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{{character
{{character
|character      = Rizali Corvus
|character      = Rizali Corvus
|image          =[[File:Rizali1.jpg|150px]]
|image          =[[File:ProfRiza.jpg|150px]]
|caption        = Riza without glamours.
|caption        = Official portrait, Journeyman-Illusionist Rizali - AE603.


|player          = Kyrie
|player          = Kyrie
|species        = High Elf
|species        = Sylph (Half-Elf)
|born            = Astral Era Year 513
|born            = Astral Era Year 572
|age            = 94
|age            = 35
|nationality    = Elahánan
|nationality    = [[File:Elaflag.png|20px]]  [[Elahána|Elahánan]]
|political      = Inverted Spire
|political      = Inverted Spire


Line 15: Line 15:
*Sleight of Hand
*Sleight of Hand
*Bluff/Diplomacy
*Bluff/Diplomacy
*Textual Recall
|items          = <br>
|items          = <br>
*Journal of Magical Findings
*Journal of Magical Findings
*School of Illusion Membership
*Inverted Spire Membership
*Adept-Illusion Mage's Wand
*Journeyman-Illusion Mage's Wand
|magic          = <br>
|magic          = <br>
*Shadow Step
*Shadow Step
*Mass Invisibility
*Airy Step
*Invisibility
*Delude
*Delude
*Light Weaving
*Long-Weave Glamours
*Long-Weave Glamours
}}
}}


Rizali Corvus is an illusion mage who arrived in [[Ceadaichte Mòir]] escorting the seasonal traders' cart in the spring of AE607 with [[Kaegan]] and [[Lyndh]]. They arrived prepared to journey through [[Kingfisher Forest|Kingfisher Forest]] and attempting to recruit any interested local villagers to their cause. While attending [[The Inverted Spire]], they had stumbled upon ancient journals and documents that implied an eternal empire existed on the far side of the forest. Corvus's interests were in expanded knowledge of magic, as the residents of the eternal empire were said to be unparalleled in their arcane mastery.
'''Rizali Corvus''' is an illusion mage who arrived in [[Ceadaichte Mòir]] escorting the seasonal traders' cart in the spring of AE607 with [[Kaegan]] and Lyndh. They arrived prepared to journey through [[Kingfisher Forest]] and attempting to recruit any interested local villagers to their cause. While attending [[The Inverted Spire]], they had stumbled upon ancient journals and documents that implied an eternal empire existed on the far side of the forest. Corvus's interests were in expanded knowledge of magic, as the residents of the eternal empire were said to be unparalleled in their arcane mastery.


=Biography=
=Biography=
===Early Life===
===Early Life===
Rizali was born in AE513 to the House of Air in the Elahána Forest, a High Elven kingdom bordering the Republic of [[Ustendelle]] to its east. By the time of their birth, the House of Air had fallen from favour and hadn't held the throne in centuries. The House of Fire had held the throne for three generations in a row, something that would have been unheard of in the early days of the kingdom, and the Anticipation of Water was rumoured to be next in line. The House of Air wouldn't be in a position to seat the throne for another five generations at least. Despite this lack of prestige, their childhood and adolescence were still privileged, as even a distant branch of the ruling family held a fair amount of money and connections.  
[[File:HouseofAir.jpg|left|thumb|AE510 painting of the House of Air's official place of business.|375px]]
Rizali was born in AE572 to the House of Air in the [[Elahána|Elahána Forest]], a High Elven kingdom bordering the Republic of [[Ustendelle]] to its east. By the time of their birth, the House of Air had fallen from favour and hadn't held the throne in centuries. The House of Fire had held the throne for three generations in a row, something that would have been unheard of in the early days of the kingdom, and the Anticipation of Water was rumoured to be next in line. The House of Air wouldn't be in a position to seat the throne for another five generations at least. Despite this lack of prestige, their childhood and adolescence were still privileged, as even a distant branch of the ruling family held a fair amount of money and connections.  


Rizali, or "Riza", was the third child to Arlassan Corvus, himself the second son to the head of the family, Feylhen. The estate for the House of Air took up one quadrant of the Royal Quarter in the capital and contained homes and security for the main branch of the House. The Houses of Air and Water historically had the most children and, as such, Riza was constantly surrounded by family members while growing up. They were a particularly frail and sickly child and spent a lot of time in their room while growing up, reading and practising magic with a family-procured tutor. They entertained themself with light shows, bursts of different colours and sounds, and sneaking around the estate at night while blending into the shadows.  
Rizali, or "Riza", was the third child to Arlassan Corvus, himself the second son to the head of the family, Feylhen. Sylphs in the House of Air were taught the secret rituals of their elemental heritage, and Rizali was no different. During their childhood, they learned how to speak to the trees and how to influence weather systems over the forest. They were the first Sylph born to the house in three generations, the last being Feylhen's mother and, like most Sylphs within the forest, were a frail and sickly child. Because of this, what time they didn't spend learning within the forest, they spent reading and practising magic with a family-procured tutor.  


