Caractacus Stellarum

Name:* Caractacus Stellarum ("Car," or "Carack" for short; call him "Cracky" or similar at your own risk)



Age: 40

Gender: Male

Species: Winged human/avianid(*see link:http://www.eslin.proboards.com/index.cgi....splay&thread=59) half-breed

Location of Origin: Mountains to the north of Galdrenan; Many Avianids and a few humans live there.

Location in Dalisor : Areas B and C, and beginning to tend more to the Old City as he encounters troubles from using the magic bred into his avianid side, and that which was naturally wielded by his human forebears. He is considering joining The Rebellion, as without magic, he and his winged relatives simply would not exist.

Magic type:* White,Inborn Talents:1. Fire; both using it constructively and throwing it as an offensive weapon. Is also able to deflect others magic with it, but only to a low-level, finite point.2. Tracking/hunting/finding ; He is not completely incapable of losing a trail or his quarry, but he has tracked things that were thought impossible to track, and over terrain that should have been impossible to follow anyone or anything through. Can see quite clearly even in pitch darkness, like all Avianids (but somehow still manages to blunder around like the proverbial bull in the glassware cupboard, except in battle).3. Luck; not really a talent, but useful nonetheless, especially as he is a somewhat clumsy flier. (it is not unusual for him to be trailing someones washing afte rhim in midair, uless he is being stealthy)Learned magical skills: 1. Spellwork; skilled in the creation of elegant, easily-implemented spells, especially those used for combat or concealment. Is rather weak in complex spellwork.If Caractacus had been brought up in a predominately human-populated city, he would have become quite a powerful mage. As it is, he has great potential, but most of his power goes untapped, or it all inadvertently goes into one spell or talent attack (as in intending to cut a hole in a stone wall, but instead, melting the hole through almost instantaneously, or blasting it through, both with often embarrassing (and dangerous) consequence.

Weapon of choice: Car has 4 weapons that he prefers over any other:

1. Cavalry Saber; curved blade, scottish-style basket hilt. Uses it both conventionally and holding it backwards, the blade running at a slight angle to his arm, as he flies at his opponent; the slashing effect of the weapon's glancing impact is often devastating, sometimes even lethal, and always frightening for the enemy, especially when unexpected. He is coldly proficient with it, just like his avianid mother, but he does not use any of the Avianid limb blades, as he is just human enough in build for them to not fit him properly. The sword, when scabbarded, hangs in its scabbard by a loop sewn onto the hip end of the bandolier on which rests his revolver.

2. Revolver; a rather unique weapon, made by his blacksmith/gunsmith father; action is like that of a Colt-type revolver, but it's silhouette is that of a duelling pistol. A very sleek, very ornate, yet extremely accurate weapon. It bears in Avianid runes two inscriptions:A. on the spherical butt. Translates as "Seek the Heart of Evil"; on the barrel, just ahead of the cylinder gap, is the name of the weapon: "Trueflight." It hangs on a hook on the bandolier that hangs don to his left hip, inside his greatcoat.

3. Blunderbuss; a large-bore, short-barrel, pistol-grip type, which he loads most often with small-caliber pistol balls, and sometimes with single grenades (hollow cannonball type) which he makes when he can get the materials. it is not a very easily-used weapon "on the wing," as the law of "equal and opposite reactions" tends to take full effect, and has in fact knocked Car from the air a time or two; the blunderbuss hangs on his other bandolier or directly on his trousers from a belt hook, or from his shoulder on a sling, or from the junction of his supenders and his trousers, again on the belt hook.

4. Like many if not all Avianids, Caractacus is very fond of what most humans call The Shepherd's Sling; like all of his avianid relatives, he is deadly accurate with it. Muggers, footpads of all sorts, if he gets to loose the sling first before the other person strikes, that person will not get back up again for a time -- if at all. He wears the sling, like his brethren, wound around eithe rshoulder liek a military award or unit cord -- albeit under the cloak that conceals his wings.

Role: Gunsmith and Freelance Mercenary; has a shop in Level B.

Description:Caractacus is in his early 40s, and has developed a rather odd, yet intriguing mixture of gray, white, silver and dark brown hair. it tends to glint a bright silver no matter in what kind or quantity of light he stands in; it is almost as if the hair is luminescent all on its own (fortunately, it isn't. It just catches and transmits and reflects and refracts the light extremely well), but then up close on further examination, it reveals its true dark brown predominant color, interspersed between teh white and silver hairs. Of a rather well-muscled build, mainly because of his flyer's musculature (he ventures into the air whenever it is possible to do so without attracting undue attention). He is tall compared to most of the city's dwellers (although he conceals it; see wings below), and his dark brownish-violet eyes tend to attract seond looks, being an uncommon color.His wings are of the type commonly displayed by Owls, and are as aerodynamic; he can take off with such wings from a flat-footed stance, or glide off from the three-inch stoop outside the font door of his shop -- if he doesn't mind slamming into the wall across the street, of course, or misjudging the altitude and slamming into the cobbles; Physics does of course take it's toll in Avianid flight, as in everything else. He does however share the owl's alacrity with gliding off of seemingly impossibly-low perches that are higher than three inches; this is because his wings, when unfolded, are incredibly large in span and length in relation to his body, as are those of an owl. He hides this fact by forcing the label of 'hunchback" upon himself, Wearing at all times an all-enveloping red-and-yellow-brown cloak (the predominant color of his wings' feathers), relaxing his wings so that they nearly drag the ground, and hunching over to conceal the size of the supposed "hump."

Caractacus no longer contrives to conceal his wings; several exploits have made it plain that he has them, so he has come to the conclusion that hiding them would be ridiculous; besides, his dark brown wings are so feathered-cloak-like that most times people barely notice. them when they are folded cloak-fasion over his shoulders(just as owls normally fold their wings).

History: Avianid mercenary companies have begun cropping up in local campaigns in the countries around Eulysal, armed with similar blunderbusses to Car's, rifles, muskets, and specialized musketoon grenade guns, and have so far proven to be devastating in battle. Car was one of their number, a colonel, uin charge of a regiment (Hope Aerie Fusiliers) serving in a nearby principality (Dalysium), but he recently had a falling-out with a former-civilian Dalysian general of supply decided that he wanted to visit the city of Dalisor, so he resigned his commission(an air-infantry colonel), which allowance was included in his contract, and left the mercenary company.

At present, he is a gunsmith. He has also been named the "De Facto Avianid Ambassador, for the duration of the Investigation of the Spiral Cross Affair by Heinrich Richter, his cousin, to determine if interdiction, or a red crossbolt punitive invasion is necessary. Thus, the gunsmith shop, and the caverns below it are effectively Nordilonian soil for the duration of the investigation, and off limits to the Govt of Dalisor unless carack wishes it otherwise (which he has already done)They know about his wings, and most other things about him as well, so it is probably only a matter of time before he is found and forced 'underground," as it were. So ... He is concerned about the future, but just conscientious enough to not want to return to Royal service. Fortunately, he is also, like his human father, an excellent gunsmith, especially accomplished in reparing and designing magical firearms and thaumic devices(but he does not do so openly; such would be suicidal in Dalisor) He has recently set up shop in level B, on Precipice Lane, while he decides whether to get involved in the rebellion, or play it close to his vest with his magic, while avoiding the attention of the Royals if possible; however, he has of late been aiding random rebels who blunder into his shop while evading the Royal Guards and the Inquisition.