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Description
Edit: I have no idea why this looks slightly out of focus, but I blame Gimp...I'll fix it later >__>; For a clear version, click here: [link]

Yet another character for lol

Check out the city write-up for Fiorelle Sanctuary , the city that Svariel is Lord and Founder of!

Name: Lord Svariel of Fiorelle Sanctuary
Faction: Neutral
Race: Naga
Age: 54
Height: 7'1" when 'standing', tail length 16'
Occupation: Lord of Fiorelle Sanctuary
Weapon: Broad Sword

Abilities:
- Poison: Svariel possesses an extremely toxic poison that he can transfer via his claws or his bite. His fangs, much like a normal snake's, drop down from the roof of his mouth when he goes for a strike.
- Sword Fighting: Svar is a decent hand with a sword, particularly broad swords, but he's no master. He uses his natural strength and size to his advantage, though, so that tends to make up for any lack of finesse in his technique.
- Barrier Magic: Shields and barriers are a natural extension of Svariel's magic, and he can conjure one in a breath without even having to think about it, thought it is of limited strength. Given time, and planning, though, and he can put up a significantly more stable and powerful one. This is amplified a thousand times over if he uses the Guardian Blade (see: barrier over Fiorelle Sanctuary).

Personality: Svariel is a very level headed and patient man who has been taught how to handle people in tense situations since he was a boy. The Naga isn't all business, though, as he has a very good sense of humor and is capable of finding the good in just about anything or anyone. Svar isn't afraid of hard work, and it's not uncommon to find him in the fields, helping to bring in the harvest, repairing a building after a storm, or amongst the healers when they are in particular need of assistance, despite the fact that he is a Lord. He doesn't enjoy all the formality that tends to go with his position, but he puts up with it, having come to realize that it is an inevitability, and that it does have it's uses on occasion. Despite the drawbacks, Svariel is quite good at his job, and even enjoys it. He's thoughtful and fair in his disbursement of justice and resources amongst the people that have come to live in Fiorelle, and his reign thus far has been a peaceful one.

History: Svariel never knew his birth parents, as he was found amongst the ruins of what had once been the small village they had lived in in the mountains by a wanderer. His was the only egg that had not been smashed in the pandemonium of the raid, and the wanderer, a human man by the name of Marcus, picked up his egg thinking it was no doubt dead, but figured he might be able to sell it to a mage. Mages in the area were notorious for their use of parts of other creatures in their spells, such as Nagas, Harpys, and others. However, as it ended up, the egg was far from dead, and hatched only a few days later while it was still in Marcus' possession. Despite the fact that he could have sold the child to a mage for an even greater price than a dead egg, Marcus kept the boy and decided to raise him as his own, no easy task for a single male. Therefore, he joined up with a trader caravan and remained with them for the first fifteen years of Svariel's life so he would have help raising the child while still being able to keep up his wanderer's lifestyle.

The naga had a happy childhood, traveling all over Zion with the trading caravan and his father for many years. During that time, Marcus taught Svariel everything he knew, which was considerably more than one would expect a wandering vagrant to know. He taught the boy to read, write, and calculate better than the average person of Zion could if not raised within a wealthy household. Though Svariel never knew it, Marcus was the exiled son of a lord, disowned by his father as a young man for accidentally killing his elder brother while out on a hunt. Though it had certainly not been intentional, Marcus' father was inconsolable at the loss of his first born son, and cast out the younger one for his sins.

Though Marcus was never able to truly make use of the extensive education he had received as a boy, Svariel did, though he never thought twice about how a wanderer knew so much about foreign policy, politics, and the best way to handle an ambassador. Though the knowledge didn't have much practical use when Svariel was a boy, he found it invaluable after he founded Fiorelle Sanctuary. Many years before that, though, when Svariel was 15, their caravan was attacked by bandits. Marcus was shot from his horse by a crossbow bolt, and unable to defend himself. Fighting against the adults trying to force him into the safety of the wagons with the other children, Svariel broke free of them and took up his father's sword to defend him. The boy had never seen his father use the sword more than a handful of times over the years. He was a decent hand at it, but not particularly skilled. The man always complained what a rubbish sword it was, for it would never hold an edge and was far to heavy to wield with any sort of ease; but it had been all he could afford at the time.