At the age of twelve, Rizali approached the head of the family to request an official recommendation to the premier magical academy in the region, The Inverted Spire, and was granted their wish.
The estate for the House of Air took up one quadrant of the Royal Quarter in the capital and contained homes and security for the main branch of the House. The Houses of Air and Water historically had the most children and, as such, Riza was constantly surrounded by family members while growing up. Because of their heritage, they were constantly figuring out new things to be curious about, and lost interest in the forest-based spiritualism of their training early on. Instead, they developed a knack for illusory magic, entertaining themself and the other children of their house with light shows, bursts of different colours and sounds, and sneaking around the estate at night while blending into the shadows. Seeing potential for getting away from the House, they requested approval to enter the Inverted Spire for further magical training once they were 17. This was a common thing for the ever-curious elemental throwbacks, and they were granted permission under the caveat that they would return no sooner than their 40th birthday to take their place at the head of the house.
===Acceptance to The Inverted Spire===
Rizali emigrated to Ustendelle shortly after their 13th birthday in AE526, arriving in [[Coxarif]] via private carriage with their mother Brithari. They had been accepted into The Inverted Spire at the earliest age possible and would begin entry-level mage training the same week of their arrival. Their earliest days in the Ustendellen capital aren't well-documented outside a few official documents noting a member of the Elahánan royal family had arrived in the country and would be staying indefinitely, and their enrollment documents at the magic academy.  


Their apprentice training was under the Adept-Elemental Mage Caoimhin Wælisc, a human from the northwestern reaches of Ustendelle, who encouraged the young elf to explore Coxarif during their time between classes. This coaxed out of the apprentice an interest in eavesdropping and socialising that would follow them their entire life. Once they entered adulthood, Rizali could be seen in taverns across the city, sharing stories of old Elahána and its secrets, and listening intently to any stories of human culture and history. It was also during this period that Rizali learned that some humans, particularly those from the western reaches of the Republic, had never seen an elf before and were prejudiced against them. They would begin wearing a hood to hide their ears when outside the Spire beginning in approximately AE536.


During their apprenticeship, Adept-Elemental Wælisc noted Rizali's aptitude and passion for magic, and the growth they experienced once they'd settled into the academy proper. The elf was an avid reader, and spent most of their time early on in the library's apprentice section, soaking up knowledge of magical history and ancient spellcraft. In group classes, they were often disliked or resented for their ability to answer most questions even when the subject hadn't yet been covered and an incorrigible nature that desired the approval of whichever Adept-Mage was teaching that particular subject. In an academic newsletter interview after attaining Adept status themself, Rizali is quoted as saying that they were "pretty terrible with people" at that time and expressed regret for the friendships they could have but weren't able to make.
===Acceptance to The Inverted Spire===
Rizali emigrated to Ustendelle shortly after their 18th birthday in AE590, arriving in [[Coxarif]] via private carriage with their mother Brithari. Their earliest days in the Ustendelli capital aren't well-documented outside a few official documents noting a member of the Elahánan royal family had arrived in the country and would be staying indefinitely, as well as their enrollment documents at the magic academy.  


Adept-Elemental Wælisc also noted Rizali's interest in specialising in Illusion magic and encouraged the elf to grow into the role. In 537, Rizali was allowed to take the placement test for the Illusory Specialisation track and was accepted as a Journeyman into the program.
Their Apprentice training was under the Adept-Elemental Mage Caoimhin Wælisc, a human from the northwestern reaches of Ustendelle. Wælisc encouraged the young elf to explore Coxarif when outside of class, which coaxed out of the apprentice an interest in eavesdropping and socialising that has followed them since. Rizali could be seen in taverns across the city, sharing stories of old Elahána and its secrets, and listening intently to any stories of human culture and history. It was during this period Rizali learned that there was prejudice against elves, particularly in western Ustendelle. After a run-in with a pair of drunk westerners in 601, they began wearing a hood in public to hide their ears.
===Illusion Magic Training===
[[File:Invertedspire.jpg|right|AE603 painting of The Inverted Spire's North-Bridge entrance.|thumb|270px]]
Upon entering Journeyman-level training, Rizali was moved to the Illusion school within the Spire and given their room. They spent most of their time in the library, reading books previously restricted to them and finding themselves even more drawn to ancient magic forms and alternate styles. Journeyman-level mages were allowed access to studies on magic practised by other cultures, including the elves, and the histories of those alternate options. Though they enjoyed private tutoring while in the House of Air, most of the lessons granted in that space were on modern elven magic and almost nothing of the history of the race's arcane practices.
Rizali was an avid reader and spent most of their time early on in the library's apprentice section, soaking up knowledge of magical history and ancient spellcraft. In group classes, they were often disliked or resented for their ability to answer most questions even when the subject hadn't yet been covered and an incorrigible nature that desired the approval of whichever Adept-Mage was teaching that particular subject.  


