application for poly_chromatic

[feycarved]

Name/Nick; Valya
LJ/DW name: windhover
Other characters currently played:
Raymond Leon :: In Time :: saidrepent
Jack :: BioShock :: wouldnotkindly
Robert Fischer :: Inception :: pinwheeled
E-mail: damnedsolovey at gmail dot com
AIM/messenger: grandSolovey @ Plurk, AIM

Character: Elijah Morgan

Abilities: Although he has no small skill with all manner of firearms, Elijah is first and foremost a user of magic. Due to his line of work, most of the spells in his arsenal are primarily concerned with warding, dispelling, and trapping, but he also has command over a wide variety of others: one to cast light, one to conjure flame, one to purify water, and so on. He also has knowledge of various magicked runes, sigils, etc., and their effects, and can carve or etch them into just about any surface (including flesh, if he’s careful) to achieve a desired effect. As with all magic-users from his world, however, the entirety of this knowledge and his capability to make use of it lies wholly with his grimoire, the crest of magic borne on his back much like a giant tattoo; if his grimoire is compromised in any way, so are his magic abilities.

Apart from his magic, he is also highly intelligent, at least when it comes to fey and sorcery, and extremely resourceful, especially in combat situations; he’s also fairly skilled at hand-to-hand combat, since he doesn’t put much stock into manmade weapons (unless he can carve or enchant the weapon in question). Due to the experience he’s gained over his many years of fey hunting, he can also easily recognize fey, non-humans or other magic-users in general, though he can’t discern any specifics unless he’s studied or hunted that fey before.

Flaws/weaknesses: Elijah can be one stubborn son of a bitch when he really puts his mind to it, and this trait affects him in nearly every aspect of his personality. While he’s not exactly so rigidly set in his ways that trying new things and different methods is out of the question to him, if he is sure that a certain method of dealing with things is The Right Way, it will take nothing short of hell and high water to change his mind. As a result of his years of work and experience, he is also sure that he himself is the definitive authority on most things fey- and magic-related, and he won’t hesitate to dismiss the opinions of those less experienced than himself. (Those opinions don’t even necessarily have to be fey- or magic-related for him to dismiss them, particularly when they’re held by anyone younger than himself.)

Despite all those years of experience — or perhaps because of them — he’s also still in the dangerous habit of overestimating his own capabilities. Unless he’s at an obviously severe disadvantage, it’s rare to see him back down from a challenge, and it’s not uncommon for him to overexert himself or his grimoire for the sake of a job. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to survive, but paradoxically, that tends to be what gets him into the most trouble during high-risk situations. He’s only human, after all, but his own limits aren’t a thing he’s often willing to accept, which leads him to make risky, impulsive decisions — and not only in high-risk situations, but also any part of his day-to-day life, such as deciding to traverse a dangerous shortcut or whether to accept a strange young man’s proposition into bed.

History/background: Elijah Morgan, born deep in the Appalachias in 1878, was the product of an unusual union. His mother was the blood daughter of the esteemed Hutchinson coven, a clan of witches nationally famed for their prowess with warding and protective magicks, and so she was the sole heiress to the Hutchinson grimoire, steeped in generations upon generations of magick power and knowledge. Upon inheriting the grimoire, however, she chose to leave her coven for good, fleeing a life of luxury and bloodshed for a place where none would find or recognize her: the largely untamed wilds of south-central Vandalia, where the mountains were thick with fey and only those who had lived there for generations would dare to tread. Using her magicks to fend off the fey of the wood, she found her way to a quiet, close-knit settlement, and was soon welcomed into their fold. It wasn’t long after that she fell in love, married, and gave birth to Elijah, her only child.

Throughout Elijah’s childhood he was closer with his mother than his father, primarily because she had decided to make him heir to her grimoire. This was considered highly unusual not only by the matriarchal society she had long ago fled, but also by the patriarchal sensibilities of the community in which Elijah was raised. Users of magic in Western society, particularly the United States, were almost always female, and for a male child to receive a grimoire was nearly taboo; similarly, while magick society was nearly non-existent in their part of Vandalia, it was still expected for men to spend their time contributing to the betterment of the community, providing for their families, or devoting themselves to God, not to waste their time learning magic. But Elijah’s mother did not believe in letting the Hutchinson grimoire go to waste, and she was confident that it would bring her son prosperity and good fortune in the years to come — but only if he knew how to use it, and especially only if he knew how to defend it from those who would seek to plunder it.

