(no subject)

[magicalarchaeologist]

OOC INFORMATION

Player Name: Dee
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact: waftingcurtains on plurk
Other Characters in Game: Jesper Fahey and Jayce Talis. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to put in this app, whether or not it works out!

IC INFORMATION

Character Name: Istredd
Canon: The Witcher (Netflix)
Canon Point: End of Season 2
Age: 80s
Background: Witcher Wiki

Arrival Scenario: Thorne

Suitability: As I mentioned in my original pitch, Istredd's main focus in his long life has been on learning the history of his world, both magical and non-magical, and he is particularly obsessed with monoliths or unusual magical formations that defy explanation. Recently he came to find out that his original concept of the world was incorrect, as were his assumptions about what the monoliths were. He researched the Conjunction of the Spheres, an incident in history that affected the entire multiverse, theoretically. It is how monsters got into their realm. He figured out that the way he viewed the Conjunction was incorrect, that the monoliths were instead conduits and gateways to the other spheres.

This is relevant to the game in two major ways: The Multiverse is not unknown to Istredd! In fact, he's been thinking about it for a long time and firmly believes that at least multiple spheres/worlds in their universe are connected or were at one point. So this situation is one that will not surprise him in the least, causing him to be potentially a helpful voice in explaining the situation. This could be for new characters who don't know what is going on, or even for current characters who haven't thought about details like that and would be interested.

The other major way is that the Singularity will be a huge deal to him, considering it is also a mysterious magical entity formed like a monolith that may be connected to all other universes. Consider this catnip to Istredd. He will be very reverent and intrigued by it, wishing to study it and understand it. If this becomes possible as a route for him, in an ideal world I would like him to make a connection to the Singularity perhaps on a spiritual or emotional level. Maybe it can sense that he genuinely cares for it and is loyal and vibes with that energy. Maybe his connection to the monoliths in his world will be understood by the Singularity. If that is not possible, he will still symbolically be into it and curious.

Istredd is a proactive man used to following his hunches in his studies. He will not sit idly by. While he will respect the rule of law, he will do what he can to make connections and try to earn the respect of the local mages. His goal will be to get to the Singularity, whether that comes from natural RP in our plots/mingles, or through plot development directly with the mods. He could be an exceptionally good ally for the mages in Thorne due to his intelligence, research capability, and a very open mind. Not to mention his passion for the subject and willingness to play the game to get there. He will consider the Singularity a big picture problem, worth going after answers from.

He will also be intrigued to learn more about the arcana here since runes are a big deal in the Witcher world and he knows about it there. So Istredd will be interested in what makes this world tick; the arcana, the magic, the history, and the Singularity. Despite the fact he gets tired of politics after too long, Istredd is good at playing the game in order to get to his end results. He has spent many long years working for and beside mages in the political sphere so he understands how to do it. He's had to convince people to let him follow his studies, so he can charm where he has to.

Beyond that very pragmatic approach to the magic and Singularity aspects of the game, Istredd is a wise man and a skilled mage. In time he could come to be a helpful tutor to others, and very interested in learning the magic of this world to blend the two together. While he tends to do most of his work by himself, he is not introverted or hesitant to connect with others, people just generally don't like the subjects he does! He will be glad to connect with other people here about the situation and learn more about other realms.

Powers: Istredd is a well-taught and powerful mage with a variety of skills.

His strongest is in psionics, mind-based magic. Istredd has telekinesis, telepathy, and telempathy (telepathy and empathy mixed together), all of that he is an expert in and uses freely.** He uses telekinesis as a rare attack spell and also to create a sort of shield around himself when in danger, as he did when he met Geralt. As a trained student in the Brotherhood, Istredd has a working knowledge and skill of using all the elements, including wind, fire, earth, and water. The element he uses the most is earth/geokinesis because of his work in archaeological digs. He can also create vivid illusions and maintain them. He has knowledge of the Divination arts and reading prophecy, but it is not a skill he knows well.

Like all mages from his world, Istredd can create portals** that he can use to jump from different kingdoms or allow other people to go through themselves. Istredd knows how to create portals that are impossible to track or follow, although that art is based on his world.

**OOC: It should be noted that any telepathy or telempathy I use in game will always be 100% cleared with another player, it will never be assumed without explicit permission. I will put an opt-in/opt-out option up as well for people to use.

I understand that in this game the portals are limited and no one can go with him and he will not be able to portal to other factions or to forbidden areas.

PERSONALITY QUESTIONS

Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.

One of Istredd's long question marks while going about his life was whether he and Yennefer could make a relationship work. They were very young when they first got involved and both betrayed one another, although his was far more severe by telling her secret elf heritage. He wanted them to make a life together, but her ambitions were higher than his. For decades afterward, Istredd attempted to get transferred to her court and find a way to get back to her, thinking time could heal their fractured hearts, but she refused each and every time. Eventually, Istredd focused upon his own life and what he wanted to make of the world.

A defining moment for Istredd was when he was at an archaeological dig researching a "magnalith" and he'd been very focused on his goal of understanding monoliths and the history of the continent. He made connections among the Nilfgaardians and the workers there, finding satisfaction in his work. Yennefer appeared out of nowhere to try and make amends.