Rizali flourished under the new curriculum, more focused on classroom and private study with the option of meeting one-on-one with the Adept-level professors. It was during this time that Rizali first met a Master-level mage, Landry Carglowyn, who greeted them upon their arrival and oversaw the department. Though he was cycled out of the Illusion department three weeks after Rizali began their studies, Master Carglowyn's presence left an impression upon the elf, as well as a desire to advance. Though they had been a dutiful student up to this point, entry into the specialisation track marked a turning point in the effort they put into their schoolwork. Weekly trips to the taverns of Coxarif were exchanged for intimate gatherings with a small group of equally-focused students, where they would share spell techniques and theories.
Adept-Elemental Wælisc also noted Rizali's interest in specialising in Illusion magic and encouraged the elf to grow into the role. In 603, Rizali was allowed to take the placement test for the Illusory Specialisation track and was accepted as a Journeyman into the program.


Over the centuries since the specialisation track had been introduced, Inverted Spire professors and other students had been raising complaints of pranks and jokes committed by Illusion students. Within the culture of the Illusion school, these activities and forays were often written off as out-of-class practice, and more likely to be complimented than punished. Seeing some of their peers recognised for such events, Rizali began formulating their own raids. Between 538 and 545, there are at least eight recorded instances of pranks committed by the elf. Nearly every expedition centred around Rizali's early mastery of the spell Shadow Step, a spell they'd picked up much faster than the average mage. One of the more notable events included shadow stepping to the Evocation School and casting a latent Major Image trap upon a target used for ranged fire spells so that when struck by a fireball, it would appear to burst into black flames, spewing smoke through the practice hall until dispelled by a professor. The elf conjured a legion of flying shadow pigs to encircle the school before invading the Adept-Transmutation apartments and disappearing into their fridges. But the prank that Illusion students still remember to this day came shortly before Rizali tested for Mage-level certification.


After using shadow-step to travel to the Enchantment School, Rizali cast Disguise Self to change their appearance. They came out of the spell looking like a middle-aged human man with long black hair and brown eyes. Their clothes changed from Journeyman-Illusion robes to Adept-Enchantment, complete with a cobalt badge with silver trim denoting their office. The attention to detail was so thorough that even upon coming across an actual Adept-Enchantment mage, Rizali was able to pass unnoticed. Upon reaching the central vault, the disguised elf approached the human guard who asked for a password. Though they were unaware of what the password should be, Rizali spoke a word and wove into it the spell Convince, making the guard believe the word they had said was the correct password. They were able to enter the vault alone and began casting a ritual spell of Mirage Arcana concealed within a phantom tripwire. When the Adept-Enchantment mages came in to gather the materials needed for that day's classes, they were tricked into believing they had been transported to a tavern in downtown Coxarif, except a series of trolls had broken through the walls and were charging at them. Once they'd dispelled the illusion, the mages found that all of their materials had been transported unnoticed to the Master-level overseer's office with a small Illusion-school banner flag on top of the pile.
===Illusion Magic Training===
Upon entering Journeyman-level training, Rizali was moved to the Illusion school within the Spire and given a private dormitory. They spent most of their time in the library, reading books previously restricted to them and discovering a preference for ancient magic forms and alternate weaves. Journeyman-level mages were allowed access to studies on magic practised by other cultures, including the elves, as well as the magical histories of those cultures. Despite coming from Elahána, Rizali had only been taught basic elven spellweaving techniques and was only just exposed to their own race's magical history for the first time. It was also the first time they were able to see an outsider's perspective on Elahánan history, including the "Taming of the Elements" era.


===Yotogd'zhotl===
Rizali flourished under the new curriculum, more focused on classroom and private study than one-on-one tutoring with occasional classes. It was early on in their studies that Rizali met Master-level mage Landry Carglowyn, who greeted them upon their arrival and oversaw the department. Though cycled out of the Illusion department three weeks after Rizali's arrival, Master Carglowyn's presence left an impression upon the elf, making them if anything more curious and more dutiful in their studies. Their elemental gifts also helped them, as they noticed a developing grace and lightness to their step as they got older. This allowed them to approach people silently and to fall more slowly than other students.  
{{cquote|All I did was speak the name I read in the stars. I never expected him to find me.|4= Cottia Rhydderch, UE199}}
Several teachers noted Rizali's strange spellweaving preferences when they were tasked with physical demonstrations. Though there was a historical precedent for attempting to mask weaving practices through strange approaches to either develop their own magical signature or throw off attempted antiweaves, Rizali's approach seemed to be for a different reason. One of their stated favourite pastimes while attending The Inverted Spire was searching for and perusing until-then unread or uncommonly-read books. This led them to information on ancient or alternate stances and weaving structures, which they chose to implement for style and extra recognition.  


