Matsias Amil Beleed (a.k.a. Mat Truuit)
He looked back toward the temple, and in the lightening sky, he could see it was on fire.
"You go back now, and the enforcers will find all of you."
"Not with my luck."
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Matsias is about 5'7," with a slender frame. He has dark brown skin and black hair, which he wears braided, in traditional Pelan fashion. He is missing his right leg, just above the knee.
Body Features
Matsias is 5'7," and has a slender frame. If anything, he looks young for his age. He has dark brown skin with blue undertones.
Facial Features
Matsias has a diamond shaped face with deep set, dark brown eyes. He has thick black hair which falls just past his shoulders. He always wears his hair in a braid. He has a small, straight nose and thin lips. HE wears round glasses with silver frames.
Identifying Characteristics
Matsias wore a purple headscarf, which wrapped around his head and came across his face, covering everything other than his eyes and the bridge of his nose. The headscarf marked him as Pelan and was his most treasured possession. When fleeing Ethion , however, Matsias destroyed the headscarf so he would not be recognized.
Matsias is also missing his right leg, from just above the knee. He wears a prosthetic, which straps around the top of his leg and includes a knee joint, which allows him to sit. Matsias also carries a wooden crutch with him, which he uses to help him balance, especially when sitting and standing. He also uses his crutch when he chooses not to wear his leg.
Special abilities
Matsias has a magical gift that allows him to manipulate luck. He usually describes this as a feeling in his belly, which he can consciously channel into the objects around him, though the results are not always predictable. When he is successful, natural events in the world will shift in slight ways so as to be beneficial to him. (For example, if luck is channeled into a rotting tree branch, the branch will break and fall away from Matsias, rather than toward him.)
Apparel & Accessories
After being adopted by the Truuit family, Matsias destroyed his old clothes, and usually wears Thisaazhou clothing. This usually consists of loose woolen trousers and tunic, accented with metallic embroidery.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Matsias Beleed was born to a Pelan family in Ethion, the son of an Epaluno matriarch and a teacher. The first few years of his life were relatively normal, but when he was four years old, Chitaa Solosol was elected president of Ethion, and brought with her a great amount of anti-Pelan rhetoric. The trouble began when Matsias was five, and his father lost his job when a law was passed prohibiting Pelan teachers from working at public schools. The next year, a second law was passed prohibiting Pelan students from attending. The laws continued, restricting what public places Pelan were allowed into, what kind of businesses they could operate, and even prohibiting them from driving. Starting at age nine, Matsias was required to carry an ID card which marked him as Pelan. If he was in a place where Pelan were not allowed, and someone checked his ID, there were severe punishments. There were even more severe punishments for being caught without one.
When Matsias was twelve, the government of his hometown, Illegate created a local law requiring all Pelan to wear purple armbands which marked their identity. In defiance, Matsias and some other boys removed their purple armbands, as well as the purple headscarves which they wore as part of their culture and snuck into a movie theater. They were unable to buy tickets because they would have to show their IDs to do so. They managed to get in and see a small portion of the movie before being caught by one of the employees in the movie theater. They were taken to the enforcers, who found their Pelan IDs on them, and were beaten and thrown into the street. Matsias was mended by Toak Truuit , a family friend, and member of the nomadic Thisaazhou who stayed with her family near Matsias's home every summer. The punishment was enough, however, to prevent Matsias from attempting such a trick again.
When he was fourteen, a new law was made in Illegate: that all members of the Epaluno religion must attend temple on Sutday, at dawn. A couple of months after this law went into effect, Matsias's mother gathered all of the children and teenagers one morning before the temple service started and sent them out of the temple through a small hole in the washroom. She told Matsias to lead the other children to the train yard across the street, where a friend, Lishald Fandel, would help them get out of Ethion. Matsias did so, and Fandel loaded the children, including Matsias's younger brother, into a freight car, promising to unload them in another city, where they would be able to board a boat out of the country. Before Matsias got onto the car, he realized that the temple was burning, and returned to the temple, leaving the others behind.
When Matsias arrived at the temple, he found the building on fire and the doors blocked. He could hear the people inside singing. An enforcer passing by ignored the fire. Matsias tried to unblock the doors do he could get inside and rescue his family, but a burning board fell on top of his leg, pinning him down. He was rescued by Ura Truuit, Toak's wife, and the couple, along with their daughter Key, agreed to help Matsias escape from Ethion. They hid him in their trailer as they left Ethion, and when they arrived in nearby Atlinthaia, they brought him to a doctor. By this time, Matsias's leg could no longer be saved. It was amputated, and Matsias later received a prosthetic.
