Ains Ravenwood
Power always requires a sacrifice. A sacrifice where one forfeits a crucial part of himself. That was the price I had to pay. That powerless little kid whose hands were too small to carry the weight of his crown. I had to snuff him out and cast aside his childish toys because that was the only way I could survive. That was the only way I could ever move forward, which is what everyone would’ve wanted. After all, if I hadn't then who would?Ains Ravenwood
Overview
Born as a prince of Volana and destined to be its future king, Ains suffered the misfortunes of losing his birthright when the Ithican Empire defeated his father in the Sun and Moon War, marking the end of the Ravenwood dynasty. This gave the Ithicans the opportunity to seize the entirety of his homeland and oust a large number of his people into the harsh winters of the Astrea. Although he never wanted power and especially the burdens that followed, Ains — unable to ignore the suffering of his people and the final wishes of his family without experiencing some form of guilt — will stop at nothing to restore the throne, even if it means resorting to morally reprehensible acts or sacrificing his own happiness. However, it doesn’t take long for it to take a toll on him, both physically and mentally.Physical Description
Body Features
Ains bears a strong resemblance to his father with his fair skin and black, feathery hair. His eyes are emerald green which transitions into a sea-green hue upon tapping his magic. When using it, there are two white rings that circle his pupils, indicating to be within the Astral Realm as a mystic. He is somewhat skinny but is overall well-built. In terms of distinct features, Ains has a notably large scar on his right shoulder and another on the left side of his waist. He also has a piercing hole on his left ear which has not closed up, even though he barely wears any earring.
Special abilities
Ains possesses a rare constitution and therefore lacks the conventional capabilities often seen in a Volaine, all of whom are shamans. Whereas shamans primarily specialize in mental projections, his abilities are more oriented towards the physical realm. As such, he excels more in the schools of evocation and arcane magic. Much of his basic abilities, however, otherwise resemble that of a shaman.
As a third-tier magic user, he can learn a maximum of six spells. Universal and perceptive abilities do not count.
Read List of Spells
As a third-tier magic user, he can learn a maximum of six spells. Universal and perceptive abilities do not count.
Read List of Spells
Arcane
Ethereal Flow (Universal)
Triggers a surge of mana to flow throughout the mystic's body, creating a luminescent glow in their eyes. This sharpens their reflexes and agility while producing superhuman strength and activating their regenerative abilities.
Regeneration (Universal)
A passive that naturally tends to open wounds. Severe injuries generally take longer to heal, but the stronger the mystic, the faster the process. There are some situations where this passive cannot operate. For example, one cannot regenerate lost limbs due to severed nerves.
Restoration (Universal)
The process of transferring mana to another mystic, increasing their regenerating activity and healing them as a result. Currently at its weakest form.
Siphoning (Universal)
The process of channeling mana from ley lines or through other users and souls.
Suppression (Universal)
The act of weakening the flow of mana or outright concealing it. It is usually as a means to avoid detection by others but is generally ineffective against shamans stronger than the individual due to their perceptive abilities.
Exquisite Strike (Enchantment)
Offers a mid-range advantage by creating beams of arcanic slashes that can be used as projectiles upon swinging one’s weapon. Requires an enchanted sword.
Evocation
Fireball (Destruction)
A basic spell that blasts a fiery green ball.
Combustion (Destruction)
Produces a powerful blast that leaves flames in the surrounding area. Can easily exhaust the caster if used too often.
Havoc (Conjuration)
Launches a single lance at an instantaneous rate. This spell has been synthesized with...Bitter Affliction
The mystic is now not only able to summon multiple lances but is also capable of fusing them to deal better damage as part of the synthesis. Requires time and concentration to summon all four.
Bitter Execution
Four lances surrounds caster, spinning in a whirlwind fashion. Can launch at enemy targets due to synthesis.
Lethal Transfix (Conjuration)
Summons spears that impale enemies from the ground.
Perception
Aura/Magic Detection
The ability to sense the presence of magic within one's vicinity.
