Alaren Wreath

The One Who Has All the Luck!

Alaren Dusklighter Wreath

✗—AGE: Seventeen

✗—DATE OF BIRTH: 07/19/2983

✗—RACE: Half-elf

✗—GENDER: Male

✗—HEIGHT: 5’9”

✗—WEIGHT: 128 lbs

✗—ACADEMY: Tempest

✗—ZODIAC SIGN: Cancer

✗—CHARACTER JOB: 

✗—CHARACTER SPECIALTY: Mainly gambling, since he’s an exceptionally lucky guy, but he also is quite good at cooking the most scrumptious dishes you’ll ever taste.

✗—OTHER FEATURES: His fingers are crisscrossed with tiny scars from learning how to use his deck of cards.

✗—CHARACTER CLASS: Rank BB

✗—TERRITORY OF BIRTH: Magatia

✗—PERSONALITY: Having been raised almost exclusively by his ex-adventurer father in his wee kiddie years, Alaren is the kind of guy who is plainly cheerful and inserts jokes here and there. Happy-go-luckiness is in his blood (and so is luck itself). His demeanour is pleasant and his manners are polite, doling out the proper respect for the elderly, those with authority, and those more experienced than him. Alaren is often ready to make friends in any situation, but herein lies his first not-so-positive trait: he rarely lets them get too close. Too close means too attached, and that’s something that he isn’t truly comfortable with, not just yet. Sure, he’ll have friends, but near to none ‘best’ friends. It’s not like he puts up a false attitude, though. You could say he’s genuine, but cautious in friendships.

Alaren is a bred survival liar. There’s no way around that fact. If he’s ever in trouble his mouth takes the wheel calmly and without missing a single beat. He’s had years of experience, having gotten in trouble countless times while running amok in the streets when his dad was working, and usually managing to scrape through unharmed. Relatively. He also uses his lying for entertainment purposes, concocting stories pulled right out of the air to fascinate and wow new friends or younger kids. However, not so benevolent a purpose would be that he instinctively lies whenever he can to get an advantage over an unknowing casino customer, having done so multiple times to turn over a nice profit. This trait has carried onto his older years, and that’s why his mother felt that he needed Fenliel to keep him in check.

While that same mother trained him to know right from wrong, and while Alaren does have a healthy sense of ethics, he is perfectly fine with putting them on hold (see above) for certain purposes. As such, Alaren as a whole isn’t afraid of using underhand methods at times, and this includes cheating. It’s gotten better over the years, granted, but it has still developed a toned-down version: mischievousness. If he has a tricksy idea, 99% of the time he’ll play it and then sit back and giggle that tittering laugh of his. He absolutely adores a challenge and is not afraid to take risks (especially if the odds are against him, which makes winning all the more delectable) even ready to stake his life in a fight if there are chances that it will turn out brilliantly. That said, it should be noted that while he shares his father’s sense of profit-turning, he usually does things solely for the rush one gets when winning. Gloating rights are also a good bonus. A few coins every now and then don’t hurt, though!

When he was born, he was blessed with a sigil of luck. And indeed, Lady Luck seems to be his surrogate mother, Alaren is so lucky. Things just seem to work out the way he wants them to. Unhealthy as it may be, he’s come to rely on this innate fortune, even basing his fighting style on it. But he has abilities of his own cultivation as well, from spending so much time exploring Magatia’s nooks and crannies. He’s swift on his feet and quick with his hands, and as agile as any lizard. He has the makings of a fine thief, sneaky and light-footed. If you ask him to move a boulder for you though, he’ll probably offer to run to get someone stronger.

Deep down, this half-elf is a sensitive lad, having inherited this side of him from his fair mother who now lives in the thick woods. If a threat to his emotional stability arises, he hides behind a wall of sarcastic comments. He was raised seeing the corruption of men in places of gambling, and could be said to have been corrupted himself, but he’s also seen how a man can go completely destitute and wasted in an appallingly short amount of time. Alaren has been exposed to this sort of depression and hopelessness so much that it’s pushed the softer side of him farther inwards, because he never wants to be rendered in a state like that, ever. If he doesn’t have anything to lose, he will say what he feels, and means what he says, but other than that you can expect a simple eye roll. In short, Alaren likes to be at a disadvantage when it comes to betting or gambling, but likes to have the upper hand when dealing with emotion and sensitivities. He doesn’t like to be caught with his pants down.

Dad, Mum, stepmum and Fenliel all are recipients of his overflowing love, and he still corresponds with them even at the Academy. Half-elves weren’t necessarily looked down on, but there was always a sense of differentness about Alaren that made the other townspeople and children stay a nice distance away from him. Maybe it was out of fear, maybe wariness. Either way, he’s learnt to love what he can love, and what he thinks deserves his love. Should you gain his affection, you’ll have it for the longest time. In the same way he’s cautious of his friends, he’s careful around romances too, but if he falls he’s not afraid to go the whole way.