The Truuit family officially adopted Matsias, even obtaining new papers for him under the name Mat Truuit, and he assumed the identity as the son in a Thisaazhou family. He continues to live under this identity. The Truuit's also sent in an application for Faraday School for Wizards on his behalf. Matsias was accepted, and began attending under his assumed identity the following term.
Education
Matsias's first two years were spent at a local public school, though he was often treated differently than the non-Pelan students, and chastised if he tried to correct untrue rumors about the Epaluno faith. After the law prohibiting Pelan students from attending public schools, Matsias attended a Pelan school formed in the local temple, where his father was the main teacher. He learned reading and writing in both Epaluno and Zhohu, math, history, and science, as well as basic Pelan principles, which include treating all others with kindness, even when such things are difficult. Matsias tried to follow this principle, but found it hard in a place where so many people hated him and spread lies about his people. He attended this school until he was fourteen, when his community was killed in a temple fire, and he fled the country with the Truuit's The Truuit's then sent in an application to Faraday School for Wizards on his behalf, and he was accepted.
Mental Trauma
Ever since leaving Ethion, Matsias has had terrible nightmares. He often dreams of the night his parents died, as well as what may have happened to his brother. Sometimes he dreams that he is still in Ethion, hiding from enforcers and others who mean him harm. Often, when he wakes in an unfamiliar place, he thinks that he is in Ethion again, and hiding. He instinctively tries to lay as still and as silent as he can to ensure that he will not be caught. He will lay like this for some time until someone familiar notices and assures him that he is in a safe place.
Morality & Philosophy
Matsias is dedicated to the principles of the Epaluno religion, and tries to follow them as much as possible. According to his religion, all people are valued by the All-Powerful, and equality and unity are important themes within the religion. Therefore, Matsias has been raised to treat all people with respect, regardless of sex, political ideology, wealth, ethnicity, religion, or ability, and he usually does. As he meets others with different sexual orientations and gender identities, he naturally applies these rules to these people as well. The only people he has trouble treating this way are those who treat him poorly because he is Pelan. Still, however, the extent of his unkindness to them is usually to avoid them. If cannot be overtly kind to them, he chooses not to interact. Honesty and diligence are also important pillars of the Epaluno religion which Matsias usually follows carefully, the primary exception being lying about his identity for his own safety.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Though Matsias dreamed of attending Faraday, he never really thought it possible until after his foster family sent in the application. It seems that to achieve this dream, however, has had to lose practically everything that is important to him--his family, his temple, the symbols of his faith. What he wants more than anything is to live in a place where he doesn't feel the need to hide his identity or pretend he is Mat Truuit. His hope for such a thing to actually happen, however, is low.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
While all students at Faraday are chosen for their excellent potential with magic, Matsias is more gifted than most, both in magic ability, and in academics in general. He is quick to understand important concepts in his classes, and is often a resource for his friends when they struggle. Matsias is also innovative when it some to using and understanding magic. He knows how different types of magic can be blended, and when he enters Faraday, he surprisingly does not begin by studying the manipulation of luck, but the manipulation of wind, which he naturally combines with his already-existing abilities.
Matsias finds social situations difficult, however. Though he is relatively open and accepting of other people, he generally prefers not to be around them. He is also very private, and rarely shares his struggles with others, even his best friend, Key. Trying to handle problems on his own sometimes leads him to unconventional (and dangerous) solutions and sometimes exhausts him, leading him to burnout. This, unfortunately, can become a negative feedback cycle, as the burn out will cause him to avoid people and avoid sharing his difficulties with them.
Likes & Dislikes
Matsias is especially fond of reading. Though he enjoys almost all books, he likes books about science and travel the most. He owns a small collection of maps, which he built up in his year traveling with the Truuit family. He also holds a strange fascination for movies, as he has never had the opportunity to see one in a theater, and has only occasionally had the opportunity to watch television.
Matsias rarely listens to music. The music that he enjoyed most as a child was traditional Pelan music, which he has had difficulty accessing since he left Ethion. He has also not returned to an Epaluno temple since leaving Ethion. He has told his foster family that he thinks "to would be difficult to return."
Matsias hates social situations. He does not like to be around large groups of people if he doesn't have to be, and would much rather be reading than attending a party or other social gathering.
Virtues & Personality perks
Matsias is usually quick to forgive those who hurt him and actively tries to show respect to people who are different from him, even if he doesn't understand them. He is very intelligent and hard-working, but he doesn't lord his knowledge over others, and is always eager to learn more. He is good at working in a group (if it is small), and tends to do well in both leadership and subordinate positions. He is straightforward, but not blunt. If he has something negative to communicate to someone, he will not skirt around the subject, but he will take their feelings into account.
Vices & Personality flaws
Matsias does not do well in large groups, especially if it is a social group, rather than a work-related group. He tends to be overly suspicious of people when meeting them and does not like to share his emotional state with others, even his closest friends. Furthermore, though he doesn't quickly develop grudges against others, when he does develop them, they are very difficult for him to shake.
