@Radio Jelly

[Radio Jelly]

Kydris Shieldew

Conman and Conjurer

"I steer my own fate, but with enough coin you can point me in any direction."

GENERAL

Name:Kydris Shieldew - Formerly Kydris Milane
Pronunciation: Kai-Dris Shield-Dew
Nickname: Ky
Species: Elf
Race: Roanite
Date of Birth: Thunderwind (Month 8)
Zodiac:The Gryphon
Age: 28
Place of Birth: Marbalea

Storyline/Plot: Stars of Skaarsburg

"Why pay a premium for my services? If you can imagine a problem, I can imagine a solution. Luckily for you, I can create whatever it is I imagine. That's the Shieldew guarantee, my friend. Even my competition wouldn't bet against me..."

APPEARANCE

Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Brown
Hair Style/Length: Shoulder length when untied, and rather unkempt in any state.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 163 lb
Body Type: Slender
Body Modifications/Accessories: Underneath his right eye, the elvish equivalent to the letter T has been branded over his cheekbone. It's faded somewhat with age, and is also fairly small and so is often unnoticed at first.

Written Appearance:
Kydris is relatively undistinguished compared to his Roanite peers. Where some flaunt fashion as a means of showing off wealth or power, Kydris dresses purely for functionality. Most typically, he adorns a leather jacket over a simple linen shirt, paired with tattered legwear and a stocky set of hide boots. Perhaps the most interesting element of his attire are the three belts haphazardly tied to his waist—each one sporting a number of small knives and knick-knacks. While he wouldn't openly admit it to his peers, belt collecting has always been somewhat of a hobby (or perhaps, an obsession) of his since his youth.

PERSONALITY

Personality Traits:

• Charismatic
• Optimistic
• Greedy
• Lazy

Strengths:

• Kydris is quite charismatic from years of perfecting the art of deceit.
• Kydris has an exceptional memory as a result of his conjuration practice.
• Kydris is always optimistic in the face of danger.

Weaknesses:

• Kydris is a mercenary by necessity, and is easily swayed by money.
• Kydris is a heavy gambler. He bets with his own fate to a near flippant degree.
• He will actively self-sabotage close relationships due to complications of his past.

Quirks: He will absentmindedly brush an index finger over the brand on his face when stressed.

MBPT: ENFP

D&D Alignment: True Nuetral, but walks the Chaotic Nuetral line from time to time.

DETAILS

Inventory: A steel saber, coin pouch, and a brass colored chain around his neck.

Occupation: He's a jack of all trades. Sells knock-off conjurations during the day, and thieves at night.

Education: Seventeen years of formal education in arithmetic, Mesovian literature, Marsean geography, and Mesovian religious studies. Approximately four of those fifteen years also included conjuration practice and research. An additional six years of street-side education regarding the criminal justice, trade route, and underground architecture systems of the port city Lyf.

Character Arcs/Plots:

1. Leaving Lyf and escaping adversaries
2. Learning to "pull" more useful conjurations for a more important purpose.
3. Pursuing the trail of his sister (Ongoing)

RELATIONS

Social

• Thrall, Son of Mordecai--Lives in the same apartment
• Eadrus Morgane--Wealthy smuggler and current employer

Familial

• Briac Milane (Father)
• Eleanora Milane(Mother)
• Borain Milane(Brother--Deceased)
• Lucillia Milane(Sister)

ARMAMENTS

Magic Tier(s):

Attuned Element(s):

• Primary: Conjuration
• Secondary: Illusionism (Untrained)

Fleuntia: Solis
Main Weapon: Steel Saber

Secondary Weapon: Hand Sickle

HISTORY

Kydris loves to surround himself with the company of others, which doesn't appear to be a strange feature given his upbringing. The young Roanite grew up in Marbalea as the middle child to one of the most prominent merchant families, and so existed in relative comfort and disinterest for much of his young life. Like his father, Kydris was an exceptional orator and host from a young age. When he wasn't being forcibly tutored, the Roanite spent most of his time either finding the most creative ways to inebriate himself, or by looking for the most egregious way to spend his family's wealth as possible. In all respects, he was much akin to a parasite—content to subsist on an inherited fortune, and averse to any kind of person accountability.

The truth, however, was that Kydris might've been motivated to follow in his father's footsteps had he not spent most of his youth in the shadow of a meticulously groomed, and beloved brother. No matter how hard he might've tried to impress his parents with his magical accomplishments, or learned knowledge, their attention always seemed to be focused on the heir to the Milane business. What little family time Kydris can remember was mostly spent over hushed dinners, calculated hikes, or cordial small talk—none of which even remotely pleasant. On one hand, Kydris could count the amount of times his father truly smiled in his presence, and yet would have no ability to measure the thousands of false compliments he received at any public party, or social gathering.

Eventually, in his late teenage years, he discovered that he could gain some small measure of approval if he learned to play the same game everyone in his household did. His smile grew wider, and his charm more refined. He attended every event, and became good at gleaning valuable information from his guests. His mother delighted in what she called "coming out of his shell", which he understood to truly mean "becoming useful". In his off time, he would waste his wealth on decadence and depravity to fill the hole, and it might've hurt to confront the fact that he was—and would always be—a periphery element to the lives the of his betters, but for the single meaningful individual in his life: Lucillia, his sister.

