Elfwin Arkain
Give me your hand. I can get you out of this alive, but you have got to trust me. A leap of faith is difficult for me too, but there is nothing that I can say that will make it easier and no time for words in any case. Your hand, child! Now!
Name: Elfwin.
Titles: Prince of Elysia, Elfwin Arkain, Elfwin Snakehand, Knight of the Labyrinth.
Rules: The Labyrinth of Elysia.
Height: 6'6". Weight: 200 lbs.
Hair color: Black. Eye color: Dark brown.
Distinguishing marks: Always wears one glove.
Appearance: Elfwin Arkain is a tall, imposing man, muscular and handsome, with long black hair, often half-braided. He smiles rarely and almost never laughs. He dresses in black, tight-fitting clothing in which he can easily move and makes no sound. He always wears a brown leather glove on his right hand, of the same cut and size as his father's magical gloves, and he usually carries a huge sword strapped across his back.
Colors: Black and blue.
Symbol: A Gordian knot, blue, on black.
Personality: Elfwin Arkain is something of an enigma in Arcadia. He is widely believed to be a decent man, since he has done his father's work for centuries, rescuing those in need and helping the dispossessed, and seems to enjoy it. He is, however, so reserved that he makes Arayen look demonstrative, and it is difficult to tell what he actually thinks or feels about anything since he will rarely tell you.
Parentage: Melchior and Feliziana Arkain.
Age: Most people think he is almost as old as Leonard, placing him a little over one thousand years old, and as the oldest of the living children of the Council.
Known siblings: None.
Known children: None.
Known agents: Few. Generally referred to as the Arkain.
Recruited By: Tamora.
Thumbnail History: The enigma that is Elfwin Arkain continues with his past. It is known that he is Melchior's son, that he is very old, that he is a warrior, a commander, and architect and a sorceror, all of no uncertain skill, but that his passion lies in combat and in the rescuing of the innocent and protection of the weak.
Elfwin's mother, Feliziana Arkain, was one of Melchior's first pupils, a sorceress of tremendous ability and great beauty. They married and lived together for centuries, but his powers and the links he had made to the City kept him young and handsome forever, whereas no magic that she could harness could keep her young. Eventually she grew obsessed with a mythical potion of youth and the pursuit of it drove her mad.
Elfwin was born before her madness, and despite both his parents' strong desires to see him a powerful sorceror and for him to continue their separate research, he gravitated toward martial pursuits and the solitary and ascetic existence of a knight or a warrior monk.
Despite his love for his parents, this created a rift which never fully healed. Feliziana died, quite insane, in a tower in Elfwin's Labyrinth. Melchior, while always cordial and friendly with his son, could never manage warmth after that.
Presently, Elfwin is a wanderer for good, a knight of compassion and justice, and something of a fairy tale figure in Arcadia.
Elfwin as Parent: Elfwin has few romantic interludes and the likelihood is that if he does have children, he will be aware of them and be an excellent father. He has difficulty connecting emotionally, but he tries very hard. He gives all of his love, his loyalty and his commitment to family. He can be strict, but only when it comes to areas where his child might put herself or her future at risk. Otherwise, he has no expectations beyond that the child be happy, healthy and try his hardest at whatever he seeks to be. Elfwin would be present until his child was eighteen and then he would disappear again, again wandering the city as a righter of wrongs and a sort of Arcadian superhero.
Elfwin as Employer: He has few agents and employees, preferring to work alone. It is quieter, faster and safer that way, for the most part. Those who do work for him either guard the Labyrinth or are members of the Arkain - a crimefighting force scattered about Arcadia which seeks out and destroys evil wherever it finds it (and can defeat it). Elfwin leads by example, and his agents are rarely paid in money. They tend to gravitate to him because they admire him and wish to be part of what he does.
Elfwin as Friend: He may have few (or no) children, and few agents, but there are many who are proud to call Elfwin Arkain friend. The Arkain are the largest bunch, but there are those from all walks of life - those who have been helped or saved by him, those who have worked with him, and those who have spoken to him or fought beside him. He is a reserved, mysterious, laconic man, certainly, but his goodness is obvious, his strength is clear and his conviction cannot be denied. Elfwin is the sort who judges morally, but he is also the sort who can easily forgive and easily understand. While some of his friends are of his own sort - his father Melchior, Arayen, and Melaine, for example - he is also on good terms with Eris Echidna and Tamora Darkmoore, both of whom hold vastly different world views and have committed acts he considers evil.
Elfwin Romantically: It is difficult for Elfwin, as a reserved and private man, one committed entirely to his vision for the City and his code of honor, to give himself over to love. He refuses, on the other hand, to bed women he does not love, so that despite his long life, his list of partners is fairly short. There have been women, and usually he marries them and stays with them until their deaths - for he inevitably outlives them (the curse and blessing of the Old Blood). There are those for whom his love is doomed before it begins, and for whom marriage is never an option. In those cases, Elfwin blames himself for years afterward for his weakness in jumping into a relationship that could never have led to happiness. With his lovers he is caring, attentive, supportive and strong, though he does have a tendency to wish to take the dominant position in all relationships.