While searching through the dustier sections of the Journeyman library, Rizali came across a plain leather journal. It was written by a Journeyman-Conjuration mage named Cottia Rhydderch and didn't contain a date, though they assumed it had to be more than 1000 years old. The notes weren't as interesting as the cultural perspective of the person who had written it; the author was Prikothan, a culture that had lost its home a millennium ago and had been scattered to the wind. Because of the occasional references to her homeland, Rizali was interested in continuing to read. Through the early pages, mostly notes on Conjuration magic forms modern to the time, Rizali felt they were able to connect to Cottia, who was an incredibly effective writer with a personal voice. She spoke of what she'd learned in Prikoth before moving to The Inverted Spire, of her parents and grandparents, how she came from a line of mages but was the first to be accepted to this school.
The trickster element never fully left them, leading Rizali to commit at least three documented pranks during their few years as a Journeyman. Most centred around their early mastery of Shadow Step, a high-level spell for a human or elf, but something that came naturally to a Sylph. All three of these gained Rizali recognition and praise within the department, but would not add to their academic merits in any notable fashion.


She had been mapping out the stars for an assignment when she stumbled upon a strange recurrence of flickering starlight. According to the journal, Cottia studied it intently for years- she'd been given the assignment as an Apprentice and was still studying this anomaly after becoming a Journeyman and choosing the Conjuration specialisation- before beginning to pick up patterns. She began writing the flashing patterns in the journal, with pages of repeating patterns and annotations questioning what they could mean, before coming to the conclusion that it was a message being repeated on thirty-minute increments. According to her notes, Cottia knew to decode this without a cypher was a doomed endeavour, but a strange and unplaceable compulsion pushed her forward. In her words, it demanded that she must finish her task.


After several more years, during which her advancement in the Conjuration track stalled, she noticed one day that part of the code made sense. She could read it as if it were a children's book from her home country. It took a few additional weeks, but she was able to use that portion of the code to decode the remainder. She wrote the message in its entirety for posterity or in case she ever lost the ability to understand the series of dots she'd used to notate starlight flashes.  
===Journey to the West===
Continuing their studies within the library, Rizali eventually moved into the oldest texts, where they found inferences to- and passages entirely about- a seemingly endless empire to the west of Kingfisher Forest. The mages of this empire were supposed to be incredibly advanced, so far beyond the eastern mages that they were regarded as divine. Befitting their nature, Rizali's curiosity got the better of them, and began putting together an expedition in AE606. They were 35 years old, and knew that the eyes of their house would start turning toward them soon. After reading as much as they could find on Kingfisher Forest -not a lot, mostly legends- they hired Lyndh as a bodyguard.


The story told in the code was a warning. Yotogd'zhotl was an ancient god of submission and torture, trickery and carnage. Though this civilisation had existed for millennia, consisted of many races that had joined together to reach the stars, and was so technologically advanced that they could send messages through the stars, they were powerless in the wake of this force. Once he had been summoned, he tore through their civilisation city by city, world by world, until nothing remained. The stars had been set to send their story by the last research station, a laboratory floating in orbit around the farthest-reaching planet. They could hear his choir approaching even as they wrote the message. Newly armed with this knowledge, Cottia returned to the telescope and saw that the message had changed.
Lyndh was a local brawler, who had at one point been part of Rizali's drinking group, then eventually moved out of it due to finding them aggravating to be around. Despite this, he had nothing else to do and agreed to come with Rizali as long as the Sylph didn't force any standards or ideas on him, and that as soon as they entered the empire they parted ways. Once the winter passed into the spring of AE607, the pair left Coxarif with a trade caravan bound for Ceadaichte Mòir, a small hamlet on the western edge of Ustendelle, bordering the Forest. During the trip, Rizali was introduced to Kaegan, who likewise had no connections in Ustendelle and agreed to join the expedition through the forest. In the village, Rizali made the acquaintance of Cathal, and briefly met [[Síne]].


Speak my name.
=Appearance=
Without magical augmentations, Rizali can pass as an androgynous elf with blue eyes and white hair that reaches slightly past their shoulders. As a child, they were sickly, and so often went without having the appetite to eat. This continued into adulthood where, even though they were ill significantly less frequently, they would still often forget to eat or get too wound up in an activity to step away. Their skin is porcelain-white, and blue patterns appear on their forehead, around their eyes, and on various parts of their body, attributes that are commonly associated with Sylphs. When their hair is longer it tends to look too much like cloud, which they find aggravating.  