Both children had become masters of denial and deflection, but their friendship had always been true as a result of the same isolation each had felt growing up. On the party floor, they both became different people—he the charming debonair, and she the fragile maiden daughter—when in reality he oft found her to be more courageous than he ever was. Together, they might've explored every inch of Marbalea on late night adventures and escapades had it not been for the one adventure that taught them that which they were not supposed to know.

After returning home just several hours before sunrise, the two heard raucous shouting and loud crashing noises from the study on the second floor of the house, and—surprised by a rare hint of chaos in their household—the two silently snuck to the doorway, making sure to remain just within earshot. Inside the room, his father and brother were locked in a heated argument about the nature of the king and his rule. The two had heard their parents voice their displeasure with government before, but in that moment they realized the true depth of Briac Milane's vitriol. Almost proudly, the head of their home boasted about years of treacherous planning and compounded cunning that was leading up to a fiery conclusion. In the wake of his monologue, Borain attempted to dissuade him, clearly uncomfortable with whatever the next step was.

In mute horror, the two elves listened to their brother's meek acceptance of his role in whatever plan had been hatched, and his allegiance towards furthering that end. While they slipped away shortly thereafter, Kydris found within himself a rare moment of courage several weeks afterwards, and confronted his father about what he had heard. In response, the old elf laughed off his accusations, and delivered an icy warning against further accusations. Lucillia had warned him against it, but Kydris then sought out his brother who—despite their distance—was nearly a good acquaintance and had proven to be noble in times past.

To this day, Kydris doesn't recall how the fight started, only that the brother he confronted was not of the same ambivalence he had been. The fistfight evolved, and Borain drew his sword prompting Kydris to do the same. When the more agile elf finally plunged the sword into his foes chest did he see Borain's hard eyes grow soft. In that intimate moment when both brothers' faces were within inches of each other, Kydris watched what he thought might've been a look of relief wash over his dying brother's face. The murder could not go unpunished, and though he might've set back whatever plot was in motion, he could not stay in Mesovia. Within hours of the body being found, authorities were instructed to seek out the spry elf, yet he had already paid his way onto a vessel. Unable to return home, he never was able to say good bye to his sister, but was reassured to know that his parents would likely not blame her for any part of his betrayal. Shaken, and wrought with despair, the elf branded the letter T onto his cheek, and gifted himself a new name so that his father's influence might never find him again.

WRITING SAMPLE

The weathered door made a near inaudible creaking sound as Kydris deftly swung it aside, and strode into the Vigorous Mare. She was an old tavern, and the sound of the door would've been loud enough in any other space but the raucous—and oftentimes uncontrollable—behavior of its most typical patrons was such that anything short of a fireseed shot would be almost entirely drowned out by their uproarious laughter and vitriolic shouting. This place was one of the few that Kydris frequented in Lyf, if only due to the pseudo-casino operating out of the basement.

The Roanite stalked through the heavy crowds, barely noticing the pungent vapors of exotic tobacco and other, more illicit substances. To his left, a meager bar built of some sort of dark wood stood, although just barely: decades of mistreatment, bar-scraps, and general tomfoolery had left it with any number of large dents, and splintered corners.

It was a favorite haunt of his, and for a moment Kydris stared wistfully at the tabletop, desperately trying to avoid making eye-contact with the bouncer at the casino door. He wouldn't have to: not several seconds later, a firm, heavy hand clasped his right shoulder, the muscular arm stretching around his back and squeezing him closer towards a singular, hairy human. The man had so much hair, in fact, that Kydris had once mistaken him for a Lecyri. Then, like now, Kydris found himself unable to escape comeuppance, although his punishment had previously been but a rigged game of dice.

"You know my friend," Eadrus's spoke, his voice raspy in Kydris's ear. "I had not expected you to return. In fact, I had placed a wager on you leaving Lyf tonight."

Kydris suddenly found his mouth very dry, and his heart beating very fast. With a soft gulp, he pulled away from the man's embrace. "Eadrus, you know I would never dream of walking out on you. Certainly not after all the good work we've done together in the past. You remember that, right? All those really profitable jobs—"
"Enough." Eadrus interrupted, his voice sharp in its delivery. By his collar, Kydris found himself being dragged to the den below. Even if he could wiggle free, his eyes quickly landed upon two other figures obscured in the crowd that were staring at him intently. He had witnessed this sort of play before, and knew he had no chance at running now.

When Eadrus finally let go, Kydris found himself standing not ten feet from a dart-board. In front of him, a case of knives were presented. "Kydris, my boy. I am a fair employer, am I not?" Kydris nodded silently, trying to assess his situation with fleeting eyes. "Here's the deal, since you've appeared to completely forget about the payment you owe me," Eadrus continued. "You and I play a game of knives, and should you win, you'll live to pay me back another day. Usually I would kill you, but consider this…" The old man paused, his lips curling into a yellowed grin. "A mercy for past services rendered."

Kydris should've just played the game, but ever the fool he instead opened his mouth and said, "Double the bet—If I win I owe you nothing." It appeared Eadrus expected this however, as his grin widened. "Then If I win," The human spoke, "You belong to me." The two gamblers shook hands in a mock show of honor, but Kydris was already dreaming of ways to cheat. Such was the elf's way.