Tag: Arcane-Afflicted

1) Theodore Vaughn IV

Unfortunately I’m not an artist in any sense of the word. Nor do I posses the tools or software necessary to post any competent art to this site. But I came here to write, and I write to impress, so please judge me based on my words. And feel free to be brutally honest; only meaningful feedback is good feedback!

Prose Introduction

Lily turned the corner, then stopped. Standing in the aisle was a figure wrapped all in dark blue. A blue hood sat upon his head, from which hung a fine veil which obscured the face. His cloak was pinned by a broach on the left breast, and hung all the way to the floor. The only part of the body visible was the right hand in which the figure held a small stack of tomes. It was covered, fingers and all, in linen bandages, betraying not a trace of flesh. A leper perhaps, thought Lily. But what was he doing in the library? They were forbidden to come this far into the city.

As Lily opened her mouth to speak, the figure revealed another completely bound hand, drew a book from the stack, and reached to place it back upon the shelves. The hand extended outward and upwards, but as it reached reached its full extension, the bandage began to unravel. Instinctively, Lily’s hand went to her mouth, expecting the unpleasant smell. But as the bandage came undone, it revealed no flesh underneath. The figure’s hand continued to rise upwards as the arm unwound, until the only thing connecting the body to the incorporeal hand some 5 shelves above was a slim ribbon of linen bandage. Lily screamed.

The figure jumped, its books falling upon the oak floor. Its head spun to locate her, veil flying up and away from the face. Under the hood, Lily could distinguish a pair of small goggles, tucked neatly into an otherwise perfectly linen-bound face. She gasped involuntarily at what she saw, lungs preparing for a second volley of sound. But no sooner had she finished the breath. The figures right hand shot for her, bandages uncoiling like a spring from the wrist. It landed on her mouth and held; its strength not so much as to hurt her, but still too strong for her to break free. She sruggled to release her vocal chords and once again betray their location, but the figure was coming towards her now. It looked as though feet and knees were moving underneath the cloak, but the figure made no sound as it hurried down the aisle towards her.

Lily moaned as it drew near, panic beginning to consume her senses. It was right next to her now, bandages of both wrists reforming into the shape of a man. As the hand reformed, the figure raised a finger to its lips, trying to shush her.

“Please,” it spoke — the voice a boy, young. A voice that sounded muffled, or slightly far away — “Oh please don’t scream. I won’t hurt you! I’m a friend!”

The Breakdown

Theodore Vaughn IV was once a normal child, with normal problems. This was not long, however. As the son of Theodore Vaughn III, a knight of the realm, and grandson of Lady Teresa Vaughn, High Priestess of the kingdom and powerful sorceress, young Theo became the natural target of several enemies of the realm. On his 9th birthday, Theo was attacked by a powerful and sadistic necromancer, who and hoped to break and bind the boy to his own evil purposes. Lady Teresa was able to intervene, but not before the necromancer’s curse had done it’s work on Theo’s body.

Reduced to a spirit, Theo hung on the brink of life. Acting quickly, Lady Teresa poured her power into a ribbon of pure, white linen, speaking substance and form into every fiber and weave. The result was a container spell, powerful enough to house the formless Theo and intricate enough to anticipate and grow with the adolescent spirit. However, the power consumed by the spell proved too great, and Lady Teresa perished from the strain.

Now at the age of 15, Theo has become accustomed to the life of “inhabiting a shell.” He exists as a spirit, bound to the world by a full-body wrap of white-linen with nothing inside. Since this appearance is not quite socially accepted, he has taken to clothing completely in thick, obscuring robes, and wears a veil. In situations where he is unable to avoid detection, Theo has attempted to pass as a leper: a dangerous if possible explanation. As a spirit, Theo is able to leave and enter his shell at will, although he may never stray farther from it than a league. While in the shell, he is in complete control of his form, and can manipulate his wrappings to his own advantage (as illustrated in the Introduction). His shell has also been enchanted to provide strength and stamina, but not in obscene amounts.

In honor of his grandmother, Theo has devoted himself to the study of divine magic. However, unable to participate properly in the academy, Theo has taken up residence in the attics of the Capital Library. He spends most of the time concealed in the attic, but tends to wander the aisles of the upper floors to clear his mind — which, unbeknownst to him, has started the rumor of ghosts in the Library. Natural talent and social isolation have made a competent young spellcaster in the divine schools. His shell has be-spelled with several charms, by both his grandmother and himself, making it more resistant to damage and the elements. However, he is in no way invulnerable, and prefers to flee from conflict.

A character by Skyler L.