RE: Capes: Origins
04-27-2019, 10:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-28-2019, 02:21 AM by Vancho1.)
Secret Identity: Erich Helms
Alias: The Red Sorcerer
Description: Erich is a middling height (5'9") man in his late 20s. He has short dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and a Hungarian-style mustache. When he's not out as his alter-ego, he usually dresses sharp, in vests and starched button-down shirts. When he goes out as the Red Sorcerer, he wears his trademark burgundy robes lined with the gold thread that forms the magical sigils he's woven into it. Erich is a bit distant in his personal life, focusing very much on his work and not letting anyone get too close. Closeness burns.
Biography: Erich Helms was not always the man he is. He was once a law student, a young man with a bright and ideal future. That future burned away from him. His family was well-off, at least enough to send him to law school. He had a good education and a good life. But things took a turn when he met the person who would become his lover, his rival, and in the end, his regret. Their name was Ester Finch, and they were a whirlwind, an enigma, and it was a terrible, terrible mistake to get involved with them.
Erich met Ester in the law library one late evening studying for an exam. He'd seen them around before, and something drew him to that androgynous figure, those piercing gold eyes, and that seemingly effortless knowledge of everything, including the law. He approached them for study help, and they stared at him and said, "I can help you, but you might regret it." Erich didn't listen. He thought they were just being shy and self-deprecating - they didn't seem to have any friends at all. He started hanging out with them, learning from them, getting closer to them. They grew up out in the countryside, home-schooled by a single father who was a librarian. They read a lot. They learned a lot.
One evening Ester stumbled upon a book in the library that didn't seem to have a catalogue number or a barcode or any indication that it should have existed. They went to Erich, and he made the decision to take it out of the library. It seemed to be a book on law, but not any jurisdiction they could recognize or cases they had ever heard of. And something was strange about the words on the paper. They seemed to move when you looked at them from the corner of your eye, and they somehow didn't quite seem like English even though both Erich and Ester could read them. They dug deeper into it, and suddenly things clicked. The book described a contract, a pact between student and teacher, which promised an exchange of power in return for a set time of service. Finally the book ended with a cryptic note, scrawled in pen - "If you call, someone will come."
The secrets promised were too tempting for Erich and Ester to ignore. They read the provisions of the contract carefully, and it seemed to be fairly straightforward. An apprenticeship, several out clauses, reasonable requirements of service, nothing seemed out of place. So they decided to try it out. They drafted two copies, exactly as laid out in the book, leaving the name of the master empty. Then, after a handshake to seal the deal, each signed their name. At that moment time seemed to stop, space slip sideways. The two found themselves looking at a woman in red, who smiled down at them.
"Ah, good. It's been a while since I've had worthy students."
For a year, the red woman taught them in the secret ways of the world. Magic has always been a part of this world, an invisible set of threads connecting everything, an ocean in which we all floated, an energy within each thing. There were many ways of accessing magic, she told them. In the ancient past women would weave threads of magic on their looms to ensure good harvests and good health. Their weaves were powerful and successful, but they came with unintended consequences. Many were burned as witches by ignorant fools goaded on by lords and churches and cities and other such institutions trying to solidify their control. Other magic existed too - the mystic magic of hermits and ascetics, the quiet magic of monks which came only through a lifetime of prayer and could only be used in very limited ways. But at some point in history, a new way was discovered - the Hidden Law. It was a codified way to interact with magic safely. Constraining the consequences and guaranteeing the results, it revolutionized magic.
"So why does nobody know about it now?" Ester asked.
The red woman fell silent. Then she explained that there were forces out there whose attention came to those who used magic. Forces which ensured that magic always remained a secret. Powers beyond human. That was all she would say about it. For the next year, Ester and Erich learned. They studied human law by day and the Hidden Law by night. Ester seemed driven by something, and they started drifting away from Erich. He didn't understand what was going on, and the two moved from helping each other to trying to outdo each other. Eventually the day of their graduation came. That fateful day.
