Ghellim the quenching mage
(a.k.a. Spellbreaker)
Elements: jellyfish, water
A member of the populous Nidari people. Is able to use water to interfere with the effects of other essences, temporarily (or occasionally permanently) disrupting them. Although magic isn't a discrete concept as such, there is still the idea of "spells" as deliberate and non-natural essence effects that are among the most easily affected by this ability and as such Ghellim is thought of as a spellbreaker or disenchanter.
Lives with his partner Caziyel in Rithnidloi , where he grew up. Studied comparative essences in Rithnidloi from his early teens, where he met and befriended Deyoctrun .
Despite his talent, he never graduated because he became involved in black-market spellbreaking for a criminal organisation (possibly The Whispers?) before whistleblowing on them when he realised how harmful they were. Furthermore, his ability to break certain magic - as when he Quenched Thaffter's contract - has made him both desired and opposed by various powerful factions.
spellbreaking using magic is unusual - more often, lead charms from Dampning Wood are used to suppress magical effects.
Regular work:
- Medical help (often "referred" by doctors for removal of unhealthy infusions)
- Cleaning (especially toxins, but also just tough stains and tarnishes)
- Disenchanting (e.g. curses)
- breaking magical contracts/bonds
- removing tattoos (e.g. mundane debt markers)
- Depowering dangerous creatures/individuals
- lockpicking
- Illusion-breaking
- hiding people from magical sight/scrying
- What is his personality? - bright, but prone to overlook things and daydream. not exactly cowardly, but not drawn overmuch to adventure - wanted more of a stable life. a noted exaggerator/bullshitter, especially when he gets into a story - a point of similarity/friendly rivalry with both Tasmis The Sea-Reaver and Effgaw the Battle-Brewer.
- his Tutor: created whirlpools.
- could he magically extinguish candles?
Physical Description
Body Features
unusually dark and opaque skin – mid-navy blue, paling to milky blue at face, hands, and feet (is this problematic? perhaps milky blue all over?) – and a mound of tangled hair-like tentacles atop his head. He is also missing the second and third toes on his right foot, as a result of an embarrassing accident. Finally, he has an incomplete graduation-band tattoo on his left bicep.
Special abilities
A Skilled Disenchanter.
Ghellim must study and be quite learned in the magics/effects associated with a particular essence in order to cleanse it – especially for "waterproof" elements (e.g. glass, oil, clay). As such, he has studied a good deal of "comparative essences". He also continues to keep his eye in and learn new elements with samples of those essences – this can be expensive and/or involve some measure of travel/danger.
Occasionally needs to use other elements to enhance water (e.g. aqua regia, soap). It also only works where he has water and can pour/throw that water, and in some cases requires lots of water or a particular ritual (not always usable in the heat of action!)
3 levels of Ghellim's magic:
- Washing: disrupting intricate patterns/structures created in other elements, this is the most common use, and is most commonly thought of as "spell-breaking"
- Dampening: temporarily suppressing the effect of an elemental infusion, such as briefly disrupting another's abilities or powers.
- Quenching: the rarest and hardest of all three, this involves permanently removing an Infusion from a person, object or location. This involves a ritual and has no guarantee of working.
- Water-breathing – able to breathe underwater passably, but is no faster swimmer than a human
- Levitation – able to slow falls to avoid serious injury.
- Stinging – barely enough to raise a welt, but can stun fish/rats/etc
Apparel & Accessories
Wears nice but well-worn robes, probably stolen, and hose (like most Nidari). Carries a scimitar-like sword with a fancy hilt, in an attempt to convince people he knows how to use it. He isn't a gifted swordsman, however. The hilt is inset with pink coral - borrowed symbolism from sharks, pink is the colour of blood (especially non-giteri) blood in water and as such is an aggressive colour. Also uses a pair of water-lenses without which his vision is blurry, but which double as magnifying glasses and binoculars.
He carries large waterskins made of grey porpoise-skin to utilise water when he's away from other sources. They are well-made and among his most valued possessions, along with his glowing vial of Elritundi water. he also possesses other pieces of apparatus to carry out his magic, such as a large copper bowl that, when inverted under a water source, creates a "dome" of water that can serve as a ritual/protected space.
finally, he has an elritundi light-vial that he keeps functioning indefinitely using magic.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
- born and studied in Rithnidloi - parents are lecturers - met Deyoctrun
- did not graduate - became involved in black-market spellbreaking and was expelled
- was he on Rithnidloi when it was attacked?
- met Caziyel and married, living first elsewhere before moving back to Rithnidloi.
- Ghellim founds the career of Quenching-mage, which becomes, if not common, at least a known entity over a few decades/centuries.
Personality Characteristics
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Many people have tried - and failed - to teach Ghellim to sword-fight; he is a poor student. he is somewhat more capable at hand-to-hand brawling (but still not great). In all, not a combat-capable character, but fairly physically healthy and able to climb, jump, dodge etc.
very bad at searching/hunting type-missions
Vices & Personality flaws
instinct/reflex for self-preservation, not heroism/sacrifice
Social
Family Ties
Ghellim has 2 young sons with Caziyel: Jallinel (born 8MF, slight bird infusion as a toddler) and Corrani (born 10MF).
Relationships
Legal Status
Married
History
Met at Rithnidloi college, and both bonded for being of lower social station than their peers - though they're both from very different backgrounds.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Both studied comparative essences
History
after meeting during Thaffter's trips to Rithnidloi, they become entangled when Ghellim Quenches Thaffter's Wax Mystic contract. this makes them both enemies of the Wax Mystics. Together, They represent issues of when to break/ignore laws, rules and obligations in the service of morality, as well as how to construct better contracts.
Current Location
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
28 LF
33 Years old
Birthplace
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Hair
mound of curled pale-blue tentacles
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
navy blue
Quotes & Catchphrases
"much of the work of unnatural essence-shaping is essentially a paper tiger. A fireball has only a drip of fire essence in it, artfully deployed, and a golem is mostly unloving clay with only a fine threadwork animating it. Just as a paper thin blade can cut as well as a thicker one, these approaches can be potent; but like that sliver of steel, they are also easy to disrupt."
-Ghellim the quenching-mage, collected notes.
Other Affiliations
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