Gadianton Drache
Gadianton Drache (father's sirname), of Swifts (mother's tribe name) (a.k.a. Anton Swiftson (alias after he leaves thieving), Braht (nickname his brother Adaki gave him, means "brother", sounds like "brat."))
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
He's in good health and he looks it. He's not overly muscely but he's strong and fast. Very agile, quick reflexes.
Facial Features
His green eyes obviously command a lot of attention. They have the typical green Pixie glow, and they brighten and fill with light when he is actively using his powers. Gadianton has perfected the art of "dimming" them, or reducing the glow, to the point where his eyes look like regular green human eyes. Other facial features might be that he actually has quite an attractive face, with great symmetry and very perfect, straight, white teeth. He does not grow facial hair, and probably couldn't even if he wanted to, due to his Pixie lineage.
Identifying Characteristics
Green eyes, esp. if they're glowing. His shiny black hair. He physically looks like a lot of other Windthrown men from the Prairie, except for his green eyes.
Physical quirks
The combination of tall, tanned, black haired and green-eyed is a strange one. But if someone didn't get a good look at his eyes, they would have no idea he was half-pixie.
Special abilities
Pixie magic, but extra-powerful. He does not tire as easily as regular Pixies. He can do more, for longer, and over greater distances with less eye-contact. However, he is not very precise. The smaller, more delicate the task, the less capable he is. So, he can break down a solid steel door no problem, but he couldn't pick a simple lock with magic. Luckily, he's quite adept at picking locks with typical lock-picks so that's not an issue.
Most Pixies have certain skills they are better at than others. Gadianton, even before he was enhanced by the Wizards, has always been good at projecting his powers. This means he can actually create beams or larger sheets of pixie magic itself, such as a bolt or a shield. Before his enhancement, he could really just shoot one or maybe two bolts before getting tired, and they wouldn't do much more than stun a living target or knock over a small inanimate object. His shields were no bigger than his chest. But after his enhancements, he can do much, much more with it. He can create numerous bolts, and control their effects to some degree, from stunning someone to knocking them out for a period of time to even killing them. He can create massive domed shields and hold them for extended periods of time against magical or traditional attacks. He could also create multiple shields, or have one shield and shoot a bolt in another direction. His multitasking is a talent of his all on its' own, one that the wizards certainly encouraged him to train a lot in.
Gadianton is also fairly good at using his powers for telekinesis. He can hold multiple targets in place, or move multiple things in different directions at different speeds. He can lift and move things far beyond the size and weight that most Pixies can. He could stop an arrow, turn it around, and accelerate it back to the shooter twice as fast as it was coming at him.
Gadianton is not very confident in his jumping abilities. Jumping is something almost all Pixies can do, but it is not easy; they have to know very clearly where they are going and the path to it before teleporting. It is as if they change to a beam of Pixie magic for a moment, flashing from one place to another. They cannot go through barriers, although they can cross over empty spaces, or bodies of water. It is possible to go somewhere they cannot see with their eyes, but they would need to know the area so well they could perfectly visualize it. Gadianton has less practice with this and it is just not his forte, although he is still capable of farther jumps than most full-blood Pixies simply because of his enhancements. He is not going to over-exert himself going too far, but he might accidentally hit something, or land in the wrong spot.
Gadianton knows next to nothing about healing or mending things with his magic. While this is akin to telekinesis and projecting, two things he is good at, it involves meticulous attention to detail and has very little margin for error. Gadianton had zero training in either of these things, as he was too young to learn when he lived with the Pixies, and the wizards were not interested in teaching him anything about it. I like to say, when it comes to pixie magic, Gadianton is a sledge-hammer, not a needle. Don't ask him to do any precision work or you will probably regret it.
Apparel & Accessories
He likes to wear black, but Rachel has expanded his wardrobe a bit with shirts of other colors. On his trip with Alora though he'll probably just be wearing black pants, black button-down shirts, his black riding boots, and of course a black hat. He also has black riding gloves, and a blacksilk cloak if he needs it. Yes. He's dramatic and he loves it. He also has his wedding ring, which is a simple gold band. Right now he is not wearing it openly; he has it on a leather cord around his neck under his shirt. Also on the same cord is a woven creature that is probably supposed to be a bird (?) that his daughter made for him.
Specialized Equipment
Focus - device used by Pixies to magnify their magic. Increases the power of the magic as well as how precise it can be, can also be used to increase range of spells etc.
Blacksilk - hood for Alora's head as well as his own cloak. Blacksilk deflects all Pixie magic, and is resistant against many other forms of magic (but... NOT Mindwalking...)
