Tianxia:Sarvik

''WEIRD! WEIRD! WEIRD! EVER WEIRD! Listen to Sarvik of the woolly white hair, and lolling red tongue!''

Such was the verse that Nishergurgje, the long-gone Hiisi wizard-shaman, called out in an incense-filled tent centuries before our time, as the little Sami children prepared to listen close to the tales of wonder from cliff-bound Estonia. In a modern perspective, the deeds and tales of Sarvik are certainly worthy of being recounted in their entirety, as it is only fitting that he is to be repaid for his duty as a weaver of verses. Rewarding the doings of a man who has contributed much to the world of academic literature must also be considered.

On that note, Sarvik is a formerly-human shaman hailing from Estonia at least before the 1st Century AD. Have you ever ruminated upon the thought of becoming the wind that blows through the trees, or the water that casts itself in gleaming exuberance by means of a winding river? The words of Baltic shamans reflect this very goal, and many have attributed this to their practices. Of course, few can veritably achieve this, though that is where Sarvik arrives in our tales. He is a shaman who has not only become part of nature, but has risen to a connection with a higher order than the terrestrial world, associated with one of Heaven's World Trees in his immortality. His achievements have earned him a leading position among the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance, and perhaps of more immediate importance, the right to be the servant of Veles, the Eastern European god of death.

Nonetheless, we have only begun to scratch the surface of describing Sarvik's characteristics. He is a complicated being that can be as jolly and benevolent as ever upon initial inspection, but harbors dangerous eccentricities and a unique worldview.

Background
'''I am working on an epic that tells of the life of Sarvik. I'm not sure when I'll finish it.'''

Personality
Interacting with Sarvik is almost akin to interacting with someone who could have all manner of terrible things happen to them or their friends in their long life, but still manages to somehow remain positive and happy. Despite having a past of tumult and unfortunate events that would have made someone rather bitter and cynical, Sarvik has never been depressed, possessing a will so strong that nothing could make him unhappy for a long period of time. In mundane situations, his degree of joviality could be considered both irksome and poisonous, for it could conspire to make others angrier when they are feeling terrible, or cause a veneer of good feeling to make itself known among those who he interacts with, perpetrating much in the way of unwise decisions.

On the contrary, Sarvik inwardly does not try to make people unhappy, but tries in earnest to promote joy. He is incredibly theatrical and riddle-ridden in his speech, and loves to make rather rude jokes in certain situations. At the same time, he will still have a smile on his face even when his comrades or friends are suffering, for he always finds it important to remain as such. To him, it is his own enjoyment of life that matters most, turning every action into an opportunity for having some sort of fun. Most of the time, he even finds things that hurt him to somehow be an "interesting" experience (it's not an experience that he particularly truly enjoys, however). In this way, some would consider him to be insane, finding even the most obnoxious or harrowing things in the world to be of "interest".

He is not always happy, however - he can be extraordinarily unpredictable for fairly long moments if the right cards are played. He may indeed lash out with magic at someone he is interested in while delivering little warning, and in the times he does get angry, he tends to act with great violence. Sarvik mostly does this around individuals who are at least around his level of experience, as he finds it unwise (for lack of a better term) to create unnecessary hassles with those of extreme power. Nevertheless, he is not entirely above doing that in the right situation... he is indeed strange.

He may unintentionally deceive someone who thinks that he is a relatively serious person, being someone who at least is quite old and skilled. Around people who are discussing something of importance, though, he is more likely to be serious than to be whimsical, due to the fact that he sees good opportunities to act in a certain way as not to pass up.

As a shaman, he is more than willing to help others on their paths to becoming fellow summoners and invokers of spirits. In fact, if one were to meet him, he would likely ask if they were at all interested in shamanism, perhaps performing a ritual for them with his magic drum.

Power/Combat
Sarvik is rather dangerous when it comes to combat, and not in the least because he unpredictably challenges individuals with little warning. As a relatively old magician, he knows quite a bit about alchemy, invoking spirits, creating illusions, and a multitude of other things. He can weave complicated spells and seals with frightening accuracy, making him a force to be reckoned with. He will smite his foes with just a knife in their footprint, or trap them in a cube filled with illusions of the most brain-squelching kind. Veles himself taught Sarvik about magic for more than a thousand years, giving him quite a bit of time to hone his skills. He is considered by that same god to be one of the most skilled Volkhvy in existence, a title given to those who sought out Veles to become magicians.

His physical strength and prowess in hand-to-hand combat can be quite deceiving to some, for he does indeed have a fair bit of experience with ringen wrestling, and has had to call upon such skills in the past. In some instances, he had to blend in with the Livonian Order, and thus had a great opportunity to train under medieval German fight masters. While he may not be as physically strong as those with overwhelmingly superhuman strength, he is more than capable of balancing this out with superior dexterity and agility. Furthermore, as a Velho of the Finnish tradition, his skill with bow and arrow cannot be left out. He normally employs said tools for both war and for specific trapping and binding spells.