Elijah took eagerly to inheriting his mother’s magicks piece by piece, and even in his early youth he was a rapid learner. By the time he was ten years old, he would accompany his mother on the jobs she would take as a guide for travelers through the forests of the mountains; with all the fey that roamed the woods, the journey was far too harrowing without the assistance of an experienced magic-user who knew the lay of the land, and the Hutchinson magicks of warding and protection served exceedingly well in this regard. He assisted her on these outings without much incident, but as time passed he began to grow complacent, and with this complacency eventually came boredom, and then cockiness.

When he was twelve, he grew cocky enough to overestimate his abilities, and while returning home from an outing one night, he wound up hopelessly lost in the woods. His mother was able to find him and guide him back to the path home, but not without attracting the attention of one of the most dangerous predators in all of Appalachia: the Kanawha basilisk, commonly known as mothman, capable of stunning a human into seizure and tearing them limb from limb. Elijah’s mother suffered fatal wounds in protecting him from the fey, and she used the last of her strength to pass on the rest of the Hutchinson grimoire to him. For years after this incident, Elijah would blame only himself for her death.

In his teenage years he threw even more of his efforts into studying to master the mass of magicks he had just gained, and he quickly began developing his own techniques and spells in addition to those he had learned from his mother. While these were never without significant trial and error, he never let failure discourage him, and his perseverance gradually paid off. In addition to being as effective a forest guide and guard as his mother ever was, he used his skills to hunt and trap fey as had never been done before.

But it was also in those developing years that he first came to face — and struggle with — his own sexuality. He ended up in a physical relationship with the town pastor’s son, and although he felt an enormous amount of shame, guilt, and self-doubt over it, he kept it up and going for a number of years. It wouldn’t be until he was seventeen that they were discovered; to save his own reputation, the pastor’s son accused him of seducing him into sin, and Elijah was effectively ostracized from the community. His father, having grown more and more distant from him ever since the death of Elijah’s mother, finally disowned him as well. Elijah had no choice but to leave his home for good.

He spent the following years making his way north, peddling his services as an enchanter of protective magicks and hunter of fey. By the time he ended up in Pittsburgh, the year was 1900 and he had gained not only a reputation as a highly-skilled magic-user, but also invaluable experience in dealing with fey, clients, and even human adversaries. It was in the Steel City that he crossed paths with a pair of independent witches, Gretchen Byrne and Dahlia MacGuffin, and came to forge a friendship with them.

This friendship eventually grew into a business venture, and with the combination of Elijah’s experience and Byrne and MacGuffin’s unique brands of magic, it proved to be very profitable. Unfortunately the arrangement was short-lived, as Ms. Byrne sought to escalate her personal relationship with Mr. Morgan, and she succeeded . . . very briefly. The partnership fell apart as a result, and Elijah once again found himself cast out of place. But Elijah wasn’t about to let himself be discouraged yet again, and after some deliberation, he came to a decision on what to do next with his life: he would cross the Atlantic and work to establish himself as a fey hunter of worldly renown.

He traveled throughout the British Isles and nearly all of Europe over the next several years, once again selling his magick services wherever he went and gaining even greater expertise with each new fey he encountered or was contracted to deal with. He had been drifting throughout the continent in this manner for well over a decade when he had yet another fateful encounter, this time with a mysterious man who had washed ashore, the lone survivor of an apparent shipwreck. It was shortly after rescuing the unconscious man and bringing him back to his lodgings that Elijah received the details of a recent contract, which revealed that the very same man — a Nordic slave named Aðalgeir Brynjúlfsson, captured and sold for his particularly unusual brand of magic — had been responsible for the shipwreck and was to be Elijah’s target.

He immediately dismissed the contract, but seemingly for naught; when the man awoke, he attacked Elijah and fled before he could properly explain the situation. Luckily, some time afterwards Aðalgeir sought Elijah out, apologized for his aggression, and pledged his service to him in exchange for having saved and protected him from his captors. Though surprised, Elijah eagerly accepted his alliance, and Geir quickly proved himself to be an exceptionally powerful and skilled companion. The two traveled and worked together as an inseparable pair from that point on.

