Charles Lightmagus

Background
Old Times

One day, The Allfather, Othinn, offered himself as a sacrifice to the Northern European World Tree, Yggdrasil. Hanging himself on the branch of the tree, and impaling himself with his own weapon, Gungnir, his spirit went on a unknown journey to discover a powerful and secret power. As he was on the verge of death, the Runes revealed themselves to him, and in an instant, the broken and lifeless body of the Nordic God breathed and lived, again, brimming with an immense and new power.

Using the Runes to consolidate his power, Othinn also gave the gift of runes to the mortals below, in Midgard. Many have seen the runes as a form of divination and blessings, yet only a selected few could see through their simple appearance.

Warriors, Shamans, Priests, Farmers, men and women that sought knowledge and power, gathered with a single purpose, unlocking the power of the runes. From there, clans were formed, and each members worked with purpose to discover the truth.

Through the ages, the runes took on new forms and meanings, more work was done in order to catalog the different families of runes and their purposes. And one day, this hard work paid off. Through discipline and understanding of the runes, some members were soon able to draw power from the runes themselves, invoking their forms to use magic.

After the 2nd Century, the various clans shared their knowledge and did their best to expand their power. They traveled around the European Continent, even going past the Oural Mountains.

They settled nearby various local settlements as to study in peace, while having a chance to test their power, to help the locals and repel the various threats that haunted the different countries.

The Clan Charles Lightmagus hails from settled in Skagen, in Denmark. The place was ideal as there was plenty of space to practice and the sea was a few feet away if there was a need to travel to other countries.

They approached the different villages around as healers and protectors, and were considered a boon by the locals. They assisted the sick and wounded in time of needs, blessed the ones in need and protected them against Hiidet, evil spirits and other creatures that would try to harm them. They were famous in repelling Draugr that would haunt the surroundings.

The name the clan received was mostly in part of their use of the Rune of Sowulo, the Sun, to guide the fishermen and raiders boats in the dark of the night as well as their common use of magic in their daily lives, managing the feat of being able to live without sustenance and controlling their aging, with clever use of the Laguz and Inguz Runes, as well as the Fehu Rune.

Unfortunately, the rising Jarls and men of power did not see the clan of magicians with a good eye. They were upset that they refused to share their secrets, and they objected in being used as an asset for their petty conflicts, although they had enough power to overwhelm a hardened band of soldiers.

It was during the 10th and 11th century that the multiple clans around the countries would suffer a terrible blow. The spread of Christianity around these parts have given a golden opportunity for would be kings to take control over multiple territories. With missionaries and other counselors at their side, the Lords converted to Christianity and started purging the Old Faith around the land.

The Clan of Skagen was wary enough to hide itself from potential threats and avoided the purge for a certain time. Until a letter from the clans of Scandinavia arrived. They called for a meeting with all clan members present. Worried, the magicians from Skagen packed up their belongings, books, scroll and tools, and went on a boat to Norway, to Viken. Right into the jaws of the beast.

When they arrived at the designed location, they were ambushed by Olaf Tryggvason's army. The King of Norway saw Christianity as a tool to unite the different countries and make a true kingdom, and he was fervent in exterminating anything related to the Old Faith, as it was a symbol for his opponents.

Although the power of the runes were great, the sheer numbers of soldiers overwhelmed the magicians, already baffled by the tortures and slaughters their fellow clans suffered. The Christians missionaries were all too happy to get rid of the magicians and proceeded to wipe them out of history by attacking their precious archives. Centuries of hard work and knowledge turned to ashes made the magicians snap.

They saved what could still be salvageable and rescued the few survivors left from the onslaught. The small number of magicians still alive quickly left Scandinavia and headed past the Ural Mountains to settle in Siberia, deep in the north in the cold wastes. They completely isolated themselves from the outside, eliminating any intruders that would step in their hideout and attempted to rebuild what was lost.

It was not a surprise when the most isolationist members took over the leadership, going as far as punishing anyone that remotely attempted to leave the safety of the hideout. It did not stop some of the most adventuring magicians to leave and try their luck, but the place remained safe and hidden to the rest of the world.

Present Time

Charles was born during the 20th Century, in 1935, a few years away from World War II. Descending from the Clan of Skagen, he was raised with the few other child safely from within the hideout, away from the changes that occurred outside the safety of the hideout.

While he was certainly showing a good amount of potential, he was often clashing with the leaders of the clan, more often than not, sneaking outside the village and going great distance to pick up interesting books, newspaper or sometimes pieces of human technology. He was often punished of course, but the Clan Elders believed his habit was due to his young age and it would pass with enough time.

He didn't calm down, reading the few pages of history left from the Old Age, when the Old Faith was still prominent, he often asked for permission to travel to Europe, with the hope of finding shards of their history, and perhaps restoring their knowledge of the runes and the staves.

Angered, the Elders demanded that he submits to them and forget about his project. Unfortunately for them, Charles knew that they would not approve and before they could stop him, the young magician left with valuables copies from the archives and never returned.

