✥Haern Fireheart✥
"Whisperer of Flames"
✥Age✥
‡
30 ‡
✥Hometown✥
‡
Rural Lortania ‡
✥Occupation✥
‡
Entertainer/Fire whisperer ‡
✥Personality✥
‡
Sincere, hard working, honest, brave, and proud ‡
Haern has long been a man of his word and a man of honor. He's never had much, but he's always had his word and for that, he values it very highly. A gentle soul, awkward and a bit strange, he's kind to anyone who until they prove they deserve otherwise. For those he has a dislike or a disrespect for, it's a different story. Haern isn't a pig or rude by any means, but he certainly won't let snobby guards or crook shopkeeps who charge a pretty penny for low-quality wares off easily, at least not without a few choice words and perhaps a bit of a prank to knock them down a peg.
He stands up for what he believes in and despite having had his hopes and dreams crushed on one occasion or another, he's always been an optimist. Haern travels Kabola with hope in his heart, a lightness about him, and most of all: an itch for adventure. He isn't afraid to stop and smell the flowers or spend time playing with the local children in the streets while their parents work the days away.
He never asks for more than he needs, rarely desires what he doesn't already have, and enjoys a simple existence where he can embrace his deepest passion and fascination: fire whispering.
‡Open/Translucent‡
All his life, Haern has treasured the simplistic pleasure that comes from being up front with people. He's traveled far and wide, met thousands of people, seen millions of faces, and the one thing he's found changes the game in all these encounters is universal openness about who he is. He firmly believes that the world is filled with too much lying and too many crooks. He's learned throughout his life that several things make for a smooth sail across the open seas that are life and one of the most important is being open with any you may pass.
‡Hard Working‡
Growing up on a farm does wonders for a man's work ethic. Haern may have left the farm behind in his youth but he never lost his affinity for earning his worth. He's long believed that he needs to earn his keep, no matter where he goes and while he typically makes a living with his fire magicks, he's not above paying his due in sweat when the time comes. He never complains about it, but also isn't one to do the work of others who could very well do it themselves.
‡Honest/Sincere‡
Haern wasn't always an honest man. No, he was once a lying, scheming teenager with an affinity for trouble. It wasn't until he met his future wife, Khali, that he was made to change his ways and become the honest, moral man that he is today. It was through her love and his devotion to her that he came to know a life of honesty and all the bounty that came with it.
‡Brave‡
Much like he wan't always an honest man, he wasn't always a brave man. However, it wasn't his wife that brought about this change in him, rather it was the loss of his mother. When a young man loses his mother at the age of 14, like Haern did, that young man will quickly find himself in an orphanage or a barracks if he doesn't quickly make a way for himself. It takes great bravery and a great change in character to stay out of trouble the way Haern did, and that bravery stuck with him throughout the rest of his life as he ventured out into the open world to find his way.
‡Proud‡
When a man has little to nothing to his name, that man may quickly fall into a place of self defeat and low confidence. Haern didn't follow that path, however. Instead, he took what little he was given by his life and held it dear and near to his heart, walking with pride in what he did have, never looking at or longing for the things he may have wanted or needed in a different life. He takes pride in his independence, he takes pride in his past, he takes pride in his passions, and few could ever take that away from him.
✥History✥
‡ Born in the outskirts of rural Lortania, Haern was a commoner by any standards. He lived on a farm with his single mother, never knowing who his father was. He was raised to work hard, caring for the vegetable gardens and the hens from the tender age of 4 and growing into a stronger young man every day.
Growing up the son of a poor farming woman, Haern learned very quickly that hard work and a positive attitude were the only things that could get him anywhere in life. He grew up with a respect for labor and more so for any small bit of earnings that came into his possession. The land was his playground and despite never having any real toys growing up, he could always manage to find something to play with.
It was in these constant efforts to end his boredom that he first discovered his passion for fire. Yes, fire. He had one day stumbled across a lantern in the barn and nearby, a flint starting device. After igniting it, despite being forbidden from such a thing, he found himself amazed and dazzled by the tiny fire dancing about the wick. He had seen flames before, having plenty of candles in the house, but there was something so different about him having created the fire himself that drew out what would become a life-long obsession with fire.
As he grew, he began to learn to manage himself much more rapidly than most children from the city. Even by the age of ten he was expected to wake on his own and head out to begin his chores. His mother, after all, didn't have the time or the means to spend her days coddling her son, if she was to put food on the table she needed to work her hardest.
Despite his mother's lack of time, her love for him was never less than bountiful. Haern grew up working hard, with little freedom and a farm boy's care, but never without ample amounts of love. It was when his mother passed away in a sudden, tragic accident involving the hauling beasts that Haern learned just how much he valued his mother's love. Without her, he had no one.
He tried to stick around the farm, but not only was his passion for farming virtually non-existent, but the silence in his childhood home, now that his mother was no longer around, was painful. At the age of fourteen, he made the decision to sell the family farm to the kind neighbor, Crobin Groust, and head into the city to see what life may hold for him there.
By this time, he had spent several years whispering to fire, seeking its company on lonely nights when the darkness seemed too much so. He would often keep matches in his pocket so that he could practice dancing with the fire between his chores and by the time he head to the city, he had grown to be quite the little entertainer, knowing several unique and fun tricks that involve his manipulation of burning objects and of fire itself. He could breathe fire, he could spin it, he could dance with it. This talent earned him a pretty penny in the city and he felt a rushing joy and a wave of exhilaration each time he performed.
