Stormcrow
The line of Birch is an old magic lineage dating back to the 16th Century in Essex County. The first recorded member of the line was Abigail Birch, who was tried and executed in the First Chelmsford Witch Trials, survived by her son and daughter Fineas and Matilda. The family suffered losses through the subsequent witch trials and were hunted to the brink of extinction by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins. The only surviving son of Birch, Caleb, moved to Highwood and built his own Coven, which survives to this day on the Estate of Birch in the manor known as Greywind Heights. Eli Birch is the latest and youngest member of the family, and is a hunter of supernatural aberrations. Sanctioned by The Trismegistus Council, Eli travels the world abolishing mysticism and magicks which he deems impure or perverse. He is called Stormcrow.
Upon first inspection, Eli is a pristine and well-kept young man in his mid-twenties with a strong and toned build. His clothes are always pressed, and he generally has a distinctive dark spice & woody smell with light notes of lemon and coriander. He moves slowly and deliberately with an air of confidence and grace. His accent is distinctly English and would best be described as the 'received pronunciation'. He speaks with a soft voice in a cool baritone. With hawkish eyes he surveys people and settings with an air of deep inspection and penetrative interest. Although, easy to cast a smile, his lighter expressions are anything but. He casts a shadow of intensity that some may find intimidating.
Eli Birch is not a hero, nor does he wish to be. His attitude can come off as arrogant, and often is. He has an instant respect for the 'purer' magic users he encounters, but little patience at all for technomages, or any 'new-fangled affront to decent arcane practice,' as he would say. Inane humor or wanton disrespect for civilized conversation, he finds ghastly. Silliness is a trifle he has no time to indulge. And his brand of impatience can come across as rudeness or anger. Refusing to be annoyed, he'll often leave a situation rather than tolerate something he perceives to be beneath him.
The warlock is not evil. In fact, he would find the notions of good and evil to be wasted labels. He is efficient and pragmatic and he believes in strength, primarily arcane, but also physical. He believes in ritual, decorum, ceremony, and a strict adherence to station and duty.
In terms of personal philosophy, Eli is an egoist, not to be confused with an egotist! He believes each being should have only one ultimate aim: his own well-being. In his heart, he perceives all actions as being birthed from self-interest and that there is no true altruism. To this end, he works very hard to achieve that which he wants and takes little care or notice of those who may be stepped on in the process. This is not born of malicious intent, but of an intense need to do and be better. His ultimate goal is to become the next Archmage - whatever it takes...
Eli is a well-studied and proficient warlock in a number of magical disciplines. However, his skills are exceptional in harnessing primal energy. Through summoning rituals he can call upon arcane arcs of red lightning to pummel his foes. He affectionately refers to this unleashed energy as blood lightning, though no actual blood is involved in the rituals. In addition, a particular joy of Eli's is to tear at the fabric of reality and release energy from the lower realms. Through powerful circles of hieroglyphs and mystical graces he can add protection to himself and those around him, should he happen to find himself among allies. He's uninterested in alchemy or potion making and finds reagents to be tools of lesser witches. However, he's not above using focussing mantras to strengthen his connection to mystic powers.
Through a connection to older darker magic, Eli is able to summon wings of shadow to wrench him from gravity's pull and soar above the Earth. This ability came to him as a child and lead to the moniker Stormcrow. He is also able to disapparate into a ball of 'blood lighting' for more dramatic entrances and exits.
In summation, Eli follows several styles of sorcery - Hermetic Ritual magic, Taoist Wizardry, and shamanism. Although Eli prefers theurgy and thaumaturgy to crafts such as alchemy and especially the usage of magical artifacts, his 'style' of magic would most accurately be described as witchcraft. His current quest to become Archmage has him finalizing tasks for the Counsel, seeking to learn the Quaternion Banishment, and primarily finding a way to recieve gifts of power from the gods of Faerie, Babylon, Elysium, and the Netherworld.
Eli left the comforts of his estate in Highwood for one purpose only... He is seeking to destroy the elemental construct, Kyse Drayson. While the counsel deliberates the fate of the incarnate ark, Eli has deemed the teenager an abomination and seeks to return that primal energy to its proper place. As yet, this mission is unfulfilled.
While in the City, however, the witch has found the locals to be amusing enough. While not one for 'making friends' per se, he has found a certain familiarity with a few colorful individuals. And a carnal distraction here and there has always fit his bill. While romance in its strictest definition is wasted on him due to his drive for success and power within the counsel, he finds certain individuals fascinating. He is not above a few wanton nights of pleasure here and there. Too much emotional connection, however, will have the warlock moving on.
One note: He finds heroics to be a waste of time and talent. Acts of goodness (or evil for that matter) that are not based in agenda and purpose - leaning towards a grander design - really bore him. In fact, he finds it downright irritating.
Most likely Eli is wearing well-pressed street clothes if you encounter him. However, when casting he is a fool for formality. He has ritual summoning clothing which he is a stickler for wearing when magic is afoot. He also has a great appreciation for theatrics and inspiring fear in his targets. In extreme need, he also has access to the Birch Family mage armor, which has been passed through the generations and improved upon with each subsequent Birch. This armor is entirely too gaudy for Eli's taste, but he's not above wearing it should the need arise.
Most times, however, an immaculately pressed suit fits the bill.
Endure the East Wind - A crossover event. (in progress)
- This character was intended to be an NPC for story-telling purposes of another character. However, I rolled him up as a whim and had a great time so he made the cut.
- Eli isn't really nice. But he isn't really mean either. If you encounter him,prepare to be flirted with. But don't get discouraged if he wanders off. His player probably just used Eli's bad attitude as an excuse to go watch some TV.
- This character is not in need of 'redemption'. He isn't interested in it. That said, he may have some things to learn about the world to broaden his perspective or link him more profoundly to the rest of humanity. His encounters and the level of RP that occurs will define his future.
- Anyone who wishes to know of Eli or his family, please feel free to do so. Send a tell ahead of time if you would like Eli to recognize your character in return. Or just jump into the RP and we'll see where it takes us.
- Lore junkies, don't have a cow. Although Eli's intent is to become the next Archmage, his driver has no intentions of trying to roleplay that he IS the next Archmage. This is simply the character's driving impetus.
- If you are looking for an adversary for say...an unhinged demonling character, or someother mystical malconstruct that perhaps Eli would be hunting down, please PM me in game! The idea of PC adversaries sounds like great fun!
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