✗—APPEARANCE:

What do you look for in an elf? What do you look for in a guy? Alaren has the best of both worlds. His ears are predictably pointed and his form is slim and trim. Night-black hair falls in choppy locks on his forehead and around his head. Curiously, his eyes are a piercing deep red, a trait that neither his father nor mother posses. It might be a warp in genetics, but no one knows. But those eyes are amazingly telling all the same, almost fulfilling the saying that eyes are windows to the soul. As much as Alaren tries to hide his own, it can be assumed that to do so properly he’d have to hide his eyes as well.

His face as a whole is a welcoming one, but has angles and features that you can identify as those belonging to a fun-loving trickster (though his words might convince you otherwise). Speaking of words, his tongue (tapers a little like a snake) is perfectly normal, thank you. His teeth are gleam, however the canines are a tad bit sharp. If he has a neutral or brooding visage on, he might look slightly intimidating in a sense. But once he smiles or grins, the sun of childish delight and warmth shines through. Although a cunning, sly glow might also seep through, depending on the situation! When he has to read or look at things in a distance, he has to rely on the black framed glasses that he carries around in his pocket everywhere. So much for that other saying about elf eyes. Wiry arms end in lithe, strong fingers, but he has no muscle to speak of. He can lift pans and pots with ease, though. That counts for something, right?

Normally he goes for light, casual attire. Shirts and jeans consist of most of his usual fare, and sometimes he adds a light jacket-thing too. If the weather turns cold he has a thick fur-lined coat in his wardrobe. Black and red are his favourite shades, but he doesn’t mind any other colour. A constant accessory he has is a string necklace with smooth, carved pebbles from his mother, and he keeps it on at all times. It has no magical properties, only those of sentiment.

✗—FIGHTING STYLE:

O Buffing Dice – What Alaren likes to call Bluffing dice for no reason except to make a bad pun. These are two standard, six-sided dice that were enchanted by his mother’s friend, and they are sometimes used at the beginning of each fight. One is white with black number dots, whilst the other is black with white number dots. The white one, when rolled, determines which side gets the buff/debuff by the opponent receiving when the number is odd, and Alaren receiving when the number is even. Now, it is the black dice that decides the actual buff/debuff. The list is as follows:

1- Luck boost (+1)
2- Poisoning (-1 HP each minute)
3- Paralysis (unable to move for 10 seconds)
4- Luck boost (+1)
5- Luck boost (+1)
6- Enflamed (-1 HP each minute)

Of course, these values increase with Alaren’s experience level, since it ties in with Fenliel’s experience level, allowing the wyrm to enchant the dice further. These buffs/debuffs, once ordained by the dice, cannot be removed, changed or nullified for the duration of the fight.

Using the Buffing Dice requires Fenliel’s Ouroboros Arena.

O Deck of Cards – The half-elf’s main, orthodox method of attack. It took approximately two weeks for him to master the theory of these enchanted cards (made so by none other than his mother’s friend, whose name will now be revealed as Iriliae), and for good reason too. While catering, to a degree, to his gambling nature, these cards are not easy to use. Physically they are no different than any other deck of cards, except maybe glossier and more richly coloured. If Alaren chooses to use his cards, they will shuffle themselves automatically, and he must always draw the one on top. He has three draws until the deck has to recharge (for 20 seconds), and the first two must be delivered to the opponent. The third draw he can use on himself or discard it, in which it will not be used in that particular fight ever again.
Each suit has its own attributes, and the number on the card is how much damage/heal will be dealt.

♠ - piercing damage
♦- slashing damage
♣ - blunt damage
♥ - heals

So if, for example, he draws a four of diamonds, his opponent will receive four points of slashing damage, provided that Alaren can flick the card accurately enough to hit his opponent (which he definitely can). If he misses, then one of his three draws will be for nought, but the card will reappear in the deck and everything will reshuffle again, but he still has only one draw for the opponent left. The third draw can never be used against the opponent.

The royal family, aces, and the jokers also have attributes.

Kings – Increases susceptibility to all attacks of the suit (in other words, lowers defence for that type of damage) by 2%.

Queens – Increases attack capability for that suit’s damage type by 2%.

Jacks – Increases defence for all attacks of the suit’s damage type by 2%.

Aces – Deals 14 damage/heals, depending on the suit.

Jokers – Adds the ‘Double or Nothing’ attribute to the next card drawn (is not counted as one of the three draws and is taken out of play once drawn).

Thus, if it is a damage card, there is the opportunity to double the damage (if the card is drawn on the opponent’s receiving turn). If it is a heal card, the heals are doubled too, which will be great if the turn was Alaren’s receiving turn. Here comes the only exception to the ‘on the opponent’s receiving turn the opponent must receive’ rule: if Alaren chooses to discard the Joker-modified card (say, because it is a heal card), then ALL cards of the same suit will be removed from play.
The royal family cards will increase in effect percentage along with Alaren’s level, since again, it is Fenliel who regularly enchants the cards, and his level ties with Alaren’s.