The moment Svariel took up the blade, though, it seemed to hum in his grasp, and he felt as though he could suddenly see colors he never noticed before. He held the blade before him, which seemed light as a feather in his hands, and the rain of arrows that had been fired at them were deflected by a powerful barrier. In fact, the entire caravan became encircled by a barrier that became visible only when impacted. Eventually, the raiders retreated, and Svariel discovered that his father had died the moment he'd been shot from his horse. Grief threatened to overwhelm him for some time, but he eventually dragged himself out of his depression, realizing that his father would have chided him for succumbing in the first place.

Leaving the trading caravan shortly after, Svariel set out to seek his fortune, magic sword on his back. In his travels he discovered that he had his own magical abilities to create protective barriers, but they were amplified many times over if he used his father's sword. He worked hard, and over the years, with advice from mages and other magic users that he met along the way, Svariel refined his abilities.

In the decades leading up to the beginning of the second war of Zion, Svariel came across fewer and fewer naga settlements, though they had been rare enough to begin with. Still, villages he had visited only a few years prior would be empty, or worse, destroyed, when he returned. One day, he came across one of the few Naga settlements he still knew of when it was under attack. Specialized hunters were razing the village, killing what nagas they could find and harvesting their scales, horns, and natural poisons to sell to certain magic users. Svariel dove into the fray, shielding those that remained alive as he fought off the rest while the survivors gathered themselves and helped him fight back. The hunters were eventually driven off, but very few nagas were left alive, and their homes had been completely decimated. Knowing that he couldn't leave them to fend for themselves, Svariel suggested that they move away from there, to a new place where they would all be safe. He would finally settle down after years of traveling and put his abilities to good use by making a sanctuary for his fellow nagas so they would not have to live in fear of hunters anymore.

The survivors agreed gladly and followed him to an abandoned city he had come across in his youth, located in Yami-Rio. One of the survivors was the white nagaess, Maarinye, who would one day become the head of the Healer Hall in Fiorelle Sanctuary when it was founded. They all set off together on their pilgrimage, and gathered many other nagas along the way, who had heard by word of mouth of this fabled place that would offer them safety. One such person was Khaari, a flying nagaess who joined them out of the blue one day, having appeared on her own with a haunted expression and terrified eyes. It was a long time before she spoke to anyone at all, so they assumed she had been the victim of attacks much like those on the other villages, and left the only survivor. Regardless, she never told anyone what had happened to her village, or her family, or even where she had been living.

At long last, they reached the abandoned city, and Svariel was finally able to put decades of practice with his barrier magic and sword to use. He performed a spell that he developed even as he performed it, his blade seeming to guide him to the end he desired. As a result, a powerful, complex, and permanent barrier was put into place around the newly dubbed 'Fiorelle Sanctuary'. It was so powerful that only a god could pass through it without permission, and all those allowed within would be bound to a vow of peace.

Those first few years were not easy ones, as the city required a great deal of work in order to restore it to it's former glory, but every month more and more people showed up, hoping for a place to live in safety. At first, it was only nagas, but soon they were joined by other species seeking safe haven, and all were welcomed with open arms. When Ares and Caelius returned, starting the great war anew, Svariel maintained their position as a neutral city opened to all seeking safety, no matter where they came from. One day, when a battle was fought and won not far from their borders, the lord of Fiorelle Sanctuary opened their gates to allow the wounded in to make use of their healing hall so long as they took the temporary vows of peace. Since then, this has become a regular affair, and they even go so far as to provide transport via magical portal from the site of the battle back to Fiorelle for anyone who needs it.