Cottia wrote that she knew it was a mistake, but that her heart wouldn't allow her to let the tragedy of this lost civilisation die with nothing more than starlight. She spoke the name while looking through the lens. Upon speaking the name of Yotogd'zhotl, the stars flashing the message died. An entire quadrant of space had gone black through her scope. Terrified, she stopped writing in the journal with the story already conveyed. If she could help it, nobody would speak the name of this ancient god ever again.  
They are 167cm tall, slightly short for a human, let alone an elf. Sylvan ears are significantly longer than those of elves, and thin to the point of almost appearing translucent at the tips. Rizali has near-perfect posture, standing as straight up as possible and head high, belying an inner confidence. They have freckles, dark grey against the white of their skin, that dot their nose, under their eyes, and their forehead.


Rizali had always been exceedingly curious, and searched extensively for more information on the subject, but found almost nothing. Contemporary accounts of Cottia Rhydderch noted how this strange conjurer had spent half her life studying the stars, only to one day put down her telescope and never again look up. She would not speak of what she had found and had thrown her journal into the pit surrounding the Spire. Her power grew exponentially as she renewed effort into her studies, with every professor noting that her stargazing must have revealed something to supercharge her abilities. It would not last, however, as she disappeared from the Spire approximately one lunar cycle after discarding her journal. Searches were sent out across the city, and the Masters came down to track her magical signature, but she had simply disappeared. It was another dead-end after they'd already hit a dead-end in Cottia's journal. With no more options available to them, Rizali spoke the forbidden name and listened to the wind.
Rizali prefers to wear their robes over multiple layers, which serves to keep their naturally-cold form warmer, hide the more nuanced movements within their weaves, and also to further androgynise them. Usually they’ll wear a tighter inner layer, then a slightly looser outer layer of clothing. This is because their mage robes are fairly open in the front, hanging around the arms and shoulders but revealing the sternum and upper midriff area, only coming together at the waist with a heavy cloth belt, then hanging in strips around the legs. A heavy hood can be pulled over their head during rituals or in situations where anonymity is valued, but otherwise the robes aren’t the best at concealing form. When heavy robes aren’t necessary, like in the tower, they’ll often take measures to conceal before wearing a semi-loose taupe brocade with a high collar and flat front, loose trousers of the same colour, and comfortable flats.


Rizali did their best to continue life as normal, but strange events began happening around them. The earliest changes came in the libraries, where they began seeing messages spread among the titles of different books, or visions of animals walking through the aisles, only to stop and stare at them, unmoving until the elf left the area. When walking around Coxarif, the homeless and mentally ill would calm, silently staring at Rizali. When engaged in conversation, they would speak of a world of darkness, broken up by unknowable and impossible cities through which they had walked in their dreams, and a creature so terrifying that they couldn't stop seeing it, even when waking.


The mage's quarters in the Spire no longer felt safe. They would wake in the middle of the night to see eyes floating in the darkness of their bedroom, only to close when looked upon. Even when sleeping, they found themselves beginning to be pulled into nightmares of an impossible city with buildings and pyramids so tall that they pierced the heavens, lit by some weave of magic even Rizali couldn't see. Docks were suspended in the air next to these buildings, ships with sails of light being hurriedly loaded with crates before fleeing into the clouds. And at all moments across these nightmares, Rizali could hear the choir Cottia had written about, a cacophony of discordant voices singing in the distance, heralding the arrival of Yotogd'zhotl.
===Illusory Glamours===
As Rizali is detached from the general idea of gender, identifying as neither male nor female, they are comfortable appearing in whatever way is most useful. This has assisted them with hiding the more obvious aspects of their ancestry and dealing with citizens of Coxarif on a day-to-day basis. Due to their inherent gift to produce long-weave glamours, they can maintain a physical appearance with a single spell for a day without needing to refresh it.
[[File:Rizaf.jpg|right|thumb|Rizali's female persona.|190px]]
Being a theatrical person in general, Rizali has taken this ability to a perhaps strange extent and created characters for their various appearances. Within those characters, Rizali fully identifies by that appearance’s pronouns and has established a personality to fit their own imagined background. When first experimenting with glamours in public, Rizali made up different names for their different appearances. But after eavesdropping and gathering information for a time, they realised almost nobody remembered their glamour's appearance, let alone the name given. This was true no matter what race or gender they appeared to be. The only time it would appear odd to anyone they were speaking to tended to be when they gave an elven name for a human appearance, or a human name for an elven appearance.
[[File:Rizam.jpg|left|thumb|Rizali's male persona.|150px]]
Therefore, except where secrecy is needed above all else, Rizali introduces themself by their given name no matter how they are appearing, utilising the special status of being born with a common, yet gender neutral, elven name. Over the years, Rizali has become more attached to two particular characters beyond any others, and cut down to using those two exclusively whenever needing to appear as male or female in public. Though there are other races in the world, Rizali doesn't feel entirely comfortable portraying any outside of humans and elves because of a lack of exposure they've had to the varieties of appearance present in those races.