Ester and Erich got their law degrees. Erich's mother, father, and two sisters were there in the crowd, cheering him on. Ester's family was notably absent. He invited them to a celebratory dinner at his family's townhouse, along with the red woman (as a law mentor). They both agreed. Dinner was wonderful - Erich's dad had cooked a turkey, and his mom, first chair of the orchestra, entertained them with a violin solo. Then Ester stood up with a gleam in their eyes and excused themself. Stepping outside for some fresh air, they said. The moments afterward were seared into Erich's mind forever. He stepped outside for a cigarette. Bad habit. Bad habit that saved him. He heard Ester speak to something. A terrible voice that told them to fulfill the pact - erase the Red Sorcerer and her apprentice, help eradicate the Hidden Law, and ultimate power would be theirs. Erich stumbled, dropped his cigarette. Ester turned, a fire in their eyes. They spoke one word.
"Burn"
The house burst into flames. Erich ran inside, shouting for his family to get out of there, for his master to save herself. The smoke filled his lungs and clouded his eyes, and he coughed. The red woman stood above him. She said, "You are my student and you must live. Do not let my death haunt you. We will meet again." She threw her cloak over him and everything went black.
When Erich awoke, he was in the hospital. The doctors told him he was lucky the firefighters pulled him out before he got too hurt - he only had minor burns and some smoke inhalation. His family was not so lucky. Nobody seemed to know who his master was, nor where she went. Her body was not there. He asked to be discharged and rushed immediately to the secret apartment where his master had taken residence. He found the inside burned, scoured clean. Nothing left of her but the robe in his bag. He fell to his knees and clutched the cloth in his hands. Looking up with vision blurred from tears, he saw the faint edge of golden writing on a piece of the wall. He touched it and the robe reacted, tailoring itself to his height and frame, and the wood fell away to reveal a small cache of scrolls and magic equipment, along with a letter addressed to him. Erich read it, then again. His master knew about Ester's betrayal, but she could do nothing about it. It explained how to find other magic users trained in the Law, what to expect as the new Red Sorcerer, a little on the magic woven into the robe, and finally, a word of warning. The forces that seek to eradicate magic users are strong, and they have many eyes and ears over the world. But she believes they can be defeated.
Since then, Erich moved a bit, lying low. He inherited some money from his parents and they had a very generous life insurance. He finally settled down on the West Coast, in a middling-large city, and opened a small consulting business to give him some cover. Then he got to work. There's a lot to do.
Costume Description: Erich wears the Robes of the Red Sorcery, a magical artifact passed down from master to apprentice over the generations. It is a burgundy colored robe and cloak, with its hood and sleeves ringed in gold thread tracing complex magical sigils. The robes come with red leather gloves and snakeskin shoes with pointy tips. When Erich wears the hood, his face is magically obscured. The cloak is enchanted to resist heat, cold, and water, and is hard to pierce or cut by mundane means. When damaged, it will slowly repair itself over the course of several days, and it can regenerate over months from a small scrap of cloth.
Character Abilities: Erich is fairly proficient in the Hidden Law, a formalized school of magic which allows for predictable, repeatable effects. His schooling was not very complete when his master disappeared, so he doesn't know many spells and it takes a lot of research and study to properly write new ones. Currently, his abilities are limited to:
-Warding: A set of simple warning and protection spells
-Healing: Being able to fix light injury, such as bruises and shallow cuts
-Physical Enhancement: Minor boosts to strength and speed, though that doesn't come with the training to use those effectively.
-Telekinesis: Moving small objects around at a limited distance
-Fire: A specialty of his master, Erich can light flammable objects (such as wood, paper, and candles) at a distance and also throw small balls of flame (marble-sized).
Home City: Bayharbor, also known as Tulip City for its famous tulip garden
City description: A West Coast city which is somewhat a cross between San Francisco and Portland. It has hills overlooking a bay that's a natural deep harbor, making it a perfect city for commerce. There are redwood and pine trees on the city's outskirts, while the main downtown is built on infill land reclaimed from the sea.
Friends, family and associates:
Alive:
Sarah Friedman: An aunt of Erich's, he doesn't really know much about her. She lives in New York with her girlfriend.
Michael Helms: A cousin who lives in Seattle. Fisherman. May have a wife and baby??
Deceased:
Maria & Paul Helms: Mother and father. Burned to death.
Henrietta & Julia Helms: Sisters. Burned to death.
August & Nadia Helms, Nicholas & Rita Friedman: Grandparents. Died of age-related illness.
Horace Helms: Uncle, died on a crab boat.
Disappeared:
The Red Sorceress: Erich's master.
Ester Finch: Former lover, now rival. Traitor. Whereabouts unknown.
