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Symon Myst - rimmermac - 02-23-2015
Here's Symon's write up with a bit of deviation from where is started, much shorter than it was intended to be:
SYMON MYST
Symon is the second child born to a merchant household in the town of Solare. His father comes from a lineage that brags of importance and wealth. His family has distant connections to the influence bragged about but the wealth remains. They also brag highly talented and skilled individuals, often being some of the best and most skilled in their chosen professions, including the not so reputable ones. It has often been remarked by people that his father’s family had been blessed by the gods themselves.
An older brother and two younger sisters rounded out Symon’s immediate family. His brother handsome and strong found his calling in the military. His younger sister found her skills in the merchant trade like their parents and was being groomed to take over the family business and the youngest of the family was blessed with an ability of singing and storytelling. Symon had no such recognizable gift. He was comfortable around people but not like his parents or sister. He wasn’t particularly strong nor had as much talent in music or performance as the baby, in fact he didn’t stand out in any way. In most company he would have stood above the rest but in a family such as his…he was a disappointment. It was a fact pointed out by all that knew him, including his family. Therefore he grew up with no real friends and a constant reminder that he was never good enough.
It would all change in later years when he met Dirci. Dirci was a kindred spirit to Symon. Her family wasn’t as large or affluent as his but she too had a single sibling, an older sister that was the pride of their family, smart and attractive, everything she did made her parents proud. Dirci was always second best and, like Symon, could do nothing that would please her parents especially when compared to such a sibling.
It was Dirci that got to Symon and pulled him off of the path of hopelessness. It was her belief that some people couldn’t be pleased and their approval wasn’t worth getting. They became fast friends, spending each waking moment together. Unfortunately her influence led to even greater disapproval from Symon’s family but he began to let his bitterness show. Many arguments and a lot of rebellion on his part, as well as some unfortunate incidents, would lead to a permanent estrangement from his family not long after.
Dirci eventually led Symon to a group of individuals that would not only show him where his talents were to be found but also give clues as to why his family was thought to have been touched by gods. The truth was that there were supernatural forces at work, not the gods, but somewhere a deal was struck with something powerful and evil, a union of blood that filter through the generations, recessive in almost all. Once in a few generations one would be born with the true power of the family and Symon found himself to be that one.
Most would consider the group a “cult,” mysterious and frightening. They told Symon of beings known as Warlocks, who had power granted through the blood of supernatural creatures, mostly creatures of darkness. The term Demon wasn’t associated until later as it has the tendency to invoke distrust. Through the connection via the blood line he was shown how to access the power of his lineage to perform some truly remarkable feats as well as the potential that existed as he grew in his craft. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the price is something that is never known until is far too late.
Symon grew in power and subsequently in confidence ie arrogance. He began a slow descent into a darkness that would have overwhelmed him if not for the spark of decency that hadn’t been quashed. There were two rituals performed once trained to fully initiate members into the order, once was a ritual of marking, a physical mark etched into the skin, a badge to identify the members of the order to each other.
The second step is the sacrifice of something from the past, a separation of the old life into the new one and a sign of commitment and loyalty to the order. It was Dirci that was to undertake the ritual first and it was an event that would lead to damnation by the order as well as the potential salvation for both her and him. Dirci’s sacrifice was to be her older sister, that the order had so conveniently managed to kidnap and bring to her, the death would cleanse Dirci of all of the resentment and symbolize her superiority. It was clear though, in the moments before her sister died, that there was no turning back, either Dirci would kill her sister or the order would kill both. Chanting, whispering, the knife in her hands, more than a moment of indecision before a quick plunge of the dagger extinguished the life in her sister’s short life. The event changed Dirci and through that changed Symon. Dirci was distant from Symon in the short days that followed pain evident in her face. Within days she had disappeared and Symon was informed she had abandoned her oath and that his ritual was at hand, to sacrifice her both as a symbol of his dedication and her punishment for the only way to leave the order was through death.
