never convey his thanks.

"Use this well, child of the Night. I may call upon you again someday, but until then the shadows will be my gift to you. There are many more secrets in this world to be uncovered, and on many different horizons. Go and find them." There was a sort of humor in her words, as if there was more she wasn't quite saying. Another secret to be uncovered.

"I promise," Jace whispered, nodding to the Goddess. Many more secrets on different horizons waiting for him to find them. He would be sure to do so, though how and where he were to start had not yet occurred to him. After all, he had yet to fully mature and his family was still in this city. He had plenty of time to figure it out. Akajia, on the other hand, seemed to just vanish into the shadows, leaving Jace alone in the street once more. Or, at least, alone with the shadows. It took a few moments for him to regain his senses, but when he did he realized it was far later than he had planned. He needed to get back home. He needed to rest. He needed to think about where it was he was going to end up next.