Alias: The Red Sorcerer
Description: Erich is a middling height (5'9") man in his late 20s. He has short dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and a Hungarian-style mustache. When he's not out as his alter-ego, he usually dresses sharp, in vests and starched button-down shirts. When he goes out as the Red Sorcerer, he wears his trademark burgundy robes lined with the gold thread that forms the magical sigils he's woven into it. Erich is a bit distant in his personal life, focusing very much on his work and not letting anyone get too close. Closeness burns.
Biography: Erich Helms was not always the man he is. He was once a law student, a young man with a bright and ideal future. That future burned away from him. His family was well-off, at least enough to send him to law school. He had a good education and a good life. But things took a turn when he met the person who would become his lover, his rival, and in the end, his regret. Their name was Ester Finch, and they were a whirlwind, an enigma, and it was a terrible, terrible mistake to get involved with them.
Erich met Ester in the law library one late evening studying for an exam. He'd seen them around before, and something drew him to that androgynous figure, those piercing gold eyes, and that seemingly effortless knowledge of everything, including the law. He approached them for study help, and they stared at him and said, "I can help you, but you might regret it." Erich didn't listen. He thought they were just being shy and self-deprecating - they didn't seem to have any friends at all. He started hanging out with them, learning from them, getting closer to them. They grew up out in the countryside, home-schooled by a single father who was a librarian. They read a lot. They learned a lot.
One evening Ester stumbled upon a book in the library that didn't seem to have a catalogue number or a barcode or any indication that it should have existed. They went to Erich, and he made the decision to take it out of the library. It seemed to be a book on law, but not any jurisdiction they could recognize or cases they had ever heard of. And something was strange about the words on the paper. They seemed to move when you looked at them from the corner of your eye, and they somehow didn't quite seem like English even though both Erich and Ester could read them. They dug deeper into it, and suddenly things clicked. The book described a contract, a pact between student and teacher, which promised an exchange of power in return for a set time of service. Finally the book ended with a cryptic note, scrawled in pen - "If you call, someone will come."
The secrets promised were too tempting for Erich and Ester to ignore. They read the provisions of the contract carefully, and it seemed to be fairly straightforward. An apprenticeship, several out clauses, reasonable requirements of service, nothing seemed out of place. So they decided to try it out. They drafted two copies, exactly as laid out in the book, leaving the name of the master empty. Then, after a handshake to seal the deal, each signed their name. At that moment time seemed to stop, space slip sideways. The two found themselves looking at a woman in red, who smiled down at them.
"Ah, good. It's been a while since I've had worthy students."
For a year, the red woman taught them in the secret ways of the world. Magic has always been a part of this world, an invisible set of threads connecting everything, an ocean in which we all floated, an energy within each thing. There were many ways of accessing magic, she told them. In the ancient past women would weave threads of magic on their looms to ensure good harvests and good health. Their weaves were powerful and successful, but they came with unintended consequences. Many were burned as witches by ignorant fools goaded on by lords and churches and cities and other such institutions trying to solidify their control. Other magic existed too - the mystic magic of hermits and ascetics, the quiet magic of monks which came only through a lifetime of prayer and could only be used in very limited ways. But at some point in history, a new way was discovered - the Hidden Law. It was a codified way to interact with magic safely. Constraining the consequences and guaranteeing the results, it revolutionized magic.
"So why does nobody know about it now?" Ester asked.
The red woman fell silent. Then she explained that there were forces out there whose attention came to those who used magic. Forces which ensured that magic always remained a secret. Powers beyond human. That was all she would say about it. For the next year, Ester and Erich learned. They studied human law by day and the Hidden Law by night. Ester seemed driven by something, and they started drifting away from Erich. He didn't understand what was going on, and the two moved from helping each other to trying to outdo each other. Eventually the day of their graduation came. That fateful day.
Ester and Erich got their law degrees. Erich's mother, father, and two sisters were there in the crowd, cheering him on. Ester's family was notably absent. He invited them to a celebratory dinner at his family's townhouse, along with the red woman (as a law mentor). They both agreed. Dinner was wonderful - Erich's dad had cooked a turkey, and his mom, first chair of the orchestra, entertained them with a violin solo. Then Ester stood up with a gleam in their eyes and excused themself. Stepping outside for some fresh air, they said. The moments afterward were seared into Erich's mind forever. He stepped outside for a cigarette. Bad habit. Bad habit that saved him. He heard Ester speak to something. A terrible voice that told them to fulfill the pact - erase the Red Sorcerer and her apprentice, help eradicate the Hidden Law, and ultimate power would be theirs. Erich stumbled, dropped his cigarette. Ester turned, a fire in their eyes. They spoke one word.