Two days of searching was all it took for her to be found. On the second day as Symon was returning home he came across two members of the order dragging Dirci down the street. She had been found not far from his family home and they were taking her back to face “justice,” they called it. Her eyes met his, he stood motionless as they passed and without thinking about the consequences he used his newfound power to strike both of them down before they could act, setting his path before him. They quickly moved a short distance away and found a spot to hide to decide on a course of action, which didn’t take long to realize meant leaving town. Unfortunately they didn’t have enough coin on hand to make any type of journey. Because of Symon’s family and their wealth and that his home was nearby they moved through the shadows until they were a short distance away. It was decided that she stay hidden within a short distance of his home and he would go, get money or things that could be easily carried and sold and he would back then they would leave, before the sun rose. It turned out the order had more of a reach than they realized.
He got in grabbed a few things and as he made his way back to exit the house, in the entry hall, he encountered his parents, sister, his newly commissioned brother and one other guard waiting. He, in the company of a female accomplice, had been “seen” assaulting two people, killing one and running and they were there to take him. Demands were made, threats given and in the end a guard lay dead, his brother injured, and Symon’s power revealed. He ran to the street, found a squad of guards directly between where Dirci waited and no way to get to her without either being captured or killed. She appeared in the street and once again their eyes met, realizing what needed to happen for them to be safe, her hand coming to her lips then into a wave as she turned and ran into the darkness as the guards realized she was there and in that instant Symon turned and raced off on his now lonely path.
Symon ran into the wilderness completely unprepared for what awaited him. His was a life that was ill equipped for a journey such as this, on foot with no knowledge on how to survive in the wilderness. All he had were his powers…and his grief. For days he traveled, his mind wandering to Dirci, his young life, the fear on the faces of his family, and the atrocities he committed that he had been too blind to notice. For the first time in his life he began to agree, he was worse than a disappointment, he was a stain on the world. After many days of wandering, lost to the real world, despair saturating every fiber of his being, he fell into the shadow of a great mountain and waited for death.
However, it seemed as though death didn’t want him either. He woke to a large fire and the smell of cooking food and there, in what was to be his death bed, an elf in robes. The elf was a unique individual, able to set Symon at ease and get him to talk while not giving any insight into himself. After a day of “counseling” they slept in the now comforting part of the wild. When Symon awoke the elf was gone, a single written note and days worth of dried foods, days worth of water, and a sweet surprisingly filling bread as well as some traveling clothes that fit remarkably well. The note apologized for the sudden departure and suggested traveling south. Symon, with his spirits uplifted and armed with supplies, took the notes advice. He would travel for days then when things look down the mystery elf would appear out of nowhere, either as Symon slept or in the path ahead, always bringing welcome company and more food then disappearing much the same way as before, always without sharing much of himself. Symon usually referenced the elf as mystery and subsequently decided using his own name a bit of a risk as well as an anchor to a life that no longer fit, became Symon Myst, for the mystery elf that had become a bit of a savior.
Symon eventually found his way to the city of Freehold and a kindly innkeeper, Heroun (known by all as Heron) took pity on the lost young man and gave him shelter in return for working in the inn and despite his size Symon was quite proficient in helping to “discourage” violence, having a talent for persuading people to refrain from aggressive behavior by talking them out of it. He has found a bit of peace in the world, happiness and acceptance in being his own person free from being defined by who his family is or having who he is defined by others, free at last to be who he wants to be.
Despite his newfound freedom Symon is still a product of his life to this point. He does tend to be a bit condescending to those he deems of lower “social” class. He also tends to believe that those not receptive to friendship are not worth a second thought therefore can be a bit too willing to move on if the threads of friendship are not reciprocated quickly enough.
The cult he ran from now calls for his death therefore he expects them to find him anywhere, never being truly safe and believes that they can be control the leash of anyone subsequently he believe any new acquaintances are just waiting for an opportunity to kill him. Contrarily his short time with the cult and his rapid departure from Solare have made him realize that people in the world have their own value. He will, often with more than a bit of internal struggle, be convinced to do the right thing believing it is his penance for the mistakes of his past.