This fighting style does not require Fenliel’s Ouroboros Arena.

OWinner’s Wreath Round of Games – By far Alaren’s favourite way to fight, but also the riskiest. These are several simple games of chance that can win or lose a battle for the half-elf in a few minutes. He can choose only one for each fight, and one is usually enough.

Coin Toss – Simple, easy, everyone’s played it before. Alaren lets the opponent pick a side, and he picks the other. If he tosses the coin and it lands on the opponent’s side, then the opponent gets to freely damage him for a solid ten seconds. If it lands on Alaren’s side, he also gets ten seconds.

Where’s the Bomb? – Three cups, one explosive device. Using his adroit fingers, Alaren will shuffle the cups round and round and round, and then graciously let the other side try their chance and not find the bomb. If they do so happen to pick the dreaded cup, then they are Fenliel-bound to take the explosive then and there. However, if they don’t stumble upon it, then Alaren will be Fenliel-bound to take it himself. He usually picks this game if the opponent has had a luck boost, because luck comes in handy when the odds are against you (in this case, 3:1).

Robin’s Nest Roulette – The riskiest of them all. Alaren gets out a small revolver (he got this from his dad) and a robin-egg blue round that is packed with heavily pressurized water. This is the only time he uses elemental skills, and even then it’s not a skill. The water is packed in heavily enough to K.O someone, and there’s a chance for a fatality. He loads one round into one of the revolver’s six chambers and spins the cylinder, then gives it to the opponent, letting them try and shoot first. If he’s lucky, then he won’t get knocked out, and then gets a turn of his own. It goes on until someone finally gets shot.

More to be added as Alaren comes up with them.

This fighting style requires the use of Fenliel’s Ouroboros Arena.

(OOC: Since Alaren’s fighting style requires some randomness, I shall use random generators whenever he engages in battle, as well as flip a coin to show whether I can change the results to go in his favour if they don’t, to simulate his luck.)

✗—INVENTORY:

O DECK OF CARDS – His special ‘Attack Deck’, which is something of a misnomer, since there is no ‘Defence Deck’. Your standard fifty-two deck of cards bound by a length of thick vine. Glossy, sturdy, and complete with razor sharp edges. Not for casual use. Made by Éthandriel herself, specifically for her son. Alaren keeps them in his pocket whenever Fenliel’s finished charging them.

O BLUFFING DICE – A pair of dice that also look relatively normal. Can be used for games since their battle abilities only activate when within Fenliel’s Ouroboros Ring. Bought from a shop, but enchanted by Éthandriel’s friend.

O BOX OF ROULETTE ROUNDS – Robin’s egg blue, and stuffed with magically pressurized water. All six of them are held within a little hardwood box, and the magic is courtesy of the elves. 6 uses.

O ROULETTE REVOLVER – Nicked from his father’s casino to use for his own Robin’s Nest Roulette (with a twist). Your standard revolver with six cartridges. Unlimited use.

O BOX OF BOMBS – Petit explosives that pack quite the punch. Lined up in a box similar to the roulette rounds, except this one holds twice as much. For once NOT from the elves; Alaren bought them at a specialist shop. 12 uses.

O 5x Healing Potion - A potion that heals it's user. 2 uses each.

By Fenliel’s urging Alaren is not allowed to use the roulette revolver or the bombs outside of the Ouroboros Arena. So he doesn't.

✗—NORMAL ABILITIES:

O STANDARD PUNCH – A terribly weak blow from Alaren, but if he must, then he must. Damage 0-2

O SWEEP KICK – Utilizing his superior agility the half-elf drops down and attempts to disarm (disfoot?) his opponent and maybe cause them some butthurt along the way. Damage 2-3

O STANDARD KICK – A kick to the face, a kick to the vitals, a kick down there, they all count. Damage 2-4

O BITE – Close quarters scuffling. Nearly never used. Alaren just clamps down, hard. Damage 1-2

O CARD FLICK – Where his real talent lies. Going along with the rules of his deck of cards described above, he’ll snap his wrist and deliver a scathingly sharp card to his enemy, as quick as anything. Damage depends on card, as above.

✗—ZODIAC STATE ABILITIES:

O None at the moment~!