She came to him with regrets for having chosen power and ambition over love, feeling like now she was ready to commit herself to a happier path. Istredd of decades ago, perhaps even years before this point, would have enthusiastically taken her up on it, so glad to be reunited that nothing else mattered. Instead in the face of everything he wanted before, Istredd calmly rejected her offer, partly because he has found other things in his life to love and commit himself to, and because he knew in his heart that she would not like the life he led. He also still believed that Yennefer would choose power over everything and everyone else, and he had no proof to the contrary. Even if they tried again, he suspected she would follow the same path, and it's not with him.

Their time was behind them, and Istredd was now happy with the path he chose and the future he saw for himself in research and magic. He walked away from her and focused on his work. Eventually, it led him to find out the true nature of monoliths and follow the path of a certain Princess Cirilla, so he chose what was right for him.

Does your character have a moral code, or other set of standards they try to live by?

This can be a complicated question for the mages in the Witcher universe because they are very long-lived and they are purposely placed into positions to either encourage power or guide the powerful. Sorceresses are sent to kingdoms to serve their leaders, and the mages are meant to get involved in the workings of the world. Time keeps moving for everyone around them, but they never grow older. Because of this it can get easy to detach from the mortality of others, and for mages to see only their goals rather than the people they use along the way.

Istredd has put himself directly into the world of the every day person. While working on his dig, he listened to the people of the kingdoms and heard how they felt about the people in power. He came to care for them and worry about their safety, and make certain they had good working conditions wherever possible. He felt like it was a group effort. Istredd also shows this streak of compassion when he worries about the elves being slaughtered and goes to Cintra to help them escape the violence and racism chasing them.

So Istredd's moral code is more about him trying to remember that life matters, and how you live your life also matters. Mages get very bogged down in power struggles, and he refused to do that, and he judges the mages in his world who care only for themselves and no one else. It should be noted though that while Istredd's motives seem pure, and even he might think they are, he is willing to compromise with bad people to get there, such as partnering with the conquering Nilfgaard.

He is not someone who wants power, he wants enlightenment. He wants to make the world better rather than worse. He wants to find a way for them not to make the same mistakes his historical studies put out there. His world is complicated and it involves betrayals and murder and monsters, so he knows a perfect utopia is impossible. He'll settle for one with less genocide. But moral is not a word he would use for himself. He's willing to compromise a lot for what he considers the bigger picture but often considers it justified to do so.

What quality or qualities do they admire most?

Istredd admires bright minds, but they don't have to be studious like him. They can be shrewd or clever or street smart, so mostly it is anyone who can actually use their brain. He admires open-minded people who are willing to accept that they don't understand everything. He does lean toward a preference to other intellectuals and researchers, he's allowed to have favorites, but anyone with a working mind is accepted.

Istredd appreciates honesty; there are few things he hates more than dishonest behavior or passive aggressiveness. He came to really despise his former mentor Stregobor because of how aggressively the man uses disinformation to get his way, purposely telling the wrong historical tales that would fit his narrative. Istredd always wants to get to the truth, he has very little time for quibbling over it.

Do they have a part of themselves they dislike? Istredd has the downfall of a lot of academics which is when he sees things through a distant lens as facts, rather than allowing himself to connect to it emotionally. He betrayed Yennefer's trust in a terrible way when they were young, informing his mentor of her elf blood which was secretly told to him. While he knew it would hurt her, he felt like intellectually it was the best course of action. He let his logic win out over his empathy and it cost him the love of his life. He had created this fiction in his mind about what they could be together, and that his actions would help them get that.

Istredd also made the pragmatic choice of hitching his star to his mentor Stregobor, something he deeply regrets. While it made sense to partner with a man who trained him and held the power in their group, and it did lead him to get the things he wanted like permission to go on digs and study monoliths, it also meant he had to accept he partnered with someone cruel and vicious. He has made distasteful deals in order to get what he wants, and he keeps doing so, even if he has sharply rebuked his former mentor in public for changing the facts of history to suit his purpose. It doesn't change that he will forever be associated with the man, or that he betrayed his first love to him and it will always hurt her because of it.

Most recently, Istredd made a similar decision based on the information he has about Princess Cirilla. In the pathway to understanding the monoliths and how one was destroyed, he followed the bloodline of Cintra and found out she was special, she had Elder blood. In his logical mind, it made perfect sense for him to seek out the elves and tell them that their savior may actually exist. He wants to help the elves, he wants to share the information he has that could change the world. But he may be falling into the same trap of thinking about things logically and not being compassionate. He sees Ciri as symbolically a means to an end, not as an individual. So in many ways, Istredd has not changed.

In his way, he believes he has changed because he sees this as him trying to help other people. But he has a huge blindspot and slight arrogance in thinking his way is the best way. He hates small talk and he is quite bad at it, which means he is not a good politician. Sometimes he thinks if he was better at it, he could have made better changes to the other mages and challenged Stregobor more directly, but he never put in the effort, and he just leaves/runs when it's useful to him.

What is their sign, and why? The High Priestess. Istredd is first and foremost a knowledge-seeker. While his peers were working on magic and diplomacy and power plays, Istredd was focused on learning everything he could about history and finding the truth in the world. While he does have specific interests like archaeology and understanding the monoliths, this came from him really observing a lot of subjects first, following his research until it became a passion. He is wise and careful and would not act without considering all the facts.

SAMPLES & ARRIVAL

Samples: 1 with Claire Novak, Top level with 9 comments from me, the Yennefer one is 5!