Rucksack- black (duh) leather. Large enough for his supplies and his cloak, but not so big as to be cumbersome. He has a separate blanket roll for himself and Alora.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Gadianton was born to Zevi of Swifts on the Drache plantation with his twin brother, Adaki. Zevi died soon after their birth. The Heilend's (Neil's parents) were there trying to help her, and they took the babies in temporarily. At first, they planned on keeping both of them, but Paul Heilend does not believe in deceiving others, so he told Lord Drache about what had happened with his former-lover. Lord Drache was disgusted by the idea that he had two half-pixie sons, and he wanted them both killed, at first. Paul was able to talk him down to allowing the babies to stay until they could find the Swift tribe to give them to. However, after a few weeks, the Swifts still could not be found, and Gadianton's eyes began to gain the tell-tale green color of a Pixie baby. He did not have any powers yet, but it was obvious that he would. Adaki, on the other hand, had "normal" human eyes. Lord Drache refused to allow a Pixie to live on his estate, and he wanted to kill Gadianton and let Adaki live, now seeing the benefits of having an heir to claim his estate. Paul once again refused to kill a baby, and promised to remove Gadianton from the estate that night. So, Paul, with a prayer and a leap of faith, rode out into the prarie one night simply hoping he could find some Pixies to take Gadianton in. Adaki was taken from the Heilends to be raised as Lord Drache's son, and he was renamed Josef Drache II. It was forbidden to speak of his mother on the estate.
Paul miraculously found the Swift tribe on his first night out with baby Gadianton, and he told them about Zevi's death and the peril of her son. Zevi's older sister, Abihail, who already had a daughter named Sarai, agreed to take Gadianton in and raise him as her own. Paul Heilend wanted to keep up with Gadianton, but there was really no way for him to; he was an indentured servant, and so bound to the estate, and the Pixies were constantly moving. Abihail and her family decided to tell Gadianton about his father being a human, but they told him both of his parent had died instead of telling him he was Lord Drache's son.
Gadianton spent the first ten years of his childhood as a Pixie would, doing a lot of dancing and singing, sometimes struggling to fit in as he did not look anything like the other Pixies except for his eyes. But as his powers began to manifest and he showed a lot of talent, especially with telekinesis and projection, he was more accepted as one of their own. His cousin, Sarai, was always kind to him and basically his older sister, defending him and teaching him and teasing him, of course.
When Gadianton was ten years old, the Swift tribe was viciously attacked. The Wizards of the Vaults, riding dragons, burned most of them and slaughtered all the others, except for Gadianton and Sarai, who through a stroke of luck were not close to camp during the attack. When they went to return and came across the destruction, they were almost captured, but Sarai managed to escape. Gadianton, however, was taken back to the Vaults.
The Wizards of the Vaults are very interested in mind magic, and they did a lot of playing around in Gadianton's mind. First of all, they muddled his memories of the attack. He remembered the dragons, but believed Sarai had run off and left him, and the wizards had saved him. Once they were able to establish this in his mind, it was easy for them to manipulate and brainwash Gadianton. They taught him runes and other forms of non-Pixie magic, as well as encouraging him to train in his Pixie skills. They especially had him focus on telekinesis, jumping, and projecting. Gradually, they experimented with exposing him to The Shard, a potently powerful artifact that enhances Pixie magic (and only Pixie magic). Gadianton was able to do much, much more when he was in close proximity to The Shard, to the point of seeming to have no limits at all when he held it. He was not yet at his own full power, though, as Pixies do not finish developing their powers until they are closer to fourteen years old.
When Gadianton was about twelve, the Wizards decided to perform a radical experiment-- they surgically implanted the Shard inside Gadianton's chest, near his heart. They hypothesized that because Gadianton was young, his body's own magic system would synthesize with that of the Shard more easily than previous (dead) subjects. They also believed his human blood would A. protect him from the inevitable burnout other Pixie subjects had experienced, and B. possibly allow him to use the Shard for magic other than Pixie magic.
The surgery was terrifying for Gadianton, but he was deep in the Wizard cult at this point, and well-groomed. He was willing, just afraid. Afterwards, he was in a lot of pain for a long time. But as he slowly recovered, the Wizard's excitement grew. It seemed their first hypothesis was correct- Gadianton could handle much, much more of the power than any Pixie that they had ever seen. He did not seem to risk burning out or tiring, no matter how much they pushed him. Some Wizards wanted to push him much harder much faster, but the prevailing authority encouraged a slower approach. They allowed Gadianton to do other activities as well, notably allowing him to learn and practice as much music as he liked. Gadianton fell in love with a grand piano in the Vaults, and would play and sing for hours with the school's music teacher. He learned other instruments as well, violin, cello, flute, anything he could get his hands on. But he always came back to the piano. Some Wizards thought all this music was silly, but a few saw the value in it. It seemed to center him, to allow him to focus and perform better in his magic training. The music teacher even believed it was truly the secret to why Gadianton did not burn out, rather than his human blood.