✗—IMAGE OF ZODIAC STATE: N/A

✗—CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS:

FATHER – Jonathan Wreath – Owns Magatia’s most famous (and infamous) gambling house, Winner’s Wreath. A jovial man, having recovered gracefully from his time as an adventurer, but one who still retains the tell-tale avarice of one, even though it has gone down quite a bit. He’s raised Alaren to the best of his ability, but one might say that doing so while tending to a casino might not be the best way to go. His love for Éthandriel still stands, and he sees her in his son. His marriage to Rosette Tressel was out of both love as well as Alaren’s sake, for he felt that he would need a female figure rather than just a male one. Alaren appreciates his dad, and they have been known to devise strategies for getting past the customer’s defences together when he was younger.

MOTHER – Éthandriel Dusklighter – A tall, beautiful woodland elf who met Mr Wreath while he was out looking for treasure and adventure. Her long hair hangs straight and is pitch black, and she is known for her stolid will and unwavering sense of right. She is the one who lights the little lamps at night for her people to see by, earning her the name Dusklighter: one who lights the way at dusk, essentially. Alaren’s childhood consisted of occasionally going off into the deep woods to spend a few months with her and the elves. She bestows upon him things that she deems useful to him, or things that he requested. She was the one who gave him Fenliel Rienquel, a wyrm that was in her care years before, as a stand-in for herself, as she cannot leave the forest lest she be exiled permenantly. Bearing a human’s child has its consequences, and Alaren holds her in a reverent light for braving the criticism of her people for his sake. The other elves, especially Éthandriel’s friends do not mind the half-elf at all though, and are quite content with having him around.

STEPMUM – Rosette Tressel (Wreath) – A gentle woman who owns a flower shop and who caught Jonathan’s eye with her beatific smile. She is a good housewife, and takes care of both husband and stepson more than adequately. Alaren, who would be expected to treat her with some spite, is actually quite cordial. He loves her, though not on the same level as his own mum. Nevertheless, the two have a strong bond since Rosette taught Alaren how to cook, and he’s been cooking ever since.

✗—CHARACTER NAKAMA:
Friends:

O FENLIEL RIENQUEL – The closest friend he’s got. He is snarky wyrm who acts as his moral guide and sets up his ridiculously specific battles, as well as maintains his enchanted equipment. They are rarely seen separated from each other, though Fenliel claims that this is because Alaren will do something stupid if he’s not there to stop him. Alaren says it’s because of love.

OMore to be added!

✗—CHARACTER GOAL: To explore the world. Essentially, to become an adventurer like his father and maybe even find a little treasure! Oh yes, fighting evil and all that too.

✗—CHARACTER BACKSTORY:

O Before the Academy: Alaren was born of an affair. An elf and a human united, and so right after he was born Éthandriel had to make haste to distance herself from Magatia, from her lover. Her people had allowed her to bare the child in the town, but nothing more. Thus, all she did was bestow upon him a name and bless him. His father did the best he could to take care of the rest. Alaren, known also as the more normal ‘Alan’, grew up in the company of games and coins.

When not under the care of his father, and later, his stepmother (whom he originally was wary of, but then learnt to love her), Alan would explore the city on his own, discovering the world one street at a time. He was shunned by the local children and treated gingerly by the adults. Nevertheless, he made it through his childhood years without much moral damage, due to his sunny attitude and his aptitude for learning how to be street savvy fast. If the others would hold him at arm’s-length, then by all means, so would he. Little Alan and the Magatians reached a peaceful compromise, and the half-elf was allowed to roam and grow.

As he grew older, he discovered that the younger children did not know nor care about his origins, and so took it upon himself to entertain them behind their parents’ backs. They followed him like the Pied Piper, and he taught them the survivalist’s essentials until each was caught by their respective parents, but more always took their place. It was around this time that his father had more free time available to him, having more hired help working at Winner’s Wreath now. So Alan withdrew from the streets and started living more in his own home and building the bonds that were supposed to be built years ago. They managed, somehow. Perhaps it was Rosette’s infectious cordiality.

This was now the age in which he could go visit his real mother in the woods, and so he did. At first he was accompanied by his father, but then the elves turned the older Wreath away, accepting only the half-elf. It was in this way that eventually Alan learnt to travel by himself. The elves and Éthandriel taught him more and gave him the means to defend himself. It was around this time that Fenliel Rienquel was granted to Alan, and now the children of Magatia had something else to ooh and aah about. He learnt elven lore, and also listened to recollections from his father. He was inspired.

Stationary life in the city was boring him, as his father expected it to. The blood of a woodland elf and an adventurer flowed in his veins, after all. So when Alan hesitantly popped the question to his parents about going someplace else to find his fortunes, Jonathan agreed heartily and recommended a certain Academy. After a last visit to Éthandriel and promising to write as often as he could, Alaren Dusklighter Wreath left Ossyria and set off for Tempest Academy.

O After the Academy: Coming soon after some character development!

✗—MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION:

O Dialogue Colour: Benedictine Blue - #070DB5
O OOC Name: MetronomeMarking (aka MM)
O Face Claims: DURARARA!! – Orihara Izaya

This Character Belongs To Metronomemarking