Likes: Warmth, venison, kids, when his people are happy
Dislikes: Cold, sweets, when his people suffer, people who take advantage of others

History of the Guardian Blade:
Svariel's sword, the Guardian Blade, was old long before he inherited it from his adopted father.
The blade was, in fact, not a blade at all, but a shield. It was created centuries ago in a village renowned for it's peerless metal work and fierce warriors who paid tribute to an extremely powerful elemental that they believed to be the spirit of the mountain on which they lived. They gave it the name Gobha'Freyer or "Smith Lord". Gobha'Freyer helped them become master metal-workers by providing the highest grade ores and teaching the smiths to bring out the maximum potential of the metal. Eventually, word reached the surrounding areas of the near mythic qualities of their works, and the raids began soon after. Bandits and thieves assaulted the the village so relentlessly that Gobha'Freyer feared the people he had come to love would be destroyed. Desperate to aid their plight, he cut off his own right arm and from it forged a shield and sword; Vard to protect his people, and Skadi to destroy their enemies. Together, with the clan's strongest warriors, they drove out the bandits and secured the clan's borders, installing a golden age of peace and prosperity. Like all times of peace, though, this one was not to last. One day Gobha'Freyer simply disappeared, and without his presence there was no longer a source of high quality ore. As a result, their metalwork lost some of its mythic qualities, causing a decrease in the village's defenses. This emboldened the surrounding bandits to once again raid the village. It was during one such raid that Vard was stolen, leaving the once prosperous village a mere shadow of its former glory. With only Skadi left to remind everyone of the old ways, each generation knew less and less of the story...until eventually, their history faded into the realm of myths and fairy tales.

After he was stolen, Vard no longer walked about in the humanoid form that his powers gave him, but remained a shield, refusing to speak to his captors. The powerful relic refused to work for someone not of the blood of the people he had been made to protect. Over the years, the shield was forgotten, as was it's history, leaving Vard to collect dust. One day, catastrophe struck in the form of a blacksmith who purchased the old shield and melted it down, reforging it into a blade. The process was incredibly painful for the spirit, and yet he still did not speak. The result was a fine looking blade, but he was discarded all the same for, no matter how hard the smith worked, he could not get the metal to hold an edge. Vard's innate nature as a shield, no matter his physical form, prevented him from being able to cut an enemy, as he had been forged with the intent to protect, not to harm.

The useless sword was sold, forgotten, found, then sold again many times over the following centuries, and Vard watched with his limited vision as the world around him changed until, one day, a boy took him up in order to protect his father, and the shield felt his strength surge in answer to the boy's own magic. This boy, this naga, while not of the blood he had been made to protect, was himself a born protector, and the shield found himself eagerly combining his power with the one he would come to know not only as Svariel, but as Master.

Vard has grown so used to silence and watching that he has yet to speak to his master, though he has been with him for nearly four decades now. Svariel is, though, aware that the Guardian Blade is sentient, as it is able to divine the intent of those who enter his sphere of influence, and keep out those who would wish to harm anyone under his protection. He talks to the sword quite often, and Vard enjoys listening, though he has yet to say anything in return.

Extra Notes:
- Svar's barrier magic comes in different strengths, and this all depends on how much time he is given to prepare. An instant barrier will be good for a single blow, and if that blow is particularly powerful the barrier might shatter and leave Svar to take some of the attack. Given a few moments to prepare, he can conjure a barrier that can absorb multiple blows, or a single more powerful one. The class of barrier he used on Fiorelle Sanctuary was possible only thanks to the cooperation of the Guardian Blade, and even then, it took three straight days to accomplish.
- The guardian blade cannot leave the Sanctuary, or the barrier will immediately collapse. If Svariel has to leave the Sanctuary (which he tries not too, and when he does, only for short periods), he does not take the sword with him, and so he relies on his own given abilities to protect himself.