Reconstruction
The ability to examine bloodstains and recreate events that took place for a few seconds based on the lingering traces of mana.
Apparel & Accessories
During religious ceremonies or holidays, Ains dons a black feathered coat with two spiked-covered pauldrons resting on his shoulders, a dark blue robe underneath, and a raven skull with ram-like horns to finally top it off.
In battle, he wears a light plate armor. On the front is a dark purple and a dark green tabard depicting the image of a raven and a moon, and attached to the back is a tattered cloak. It's a pretty worn-out look, but the feathers decorating his shoulder piece slightly make up for it. Overall, however, it should be noted that Ains isn't very extravagant in most cases, so he prefers to wear something as simple as a white button-up shirt and a pair of dark trousers for casual wear.
In battle, he wears a light plate armor. On the front is a dark purple and a dark green tabard depicting the image of a raven and a moon, and attached to the back is a tattered cloak. It's a pretty worn-out look, but the feathers decorating his shoulder piece slightly make up for it. Overall, however, it should be noted that Ains isn't very extravagant in most cases, so he prefers to wear something as simple as a white button-up shirt and a pair of dark trousers for casual wear.
Specialized Equipment
Ains carries a leaf-shaped rune blade in battle and has a dagger attached to his waist as a secondary weapon. He hardly uses the dagger, but it does offer an advantage when he pins an enemy to the ground.
Mental characteristics
Intellectual Characteristics
Besides magic, Ains relies on his wits to further advance his agendas. He is exceptionally calculating and constantly takes the variables of his situation into account. In addition, his keen observations allow him to pick up what seems to be the most minute detail. This helps him to easily decipher other people's motives, which he can then exploit. Ains hardly ever acts without restraints, which can cause him to delay a certain problem for a while. Though once he's made his decision or an opportunity strikes, he will aggressively pursue his goals.
Morality & Philosophy
There will always be those who will go against you. Be ruthless.Like most Volaines, Ains held a grudge against the Ithicans who had torn his family apart. His sentiments initially made him ruthless without hesitation, albeit with age and experience, he developed a more relativistic perspective. This made him more open-minded unlike before.Zieren to Ains
However, with open-mindedness comes many moral dilemmas. Ains longs to be a better person in comparison to his younger self, but he unfortunately struggles to live up to that ideal. The pursuit of power inevitably attracts a breed of enemies. To survive, immorality becomes a necessity. While he does maintain some level of honor and is absolutely against needless violence, he will favor efficiency over morality if need be.
Personality Characteristics
Virtues & Personality perks
Read Strengths
- Extremely observant and insightful - His keen observations enable him to see through disingenuous motives, allowing him to step past manipulation tactics. By reading in between the lines, he is also able to piece certain information together to form the bigger picture.
- Strategic - As such, his insights help him conjure up effective tactics and strategies.
- Determined - His diligence allows him to achieve efficient results and never lose sight of his goals, although he is rather workaholic to a fault.
- Open-minded - By embracing new ideas and unfamiliar concepts, he is neither complacent nor does he conform to the black-and-white perceptions prevalent in his culture. Furthermore, he is able to achieve his goals through unconventional means.
- Combat Abilities (Mobility & Versatility) - He is known to be exceedingly versatile in battle through his aptitude in magic combined with his swordsmanship. However, he falls short on defense and is frequently susceptible to injuries ranging from minor to severe despite his regenerative abilities.
Vices & Personality flaws
Read Flaws
- Gives into social pressure - Ains is a goal-oriented person whose notions of success were ultimately defined by his family, culture, and social sphere. While it does establish a sense of unwavering determination on the forefront, problems inevitably arise when he centers his entire identity according to the expectations of others rather than his own desires.
- Overly perfectionistic - He struggles to deal with failure due to his fear of disappointing others.
- Emotionally private - Due to his perfectionistic tendencies, Ains does not like to be seen struggling. While he isn't necessarily stoic, at least completely, he often bottles up his more vulnerable emotions, leaving him with very few options for letting off steam. This can gradually wear and crack him down underneath a strong-willed facade.