Instead of succumbing to this madness, Rizali continued studying. They wrote meticulous notes, filling books with their experiences, and read even more voraciously. They experimented with ancient occult rituals they had found in the historical study books, attempting to establish some sort of communicative connection between themself and the elder one. Their experiments resulted in fewer of the horrifying events that had plagued their life for months at this point. Eventually, armed with another journal by a pre-Spire occult mage, they attempted a protection ritual, unique in that it required a sacrifice to blind the caster's existence to any target of their choosing, even gods. Rizali has never spoken on the sacrifice they used but experienced no signs of being hunted after that point.  
Their male persona is within the average height for a male elf, somewhere in the vicinity of 188cm. He has silver-blond hair cropped short over a traditional forehead tattoo for merchant families in Coxarif. He has a strong chin, full jawline, and gray eyes. He is brash, incredibly social, mildly stuck-up due to being raised with money, and makes a joke of everything. Despite this gregariousness, he is able to hold in his energy and make sincere appeals to others when needed. Whether or not those attempts are successful is anyone's guess and usually up to the individuals on the other side of the conversation.


After escaping the notice of Yotogd'zhotl, Rizali began experimenting with the connection they'd established. Through lucid dreaming techniques, they were able to walk the streets of The Impossible City, as well as find "tomes" of imparted knowledge from the realm of the elder one and the lost starfaring civilisation it destroyed. They learned of things that shouldn't exist, and ways of weaving spells entirely unique to the collective knowledge of the Spire. Through the knowledge they gained and the siphon they'd planted upon the elder one, their arcane ability began growing significantly.
Their female persona is approximately 177cm, just on the short side of average for a high elven woman. She has blonde hair that reaches slightly past her shoulders, bright green eyes, and striking features. She has thick, shaped eyebrows, freckles splayed across her nose and under her eyes and pronounced cheekbones. She is much more soft-spoken and strategic than the male persona, working to use her training as an illusionist mage in conversational skills as well by shaping events through speaking to just the right person at any given time. Because of this nature, she is instinctively cautious and guarded at first. Though quiet around new people, she brightens significantly once she considers someone a friend.


The abilities they were able to siphon from Yotogd'zhotl complimented their nature and specialisation.
===Journey to the Endless Empire===
=Appearance=
===Fae Inheritences===
===Illusory Glamours===


=Abilities=
=Abilities=
===Illusion Magic===
===Illusion Magic===
===Charisma===
===Charisma===
===Patron Gifts===


{{avfts}}
{{avfts}}
[[Category:AVFtS Characters]]
[[Category:AVftS Characters]]

Latest revision as of 04:03, 5 December 2019

Rizali Corvus

Official portrait, Journeyman-Illusionist Rizali - AE603.
Demographics
Controlled by: Kyrie
Species: Sylph (Half-Elf)
Born: Astral Era Year 572
(35 years)
Nationality: Elahánan
Political Affiliation: Inverted Spire
Items and Abilities
Skills / Trades:
  • Illusion Magic
  • Sleight of Hand
  • Bluff/Diplomacy
Items:
  • Journal of Magical Findings
  • Inverted Spire Membership
  • Journeyman-Illusion Mage's Wand
Magical Abilities:
  • Shadow Step
  • Airy Step
  • Invisibility
  • Delude
  • Long-Weave Glamours

Rizali Corvus is an illusion mage who arrived in Ceadaichte Mòir escorting the seasonal traders' cart in the spring of AE607 with Kaegan and Lyndh. They arrived prepared to journey through Kingfisher Forest and attempting to recruit any interested local villagers to their cause. While attending The Inverted Spire, they had stumbled upon ancient journals and documents that implied an eternal empire existed on the far side of the forest. Corvus's interests were in expanded knowledge of magic, as the residents of the eternal empire were said to be unparalleled in their arcane mastery.

Biography

Early Life

AE510 painting of the House of Air's official place of business.

Rizali was born in AE572 to the House of Air in the Elahána Forest, a High Elven kingdom bordering the Republic of Ustendelle to its east. By the time of their birth, the House of Air had fallen from favour and hadn't held the throne in centuries. The House of Fire had held the throne for three generations in a row, something that would have been unheard of in the early days of the kingdom, and the Anticipation of Water was rumoured to be next in line. The House of Air wouldn't be in a position to seat the throne for another five generations at least. Despite this lack of prestige, their childhood and adolescence were still privileged, as even a distant branch of the ruling family held a fair amount of money and connections.