Social
Family Ties
Matsias is the child of Andlo and Lysi Beleed. Lysi was the temple matriarch for the Epaluno temple in Illegate. Matsias also has one younger brother, Lamel, who was on the train leaving Illegate the day that their parents died in the temple fire. Matsias has not seen Lamel since that day.
After his parents died, Matsias was officially adopted by Ura and Toak Truuit, who were family friends. He and their daughter, Key Truuit, are best friends and already close enough to be siblings. Matsias does have some other relatives in Ethion, but he suspects he will never see them again.
Religious Views
Matsias believes in the All-Knowing of the Epaluno religion. Though the All-Knowing is usually depicted in Epaluno texts as female, she is said to have taken the form of many different dieties and spoken to many different people, and thus. Matsias believes that his god is the same god that all others worship, merely that she revealed herself in a different form, as that was the form that was necessary for those people to come to her.
His faith is very important to him, and though he no longer wear the purple headscarf that signifies his faith, Matsias continues to pray every morning. He also tries to be honest and diligent, as these are virtues of the faith, and sworn off any drugs, other than for medical purposes. Though he continues to suffer from nightmares after the temple fire, and is deeply saddened by the loss of his people, Matsias also tries to find meaning in his new life, as despair is considered a deadly sin among the Pelan.
When the Pelan were first persecuted for their religious beliefs, they developed a policy of speaking of their faith only to teach those who displayed a personal curiosity, and to spread their faith through deeds rather than words. Centuries later, Matsias Beleed rarely speaks openly about his faith. This has less to do with the notion of spreading the faith through deeds, however, and more to do with his own potential persecution.
Mannerisms
Matsias is very reserved in both speech and gestures. He tends to stand with his hands in his pockets, or leans on his crutch, when he has it. Sometimes, when sitting, he massages his leg, which tends to bother him more when he's stressed. When he speaks, he is often straightforward and to the point, but he does sometimes use metaphors and idioms common in Pelan culture.
Relationships
History
Matsias and Ayan meet at Faraday School for Wizards, through Mat's adopted sister, Key. They primarily eat meals and study together, but they bond over the fact that they are both missing limbs. Ayan is appreciative of the fact that Mat doesn't seem to be bothered by her criminal history.
Relationship Reasoning
Mat and Ayan are both freshmen at Faraday. They have some of the same classes and they live in the same dorm. Ayan's roommate is another student who befriended Mat and Key on the train to school.
Shared Acquaintances
Key Truuit Ilionori Lumo Tilli Todetse
History
Tilli and Mat meet at Faraday, where TIlli is roommates with Mat's sister. They frequently eat lunch and study together, and they share at least one class.
Relationship Reasoning
Tilli and Mat share a class together, and neither is particularly fond of the teacher. They both practice and commiserate together.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Tilli and Mat are both trying to master wind magic.
Shared Acquaintances
Key Truuit, Ilionori Lumo, Ayan Tyeen
History
Key and Matsias met as children, when their parents befriended each other. Matsias's parents would let Key's family stay at their house when they were in Illegate. Key and Matsias grew very close, practically like siblings. When Matsias's parents were killed, Key's family adopted him. Since then, Matsias has depended on Key, almost like a lifeline.
Nicknames & Petnames
Key sometimes would call Matsias "Mat," even before he started using this as his new identity.
Relationship Reasoning
Since their parents were close and they were the same age, Key and Matsias got to know each other well. They also both come from matrilineal cultures, and groups of people who are often viewed as second-class citizens.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Both Key and Matsias enjoy reading. They also practiced studying their magical abilities together, as well as playing sports with other children.
Shared Secrets
Key is one of the few people that knows Matsias's real identity.
Shared Acquaintances
Mr. and Mrs. Beleed, Mr. and Mrs. Truuit, Ilionori Lumo, Ayan Tyeen, Tilli Todetse
Legal Status
After Matsias's parents died, Key's parents officially adopted him, making them official siblings.
History
Miriam and Mat meet on the train on the way to Faraday School for Wizards. Mat quickly takes to Miriam's straightforward manner of talking and seeks to get to know her better.
Relationship Reasoning
Mat and Miriam are both students in the same year at Faraday School for Wizards. They often eat meals together, and have some classes together.
Shared Acquaintances
Key Truuit, Ayan Tyeen, Tilli Todetse
Alignment
Devout in Hiding
Current Location
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
1948
14 Years old
Birthplace
Illegate, Ethion
Family
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Southern Continent
Gender
male
Eyes
Dark brown
Hair
long, black, worn in a braid
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
dark brown
Height
5'7"
Belief/Deity
@Epaluno
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