Although he made his choice, Charles had trouble adapting outside from his clan, more often than not, he had a hard time hiding his presence well enough from some humans and ran away when he was spotted. He was also attacked by wild Hiidet during his travels, and his inexperience often got him in a bad spot.

The difficulties he encountered allowed him to mature quickly, yet he was losing his strength. He was getting pessimistic about his chances when he finally reached his destination. Proud that he still made the travel, he quickly panicked when he was ambushed by humans, seemingly aware of who he was.

Fortunately, none was hurt, Charles summoning the Sowulo Rune to blind his opponents, the mentor of these shamans in training quickly revealed himself, recognizing the power that was demonstrated.

The High-Priest of the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance and one of his Chieftain, Dzintars Lielais appeared before Charles, able to remember the old magic he was using and properly invited him to join the RSA as a member, to benefit from a certain protection and the freedom to practice and improve his magic in a controlled environment. There was no second thought for Charles and he joined quite happily.

Now Charles serves as an agent of the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance, believing he owes a debt to the organization for allowing him to look through their archives and for their teachings. He is more than willing to repay this debt by helping in controlling unruly Hiidet and keeping a watchful eyes on other magical beings.

Personality
Charles's curiosity is what drove him to explore the world in the first place, yet after his travel, he somewhat toned it down, balancing it with a certain caution around the unknown. He strives to better himself in any possible way and will always make an effort, even though it is sometimes completely unnecessary.

He firmly believes in honor and loyalty, hence his main reason why he sticks to the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance is that he believes he must repay them for their kindness, though he admits it also help him in his own selfish goals. He will try to repay any kind gestures offered to him though he show a certain caution to whom he makes such promises.

He often tries to remain placid to the events that can happen around him but may often fail to hide his surprise or impatience in the face of certain oddities. He is mostly formal with people he doesn't know or are superior to him but adopts a more simple tone when he is with people he trusts.

Much to his shame, he is rather short, barely a meter and a half and certainly has a weak liver to go with his height. He can barely stomach alcohol and more often than not, try to politely refuse invitations for such beverage. On another note, he loves sweet drinks and often have a few in his bag when he is on the move.

Power/Combat
Invocation of the Runes

Charles uses the Runes as his main form of attack and defense. They are normally separated through different families of Runes, like the Elder Futhark, Young Futhark, Anglo-Saxon, Northumbrian, Gothic and Medieval Runes.

The highest form of the Runes can be summoned under the Runes of the Hávamál, which are set of runes gathered into Charms, which provide powerful effects for the one that summoned them. For example, the Ninth Charm of the Hávamál, which use Gebo, Ansuz and Raidho runes allow him to fly through a certain control of the wind. (Although he can control himself pretty well in the air, his speed is poor if is not directly above sea.)

The Runes provides Charles with a lot of benefit, able to strengthen himself, set up defenses and impair an opponent's ability. Thinking outside the box with the runes meaning often allows Charles to use them to the best of their potential, as well as combining them together for more effects.

Charles can summon the runes directly through spoken words or drawn signs. However, he will often use stones engraved with Runes that he will throw around on the field to save some time and energy.

When he has yet to learn and master all of the runes, Charles does quite well with what he already have.

Magical Staves

The Magical Staves are Charles's second specialty, often used to compliment his arsenal of runes, covering grounds they cannot. They have to be properly drawn to get full effect but will provide a certain help when summoned.

However, most of the Staves themselves do not give a direct advantage in a fight, as such, they are mostly used in advance, for traps, or to prevent harm on somebody.

Their blessings remain beneficial but Charles will often prioritize the runes in a fight than using a Stave, as they can only be drawn and often leave him vulnerable when trying to properly cast one.

Hammer and Chisel

Charles's tools when he is crafting his runes in advance for latter use, can also be used in emergency for a fight, more likely hanging at his belt.

The Hammer is engraved with Fehu and Eihwaz to help Charles when he is crafting the runes. It also reinforce the Hammer itself and can certainly hurt a careless attacker due to its surprising durability and strength.

The Chisel is engraved with Sharpening Staves as to help it retain its solidity. It is also capable of cutting or piercing with the tip if one is not careful.

Spellcards
((WIP))

Major
Dzintars Lielais : Charles is certainly grateful to the High-Priest of the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance for showing him the way and helping him in time of need. He is also a role model, somewhat, to the younger magician who strives to reach new heights.

Minor
Othinn : Charles pays his respect to the Norse Gods, in particular to Othinn, since the Allfather discovered the Runes and is still keeping their knowledge with him. Although Charles has yet to meet the God in person, he wish he could see him one day and learn from him and his past.

Sarvik : Another Chieftain from the Romuva-Suomenusko Alliance and a very skilled magician as well. Charles has often met Sarvik on different occasions and notably mimicked with his runes some of Sarvik's spells. Yet Sarvik's chaotic behavior often annoy the younger magician and most of the time, prefer to avoid him if possible.