Rizali, or "Riza", was the third child to Arlassan Corvus, himself the second son to the head of the family, Feylhen. Sylphs in the House of Air were taught the secret rituals of their elemental heritage, and Rizali was no different. During their childhood, they learned how to speak to the trees and how to influence weather systems over the forest. They were the first Sylph born to the house in three generations, the last being Feylhen's mother and, like most Sylphs within the forest, were a frail and sickly child. Because of this, what time they didn't spend learning within the forest, they spent reading and practising magic with a family-procured tutor.

The estate for the House of Air took up one quadrant of the Royal Quarter in the capital and contained homes and security for the main branch of the House. The Houses of Air and Water historically had the most children and, as such, Riza was constantly surrounded by family members while growing up. Because of their heritage, they were constantly figuring out new things to be curious about, and lost interest in the forest-based spiritualism of their training early on. Instead, they developed a knack for illusory magic, entertaining themself and the other children of their house with light shows, bursts of different colours and sounds, and sneaking around the estate at night while blending into the shadows. Seeing potential for getting away from the House, they requested approval to enter the Inverted Spire for further magical training once they were 17. This was a common thing for the ever-curious elemental throwbacks, and they were granted permission under the caveat that they would return no sooner than their 40th birthday to take their place at the head of the house.


Acceptance to The Inverted Spire

Rizali emigrated to Ustendelle shortly after their 18th birthday in AE590, arriving in Coxarif via private carriage with their mother Brithari. Their earliest days in the Ustendelli capital aren't well-documented outside a few official documents noting a member of the Elahánan royal family had arrived in the country and would be staying indefinitely, as well as their enrollment documents at the magic academy.

Their Apprentice training was under the Adept-Elemental Mage Caoimhin Wælisc, a human from the northwestern reaches of Ustendelle. Wælisc encouraged the young elf to explore Coxarif when outside of class, which coaxed out of the apprentice an interest in eavesdropping and socialising that has followed them since. Rizali could be seen in taverns across the city, sharing stories of old Elahána and its secrets, and listening intently to any stories of human culture and history. It was during this period Rizali learned that there was prejudice against elves, particularly in western Ustendelle. After a run-in with a pair of drunk westerners in 601, they began wearing a hood in public to hide their ears.

AE603 painting of The Inverted Spire's North-Bridge entrance.

Rizali was an avid reader and spent most of their time early on in the library's apprentice section, soaking up knowledge of magical history and ancient spellcraft. In group classes, they were often disliked or resented for their ability to answer most questions even when the subject hadn't yet been covered and an incorrigible nature that desired the approval of whichever Adept-Mage was teaching that particular subject.

Adept-Elemental Wælisc also noted Rizali's interest in specialising in Illusion magic and encouraged the elf to grow into the role. In 603, Rizali was allowed to take the placement test for the Illusory Specialisation track and was accepted as a Journeyman into the program.


Illusion Magic Training

Upon entering Journeyman-level training, Rizali was moved to the Illusion school within the Spire and given a private dormitory. They spent most of their time in the library, reading books previously restricted to them and discovering a preference for ancient magic forms and alternate weaves. Journeyman-level mages were allowed access to studies on magic practised by other cultures, including the elves, as well as the magical histories of those cultures. Despite coming from Elahána, Rizali had only been taught basic elven spellweaving techniques and was only just exposed to their own race's magical history for the first time. It was also the first time they were able to see an outsider's perspective on Elahánan history, including the "Taming of the Elements" era.

Rizali flourished under the new curriculum, more focused on classroom and private study than one-on-one tutoring with occasional classes. It was early on in their studies that Rizali met Master-level mage Landry Carglowyn, who greeted them upon their arrival and oversaw the department. Though cycled out of the Illusion department three weeks after Rizali's arrival, Master Carglowyn's presence left an impression upon the elf, making them if anything more curious and more dutiful in their studies. Their elemental gifts also helped them, as they noticed a developing grace and lightness to their step as they got older. This allowed them to approach people silently and to fall more slowly than other students.

The trickster element never fully left them, leading Rizali to commit at least three documented pranks during their few years as a Journeyman. Most centred around their early mastery of Shadow Step, a high-level spell for a human or elf, but something that came naturally to a Sylph. All three of these gained Rizali recognition and praise within the department, but would not add to their academic merits in any notable fashion.


Journey to the West

Continuing their studies within the library, Rizali eventually moved into the oldest texts, where they found inferences to- and passages entirely about- a seemingly endless empire to the west of Kingfisher Forest. The mages of this empire were supposed to be incredibly advanced, so far beyond the eastern mages that they were regarded as divine. Befitting their nature, Rizali's curiosity got the better of them, and began putting together an expedition in AE606. They were 35 years old, and knew that the eyes of their house would start turning toward them soon. After reading as much as they could find on Kingfisher Forest -not a lot, mostly legends- they hired Lyndh as a bodyguard.