But in 1922, Elijah received a message from his old friend Dahlia, now Dahlia Elwood, who had become a highly-esteemed scholar of magic in the many years since they worked with each other. Her niece, a young girl who had no experience with or knowledge of magic whatsoever, had somehow come into possession of one of the most powerful grimoires known to man, and Elijah’s assistance was urgently needed not only to help her learn to wield and manage it, but also to protect her from the multitudes of witches and covens who sought to kill her for it. Elijah was still fond of Dahlia, and so he had no hesitation in making plans to return to the United States, with Geir insisting to accompany him. But he had no idea just what he would end up facing when he finally got there...

Personality: The first, strongest impression Elijah tends to give off is that of an affable, laidback personality who gets along easily with others. While this isn’t exactly inaccurate, as he is genuinely friendly to a certain degree, it’s also calculated: Elijah is a firm believer in catching more flies with honey than vinegar, and if he considers it more profitable to play nice (without compromising too much of his dignity, of course), then he’ll play as nice as he possibly can. This also allows him to make friends easily, though perhaps too easily, as it’s rare for him to forge any sort of significant connection with others. If that significant connection is made, however, he can be counted on as a loyal and reliable friend for life. But even without the presence of a “significant connection,” he’s hardly incapable of becoming fond of others, even if he does prefer to keep them at arm’s length when it comes to more personal matters.

One of his strongest traits is one that has helped him in his work throughout his life, and that is his persistent curiosity and eagerness to learn new things. Whenever he encounters something that he hasn’t seen before, be it fey, magic, or anything else, his immediate course of action is to find out as much as he possibly can about it, consequences be damned. He could be considered inquisitive to a fault, but more often than not, his thorough attention to detail when it comes to research benefits more than harms him in the long run.

As mentioned above, his most significant personality flaw is his tendency to be stubborn to a fault. The one positive outcome of this is that he isn’t a man who’s easily discouraged, but (also as mentioned above) it tends to show more in his unwillingness to change or reexamine his personal outlook on some things. Also because of this, while he is otherwise fairly tolerant of others in terms of species, ethnicity, or beliefs — a tolerance developed out of necessity during his travels, but tolerance nevertheless — he tends to automatically disregard the views and opinions of others unless he has some amount of respect for them, particularly if they’re younger or in some way more inexperienced than him.

This tendency is also rooted in his self-reliance, as well as his value of his pride and dignity above almost all else. His pride is so strong that he often refuses to accept his own limits and failings — or perceived failings, such as his homosexuality. While in one aspect this has caused him to develop an incredible sense of perseverance, it also means that he has difficulty in coming to terms with his own emotions and opinions, especially if they aren’t “socially acceptable.”

Of course, he rarely (if ever) acts this way outwardly, often instead displaying a brash or devil-may-care attitude in response to criticism or disapproval and keeping his self-denial solely internalized. Also as mentioned above, he prefers to keep even those close to him at arm’s length when it comes to matters he considers private and personal, such as his hang-ups over his sexuality and so on, but he keeps everyone else at an even further distance. He may be perfectly friendly to a point, but the moment a private subject is broached in conversation is the same moment he shuts it down, all to preserve his pride.

This sense of pride and self-denial doubles back to his reluctance and inability to connect with others. His mother’s death and the events that led to his alienation from his home have also deeply impacted him in this regard, and even the isolated nature of the mountain settlement in which he grew up only compounded this. As a result, he has adopted a mostly solitary outlook on his life and work, which has served him well for the past decade and more. Without Aðalgeir around, he’s more than likely to revert to that solitude.

This is because Geir is the only man he sincerely trusts at this point in his life, and that trust is so great that in some ways he considers him to be his “other half” of sorts. He would put his own life on the line to save his and trusts him to do the same, and on top of all that, he’s hopelessly in love with him. He’s resigned himself to living in silence as far as that last part is concerned, but the fact remains that Aðalgeir is an invaluable companion whom Elijah could not see himself being without.