- Out of touch with himself - In his attempt to model himself according to societal and familial expectations, he no longer knows what he truly wants or what his real feelings or interests really are. He is consequently prone to self-deception while entrapping himself into a state of unhappiness.
- Prone to self-blaming - Ains has a habit of blaming himself regardless of whether the situation at hand was within or beyond his control.
- Unable to unlock his full potential - His type of constitution presents its own disadvantage. It appears seemingly stronger than others, but because it's a type that's practically unheard of, the lack of knowledge in his environment prevents him from truly unlocking his full potential. Hence he is unable to break through the Ethereal Realm (fourth tier) despite his aptitude.
Personality Quirks
Read Quirks
- He has a love for eggs, and this created a running gag where people would call him "Egg Boy" in the tavern he works at.
- Has a high tolerance for alcohol, so he almost never feels drunk or intoxicated.
- Ains despises the heat. Despite his cool-headed demeanor, he can be irritable when the weather is killing him.
- He doesn't like to eat when he is in a bad mood, and he may occasionally even starve himself as a result.
- He is a hoarder for mementoes and, in particular, safeguards an azurlet wreath.
- Likes to go outside and wrap himself in a blanket whenever he can.
- He's good at coming up with names.
Hygiene
Ains is a bit of a neat freak and cannot stand a day without washing himself. However, he tends to grow out his hair, oftentimes way too long. Although he finds it inconvenient, he refuses to learn how to trim it, despite being perfectly capable to do so. He is moreover picky about who cuts it, but he recently had it trimmed by Illethia after growing it out for four years.
Social
Religious Views
Although adherence to Eulara is essentially an obligation, especially due to his upbringing, Ains is rather agnostic. As a person with a relativistic outlook, he struggles to favor one faith over the other, and this is especially so after having been exposed to other cultures. Nevertheless, Ains still takes it into account as a means to amass popular support.
Social Aptitude
As a charismatic and witty person, Ains is an ambivert. However, he leans more to the introverted side and can become increasingly stoic and emotionally withdrawn. This is due to his workaholic nature and partially due to his fear of vulnerability. Unless opted to do so, he also prefers to spend most of his time either alone or productively rather than surrounding himself with a large crowd. In spite of this, he is still easy-going and mellow when he has energy.
Mannerisms
Read Mannerisms
- He usually wears a straight face, and while his demeanor may come off as gloomy, he is normally mellow in actuality.
- Whenever he spots a detail that throws him off, he tends to look around to see if anyone else notices.
- He raises or furrows his brows when weirded out. This especially happens when he is around Reivan, whose absurd tendencies and lack of self-awareness often create an embarrassing scene in public.
- Ains sometimes experience second-hand embarrassment from Reivan, prompting him to either widen his eyes or avert eye contact altogether. He then pretends he isn't associated with Reivan in any way, shape, or form.
- When contemplating, he either rests the side of his index finger on his lip or leans his cheek on his hand.
Hobbies & Pets
He likes to read in his past time, particularly spell books to further augment his magical capabilities. He also enjoys cooking and works as a chef at The Red Reverie. While he has no pets of his own, he likes the company of animals and is relatively fond of Illethia’s cat.
Speech
It's funny how much the universe works against me sometimes...Ains is both crude yet refined. Back when he was a prince, he was quite the bookworm and naturally developed an eloquent way of speaking. He later became more vulgar during his exile, partially due to Seori, and picked up snarky and self-deprecating humor. He usually switches from one to the other depending on the situation, and there are times when he can be soft-spoken.
Relationships
Alignment
Neutral Good
Species
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The Vanquisher
Year of Birth
1056 A.E.
19 Years old
Birthplace
Volana
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Male
Eyes
Emerald / Sea Green (magic)
Hair
Feathery, Black
Height
179 cm (5’10”)
Weight
68.2 kg (150 lbs)
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Eulara. If you're real, strike me down and take me away."
Further Reading
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