Gadianton continued to train and learn to use his powers post-Shard for four more years. As he became more powerful and more comfortable with his power, he began to wonder more about his past, to ask more questions about the dragons who attacked his tribe. His answers were, predictably, unsatisfactory. Around this time, a bomb was dropped on his reality-- Adaki, his long lost twin brother, snuck into the Vaults and made contact with him. Their Bond, which had been severely weakened by the magic protecting the Vaults, was rekindled. Gadianton's entire perception of his past was shattered. The Wizards, in an attempt to keep Gadianton under control, locked Adaki away and tried to modify Gadianton's memories again. But he was stronger and knew more about their magic, and he resisted their efforts, barely, and with the help of his music teacher, he and Adaki escaped the Vaults and disappeared into the Wastes. The music teacher did not make it out of the Vaults.
At first, Adaki wanted Gadianton to return to the Pixies with him. He had found Sarai, who now lived with the Hummingbird tribe. Gadianton was afraid to return to the Pixies, however. He felt shame about the power he had, and about the Shard. Adaki had killed their father, but Gadianton told his brother it wasn't enough; they had to destroy the Drache family legacy.
Gender Identity
Male
Education
Some training when he was a kid with the Pixies. He was then taken by the Wizards and learned various ways of using magic there. He also knows a lot about music. It's his passion.
Employment
Does running a gang count? If not, then none until he left the Green-eyed Band when he was 22 and married Rachel. They run a farm together. Corn. Horses. Chickens. That kind of thing.
Accomplishments & Achievements
He stole a lot of very fancy things from very rich, powerful people. He is particularly proud of his ability to sneak into places without violence. But to him, the greatest achievement was creating a life for himself and his family.
Failures & Embarrassments
His abundance of power is actually not something he's proud of. The Pixies are afraid of him and wouldn't take him back after he escaped from the Vaults, and that still hurts. And right now he feels like a failure because of the danger his family is in from Varick.
Mental Trauma
The Wizards did some pretty bad things to his mind, although he and I aren't exactly sure what. It's difficult to classify as true trauma, though, because they modified his memories. A lot of things that happened he either doesn't remember or he remembers incorrectly. But that's traumatic in itself-- he doesn't know what happened, but he knows they could do it again, if they got hold of him. Or they could do it to his daughter, if Varick gives her to them.
Intellectual Characteristics
Very smart, good at thinking outside of the box and coming up with meticulous plans. Also good at improvising when those plans start to go awry.
Morality & Philosophy
He wants to be good, but he also wants what he wants, and sometimes he compromises his morals to try and get his desires. His philosophy I guess is that he wants he and his family to be safe and happy, and if that has to be at the expense of someone else's safety/happiness, he's willing to make that choice.
Taboos
Killing. He'll go out of his way to make sure nobody dies.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Right now his primary motivation is the safety of his family, especially Jillian. He is terrified of what the wizards would do to her if they got their hands on her.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
He's an excellent thief and also a talented liar. Good at impersonating people, acting, conning, etc. Can spot a valuable or a fake from a mile away. Also he is a great musician. He has been singing since before he can remember, and learned to dance and play drums and other traditional Pixie instruments when he lived with the Pixies. With the wizards, when they realized how much music helped him keep control of his powers (and for the few who actually cared, how much it helped his mental state), they basically let him pursue anything he wanted. He fell in love with the piano learned how to play and sing exceptionally. He also dabbled with stringed instruments like cello and violin, and of course even more percussion. His true love is piano and voice, and more recently with the teaching of his wife he has gotten to really enjoy the guitar.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes: Music, games, plays, fencing
Dislikes: Rules, boredom, violence, poor planning
Virtues & Personality perks
Gadianton is very smart. He wants to please. He also does care about people, although sometimes he tries to ignore that. He's good with children. And he's generally very good at making people feel better, if he decides he wants to.
Vices & Personality flaws
He likes to control how people perceive him, so often he lies or twists the truth to manipulate how others view him. He is a bit over-confident sometimes. He doesn't always consider all the outcomes, or how his actions might affect other people down the line. He can also be a bit impulsive, although since he's started his family/farm life this has calmed down some. He doesn't know when to admit he needs help, and so of course he's also terrible at asking for it.
Personality Quirks
He likes to pace when he's thinking. As well as think out-loud. A lot of pacing and talking. Gadianton has a hard time staying still. He needs to be working, moving, doing some kind of physical activity.
