Korian Moran

Once an elven archmage of the city of Starfall, Korian's time as a mortal ended with the fall of the city. After throwing himself into the ocean in an attempt to end his own life, he washed up on the shores of the the Kingdom by either circumstance or fate and came to the attention of the place's powerful guardian spirits. He began a new life as the being known as Cormorant, serving as an intermediary between the spirits and mortals who call the Kingdom home.

Personality

Still retaining most of his nature from his time as a mortal, Korian has a patience and wisdom born of age. He's thoughtful and intellectually curious, and naturally tends towards the role of mentor and confidant to those around him. Like most Seer mages, he's perceptive in a way that often lets him understand the unspoken emotions of others thanks to his attention to small details; he carries this knowledge over into his spellwork, using it to create convincing and nuanced illusions. While the old mage tends to be seen as content with his circumstances, he's sometimes prone to a quiet melancholy that he tends to keep to himself. He's a gifted storyteller. Though he doesn't lack the confidence to make his own decisions, Korian is happiest when supporting others and is comfortable with his place as servant and consort to the Twin Spirits. He's their reliable emissary, and is heavily relied on to communicate the wants and needs of the people that Stormcrow and Sunbird aren't easily able to discern on their own due to their starkly inhuman natures. In his role as the Cormorant, he's seen as watchful and protective; never seen but ever-present.

Abilities

Given immortal life as a spirit, Korian suffers very few of the restrictions of his mortal existence. He's incapable of dying or being killed, and feels no physical need for sleep, sustenance, or other basic bodily functions. While he's typically invisible and intangible to living beings, he's capable of making himself known on the rare occasion that it's necessary to do so; however, subtle things tend to give him away, like the fact that he doesn't appear affected by hot or cold, and will often appear subject to breezes that aren't present in the real world. While the Twin Spirits can make themselves truly tangible at will, it's more likely that Korian's manifestation is closer to an illusion spontaneously generated by his magic. Korian is a highly gifted illusionist mage, specializing in Seeing and Weaving; he's had hundreds of years of study, training, and lived experience to make him extremely talented as his craft. While he had to consider the restrictions of his own body in life, his transformation into a spirit means that large-scale illusion has practically no limitation for him now, and those who cross him can find themselves lost in whole worlds of his making. At times this ability can emerge unconsciously, and the shoreline of the Kingdom where he makes his home is often considered 'haunted' by ghostly visions carried on the mists. Korian's powers tie him intrinsically to the land, and to the Twin Spirits. The three share a strong magical connection, often sensing some degree of one another's emotion and thought; Korian is tasked with using this deep bond to wake each sister from their sleep at the right time of year.

Backstory

Born and raised the second son of minor nobility in the elven city of Starfall, Korian discovered his aptitude for magic early and pursued it. He quickly rose to prominence and eventually attained the status of Archmage. This was his role for most of his life, which he largely dedicated to study, magical practice, and passing his accumulated knowledge along to a series of students seeking education in Closed Eye Seeing or Weaving. Like many of his peers, his life took an abrupt turn during the War of Dark Flames and resulting clash between the magical races and Seraph-backed humanity. Turning his magic to violent ends in defense of the city, Korian was abruptly dropped into a world of violence and conflict that he had neither the inclination or desire for; despite this, when the city fell he was among those who was chosen to enter into magical exile in the Worldshadow as part of a pact with Lore. Unable to commit to an eternity waiting for vengeance while his city burned, Korian took matters into his own hands and attempted to end his life by throwing himself into the ocean. Instead of dying, Korian managed instead to wash ashore in the Kingdom and was found half-dead by the spirits Stormcrow and Sunbird. Intrigued by the fact that he had somehow passed through the magical protections surrounding their ancestral home, they took him in and soon realized that he was stuck somewhere between life and death; his body still living, but his spirit in their realm. Korian spent months in this ghostly state, slowly befriending the Twin Spirits and exploring the land he'd arrived upon. Though he'd been spared death, at the time Korian didn't see his reprieve as much of a blessing. Wanting only to die and be reunited with his people, he refused to return to life and spent much of his time wandering the Kingdom and walking unseen among its inhabitants. Over time, this turned into a genuine affection for the people of the land, and he was befriended by a mortal girl who became aware of him while her dreams let her interact with the realm of spirits. When the Kingdom was eventually threatened by invading forces who'd been slowly encroaching on it for centuries, Korian was finally convinced to return to his living body in order to use his magic to repel the invaders, finally burning out his lifeforce in the process. Recognizing that he had finally found something he wanted more than death, the Twin Spirits caught Korian's soul and gave him new immortal life as a spirit called the Cormorant. Now acting as their servant and consort, the old mage has become a protector for the land that gave him a reason to live again.

Important Relationships

STORMCROW
Though he's consort to both the spirits and loves both equally, Korian and Stormcrow have always had a stronger affinity due to the similarities of their natures. It was Storm's season through the first half-year of Korian's time in the Kingdom, and the quiet, taciturn spirit was the one to answer most of Korian's questions when he was trying to make sense of what had happened to him to leave him with spirit and body severed from one another. She was also there as a confidant during his grief, and that fact has always bonded them strongly. They work well together and are well-suited to one another's company. In addition to being lovers, Korian acts as Storm's advisor and helps spur her to action when the situation calls for it. They're powerful in tandem, with similarly calculating and disciplined minds. SUNBIRD
Korian serves and is consort to Sunbird alongside her sister Stormcrow, and though they aren't as immediately similar they complement and balance one another well. Korian often says that it was Storm who helped him weather his grief, and Sun who helped him remind him to live again; her natural passion and joy are an effective countering force to his melancholy, and Korian's natural inclination towards mentoring and teaching helps rein in some of Sun's more impulsive moods. Korian provides a cool head during the half of the year when Storm is asleep, letting the winter spirit rest a little easier knowing that someone is keeping a watchful eye over her mercurial sister. On the rare occasions that Sun's joy turns to full anger, the mage is able to back Storm up in defusing potential disaster. REINA
Meeting by chance when the child fell asleep on the shoreline and wandered dreaming into Korian's private grief, the future First Queen of the Kingdom and the mage formed a close friendship that played a large role in Korian's choice to give his life in defense of the land. Their bond also helped forge a relationship between mortals and the spirits, with Korian serving as the go-between. He was a frequent watchful presence as Reina grew into an adult and took her place as queen, and though it's been centuries since her death Korian still remembers her fondly. WYNN KHAJIB
Though they only knew each other in passing, the famed Reaper who would go on to create Genesis studied briefly with Korian while he was still an Archmage of Starfall. Wynn respected Korian a great deal despite the relatively brief time they spent alongside one another, and he left enough of an impression on her that she mourned him by name in the wake of the city's fall.