Description
Edit: I have no idea why this looks slightly out of focus, but I blame Gimp...I'll fix it later >__>; For a clear version, click here: [link]

Yet another character for lol

Check out the city write-up for Fiorelle Sanctuary , the city that Svariel is Lord and Founder of!

Name: Lord Svariel of Fiorelle Sanctuary
Faction: Neutral
Race: Naga
Age: 54
Height: 7'1" when 'standing', tail length 16'
Occupation: Lord of Fiorelle Sanctuary
Weapon: Broad Sword

Abilities:
- Poison: Svariel possesses an extremely toxic poison that he can transfer via his claws or his bite. His fangs, much like a normal snake's, drop down from the roof of his mouth when he goes for a strike.
- Sword Fighting: Svar is a decent hand with a sword, particularly broad swords, but he's no master. He uses his natural strength and size to his advantage, though, so that tends to make up for any lack of finesse in his technique.
- Barrier Magic: Shields and barriers are a natural extension of Svariel's magic, and he can conjure one in a breath without even having to think about it, thought it is of limited strength. Given time, and planning, though, and he can put up a significantly more stable and powerful one. This is amplified a thousand times over if he uses the Guardian Blade (see: barrier over Fiorelle Sanctuary).

Personality: Svariel is a very level headed and patient man who has been taught how to handle people in tense situations since he was a boy. The Naga isn't all business, though, as he has a very good sense of humor and is capable of finding the good in just about anything or anyone. Svar isn't afraid of hard work, and it's not uncommon to find him in the fields, helping to bring in the harvest, repairing a building after a storm, or amongst the healers when they are in particular need of assistance, despite the fact that he is a Lord. He doesn't enjoy all the formality that tends to go with his position, but he puts up with it, having come to realize that it is an inevitability, and that it does have it's uses on occasion. Despite the drawbacks, Svariel is quite good at his job, and even enjoys it. He's thoughtful and fair in his disbursement of justice and resources amongst the people that have come to live in Fiorelle, and his reign thus far has been a peaceful one.

History: Svariel never knew his birth parents, as he was found amongst the ruins of what had once been the small village they had lived in in the mountains by a wanderer. His was the only egg that had not been smashed in the pandemonium of the raid, and the wanderer, a human man by the name of Marcus, picked up his egg thinking it was no doubt dead, but figured he might be able to sell it to a mage. Mages in the area were notorious for their use of parts of other creatures in their spells, such as Nagas, Harpys, and others. However, as it ended up, the egg was far from dead, and hatched only a few days later while it was still in Marcus' possession. Despite the fact that he could have sold the child to a mage for an even greater price than a dead egg, Marcus kept the boy and decided to raise him as his own, no easy task for a single male. Therefore, he joined up with a trader caravan and remained with them for the first fifteen years of Svariel's life so he would have help raising the child while still being able to keep up his wanderer's lifestyle.

The naga had a happy childhood, traveling all over Zion with the trading caravan and his father for many years. During that time, Marcus taught Svariel everything he knew, which was considerably more than one would expect a wandering vagrant to know. He taught the boy to read, write, and calculate better than the average person of Zion could if not raised within a wealthy household. Though Svariel never knew it, Marcus was the exiled son of a lord, disowned by his father as a young man for accidentally killing his elder brother while out on a hunt. Though it had certainly not been intentional, Marcus' father was inconsolable at the loss of his first born son, and cast out the younger one for his sins.

Though Marcus was never able to truly make use of the extensive education he had received as a boy, Svariel did, though he never thought twice about how a wanderer knew so much about foreign policy, politics, and the best way to handle an ambassador. Though the knowledge didn't have much practical use when Svariel was a boy, he found it invaluable after he founded Fiorelle Sanctuary. Many years before that, though, when Svariel was 15, their caravan was attacked by bandits. Marcus was shot from his horse by a crossbow bolt, and unable to defend himself. Fighting against the adults trying to force him into the safety of the wagons with the other children, Svariel broke free of them and took up his father's sword to defend him. The boy had never seen his father use the sword more than a handful of times over the years. He was a decent hand at it, but not particularly skilled. The man always complained what a rubbish sword it was, for it would never hold an edge and was far to heavy to wield with any sort of ease; but it had been all he could afford at the time.