Background setting: The world of Elijah’s origin is much like any standard Earth, save one key difference: the existence of magic. While the history of his world otherwise greatly resembles our own, this key difference has led to many other differences in global culture and society; this is most apparent throughout the world in the relative acceptance of magic and supernatural occurrences in the development of Judeo-Christian religions, as well as in the existence of fey, creatures either born of magic or with an uncanny aptitude towards it. America in particular bears other evident differences, not only in the altered course of its colonization and expansion throughout history, but also in the development of a highly matriarchal “magick society” subculture and witch covens akin to mafia organizations. Although magic use overall has seen a steady decline in this world since the Industrial Revolution, especially in America, the long-held (and often violent) traditions of these groups still remain strong.

There are many methods of using magic in this world, many of which vary drastically between different cultures, but they are virtually all centered around the grimoire. It is a crest of magic borne upon a magic-user’s skin that appears much like a tattoo, containing both magic power and an encyclopedic knowledge of whatever magic the bearer has embedded (or “carved”) into it. The shapes it takes are completely unique to both the bearer and the types of magic and knowledge contained within it, and with each new magic or piece of knowledge gained, it grows larger and its shapes alter. Due to the precision required for most magicks to be successful and fully effective, relying on human memory and power alone is widely considered inferior to using a grimoire for nearly all magical purposes. Rather than recalling an entire incantation procedure, one only has to concentrate on the magic they wish to execute, and the grimoire will take care of the rest.

Grimoires are capable of being transferred from person to person, either as a whole or in parts, and naturally they are usually passed down in familial lines; in western society, it is tradition for the grimoire to be passed down in a matrilineal fashion, with only one daughter of any family or coven being selected to inherit a grimoire from her mother in its entirety. However, this also means that grimoires can be stolen (or “plundered”) by force, often by flaying the skin upon which the grimoire is borne, which has only fueled a long history of violence and bloodshed between the many covens of the United States. In some parts of the world, even where such practices are formally outlawed (such as Europe and the Americas), people with unusual or unique grimoires may even be captured and sold into slavery for the entertainment of the upper classes. It is for this reason that grimoires are highly guarded by their bearers, who often must learn to defend themselves to the death if necessary, and for one to show their grimoire to anyone apart from those they trust the most is unthinkable. To allow another to touch one’s grimoire, except during the process of transference, is a sign of deep trust and affection that parallels no other.

Grimoires are also highly versatile in that they can be transferred to animals, fey, or even inanimate objects for safekeeping, although these methods of transference are highly complex; even the smallest error can end in catastrophic results for the parties involved. The price paid for bearing a grimoire is that it is intrinsically tied to its bearer’s well-being in both body and mind, and the greater it grows, the more difficult it becomes to psychologically and physically maintain. If the grimoire is somehow harmed or fractured in any way, the damage is very difficult to reverse, and it will have lasting effects upon the bearer’s mind.

Of course, humans are not the only beings in this world capable of using magic. That power also lies with fey, who have the power to use magic naturally without use of spells, incantations, or other rituals. The term “fey” is a broad one which applies not only to animalistic creatures but also humanoid entities, such as vampires and werebeasts, as well as anything in between; the ability to use “natural” magic is truly the only key identifying factor. While a great many fey are docile when left to their own devices, it’s not without reason that they are most commonly classified in terms of their level of relative danger and aggression towards humans. Most are too dangerous for humans to pick a fight with and come out unscathed, and when they become too much of a menace to be ignored, skilled and trained fey hunters like Elijah are often needed to step in.

(Further details on the functions of magic, the culture that surrounds it, and the existence of fey can be found on this page.)

Physical description: Elijah's PB is Russell Crowe, specifically his role in 3:10 to Yuma (pictures: one, two, and three). He stands at 5'9", and his build is broad and muscular; his hair is shortish and dark brown, and his eyes are a pale blue. He doesn't wear anything out of the ordinary for his time period and place of origin, but it's rare to see him without his duster or hat. His grimoire, like most others, is fully black in color and centered between his shoulder blades. With the nature of his mother's magic, it is centrally patterned with equilateral shapes, mostly pentagonal and hexagonal; however, due to the magic he has gained over the years, it has grown far beyond its original bounds with more uneven and chaotic patterns, and now covers nearly the entirety of his back. Scars and other remnants from various runes and sigils he's carved into himself also linger on much of his flesh, but most have faded with time.

Sample RP:
“I believe we are lost.”