It was on a cool autumn day in Lortaine that he came across a beautiful young lady, sitting on a park bench, crying for she had been punished by her father for shaming him in front of business friends with a mistake in her piano playing. When Haern saw this woman, heartbroken and saddened, he could not help but stop and offer her some joy. He put on a beautiful display of fire dancing before bowing before her with a flaming rose in hand. When he blew it out, it held its perfect form, un-damaged by the fire. The girl, who introduced herself as Khali, would smile and thank him that day and after an afternoon spent together, Haern would find himself in love.
It wasn't until the age of 19 that he first discovered something about himself that he must have known about all along, deep down. It was during a performance in a city square when his matches refused to light his baton and people were beginning to boo and toss rotten foods at him that he desperately begged the image of fire that he had created in his mind for help.
"Just light, dammit! Just this once. I've been kind to you all these years, return the favor this once."
And somehow.. without the use of matches, the baton lit.
That was the day he discovered just how special he was. He ran back to tell his now girlfriend, Khali about his gift and decided it was best to keep it a secret, pretending to use matches and ignitors to keep his ability hidden from the guards of the city for it was well known that such powers were rare and neither of them knew what fate would await him if others found out.
So with this new secret, Haern and Khali lived their lives in relative comfort, dating casually at first but then finally marrying when Haern was 21 and Khali 19. The pair were deeply in love, and in fact if asked, they would say it was more than that... something that was somehow deeper or farther beyond the simple word.
Upon Khali's request, they returned to the farms outside Lortaine and lived a simple, quiet life. Khali loved the country and was content working hard, her husband by her side almost every day, save the occasions he ventured into the city to make some extra coin. They were happy, they were in the primes of their lives.
It wasn't until 6 years later that Haern would suffer loss once more, though loss of a different, more excruciating kind.
One spring morning, Haern awoke in a sweat, having had a nightmare that his house was burning, swallowed in angry flames that had betrayed him. When he turned to find comfort in his wife's grasp, he found nothing more than an empty bed. Panic surrounded him for a sickening feeling that something was not right seemed to fill the room. After searching the entire farm and asking all the neighbors, he found no sign of his beloved wife. He would scour the city and seek any word on her whereabouts for several days before realizing something wasn't right in the events that had unfolded.
Haern searched Lortaine for several more months before reaching a point of disbelief that he would ever find her within the walls of the city. It was on this day that he packed his bags and gave his farm to the neighbor that he would venture out as a traveler, expanding the search for his beloved Khali.
It wasn't long after he departed that he came across a companion, one who would become a dear friend, one who would become a comrade, in another time. His name Theolyn, and while Haern never revealed to him where or why he was travelling, the kind man never really cared to pry, rather kept good company and earned his keep.
Haern would keep searching for his wife, for a part of him knew she was still alive and knew she had not left on her own terms. Across Kabola he would look. In cities and towns, mountains and valleys, he would look. Until, that is, something pulled him away from his search and placed him in a fate crossed with dragons, a fate that he would grow to hate and love.‡
✥Abilities✥
‡
Rise of the Phoenix ‡
A trump card of sorts, when all begins to look grim and little can be done but the most drastic of move, Haern has the ability to swallow himself up in a massive veil of fire that explodes outward, engulfing all those who surround him, slaughtering his foes. However, this powerful move does not come without a price. With the foes, his friends may parish, so they must distance themselves greatly to avoid being hit. Furthermore, because of the raw, consuming power of the move, he must give up something to the fire in return: A piece of his soul, and thus, a piece of his dragon's soul. The ability can be used over and over again but each time, a small part of his aura is burned away, like paper burning away at its edges. After 10 uses, he feels the strengthening loss of who he is. After about 20 uses, his humanity is hanging on by a thread and he no longer knows the man he once was, or who he once wished to be.
‡
Embers of the Past ‡
This ability offers Haern the unique opportunity to view the memories stored within all things, from clothing, to homes, to people and animals themselves. When ignited and burned, the memories within these things are released and displayed in the flickering flames for Haern to observe. This can be valuable for attaining information from deceased foes, or useful in exploring the secrets in abandoned towns. The catch is, he must burn it to ashes to see the full memory, simply lighting it on fire with intent to extinguish it would anger his companion, the Fire. No, the object, person, or corpse must be offered until ash to the Fire for the memories to be revealed.
✥Strengths✥
‡
Wise & Traveled ‡
Enough time spent as an entertainer on the streets and several recent years spent searching for his wife have left him with street smarts, a know how of surviving encounters with crooked guards, a collection of experiences with lessons learned from them, and a mild knowledge bank of several towns and cities across Kabola.
‡
Witty & Adaptable ‡
Is started when he was a little boy making smart as comments to his mother and continued into his youth when he moved on to mouthing off the local guards. He's learned how to cover his ass all while having fun with a sharp tongue. There've been far too many times when his comments have gotten him in trouble, but he continues nonetheless.
‡
Affinity to Fire ‡
Ever since that fateful day when Haern was just a little boy lighting a lantern on his own for the first time, he's had an affinity for fire. He believes fire is alive and that it only bends to his will so because of his respect for it and because of the reverent manner in which he communicates with it.
✥Weaknesses✥
‡
Distracted by His Search for Khali ‡
Despite his desire to be fully dedicated to all that he does, he could never truly be so, for his heart lies with Khali and until he finds her, his heart will never truly be found.
‡
Not Particularly Strong ‡
Despite having spent most of his life on a farm, Haern simply doesn't have the genetics to be a brute. He's muscular, yes. He's lean and toned, yes, but he's never going to be physical fighter.
‡
Been Burned a Time or Two ‡
Years of working with fire have left Haern with a number of burns that are sensitive to heat, oddly enough. So when working with fire, he can cause himself greater than usual pain.
✥Relationships✥
‡
Khali, his lost wife ‡
‡
Theolyn, a companion on the road ‡