The moment Svariel took up the blade, though, it seemed to hum in his grasp, and he felt as though he could suddenly see colors he never noticed before. He held the blade before him, which seemed light as a feather in his hands, and the rain of arrows that had been fired at them were deflected by a powerful barrier. In fact, the entire caravan became encircled by a barrier that became visible only when impacted. Eventually, the raiders retreated, and Svariel discovered that his father had died the moment he'd been shot from his horse. Grief threatened to overwhelm him for some time, but he eventually dragged himself out of his depression, realizing that his father would have chided him for succumbing in the first place.

Leaving the trading caravan shortly after, Svariel set out to seek his fortune, magic sword on his back. In his travels he discovered that he had his own magical abilities to create protective barriers, but they were amplified many times over if he used his father's sword. He worked hard, and over the years, with advice from mages and other magic users that he met along the way, Svariel refined his abilities.

In the decades leading up to the beginning of the second war of Zion, Svariel came across fewer and fewer naga settlements, though they had been rare enough to begin with. Still, villages he had visited only a few years prior would be empty, or worse, destroyed, when he returned. One day, he came across one of the few Naga settlements he still knew of when it was under attack. Specialized hunters were razing the village, killing what nagas they could find and harvesting their scales, horns, and natural poisons to sell to certain magic users. Svariel dove into the fray, shielding those that remained alive as he fought off the rest while the survivors gathered themselves and helped him fight back. The hunters were eventually driven off, but very few nagas were left alive, and their homes had been completely decimated. Knowing that he couldn't leave them to fend for themselves, Svariel suggested that they move away from there, to a new place where they would all be safe. He would finally settle down after years of traveling and put his abilities to good use by making a sanctuary for his fellow nagas so they would not have to live in fear of hunters anymore.

The survivors agreed gladly and followed him to an abandoned city he had come across in his youth, located in Yami-Rio. One of the survivors was the white nagaess, Maarinye, who would one day become the head of the Healer Hall in Fiorelle Sanctuary when it was founded. They all set off together on their pilgrimage, and gathered many other nagas along the way, who had heard by word of mouth of this fabled place that would offer them safety. One such person was Khaari, a flying nagaess who joined them out of the blue one day, having appeared on her own with a haunted expression and terrified eyes. It was a long time before she spoke to anyone at all, so they assumed she had been the victim of attacks much like those on the other villages, and left the only survivor. Regardless, she never told anyone what had happened to her village, or her family, or even where she had been living.

At long last, they reached the abandoned city, and Svariel was finally able to put decades of practice with his barrier magic and sword to use. He performed a spell that he developed even as he performed it, his blade seeming to guide him to the end he desired. As a result, a powerful, complex, and permanent barrier was put into place around the newly dubbed 'Fiorelle Sanctuary'. It was so powerful that only a god could pass through it without permission, and all those allowed within would be bound to a vow of peace.

Those first few years were not easy ones, as the city required a great deal of work in order to restore it to it's former glory, but every month more and more people showed up, hoping for a place to live in safety. At first, it was only nagas, but soon they were joined by other species seeking safe haven, and all were welcomed with open arms. When Ares and Caelius returned, starting the great war anew, Svariel maintained their position as a neutral city opened to all seeking safety, no matter where they came from. One day, when a battle was fought and won not far from their borders, the lord of Fiorelle Sanctuary opened their gates to allow the wounded in to make use of their healing hall so long as they took the temporary vows of peace. Since then, this has become a regular affair, and they even go so far as to provide transport via magical portal from the site of the battle back to Fiorelle for anyone who needs it.