Manipulation of Focus
A byproduct of years of intense study and drinking a special brew made by Veles, Sarvik is able to manipulate certain aspects of a concept known as focus. Most notably, he is capable of directing the focus of an individual upon meticulously-designed illusions, filling their senses with baffling distractions and hallucinations. In other situations, he could cause an opponent (or even himself) to focus upon an impossibly small point somewhere in the vicinity. In terms of offense and defense, this could direct pinpoint-accuracy attacks upon a certain part of a body or structure, attacking known weak points, or disperse an incoming attack that is already highly focused. For example, Sarvik can fire an extraordinarily thin laser with an immense amount of energy packed into the beam - this magic will cut through even other magical attacks or barriers.

Absolute Immortality
The more direct result of Sarvik drinking the brew made by Veles was the separation of his very soul from the cycle of life and death, granting him total immortality. In this way, Sarvik simply cannot die, no matter what happens to his physical body or spirit. This helps him greatly when he challenges people who are extremely skilled, allowing him chances to learn from his own mistakes that others would simply never have. In this way, he can continue enjoying testing the abilities of others until he is sealed, drained of stamina, or fettered in some other way such that he cannot act.

Weapons and Artefacts

 * Helisevad Ringi: (lit. "Resonant Circle") A drum made from the tanned hide of a Hiisi deer from the far North reaches of Lapland. When one strikes its symbol-covered surface and connects their soul to it, it can allow said person to connect with the spirits of any land they are on. In Sarvik's case, he can transport himself to the Netherworld with such an item, or use it to cover himself in a "cloak" of whatever landscape he resides upon, aided by the corresponding environmental spirits. This is contrary to some other shamans, who would use such a thing to transform themselves into animals.


 * Čielgi: (lit. "Spine") A staff, formerly in the possession of the Hiisi magician Nišergurǧe, that is made from a branch derived directly from a woodwose. Due to the special variety of anthropomorphic symbols carved upon the staff, it can be used as a venerable channeling and storage medium for destructive magic, able to knock back vast numbers of opponents with blast waves or send swaths of magical bullets after them.


 * Collection of Alchemical Manuscripts: Sarvik owns a rather diverse collection of alchemical manuscripts that ended up in the coffers of Estonian libraries over the centuries, and he even authored many of them.

Major

 * Veles: The Eastern European god of death continues to see Sarvik as his most useful follower, treating him almost like one of his own brothers. Veles enjoys Sarvik's kindred whimsical nature, which is the very reason that he keeps him as his highest servant. He will likely assist Sarvik in whatever spiritual manner he needs within reason, though it is rather rare for Sarvik to call upon him.


 * Dzintars Lielais: Dzintars is forever indebted to the efforts of Sarvik, for it was he who journeyed to the Netherworld to retrieve his forlorn spirit not long after he died. Sarvik sees Dzintars as one of the keys to protecting humans in the Baltic, and founded the Organization of Great Baltic Wizards alongside him and Nišergurǧe. Dzintars is often willing to cope with Sarvik's mundane insanity, sometimes even going along with it if the time is right. He knows that under all of that bubbly exterior lies an individual who is more than wise enough to undertake political matters.


 * Jakamas: The relationship between Sarvik and Jakamas is truly a strange one. The Amber Wizard often finds himself unable to cope with Sarvik's personality, and is often challenged to a battle. Sarvik can rather easily get on Jakamas's nerves, but Jakamas realizes that he does this to train him in magical doings. In addition, having a connection with one of the Hells is extremely important to Jakamas, for it brings in unprecedented revenue and solid connections. Therefore, Jakamas sees Sarvik as a sort of necessary evil.

Minor

 * Yuyuko Saigyouji: Sarvik often visits the Netherworld via his magical drum, which inevitably causes him to interact somewhat with the mistress of that realm. Yuyuko has few, if any, problems with Sarvik, especially due to the fact that he is quite positive and joking in most situations.


 * Garmē Āutrās: Oddly enough, Garme also has great respect for Sarvik. He sees his outlook on life as one that is fueled by an overpowering will to survive against the odds, undeterred by whatever may happen in the future. The Bearer of the Brazen and Ferrous needs a person like that in a leading position among the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance.

Trivia

 * Sarvik never really had an original name to begin with, but he will respond to being called Tagasi Tamme, or "Oaken Back" by some higher beings. This is likely due to his association with the Austras Koks, because he ingested small amounts of its bark when he drank a brew to become immortal.


 * Keeping with his title, Sarvik may loll his tongue back and forth when using his magic drum. It is unknown why he does this, but some have found it absolutely hilarious - hypnotic, even.


 * Beneath his hood lies long, silvery hair and antlers that sprout from Sarvik's skull.


 * Sarvik is the same individual as Rokita, one of the consorts of Nyja (Veles) in Polish mythology.