Again. Elijah was grateful for the company on this job, but the constant questioning of his navigational skills was making him wonder about that. He took another step further up the hill before taking hold of a low tree branch, using it to brace himself as he glanced back to his companion. “Just ‘cause we ain’t too sure where we are don’t mean we’re lost.”

“Then what are we?” The other man, as usual, didn’t sound convinced. “This part of the wood is not even close to the map—”

“It’s called followin’ a trail, Geir.” He squatted closer to the ground, teetering a bit to maintain his balance, to try and feel for that trail again. He did enjoy the man’s company, really — usually. But Elijah couldn’t keep his concentration like this, and it wasn’t making the job any easier. “An’ you got that map by playin’ goddamn Romeo to a barmaid, anyhow.”

That seemed to shut him up, but only for a moment. “I merely intended to make use of the local knowledge.”

Elijah turned back to him again, giving him a look usually reserved for those in his contempt. “Lemme tell ya, son, girls like that only got knowledge on one thing and one thing only, and it sure as hell ain’t no fey. But I guess y’already knew that much, huh?”

A tension passed between them, palpable enough to make Elijah regret his words almost instantly. Geir was the only one whose company he would ever tolerate on a job, really — except at times like these, when he tripped up badly enough to lodge his foot square in his mouth. It was times like these he hated that he could let his guard slip so easily around Geir; it was times like these Elijah wondered why he still hung around him at all.

He busied himself with the trail again, searching through the brush with magicked hands, and waited for the coming retort. But it never came, and that only made Elijah feel even more uneasy. After what felt like an acceptable length of time, he finally cleared his throat. “You ain’t, uh… You ain’t gonna say nothin’?”

He hadn’t turned to see the expression on Geir’s face, but it was audible in his questioning tone. “I’m not?”

“You know—uh.” He considered just dropping the subject, but no; leaving this kind of tension hanging between him and the one guy he liked well enough to call “partner” would do him no good down the line. Even if Elijah did make an ass of himself more than usual around him, and even if he did find it difficult not to be distressingly honest in his company — well, at this point, he wasn’t sure what he’d do without him. “’Bout that time out east, huntin’ that lidérc… I ain’t got much place t’be makin’ comments like that.”

The tension returned, though it wasn’t nearly palpable as before. “What you do with Hungarian farmhands is no interest of mine,” Geir finally answered, “so I will not speak of it. I will say that our position on this hill leaves us at an undesirable disadvantage.”

Elijah was glad for the change of subject, though more so for the fact that Geir seemed to know just when the time was right for that change. Few people could read him so easily as Geir — or so he hoped, at least — and while the thought of anyone being able to read him like that unsettled him to some extent, he wasn’t sure if he’d want it any other way.

A wisp of remnant magic sparked from the brush, carrying the feel of the fey they’d been tailing. He’d picked up the trail again. “Well, Geir,” he started as he got back to his feet, brushing the dirt off his hands, “I dunno if I ever told ya, but I know a thing or two ’bout fightin’ on hills. We oughta be just fine.”

Geir simply nodded, expression unreadable. The fact that Elijah couldn’t seem to figure him out nearly so well was another thought that unsettled him, but there was no time to think on that now. “I hope you mean that.”

“I’m a man of my word, wouldn’t ya say?” Elijah grinned before Geir could miss the teasing tone, and turned to set off further on the trail. “C’mon, let’s git.”

Sample post:
I gotta say, I ain't never seen a city like this before.

[After that observation, he takes a moment to clear his throat.] Assuming I'm usin' this thing correctly, and assumin' likewise that any of y'all out there can hear me... The name's Elijah Morgan, the Elijah Morgan, best damn hunter of fey on either side of the Atlantic. I was en route to the States last I recall, but it seems there's been some kinda...mishap, I guess. Now, I had some important business waitin' for me back in America, so if someone would kindly show me the way outta here, that would be very much appreciated.

Secondly, ah... If anyone happens to see a big guy in a black mask and veil, maybe carryin' around a big ol' spear, that would be my partner. [A beat.] Work partner. His name's Aðalgeir and he ain't much of a talkative type, so if any of y'all would let me know where he is, that would also be very much appreciated.

[After another pause:] Geir, if you can hear this yourself, I need you to contact me pronto. I'm near this big fountain right now, but I ain't stickin' around long. [And the connection cuts out.]