"Burn"
The house burst into flames. Erich ran inside, shouting for his family to get out of there, for his master to save herself. The smoke filled his lungs and clouded his eyes, and he coughed. The red woman stood above him. She said, "You are my student and you must live. Do not let my death haunt you. We will meet again." She threw her cloak over him and everything went black.
When Erich awoke, he was in the hospital. The doctors told him he was lucky the firefighters pulled him out before he got too hurt - he only had minor burns and some smoke inhalation. His family was not so lucky. Nobody seemed to know who his master was, nor where she went. Her body was not there. He asked to be discharged and rushed immediately to the secret apartment where his master had taken residence. He found the inside burned, scoured clean. Nothing left of her but the robe in his bag. He fell to his knees and clutched the cloth in his hands. Looking up with vision blurred from tears, he saw the faint edge of golden writing on a piece of the wall. He touched it and the robe reacted, tailoring itself to his height and frame, and the wood fell away to reveal a small cache of scrolls and magic equipment, along with a letter addressed to him. Erich read it, then again. His master knew about Ester's betrayal, but she could do nothing about it. It explained how to find other magic users trained in the Law, what to expect as the new Red Sorcerer, a little on the magic woven into the robe, and finally, a word of warning. The forces that seek to eradicate magic users are strong, and they have many eyes and ears over the world. But she believes they can be defeated.
Since then, Erich moved a bit, lying low. He inherited some money from his parents and they had a very generous life insurance. He finally settled down on the West Coast, in a middling-large city, and opened a small consulting business to give him some cover. Then he got to work. There's a lot to do.
Costume Description: Erich wears the Robes of the Red Sorcery, a magical artifact passed down from master to apprentice over the generations. It is a burgundy colored robe and cloak, with its hood and sleeves ringed in gold thread tracing complex magical sigils. The robes come with red leather gloves and snakeskin shoes with pointy tips. When Erich wears the hood, his face is magically obscured. The cloak is enchanted to resist heat, cold, and water, and is hard to pierce or cut by mundane means. When damaged, it will slowly repair itself over the course of several days, and it can regenerate over months from a small scrap of cloth.
Character Abilities: Erich is fairly proficient in the Hidden Law, a formalized school of magic which allows for predictable, repeatable effects. His schooling was not very complete when his master disappeared, so he doesn't know many spells and it takes a lot of research and study to properly write new ones. Currently, his abilities are limited to:
-Warding: A set of simple warning and protection spells
-Healing: Being able to fix light injury, such as bruises and shallow cuts
-Physical Enhancement: Minor boosts to strength and speed, though that doesn't come with the training to use those effectively.
-Telekinesis: Moving small objects around at a limited distance
-Fire: A specialty of his master, Erich can light flammable objects (such as wood, paper, and candles) at a distance and also throw small balls of flame (marble-sized).
Home City: Bayharbor, also known as Tulip City for its famous tulip garden
City description: A West Coast city which is somewhat a cross between San Francisco and Portland. It has hills overlooking a bay that's a natural deep harbor, making it a perfect city for commerce. There are redwood and pine trees on the city's outskirts, while the main downtown is built on infill land reclaimed from the sea.
Friends, family and associates:
Alive:
Sarah Friedman: An aunt of Erich's, he doesn't really know much about her. She lives in New York with her girlfriend.
Michael Helms: A cousin who lives in Seattle. Fisherman. May have a wife and baby??
Deceased:
Maria & Paul Helms: Mother and father. Burned to death.
Henrietta & Julia Helms: Sisters. Burned to death.
August & Nadia Helms, Nicholas & Rita Friedman: Grandparents. Died of age-related illness.
Horace Helms: Uncle, died on a crab boat.
Disappeared:
The Red Sorceress: Erich's master.
Ester Finch: Former lover, now rival. Traitor. Whereabouts unknown.
Current Projects:
Human space is at war, and we're all caught up in it - Scattered Stars
A woman chases another through the snow, but where will their path lead them? - Footprints in the snow
Human space is at war, and we're all caught up in it - Scattered Stars
A woman chases another through the snow, but where will their path lead them? - Footprints in the snow