Name: Elfwin.
Titles: Prince of Elysia, Elfwin Arkain, Elfwin Snakehand, Knight of the Labyrinth.
Rules: The Labyrinth of Elysia.
Height: 6'6". Weight: 200 lbs.
Hair color: Black. Eye color: Dark brown.
Distinguishing marks: Always wears one glove.
Appearance: Elfwin Arkain is a tall, imposing man, muscular and handsome, with long black hair, often half-braided. He smiles rarely and almost never laughs. He dresses in black, tight-fitting clothing in which he can easily move and makes no sound. He always wears a brown leather glove on his right hand, of the same cut and size as his father's magical gloves, and he usually carries a huge sword strapped across his back.
Colors: Black and blue.
Symbol: A Gordian knot, blue, on black.
Personality: Elfwin Arkain is something of an enigma in Arcadia. He is widely believed to be a decent man, since he has done his father's work for centuries, rescuing those in need and helping the dispossessed, and seems to enjoy it. He is, however, so reserved that he makes Arayen look demonstrative, and it is difficult to tell what he actually thinks or feels about anything since he will rarely tell you.
Parentage: Melchior and Feliziana Arkain.
Age: Most people think he is almost as old as Leonard, placing him a little over one thousand years old, and as the oldest of the living children of the Council.
Known siblings: None.
Known children: None.
Known agents: Few. Generally referred to as the Arkain.
Recruited By: Tamora.
Thumbnail History: The enigma that is Elfwin Arkain continues with his past. It is known that he is Melchior's son, that he is very old, that he is a warrior, a commander, and architect and a sorceror, all of no uncertain skill, but that his passion lies in combat and in the rescuing of the innocent and protection of the weak.
Elfwin's mother, Feliziana Arkain, was one of Melchior's first pupils, a sorceress of tremendous ability and great beauty. They married and lived together for centuries, but his powers and the links he had made to the City kept him young and handsome forever, whereas no magic that she could harness could keep her young. Eventually she grew obsessed with a mythical potion of youth and the pursuit of it drove her mad.
Elfwin was born before her madness, and despite both his parents' strong desires to see him a powerful sorceror and for him to continue their separate research, he gravitated toward martial pursuits and the solitary and ascetic existence of a knight or a warrior monk.
Despite his love for his parents, this created a rift which never fully healed. Feliziana died, quite insane, in a tower in Elfwin's Labyrinth. Melchior, while always cordial and friendly with his son, could never manage warmth after that.
Presently, Elfwin is a wanderer for good, a knight of compassion and justice, and something of a fairy tale figure in Arcadia.
Elfwin as Parent: Elfwin has few romantic interludes and the likelihood is that if he does have children, he will be aware of them and be an excellent father. He has difficulty connecting emotionally, but he tries very hard. He gives all of his love, his loyalty and his commitment to family. He can be strict, but only when it comes to areas where his child might put herself or her future at risk. Otherwise, he has no expectations beyond that the child be happy, healthy and try his hardest at whatever he seeks to be. Elfwin would be present until his child was eighteen and then he would disappear again, again wandering the city as a righter of wrongs and a sort of Arcadian superhero.
Elfwin as Employer: He has few agents and employees, preferring to work alone. It is quieter, faster and safer that way, for the most part. Those who do work for him either guard the Labyrinth or are members of the Arkain - a crimefighting force scattered about Arcadia which seeks out and destroys evil wherever it finds it (and can defeat it). Elfwin leads by example, and his agents are rarely paid in money. They tend to gravitate to him because they admire him and wish to be part of what he does.
Elfwin as Friend: He may have few (or no) children, and few agents, but there are many who are proud to call Elfwin Arkain friend. The Arkain are the largest bunch, but there are those from all walks of life - those who have been helped or saved by him, those who have worked with him, and those who have spoken to him or fought beside him. He is a reserved, mysterious, laconic man, certainly, but his goodness is obvious, his strength is clear and his conviction cannot be denied. Elfwin is the sort who judges morally, but he is also the sort who can easily forgive and easily understand. While some of his friends are of his own sort - his father Melchior, Arayen, and Melaine, for example - he is also on good terms with Eris Echidna and Tamora Darkmoore, both of whom hold vastly different world views and have committed acts he considers evil.
Elfwin Romantically: It is difficult for Elfwin, as a reserved and private man, one committed entirely to his vision for the City and his code of honor, to give himself over to love. He refuses, on the other hand, to bed women he does not love, so that despite his long life, his list of partners is fairly short. There have been women, and usually he marries them and stays with them until their deaths - for he inevitably outlives them (the curse and blessing of the Old Blood). There are those for whom his love is doomed before it begins, and for whom marriage is never an option. In those cases, Elfwin blames himself for years afterward for his weakness in jumping into a relationship that could never have led to happiness. With his lovers he is caring, attentive, supportive and strong, though he does have a tendency to wish to take the dominant position in all relationships.