Lyndh was a local brawler, who had at one point been part of Rizali's drinking group, then eventually moved out of it due to finding them aggravating to be around. Despite this, he had nothing else to do and agreed to come with Rizali as long as the Sylph didn't force any standards or ideas on him, and that as soon as they entered the empire they parted ways. Once the winter passed into the spring of AE607, the pair left Coxarif with a trade caravan bound for Ceadaichte Mòir, a small hamlet on the western edge of Ustendelle, bordering the Forest. During the trip, Rizali was introduced to Kaegan, who likewise had no connections in Ustendelle and agreed to join the expedition through the forest. In the village, Rizali made the acquaintance of Cathal, and briefly met Síne.

Appearance

Without magical augmentations, Rizali can pass as an androgynous elf with blue eyes and white hair that reaches slightly past their shoulders. As a child, they were sickly, and so often went without having the appetite to eat. This continued into adulthood where, even though they were ill significantly less frequently, they would still often forget to eat or get too wound up in an activity to step away. Their skin is porcelain-white, and blue patterns appear on their forehead, around their eyes, and on various parts of their body, attributes that are commonly associated with Sylphs. When their hair is longer it tends to look too much like cloud, which they find aggravating.

They are 167cm tall, slightly short for a human, let alone an elf. Sylvan ears are significantly longer than those of elves, and thin to the point of almost appearing translucent at the tips. Rizali has near-perfect posture, standing as straight up as possible and head high, belying an inner confidence. They have freckles, dark grey against the white of their skin, that dot their nose, under their eyes, and their forehead.

Rizali prefers to wear their robes over multiple layers, which serves to keep their naturally-cold form warmer, hide the more nuanced movements within their weaves, and also to further androgynise them. Usually they’ll wear a tighter inner layer, then a slightly looser outer layer of clothing. This is because their mage robes are fairly open in the front, hanging around the arms and shoulders but revealing the sternum and upper midriff area, only coming together at the waist with a heavy cloth belt, then hanging in strips around the legs. A heavy hood can be pulled over their head during rituals or in situations where anonymity is valued, but otherwise the robes aren’t the best at concealing form. When heavy robes aren’t necessary, like in the tower, they’ll often take measures to conceal before wearing a semi-loose taupe brocade with a high collar and flat front, loose trousers of the same colour, and comfortable flats.


Illusory Glamours

As Rizali is detached from the general idea of gender, identifying as neither male nor female, they are comfortable appearing in whatever way is most useful. This has assisted them with hiding the more obvious aspects of their ancestry and dealing with citizens of Coxarif on a day-to-day basis. Due to their inherent gift to produce long-weave glamours, they can maintain a physical appearance with a single spell for a day without needing to refresh it.

Rizali's female persona.

Being a theatrical person in general, Rizali has taken this ability to a perhaps strange extent and created characters for their various appearances. Within those characters, Rizali fully identifies by that appearance’s pronouns and has established a personality to fit their own imagined background. When first experimenting with glamours in public, Rizali made up different names for their different appearances. But after eavesdropping and gathering information for a time, they realised almost nobody remembered their glamour's appearance, let alone the name given. This was true no matter what race or gender they appeared to be. The only time it would appear odd to anyone they were speaking to tended to be when they gave an elven name for a human appearance, or a human name for an elven appearance.

Rizali's male persona.

Therefore, except where secrecy is needed above all else, Rizali introduces themself by their given name no matter how they are appearing, utilising the special status of being born with a common, yet gender neutral, elven name. Over the years, Rizali has become more attached to two particular characters beyond any others, and cut down to using those two exclusively whenever needing to appear as male or female in public. Though there are other races in the world, Rizali doesn't feel entirely comfortable portraying any outside of humans and elves because of a lack of exposure they've had to the varieties of appearance present in those races.

Their male persona is within the average height for a male elf, somewhere in the vicinity of 188cm. He has silver-blond hair cropped short over a traditional forehead tattoo for merchant families in Coxarif. He has a strong chin, full jawline, and gray eyes. He is brash, incredibly social, mildly stuck-up due to being raised with money, and makes a joke of everything. Despite this gregariousness, he is able to hold in his energy and make sincere appeals to others when needed. Whether or not those attempts are successful is anyone's guess and usually up to the individuals on the other side of the conversation.

Their female persona is approximately 177cm, just on the short side of average for a high elven woman. She has blonde hair that reaches slightly past her shoulders, bright green eyes, and striking features. She has thick, shaped eyebrows, freckles splayed across her nose and under her eyes and pronounced cheekbones. She is much more soft-spoken and strategic than the male persona, working to use her training as an illusionist mage in conversational skills as well by shaping events through speaking to just the right person at any given time. Because of this nature, she is instinctively cautious and guarded at first. Though quiet around new people, she brightens significantly once she considers someone a friend.


Abilities

Illusion Magic

Charisma

A Voice from the Storm
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