Likes: Warmth, venison, kids, when his people are happy
Dislikes: Cold, sweets, when his people suffer, people who take advantage of others

History of the Guardian Blade:
Svariel's sword, the Guardian Blade, was old long before he inherited it from his adopted father.
The blade was, in fact, not a blade at all, but a shield. It was created centuries ago in a village renowned for it's peerless metal work and fierce warriors who paid tribute to an extremely powerful elemental that they believed to be the spirit of the mountain on which they lived. They gave it the name Gobha'Freyer or "Smith Lord". Gobha'Freyer helped them become master metal-workers by providing the highest grade ores and teaching the smiths to bring out the maximum potential of the metal. Eventually, word reached the surrounding areas of the near mythic qualities of their works, and the raids began soon after. Bandits and thieves assaulted the the village so relentlessly that Gobha'Freyer feared the people he had come to love would be destroyed. Desperate to aid their plight, he cut off his own right arm and from it forged a shield and sword; Vard to protect his people, and Skadi to destroy their enemies. Together, with the clan's strongest warriors, they drove out the bandits and secured the clan's borders, installing a golden age of peace and prosperity. Like all times of peace, though, this one was not to last. One day Gobha'Freyer simply disappeared, and without his presence there was no longer a source of high quality ore. As a result, their metalwork lost some of its mythic qualities, causing a decrease in the village's defenses. This emboldened the surrounding bandits to once again raid the village. It was during one such raid that Vard was stolen, leaving the once prosperous village a mere shadow of its former glory. With only Skadi left to remind everyone of the old ways, each generation knew less and less of the story...until eventually, their history faded into the realm of myths and fairy tales.

After he was stolen, Vard no longer walked about in the humanoid form that his powers gave him, but remained a shield, refusing to speak to his captors. The powerful relic refused to work for someone not of the blood of the people he had been made to protect. Over the years, the shield was forgotten, as was it's history, leaving Vard to collect dust. One day, catastrophe struck in the form of a blacksmith who purchased the old shield and melted it down, reforging it into a blade. The process was incredibly painful for the spirit, and yet he still did not speak. The result was a fine looking blade, but he was discarded all the same for, no matter how hard the smith worked, he could not get the metal to hold an edge. Vard's innate nature as a shield, no matter his physical form, prevented him from being able to cut an enemy, as he had been forged with the intent to protect, not to harm.

The useless sword was sold, forgotten, found, then sold again many times over the following centuries, and Vard watched with his limited vision as the world around him changed until, one day, a boy took him up in order to protect his father, and the shield felt his strength surge in answer to the boy's own magic. This boy, this naga, while not of the blood he had been made to protect, was himself a born protector, and the shield found himself eagerly combining his power with the one he would come to know not only as Svariel, but as Master.

Vard has grown so used to silence and watching that he has yet to speak to his master, though he has been with him for nearly four decades now. Svariel is, though, aware that the Guardian Blade is sentient, as it is able to divine the intent of those who enter his sphere of influence, and keep out those who would wish to harm anyone under his protection. He talks to the sword quite often, and Vard enjoys listening, though he has yet to say anything in return.

Extra Notes:
- Svar's barrier magic comes in different strengths, and this all depends on how much time he is given to prepare. An instant barrier will be good for a single blow, and if that blow is particularly powerful the barrier might shatter and leave Svar to take some of the attack. Given a few moments to prepare, he can conjure a barrier that can absorb multiple blows, or a single more powerful one. The class of barrier he used on Fiorelle Sanctuary was possible only thanks to the cooperation of the Guardian Blade, and even then, it took three straight days to accomplish.
- The guardian blade cannot leave the Sanctuary, or the barrier will immediately collapse. If Svariel has to leave the Sanctuary (which he tries not too, and when he does, only for short periods), he does not take the sword with him, and so he relies on his own given abilities to protect himself.