Hygiene
Perfect! Gadianton knows that appearance is essential to any performance. However he looks, you can be sure he is 100% aware of it and any flaws were intentional to give him the advantage in whatever role he's trying to pull off.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Adaki- twin brother.
Neil- frienemy? Gadianton likes to think they're friends, but Neil does not agree. But Neil is definitely still friends with Adaki, so maybe they're friends-in-law?
Varick- definite enemy, but has a tight grip on Gadianton right now via his family.
Family Ties
Adaki - twin brother. They're not on the best of terms right now. But he is his brother.
Zevi - mother. Deceased, but still wanders around as a ghost wolf and haunts him and his brother occasionally. She's... difficult to read.
Lord Drache - father. Not many ties here. Gadianton never met him.
Rachel - wife! Gadianton adores her. She is the love of his life and the only woman he's ever been with.
Jillian - daughter! Gadianton adores her as well. He would do anything to keep her safe.
Religious Views
Gadianton also still holds some of his traditional Pixie beliefs, although he doesn't talk about them much. He pretends he doesn't, but he does.
Social Aptitude
Gadianton is extremely charismatic. Most of the time he is too confident in himself. Very extroverted, not afraid to talk to strangers as if they were his best friend. He uses his best manners and respectful titles when addressing people, likes to make them feel like they're special. Is excellent at getting everyone to like him and listen to him. A good leader.
Mannerisms
Dramatic hand gestures are common. He also likes to wink and grin a lot, to try and make people smile.
Hobbies & Pets
Pets:
Red Heeler named Rufus
Horse named Warden (he stole him from a prison warden)
Hobbies:
Music. All music, but he has spent the most time singing and playing the piano. He is also getting pretty good at guitar, thanks to Rachel. When he was a child, he learned to dance flag dances with the Pixies, and he also was learning to play drums and other percussion instruments. With the Wizards, he was allowed to experiment with many musical instruments, as a creative outlet for him but also as a way for him to practice his multitasking. He can play piano with his hands and control a violin with his telekinesis, for example. And sing.
His true love will always be singing.
Speech
He typically has a very friendly-sounding voice. He keeps his tone light and amiable most of the time, to get people to let their guard down. But Gadianton is capable of changing this in an instant, and his voice can be very frightening. He rarely shouts, but uses a very intensely quite voice to intimidate. He does tend to joke around and act like nothing bothers him, even if in reality he is very bothered. His voice is one of his greatest tools of manipulation, and he uses it well.
Relationships
History
Zevi died when Gadianton was born. Her specter could not contact him until after he escaped from the Wizards of the Vaults, which he did after she was able to convince his twin brother, Adaki, to save him. She revealed herself to him then, and at first Gadianton was excited, but quickly (more quickly than Adaki) his opinion of her soured. She says nasty things about her sister, Abihail, who was Gadianton's surragate mother among the Pixies, and he resents that. He wants nothing to do with her anymore, but can't seem to get rid of her. He was especially peeved when she appeared to his daughter Jillian once, and now he refuses to acknowledge her and actively keeps her out of his mind.
Wealth & Financial state
He's a farmer right now so he doesn't have much... except, you know, his various hidden caches of things he stole when he was a thief. He is mostly saving that for emergencies, though. But if you count it, he's pretty wealthy.
Current Status
Transporting the Duchess Alora Govan to his employer on the Windthrown Prairie. Against her will.
Species
Age
26
Circumstances of Birth
Born on the Drache Plantation. Pixie mother, Zevi of Swifts, died the same night. Human father, Lord Josef Drache I, wanted them both dead at first. Eventually was convinced to keep the more-human twin, Adaki (he re-named Josef II). Sent Gadianton away
Birthplace
Drache Plantation
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Farm on the Golden Sea
Gender
Male
Eyes
Bright "Pixie" green, often slightly glowing
Hair
Silky, straight, pitch black. Getting a little bit long when our story begins, so it's starting to get in his eyes.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Well-tanned
Height
6ft
Weight
Average
Quotes & Catchphrases
With the Green-Eyed Band, variations of: "We're a family!"
"Rise and shine, Duchess."/"Look alive, Duchess."
Belief/Deity
Agnostic/Pagan, depending on how Pixie-ish he is feeling.
Aligned Organization
Related Plots
- Windthrown (fluent)
- Pixie (rusty, but he can get by)
- Yalatian (not fluent, knows enough to sell stolen goods over the border and make sure he's not being cheated out of a good deal)
- Olea's sign language (not fluent, knows several basic words and phrases and how to finger-spell)
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